10-week program helps students launch a career in forestry, wildland fire, or timber industry

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- After 10 years as a cook in the Oakhurst area, Krystina Turner decided it was time for a change.

"You know, I think once you get good at something, you kind of get bored and it's time to learn something new," Turner said.

So she dropped the knives and picked up a chainsaw.

Turner, who has a partner and two daughters, is part of nearly two dozen students taking part in the Greater Sierra Forestry Corps put on at Yosemite Adult School.

The wildland fire chainsaw course is just one objective.

By the end of the 10-week program, students will walk away with a dozen nationally recognized certificates.

"It's to help them stop having dead-end jobs and start putting them on a career pathway in wildland fire, forestry and the timber industry," Program Coordinator Anthony Misner said.

Misner says the program focuses on 18-26-year-old youth who are unemployed, underemployed, socio-economically disadvantaged or may have made bad decisions in their past.

Thanks to multiple partnerships and grants, the students attend the course free of charge.

The Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board works to remove any outside barriers students may have, such as childcare needs or supply costs.

"We cover the cost of boots, hats, gloves, and anything that they need to safely and successfully complete the program. We want to cover that," Regional Outreach Coordinator for Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board Jerry Irvin said.

By the end of the 10 weeks, students take home about $1,500 of personal gear and receive about $10,000-$15,000 worth of training.

Multiple career fairs are also held to help students land a job they can start immediately after the course.

For students like Turner, she is already looking forward to a new career.

"I feel way more confident with a chainsaw. This whole experience has been great," Turner said.

Recruitment for next year's cohort is already underway.

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