Logging Engineer

Logging engineers help design timber transportation and harvesting systems, supervise timber harvests, and ensure protection of soil, water, and other natural resources during logging. Logging engineers work with people, highly technical machines and computers, and natural resources. They are problem solvers.

Logging engineers can work for private logging and forestry companies or government forestry agencies. Equipment manufacturers employ some. Companies that hire logging engineers include both small firms operated by families or partners and large regional, national, or multinational corporations. Some logging engineers work as private consultants.

To be a logging engineer, you should be a problem solver who is interested in natural resources. Take college courses in biology, forest management, soils, watershed management, machine design, engineering, and planning. Also, learn to use computers to solve forestry problems.

In high school, take mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science courses. Communication skills are very important. Experience working outdoors and with machines is helpful.

-- Perry Brown, Oregon State University