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Common
beliefs suggest that loggers are slow to adopt new technologies,
resist change, and are risk averse. Farmers, tradesmen, and others
who spend lots of time outdoors are often included in these
observations. Many who grew up around logging and agriculture might
argue these presumptions. The recent report Status of the Minnesota Logging Sector in 2021[1] asked, “For each of the following technologies,
please indicate whether you already have it available in your home or
office [and in-woods] for business use or if you plan to use it.”
(Question 45). Although the question asked only about the technology used
“in-woods” and “in-office,” the Minnesota Logger Education Program
(MLEP) is using those results to develop and deliver tools to loggers
to help them improve efficiencies not only “in-woods” and “in-office”
but also to help them grow, personally, as business owners or
employees.
Certain objections and barriers to testing and implementing
technology use for logging operations have been identified and
include remote areas with limited internet connectivity, harsh
working conditions where extreme climates and user resistance may challenge
the electronic tools to adopt new tools.
[1] Blinn, Charles R.; Nolle,
David A. (2023). Status of the Minnesota Logging Sector in
2021. University of Minnesota. Retrieved from the
University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/257129.
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