WILTON — Bits of ham flew through the air during the first part of a chainsaw safety demonstration Saturday at the annual Forestry/Wood Farm Field Day held at Black Acres in Wilton.

Matt Chalmers, a student in the Forestry and Wood Harvesting Program at Forster CTE Center in Farmington, slices into a ham covered with chaps – one example of personal protective equipment used by loggers. The chainsaw safety demonstration was part of the Forestry/Wood Farm Field Day held Saturday at Black Acres in Wilton. (Pam Harnden/Franklin Journal)

Matt Chalmers, a student in the Forestry and Wood Harvesting Program at Foster Career and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington, fired up his chainsaw before cutting into two hams donated by the Farmington Hannaford Supermarkets.

One ham had been wrapped in a pair of chaps. Chaps are one type of personal protective equipment worn by loggers.

The second part found the saw cutting out after it got caught in the chaps.

After the two were separated, instructor Rodney Spiller showed the audience how frayed the outside of the chaps were, then turned them over to show the small amount of damage found on the inside. The chaps-covered ham was barely touched.

Saturday at the Forestry/Wood Farm Field Day at Black Acres in Wilton, two hams were used to show the effectiveness of personal protective equipment during a chainsaw safety demonstration by the Forestry and Wood Harvesting Program at Foster CTE Center in Farmington. The ham on the left was covered with PPE and was barely touched. Without PPE, the ham at right was gashed. (Pam Harnden/Franklin Journal)

“I can’t stress enough the importance of chaps and other forms of personal protective equipment,” he said.

Spiller noted his students obtain several entry level certifications making it easier for them to get a job.

The chainsaw safety demonstration was one of several held throughout the day. Speakers, farm tours, educational displays and industry vendor stations were also part of the event.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net

The outside of a pair of chaps used in a chainsaw safety demonstration Saturday in Wilton is frayed, showing how PPE can prevent injuries. The demonstration by the Forestry and Wood Harvesting Program at Forster CTE Center in Farmington was part of the Forestry/Wood Farm Field Day held in Wilton. (Pam Harnden/Franklin Journal)

Saturday as part of the Forestry/Wood Farm Field Day held in Wilton, a chainsaw safety demonstration showed the difference wearing PPE while working in the woods can make. Only some damage was seen on the inside of this pair of chaps cut with a chainsaw. (Pam Harnden/Franklin Journal)