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July/August 2020

INDUSTRY DEALS WITH THE COVID-19 situation TEAM LOGGING PAYS OFF for Quebec contractors WITH THIS ISSUE...

ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF INDUSTRY INNOVATION

KALESNIKOFF LUMBER’S new $35M Mass Timber plant in British Columbia ONTARIO’S OSTROSKIE sawmill cuts for canoes

July/August 2020 Volume 51 • No. 4 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling, Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski Publisher/CEO Anthony Robinson • (604) 990-9970 E-Mail: robinson@forestnet.com Social Media: Kaitlin Davidson Digital Marketing: Diane Mettler Email: digitalmarketing@forestnet.com Sales Associates James Booth • (604) 506-8631 E-mail: jbooth@forestnet.com Perry Rosehill • (604) 613-3001 E-mail: rosehill@forestnet.com Subscription Enquiries Circulation Manager (604) 990-9970 Fax: (604) 990-9971 E-mail: SubscribeLSJ@forestnet.com Design & Art Production Manager Sheila Ringdahl E-mail: artwork@forestnet.com Accounting Manager Shelina Jessa • (604) 731-1535 E-mail: accounting@forestnet.com Office PO Box 86670, Suite 200 - 120 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, BC V7M 2E8 Phone: (604) 990-9970 • Fax: (604) 990-9971 Website: www.forestnet.com Subscriptions: Canada $58 a year; two years $70; three years, $85. Group accounts, six or more subscriptions, $25 per subscription per year. Outside Canada, $95 per year. Airmail $165. Single copy, Canada $6; elsewhere $10. Reproduction prohibited without permission of the publisher. ISSN 0226-7572. Back copies from 1996 onward are available through our website www.forestnet.com Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064045 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to CIRCULATION DEPT. PO Box 86670 Stn Main North Vancouver BC V7L 4L2 e-mail: SubscribeLSJ@forestnet.com POSTMASTER: Send US address changes to LSJ Publishing Ltd., PO Box 610, Edmonds, WA 98020-0610 Published July/August 2020 Printed in Canada on 20% recycled paper.

“We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada” Logging & Sawmilling Journal is a member/associate member of the following industry organizations:

FEATURES On the Cover: The forest industry, from equipment dealers to loggers to sawmills, have new protocols to deal with related to COVID-19. With the forest industry having been declared an essential industry, loggers continue to provide mills with much-needed timber at a time when lumber is in high demand, hitting record prices. In this issue of Logging and Sawmilling Journal, we take a look at how equipment dealers are making sure their customers, the loggers, get the service they need safely, and efficiently. (Cover photo courtesy of Lusted Logging, Cawston, B.C.)

4 Spotlight: Traction for

Yukon’s forest industry

The Yukon Territory’s forest industry is getting some traction these days thanks to a government plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, giving a push to the move to wood-based biomass heat and energy production.

8 Big-time B.C. added

value—with Mass Timber

Quebec’s Fortin Family: a forestry legacy Although there are now multiple generations of the Fortin Family involved in the family business—Y.P.C. Contracting—company founder Paul-Henri Fortin is still engaged in the operation, at the age of 78.

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar.................................................6 Suppliernewsline...............................42

20 Cutting for canoes …

Gerard Ostroskie’s small sawmill operation in Ontario has a strong focus on increasing grade and value, and has developed an interesting niche market: producing cedar cuts specifically for canoe builders.

Team logging approach pays off

The harvesting/forwarding team approach of Eric Boissonneault and Marcel Coutoure works very well, resulting in a very productive flow of wood in Quebec’s AbitibiTémiscaminque region—and backed up by solid equipment support.

Equipment dealers dealing with COVID-19

It’s shaping up to be a challenging year for the forest industry, with the COVID-19 situation affecting all sectors, from the sawmills through to the forest, and logging operations. We asked several major equipment dealers how they are working with the current COVID-19 situation—and what they have in the works for new logging equipment for loggers.

Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, are stories the from Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) and FPInnovations.

46 The Last Word

The forest industry has addressed systemic racism for decades with some success, but more work is needed, says Tony Kryzanowski. Classifieds...........................................45 Subscriptions......................................45 Ad Index...............................................45

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

spotlight

The Yukon is not short of suitable wood biomass sources, says Myles Thorp (above), executive director of the Yukon Wood Products Association.

TRACTION for Yukon’s forest industry The Yukon Territory’s forest industry is getting some traction these days thanks to a government plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, giving a push to the move to wood-based biomass heat and energy production. By Jim Stirling he Yukon has long been tomorrow country. The territory is blessed with a wealth of natural resource development potential but is always awaiting the elusive combination of economic factors to align and light the fuse. With a couple of notable exceptions, that’s been the Yukon’s development story since the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush impacts began to wane. The Yukon’s forest industry reflects a similar pattern for the territory, which abuts Alaska on its western frontier. “The forest industry in the Yukon is really at the pioneering stage with fits

and starts of industrial activity during the last 40 years or so,” characterizes Myles Thorp, executive director of the Yukon Wood Products Association (YWPA), headquartered in the territorial capital of Whitehorse. But in true Yukon spirit, the territory’s forest industry fortunes are poised for a progressive change, reckons Thorp. Wood-based biomass heat and energy production is the potential catalyst. All Canadian jurisdictions north of the 60th parallel (and the more isolated ones to its south) have the costs of imported fossil fuels cutting into their business development project costs. The Yukon Territorial Government (YTG) estimates

