Becoming a logger isn’t just heading into the woods with a chain saw or ax. Here are some barriers, financial and otherwise, between workers and the woods:

. Mechanized logging: Machines have been used for years to make logging more efficient. But modern heavy machinery such as fellers and delimbers can cost millions and independent loggers can rarely afford them.

. Exchange rate: The exchange rate between U.S. and Canadian dollars has meant as much as a 45 percent wage increase for Canadian loggers paid in U.S. dollars. U.S. loggers say they’re at a disadvantage.

. Markets: While loggers in New Hampshire and Vermont can sell big hardwood trees for furniture and veneer, loggers in Maine are limited by tree size and softer woods to selling to paper and pulp mills. And with a limited number of buyers, loggers say markets lack competitive pricing.

. Insurance: Loggers often must provide their own liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Though some loggers have formed insurance pools, the dangers of the job keep premiums high.

– From The Associated Press