Log Graders and Scalers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Arrange for hauling of logs to appropriate mill sites.
• Measure log lengths and mark boles for bucking into logs, according to specifications.
• Identify logs of substandard or special grade so that they can be returned to shippers, regraded, recut, or transferred for other processing.
• Saw felled trees into lengths.
• Paint identification marks of specified colors on logs to identify grades or species, using spray cans, or call out grades to log markers.
• Evaluate log characteristics and determine grades, using established criteria.
• Measure felled logs or loads of pulpwood to calculate volume, weight, dimensions, and marketable value, using measuring devices and conversion tables.
• Weigh log trucks before and after unloading, and record load weights and supplier identities.
• Jab logs with metal ends of scale sticks, and inspect logs to ascertain characteristics or defects such as water damage, splits, knots, broken ends, rotten areas, twists, and curves.
• Record data about individual trees or load volumes into tally books or hand-held collection terminals.
• Communicate with coworkers by signals to direct log movement.
• Drive to sawmills, wharfs, or skids to inspect logs or pulpwood.
• Measure log lengths and mark boles for bucking into logs, according to specifications.

Skills

• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.

Abilities

• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.

Knowledge

• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

59670/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

28.69/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

420

Yearly Projected Openings

60

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Integrity
• Independence
• Initiative
• Cooperation

Tools

• Ball peen hammer
• Calipers
• Crayons
• Electronic counters
• Hard hats
• Hatchets
• Infrared imagers
• Laser measuring systems
• Measuring rods
• Measuring tapes
• Measuring wheels for distance
• Moisture meters
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Pocket calculator
• Portable data input terminals
• Power saws
• Safety glasses
• Safety horns
• Tablet computers
• Truck or rail scales
• X ray radiography examination equipment

Technology

• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Inventory management software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software