Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe profiles a group of women known as the “Birch Crew.” The group work cutting and collecting birch tops within the north central Minnesota forests. Reabe interviews several crew members about the hard work.
Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe profiles a group of women known as the “Birch Crew.” The group work cutting and collecting birch tops within the north central Minnesota forests. Reabe interviews several crew members about the hard work.
RACHEL REABE: The group of women working in the woods East of pine river in North Central Minnesota make short work of the pile of birch trees. Wearing hard hats and work boots, they carve off the branches with their chainsaws and then cut the tops into 6 foot 12" lengths. They're quick and efficient. On a late winter morning with the temperature hanging at the freezing mark, the women work in shirtsleeves. Crew chief Cheryl Sawyer.
CHERYL SAWYER: The four of us working on an average day, we cut 800 tops, 800 trees. We meet, we get our trucks loaded, fueled up, get our chainsaws loaded, and make sure we have gas. And we leave the mill yard about 7:30 in the morning. We're on the job usually around 8:00. And we leave the job about 4:00 in the afternoon so we can get in and get unloaded by 5:00 or 5:30.
RACHEL REABE: Sawyer, the 46-year-old grandmother of four says the four-woman crew works full time in the woods year round, cutting birch tops, which are used as the trunks for artificial silk leaved trees. Assistant Crowing County land commissioner Tom Cull out inspecting the clear cutting of this piece of tax-forfeited land says it's good to see the whole tree being used.
TOM CULL: Before these women came along, the tree was utilized to 4 inch top primarily for firewood. And then the tops were left. I mean, it's waste material. And if they can find a market for that waste material, all the more power to them.
RACHEL REABE: The market for birch tops was discovered about a dozen years ago with the advent of the silk tree craze. The smooth white bark of the Birch tree made an attractive, realistic trunk for the artificial trees. And in this part of Minnesota, birch trees are abundant. The birch crew can fill a semi truck full every four or five days. Most are sent to California. Crew member Chris Sawyer says they have to work to keep up with the demand.
CHRIS SAWYER: We're usually working fast out here, try and get things done fast and in progress. You want a lot of-- trying to get these tops out as quick as possible because like she said, we're behind. We're always behind. We're always fighting to catch up.
RACHEL REABE: Chris Sawyer, a slender blonde 19-year-old, is standing on the top of a pile of birch brush on the back of a pickup truck. The other women are tossing up 50 pounds bundles of birch brush to be stacked. Sawyer says she was waitressing before she joined the birch crew. Here, she can make between $7 and $10 an hour, which is considered a top wage for the area.
Bill Sawyer, who runs a timber business in Backus, helped the birch crew get started seven years ago. Although the women are self-employed, he provides the trucks and equipment and in turn buys all the birch tops they can produce. He's had men working on the crew before, but says women work better.
BILL SAWYER: I've tried different programs through the years, and I have found it's best with the-- the gals do the best job on that because they'll put out more tops. They take pride in their work.
RACHEL REABE: Corinne Wells has worked on the crew for three years.
CORINE WELLS: The success of our operation here is that we are all very self-motivated. And that's why we are still on the job after all these years, because we all want to be out here, and we all want to work, and we take pride in what we do.
CHRIS SAWYER: You have to push yourself out here because it's not easy. And I think that's why we like it. It's a challenge every day you come out. And by the end of the day, you are tired, and you're ready to go home and crash in bed. And so that's probably what we like the best is-- we know it's not easy, and we know not everybody could be out here.
RACHEL REABE: Birch crew member Chris Sawyer. I'm Rachel Reabe.
CHERYL SAWYER: Did my hardhat get--
SPEAKER: Yes, it's up here, darling.
CHERYL SAWYER: OK. I don't know, it probably really shouldn't be in the back. That's--
In 2008, Minnesota's voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution: to protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
Efforts to digitize this initial assortment of thousands of historical audio material was made possible through the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. A wide range of Minnesota subject matter is represented within this collection.
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