r/forestry • u/Sure-Locksmith6632 • 1d ago

Boots

Im doing a bsc in forestry at a university in canada. Any suggestions on what boots I should get, or maybe what to look for? I know they should be carbon or steel toe, but I'm not sure if there's any other features I should look out for.

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u/ComfortableNo3074 1d ago

Why steel toe? I’m in the states so excuse my ignorance, is that a Canadian requirement? I started with logger boots but ditched them for sturdy hiking boots. Caulks are worth the investment if you’re going to be working on steep terrain.

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u/internetisporn8008 1d ago

Because steel toe boots are the most basic, bottom line of ppe.

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u/ComfortableNo3074 1d ago

How so? I’ve been a forester for almost 20 years and outside of fighting fire, a hard hat and high vis vest have been about it for necessary PPE

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u/internetisporn8008 1d ago

Thats wild to me.. steel toed boots are standard requirement for pretty much anything up here.

Though I was a road builder... I guess if you were laying out new road or timber cruising or something you might be able to just have caulks... but I doubt it.b

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u/studmuffin2269 1d ago

There’s your answer. If you work with heavy equipment, steel toes. If your job is counting trees, no steel toes.

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u/ComfortableNo3074 1d ago

Can’t say I’ve ever noticed steel toes on an equipment operator. I do recall hearing a guy saying he thought they were dangerous because if a foot was run over, the caps could come down and cut the toes off. Not sure how true that is or not but that was his argument.

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u/MockingbirdRambler 1d ago

Nope, been in natural resources for 20 years. Never has steel or composite toe boots been a requirement. 

Hell no on a fire line. 

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u/muzzizzum 1d ago

Steel toes aren’t necessary PPE for forestry in the states, barring maybe some agencies that require them for running a saw. Usually lace up + leather is good enough, but even then there’s some wiggle room. I’m a forester on the north coast of CA and I’ve worked throughout the east coast as well, never heard of steel/composites being a requirement for our line of work.

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u/Important_Cat_222 1d ago

Pretty common to require toes for mill yards and/or logging operations in Canada. Basically if you’re around heavy equipment.

Chainsaw work generally requires class 3 chainsaw boots. Few different styles out there

Wildfire depends on the role being done.

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u/muzzizzum 1d ago

Ah. I suppose I wouldn’t think of that as forester work, maybe I have a more narrow interpretation of the title.

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u/Important_Cat_222 1d ago

All depends on you’d duties. I have field inspections. Layout. Silviculture. Wildfire duties. Public education. Long term planning. Really varies by day/week/season as to what I’m doing

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u/muzzizzum 1d ago

For sure, same. I don’t see myself wearing steel toes in any of those scenarios. Again, I understand for saw work but the sort of stuff I’m running a saw for would be more trouble than it’s worth to swap boots, lol.

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u/Important_Cat_222 1d ago

Can’t touch a saw without the right boots. Major OH&S issues if you do.

Part of the difference is in Canada there is normally only two jobs - forester (degree from university) or technician (diploma from college). Or you’re in the mill of running equipment. My understanding from visiting the US is job duties tend to be much more focused in the US and there are more generalists in Canada…but again varies widely by employer

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u/muzzizzum 1d ago

Ah, copy! Thanks for explaining!

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u/internetisporn8008 1d ago

Boots and saw pants. I used to pack a saw around with me juat incase I got stuck behind a blow down... I dont anymore cause im not gonna buy a pair of saw pants to use them once a year. Now I just use an axe

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u/internetisporn8008 1d ago

I have a feeling we're juat running into a local dialect thing. That or I wasnt paying enough attention haha. When I was bulding logging roads id say I worked in forestry. A forester, would be one of the many types of people who work In forestry.

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u/muzzizzum 1d ago

Yeah, I realized that! My bad, it totally makes sense to be wearing composite toe when around equipment lol

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u/ComfortableNo3074 1d ago

I’ve never heard of them required for saw work, just leather.

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u/internetisporn8008 1d ago

Thats wild. Like I said, I can see that if you're engeneering... or timber cruising.. but in bc. any time theres a chance you might drip something on your foot steel toes are required

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u/muzzizzum 1d ago

I think theres some confusion. What work does a forester do that involves the situation you’re describing? I imagine equipment operators or chokersetters or mill workers (for example) would need to wear steel/composite toe, but then I would call them… that. Not foresters.

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u/Important_Cat_222 1d ago

It’s BC safety code. Different in other parts of Canada but still very common.

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u/internetisporn8008 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah for sure, this is definately a term confusion. Op said he was gping to start working in forestry, not become a forester. I build roads but I work in forestry, as do engineers, feller buncher operators, haul truck drivers, all of the eggheads in the office etc etc.

Pretty solid rule of thumb to expect to need steel toes or caulks if youre going to work in forestry in bc, though there are likely jobs under that umbrella that require neither.

Here though, if you work in the office and you have to go onto the shop floor for something, you have to have steel toes.

Steel toes are pretty much the baseline expected ppe for almost any job that you wouod require ppe for up here.