Betsy Lesnikoski loved being outdoors as a child in Connecticut in the 1970s, but given her suburban surroundings, she wasn’t sure how to turn that passion into a career. When she…
Field Work
Regular Northern Woodlands magazine column about forestry jobs in the Northeast.
March 1st 2018
Field Work: Crunching Data with Biometrician Ken Laustsen
A big-city reporter called one day wanting to know how many sugar maple trees there are in Maine – and how Maine compared to Vermont, a state virtually synonymous with syrup production.…
January 9th 2018
Field Work: At Work Logging with the Taylor Family
For Laurence and Brenda Taylor, the logging business is truly a family affair. Their company, L.E. Taylor & Sons, based in Porter, Maine, employs twelve family members from three…
November 20th 2017
Field Work: At Work Overcoming a Fire with Bob Moses
Building a second career to follow a very successful first career is a challenge. When those two careers are as different as, say, being an accountant and operating a lumber company, well,…
August 3rd 2017
Field Work: At Work Sawing Timber at Strong Farm and Sawmill
East Hampton, Connecticut — To the left of the driveway is a circular steel sawblade hung in an oak-post frame, bearing the name of the family business painted in red: “STRONG FARM…
May 18th 2017
Field Work: At Work Making Things Run Right with Eric Robinson
In logging, they say it takes iron to move wood. Eric Robinson’s job is to keep the iron moving. He’s part of the mobile service unit at CJ Logging Equipment, a Booneville, New…
February 16th 2017
Field Work: At Work in a Big Rig with Ray Mainguay
The alarm went off at 1 a.m. I got up, dressed, and sleepily attempted to eat some breakfast. My stomach protested, as this was not a normal time to be eating. Hitting the road, I noticed…
October 15th 2016
Field Work: At Work Buying Veneer Logs With Phil Stannard
You’d think, in our high-tech world, there’d be some sort of sensor or detector or app that could electronically evaluate and instantly confirm that a log is truly veneer-worthy.…
June 14th 2016
Field Work: At Work Battling Invasives with Jeff Taylor
The first time that invasive plant specialist Jeff Taylor laid eyes on the Mink Brook Nature Preserve in Hanover, New Hampshire, he didn’t want the job. “I couldn’t even see…
May 18th 2016
Garland Mill: Harnessing the Power of Water
When Garland Mill began operations in 1856 – five years before the start of the Civil War – there were more than 600 water-powered sawmills in New Hampshire. One hundred-sixty…