A day in the life of a logger in the deep forests of China

Villagers from a remote area in southwestern China have been making a livelihood out of a centuries-old method to transport timber out of deep forests.

Loggers from the village of Shifeng in Lushan county, Sichuan province, use little more than a small wooden frame strapped over their shoulders to carry thick, heavy logs of wood out of the forest daily for sale elsewhere, West China Metropolis Daily reported.

Timber contributes significantly to the villagers’ income, as the area is one of the few locations in China where logging activities are still allowed.

But the trees grow on steep, high mountains that cannot be accessed through vehicles because there are no roads leading to them.

Kou Guangrong, 48, is one of the village’s remaining few professional loggers who have been manually transporting the timber out of the forest.

There are only about a hundred such loggers in the village, the report said.

Kou’s standard tool set includes a handsaw to fell the tree, a knife to hack off its branches, and a small contraption made of a wooden frame and rope for her to strap the logs onto her back.

The clip and rope are arranged in a simple but effective way that allows her to bear the load of two full-length logs on her back each time, according to the report.

The path downhill is treacherously narrow and slippery, especially when bearing a heavy load.

The trick, according to Kou, is to find and keep one’s balance especially at sharp turns or rapid declines.

But after doing six to seven round-trips daily for years, Kou said she was now mostly operating on muscle memory.

Whenever she needs a rest, she will simply take a seat with the clip still on her back and the logs over her head. When it rains, she uses a walking stick for extra grip.

Kou said she and her husband work together, carrying more than a tonne of timber every day to the nearest road more than a kilometre away.

The couple, who have two adult daughters who are married and live far away from them, earn about 500 yuan a month from their livelhood – a respectable income for the relatively poor region – the report said.

The couple said they hoped the government would build a road into the forest to lessen their work so they could have time for lunch at noon.