Wisconsin Ag Connection - UWRF Students Earn Honors at National Chainsaw Competition

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UWRF Students Earn Honors at National Chainsaw Competition
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 11/03/2009

Two students from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls took their classroom experiences to the next level when they took first and fourth place, respectively, at the National Game of Logging Collegiate Chainsaw Competition last month in Ohio. Steven Wielgosh and Rebecca Doro, both of Princeton, were classmates in last year's Chainsaw Operation and Safety class taught by UWRF plant and earth science Professor Michael Kaltenberg. This unique class is offered every fall and is open to students of various majors.

The National Game of Logging Finals are a part of the larger Paul Bunyan Show, an event with logging competitions, a forestry/logging trade show, and industry technology and research displays.

The aim of the GOL competition is to emphasize safety and decrease the number of chainsaw-related injuries while giving students a chance to showcase their skills in precision chainsaw operation.

Wielgosh and Doro are both senior horticulture majors and said that the course has been worthwhile, not only in preparing for competition but for their career plans as well. Doro, who was the only female in the GOL competition this year, says that she wanted to learn about chainsaw operation and the class was her first experience in it. Female students typically make up about one-third of the chainsaw class, says Kaltenberg.