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Timberrr book cover
Timberrr! A History of Logging in New England
(Second Edition)
12 Willows Press, 2025
"Well-written and compelling"

 


Summary

Comments

Excerpts

Logging Activity

Photo Gallery

Teachers

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Summary:
  America's logging industry began almost as soon as the first European settlers stepped ashore, and it remains a major industry today.
   Timberrr focuses on northern New England, where logging was vital to colonial survival, and where conflicts arose with Britain over pines for ships' masts. 
   Learn how loggers cut trees, transported logs down rivers, and sawed them into lumber. Eleven colorful vignettes portray the day-to-day lives of woods workers.
   Industrial advancements and environmental issues are introduced. The book concludes with thought-provoking issues about the future of our forests.
   This 124-page history features more than 80 illustrations, some photos from the author's family archives, and includes a timeline, a glossary, a list of enrichment sources, and a map.The book is an ideal resource for use in classrooms, homeschool programs, museums, and libraries.
Comments:
• from a retired Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, University of Maine:
   "Well written and compelling. A great read for all ages."

• from the director of the Maine State Museum:
   "...no New England library is complete without this fascinating volume, which will engage readers of almost any age."

• from a retired professor at the University of Maine:
    "The historic photos, information, and stories will appeal to history buffs as well as young people."

• from a professional forester in southern Maine:
   "You did a great job and I believe it will be very helpful for children and adults alike to gain an appreciation for logging in Maine."

Excerpts:

   from Chapter 1, "Trees Everywhere!"

   New England colonists found a wide variety of evergreens and deciduous trees. It was, however, the white pine that drew their attention. You can't miss pine trees. They dominate the landscape wherever they grow. … To the colonists, those pine trees were monstrous, much larger than any trees they had ever seen. …
   Cutting and moving those pines was a mammoth undertaking. … Settlers who learned to harvest that timber became America's first lumbermen and river drivers.
   from vignette, "A Day in the Life of a Mast Logger"
   Two choppers are going at it, in perfect rhythm—CHOP-back, CHOP-back. Chips fly through the air. Soon the men scramble off to the side, yelling "TIMBERRR!" Slowly, the mighty pine tilts, then falls with a thunderous roar. … "Yaa-hoooo!" everyone hollers, jumping around and swearing a blue streak. "By cracky," roars Clem. "She's sound! The last ten sticks were hollow t' the core."
   from vignette, "A Day in the Life of a Chopper"
   It's 5:00 a.m. "ROLL OUT!" the cookee yells into the bunkhouse. You and dozens of others groan. But if you don't get up, Moose will be blazing mad. He's the head chopper and he means to cut wood. … "Don't bother to splash your face this mornin'," you yell to the others. "There's thick ice in the pail again."
   from Chapter 10, "Future of the Forest"
   Nearly 350 years have come and gone since British monarchs imposed the Broad Arrow Policy on New England colonists. Today, the northern forest has very different concerns. The most urgent is climate change. ... Difficult challenges lie ahead.... If we remain diligent ...we'll enjoy all the benefits of a beautiful, thriving forest for years to come. 
Mary's Logging Photo Gallery
A Logging Activity
for Teachers
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