
Photo by Don Sanderson
The Pacific Crest Trail Association and U.S. Forest Service invite you to the North Cascades Saw Training and Certification events. Qualified participants can earn crosscut and chainsaw certifications and re-certifications. These saw trainings are possible thanks to safety and operation agreements with the U.S. Forest Service. These events are open to PCTA volunteers and members only. The PCTA saw program only certifies sawyers for bucking operations.
Copies of current First Aid and CPR certifications must be submitted to attend PCTA saw certification events. The application process is very competitive. Submitting your application does not guarantee admission into the training. Learn more about PCTA’s Saw Training and Certification program.
When and where are the 2025 events?
March 29th, March 30th & April 18th-20th in Darrington and North Bend
Basic Saw Crew
Hosted by the North 350 Blades, Basic Saw Crew is a one-day clinic that focuses on learning to work as member of a team led by a Certified Sawyer. This is a day of fun field work learning to safely use a crosscut saw, swamping out a blowdown work area and learning trail work from experienced sawyers. This is great course to take if you’re interested in helping certified sawyers to clear trails, but don’t have much experience working with or around saws. This project provides field experience with crosscut saws and axes with a key emphasis on safety; most of the principles are also applicable to chainsaw work on trails. Therefore, this class is the place to start, no matter what your experience or trail clearing tools you expect to use in the future.
If you’re an experienced Sawyer, an A or B Cert needing practice, needing Re-Cert, upgrading your cert or would like to help instruct the Basic Saw Crew class, please sign up for the companion “Practicum” project the same day & location.
When | Saturday, March 29th | Sunday, March 30th (Currently waitlisting) |
Time | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
Where | Darrington – Old Sauk ADA Loop Trailhead | North Bend – Middle Fork Campground |
More details & how to register | PCTAConnect | PCTAConnect |
Crosscut Saw Practicum
Hosted by the North 350 Blades, this Crosscut Saw field practice day is a one-day opportunity for experienced sawyers to practice and fine tune all their saw team skills. If you’re looking to upgrade your certification or have been asked to help instruct the Basic Saw Crew course, please sign up for this clinic. This is a clinic where A & B Cert sawyer can improve saw team participation, team leadership qualities and situational awareness. We can address specific skills & techniques participants would like to work on. You can work on more complex scenarios with C level sawyers. B & C sawyers can often have trail crew members with little to no saw or trail maintenance experience, so this is a format to work with folks from the companion Basic Saw Crew course same day. C Cert sawyers are encouraged to register if you have an interest to share your knowledge and instruction with the growing community of trail crew folks.
This Practicum is for skill improvement but it does NOT provide saw certification, which is required for those who wish to be lead sawyers on a trail crew. Use this opportunity to improve your skill set and confidence for your certification goals in the future.
When | Saturday, March 29th | Sunday, March 30th (Currently waitlisting) |
Time | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
Where | Darrington – Old Sauk ADA Loop Trailhead | North Bend – Middle Fork Campground |
More details & how to register | PCTAConnect | PCTAConnect |
Saw Certification
Hosted by the North 350 Blades, this is a three-day saw certification event for either Chainsaw or Crosscut, for those that would like to become certified as an A Sawyer or advance their A certification to a B Sawyer, and also for sawyers with expiring A or B certifications who need to be re-certified at the same level. An initial “C” certification is a longer and more thoughtful process which will not have time for at this event.
The Chainsaw class is intended for students with current chainsaw certifications who need to be re-certified, and then to students with crosscut certifications who want to add a chainsaw cert. The Crosscut class is intended for initial Crosscut Saw certification of individuals with minimal saw experience applying for Trainee (A) level certification or experienced A level sawyers now ready to apply for Saw Operator ‘B’ level certification.
As this is a certification event, YOU MUST HAVE prior experience as a swamper on log-out crews, either through the PCTA #103 Basic Saw Crew class or through participation in multiple log-out work parties. If you’re interested in becoming a certified sawyer but have no prior experience with log-out, the PCTA #103 Basic Saw Crew class is the right place to start.
Participants must attend the April 18th classroom session in order to attend the field evaluation the same weekend, per the updated USFS Region 6 Saw Policy. We’ll spend day one in the classroom, covering safety procedures, bind analysis, and specific equipment and techniques to enable volunteers to safely use saws for trail maintenance. Day two, we’ll wrap up any remaining classroom work in the morning and then head to a field location to develop our skills & practice using chainsaws on low complexity log-out scenarios. Day three, we’ll be back in the field all day for skill practice with saws, more complex cuts, B Sawyer candidates refining their saw crew leadership, and finishing up with evaluation of students to become certified or re-certified.
Event | Chainsaw Certification | Crosscut Certification |
When | Friday, April 18th – Sunday, April 20th | Friday, April 18th – Sunday, April 20th (Currently waitlisting) |
Time | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily |
Where | Darrington Ranger Station & Old Sauk ADA Loop Trailhead | Darrington Ranger Station & Old Sauk ADA Loop Trailhead |
More details & how to register | PCTAConnect | PCTAConnect |
Do I need a current First Aid and CPR card for saw certification?
Yes. PCTA staff and volunteers cannot operate chain or crosscut saws unless they hold a recognized and valid sawyer certification, First Aid, and CPR card. PCTA must have copies of current First Aid and CPR qualifications in order to issue saw certification. After applying for North Cascades saw trainings, applicants will need to submit copies of their certification cards via PCTAConnect (Navigate to “My Volunteering” and select “My Certifications” to upload) or email them to [email protected].