Forestry Worker (Plantation Planting)

You'll plant, prune and fell trees for a sawmill in the hills near Mbombela. If you learn fast and don't mind being shown things twice, you'll settle in within a few weeks.

This post is in Mbombela (Mpumalanga). Please only apply if you can travel there daily. There's a probation period of three months before the contract is confirmed.

• Fell, debranch and cross-cut trees with a chainsaw
• Sharpen and service chainsaws daily
• Feed logs into sawmill machines and stack planks
• Fight veld fires with beaters and water packs under a crew leader
• Stack logs by length for loading onto trucks
• Prune lower branches with pruning saws and ladders
• Clear and maintain firebreaks during the dry season

• Follows safety rules strictly around machines and fires
• Physically strong and fit for steep slopes
• Passes the medical check for fire crews
• Available for early starts and fire-season standby
• Able to work in a crew and follow the crew leader

• Previous plantation or sawmill experience
• Chainsaw operator certificate

• Chainsaw and fire training at no cost
• Crew transport to plantations
• Fire-season standby allowance
• Full safety gear provided

• If you have a chainsaw ticket, put it at the top. Certified operators earn more and are hired first.
• Say you are fit and do not mind remote sites. Many applicants drop out after the first week, so recruiters test commitment.