2023 MNWWN's Women's Chainsaw Safety Workshop - Webster, Minnesota
Beginners welcome! Learn chainsaw safety and maintenance, what safety gear is needed, and what to look for when buying a chainsaw.
Cost: $175, can be paid by check or using Eventbrite. Payments are needed before the event to secure your spot. Payment is refundable until Sept. 1. After this deadline, your payment is not refundable and will be donated to MNWWN. Limited scholarships are available. Please contact cheryl@landscape-restoration.com or (612) 590-9395 to be considered for scholarship assistance.
This will be a two-day workshop from 8:30 - 4 pm on both days.
The Minnesota Women's Woodland Network (MNWWN) is partnering with Dovetail Partners Inc. and UW-Madison Forestry Extension to host three workshops geared towards participants with little or no experience with a chainsaw. The principal focus will be on safety; safe posture, safe practices, safe clothing, and safe habits. This workshop will empower women to be comfortable with running a saw and saw knowledge. These are the same workshop, just offered in three different locations.
About the instructors: tish is a licensed forester and licensed arborist in Maine and a licensed arborist in Connecticut. She is also a certified arborist with the International Society of Arborists (ISA) and TRAQ certified with ISA. tish has been working with chain saws for over 40 years and has seen many improvements in saw design and techniques. She has been helping to teach women-only classes in Maine for the last 20 years. For the last five years she has traveled to New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Mexico (once!) to help train, teach and empower women in safe saw handling, proper PPE, and saw techniques. When tish is not teaching chainsaw classes, she is the Executive Director for Wabanaki Youth in Science (WaYS) and teaches community forestry and arboriculture at the local college and university. Her "downtime" is spent outside with her pup or riding her horse.
Cheryl Jirik, founder of Landscape Restoration, Inc., is deeply passionate about protecting and restoring our region’s woodland habitat. Areas of expertise include education/field training, and leadership of volunteer groups involved with habitat restoration and invasive species control. Buckthorn and garlic mustard are of particular emphasis.
An experienced presenter and educator, Cheryl has worked with many Midwest cities, nature centers, neighborhood groups and non-profit organizations, as well as hundreds of private clients. Please contact Cheryl if you are interested in scheduling an educational workshop, field training, chainsaw safety and use training, or assistance creating a volunteer network for habitat restoration.
Sessions will include:
Personal Protective Equipment review
Other safety equipment
Buying and maintaining a saw
Demonstrations of safe felling techniques
Hands-on opportunity for supervised, safe practice
Assessing the safety of the cuts
Answers to your chainsaw questions!
Refreshments provided. Lodging is not provided but camping on-site is available for those who would like to bring a tent or RV. More information will be provided upon registering. Please let us know ASAP if you would prefer the camping option so we can accommodate accordingly. Please email info@mnwwn.org with Webster Chainsaw Workshop in the subject
If you already own chaps, helmet, and chainsaw, please bring them to the workshop but please do not feel the need to purchase anything for this class. We will review the purchase of chainsaw safety equipment during class. A limited supply of these items will be available to use for those who do not have their own equipment.
The workshop location address will be provided to those who register.
Space is limited to 15 per workshop so register early!
For questions, please email info@mnwwn.org with Webster Chainsaw Workshop in the subject.