Women in Logging

[Tombstone]

 I was introduced to a woman the other day and was told she used to fell trees? It made me stop and wonder just how many if any, there were out there. The story goes that the original owner of my skideder back in 76 used to have his wife skid for him when he cut, I thought that was kind of cool.

[Ron Scott]

I've known a few that were tree fallers, buckers, skidder operators, feller buncher operators, wood hauling truckers, and log scalers. Also some that were coal miners.

[Jeff]

Not uncommon at all around here. Ron probably knows some of the same ones I do. 

[Dave Shepard]

One of the mills around here, now gone, started out as a mom and pop show. He sawed, she off-beared, railroad ties.

[LeeB]

I bet he said yes ma'am to her too.

[Sawyerfortyish]

I have a women that works for me part time. Back about 8 years ago I taught her how to fell a tree. After 9/11 she felt compelled to join the fire fighters now she fells trees for the forest fire service and has been sent all over the west where needed to do so. You would never beleive she runs a nail salon and works for me part time in my sawmill a couple days a week just to get away from those people that come in to get there nails done. You would not want to make her mad or rub her the wrong way she could put a hurtin on ya  .

[Fla._Deadheader]

 My small Wife offbears our mill. 

[Jeff]

One of the best  offbearers ever to work at the mill I sawed at was a gal.  Her name was Stacey. She had long jet black hair was 6 foot tall, well built, tattoed and chewed tabacco and swore like a sailor. Before she worked at the mill she worked at the Weidman Bar as the barmaid. She left the mill after only a few months to start her own drywall hanging and finishing business.

[Tombstone]

 I guess there are more out there than I thought!?? Lee B I am sure he did say yes Ma'am all the time  !!!

[Ron Scott]

Also many woman mill workers, foresters and wildland firefighters.

[Bro. Noble]

Also many woman mill workers, foresters and wildland firefighters.

One of my favorite vacations was a trip around Lake Superior.  What made me most envious of the men who lived there was that it seemed like all the road crews were women. Whenever you saw a woman,  she was usually working often holding an outdoor tool.  Seemed Most of the men seemed to be carrying fishing poles

[Tombstone]

LoL!

[stumphugger]

Let me see, I've done the following:

Planted trees, cruised and marked timber, ran saw on a thinning crew (first woman there to survive running saw) laid out roads, worked on the line on the occasional fire crew (back when we had to throw a fit to get a shower) burned slash, scaled logs, now I go out and harass loggers,  cut blowdown out when I get a call, and have set chokers when I took pity on the short handed crew (wasn't much more physical than marking timber) and did a little chasing on a couple of days where we were getting a slide cleaned out.


Now, back when I was young, I worked in an orchard.  The boys got paid more to run tractor.  I had run tractor since age 12 and wanted that job.  But I was told that girls can't operate tractors.     So I went to work in the woods.

[Woodhog]

You can go here and take a womans chainsaw course.

http://queenscountytimes.ca/smallfarms/index.html

[stumphugger]

You can go here and take a womans chainsaw course.

http://queenscountytimes.ca/smallfarms/index.html

Why?  I take the same training as everybody else.  We do need to work out or build up strength prior to running the bigger saws. 

[Ron Scott]

Well done! There's also a woman owned and run Tree Service Company here. She has been in business for a number of years and will usually take anything on.

[Tillaway]

One logger here had nearly an all woman landing.  One ran loader under the yarder and the other chased the landing.  They did not have a delimber so the chaser had to limb and buck.

[baronthered]

I knew a few like that one Jeff. One actually ran a bar in town before coming onto my bridge building crew. she was like that old saying "she a burlap bag full of bobcats" We got another woman on the crew a few weeks later to do some runing and light stuff. It was worse than watching two tomcats circling each other with their hair all sticking up. Always got a kick out of that. Wound up dating the first one awhile thank god she didn't chew, but she was a wild woman for sure.

[nhlogga]

my girlfriend helps me when I need her to. she handles firewood, works on equipment, what ever I need her to do. Showed her how to run skidder. clark 665d, clark 664c. best machines to learn on. tough and simple to run. 3 levers run the whole machine. She can also run chainsaw a little. One of the best workers you could ask for.

[arojay]

My wife never looks hotter than when she is stacking firewood!  Seriously though,  I have met a few women who could work with the boys without being one of the boys, in several lines of work.  About thirty-five or so years ago I knew of a service rig toolpush who had a whole crew of his own daughters.  Yes ma'am, no ma'am.