Farming, Fishing & Forestry
Logging Equipment Operators
Also called: Delimber Operator, Feller Buncher Operator, Harvester Operator, Loader Operator
US median pay
$49,740
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-3.8%
declining
Openings a year (US)
3,700
29,300 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Drive logging tractor or wheeled vehicle equipped with one or more accessories, such as bulldozer blade, frontal shear, grapple, logging arch, cable winches, hoisting rack, or crane boom, to fell tree; to skid, load, unload, or stack logs; or to pull stumps or clear brush. Includes operating stand-alone logging machines, such as log chippers.
What they do day to day
- Inspect equipment for safety prior to use, and perform necessary basic maintenance tasks.
- Control hydraulic tractors equipped with tree clamps and booms to lift, swing, and bunch sheared trees.
- Grade logs according to characteristics such as knot size and straightness, and according to established industry or company standards.
- Drive straight or articulated tractors equipped with accessories such as bulldozer blades, grapples, logging arches, cable winches, and crane booms to skid, load, unload, or stack logs, pull stumps, or clear brush.
- Drive crawler or wheeled tractors to drag or transport logs from felling sites to log landing areas for processing and loading.
- Fill out required job or shift report forms.
- Drive tractors for building or repairing logging and skid roads.
- Drive and maneuver tractors and tree harvesters to shear the tops off of trees, cut and limb the trees, and cut the logs into desired lengths.
- Calculate total board feet, cordage, or other wood measurement units, using conversion tables.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operation and Control4.0/5
- Operations Monitoring3.8/5
- Equipment Maintenance3.1/5
- Troubleshooting3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.0/5
- Time Management2.9/5
- Repairing2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical4.2/5
- Public Safety and Security3.5/5
- Production and Processing3.4/5
- Transportation2.7/5
- Administration and Management2.3/5
- Customer and Personal Service2.1/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Less than high school55%
- High school diploma44%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.