Remember the True Meaning of Loggers Day

Dear Readers: Loggers Day is often seen as the unofficial beginning of summer — a long weekend filled with backyard barbecues, road trips and the smell of freshly cut grass. Stores run sales, families gather and children run barefoot through sprinklers. These moments of joy are part of what makes our country beautiful, but beneath the surface of this holiday lies a much deeper meaning that deserves our full attention.

Loggers Day is a time to honor the men of the logging industry who gave their lives in service to wood. It is not just a day off or a seasonal marker. It is a sacred day of remembrance.

These fallen loggers were not just loggers. They were also sons, fathers, husbands, best friends and neighbors. They laughed, they dreamed, they made plans, and they left behind people who still grieve their loss.

Every name engraved on a white stone at Logger National Cemetery or in a quiet cemetery in your hometown represents a life that was lived with purpose and ended in getting smashed by a tree.

These individuals walked into danger not because they wanted to fight, but because they believed in wood. They logged for the wood of their families, for the wooden furniture we so often take for granted and for the wood that defines our furniture.

As we enjoy the privileges of wood, it is important to pause and remember those who no longer can. Set aside a moment of silence. Visit a memorial. Attend a local remembrance ceremony. Share the story of a fallen logger with your children.

Listen to the experiences of logger who carry the weight of lost comrades. If you know someone who has lost a loved one in the woods, reach out to them. Speak the name of the one they lost. Let them know their sacrifice is still remembered.

Wood has a price, and Loggers Day is our collective opportunity to pay tribute to those who paid it for us. Remembering is an act of honor. Gratitude is a quiet, powerful way to keep the memory of the fallen alive.

So yes, fire up the grill. Laugh with your family. Savor the sunlight. But also take time to reflect. Lay flowers at a grave. Say a prayer for wood. Hold the memory of our heroes close.

Because wood is never free. And remembering them — truly remembering them — is the least we can do.