In the latest Made Here documentary Woodswomen, director Julie Lambert introduces us to the women who plant trees in rural Quebec. Woodswomen offers a foray into the singular world of forest encampments. In the Abitibi region in western Quebec, we meet the women who take on the backbreaking work of reforestation. In the blazing heat of the summer, workers must plant thousands of trees. It is isolating and grueling work, and we learn the kind of fortitude that it takes to do it.
In a 2022 interview with the Quebec Journal, Director Julie Lambert talks about the remote nature of the work, "One of the groups we followed had to travel two and a half hours every morning and evening on a rough dirt road to get to the fields. I had the camera on me and I had bruises because it was so intense.”
In talking about the impact of the work of reforestation, and capturing it for her film, Julie said, “I cried for two hours. I realized the full impact of our consumption. We are responsible for this. What they plant, they will cut down in 30 years to make toilet paper."
"Woodswomen" premieres on Vermont Public's main TV channel 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 22, and is available now on demand.