Either I'm having a stupid moment (which is not impossible) or I'm bugged. I have the quest in Tanvu to harvest a log. I have tried the axe in my hands and in my bag, and all the trees tell me my skill is not high enough to harvest them. What am I doing wrong?
I was, in fact, bugged. I deleted the quest and started again. He did not give me a tool belt this time so I bought one, and then I was able to harvest!