Brothers Bruce and David Bovill have been working together most of their lives. They grew up in the small northern New Hampshire town of Colebrook, and remember hand-loading 4-foot spruce pulpwood onto trucks on cold winter mornings before school. After graduating from high school, Bruce in 1979 and David in 1981, they began working for local logging contractor Herbert “Doodie” Gadwah on St. Regis Paper Company land in the Bungy area of Columbia, New Hampshire.
“John Deere 640s were the biggest machines in the woods then. There were often 18 to 20 skidders on one job, each with his own landing,” said Bruce. “Most everybody worked by themselves. We cut some beautiful hardwood out there. We saw the very best of it and it was quite a sight.”
In the summer of 1984, Champion International bought St. Regis Corporation [a sale and its aftermath discussed in Northern Woodlands’ Summer 2019 article, “Heritage Tested”], which changed the logging dynamics in the region. By 1985, wood markets were declining, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to sell pulpwood. Bruce made the decision to give up logging full time and to work in construction. David followed soon after. They spent the next 20 years traveling and working at various construction projects throughout New England but continued logging some during winter layoffs. As Bruce put it, “When you’re brought up around it, it gets in your blood.”
The construction work and travel was a great experience, and the money was good, but by the early 2000s both Bovill brothers felt the construction industry was changing, and they were not enjoying the work anymore. One day in 2004, while stopped in traffic during their commute to a job in Boston, they decided to head back to the woods. They founded Bovill Brothers Logging, Inc., in Moultonborough, New Hampshire – a good measure south of Colebrook, but far from the noise of the city. With a focus on selective cutting, the Bovills emphasize hand-cutting, with minimal mechanization.
Quitting their jobs and starting a company together was a big leap. In the years since, they’ve faced their fair share of struggles, but they’ve persevered. They enjoy the work and feel a great deal of satisfaction, especially at the completion of a job.
“You can never be late for work,” said Bruce about being self-employed. “Without discipline, you’re not going to make it cutting by hand. It’s all about production.”
While both Bovills are meticulous in their work, David claimed that Bruce is the fussier of the two, then nodded toward his brother heading across a cut. As if on cue, Bruce walked 50 feet out of his way to lop up some brush that was a little high off the ground. “I love to cut wood. I’ve always enjoyed it,” Bruce said. “I can’t bring myself to leave a mess.”
Seeing the brothers work together on the landing is like watching a well-choreographed dance routine. Using occasional hand signals, but mostly just the nod of his head, David directs Bruce as they work in near-perfect unison. Manning the skid steer, Bruce moves the sawn-out products to multiple neatly stacked piles on the sides of the landing and seems to anticipate exactly what David will do next as he measures and saws. With the smell of freshly cut wood in the air and sawdust flying, they work unbelievably fast and with intensity, yet without seeming to be in a hurry. A day’s worth of skidding is processed and sorted in half an hour.
For the past several years the Bovill Brothers have worked primarily with foresters Don Johnson, Tim Nolin, and Steve Danielovich of Forest Land Improvement, based in Tamworth, New Hampshire. The steady work has been good for their logging business, and FLI’s land base, near where the Bovills live in Moultonborough, allows them to be generally close to home. Johnson has been impressed with the Bovills’ work. “They leave things neat, and it sets the tone for the whole job. The landowners love it,” he said. “If there is a problem or maybe a better way to do something, chances are they studied it hard and that they are right.”
The Bovills’ high-quality woods work and their positive relationships with mills, truckers, foresters, and landowners contributed to their recognition by the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association as Loggers of the Year in 2014.