How Much Money Do Loggers Make?

by Aurelio Locsin, Demand Media

Loggers harvest trees in forests, conducting work that is physically demanding and hazardous. Though they may use heavy machinery and powered tools to ease certain tasks, most of their work involves lifting and climbing, and it demands physical stamina and strength. Loggers must be aware of the hazards of rough terrain, falling branches and tangling vines.


Salaries for loggers depend on the task in which they specialize. Fallers cut down trees using mobile felling machines and powered chainsaws. They earned a mean $20.49 per hour or $42,620 per year as of May 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Logging equipment operators operate tree harvesters and other vehicles to transport logs. They made a mean $16.40 per hour or $34,110 per year. Log graders inspect logs for defects, measure them for volume, and estimate their quality and value. They received $16.11 per hour or $33,500 per year.

Other Types

Other types of loggers collectively earned a mean $16.23 per hour or $33,760 per year in 2011. Buckers trim the branches of felled trees and cut them into specific lengths. Choke setters attach cables or chokers around felled logs that are then dragged by tractors or cable-yarding systems to landing areas. The logs are sorted by species and product type before being loaded into trucks. Rigging slingers handle the cables and guy wires of the yarding system. Log sorters, markers and movers sort, mark and move logs. Finally, log chippers operate the machines that reduce logs into chips.


The biggest employers of loggers in general were logging companies, which also offered the highest salaries in most cases. In these companies average wages were $20.49 per hour or $42,610 per year for fallers, $16.67 per hour or $34,670 per year for logging equipment operators, and $16.28 per hour or $33,870 per year for all other logging workers. Log graders found the most jobs at sawmills, with mean wages at $15.42 per hour or $32,070 per year, and the highest mean pay at pulp and paper mills at $20.46 per hour or $42,560 per year. And logging equipment operators made their highest mean wages at pulp and paper mills at $22.90 per hour or $47,640 per year.


Most logging workers have a high school diploma or equivalent. They can receive their training through many state programs, which combine classroom lessons with field training on such subjects as reforestation and management practices. Safety training is critical, especially for fallers, whose jobs require more skill than other logging positions. Logging companies and trade associations also offer training programs for loggers who operate large vehicles and equipment. These programs can include one or more field sessions with equipment vendor representatives who demonstrate the use of machinery.

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