FALLING THE BUSH.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1922, Page 3 (Supplement)

FALLING THE BUSH.

LETTING IN THE LIGHT. (By “Tui”) The first beams of the morning sun steal out across the virgin forest, touching the taller tree-tops and transferring them with magic suddenness from green, to gold. Although the billowy tops are soon lit up, the sun’s rays can merely peep into the dark mass below, where, in spite of them, a continual twilight reigns. The birds fling joyfully as they flit upward to revel in the warmth and brightness above, while the leaves and ferns glisten in the cool freshness below. Thus stretches the forest in majestic beauty for mile on mile, until a ragged scar marks where Nature bends before the advance of civilisation. The scar is really a small clearing made quite recently, as the new felled timber and blood red stumps testify. In its centre is a camp, a true outpost of civilisation; only a group of tents, it is true, but a base from which the forest may be attacked and laid low. Even before the sun touches the tents the men tire making their way toward the. forest, or “the bush” as we know it best. Deliberately they move forward over fallen trees which lie crosswise in disorderly heaps. They sway or roll slightly as they walk, but they are surefooted, and in their square-sprigged boots they can balance like tightropewalkers on the round poles and logs, along which they walk when they are fortunate enough to find them lying in the right direction. The men separate on entering tne bush, some going to the left, some straight ahead, while two go to the right. The edge of the clearing follows a ridge, so that most of the trees lean inward toward the bush, which slopes downward to a gully. This means that several new openings have to be made in the gully before the slopes can be felled.

Of the two men who go to the right, one is young, under twenty, the other is middle-aged and thick-set. He puffs continually at his pipe as he goes along. The younger, known as “Bill,” is quite experienced in the art of bushfelling, and. in spite of their difference m age, they have a mutual respect for each other’s ability. The elder man. known as “Joe,” is quiet-spoken and often silent, as though through long association with the bush he had been forced to respect its might and feel insignificant in comparison.

The task of “opening up” in a dense block of bush is one that calls all the bushman’s skill and knowledge into play. In the present instance the opening had to be made in the gully. The men commence at points a few chains apart. “Joe” is very careful in his examination of the tree-tops, their lean, and the space into which he may fell them. In this case he finds that the only space large enough for a single tree ?ias no leaning towards it; one, however, leans toward a point 45 degrees to the right of it, another 90 degrees to the left, both towards other trees. He is quite satisfied with this, and decides to “pull” each tfee towards the space and get it down clear of its mates. The operation known as “pulling” is a slower means of felling than letting a tree go as ns lean directs, but in many cases no trees would ever reach the ground if they were simply chopped in this way, as they would lodge in the branches of their fellows.

“Joe” first cleans the moss and vines from the trunk. Then he drives his axe in the first tree 45 degrees round from its front. Then he chips out a deep scarf and walks round to the back. He then makes another scarf opposite the first and slightly above, so that there is only an inch of wood left holding. He keeps watching for any movement in the top. The tree cannot follow its natural lean, because of the wood carefully left. It cannot fall in the direction required by “Joe.” as it has no lean that way. ‘ A puff of wind would send it in any direction. “Joe” watches the tree swiiy slightly as though uncertain which way to fall. He promptly decides for it. He drives his axe down through the remaining inch of wood, causing the tree to lean f6rward from the shock. Then, after it has swayed backward and squeezed his axe blade, it sways forward again and releases it. He promptly brings down another blow, and this time the tree sways forward and cannot return for the axe. Its branches catch slightly, then burst free with a swish. The. top slowly gathers sway and plunges down to the exact spot “Joe” planned. The next tree is felled on top of the first. Others are pulled to fall on top of them, and gradually a space is made into which the trees on the slope mav be felled. As he works up the hill “Joe” merely nicks each tree in front and back, and as they are practically all leaning downhill he prepares to drive them down with those above. So interested - has he become that the lunch whistle goes before he has realised that even an hour has gone by. He joins the mon as they emerge from the bush, and they are soon busy with their lunch, which the cook nas brought out. That worthy is disgusted with the rough walking across the clearing and says so with great emphasis. He’ gives and takes a good deal of barter from the men as he dishes out mugs of tea, etc. It is too cold for the men to linger long over their lunch, so they are soon back at work again. Later on “.Toe” asks “Bill” to help him saw the bigger trees on the slope Thev are soon at work. The long, steel blade passes backward and forward across the. hack of the trees. As soon as a tree cracks they go on to. another, until finally they reach the ridge top, where la big hinau stands. He takes a good while, but finally the blade draws near I the last inch of wood, ana the slight lean of the hinau pulls it gently forward to loan on its neighbor; the latter cracks, the two move forward, until, assisted by a third, but only for an instant—the scarfing has been too well done for any hiteh to ooeur-the third

tree cracks, and hits a fourth (a tawa). Instantly the latter explodes with a mighty roar as the whole mass sweeps down the slope in a wave. The bushmen looked down the great cleft where two minutes before were dark caverns beneath the tree-tops, but whore now a stream of Sunlight pours forth, perhaps the first in hundreds of years.