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50th annual lumberjack tournament held on UNB campus

Author: Communications

Posted on Oct 16, 2015

Category: UNB Fredericton

Each year the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Woodsmen Team competes in various inter-collegiate lumberjack tournaments throughout Canada and the Northern United States, including a local tournament hosted at UNB’s Fredericton campus. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this annual competition. 

The Woodsmen Team competes in events that reflect traditional forestry practices, such as: chopping and sawing wood, log decking, pulp tossing, axe throwing and several others. The student run team is comprised of students from different faculties around campus.

Many UNB Woodsmen graduates have competed in professional lumberjack sports, such as Dave MacLeod, Leigh Black, John Walker, Rod Cumberland and Nick Russell.

During forestry week in the early 1960s, students and faculty would try out these lumberjacking events. The first official Woodsmen Team was formed in 1962. UNB hosted its first competition in October of 1963 and is now a member of Canadian Intercollegiate Lumberjacking Association.

This year’s competition will take place Saturday, Oct. 17. 

For more information on the UNB Woodsmen team see the video UNB Woodsmen Team Part of Our Heritage.

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