This piece is an extract from this week's (May 19) Forestry Latest News newsletter, which is emailed out at 4PM every Friday with a round-up of the week's top stories.
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WHEN Cara Johnstone was growing up, she used to watch forestry machinery on the nearby hillside and think: 'Wow'. Now, she's the one behind the controls.
In her mid-twenties, she likely ranks as one of the youngest operators in forestry and one of the few women who've managed to break that glass ceiling. And although it hasn't been without its challenges, there's no place she'd rather be.
Stories like Cara's are why Forestry Journal exists. We recently spent the day with her, watching her move logs with ease (while working with Colin Brolly Forestry), and learning about her journey into a male-dominated industry.
READ MORE: Women in Forestry: Forestry and Land Scotland's Victoria Potts
We'll have an in-depth feature in a future edition of the magazine and online; we'll also share exclusive footage and a video interview across our channels.
To give you a taste of what's to come, here's a brief snippet of our chat, touching upon her route into the industry and how she has found it being a woman in forestry.
Question: How did you make your breakthrough?
Answer: "I had asked around a lot and been told that girls don't really do that, it's very hard, even for men. I went into Colin Brolly's office one day, knocking the door and just doing in.
"I proposed to him that I want to drive these machines, and I remember he was very surprised, but explained to me more about how to do it."
Q: How do you like working in forestry?
A: "Good question. I like it a lot. Working in the woods ... it's what you make of it, a lot of the time. I am my own boss, I can turn up when I want, so long as I am doing my job well. I have a lot of freedom. It feels that I am now at the stage where I have a lot of respect.
"People are nice and it is a nice feeling to be out working with the other loggers."
Q: What kind of reaction do you get when people find out you're a young woman, driving a forwarder?
A: "I like to pay more attention to the good reactions. There have been a lot of them, and a lot of men saying they respect it. It's really a nice feeling to be able to work alongside men in the woods and to just get on.
"To the people who haven't had such a good reaction, it doesn't really bother me. I don't choose to notice their reaction or work for people who don't react well to me."
Q: What would your response be to someone who says this isn't a job for women?
A: "I am certainly an interesting case, but I came here myself and without any help. I have lasted here, and worked for many different people and even abroad. Girls can definitely work here."
This is just a small snippet from our interview and day spent with Cara. We'll have more content across our channels in the coming months. If you are a woman in forestry and would like to tell your story, email jack.haugh@forestryjournal.co.uk
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