Loggers perform a variety of different lumber production jobs, ranging from lumberjacks with hand-held tools to operators of heavy machinery. This articles describes the major categories of logger jobs and the salary you may make performing them.
Fallers:
These are the guys closest to the traditional image of a lumberjack. They perform the kind of sawing and hacking seen in those lumberjack contests. Tree fallers use axes or chainsaws to cut down trees.
There were about 6,260 faller jobs in May of 2010, according to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These fallers had a median average hourly salary of about $16 and a yearly average of about $34,000. This is not especially high for somewhat dangerous work. However, the work of a faller can be peaceful and gratifying in its own way for the right kind of personality.
Most loggers who have this job are hired by logging companies. There are also some sawmills and wood preservation companies that hire fallers. A few local governments provide tree-faller jobs, as well.
Logging Equipment Operators:
You may have seen these tree-harvester machines in the movies or on television. This is the more modern, corporate way of logging operations. This logger job includes those who cut down and transport the logs plus those who work at sawmills to help move the logs into the production line. As the logging industry has modernized, it is not surprising that there are now more logging equipment operators than fallers. There were about 22,000 such logger job positions in May of 2010, and they earned a median hourly salary of about $15 and yearly salary of about $32,000. This means that fallers earned only slightly more despite the more physically demanding job of a faller.
Log Graders and Scalers:
These logger jobs are less physically demanding. Graders inspect logs that are already cut down to assess their quality and commercial value. Scalers measure logs to assess how much is being sold. At about $15 and $32,000, these jobs pay almost the same salary as logging equipment operators.
The employers tend to be different, though. At about 2000 jobs, there are not nearly as many log graders and scalers. However, most of them are employed by sawmill or wood preservation companies. Some logging companies also hire their own graders and scalers. Wood, pulp, and paper mills are the other employers of log graders and scalers.
These are the major types of logger jobs and their salary information. Most loggers are hired directly from the companies with little to no experience and receive training on the job. Although Oregon is well known for its logging industry, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arkansas have quite a few jobs, as well.
Resources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Tree Faller Job Information
BLS: Logging Equipment Operator Career Statistics
BLS: Job Information for Log Graders and Scalers