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

more than $60 million a year is spent in the territory on fuel and electricity just to generate heat. Encouraging the wider use of biomass energy systems in the Yukon is a feasible method to reduce the territory’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. Coupled with the determination to bring more biomass use into the mainstream of energy production in the Yukon, the YTG drafted a plan late in 2019 to cut greenhouse gas emissions 30 per cent by 2030 and reduce the Yukon’s carbon footprint. The key to achieving that goal is deriving power from renewable energy sources. to page 6

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The Yukon Territorial Government estimates more than $60 million a year is spent in the territory on fuel and electricity just to generate heat, and encouraging the wider use of biomass energy systems is a feasible method to reduce the territory’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. from page 4 The YTG has tried to encourage private sector investment in biomass energy development by incorporating its use in some of its own infrastructure projects. The Whitehorse Correctional Centre has a wood pellet-fired heating system although the pellets are imported from outside the territory. A $3.4 million expansion will see the wood pellet fired system extended to heat two adjacent buildings. Locally produced wood chips are used to fire a boiler for process heat at the Dawson City waste water treatment plant centre. Wood-based bioenergy produced in high efficiency, European-made boiler systems is also at the heart of a project underway by the Teslin Tlingit Council. The council has the long term goal of recreating a sustainable forest industry for its people and the community of Teslin (see the September 2018 issue of the Logging & Sawmilling Journal for the story). Wood biomass heating systems have also been specified for use in some Yukon schools. The Yukon is not short of suitable wood biomass sources, points out the YFPA’s Thorp, who has a more than 40-year work history in the forest industry. It included 29 years with the B.C. Forest Service, 25 years of that working in the Fort Nelson Forest District, in northeastern B.C. Thorp has operated his own company, North Forest Consulting Ltd., since 2010. The Yukon’s small firewood industry is active salvaging wood killed by the spruce bark beetle, especially in areas near Haines Junction, to the west of Whitehorse. As in B.C., recent forest fires have also affected large tracts of Yukon forest lands. The beetles and the fires provide an ample source of potential biomass fuels. But there’s another zone, closer to the

population centre of Whitehorse. It’s in urgent need of remedial action and utilizing the fibre from it will develop multiple benefits, predicts Thorp. The forests have always been readily available as building and home construction materials, explains Thorp, by way of background. Between 1900 and about 1950, the forests were ready sources of cordwood for the paddlewheelers on the Yukon River, and for the White Pass & Yukon Railway route through the coast mountains to tidewater in Skagway, Alaska, he explains. But by the early 1950s, construction of all-weather roads, including one to Dawson City, sounded the death knell of the sternwheeler era on the Yukon River system. Meanwhile, B.C. and the rest of western Canada was becoming increasingly efficient at forest fire suppression. The results, as the forest industry has subsequently learned from experiences elsewhere, delivers a mixed blessing. What’s been created in the southern Yukon as a result is a large swathe of relatively even-aged spruce forests. It stretches from Lake Laberge northwest of Whitehorse to the Carcross region to the southeast. “And it’s ready to burn,” declares Thorp, with Whitehorse near the tip of a potential blowtorch. Recent examples in B.C. and Alberta have proven such scenarios are frighteningly more than hypothetical. “Landscape fuel management plans are under development to identify the most critical lands requiring treatment to mitigate the risk of large fires burning out of control in the wildland-urban interface zone where we live,” says Thorp. “This work will, if it is to be effective, will produce waste wood in quantities that will result in a massive waste disposal challenge.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

This waste wood represents a significant opportunity to reduce and offset our fossil fuel carbon emissions.” The landscape fuel management plan can also create employment and lay the foundations for a more formalized and comprehensive wood biomass utilization industry in the Yukon. The YTG’s stated policy to stimulate its forest industry by reducing its overwhelming dependence on fossil fuel-fired heating recently received an indirect endorsement from an unlikely, but influential, source. Norges Bank Investment Management, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, announced in May its intent to remove its investment in four Canadian oil sands companies, citing as reason the oil sand companies’ “unacceptable greenhouse gas emissions.”

CALENDAR

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engineeredwood

BIG-TIME B.C. added value— with Mass Timber

A new $35 million production facility is nearing completion in B.C.’s West Kootenay region, a project that will take family-owned Kalesnikoff Lumber into a brand new—and exciting—market: Mass Timber. By Paul MacDonald orest company Kalesnikoff Lumber has a great deal of history, with the fourth generation of the Kalesnikoff Family now running the company and mill operation, in British Columbia’s West Kootenay region.

The latest chapter in the company’s 81-year history is now being written, and it’s a very exciting one: the company has invested some $35 million in a Mass Timber production facility that began turning out product earlier this year, creating 50 new technology-centered, local jobs. The new plant will be North America’s

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

most advanced, vertically-integrated, multi-species Mass Timber facility. With a state-of-the-art 110,000 square foot plant, the company will be producing CLT panels, Glue-Laminated Timber panels, and glu-lam beams that are at the centre of a growing revolution in building with wood in Canada and the U.S.

