Welcome to Forestry Tales
Short stories collected over the 40 year career of a forester in South Australia.
The first collection of short stories (14) come from the book “Forestry Tales”
published in 2020
New stories follow
and are posted
as they come into being
Phone calls in the middle of the night
Fire fighting callouts were not just when there were smoke sightings from fire towers during the day. They were also out of hours with some in the middle of the night.
(5 minute read)
There were many and varied fire lookout towers along with their stories, that were part of my career as a forester.
(16 minute read)
Fire tower tales
Read about the innovative ways we developed to study the kangaroo population in the forest - before the days of electronic tracking.
(6 minute read)
Kangaroo studies
The 16th February 1983 is a date indelibly printed in the memory. The stories around the devastating Ash Wednesday fires are many and here I’ve set down my recollection and involvement of events on that day.
(8 minute read)
A fateful day
The sale of sundry forest products was a side line that had its seasonal business, and Christmas trees were pretty full on around December each year.
(7 minute read)
The business of Christmas trees
It’s the Army
The forest provided an ideal close by playground for military training. Managing their presence had its fun and games.
(8 minute read)
Sometimes a project seems to be straight forward, but then it presents you with a glitch you hadn’t reckoned on. Such was the day we successfully rounded up some feral goats.
(4 minute read)
Feral goats and a miscalculation
A root system revelation
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through a forest underground? This story will take you there, revealing the wonders and surprises that await.
(4 minute read)
Managing large tracts of Forest land close to a capital city led to many and varied encounters with law. There was never a dull moment when it came to dealing with the local constabulary.
(7 minute read)
Forest management and the Law
Multiple use forestry sometimes included some interesting challenges that related to managing livestock. Most of the time this was compatible with timber production – but not always. (7 minute read)
Stock and agistment
What have aircraft got to do with growing forests? Lots is the answer. From surveys to tending to firefighting, and the stories and the personalities are many. (13 minute read)
Forestry and aircraft
Being an official Met Bureau weather station was just part daily life. There was a need for regular daily observations, particularly during the fire season. This was a necessary part of receiving tailored fire weather forecasts from the Bureau that were an essential part of managing the summer.
(6 minute read)
Weather matters
From waving the green flag to start a car race, to giving advice for plantings in a prison. Life as a forester had its collection of requests that were out of the ordinary which made life interesting.
(7 minute read)
Out of the ordinary
A visit to the home of Pinus radiata was possible when holidaying in California. To see the remarkable species growing in its natural habitat was a career satisfying occasion.
(4 minute read)
Remarkable Pine pilgrimage
It didn’t ever cross my mind that there would be times when I would have to become a telephone technician.
(8 minute read)
Lines of communication
Physical work in the forest was varied and satisfying.
Only occasional were there serious industrial issues to be dealt with.
(6 minute read)
Trouble at forest
Innovation sometimes knows no bounds.
A story for the history books.
(3 minute read)
Wind power fire fighting
Because Christmas Day is always during the fire season, being duty officer on standby had its distinctive differences.
(3 minute read)
Christmas Day
Being on stage has its commitments for both rehearsals and performances. Juggling this with work responsibilities and emergencies resulted in a close call.
(4 minute read)