What tree did the Americans cut with a saw. The bravest American lumberjacks and giant trees

Sequoia - the largest tree on earth, and the most durable - according to various sources, lives from 2000 to 6000 years: more than all the ancient, middle and new story humanity. Some sequoias are centuries older than the Egyptian pyramids. In the old days, the sequoia numbered 15 species, now there are only two: the giant sequoia and very close to it, no less majestic evergreen sequoia. Previously, sequoias grew all over the Earth. They are currently preserved in vivo only in North America.

The Iroquois Indian tribe, wishing to perpetuate the memory of their outstanding leader Sekwa, assigned his name to one of the most unusual and majestic trees. Sequou invented Indian writing, led the Iroquois liberation struggle against foreign enslavers, and was the first public educator.

Numerous attempts have been made to rename the sequoia. After the discovery of the sequoia, Europeans called it the California pine, and later - the mammoth tree. The English botanist Lindley, who first scientifically described this tree, gave the name wellingtonia, in honor of the English commander Wellington. The Americans hastened to christen the sequoia Washingtonia, in memory of their first president, George Washington.

Travelers have always enthusiastically described the sequoia, endowing it with the most flattering epithets, admiring its extraordinary size, marveling at its longevity and monumentality. Only a few meters inferior to the largest sequoias in height to the most powerful representative flora- almond-leaved eucalyptus from Australia. And the volume of trunks, reminiscent of giant columns, and the unusual longevity of the sequoia overshadowed everyone.

Crowned far in the sky with thick, wide crowns, these trees reach the height of the spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress or the 56th floor of a modern building. The diameter of the sequoia trunk is often 20-23 meters, and the weight of the wood of one tree sometimes exceeds 1000 tons. More than 2000 cubic meters of wood mass gives only one sequoia! Only a train of 60 wagons can transport such a giant.

The largest sequoia was cut down in 1892. It was Mark Twain's name tree. Two cuts of the trunk were sent to museums, and the rest were put into logs. The picture was taken right after the tree was cut down.

The Americans, greedy for sensation, more than once "stupefied" the Europeans with the cyclopean size of this tree. At one of the exhibitions in Europe, two hefty cross sections of stumps of old sequoias were exhibited. On one of them, a piano with an orchestra of musicians and an ensemble of dancers of 35 people were freely placed. On the other, a house-printing house was built, where the newspaper "Herald of the Giant Tree" was published.

On the eve of the opening of the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900, among other American wonders, the "largest board in the world" was widely advertised, which was specially made from the trunk of a large sequoia. However, the Europeans did not manage to see this board, because due to the unprecedented size (the length of the board exceeded 100 meters), not a single captain undertook to transport such an oversized cargo across the ocean. So the advertising idea ended ingloriously, which cost the life of another unique monument of nature.

Interesting stories tell about sequoias currently growing in California national parks. In the old hollow trunk of one such giant, an enterprising American set up a restaurant with 50 seats, and in the table of another tree felled by a storm - a garage for tourists' cars. A peculiar tunnel, laid during the construction of a highway in the trunk of one of the sequoias, is also widely advertised.

AT prehistoric times redwood forests were also noisy in Russia. An unusual plant grew almost throughout the northern hemisphere to the latitude of the island of Svalbard. Now the giant sequoia grows only in California, along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. After the predatory destruction of this tree, only about 30 small groves remained in the place of vast mighty forests. The most valuable sequoia foci, although belatedly, are declared protected, and individual trees that have received personal names are protected by law. Here you can meet the mighty "Father of the Forests", and in a pair of tall sequoia "Forest Mother", and the veteran sequoia "Grey Giant".

The most closed Bohemian club in the world is located just in one of the remaining North America groves Here, in between drinking and caring for millennial redwoods, the American elite make important political and economic decisions. Bohemian Grove occupies an entire mountain valley in Northern California, overlooking the Russian River ( Russian River ; even today this area is replete with names like Moscow street, the city of Sevastopol, and so on). The idea of ​​creating Bohemian Grove belonged to five journalists from San Francisco, who opened the Bohemian Club in this city in 1872, which was supposed to serve as "a refuge from the rough cowboy culture." As the institution expanded, its activities began to attract too much attention, so its members decided to move to a quieter place, which was chosen as the Monte Rio area ....

