In our magazine’s spring issue, there’s an article describing forestry operations in Portland, Maine. Author Joe Rankin explores the unique considerations of cutting trees in a city, including “the people factor.” Many residents have never seen a timber harvest, and care deeply about neighborhood green spaces, so a harvest in an urban area is a public relations challenge, to say the least.
Of course, one of the most visible representatives of any timber harvest is the logger, and this is especially true in an urban environment, where every move is scrutinized by a crowd behind the hazard cones. Randy Kimball, who with his wife Chrissy runs Kimball & Sons Logging, is one such logger who’s worked in Portland, including cutting trees at a cemetery and school. We asked him to compare these experiences with jobs in more rural settings.
He said that one big difference was the difficulty getting there. Portland has its share of narrow streets, so in order to avoid unfortunate whole-tree-harvester/Prius encounters, the city police department prepared the way, clearing street-side parking spaces.
Randy also noted that the pace of the work was a bit slower, because of spectators waving him down, wanting to know what he was doing. “Quite a few people are concerned to see all the equipment,” he explained. “They worried we were going to destroy the woods,” and were especially concerned about the aesthetics of what would be left behind.
He appreciated the questions, and enjoyed the opportunity to talk to people and explain the objectives of the cutting. The woods were “mostly gone by,” and thinning would create new growth opportunities.
Randy’s fond of kids (he has three of his own), and he especially enjoyed all the excitement his work generated at the elementary school site. The challenge there, he said, was keeping the kids away from the equipment. (Some of the teachers, he noted wryly, didn’t seem all that thrilled to have heavy machinery moving around.) To make things easier, he shut down during recess.
Stepping back, Randy notes how the logging profession continues to change. He should know: his dad started the company, “and I had my diapers changed on the skidder.” Today, he said, “it’s all about keeping a sustainable forest.” Maintaining good relationships is also essential. He takes pride in maintaining positive relationships with people across the chain from forest to mill, “from landowners and foresters to other loggers and wood buyers.” What’s most gratifying? “Showing my kids what I do.”
