A logger is someone whose job involves cutting down trees in forests, usually for lumber or paper production. Loggers work in the woods with chainsaws, heavy machinery, and trucks to harvest timber that becomes everything from houses to notebooks.

Logging is demanding and dangerous work that requires skill, strength, and respect for the forest. A logger must know which trees to cut, how to fell them safely without damaging surrounding trees, and how to transport massive logs out of rough terrain. Modern loggers often work for companies that practice sustainable logging, meaning they plant new trees to replace those they harvest so forests can regenerate.

In earlier American history, loggers were frontier workers who cleared land for settlements and supplied wood for a growing nation. Some loggers lived in remote camps and became known for their toughness and their colorful legends, like the tall tales of Paul Bunyan, the mythical giant logger with his blue ox, Babe.

You might also hear logger used for someone who keeps a detailed record, or log, of information, though this meaning is less common than the forestry worker.