After many years of experiments, the sequoia began to grow in the parks of the Crimea, the Caucasus, in the south Central Asia and in Transcarpathia. In our conditions, it can tolerate frosts of no more than 18-20 degrees. Seeds obtained from Russian sequoias germinated poorly, and only after artificial pollination, proposed by the Soviet Michurinists, was it possible to increase their germination. Vegetative propagation by cuttings and grafting is also well mastered.

The pioneers of the acclimatization of giant trees in our country were botanists from the Nikitsky Botanical Garden (Yalta). Sequoia has been cultivated here since 1850. It is in the Nikitsky Garden that the oldest copy of the giant sequoia in Europe is located, and in many parks of the Southern Crimea and Black Sea coast In the Caucasus, it has now become an almost obligatory tree. The height of individual specimens (in the park of the village of Frunzenskoye, in the Crimea, in the Batumi Botanical Garden on Cape Verde) exceeds 50 meters.

Raisa Gorbacheva in the late 80s wanted to "ennoble" a new dacha in Foros. And the "hostess" in the park of the Massandra Palace of Emperor Alexander III (where Stalin also liked to relax) ordered to dig out a huge tree and transport it to Foros. It was one of three sequoias that grew in front of the palace. Despite the fact that sequoias have been bred in the Crimea for almost 150 years, she ordered to dig this particular one .... and the tree simply did not take root.

You can also get acquainted with sequoia specimens in St. Petersburg, Moscow and some other cities of the Russian Federation. True, these are still only greenhouse plants in botanical gardens. In Canada, redwoods are grown in the province of British Columbia.

Lumberjacks in front of a Mark Twain tree felled in California, 1892.

Before the advent of modern chainsaws and forestry equipment, lumberjacks had a very hard time. They had to work by hand with axes and saws, and the size of the trees sometimes reached 4 meters in diameter.

Lumberjacks pose in front of a Douglas fir. Washington, 1899

This review presents retro photographs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. with the image of brave lumberjacks against the backdrop of huge trees. In addition, you will learn how the largest lumberjack competitions in the USA and more modest regional ones in Russia are held today.

Lumberjacks against the backdrop of a spruce tree with a diameter of 3.5 meters, 1901.

To cut down such mighty trees, lumberjacks worked in groups. But the work did not end when the tree was felled. In the future, it was necessary to split it into many logs.

Lumberjacks pose on a Douglas fir tree, 1918.

Against the backdrop of a giant sequoia, 1917.

Lumberjacks and 10 mules before felling a tree, 1917

Lumberjacks float down the Columbia River in Oregon, 1910.

After that, the timber was brought to the river to be floated downstream. Balancing on logs even then became a kind of sport - who will last longer.

Men posing in felled trees, 1907

Retro shot of lumberjacks in the USA, 1892.

With the advent of chainsaws and other equipment, the work of lumberjacks in its original form began to gradually disappear. However, every year in various wooded areas of the United States and Canada, lumberjack competitions, which become a kind of tribute to the hard work of lumberjacks.

In the regions of Russia, too, now they began to hold similar competitions. Here is one of them:

Before the advent of modern chainsaws and logging equipment, the hard work of the timber industry was done by the strong hands of lumberjacks.

They felled huge trees by hand with axes and saws. Trunks cut down and cleared of branches were transported by horses to railway or float down the river. With the invention of mechanical Vehicle, chainsaws and other equipment old methods have sunk into history.

1899 Lumberjacks pose with a Douglas fir in Washington DC.

1902 Lumberjacks pose with a spruce in Washington DC.

1901 Lumberjacks pose with a spruce whose trunk is 3.7 meters thick.

1918 Three lumberjacks with a large Douglas fir in Oregon.

1905 A lumberjack and two women pose in front of a tree near Seattle, Washington.

1917 Lumberjacks with a saw and a giant sequoia in California.

1902 Lumberjacks and a giant sequoia in California.

1917 Lumberjacks and a team of 10 mules prepare to fell a giant sequoia in California.

1892 Lumberjacks stand in the trunk of a tree felled in Tulare County, California. The tree was registered for the Chicago World's Fair.

1904 Lumberjacks pose on the stump of a tree that was on display at the St. Louis World's Fair.

March 15, 1904 A team of lumberjacks among felled pine trees in Vernon Parish, Louisiana.

April 28, 1937 Lumberjacks walk on harvested logs. Littlefork, Minnesota.

August 1907 Logging in rural New York State.

1910 Lumberjacks float lumber down the Columbia River in Oregon.

1917 More than 100 people surrounded a log of a giant sequoia in California.

Photographs by A. R. Moore/National Geographic Creative/Corbis; Underwood & Underwood; Library of Congress.

