Chainsaw Course Benefits Land Conservation Professionals

December 14, 2016
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kara H. Whelan, Vice President
914.234.6992 ext. 12, kara@westchesterlandtrust.org

‘Game of Logging’ Chainsaw Course Benefits Land Conservation Professionals
from Westchester and Fairfield

From L to R: Sara Powell (Land Steward), Tate Bushell (Director of Stewardship), Shaun McCoshum (Preserve Manager & Educator)

LEWISBORO, NY — Westchester Land Trust (WLT) hosted more than a dozen land stewardship professionals at its Frederick P. Rose Preserve for a two-day chainsaw safety course taught by Bill Lindloff of Bill Lindloff Pro Cuts. Participants included representatives from Bedford Riding Lanes Association, Greenwich Land Trust, Highstead Foundation, Pound Ridge Land Conservancy, Teatown Lake Reservation, Westchester Land Trust as well as several private contractors. The hands-on training also served to advance Westchester Land Trust’s management of the rare shrubland habitat found at its Frederick P. Rose Preserve in Lewisboro, NY.

Lindloff is a certified Game of Logging instructor and certified logging trainer. Game of Logging is a world-recognized training curriculum that teaches chain saw skills. Developed in the 1960s by Soren Eriksson, a Swedish logger, the Game of Logging combines Scandinavian logging techniques with the latest systems for working safely around trees. The course covered practical applications in land stewardship including safety features of the saw, understanding the reactive forces of a running chainsaw, directional felling, and how to identify the lean in a tree.

“I’m so pleased we were able to bring together our colleagues and partners to learn alongside one another. Everyone came away having learned vital chainsaw skills,” said Tate Bushell, Westchester Land Trust’s Director of Stewardship and course organizer. “Westchester Land Trust plans to expand conservation programming that allows us to use our protected lands as classrooms for the community and our partners in conservation.”

ABOUT THE FREDERICK P. ROSE PRESERVE — Boasting woods, old fields and wetlands, the Frederick P. Rose Preserve is a critical link in the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor, a 22,000-acre swath of land noted for its regionally-important diversity of wildlife. Hikers and equestrians who explore the trail system will find old stone walls, a field of high-bush blueberries, and the ruins of old buildings that were part of Brady Farm in the 19th century. The 85.5 –acre preserve is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Frederick P. Rose, the late builder and philanthropist. In 2014, Westchester Land Trust launched stewardship enhancement initiatives at the preserve to restore native shrubland habitat and to recover the native meadows.

ABOUT THE PARTNERS
Bedford Riding Lanes Association
Greenwich Land Trust
Highstead Foundation
Pound Ridge Land Conservancy
Teatown Lake Reservation

About Westchester Land Trust

Westchester Land Trust works with public and private partners to preserve land in perpetuity and to enhance the natural resources in Westchester and eastern Putnam counties—a densely populated region under persistent threat from the pressures of development. Founded in 1988, WLT has preserved 9,250 acres of open space. More than 1,112 acres of land are owned by the organization which are free and open to the public year-round. WLT was one of the first land trusts in the nation to receive accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.