98 | Drive to learn underpins award success Dunedin forestry worker Spencer Horsewood with Lewis Macleod, Scott Thomas and Michael Thomas. Kim Newth Dunedin forestry worker Spencer Horsewood, who works for Summit Logging, took top honours as Apprentice of the Year at the 2022 Southern Wood Council Forestry Awards in August. The 17-year-old started his apprenticeship in ground-based harvesting and log marking with Summit Logging in January 2020, only a month after brothers Michael and Scott Thomas had launched their forestry harvesting business. “Spencer has been with us right from the start and is a really good asset for us as a crew,” says Michael, noting that Spencer has a family background in forestry. “We were the lucky crew that managed to pick him up after he left school. He’s always keen to learn something new and step outside his comfort zone, and he likes to be busy. We’re really stoked that he’s won this award.” It took some 18 months for Spencer to complete his apprenticeship, which included five one-week blocks of classroom-based learning at the Balclutha forestry school. Launched in 2020 as a trial training programme by Industry Training Organisation (ITO) Competenz in partnership with Mike Hurring Logging and Contracting, the school is helping to grow the number of skilled and qualified apprentices in the forestry sector. The block courses include the use of harvesting simulators and harvesting machinery and cover delivery of the basic machine operations component of a forestry apprenticeship. “That training worked out really well. It was a no brainer for us to pay Spencer during his time at the school. At the end of the day, it is paid back when you get someone like him who stays with you and brings those skills back into the crew. It has been great to give him his start in forestry harvesting.” Over the past year, Spencer has continued studying for new unit standards and acquiring more skills. “The next step for him will be working on fleeting, loading and driving machinery for processing.” It was a logical step for Michael and Scott to set up Summit Logging in December 2019, with the brothers both having worked for a number of other Otago forestry contractors over the years. Their parents Neil and Jackie used to own their own logging business 20 years ago, before Neil took up work as a trainer, assessor and auditor in FORESTRY » Summit Logging the industry. “Forestry has always been there in the background. Scott and I have been in the bush working since we left school. When the opportunity came up to start our own crew, we thought ‘let’s do it’. It helped having good mentoring from our parents; we had quite a bit of support from them coming into it.” Summit Logging contracts full-time to Venture Forestry, harvesting private woodlots and forestry blocks throughout Otago. Summit runs a mechanized harvesting operation. Their energetic four-man crew are all aged under 30. Rounding out the crew is Lewis Macleod, who has been with Summit Logging for two years. Health and safety standards are rigorously adhered to, in line with SafeTree certification, as well as Venture Forestry’s Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Forest Operations. Venture Forestry are proud to be supporting Summit Logging Phone: (03) 425 9695 or 021 195 9920 Email: info@ventureforestry.co.nz www.ventureforestry.co.nz 101 Union Street, Milton | 03 417 8959 | milton@stihlshop.co.nz Stihl Shop Milton LOVE YOUR LAND We have fully equipped field service mobile units that cater for all heavy industries, Civil, Earthmoving, Materials handling, above- and underground Mining, Forestry, Agriculture and Marine - from simple straight forward to complete component rebuilds, servicing, fabrication, hydraulic and electrical repairs. CALL US NOW: 0800 737 569 PROUDLY SUPPORTING SUMMIT LOGGING 03 489 0790
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