FISTA provides safety training and education to workers in forestry-related industries to:

• Decrease the number and severity of logging-related accidents;

• Improve productivity and professionalism; and

• Encourage environmentally sound practices.

Located in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance, Inc. is a nationally recognized, non-profit safety training and education organization for the forest industry. FISTA is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization governed by a fifteen-member board of directors. FISTA’s staff includes an Executive Director, Safety Trainers, an Office Manager, and an Office Assistant. In business since 1991, FISTA is committed to providing quality training at a reasonable cost.

FISTA is most well known for its hands-on Chain Saw Safety Training Program, which has been conducted in hundreds of locations across Wisconsin and across the country. Chain Saw Safety Training is conducted for a wide variety of groups such as: loggers, foresters, landowners, highway departments, correctional facilities, conservation districts, municipalities, and many more.

In Wisconsin, FISTA provides Logger Training and Education and maintains a database of trained loggers and foresters for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®). All SFI® training is conducted in accordance with the annual SFI® Training Standard. SFI® Training in Wisconsin has four components: Professional Training, Best Management Practices for Water Quality (BMP's), Continuing Education, and First Aid/CPR.

For Tree Care Workers, FISTA provides Ground Worker Safety Training and Basic Climbing Safety Instruction to entry-level workers for tree care and landscaping companies across the country. A Susan B. Harwood OSHA Grant currently allows FISTA to provide this training for little or no cost to your company.

FISTA also:

• Conducts Sawmill Safety Inspections to provide consultation services on safety training programs for your business.

• Conducts CDL Skills Tests in Wisconsin

• Produces forestry-related and arborist safety videos and materials

• Coordinates three Loggers Conferences annually in Wisconsin

Conducts Chain Saw Safety Training for high schools in Wisconsin. These workshops incorporate information on sustainable forestry as well as highlighting careers in the forest industry.

• Maintains a strong working relationship with many organizations such as: Wisconsin Professional Loggers Association (WPLA), Timber Producers Association of Michigan and Wisconsin, Wisconsin Forest Resources Education Alliance (WFREA), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the Wisconsin SFI® State Implementation Committee (SIC), and many others.

FISTA
3243 Golf Course Road, Rhinelander, WI 54501
800-551-2656 (toll free), 715-282-4979, 715-282-7987 (fax)
email: info@fistausa.org, Website: www.fistausa.org