Connections….

By Tim Ard

President of Forest Applications Training, Inc.

 Beginning in January 2010 Forest Applications Training inc. will be adding a new direction to its training services. Or should I say new "Connection with a Direction." We have for years promoted saws, gear and safety to chain saw operators across the country and will continue to do that but with a new focus on you the training participant and organizer.

 As we provide training sessions across the nation we introduce the training concept of "Competitive Response" and at the same time show techniques and tools needed to complete chain saw tasks safely and productively. Are these items the only ones that can do the job? Probably not, but they are tools and techniques I have found to work well in chain saw applications. I only show and talk about those  that do the job and mean something to work as an operator.

 We at F.A.T. have been dedicated to you the training client since 1991 and more or less connected to just one manufacturer/supplier - Husqvarna. We have had a long and profitable relationship with them. To the outset, Forest Applications Training is going to expand its horizons to hopefully connect better the needs of our customer- the training organizers and participants, with those that care to prosper from it. Our future will  not be so chain saw brand specific as it has been in the past. The training customer rules!

 To begin the process, I want to say thank you to Husqvarna, Oregon Cutting Systems and PFERD, their past promotion and support of Forest Applications Training, Inc. has been greatly appreciated.  I hope and pray their direction continues the same as ours and we can work together to provide for and educate chain saw users regarding many of their products. These companies have been innovators in the past and I hope more so in the future. I invite them to Connect…

The new direction will be called ChainPoint Connections. It will concentrate on connecting you the chain saw operator, trainee and organizer with current information on tools, accessories and safety concerns needed through or classes, show presentations, website, Twitter and FaceBook.

 We have one of the oldest websites dedicated to the chain saw operator. Our site at www.forestapps.com has been up and running since the early 90’s. If you know anything about the internet, that’s when it was born.

F.A.T. was first to offer a eBook – “The Complete Guide to Chain Saw Safety and Directional Felling” by Tim Ard and Mike Bolin to the chain saw operators’ library. Information that’s interactive and can be easily updated as needed.

The new form of communication with web based portals is growing. FaceBook and Twitter are connecting people by leaps and tweets. I say all this to say it’s time to connect, even more now all the training and information to the ground!

More information will follow soon but here are a few highlights...