84110 Chain saw and skidder operators

What this occupation covers

Chain saw and skidder operators operate chain saws to fell, delimb and buck trees, and operate skidders to move or yard the felled trees from the logging site to the landing area for processing and transportation. They are employed by logging companies and contractors.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 5 main duties for this code.

• Operate chain saw to fell, delimb and buck trees at the logging site and loading area
• Operate cable, or grapple skidder to move or yard the felled trees from the logging site to the landing area for processing and transportation
• Assess site, terrain and weather conditions before felling and yarding trees
• May work as member of a team rotating between chain saw operation and skidder operation
• May maintain and perform minor repairs on skidders, chain saws and other equipment.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 5 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 85120 Logging and forestry labourers
• 83110 Logging machinery operators
• 84111 Silviculture and forestry workers

Excluded from this code

• Logging and forestry labourers (See 85120 Logging and forestry labourers)
• Logging machinery operators (See 83110 Logging machinery operators)
• Silviculture and forestry workers (See 84111 Silviculture and forestry workers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

bucker · bucker - logging · cable skidder operator · chain saw operator - logging · chaser - logging · cordwood cutter · cutter - logging · faller · faller - logging · faller and bucker - logging · feller · feller - logging · forest worker - logging · grapple skidder operator · hardwood faller and bucker · horse logger · landing bucker - logging · landingman/woman · landingman/woman - logging · log cutter · logger · logging tractor operator · lumberjack · pieceworker - logging

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school may be required.
• Completion of a college program for forest workers may be required.
• Formal training in chain saw operation and maintenance and several months of on-the-job training are usually provided.
• Previous experience as a logging and forestry labourer or logging machine operator may be required. Experience requirements vary depending on the type and location of woodlands operations.
• Provincial certification or a forest worker program certificate is required in some provinces.
• Trade certification for fallers is available, but voluntary in Quebec.
• Workplace hazardous materials information system (WHMIS) and first aid certificates may be required.