The Current State of the Logging Workforce in the United States
Timber Harvesting 235/Final Project
Hunter Morris
11-25-14
Throughout its storied history, the logging industry in the United States and its legendary workforce have helped to provide the country with countless forest products that have helped to build the nation into what it is today. Long gone are the days of double bitted axes, and river drives, but while changes in environmental regulations, and public opinion on logging, in addition to new technology, stricter workplace regulations and management practices have changed the work actually being done by loggers, the workforce itself is in a dire state due to a variety of factors. One major factor playing into the current state of the logging workforce is the age of the loggers themselves. This aging of the logging workforce is not isolated to one particular state or region of the country, but in fact seems to be consistent throughout the entire United States. According to Egan (2009) the average age of Loggers in the State of New York is 46.5 years, while in Maine, the average age of native loggers is at 45.8 years, with 46.9 years being the
…show more content…
Logging has also in fact become a much safer profession than it was in the past. According to Baker and Greene, the number of Lost time Accidents (OSHA reportable accidents which would require $1,000 in medical costs and 1 day of missed work) in Georgia, have dropped 90 percent between 1987 and 2007(Baker & Greene,