Woody Tales, Tall But True

For over 30 years, boys leaving school were invited to learn the ‘Skilled Crafts of Forestry’ and they attended a number of Woodsman Schools throughout the country. Not academic enough to go to Ranger School, too bright to be labourers, these guys were ‘hands on’ successful. Usually they exceeded expectations and many, if not most, became the backbone of Forestry’s management structure. The work was hard, the pay low, the food often terrible, but they thrived on learning new skills, which included everything from planting trees on land they’ve burned, to splicing wire ropes on heavy logging equipment. To building and managing the huts, swing bridges and tracks that DoC now manage today. To overseeing the log’s journey from nursery seedling to forest giant, from bush to sawmill. With the sale of Forests to private industry, the training schemes were abandoned in the 80’s but these men kept on doing what they had always done, they work hard and play hard. They were the WOODSMEN. This book is about their journey.