engineeredwood Past sawmill upgrades positioned Kalesnikoff well for CLT

Chris Kalesnikoff (left), the company’s Chief Operating Officer, with Kallesoe Machinery Site Manager Tommy Nielsen beside part of the glulam press at the new plant. “We see Mass Timber as a natural and exciting innovation and next step for our company and team,” says Chris Kalesnikoff, Chief Operating Officer of Kalesnikoff Lumber. “We’ve done extensive research to ensure our new world-class equipment will create exceptionally high-quality CLT and glulam beams,” Chris explained. “Our focus will be on full integration from the forest through cutting, drying, and manufacturing to the final finished and delivered products.” Cross Laminated Timber is well established and widely used in Europe where green building technology is much further evolved than in North America. But leading architects, engineers, designers and project managers in Canada and the U.S. are increasingly seeking high-quality, custom Mass Timber products to create sustainable, stunning and energy-efficient buildings here. The new Kalesnikoff plant is one of only a handful of CLT production facilities in North America. The project has been well-planned out. “It’s been five-plus years that we’ve been working on the CLT project,” says Chris. “With myself and my sister, Krystle, now involved in the business, we wanted to continue to grow the company and add value for the generations to come.” Krystle Seed is Chief Financial Officer of the company. Their father, Ken Kalesnikoff, is Chief Executive Officer. “We knew that with the timber supply shortage in B.C., we needed to continue to grow and add value to the wood that we already harvest,” added Chris. With its well established sawmill, the company manufactures lumber using

what is known as the Kootenay Mix of timber that grows in this southeastern part of the province. The Kootenay Mix includes a wide variety of coniferous tree species. While the mill has a strong focus on Douglas Fir, they also utilize a variety of different species including Lodgepole Pine, spruce, hemlock, and Western Larch. With this kind of timber mix, this region of B.C. has been largely unaffected by the mountain pine beetle which has had a huge impact on the timber resource in other areas of the province. “In our area, we are fortunate to still have a fairly healthy forest that has not been impacted by the pine beetle or wildfires as significantly,” says Chris. “But there are still constraints on the land base, that limit how much harvesting is available—and there are still a lot of sawmills operating in our area, so there is more competition for fibre. “We may have some different dynamics than what other areas of the province are dealing with, but timber supply is still a leading issue.” Getting maximum value from the timber they harvest—and their sawmill—has been a focus for Kalesnikoff Lumber throughout its decades of operation, Chris notes. “It’s really in our culture and values as a company to bring as much value to the timber as we can,” he explained. “It’s something I remember from my grandfather, and a value that my father has always preached—and something that my sister and I strongly believe in.” And that approach has allowed the company to successfully supply global markets with Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

Chris Kalesnikoff, Chief Operating Officer of Kalesnikoff Lumber, notes that the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) project did not require any upgrades to their sawmill, which feeds wood to the CLT plant. The company has done a number of upgrades over the past decade, positioning the operation well for CLT, he explained. In 2012, for example, USNR equipment was installed as part of a sawmill modernization. The new equipment included a primary breakdown line comprised of a quad arbor sawbox, vertical double arbor gang, TriCam scanning, MillExpert optimization and PLC control system. The modifications on the edger line included retrofits to the existing edger, upgrading the transverse scanning system with USNR’s BioLuma 2900L sensors, MillExpert edger optimization and PLC controls. The trim/sort line modifications included two radius back unscramblers, a lug loader, multi-track fence, 70-bin pusher lug sorter top and sort bin modifications, along with USNR’s WinTally sorter management, MillTrak lumber flow monitoring, MillExpert trimmer optimization and PLC control system. Ridgemill Design of Kelowna provided mechanical and structural detailed design on this project. Timber Line Mill Construction was the main mechanical contractor, and Martech Electrical Systems was the main electrical contractor on the project. Hollins Industries did the lumber transfers and log decks, and New West Industries did the residual conveyors. Arrow Speed Controls supplied all the variable frequency drives. wood products over more than eight decades, and four generations. “I think Mass Timber and CLT are a perfect fit with our desire to continue to be integrated, and add more value to the timber.” It also aligns nicely with the wood they have to work with. “We have some of the best softwood timber in the world, both for strength and aesthetics, with the Kootenay Mix,” he says. “And with to page 10 9

engineeredwood

The new Kalesnikoff plant in B.C. is North America’s most advanced, vertically-integrated, multi-species Mass Timber facility. With a state-of-the-art 110,000 square foot plant, the company will be producing CLT panels, Glue-Laminated Timber panels, and glu-lam beams that are at the centre of a growing revolution in building with wood in Canada and the U.S. from page 9 our expertise in manufacturing, and kiln drying, when you blend that all together, Mass Timber is really something that fits our company.” Kalesnikoff Lumber used its own internal resources in developing and executing the plan for the new CLT plant. “We’re proud of the fact that our team spent the time it took to understand the equipment, and was able to come up with a plan on how we saw the new building coming together, and designed and built the plant, especially since it was a greenfield project,” says Chris. The company was the general contractor on the project. “We designed the plant, but we definitely aligned ourselves with some great equipment manufacturers, and they were

very influential in the plant design.” When the company first started planning the CLT project, a five-year timeline was not necessarily carved in stone. “We really never put a hard timeline on it,” says Chris. “We kind of pegged 2019/2020 as what we saw as optimal growth years for Mass Timber, when expected building code changes would take place and there would be more groups getting excited about Mass Timber projects. “The Mass Timber market was fairly juvenile when we first started looking into it—there was enough volume being produced then to cover the number of projects being built. We really tried to take the opportunity and time to invest in the right type of plan, to learn things about the market and build relationships with the idea that by 2019/2020 we would start to

