STIHL Ltd of London, Ontario is pleased to announce that the most prestigious lumberjack sports series in the world will be coming to Canada. The Series will be seen on TSN HD and will be produced by CS Productions Inc of Burlington, Ontario.

The Producer and Host of the Series, Bill Deba, with over 25 years of lumberjack sports experience, will provide all the play-by-play action while world-class competitor will provide expert analysis throughout the Series.

The new STIHL Timbersports Series will feature all the best lumberjack sport athletes in Canada in two separate qualifiers and a Canadian Championship in September of 2007. Following the crowning of the Canadian Champion in London, CS Productions will continue covering all the action as the top Canadian will be competing at the World Championships in Germany.

Twelve (12) unique and exciting episodes will cover the action across the Country as competitors chop, saw and climb their way to be the best in Canada.

The first qualifier in Quebec will determine the first six (6) finalists for the championship while qualifier number two in British Columbia will decide the remaining six (6) finalists, completing the field.

The traditional STIHL Series Events that will be the focus of the Series are:

• Springboard Chop
• Hot Saw
• Stock Saw
• Underhand Chop
• Standing Block Chop
• Single Buck

Event Descriptions

Stock Saw
A strict test of a competitor’s saw operating ability. Requires technique and experience rather than brawn. Often called “The Great Equalizer” because each competitor uses an identically prepared 5.59 cubic inch (91 .6 cc) MS 660 STIHL Magnum™ chain saw to cut a 16-inch diameter block. A four-inch section of wood is marked to allow two complete cuts (one up, one down). Each cut piece (or “wood cookie”) must be a whole disc or the competitor is disqualified from the heat. Good times in this competition are around 15 seconds.

Hot Saw
To logging sports what “funny cars” are to drag racing. As far back as the 1950s, people have experimented with various types of engines to build these “monster” saws. Today, hot saws are usually made from motorcycle or snowmobile engines and many run on high-octane gas or alcohol. Typical cost: $5,000 or more. Speed: about 200 mph. Weight: over 50 pounds. Horsepower: 65 (average). TIMBERSPORTS permits hot sawyers just six inches of wood for three cuts on an 18- to 20-inch diameter log. Engines are permitted a brief warm-up, but the race begins from a dead start (turned “off”). The best times here will be under 7 seconds, which includes starting the saw and making the three cuts (one down, one up, another down).

Springboard
Perhaps the most physically demanding event. Requires climbing agility, cardiovascular stamina with chopping power and technique. In days gone by, lumberjacks occasionally faced a tree too large or too wide to cut from the ground. Loggers would ascend these trees using a series of notched footholds and stand on “springboards” to a place where they could cut all the way through the tree. Today, TIMBERSPORTS competitors use two springboards to ascend a 9-foot base pole, and then chop through a 12-inch diameter block attached to the top. Look for times ranging from 35 to 60 seconds.

Underhand Chop
Woodsman used this technique to divide (or “buck”) a fallen tree into smaller, more manageable sections. Competitors here stand atop the horizontal log and race using a four-hit chop pattern. Halfway through the front side of a log, the chopper turns around to finish the wood with two or three powerful cuts or “drivers” from the opposite side. 15 to 18 seconds are good times here.

Single Buck
One of the oldest tests in logging sports. Using a custom-made, razor-sharp crosscut saw, contestants push and pull the six-foot long blade through an 18- to 20-inch diameter wood block. The event is completed when the wooden disc is completely severed. The best times are between 11 to 15 seconds.

Standing Chop
Simulates the felling of a tree and showcases the axeman’s total chopping ability. The racing axes used here vary depending on the wood to be cut and are custom made for the competitor. Choppers usually come equipped with at least a half-dozen axes, each costing several hundred dollars. Using such axes (often compared to a five-pound razor blade), the competitor in this event chops a 12-inch diameter wood block in a four-hit pattern. On average, it takes our competitors about four or five consecutive four-hit rotations per side. Best times are often below 14 seconds.

You can learn more about STIHL Timbersports Canada and STHIL Ltd. at www.stihl.ca