The Minnesota SIC provides financial support for the Minnesota Logger Education Program (MLEP) and also participates in the training program to promote and foster an understanding of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and to promote sustainable forestry practices on all forestlands in the state. The program is a voluntary education program that accredits individuals and the company they represent according to the 2022 SFI Standard.
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Certification of sustainable practices provides added confidence to customers and the public that the person performing a harvest is well-trained and experienced, because the program is an independent, third-party audit of a logging business's harvest, safety, and business practices.
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The 2022 SFI Standard requires that, at a minimum "each crew must include a Qualified Logging Professional (QLP) who:
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has completed the SFI training program,
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is the owner of, an employee of, or a contractor for the wood producer, and
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has direct responsibility and is onsite regularly to carry out the roles and responsibilities of the qualified logging professional (e.g., safety, protection of soils, streams and other water bodies.)”
The MN SIC has determined that the following requirements must be met in Minnesota.
Initial QLP Training Requirements
To become a Qualified Logging Professional (QLP), it is necessary, within a calendar year, to complete guideline and safety training courses that address the topics listed under indicators 1a-1f of Objective 6, Performance Measure 6.2 of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard and Indicators 1a-1f of Objective 13, Performance Measure 13.2 and Objective 8, Performance Measure 8.1, indicator 1c of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard:
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awareness of sustainable forestry principles and SFI’s work;
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best management practices, including streamside management and road construction, maintenance, and retirement;
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awareness of responsibilities under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the Canadian Species at Risk Act, Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value (critically imperiled and imperiled species and ecological communities), and other measures to protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat;
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logging safety;
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U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) regulations, wage and hour rules, and other provincial, state, and local employment laws,
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Awareness of Minnesota indigenous peoples’ history, rights and traditional knowledge. and
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other topics identified by Certified Organizations and/or SFI Implementation Committees that improve their responsibilities in meeting the SFI 2022 Standards.
​​To meet this Standard loggers must attend the following:
Guideline Training
Minnesota’s Forest Management Guidelines training provided through online or in-person courses.
Safety Training
Logger safety training that meets OSHA 1910.266 standard for logging operations.
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First Aid and CPR certification that meets OSHA 1910.266 Appendix B
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Employer-provided on-the-job Logger Safety Training as called for in 1910.266(i).
Maintaining QLP Certification
To maintain QLP status a QLP must attend annual SFI State Implementation Committee (SIC) approved continuing education training that addresses the safety and continuing education requirements of the SFI Standards.
Continuing Education
MN SIC Approved SFI Training
Six (6) hours of annual MN SIC-approved training either through the Minnesota Logger Education Program (MLEP) or other SIC approved outside sources. The MLEP conferences and other in-person events offer a variety of training presentations that meet this requirement.
Individual courses must address one or more of the topics listed under indicators 1a-1f of Objective 6, Performance Measure 6.2 of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard and Indicators 1a-1f and 2a-2j of Objective 13, Performance Measure 13.2 and Objective 8, Performance Measure 8.1, indicator 1c of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard:
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awareness of sustainable forestry principles and the SFI’s work;
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best management practices, including streamside management and road construction, maintenance, and retirement;
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awareness of responsibilities under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the Canadian Species at Risk Act, Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value (critically imperiled and imperiled species and ecological communities), and other measures to protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat;
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reforestation, invasive species management, forest resource conservation, aesthetics and special sites;
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awareness of rare forested natural communities as identified by provincial or state agencies, or by credible organizations such as NatureServe or The Nature Conservancy;
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transportation issues;
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business management;
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public policy and outreach;
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awareness of emerging technologies;
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logging safety;
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awareness of Minnesota indigenous peoples’ history, rights and traditional knowledge, or;
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other topics identified by the Certified Organization and/or SFI Implementation Committees that improve their responsibilities in meeting the SFI 2022 Standards.
Safety Training
Annual logger safety training that meets the OSHA 1910.266 standard for logging operations.
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First Aid and CPR certification or recertification that meets OSHA 1910.266 Appendix B. If the QLP’s First Aid and CPR certification is current, then;
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A Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI)-approved Logger Safety Training workshop that complies with OSHA 1910.266(i) is required.
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UPDATED EFFECTIVE 1/1/2025
