Forestry is a lot more than lumberjacks and big machines

Long before I knew forestry was more than lumberjacks and big machines, I felt drawn to nature. Growing up in Toronto, this wasn’t something instilled in me by family, it was more like a gaping hole in my heart that I didn’t know how to fill. I spent my teenage years trying to fill that void with relationships, substances, and anger, but nothing worked. It turns out people need to be shown how to enjoy spending time outdoors. As a young adult, life got even harder for me. I lost my first husband in a car accident, and though I had my two-year-old son, the emptiness only grew. This is my, Storm Robinson's, story.

It may sound cliché, but a small-town college saved my life. Wanting more than to be a stay-at-home mom or a struggling widow, I flipped through Fleming College’s programs and landed on forestry. It felt right, even if my family thought it came out of nowhere. At 25, I was finally starting over.

When I entered the forestry industry in Ontario in 2015, I had no car, no idea of the industry I was getting into, and no idea what steel toe boots or +/- 40°C weather felt like. Despite this, I felt welcomed and supported thanks to certain instructors, other young women in the program (although we were few and far between), a great group of guys, and a group called Women in Wood (WIW).

I didn’t have a lot of struggles with field work or fitting in while I was at Fleming College, but that’s only because I was so blessed in so many ways; I had my mom and dad and many friends living in Lindsay who could help me with my son for labs; but the gender issues started when I began to ponder my career after school. Like many others in a small town, I was very limited; I couldn’t do long field work hours, I couldn’t commit to moving for a job (certainly not all the way out West where all my colleagues were going). The way I felt about being a single mom in forestry; I couldn’t even get a summer job.

Thankfully I was selected to work at the one job on campus that helped me grow; tutoring identification courses and prepping labs and other environmental courses, and organizing forestry events—like hosting Ontario’s Provincial Envirothon with Forests Ontario and hosting ranger workshops for Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources students. I loved hosting events and teaching others about forestry. And I got to learn way more about fish and wildlife, environment, plants, and geology than I ever did taking only one program.

In 2017, I completed the Ontario Tree Marking Course and passed the field test. I remembered being so grateful to my parents that I could go away for a weekend and leave my 4-year-old with them; but again, I never completed the final audit because I just knew I could never make a career out of tree marking with a young child. Again, feeling lost and defeated that I wouldn’t be able to work in forestry, feeling that hole in my heart, fate intervened, and we got a visit from the recruiters at the University of New Brunswick (UNB, Ed and Yolanda). I listened to everything they said but with a pretty closed mind, thinking how the hell was I going to move out east on my own with a 4-year-old. I didn’t think it was possible. But I had a long talk with the recruiters after their meeting and some things they said stuck with me. So, I reached out to people at WIW and other women for advice… could I really do this thing?

My parents have always been supportive of anything I wanted to do, but they definitely did not take this venture seriously at first. But I am nothing if not persistent. I knew I couldn’t just pack up and move that year, and I knew I couldn’t get a job I would be happy with, so I took a one year GIS course to kill time, and that opened my eyes to a whole world of environmental and forestry solutions that did not require working in the field day in and day out, or even moving. I could have finally got a job that worked for me. But, in my relentless pursuit of happiness, I still packed up my then 5-year-old, left all our family, and went to chase my dream at UNB.

I found a lot more opportunity for things I could do as a woman in forestry. I worked as a Teaching Assistant and contributed to conservation efforts at UNB’s Forest Lands. I later joined the Tree Growth Lab, researching dendrochronology and red spruce frost hardiness for my thesis. I also volunteered at the National Tree Seed Centre, learning about seed germination and cryopreservation.

Now, I’m a researcher at the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute (NHRI), where I lead knowledge mobilization efforts and applied research in adaptive silviculture and hardwood regeneration. One of my proudest career moments was coordinating and presenting at the Northern Hardwoods Conference in Fredericton, NB. I’m fortunate to work with a diverse team—64% women and many people of color—and grateful for NHRI’s support in offering remote, flexible work. For me, that means balancing research with life as a (single again!) hockey goalie mom and football mom to my now-teenage son, and I couldn’t be happier with my work-life balance.

Beyond research, I’m passionate about mentorship and community. That’s why I co-founded the New Brunswick chapter of Women in Wood alongside Martha O’Sullivan, Susan Willis, Monica McKendy, Olivia Blizzard, and Anne LeBrun Ruff. While women have made strides in forestry, we still make up just 18.2% of the natural resources workforce in Canada and 21.6% in New Brunswick (2022 Statistics Canada). My experience has been positive, but many women face barriers, lack mentorship, and encounter challenges that go unspoken. My aim is to give voice to those who are still struggling and underrepresented. 

Whether I’m in the woods, at the rink, at my computer, or following my other passions, my mission remains the same: inspiring more women to break down barriers and chase their dreams. If you ever need advice, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Storm Robinson, March 2, 2025