Wood measurement training program to be held at UMaine May 3–4
The University of Maine will host an approved wood measurement training program May 3–4.
The course prepares participants to take the state licensing exam to become a licensed wood scaler in the state of Maine.
Instruction will be given in scaler’s licensing law, wood measurement methods and all applicable rules. The program includes both classroom and field training. It involves presentations on wood measurement rules, scaling techniques, log rules and history, as well as hands-on practice with experts scaling logs in the university forest mill yard. Participants will receive a copy of the most recent wood measurement rules.
The program is intended for anyone who measures wood as part of their job, including mill scalers, foresters, forest rangers, loggers and forest landowners.
Upon completion of the course, participants will earn a certificate that will reduce the time required as an apprentice scaler from two years to six months.
“Wood transactions require measurement of wood by a licensed scaler,” according to Keith Kanoti, a forest manager at UMaine. “As people retire and new scalers are hired, shortening the apprenticeship time by taking the course allows new scalers to work on their own sooner, bringing efficiencies.”
The program was traditionally hosted by UMaine, the Maine Forest Service and the Division of Quality Assurance & Regulation. Several of the principal instructors retired around the same time and the course was no longer offered.
After a six-year hiatus, forest industry stakeholders expressed a need for the course to be offered again. It is being revived by UMaine’s University Forests Office in the School of Forest Resources; the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Maine Forest Service, and Division of Quality Assurance & Regulation; and Maine Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
“UMaine has the connections in the industry to bring the right group of cooperators together to revive the course. We also have the facilities on the university forest to hold the class in a central location,” Kanoti says.
This year’s class, which is capped at 20 participants, is full. Sponsors plan to offer the course again in the fall.