In other news from the Woods...

With all of the challenges facing the forest products industry, right now loggers and foresters can feel good about their chosen profession. I’ve talked to many of my colleagues who have had to do very little to change their work flow during this pandemic.

Social Distancing is already a part of our job. Being out in nature is our life. “Stay six feet away from other people” sometimes seems awful close to us!

Most of us already work from home offices. 

Early spring is the best time to be out in the woods marking timber, evaluating woodlots, and preparing work for the coming year.

We typically work alone in the woods or with a colleague who may be a mile apart from us in the woods. Sometimes our partner is a four-legged furry one.

Two of our Forest Society field foresters, Gabe Roxby and Steve Junkin, spent time this week out flagging boundary lines together on a woodlot in Lempster.

The only real difference in their day was not carpooling to maintain social distancing protocols. We’ll consider the added emissions to be offset by spending their office time working from home. 

The consulting foresters I’ve spoken with are all quite busy writing management plans and marking timber while the leaves are still gone and the bugs haven’t arrived (except for those darn ticks!).

Loggers are mostly pulled out of the woods for spring and are performing maintenance on their equipment or if they are lucky enough to have a spring mud lot they are still working. I saw several loads of wood moving up the highway yesterday so truckers are trucking and doing their best to keep the NH economy strong. 

Wendy Weisiger is the Forest Society's managing forester.