IPCO: Full Course

At the end of this comprehensive Introduction to Professional Chainsaw Operation (IPCO) course in safe and efficient chainsaw use, participants will know how to fell and limb timber under a variety of conditions, using special techniques and felling aids when required. They will also know how to identify and deal appropriately with a variety of hazardous conditions associated with professional chainsaw operation.

Moving from the classroom to the woodlot, participants will learn the principles of how to sharpen, maintain and operate a chainsaw competently. Building their skills through supervised practice in actual felling and limbing operations, the participant will also learn the best way to hold, start and handle a chainsaw.

The course's four modules consist of: Chainsaw Sharpening and Maintenance; Safe Chainsaw Handling; Felling and Limbing; and Field Practice. The first three modules are self-contained units that can be delivered independently of the others. For example, the module on chainsaw sharpening and maintenance could be used as a refresher course for working chainsaw operators.

Intended Audience:

The course is intended for new workers or current cutters in logging operations. Individual elements, modules and adapted areas of the training and curriculum are also useful for safe chainsaw operation training of operators who are not employed in logging.

Additional Information:

The basic knowledge and skill provided by this training should be supplemented by on-the-job supervision, practice, and experience before evaluation for certification under the Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development (MLTSD) modular training guidelines up to one year after the common core is completed.