harvesting colour … colour of the harvest
On our weekend drive from Canterbury to McAdam, I saw another aspect of the ‘harvesting colour’ theme. Anywhere you travel in New Brunswick, you usually come across wood harvesting activity and Highway 630 was no exception. About half way along, a turn in the road brought us to a large forest harvest.
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forest harvesting operation
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The wood from the cut was stacked into gigantic walls.
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wall of cut wood
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The clearcut laid the land quite bare. It will be many years before this area returns to the hardwood habitat typical of the area, if at all.
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spruce and fir
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The wood from the cutting had been piled according to species. The colours of the cut wood were quite distinctive. The largest colour contrast was between the pale almost white, ash …
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ash
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ash
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and the very orange wood of the spruce and fir …
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spruce and fir
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I have no particular point to make, except to honour the very individual characteristics of these trees.
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
nichepoetryandprose 
I had to reflect on the different language used to describe forestry – east coast/west coast. I can’t remember ever hearing anyone say – a tree harvesting operation on the west coast. We have cut blocks and we certainly have clear cuts and tree farms and tree planters and all kinds of activities related to the maintenance of a valuable resource – but harvesting – hmmm, no – doesn’t work. I’m not sure why. The only thing that comes to mind, for me, is a dusty red machine making its way through a field of wheat. Loved the pictures.
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francisguenette
June 23, 2014 at 11:18 pm
Hi Fran. What you say is true. Here, we talk about forest harvesting all the time. It may be a way the industry has of emphasising the husbandry aspect of wood cutting. People here are quite immersed in the wood industry – it is our ‘wheat’. Jane
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jane tims
June 24, 2014 at 10:39 am
I wonder what will become of the wood – do you think it is for furniture or construction? I love the way different kinds of wood smell. But it does seem sad to take so much of it from one area at a time… I love the contrast between the orange wood and the green ferns in the last picture.
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Barbara Rodgers
June 23, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Hi Barbara. Both colour and smell seemed heightened on our trip. The smell of the various woods was especially strong right beside the various walls of wood. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
June 24, 2014 at 10:33 am
Hi Jane, Our home began as a cottage in the 1940s. Because of water damage, we had to rebuild it from the inside, over a few years. I learned about the different kinds of trees and wood from carpenters. Our living room has knotty pine wood for the walls. When we rebuilt that room, the wood was taken down, the boards planed again (I helped), put back on the walls, and refinished by the carpenters. They admired that we kept the wood. To me, the wood is still alive.
Happy too that we can recycle paper . . .
Always learn here. Thank you, Ellen
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Ellen Grace Olinger
June 23, 2014 at 9:52 am
Hi. Wood is a wonderful medium. Glad you are still enjoying the original wood. When I was little, my Dad finished our basement with a woven wall of different kinds of wood. I think it began my appreciation of how different the various woods are. Jane
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jane tims
June 24, 2014 at 10:32 am