What do you get when you cross 12 chainsaw-wielding octogenarians with a truck full of wood? It’s not a plotline to a cheesy horror film, but rather a warmhearted service group that calls itself the Woodchucks.

Founded in 2008, the all-volunteer organization formed to meet the heating needs of the Boothbay region. Mostly made up of retirees, the group meets several hours a week to clear trees, split wood and deliver firewood to homes during the long winter.

Every few days, the Woodchucks convene at what they call, “The Woodpile” at Boothbay’s public works depot. Under the direction of the group organizer Henry Rowe, they divvy up tasks for two hours a day.

The morning ritual begins with a gathering around the pickups loading firewood, telling jokes and trading stories of recent treasures each found while scrounging through the dump.

Once the wood is loaded, they set off to deliver their timber, and conquer new pines.

The Woodchucks feature a colorful range of personalities.

“We’re a diverse group with multiple interests,” Rowe said. “We have an engineer, a computer expert, three doctors, an insurance investor and some of them I don’t even know what the hell they do.”

Six of the ten Woodchucks make up the core group, but they’re always open to new volunteers.

“The new Woodchucks have to lift twice as much as the old timers,”  Maurice Landemare said. “That’s the initiation ceremony.”

Rowe said they would be delighted to have a woman join the Woodchuck crew. “It will probably lessen John King’s more ‘colorful language,’” Rowe said.

On site, the Woodchucks get right down to work, sawing up oaks and birches to be loaded and carted off.

“I’ve got trees that have to come down, and I can’t afford a full tree service crew, so I call Henry,” Southport donor Ed Thibault said. “Not only are they clearing my trees, but they’re keeping somebody warm.”  

In the four years of the Woodchucks’ existence, Rowe said they’ve never sought out a penny and they intend to keep it that way. However, genuine good deeds seldom go unnoticed.

Last year the Woodchucks won the Spirit of America Award. This fall the Town of Boothbay gave $600 to the organization to go toward fuel costs.

“To date we are at 143 loads,” Rowe said, whose two pickups hold about a cord of wood.

In the spring and summer the Woodchucks meet once a week for a couple hours a day. Now they meet twice a week. When they’re not stockpiling for next year's reserve, they’re felling trees that people choose to donate to the cause. Rowe said there are about five main donors and 20-25 recipients per year.

It’s hard to find an idle Woodchuck. When asked how long he wants to be a part in the organization, Rowe said until he dies.

“We all need to find a purpose in life, and it changes over time,” Rowe said. But if there is one thing that stays consistent, it’s the Woodchucks’ commitment to the community.

Persons interested in volunteering or donating wood to the Woodchucks, should call Henry C. Rowe at 633-6527 or Bill Smith at 633-3061.