Hannah believes more women should work in forestry

Hannah Allen, Hawke's Bay Forestry Awards' Trainee of the Year 2022, with a representative of the awards sponsor Rayonier Matariki Forests.

Hannah Allen of Dannevirke believes a lot more women should be working in forestry because they have the attributes that make a good forester.

Daughter of Geoff and Linda Allen, Hannah has been trained in the skills of forestry by her dad. Now, after six years working for his business Chipmunk Logging Ltd, she thinks she can handle most challenges in the forest from felling to loading trucks with a digger to cutting the waste for firewood. Her confidence was confirmed in December last year at the Hawke’s Bay Forestry Awards when she won Trainee of the Year.

Her citation read: “Trainee of the Year sponsored by Rayonier Matariki Forests. The work of a trainee is physically and mentally demanding and requires a high level of skills and knowledge over a sustained period to be deemed competent for this high-risk task.

“Gaining multiple skills and completing all qualifications set ahead of them, even excelling in some cases to a very high level has been under the astute guidance of a close family member. When it comes to training, this trainee has become very proficient, very quickly, and deserves recognition for what they have achieved.

Hannah after delivering a load of firewood just in time for the cooler weather.

“This trainee is one of the few young people regionally that has applied themselves and successfully achieved level 4 manual commercial tree felling status recently. She has faced a number of work and personal challenges along her learning journey that has tested her commitment.

“They [Hannah and dad Geoff] have further ambitions in the forest industry and their next programme of study is the New Zealand Certificate in forestry harvesting operations planning and monitoring level 4 which they have already started training towards. Great work Hannah Allen of Chipmunk Logging Limited.”

Chipmunk Logging works as a three-person team logging small rural woodlots, shipping overseas, and cutting/delivering firewood. Hannah likes the firewood option because it helps clear up the logging site after logs have been removed.

Hannah says the job is always interesting because it involves logging different sites. She says there are too few women in the forestry workforce and she thinks many do not think they could handle the challenge but she and other women colleagues are proof they can – with the right attitude.