Letter from Jay Browning in response to Jake Ten Pas article (on OregonLive.com here) written on 1/9/10:
Mr. Jake Ten Pas,
I am writing about the review of Ax Men you wrote on January 9th. I am Jay Browning my logging company appears on the History channels Ax Men show. I have taken many “shots” for allowing the over dramatized television crews to follow me. I am frankly tired of not being asked my opinion on the show or on logging. I read all the comments made on your article and I would like to address some of them.
I was unsure the first season of Ax Men, how the show would turn out. I, like everyone else waited to see what would be shown. I was not happy with the show at first. I had originally thought the series would show more day to day logging. They chose not to show anything but the drama. I was upset at first. My views have changed as I have received fan mail from all over the world. Most letters are asking about logging.
I have exposed the viewing audience to the back drop of Oregon. Huge stands of trees from aerial footage. These viewers have now seen a forest. They are seeing that forest's are not all gone. Many fans have the idea that forest are basically gone & dying. We as Oregonians take for granted that forests are easy to access and enjoy. We do not realize how many people living in large cities have never seen a forest. They can not dream what a real forest smells like or feels like. The variety of logging equipment featured on the show is enormous. If you where teaching people what a sky-car was and how it works, without a video the degree of understanding goes down. It takes a lot of words to describe a sky-car. Watching it work on video explains how it works without any words.
Like equipment, men come in different sizes and shapes. Some are more playful for the camera and some are boring and efficient. Being followed by a camera crew and producer is very exhausting mentally. There are times you are asked to say the same sentence 100 different ways. This is not all fun and games. It equates to longer hours and more work when the camera crews are filming.
As for the logger rig-gin fits. I have worked from Alaska to Oregon in my 38 years of logging. I have worked with thousands of loggers. I have seen rig-gin fits that make Craig Rygarrd's fits look like lamb. Jokes, pranks, shouting matches, fist fights even a gun pulled (on another logger in an Alaskan bunkhouse). The reality is that loggers get mad and will continue to get mad. Logging can be very stressful on a bad day. Loggers have been getting “ass” chewings since logging started. It is a mans world where you talk tough and work hard. It really is not a profession for “sissy's”. Most of us loggers missed Amy Vanderbilts school of etiquette.
Logging is a historical profession that is the very essence of what built America. Literally, the wood was used and the hard working attitudes built America. Do people think Lewis and Clark rented a condo at the beach. I am positive they cut down trees and made a log cabin with there hands. Logger of the past generations where thought of as “high status” in the community. In the early 1900's Simon Benson, Portland's most famous logger and civic philanthropist, donated the 20 Bronze water fountains(Benson Bubblers). He donated most of his logging fortune to numerous good causes. Back then a high climber was paid similar wages that a doctor made. A logger was respected for his occupation. Ax Men has brought that respect back to logging again! It may not be as romantic as olden day logging with steam donkey's and wooden spar trees but people see the physical & emotional work that it takes to be a logger, once again.
We need shows like Ax Men to explain logging. How it is done, who does it and to light up the mystery's of logging. Environmentalist have shown it to be a dirty industry no one likes.
I believe the silly over dramatized logging show, now has millions of people all over the world interested in my profession. Watching a show about logging is a good thing. They want to see me mad over a mistake, happy over a good day. They can now understand the sacrifices that loggers have made to be loggers.
As for the idea of competition and load counts. Load counts are given on the show as if we are at a football game. The load counts on the show are a false sense of who is #1. I did not like the competition at first, but I soon realized this. Would you go to a football game if no score was kept. Would you watch the game? Would it be as exciting without knowing who had won. The answer is no. Most people watch to see who win's. Now you tell me why that is? Possibly humans are competitive in one way or another. For that reason we have a load count on Ax Men. Distasteful or not, it is what humans require to stay interested.
After 3 filming season of Ax Men, I can now say I have listened and read the Ax Men critiquing. My hardest critics are people involed in the timber industry. They see the show as not logging accurate. Most people I hear from are fans who did not know anything about logging. They have found Ax Men to be educational. I have fans offer to move to Oregon to become loggers. All of these people now are talking logging, thinking logging and dreaming logging. I believe that is good for logging. We should thank the History Channel for putting a show together about loggers!
Thank you,
Jay Browning
Owner
