What is It?

ACL’s continuing education program (ProLoggerSM) has become a required part of the Master Logger Certification Program©.  The Master Logger Certification Program© is designed to help assure that the logging portion of forest management meets the best professional standards possible.  By completing this program the landowers and processors can be confident that “chain of custody” quality requirements have been met.

What is the advantage?

To help all outstanding loggers gain the recognition they rightfully deserve and to bring credit and credibility to the logging industry.  When a landower asks if you’re certified, you can say “yes.”  Master Logger is a performance based certification designed to recognize top loggers for their excellence and give landowners a reference point when selecting a logger.

How to qualify:

  1. Be a California Licensed Operator (LTO), Class A or C
  2. Currently hold California ProLoggerSM status through ACL’s continuing education program
  3. Comply with the Forest Practices set forth by California State law and regulation
  4. Comply with the Code of Practices set forth by the American Loggers Council guidelines
  5. Comply with safety and risk management requirements
  6. Comply with legally required and sound  business practices

A system of third-party verification is established to assure that the performance standards of the program are met and continue to be met. Verifying “in the woods performance” relies on the inspections of the California Department of Forestry.  Regulations require these inspections as many as three times during the course of an operation and in 2001 more than 7100 inspections of logging operations were conducted.

Qualified safety people are required to verify compliance with safety and risk management requirements and an independent accountant must be used to verify compliance with required business practices.

An applicant who logs solely on Federal lands will be subjected to the same requirements as other applicants except that their in-the-woods performance will be based on the Federal Timber Sale Contract and subject to the inspection of the Sale Administrator.

For more information and an application, call the ACL office: 916.441.7940.