REAL PEOPLE. STIHL PEOPLE.

Nathan “Bucket” Waterfield was in college when he started competing in lumberjack sports. Soon thereafter he participated in his first STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series. A decade has passed since that first competition and Waterfield still takes to the stage with his STIHL.

"I remember my first competition like it was yesterday. The most vivid thing I remember is cutting my first underhand chop. I went at that thing with reckless abandon like I was splitting wood back on the farm. Then I received all of the criticism about form and technique and was like ‘Oh my gosh! What am I getting into?"

The sport Waterfield was getting into would eventually become a major part of his career. He currently works as an arborist and runs his own business, a set up that allows him a flexible schedule and the ability to travel for competitions. When he’s home, he sets up his own lumberjack challenges as a way of training for the upcoming season.

"A lot of my strength conditioning and that sort of thing is all event training. So I will do specific events, exactly like what we do in competition, and do it on bigger, harder wood and try and develop my endurance that way.

Waterfield’s passion for forestry extends beyond sport. He’s a firm believer in forestry management and followed his interest in the field to his current career. As an arborist, he uses a variety of chainsaws for different forestry management tasks. Although his workload is constantly changing, Waterfield says that his commitment to STIHL will always stay the same.

"I use and believe in STIHL products. I climb with a STIHL top-handle saw, I use STIHL saws on the ground, and I’ve used other brands of saws as well. I stick to STIHL because I don’t like having to tighten up bolts every day, I don’t like having to check certain things to make sure it’s going to be up and running."

Being able to depend on his STIHL is essential when Waterfield is working 95 feet up a tree, or felling large timber deep in the woods. Likewise, he needs to know his chainsaw will work after he’s traveled miles for a lumberjack competition. That’s why, whether on stage or in the trees, his saw of choice is always a STIHL.

Learn more about STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®