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

see some really exciting growth—and that our plant would be operational around that time. All things considered, it’s been a pretty successful timeline.” Kalesnikoff Lumber management took the time to visit a lot of Mass Timber production facilities in Europe as part of the planning process—the majority of equipment suppliers are European. “There are several different concepts and ways to build a Mass Timber plant— we chose to go with high-frequency technology where we are curing our products, rather than cold setting them with adhesives,” said Chris. “We felt it was the leading edge technology, and really allowed us the most flexibility for the end customer.” For that technology, they chose to go with Kallesoe Machinery, a company out of Denmark. The high frequency (radio frequency)

engineeredwood press from Kallesoe Machinery is said to represent the most efficient installation on the market for the production of prefabricated CLT elements. Their press is a highly efficient production unit with high capacity and very short pressing times. Their CLT press line handles pieces up to 18 meters long and every line is custom built. Kallesoe, like Kalesnikoff, is a familyowned business, Chris pointed out, and the companies share similar values. “We’re really excited about the technology they bring to the table. They were the first core supplier group we selected—from there, we purchased support equipment from other groups throughout Europe. “There are several groups in Europe that now offer turnkey Mass Timber/CLT solutions, but for us, because we were so hands-on in the design of the plant, we had very specific needs for all of the equipment, so we chose to go to different suppliers for the equipment, so we could build the facility that we wanted.” To borrow a food term, this à la carte approach allowed them to order the individual equipment pieces that would work

best for them. The equipment is all located within a 110,000 square foot, climate-controlled Behlen building, which was constructed by Norsteel Building Systems. Pre-graded and pre-sorted lumber is brought into the building from the adjacent Kalesnikoff sawmill. Using a Microtec scanner, they do all the necessary trimming and cutting. The wood is then finger-jointed in lengths up to 60 feet. They have two core equipment lines, the CLT line and the glu-lam line, both of to page 12

Mass Timber, including CLT, getting plenty of traction in construction Mass Timber such as what Kalesnikoff Lumber is producing is definitely getting plenty of traction. For example, the city of Vancouver recently agreed to allow Mass Timber construction up to 12 storeys for residential and commercial uses, doubling the previous height limit of six floors.

The city joins 13 other B.C. municipalities that now endorse taller wood buildings more than a year after the B.C. building code was modified to allow tall wood buildings. And there is plenty of other Mass Timber building going on elsewhere in North America.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

engineeredwood from page 11 which can be fed from the finger jointer, and turn out product up to 60 feet in length. “We have an assembly line where we produce the long layers and cross layers, and the wood is assembled with our adhesive— we then move the product into our high frequency press, and basically cure the product based on its size and length,” explains Chris. With glu-lam product, lamellas come from the fingerjoint line, are laid up and assembled for glu-lam beams based on an order file, and then go through high frequency curing. The CLT goes into a finishing section, where the work carried out is project specific. Some customers are looking for raw billet material—so Kalesnikoff produces the CLT and transports it to the customer, where they will do their own finishing. “But with many projects, we will do a lot of the complete finishing in-house,” says Chris. “We have two state-of-the-art CNC machines, and we can do custom cutting and any kind of milling that is required into the panels and beams, and then sand and finish the product with sealants or top coats.” They can also do factory installation of acoustic materials or water protecterant on the top side of the CLT product. “Sometimes we are also factory installing steel connection details—there are lots of things that are going on in our finishing side. Essentially, we have two different sections: the manufacturing section, which is producing the CLT, and the finishing side, which is just as comprehensive.” Their CLT panels can be as large as 12’ wide and 60’ in length. In terms of major suppliers, as mentioned Kallesoe Machinery supplied the main line, CLT and glu-lam high frequency press lines. Microtec supplied a Goldeneye 501 Quality scanner with vision defect scanning and optimization, which communicates with the downstream chop saw system. The lamella and beam planers came from Ledinek, Uniteam/Biesse supplied the fiveaxis gantry CNC machine, and five-axis beam CNC machine, the CLT/glu-lam sander is from Costa Sander, and the glue applicator came from Oest. Westwood Engineering was the electrical engineer, Martech did the high voltage installation, Konecranes supplied a15-ton overhead crane, and Vortex Pneumatics did the bag house and dust extraction. Chris agreed that it may take some extra time and effort to marry all this equipment together vs. a turnkey operation, but in the end, they get exactly the equipment set-up they want. “One of the good things about the Kallesoe Machinery group is that they took responsibility for making sure that all the equipment in the plant is communicating,” he said. Kalesnikoff is running a good deal of electronic technology in the plant, some of it quite different—each supplier has their own preference on PLC controls, for examples. “There could be some obstacles there that you run into when you go à la carte with equipment rather than going turnkey—but Kallesoe took on the responsibility.” There is a huge co-ordinating process that takes place from when lumber first enters the plant to when it leaves as CLT or glu-lam that a specific customer is looking for—it all has to mesh and run well. “With all of the suppliers we chose to work with, we had a strong trust and belief in them. And most of the equipment suppliers do factory run-offs, so they are testing the equipment at the plant, before it’s sent to us,” said Chris. “So when it comes to the site, we are looking at a matter of weeks for installation, rather than having to do a lot of work from to page 14 12