…Exactly: how to become a lumberjack in usa? That is, “not to watch” across the Atlantic as a lumberjack, not to immigrate to the States and work at a logging site (although becoming a citizen, you can take into account this narrative of the article), but to become a lumberjack, being, having American citizenship.

This article only acquaints our readers with the prerequisites that exist for citizens of the United States who want to dedicate themselves to working in the forest as a lumberjack. How to get trained for a future specialist, how to grow professionally, what salaries our colleagues have and how much the profession is in demand in the USA.

The information below is translated by me from an English-language site. I allowed myself some explanations and reasoning in this translation ...

Lumberjack in the States

Lumberjacks, behind the cordon, are often called lumberjacks. The functions are the same: fell, cut, and transport trees for processing. Felling trees, for obvious reasons, to environmental work never applied, but is a necessity. Like us, Americans motivate this need with banal facts: “... look around and see how many things are made of wood ... Trees supply us with paper products and lumber. Things like pencils, furniture, buildings, houses, documents, books and desks are all made from trees (wood)."

American lumberjacks work logging deep into woodlands, in heavily wooded areas such as: Oregon, Washington, Montana, British Columbia, or in California. There they set up a base camp, and set to work - felling massive trees. At first glance, this job among Americans seems easy, but statistically it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the US.

The development of logging sites is quite tough work, so fellers are usually strong, in good physical form should have a fast response. They work as a team (crew) to cut down a larger amount of forest, store felled trees, and transport them for trucks, helicopters or barges. Standard lumberjack equipment includes: chainsaws, hard hats, reflective vests, pike, axes, and spiked shoes.

Logging operations are identical to "ours" and consistent. The first step in logging involves felling trees. Trees intended for harvesting are often hundreds of years old, grow up to several tens of meters in height, weigh several tons, and cost several $ 1,000. The felling of trees is carried out using a chain saw. Felling wedges are used as an auxiliary lever for felling in a given direction. Ideally, a multi-ton tree should lie in the desired direction, but this does not always happen. Lumberjacks are at risk with every tree cut.

Before he can level up to become a feller, he must work as a choker for a while. The American Choker is in greater danger than a feller. Not only do they have to avoid the fall of gigantic trees, they also have to literally words, to climb through a field of huge logs, in order to choke fallen trees, for transportation to loading bays. If hook breaks occur, the steel cable can whip around and cut the person in half.

“Tractor drivers”, due to the high diameter of the trees, cannot always make sure that their choker partner is safe. Once the trees are hauled out, they are usually loaded onto trucks using heavy equipment such as cranes. The harvested wood is then sent for processing by trucks. It is impossible to delay with each individual sequential operation - if one of the team members slows down the harvesting cycle, he thereby puts an end to his career.

The development of logging sites is a risky job. Not only do lumberjacks have to constantly worry about being cut in half, crushed by a giant tree, or crushed by a broken and fallen wreck; they also have to worry about the colossal distance between their place of work and settlements. Lumberjacks work in the middle of uninhabited areas. Sometimes it takes several hours to get to the nearest hospital in case of a tragedy at a logging site.

Global deforestation leaves the land looking like a patchwork quilt. In order to limit the impact on environment, the logging industry is working on a project basis with leased areas to secure future forests.

It is interesting that the advantage of the profession of an American lumberjack is indicated by the reward for his work, some kind of adventure, risk, and a life in the open air???!!! Logging is a physically demanding, endless job. There are no formal requirements in the States to become a lumberjack. Any big company, which produces lumber, needs hardworking, determined, tough lumberjacks.

However, some information is given on the sites: in order to become a lumberjack in a logging company, you must have a secondary education. Then practice (internship) at the workplace. It should be noted that the workdays of an American lumberjack must be at least 12 hours a day.

Logging salaries vary, but as a general rule, an entry-level lumberjack earns about $25 an hour, or about $30,000 a year. After a few years of work, they can make up to $80,000 a year. As a rule, experience and skill are acquired from experience and from the “tips” of senior mentors-colleagues. Accordingly, by acquiring new practical knowledge and applying it in practice, you “grow”, and therefore “your salary grows”. Before you dedicate your life to logging, tune in to a historical profession, you need to watch and watch documentary educational American films "Lumberjacks" on the Discovery Channel, or purchase tickets for the world lumberjack championship.

