Vermont's Timber Harvesting Training & Certification Program

Vermont’s Timber Harvesting Certification Program (VT-LEAP)

VT-LEAP is Vermont’s leading training and certification program for logging professionals. It provides practical education in safety, sustainable timber harvesting, forest stewardship and business management.

VT-LEAP is recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) as a qualified logger training program. Through training and certification, VT-LEAP supports logging professionals committed to safe, sustainable timber harvesting, a strong forest economy, and healthy forests for generations to come.

What is VT-LEAP?

VT-LEAP’s mission: The purpose of the VT-LEAP program is to promote a professional approach to logging by providing the knowledge loggers need to work safely, efficiently and in an environmentally conscientious manner while harvesting timber in Vermont.

VT-LEAP brings together landowners, foresters and professional timber harvesters to strengthen Vermont’s forests and the people who work in them. That approach has served Vermont’s woodlands for 35 years.

VT-LEAP members support Vermont’s local forest products industry and help keep our working forests healthy for the generations that follow.

Professional Loggers Make Stewardship Possible

Professional loggers play an essential role in the stewardship of Vermont’s forests. Working with landowners and consulting foresters, they carry out forest management plans. Their work can improve wildlife habitat, protect water quality, strengthen forest resilience, and supply the renewable wood products our communities depend on.

By certifying and investing in Vermont’s logging professionals, VT-LEAP strengthens the forestry workforce and supports the sustainable management practices that keep forests healthy and productive.

A Foundation for Professional Growth

VT-LEAP certification shows a commitment to ongoing education, workplace safety and sustainable forest management.

Many Vermont logging and timber harvesting professionals build on that foundation with additional training in watershed protection, advanced Acceptable Management Practices (AMPs), long-lasting forest road construction, and other specialized topics offered through the year.