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

engineeredwood addedvalue from page 12 scratch on site—we’re not having to do a lot of the electrical wiring, for example, since most of that has already been done at the factory, and been tested.” And each supplier was responsible for their own installation. So Kalesnikoff had the experts who produce the equipment installing the equipment—and it’s in the equipment suppliers’ best interest to make sure their people are doing the installation as efficiently as possible on site, notes Chris. Outside of that, most of the work on the new facility was carried out by Kalesnikoff employees, though, as noted, some local companies were also involved. The glu-lam line was up and operating this past December, and passed certification early this year. The CLT line is currently being installed and will be commissioned this summer. “We still have a couple of months ahead of us, and commissioning, before we are 100 per cent complete,” said Chris. But he said they are pretty much where they want to be schedule-wise, despite dealing with some new work

regulations around the COVID-19 virus. “Things have come together well, in spite of COVID,” he says. “Our people have done an outstanding job—we expect to have the project built and commissioned within the expected timeframe. “And with the lead equipment supplier, Kallesoe Machinery, they are delivering equipment exactly to the day they promised two years ago, when we signed the contract with them. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to be working with. “For our group, that was very important,” he added. “For us to take on this size of a project, at $35 million, by ourselves as a family-owned business, we need everything to come on line as expected—and so far it has, so we have been very fortunate.” But a lot of that result has been due to hard work and strong relationships both within Kalesnikoff Lumber, and its suppliers, Chris added. This summer, Kalesnikoff Lumber joins a small, select group of CLT producers in North America. But Chris noted they will be building on the work of other companies. “I wouldn’t say we are pioneers in CLT—we have tremendous respect for

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groups like Structurlam and Nordic who are the true pioneers in Mass Timber. “But we are excited to join the Mass Timber marketplace, and I think we are really unique in what we can offer from our product line, our species and specialties. I think we are going to help grow the marketplace.” And there is a tremendous sense of pride on the part of Chris, Krystle and their family, in positioning Kalesnikoff Lumber for the future. “It’s a risk taking on a project like this for our business, but it’s something we strongly believe in—and there is a desire for Krystle and I, the fourth generation of the family, to have a positive impact on the company and our community and set it up well for the next generation. We’re excited about taking on the challenge of growing our business forward. “Our family has been here for 80-plus years, and our roots are here,” says Chris. “We love the community we are in, and we have an incredible team here. When you put those things together, it really drives you to continue to grow the business, and be successful for everybody.”

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contractorprofile

Quebec’s

Fortin Family: a forestry legacy Although there are now multiple generations of the Fortin Family involved in the family business—Y.P.C. Contracting—company founder Paul-Henri Fortin is still engaged in the operation, at the age of 78.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

contractorprofile By George Fullerton

t the age of 78, Paul-Henri Fortin is still getting up at 5 a.m. to check out his harvesting, trucking and service shop operations which are based in the village of St. Prosper, about 120 kilometres southeast of Quebec City. Fortin’s work career began at the end of his formal schooling when, at the age of 12, he went to work alongside his father on the family farm and woodlot, to support the large family. “When I was 12, I went to work with my father, with an axe and a horse in the woods. Through my life I have seen a lot of changes in forestry and logging,” he says. Fortin began working for harvest contractors, and eventually built his own contracting business, Y.P.C. Contracteur Forestier Inc., with skidders and chainsaw crews. When he turned 50 in 1985, with the help of his wife Thelma he expanded into wood brokering, finding markets for wood produced by contractors, most of whom were operating in northern Maine. As a broker, he supplied wood to mills in both Quebec and Maine. Thelma’s responsibilities included handling paperwork and operating their office, and overseeing their home and children. The Beauce region of Quebec borders northern Maine, and is very sparsely populated. The region is administered as a series of townships with land owned and managed by forestry companies and or woodland owned and managed by families and individuals, as well as land management companies. A large portion of the timber produced in northern Maine is processed and sold by mills in southern Quebec and northwestern New Brunswick. A good portion of the Quebec mills situated along the border are either connected to the northern Maine forest road network or have permits which allow oversize loads to be delivered into their woodyards. Fortin expanded his operations to include buying woodland, and harvesting to supply regional mills, as well as selling land for real estate. In 1996, he added forest products trucking and mechanized harvesting to the brokering business. In 1998, Y.P.C. constructed a large service shop and office

building in St. Prosper. Paul-Henri and Thelma’s son, Michael, joined the business in 1980 and Michael’s brothers Donald and Jacques came on board in 1981. In 2010, Y.P.C. wrapped up the wood brokering side of the business and focused on contract harvesting and trucking wood, and also built a sizeable highway fleet serving mills and businesses in the Beauce region, making deliveries in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario. Y.P.C.’s harvest contracting and forest trucking operations are in Maine, with wood deliveries to mills and woodyards along the Maine-Quebec border, in addition to much lesser volume to U.S. mills. Y.P.C.’s annual production is over 120,000 tons. The Y.P.C. harvest operation consists of three Tigercat feller bunchers, 822, 822C and 822D machines, each with Tigercat felling heads; five Pro Pac delimbers on Cat and John Deere carriers; and their grapple skidder fleet consists of six Deere machines and one Tigercat. Also in the line-up are three loaders mounted on truck chassis and three large service trucks, and a fleet of eight pick-up trucks. The log trucking fleet consists of seven Western Stars and Kenworths, powered by Cummins and Cat engines. The eight log trailers are Manac, which has a manufacturing headquarters in nearby St. Georges-de-Beauce. Trailers are four and five axle, and a mix of eight- and twelvefoot bunks. All of the wood produced by Y.P.C. is treelength. Fortin has worked with slashers in the past, but it’s hard to find operators and hard to make money slashing to mill specifications. Y.P.C.’s current business model is delivering treelength to wood yards and mills with the off-road trucks. Fortin contends that the mills and yard operators are very efficient and cost effective at merchandizing treelength to mill specs, and delivering the loads to the mills.

