United Kingdom 2011 - 3 | Page 9

C O V E R He bemoans many forestry changes in recent years. Demand for wood is higher than ever and quantity has become more important than quality. Big, heavy machines compress the soft soil so that for years rainwater remains in their tracks. Even forest wardens who visit to see his new sawmill or to have new benches cut express concern. They complain that a lot of timber that could be used for more valuable products is indiscriminately chopped into firewood, something almost unbearable to an ecological conscience. "And another opportunity has emerged with the Wood-Mizer sawmill S T O R Y that makes me regret not buying it ten years ago", says Matthias Berthold. "I'm 54 and I doubt our pensions will be sufficient". So he buys oak, pear or cherry logs cheaply because they are designated 'firewood' and saws them to boards before stacking them carefully away. These well-seasoned boards will be worth several times their current value and make a nice pension top-up for Matthias