Exceptional Logging Contractor Award

Minnesota SFI® Implementation Committee Logger Training Standard

The Minnesota SIC provides financial support for the Minnesota Logger Education Program (MLEP) and also participates in the training program to promote and foster an understanding of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and to promote sustainable forestry practices on all forestlands in the state. The program is a voluntary education program that accredits individuals and the company they represent according to the 2022 SFI Standard.

Certification of sustainable practices provides added confidence to customers and the public that the person performing a harvest is well-trained and experienced, because the program is an independent, third-party audit of a logging business's harvest, safety, and business practices.

The 2022 SFI Standard requires that, at a minimum "each crew must include a Qualified Logging Professional (QLP) who:

has completed the SFI training program,
is the owner of, an employee of, or a contractor for the wood producer, and
has direct responsibility and is onsite regularly to carry out the roles and responsibilities of the qualified logging professional (e.g., safety, protection of soils, streams and other water bodies.)”

The MN SIC has determined that the following requirements must be met in Minnesota.

SFI Standards

Initial QLP Training Requirements

To initially become a QLP, it is necessary within a calendar year to complete the following individual courses that address the topics as listed under indicators 1a-1f of Objective 6, Performance Measure 6.2 of the SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard and Indicators 1a-1f of Objective 13, Performance Measure 13.2 of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard:

awareness of sustainable forestry principles and SFI’s work;
best management practices, including streamside management and road construction, maintenance, and retirement;
awareness of responsibilities under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the Canadian Species at Risk Act, Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value (critically imperiled and imperiled species and ecological communities), and other measures to protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat;
logging safety;
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) regulations, wage and hour rules, and other provincial, state, and local employment laws, and
other topics identified by Certified Organizations and/or SFI Implementation Committees that improve their responsibilities in meeting the SFI 2022 Standards.

To meet this Standard loggers must attend the following:

Guideline Training:

Up to Eight (8) credit hours of training on SFI, Minnesota’s Forest Management Guidelines and managing rare species (provided through the online or in-person courses)

Safety Training:

Up to Eight (8) credit hours of First Aid and CPR training, OSHA and logging safety (met by the LogSafe program training requirements as approved by the MN Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI))

Annual Training Requirements

To maintain QLP status after the intial year of training, a QLP must attend continuing education training course(s) that address safety and continuing education requirements of SFI.

To meet this Standard loggers must attend the following:

Safety Training:

Twelve (12) hours of safety training every two years (met by the LogSafe program training requirements as approved by Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI)) to include:

Eight (8) total hours of CPR/First-Aid Training: (Four (4) hours of CPR and four (4) hours of First Aid)
Four (4) hours of Safety Training (OSHA)

Continuing Education:

Six (6) hours of MN SIC approved training annually.

Individual courses must address one or more of the topics as listed under indicators 1a-1f and 2a-2j of Objective 6, Performance Measure 6.2 of the SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard and Indicators 1a-1f and 2a-2k of Objective 13, Performance Measure 13.2 of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard.

awareness of sustainable forestry principles and the SFI’s work;
best management practices, including streamside management and road construction, maintenance, and retirement;
reforestation, invasive species management, forest resource conservation, aesthetics and special sites;
awareness of rare forested natural communities as identified by provincial or state agencies, or by credible organizations such as NatureServe or The Nature Conservancy;
transportation issues;
business management;
public policy and outreach;
awareness of emerging technologies;
logging safety; or
other topics identified by the Certified Organization and/or SFI Implementation Committees that improve their responsibilities in meeting the SFI 2022 Standards.

Courses that address SFI Forest Management Standard Objective 8, Performance Measure 8.1, indicator 1c: Awareness of Minnesota indigenous peoples’ history, rights and traditional knowledge.