The Y.P.C. harvest and forest trucking operations employ mostly Quebec workers, with only a couple of U.S. citizens in the crew. The Y.P.C. workers are bonded by Y.P.C. to allow them to work in U.S., rather than each having a unique ‘green card’ which allows foreigners to work in the U.S. Y.P.C. truck drivers are required to cross at designated border crossings where they are checked by both respective border services. Because the border crossings are isolated and see a low volume of traffic, they only have limited hours. To illustrate, Fortin explained the St. Aurelie crossing closes at 5 p.m. “If you don’t get through the border before 5:00, you better be ready to sleep in your truck,” he declared. All of Y.P.C.’s forestry workers take Certified Logging Professional (CLP) training during spring mud season. The CLP program was established in Maine in 1991, to bring a level of professionalism to forest harvesting and trucking. The program focuses on work safety issues and also skills around job layout, and harvest productivity. Additionally, stewardship to page 18

There are three mechanics dedicated to forest machines, including on site in the woods, and the Y.P.C. operation includes three large service trucks. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

contractorprofile

Y.P.C.’s log trucking fleet consists of seven Western Stars and Kenworths, powered by Cummins and Cat engines. The eight log trailers are Manac, which has a manufacturing headquarters in nearby St. Georges-de-Beauce. from page 17 training includes wildlife habitat protection, erosion and pollution control, and sustainable forest management. The CLP program has resulted in the accident rate in Maine being reduced by half, and as a result CLP operations pay 59 per cent less Worker Comp rates compared to non-certified operations. “There is a cost for the training, but it gives our employees the knowledge and the skills to do very good work in the operations. They take pride in their training and in the work they do every day,” says Fortin. Every harvest block has a specific harvest prescription and foresters provide paper maps, in addition to loading digital maps in the bunchers’ GPS units. Forestry staff also delineate and flag wetlands and watercourses in the blocks. Harvest blocks generally have 1500foot skidding distances, but that may increase to as much as 2000 feet in certain circumstances. Harvesting is done during a single 12hour work shift, with the crew starting at 5 a.m. The crew starts in the woods on Monday morning and head back to their home Thursday evening. Fortin explained that finding and retaining operators and drivers is a challenge, and so he contends that a comfortable camp and good cooks are important for productivity. The Y.P.C. camp allows operators, offroad truck drivers, mechanics and other operators who work on roadbuilding, maintenance and snowplowing to be on site and ready for the 5 a.m. shift start. One camp cook arrives to prepare breakfast for the 5 a.m. shift start, as well as preparing mid-day lunches which operators take to the woods. A second cook

arrives in the afternoon to prepare the evening meal. The camp is very neat, clean, and well equipped with cooking and laundry equipment. Fortin was very proud to show off the camp and invited visitors to a fresh muffin and sandwich from the refrigerator prior to seeing the operations. There are three mechanics dedicated to forest machines, including on site in the woods. The Y.P.C. operation includes three large service trucks. “Well-equipped service trucks in the woods are very important for our operation. We have the tools, the parts supply and good mechanics, and they keep the machines operating and the operation productive,” says Fortin. “The mechanics work a regular day shift, and stay on the job late if necessary.” In the summer months, Y.P.C. builds roads for the northern Maine forestry operations. The Y.P.C. construction equipment includes excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, low beds and a road grader. In addition to working on permanent roads and bridges, Y.P.C. also constructs temporary winter roads. Winter road right-of-ways are harvested and wood cleared off, and then get a rough bulldozing and temporary bridges are installed, and then allowed to freeze up. Once the frost is setting in, the road is smoothed off with the road grader to provide good road for winter harvest operations and trucking. Northern Maine is remote, consisting of townships, with land owned by forest companies, land management companies and family trusts. Y.P.C. works for Wagner Forest Management Ltd., Bigelow Timber Corporation, Huber Timber and Rene Bernard. Rene Bernard also operates a large wood yard

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

near the village of St. Zacharie, on the border, which allows deliveries to be made by wide bunk trucks. The yard handles both hardwood and softwood species. Y.P.C. also delivers directly to Daaquam Lumber in Saint-Just, Produits Forestiers D.G. Ltée in Sainte-Aurelie, SBC Cedar in St. Prosper and Carthage in St. Zacharie. Y.P.C. employs 38 in their harvest, trucking, service and administration operations. In addition to Paul-Henri and Thelma, the management team includes their children Donald, Michael, and Jacques. Jacques focuses on managing forestry harvesting contracts and operations. Michael concentrates on highway trucking. And Donald manages trucking schedules and hires outside trucks when required, as well as overseeing the service shop. Paul-Henri and Thelma’s grandchildren are currently finding their places in the business. Marc Antoine and Claudia work in dispatch, Anthony drives off road wood trucks and Jacob is a mechanic in forest operations. The Y.P.C. service shop employs ten full-time mechanics. The shop works on fleet trucks and trailers, and has serviced other customers since 2010. Paul-Henri shared that they have plans to add a bay with overhead crane capacity to allow them to handle major mechanical work on heavy equipment, including forestry equipment. A high demand for trucking service led Y.P.C. to expand into highway trucking in 1985, and they provide flatbed service in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario. They currently operate four highway tractors hauling flatbeds delivering lumber and general flatbed freight. The highway work has also allowed Y.P.C. to offer forestry drivers employment through mud season. Paul-Henri continues to maintain a very busy daily schedule, and is still enthusiastic about participating in the dayto-day operations. He has an easy manner with employees, and they in turn display a deep respect for him. Paul-Henri takes the opportunity to greet each individual employee and introduce them to his visitors. He takes a special pleasure when introducing his grandchildren. “I believe I have been blessed to have been able to work in the forest,” he says, humbly. “I am very proud of the sensitive harvesting that we do. All our operators work hard to preserve natural regeneration and make sure they stay on skid trails. I am very pleased to see many stands where we have operated in the past growing back with high quality trees that my grandchildren will be able to harvest.”

