After years of effort, Arkansas Back Country Horsemen is pleased to announce the successful completion of its first chainsaw certification class. An ongoing shortage of the required Class C instructors in the state, complicated by recent Covid restrictions, lead to the cancellation of multiple classes over the last several years.

Disappointed but undeterred, Arkansas BCH’s saw manager, Lonnie Obryant, joined forces with the USFS Region 8 saw coordinator, Patrick Scott of North Carolina, to ensure that this class did not suffer the same fate. Patrick arranged for certified instructors Forrest Sutton and Dennis Helton to travel 14 hours from North Carolina, local BCH members scheduled required CPR/First Aid classes and provided meals for participants, and rancher Jim Starkey stepped up to host the two day class at his beautiful facility in Harrison, Arkansas. With Lonnie coordinating all the individual efforts and everyone else holding their collective breaths in hopes that this event would actually come together, the class did take place on October 27th and 28th in a spirit of good will and camaraderie. The course, which included both classroom and field work, covered best practices for the safe and effective use of chainsaws.

Arkansas now boasts fourteen new certified chainsaw users; five were certified as Class A  and nine as Class B. Ozark-St Francis District Ranger, Allen Smith, gave the final stamp of approval when he signed off on the certifications, noting he appreciates the work of Back Country Horsemen in Arkansas. Because certification is required to operate a chainsaw on most public lands, this class was an important next step in allowing the four chapters of Arkansas Back Country Horsemen to better serve on the public lands where they ride and work. That service area includes sections of the Ozark-St Francis National Forest, Devil’s Den State Park, Pea Ridge National Military Park, and the Buffalo National River. Through regularly scheduled work days, members of each of the four chapters strive to keep public trails open for everyone. Chances are if you have hiked or ridden the trails of Arkansas, you have benefitted from the work of Back Country Horsemen.

Plans for additional classes are already in the works, and the goal is for Arkansas to soon have its own certified chainsaw instructors. For more information about Back Country Horsemen of America, visit bcha.org. For contact information in Arkansas, visit arkansasbch.org to find a chapter near you.