Nathan Bartel was a high school shop teacher for over 20 years. But when a job opened up to run the Forestry-Trades program at Charles Bloom Secondary in Lumby, British Columbia, he jumped at the opportunity.
“This is my second year at the Forestry-Trades program. I love it. It’s awesome, an amazing program. It’s the best job you can have,” says Nathan.
The Forestry-Trades program is part of B.C. School District 22’s career initiative that offers high school students apprenticeship and hands-on workforce experience.
Nathan takes up to 16 students into the program, and has them for a year. The kids learn trade-related math and science, electrical, plumbing, and carpentry skills.
Students practice safe logging techniques in the school’s 600 hectare woodlot, gaining valuable hands-on experience three days a week. (All photos are courtesy of Nathan Bartel)
Three days a week, Nathan teaches students about logging in the school’s 600 hectare woodlot.
“The kids use saws, learn all about safety, and get to be outside, doing hands on stuff. [We’re] like a family. They’ve got to trust each other and work together. I can make a positive impression on them and I like being able to do that,” says Nathan.
Some kids transition into trades from the program, and some go right into forestry, an industry that has been a mainstay in the community for more than a century.
“Lumby is a small forestry community,” says Nathan. “This program has a ton of community support. Whether that is local forestry or logging companies that help us out, doing lessons with our kiddos or giving us mill tours.”
Students work together to learn and implement sustainable logging practices.
All About the Trees
Nathan grew up in Chilliwack B.C. and moved to the Lumby area in 1999.
He cares about the forests in the area, and shares his passion with his students.
“We take timber out and we also make sure things are replanted properly. And when we’re done, we manage our ecosystem. We have the privilege of working on this land and I believe we have to manage it correctly.”
He teaches the kids how to brush around little trees so they grow better, do forest fire mitigation and make sure creeks are protected.
“It’s an amazing renewable resource if we manage it responsibly,” says Nathan of the forests.
The Forestry-Trades program teaches students essential trade skills, including electrical, plumbing, and carpentry, preparing them for various career paths.
When Forests are a Way of Life
Whether it’s from climate change driven events like droughts and forest fires, or how logging companies are working on the ground, Nathan thinks the logging industry in B.C. is constantly changing.
He wants to pass on values of responsible forest management to his students, because their future depends on it.
“I want to make sure that I’m doing this correctly and can be a good model for the kids on how to do this responsibly.”
Students engage in fieldwork, learning about forest fire mitigation, creek protection, and sustainable forestry practices in the forests they’ve grown up in.
A New Law for B.C.
Nathan recognizes that sometimes, profits are put before people and proper forest management.
And although he wants his students to belong to an industry their parents and grandparents relied on, he worries about the future of logging in B.C.
“There is always a little bit [of worry]. Because, it’s the environment we want to look after. I can speak for what we’re doing here, but I can’t speak for the rest of the province’s companies that do different things.”
Many British Columbians share Nathan’s concern about the way our forests are managed. So the Provincial Government is considering a new law for B.C. that would make biodiversity and ecosystem health the top priority for the way our forests are managed.
This kind of law would also ensure that good logging jobs stay in towns like Lumby long term.
While he has concerns, Nathan is also able to focus on what he can do, in his community, with his specific skills and interests.
“I love what I do and I will work here until I retire. This is a neat program and hopefully we can continue to be successful. We are privileged to be on this 600 hectare spot that we get to manage. If I can learn to do it correctly and model that to the kids, they can take that wherever they go.”
Dedicated teacher Nathan Bartel, shares his passion for responsible forest management with his students.