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Ontariosawmilling

Cutting FOR CANOES…

Gerard Ostroskie takes considerable effort to air dry, dress and trim lumber to increase grade and value—such as this high grade dried and dressed cedar.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

By George Fullerton

nyone with an affinity for lumber would take notice of and appreciate a neat lumber yard on Highway 58, near the community of Tramore, south of Pembroke, Ontario. The lumber is very neatly piled and the stacks are level, evenly spaced, and many of the stacks have covers to shield lumber from the rain. Stopping in and meeting the owner and mill operator Gerard Ostroskie is an opportunity to talk with a man both knowledgeable and enthused about lumber. Ostroskie’s interest in forests and lumber began as a youth, when he would work part-time in a small sawmill in his neighbourhood. Following high school, Ostroskie obtained a forest technology diploma from Sir Sanford Fleming College. He went on to have a professional career with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), working on Crown land as well as in the private woodlot sector, preparing management and operation plans. His venture into producing and selling lumber, though, began when he was around 18, when a severe storm caused a lot of damage on his woodlot. “I ended up harvesting the blowdowns and had it milled locally, and then I sold the lumber to friends and neighbours,” explained Ostroskie. The Ostroskie operation is more than a simple lumber yard supplying eastern white cedar, eastern white pine and red pine. Ostroskie makes considerable efforts to air dry, dress and trim lumber to increase grade and value. He indicated that about half of his 300,000 to 400,000 board foot annual production is marketed regionally in Renfrew county, on the west bank of the Ottawa River, and the balance is primarily sold in southern Ontario. The annual production is nearly evenly split between eastern white cedar, and white and red pine. “Eastern white cedar is a very special species with unique qualities and the lumber is in high demand for many different applications,” he says. In addition to possessing rot- and moisture-resistance characteristics, eastern white cedar dresses well, and shows attractive pink to red highlights. Ostroskie invests a lot of effort to grade his inventory, which allows individual customers to pick the specific grade and size to page 22

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Ontariosawmilling from page 20 lumber for a project. Through trimming defects to increase grade, Ostroskie ends up with lumber as short as three feet. He says that many customers have projects that require short lengths, and they would rather pay for the shorter length, vs. buying a longer length and then ending up with the trimmed piece to store. On the other end of his marketing spectrum, Ostroskie also has 2 x 10 by 16-foot clear cedar lumber, which may end up in special projects such as long seats in saunas. The log supply is a combination of timber he harvests from his own woodlot, wood purchased from local farmers and small scale woodlot operators, as well as large scale contractors who require a market for their off species and oversized logs. Ostroskie pointed out that he works closely with contractors to make sure he gets good timber. “I have built relationships with contractors over the years to ensure I get good quality logs,” he says. “We’ve worked at it a long time now and they know the quality of logs I need, and know that I can pay a good dollar for good quality.” Ostroskie owns a number of woodlots, and spends a good deal of his winter harvesting with his John Deere 440 skidder. “I also have a Kubota tractor with a forestry winch which I use most often for thinning in plantations on my woodlots,” he says. “I hire a truck to haul logs to the mills. There is a little hardwood that comes with the softwood, and I will have the best of that sawed. I often sell a little ash lumber to canoe builders.” To mill logs, Ostroskie has established a business relationship with Ken Zoschke, who operates a small sawmill in the community of Alice, about a half-hour from

the lumber yard. Zoschke saws most of the cedar and white pine. Ostroskie also uses some other small sawmills, on a smaller scale. “Ken is a very conscientious sawmiller,” he says. “His variance on dimension is very small. I have the logs delivered to his yard, and when he has bundles of lumber, I pick them up with my trailer.” Green lumber is off-loaded at the lumber yard with a pair of vintage 1963 Massey Ferguson fork lifts, which are based on the MF model 35 farm tractor, as well as a JCB forklift. Lumber is sorted by dimension, graded and re-stacked into stickered stacks with assistance from Ostroskie’s wife of 34 years, Connie. “Connie and our sons Kelvin and Joshua, as youths, have worked with me in the lumber yard over the years,” says Ostroskie. “Through observation and experience, they became very good lumber graders. Once they had re-stacked a bundle of green lumber, I’d be confident that I’d find very little off-grade in their stacks.” Ostroskie’s sons have since moved on to their own professional careers, but Connie remains a stalwart employee at the lumber yard. As part of the operation, Ostroskie puts roofs on stacked bundles for air drying. “I plan to leave lumber air drying for up to 13 months, and that brings the moisture content down to 9 to 11 per cent,” he explains. Following air drying, higher grade lumber is taken to the G.P. Splinter Forest Products planer mill in Pembroke. Lower grade lumber is often sold non-dressed. “Splinter have a very high standard, and the lumber is put in dry storage on delivery, and back in dry storage after it has been dressed. I pick the bundled lumber up very soon after it has been dressed.”

