Historically, forestry has been a male-dominated profession. While women may work in management, they have had few opportunities to work in the field.
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But now, the battery-powered chainsaw is levelling the playing field, and Husqvarna and the Knysna Municipality are now empowering women in the region to create sustainable careers as chainsaw operators.
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Pam Booth, the head of Knysna Municipality’s Environmental Planning, is the driving force behind this empowerment initiative. Allowing more women to work in forestry has always piqued her interest, but she has never had the opportunity to make her dream a reality.
In fact, due to budgetary constraints in her department, Pam decided to pick up a chainsaw and qualify as an operator herself!
“A large portion of our departmental budget was being spent on buying and maintaining chainsaws, so I thought it was only fair to senior management and the operators to see for myself what was involved,” says Pam. “This meant experiencing everything from buying the right model chainsaw to operating it and fixing it with the right parts and spares.”
Operator training
Pam takes a hands-on approach to invasive plant management and believes that it is critical to understand and experience all aspects of the process, so she was intrigued when she heard about chainsaw training at a national Working for Water Programme.
Pam underwent rigorous training alongside colleagues Nolubabalo (Babsie) Lufundo, who manages the municipality’s operational teams, and Beryl Poggenpoel, and these three ladies became the region’s first women to be qualified as chainsaw operators.
“We’re not particularly big and strong; we’re not impressively built—we’re just everyday women who have decided we can do this,” says Pam. “Both Babsi and I are moms. She has twins and a young boy, and I have a son and a daughter, and I’m sure our kids are as proud as we are that their moms are able to do this type of work.”
Lighter and easier to use
Part of the reason that women can now work as chainsaw operators is that the battery-operated chainsaw is much lighter than the conventional petrol models.
“Although we are not as physically strong as our male colleagues, we compensate for this by the way in which we handle a chainsaw. If we relied on our innate strength, we would not be able to cut for very long, so we have to exercise more control, which develops patience and a deeper appreciation of the power of the machine,” she explains.
“I absolutely love the battery-operated chainsaw. I pick it up, switch it on, and we’re ready to go. There’s no fuss. No fiddling with petrol mixes and no spillage. I also love the fact that it makes so little noise. It’s so quiet and unobtrusive that I can even use it on a Sunday morning when I’m cutting firewood,” Pam adds.
The future
Pam is delighted that, since the initial group of three women qualified as chainsaw operators, a further six women have completed the training, and all indications indicate that this has now started a movement in the area.
“Most of the young girls and women who see us operating a chainsaw are inspired to give it a try,” says Pam. “I love to tell them they can also do it, earn a better wage as well as the respect that comes with operating a machine that is traditionally only operated by men.”
When asked where she sees herself in two years, Pam says she wants to be exactly where she is now, doing more and doing it better.
Pam will be able to ensure that even more women are empowered as operators with the innovations that Husqvarna continues to introduce to their battery-powered chainsaws and the ongoing requirements of the Knysna Municipality.
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Picture: Supplied