Lumberjacks work long hours outdoors to bring wood products to every home and community. It's dangerous work, but someone has to do it, why not you?

short information about logging operations in the USA

Profession: lumberjack

"Office": forested wilderness

Specialization:tree felling, delimbing, chokering and transportation of trees for further processing

Certificates / Education: no, formal education is not required

Required skills: physical endurance, diligence, preference to work outdoors

Potential employers: logging companies

Salary: $25 an hour, $30,000 to $80,000 a year.

The best and worst professions... and why the lumberjack profession is not popular

Lumberjacking is at the bottom and scored 10% of all rating methodologies where it has been used, including: environment, employment forecast, exercise and stress, excluding income, where it has 25%. Most of the life of lumberjacks takes place in the fresh air.

"Unemployment among lumberjacks is very high and demand for their services is expected to continue to fall through 2016," the website says. “All work takes place outdoors, it is necessary to have a strong will, working as a lumberjack, so this profession is considered not only worst job, but also one of the most dangerous in the world.

Among the "losers" on the list of jobs are: a farmer (dairy production), a military man, an oil rig worker and, uh, a newspaper reporter. "As the 'digital' world continues to grow exponentially...the need for print newspapers and daily news releases is diminishing." CareerCast points to stress, unemployment, and low income as factors in the reporting profession as factors in the decline of the "fourth estate" (journalism) career.

Results

And what is the best? It would seem that there is nothing surprising in the above, given the spread of digital technologies, a software engineer comes out top in the CareerCast rating in the rating line. “Their salaries are great, the demand for their specialty too, and working conditions have never been better than they are now.” Demand in the labor market is also relevant for actuaries, human resource managers, hygienists and financial planners.

At first glance, the CareerCast methodology seems to be quite reasonable and truthful: the analysis was carried out according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where possible. However, there are ranking places accepted without dispute; in this ranking of the top 10 most stressful jobs, CareerCast lists event coordinators and PR executives that compete with jobs like doctors.

Best Jobs

1. Software (engineer);
2. Actuary;
3. Human Resources Manager;
4. dental hygienist;
5. financial planner;
6. Audiologist;
7. occupational therapist;
8. Internet advertising manager;
9. Computer systems analyst;
10. Mathematician

Worst Jobs

1. lumberjack;
2. Dairy farmer;
3. Serviceman;
4. Oil rig worker;
5. Reporter (newspaper);
6. Waiter / waitress;
7. Reader;
8. dishwasher;
9. Butcher;
10. Broadcaster

Most Stressful Jobs

1. Soldier;
2. Fireman;
3. Airline pilot;
4. Military general;
5. Police officer;
6. Event organizer;
7. Official;
8. Corporate executor (head);
9. Photojournalist;
10. Taxi driver.

Perhaps there is little information about the lumberjack profession in this publication. But if you, dear lumberjacks, like the topic, then we will continue to consider the life and work of foreign colleagues in the future. Share your thoughts, subscribe to the newsletter, but for now the post how to become a lumberjack in usa I am finishing.

