Historical information

Logging was a major industry in the region for decades. Before the advent of power tools, loggers would first make a 'scarf' in the trunk - a notch made with axes where the saw can more easily rest - before taking a large saw to the wood to cut through the rest of the trunk.

Significance

Forestry was a vital industry to the region; this example from Monbulk is a good demonstration of the pre-power tools methods of treecutting.

Physical description

The main item is a black and white photograph mounted on cream card. The reverse of the card is blank with the exception of a museum accession number in the bottom-right. The photograph is centered on a large tree, taking up about the central quarter of the shot. Two men are elevated off the ground on either side of the tree, while two more stand on the ground to the left of the shot looking at the camera. The two men around the tree are in the process of sawing through it, with a large cut (including the 'scarf', a notch made with axes) already visible.

There are two other copies of this photograph in our collection, both printed on ordinary printer paper. Each has different handwritten annotations, which are included in this entry.

Inscriptions & markings

Copy 1 Reverse: "Copy only / Felling a giant tree at / Conner's Monbulk date unknown"
Copy 2 Annotation: "Took 5 hours & 3 men to saw a / big tree down. Scarf in first 7ft cross cut saw."