TASK 1: My Woodcutting Bag

I suppose my example is substantially less exciting and glamorous than my peers, but I hope that it proves to be interesting nonetheless.

I live and teach in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Electricity is more expensive in NT than anywhere else in the country. Oil is expensive and non-renewable. When I was looking for a house to purchase I knew that wood heat was going to be the best option. I burn through about 10 cords of wood a year (a cord is 4’x4’x8′. All of the wood I harvest is standing dead, or is deadfall (meaning that I’m leaving healthy trees to continue growing, and helping to remove dry wood and prevent forest fires).

Here is the bag that I chose, my Woodcutting/Chainsaw Bag:

From top to bottom:

• Chainsaw wrench (used to adjust the tension on the chain)
• Funnel for chain oil
• Sharpening files (nothing more dangerous than a dull chainsaw)
• Grease pen for bar grease
• Wedges for cutting trees
• Depth gauge for sharpening (I don’t actually use this, but keep it in my bag for some reason.
• Safety Goggles
• Spare chain
• Shackle Bolt (for skidding trees)

This bag is crucial for me to be able to gather firewood for my home. I wouldn’t be able to operate my chainsaw efficiently or safely without it. When I am in “firewood mode” this bag is used every single day.

These items are pretty standard for anyone who cuts their own firewood. This is common practice in the Northwest Territories and in other more rural areas of the world. They represent a lifestyle in which I’m responsible for my own heat in the cold northern winter. If I don’t cut the wood, I will freeze (or have to use my prohibitively expensive electric backup). These items show that I do the work myself, and that I take an active role in my own well-being. They say that when you heat with wood you get warmed up twice; once when you cut it and once when you burn it.

Cutting firewood for me is a solitary action. My girlfriend is happy to help with the stacking, but it’s my responsibility to cut the trees down, cut the limbs off and buck it (cut it into stove lengths). Learning how to use these items effectively was a hands-on experience. I learned to cut trees from a friend who showed me how to do so effectively. It is an art to be able to cut trees and have them fall where you want them to. This bag represents the physical literacy of being able to work out in the bush safely.

My outward image and this bag are fairly closely aligned. I’m 6’4 tall, 265 lbs and have a big beard. I’ve been told I look like a lumberjack for most of my adult life.

My outward image and this bag aren’t totally indicative of who I am inside. I’m a songwriter, actor, musician and music producer and a school teacher. I’m a sensitive and kind person and don’t act “macho” in any way. I might look like a big scary guy, but I definitely cried during Toy Story 3. I don’t mind the way I am perceived outwardly, I just choose not to be defined by it.

Nothing in this bag would be much different than a Woodcutting bag from 25 years ago. The technology has stayed pretty much the same (still a two-stroke motor). If an archeologist viewed this bag, they’d be able to understand what the bag was for. Woodcutting has been happening for as long as people have used fire, and will continue to happen in the future.