On June 16, 2009, the first European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC) was awarded by the European Forestry and Environmental Skills Council (EFESC). Now, exactly 15 years later, 24,000 forest workers – including tree workers, firefighters, gardeners, landscapers, etc. – in Europe have successfully acquired the European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC).

With this certificate, forest workers demonstrate their craftsmanship with European recognition. By agreeing on standards together with a strong network of European players, safety in the sector is enhanced. The certificate also ensures that professionals in Europe can work across borders. It is about continuously learning from each other and contributing to the safe management of Europe’s natural environment.   

European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC)   

One of the first minimum standards developed by EFESC concerns the use of chainsaws. These standards are defined at five different levels. Only accredited assessment centres are allowed to use the ECC logo.    

European Brushcutter Certificate (EBC)  

In addition to the ECC, EFESC will soon offer the European Brushcutter Certificate, which is equivalent to the ECC but for brushcutters. This certificate recognises your skills and knowledge of using a brushcutter.    

Picture of the first ECC awarded to Jasper Visser 15 years ago

With a very strong application dossier, CNFPC in Ettelbruck has applied to be the National Agency for EFESC in Luxembourg.    

The subsequent audit in 2023 by Efesc president Tom Embo (Inverde) and Jessica Schmidt (KWF) and ECC verifications by Kris Hofkens (Inverde) and Erik Hesselinck (Cursus Centrum Groen) completely confirmed the positive as per expectations.   

We look forward to cooperate with our new partner country! 

The European Machine Operator Certificate (EMOC) has been developed in a three year ERASMUS+ project which successfully came to its end in August 2022. Standards and assessment procedures for assessing generic “entry level skills” of machine operators are embedded in an operational handbook.

The project results are available in five languages as a pilot version of the EMOC certification procedures. Legit certificates can be issued as soon as standards and assessment procedures will be endorsed by  the next EFESC General Assembly.

A first assessor training was held in the last days of the project duration
at the mwmac training centre in Wales.

After two years of pandemic delays, on 4 and 5 May 2022 , Kris Hofkens of

Inverde and Jessica Schmidt of KWF were able to conduct a peer review of the Spanish National Agency (CTFC) and one Assessment Centre (EFA Quintanes).

Peer reviews of National Agencies take place every three years and serve the purpose to check the fulfilment of EFESC regulations as well as to advance harmonisation throughout the partner countries.

The auditors witnessed various ECC1 and one ECC2 assessment. The following day the auditors visited the CTFC for a document audit and feedback as well as some informative discussion on current and future projects.

EFESC held its first Lead Verifier Workshop 16-18 November 2021 in Ossiach, Austria. Subsequent to a hybrid Standards Committee Meeting the Verifiers and Lead Verifiers of each partner country met for some practical exercises.

Centrepiece of the workshop were assessment simulations for mutual learning and harmonisation in standards implementation. Participants took on various roles, from candidate through to assessor and  verifier in order to discuss approaches to evaluation and communication.

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency (EU-OSHA), the European Union information agency for occupational safety and health, has recently conducted a study on the future of agriculture and forestry with a focus on persisting and emerging  occupational and health risks. Following the study, OSHA has also published a policy brief in march 2021 on this very timely topic. There it highlights that chainsaw work still constitutes “the most significant risk in forestry”. EFESC and its European Chainsaw Certificate, however, are mentioned as a good example for addressing this persistent risk though better and standardised qualification.

> Read the full study here
> Read the policy brief

The EFESC Executive Committee will hold an online Q&A session for organizations or institutions in Europe interested in learning more about the European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC) and/or in joining EFESC.

The event will take place on 26 May 2021, 09:00-10:30h. The meeting language is English.

If you would like to participate, please send an email to: jessica.schmidt@kwf-online.de until 19 May 2021.

EFESC did not get bogged down by lockdowns and travel restrictions in the face of the COVID 10-pandemic. Instead the organisation took this as an opportunity to be creative and try out new forms of communication.

After a test round of video conferences with every National Agency in spring, the Executive Committee decided to hold this year’s General Assembly online. It took place on 16 June 2020. This format required new ways of preparation and interaction. In order to pass a vote on the budget and trademark regulations as well as on new and amended documents drafted by the Standard Committee all participants had the opportunity to send the comments in advance. Interventions during the meeting were made by using the chat function and moderated by a chat moderator.

In addition to the official part, each National Agency gave a short presentation on the question which aspects they considered most important for EFESC and for their own organisation in the coming year. Digital training methods as well as the onboarding of new assessment centres were among the issues and tasks presented. To round up the meeting, the ERASMUS+ funded project EDUTrainers was presented. As the programme focuses on soft and communicative skills of trainers working in forestry using e-learning methods this sparked a great interest in participants.

Although it was a new and unusual format for everyone, the online assembly was very productive and efficient. Therefore, thanks to the willingness al all participants to adapt to this new way of meeting, the impossibility to hold the General Assembly as usual, in the end, turned into a very successful event.

The 2019 General Assembly took place in Gross-Umstadt, Germany. It was hosted by the Kuratorium fuer Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik e.V. (KWF e.V.) which is also the seat of the German National Agency and, most recently, the official EFESC secretariat.

Once again more than 30 delegates from ten different countries all over Europe attended the two-day-meeting.

It became clear that the European Chainsaw Certificates (ECC) based on the European Chainsaw Standards (ECS) are growing in importance throughout Europe. In 2018 EFESC has welcomed Romania as a new National Agency and several new ordinary and extraordinary members have joined.

This year the General Assembly was therefore held under the banner of EFESC’s transition from project to full-fledged organization. EFESC has now established an official secretariat based at KWF e.V, Germany. As part of its transition, EFESC is also developing and implementing an ever more rigorous quality insurance system.

As EFESC is advancing so are training and assessment methods. Several members have presented vocational training projects that integrate digital and virtual reality tools into forestry training.