Adventures in Paradise Volume 2 #20

Kia ora! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on the benefits of planning ahead. There is a familiar saying that states, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”  It may seem strange that I would think about that phrase almost every time we see a logging truck, but it’s the truth. That truth becomes the focus of this week’s blog.

As Ward and I were first motoring our way towards Gisborne last November, we began to notice something very curious about the surrounding pine-covered hills. We observed to our amazement, that the pine trees seemed to be growing in well-organized groups. The trees in those groups were all about the same size and from a distance it seemed that someone had purposely created a living patchwork quilt with clean and tidy edges. We also began noticing whole hillsides dotted with tiny pine trees. Those minute specks on distant slopes contrasted with the lush green quilts blanketing the hillsides and reminded me of those primitive paintings that we associate with Grandma Moses. The whole sight had a magical, slightly unreal feel to it. Did someone plan it that way, we wondered?

We now know that indeed, those definitive clumps of trees are well planned. Their placement is part of a master plan that makes forestry one of the largest industries in the country. It is a master plan that looks far beyond the immediate needs of the community. It is remarkable to note that the basis for the success of that master plan is that every single day plans are focused thirty years into the future! The ramifications of the principle of advance planning is far reaching. The lumber that is produced here is exported to many countries, including China and Japan. They order specific sized logs and every day huge cargo ships sail into port and dock workers load those logs onto the ships. When those same ships return again to Gisborne, there are more logs waitng. Countries that need building materials benefit, and the local labor force is never out of work.

Each day, mature trees are harvested and loaded onto the huge trucks that clog the narrow roads in our part of the country. Those logging trucks often make as many as four trips a day from the work sites in the mountains  to the dock. The felling and loading of those trees provide continuous work for men who are willing to work long hours in often dangerous circumstances. Long before the trees are mature, other crews, armed with chain saws, spend entire work days, sawing off lower limbs of those pines so that there will be no knot holes to mar the wood. Due to the advance planning of the forestry office, these men will always have a job, as long as they are willing to work hard. After the trees are felled, the ground is made ready for another planting. This time trucks loaded with thousands of seedlings arrive on site and their contents are portioned out to yet another group of laborers. If you can imagine spending an entire day planting trees in straight rows while always working on an incline, stretch your imagination to include the fact that you are expected to plant at least one thousand of these saplings every work day shift!

Part of the thirty-year plan also includes concern for the aestetics of the area. There are never two adjoining parcels of land harvested at the same time. This allows for continuous beautiful views anywhere one looks. There are never mountainsides that are decimated, so the lack of watershed is not a worry. It’s amazing to contemplate how all the pieces of this puzzle fit together. It is equally daunting to imagine what it would be like if the forestry department did not look ahead and plan for the future. What would the locals face if the future were not considered in the present? Many of the men working today will not see the results of the advance planning. Those working a shift today may not, for any number of reasons, be available to view the results of their toil in thirty years. Yet, they do what they do, knowing that they are literally sowing seeds for the future, even if that future belongs to someone else. They are proud to play a role in that legacy.

So, almost every time that we pass one of those log-laden trucks, or even more frighteningly, when they pass us, I experience the same fleeting thought. What am I doing or what have I done by way of planting seeds for the future? Whether I realized it or not at the time, decisions that I made thirty years ago are the building blocks that I am now using as my foundation. Sometimes that foundation needs a little shoring up due to the fact that I didn’t make all of the best decisions when I was younger. But I learned. I am learning still.  I did my best to be a good mother to two little boys and now my thirty year plan if you will, is evidenced in the kind of men they have become. I love them and am proud of them. So now, the question is, what is my plan for the next thirty years?  I am fully aware, that like many of the forestry workers I see every day, the seeds that I plant now may grow into someone else’s harvest.  Should I be concerned? Should I continue to have a plan? Should you?

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We thank you for the seeds that you  planted which have grown into blessings for us. We have made life-long friendships, enjoyed family relationships, learned valuable lessons, and have been the beneficiaries of  many seeds of kindness and thoughtfulness that have been sown over the years. Having a plan is planning not to fail.

 

Love, Ward and Susan    Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in Gisborne, New Zealand

P.S. As promised, there is an addendum to last week’s blog. William Paxman’s son, James Walter Paxman, built the home in Nephi where Ward’s family later moved. It is a very small world!

Also we are pleased to share that we had our first baptism last Sunday morning and have another scheduled for March 28.





This was our first view of a "patchwork" forest. We were curious and fascinated at the same time.

 



"Patchwork" forest is set off by vineyards in the foreground. 

 

It seems that the forestry department may have one or two artists on staff as this scene is eye candy!

 

I also smile when passing this forest as it reminds me of a bad haircut.

 

This hillside is covered with a forest of two-year old trees. Can you even imagine what it must be like for an individual worker to plant one thousand in one shift?

 

 

These trucks are lined up at the dock, waiting to be unloaded. Notice that each truck has two trailers.

 

Each order of logs is numbered and color-coded so that each is loaded onto the correct ship.

 

 

The empty truck parks under a giant hook. This hook hoists the second trailer onto the first, which allows the vehicle to maneuver more easily on the winding roads as it returns to the logging site for another load.