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affairs of life

Two hundred years ago, George Washington highly praised the merits of American lumberjacks to the country and people. The President called them "defenders of the nation", hinting that no construction of a military facility, whether it be an army barracks or a strategic ship, is complete without the hard work of lumberjacks.
Already in the 18th century, the lumberjack profession was considered one of the most dangerous on the North American continent. The harvesters of "royal pines" - 110 - 120-meter trees used for ship masts were exposed to the greatest risk. There were cases when a cut down 30-ton pine falling in an unpredictable direction took the lives of at least a dozen people.
As a rule, lumberjacks retired before reaching the age of 40. Many remained disabled for the rest of their lives. Even with the advent of high-precision technology, their activities have not become safer. Today, there are 86 "professional" deaths per 100,000 specialists.
“We have to fight nature, and it rarely loses to man,” philosophizes Bob Gutwick of the Northeastern Loggers Association (NLA). “In terms of safety, our everyday work life is not much different from the everyday life of our great-grandfathers, except that a gasoline saw has replaced the mechanical saw.”
American lumberjacks believe that a real expert in their field should use only three things - a chainsaw, a rope and a simple device for determining wind speed. “Our goal is to cut down the tree carefully without damaging its trunk or injuring others,” says lumberjack Chuck Roshing. - Everything else - from transportation to wood processing, is handled by specialists related to representatives of our profession. They take much less risk…”
As it is not difficult to guess main reason lumberjack deaths are errors made when calculating the trajectory of falling trees. “When young guys come to us who have passed the theoretical training courses for lumberjacks, we tell them to forget everything they were taught before,” Rosching continues. - If they are guided by one theory, they will not live even a month. A good lumberjack should have not only knowledge of physics and mathematics, but also an amazing reaction.”
According to statistics, 25% of lumberjacks die from an unexpected “jump” of a tree. When the top of the trunk reaches the ground, its lower part jumps up 1.5 - 3 meters. If a person does not have time to move away, then the blow may fall on his chest or head. In lumberjack slang, such an injury is called an "uppercut."
Last month, two lumberjacks were injured in Montana because of an "uppercut". One managed to survive, the second died of a brain hemorrhage.
Here it is important to say that qualified medical care for injured lumberjacks does not always come on time. First, in the wooded area there is no cellular. Secondly, many loggers work in "closed facilities", that is, in areas located in deep forest, which can only be reached by helicopter. Felled and processed trees are also transported by air.
“Our profession is completely devoid of comfort,” says Kurt Perkins from Maine. - My brigade of lumberjacks had to stay away from home for 3-4 months, not to watch TV and not to read fresh newspapers. We even heated hot water on a fire. stay for a long time in isolation, 30 to 40 miles from the nearest locality– such is our professional destiny…”
Another 27% of injuries and cases with fatal occur due to technical failure. The most unpredictable device is a chainsaw. “In my experience, there have been cases where a foot accidentally fell into a rabbit hole led to the fact that lumberjacks cut off their arms and legs,” continues Perkins. “A person can hesitate for a moment, lose coordination, loosen his grip, and the saw will kill him in a split second.”
Last year, chainsaw company Efco was sued by more than a hundred lawsuits from American lumberjacks. The reason was that the chains could not withstand many hours of work, they were torn and maimed the workers. In one case, a broken chain literally tore the lumberjack's face. After several complicated surgical operations, the doctors managed to save the victim one eye and part of the lower jaw.
"In spite of high risk injury, only a third of lumberjacks use a mask to protect them from flying sawdust, says Dr. Marty Kester of Colorado. “The neglect of safety equipment leads to the fact that during work a sharp piece of wood gets into the eye of a person, after which the victim instinctively releases a working saw that falls out of the gap and cuts his legs or stomach.”
AT last years lumberjacks have become a target for conservationists. Hoping to save the trees from imminent death, the "greens" began to hammer 20-centimeter nails into the trunks. When the saw hits a nail, the chain breaks and the lumberjack suffers horrific injuries. Especially often this practice of "nature protection" is used in North Dakota. Since the beginning of the year, more than a hundred lumberjacks have been hospitalized there. One of the victims, 49-year-old Manny Flaco, argues: “Defenders of the forests use criminal methods to fight lumberjacks. They don't understand that each of us does our own work to get money and feed our families. If we refuse to cut down trees, then others will take our place ... "
An additional 10% of all logging fatalities are caused by wildlife incidents. For example, workers in Alaska are most afraid of meeting with wild bears and wolves, which occur here quite often. In 2006, 60-year-old Lucas Hamill died because he did not hear the cries of his colleagues about the approach of a bear. The lumberjack worked in special headphones that protected his ears from the unpleasant sound of a chainsaw. As a result, a grizzly bear crept up behind him and bit him to death.
Sunstroke and hypothermia are also common causes of death. Lumberjacks are forced to work in any weather conditions- from sweltering heat to severe frosts.
The cause of 38% of deaths is the fall of a felled tree on a person. It is estimated that the average time of the collapse of the shaft fluctuates around three seconds, and the impact force is more than five tons. Massive oaks and pines, from which loggers do not always escape, press their bodies into the ground by 50-70 cm. The situation is complicated by the fact that it is very difficult to quickly help a downed person. It will take at least 10 - 15 minutes to cut and roll back a piece of the trunk that crushed it.
The Wall Street Journal has ranked lumberjacks among the top five "most thankless jobs in the United States." Despite the colossal risk, high mortality, psychological and physical activity, on average they get only $10 an hour. Moreover, in small northern towns, their earnings do not exceed the minimum by a cent. wages established by the federal government.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is more optimistic about the future of lumberjacks. Firstly, timber harvesters will be in demand at least until 2016. It is expected that by that time their number will increase by one and a half times. Secondly, private companies are increasingly in need of experienced lumberjacks. For example, today a specialist with 10 years of experience can earn $17 - $20 per hour.