Ken has had the good fortune to work with a lot of great people during his time as a Game of Logging instructor. See what some of them have to say about Ken.

Jacob Ryg - City Forester
Rochester, Minnesota

I took chainsaw training from Ken starting in 2001 and have gone through all four levels - some of them a couple of times because they’ve been so valuable for me in my profession. Every arborist should know the fundamentals of chainsaw use and care - when you are working over 50 feet in the air with the saw running in proximity to your body you must operate it well or risk major injury. I recommend every arborist who cares about safety and chainsaw use take Ken’s training. I’ve put all nine of my arborists though all four levels and I could see an immediate change in ergonomics and concern for safety in each employee. We get more work done in a safer environment. Thanks Ken!

Jessica Simons, Natural Resource Specialist
Southeast Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council

The Southeast Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council is currently running a series of programs to help communities find valuable uses for removed urban trees, with particular emphasis on trees removed due to the emerald ash borer outbreak. One important component of our programs is bringing training workshops to our communities. We quickly realized that with 15 million dead and dying ash trees in our area, qualified forestry professionals with knowledge of chainsaw safety and proper directional felling techniques would be in high demand. Upon strong recommendation from the Michigan DNR’s Forest Products Specialist, Anthony Weatherspoon, we called Ken Lallemont.
We held our first GOL workshop in September-November 2004. We had fifteen participants registered for the program. Having never hosted a GOL workshop before. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was immediately impressed with Ken’s professionalism and expertise. He ran an exceptional training program - clearly explaining techniques with a constant emphasis on the safest practices. He spent plenty of hands-on time with each participant and used the unique qualities of each tree to expose us all to a wide variety of skills and principles. While many of the participants began by defending their “old ways of doing things” (which often meant dull saws, lots of elbow grease, and plenty of ropes), they were quickly converted once they saw how safely, quickly, and easily Ken could put a difficult tree on the ground with a $10 wedge and a sharp chain.

We’ve hosted a variety of different workshops, but the Game of Logging program has been, by far, the most requested. After that first group of people went through all four levels of GOL, I started receiving calls from forestry managers, wondering when the next class would be held. So far, we’ve brought Ken back five more times, putting a total of 76 city employees, sawmill owners,  researchers, and homeowners through the workshops. At many of these sessions, people were so excited about what they were learning that it took the sun going down to get folks to go home. That’s not something you see at many training workshops. Some local supervisors have been so impressed by the transformation in their staff people that they’ve started calling Ken directly to schedule individual trainings for their own cities.

As the one coordinating these events, I also have to say that working with Ken is an absolute pleasure. He is as funny and kind as he is knowledgeable. He is a complete professional (and also happens to be an excellent storyteller). I recommend his services wholeheartedly.

Gary Speckmann - Parks Director
Portage County Parks Department

In 1998 I contacted Ken Lallemont to discuss a chain saw training program for the Portage County Parks Department and Highway Department employees.

I was more than pleasantly surprised during the day to see them (participants) not only pay attention but to ask thoughtful questions and “what if” scenarios. They even stayed after their shift had ended to continue asking questions and looking at materials and equipment Ken had brought. Even more surprising to me was at the end of the day when the entire parks department crew asked permission to attend the next three levels of training.

I strongly believe in Ken Lallemont’s Game of Logging training program for several reasons. First, he is exceptionally qualified to discuss, and most importantly demonstrate, chain saw operation and tree felling techniques. Second, it is a “hands on” course that everyone is required to participate in. Third, he has interesting stories and keeps everyone’s attention. Finally, through his discussions of his own personal experiences and his field demonstrations he is respected by the participants. I purposely picked one of the hardest trees to fell in our park for Ken to fell on the first day. It is a tree that our employees were avoiding. After Ken was done demonstrating how to drop this tree exactly where he wanted it, and where no one thought it would go, the employees were totally sold on the program.

Probably most important, our employees believe in the program so much that they feel they can handle any tree cutting situation that presents itself in our parks and woodlands. In addition, two of our employees continually are two of the top individuals in the annual national Game of Logging competition.

I would recommend Ken Lallemont’s Game of Logging training program to any agency, group or individual that operates a chain saw, whether it be for commercial loggers, arborists or homeowners. Once they are trained, they realize they don’t need fancy or expensive equipment. They gain the confidence to safely perform most of the cutting required or they learn what they shouldn’t even try!

The money spent on this training has allowed our employees to do the job safely and efficiently.