Lumber and storage sheds in the background at the Ostroskie operation (above). Green lumber is off-loaded at the lumber yard with a pair of vintage 1963 Massey Ferguson forklifts, which are based on the Massey Ferguson model 35 farm tractor. 22

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

In addition to dressed four sides, Splinter will also profile for tongue and grove and v-notch. Once back at the lumber yard, the dressed lumber is re-graded and stacked into bins in two dry storage sheds. Through the grading process, Ostroskie will sort pieces which can realize an increase in grade, with a trim to remove a knot, wane or other defect. Ostroskie has developed a niche market for lumber specifically for canoe builders; in addition to supplying canoe builders in Canada, he also supplies builders in the United States. “I am very specific about canoe grade cedar,” he explains. “Only clear boards where the grain stays contained within the board go to the canoe lumber. If the grain runs out or off the face of the lumber, the material will split when it is bent for the construction process. “I also pay close attention to the weight of the lumber which might make canoe grade.” To demonstrate, Ostroskie presented a board indicating its light weight. “This is nice light lumber and it was sawn from a tree that grew mid slope.” Comparing it to a similar (size) looking board from another pile, he noted that it was heavier than the first piece. “This piece was sawn out of a tree that grew at a lower slope where it got lots of moisture, so the cell structure is different and it is more dense. It would be a struggle to get it to bend properly. It would also maintain increased density and consequently result in added weight to the canoe, which makes it more difficult to carry and load.” Continuing on the cedar silviculture lesson, Ostroskie stepped to another lumber pile. He noted the dark rings around the knots and says that tree, from a top slope, had witnessed drought stress through its life, and the limbs dried out prior to self-pruning. Still good quality lumber, but aesthetically less appealing. Ostroskie applies similar principles to purchasing, milling and grading white pine, and to a lesser volume, red pine. Ostroskie built two finished lumber sheds which have bins for different grades and dimensions on each end, and a centre bay. The length of each piece in the bins is marked, to easily manage inventory. From a brief visit to the operation, it’s clear that Gerard Ostroskie is carrying on a tradition of producing quality wood products in this area of Ontario, which has a rich forest industry history.

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Quebeclogging

Eric Boissonneault (left in the photo at right) with Samuel Dennis-Larocque (of Trionex, a sub-dealer for Hydromec, the Quebec Ponsse dealer) on the right, and Marcel Coutoure (above) in an Elephant King forwarder cab.

Teamapproach logging pays off The harvesting/forwarding team approach of Eric Boissonneault and Marcel Coutoure works very well, resulting in a very productive flow of wood in Quebec’s Abitibi-Témiscaminque region—and backed up by solid equipment support. By George Fullerton n cut-to-length operations, the contractor most often handles both the harvesting and forwarding of the wood, to ensure timber gets to roadside promptly so it can get to mills— and generate cash flow for contractors. Relying on a separate forwarding contractor can sometimes upset the flow of wood when machines are down, operators are not on shift or wood on the

ground is buried by freak snow storms or unexpected thaws, and other extreme weather events. Harvesting contractors who rely on contracted forwarding have to build a deep trust relationship, in order to ensure the overall operation runs smoothly and timely. And, of course, the reciprocal of that practice is true as well: the forwarding contractor must rely on the harvesting side to have wood on the ground so that forwarders are productive, and cash flow

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

is consistent and reliable. While not an official business entity, Eric Boissonneault and Marcel Coutoure are a very productive and complimentary team. Boissonneault owns three John Deere harvesters with Ponsse H8 heads and Coutoure operates two Ponsse Elephant King forwarders, in the AbitibiTémiscaminque region in northwestern to page 28

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Quebeclogging from page 26 Quebec. The pair have been operating as a team, but maintaining separate businesses, for more than 10 years. While the forest industry is well established in the region now, development of the Abitibi-Témiscaminque region accelerated in the 1930s with the discovery of gold. And as mineral exploitation got underway, agricultural and forest industries followed. The forest wood basket is dominated by spruce-pine-fir and aspen, with scattered white birch. While the region is in northern latitudes, (bumping up against James Bay and the northern Ontario border), tree growth is generous. For example, it’s common to see aspen achieving butt diameters in excess of 20 inches. The terrain is generally flat, and the region is intersected by roads that connect a sparse rural population with mining and forest operations, and the main population centres of Val-d’Or, Amos and Rouyn-Noranda. The region hosts a large number of large scale sawmills, as well as panelboard and other manufactured wood industries. The main population centres have a wide variety of high tech businesses, which provide mechanical and other support to the heavy industries that drive the local economy. Boissonneault and Coutoure are young, ambitious and dedicated entrepreneurs who embrace new technologies and organize a talented crew of operators— and are productive harvesting contractors. Typically, Boissonneault with his three harvesters and Coutoure with his two forwarders work on the same blocks. Each operation maintains two remote camp trailers for their crews, when they are on regular operations. Through the harvest season, logging operations will take their crews up to three or four hours from their homes. Both Boissonneault and Couture each own two, 8 x 32 foot trailers to house operators. Operators work a twelve-hour day shift, 4 a.m.to 4 p.m., for two weeks, and then rotate to two weeks on night shift, 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Even in the spring, when Boissonneault assigns harvesters individually on smaller blocks close to his base in Val-d’Or, a Coutoure forwarder will land on the operation to move the wood to roadside. Through the spring mud season, the operators become daily commuters to work sites, rather than living in remote camps. 28

Marcel Coutoure points out that the reliability of the Elephant King has made him a committed Ponsse customer. Coutoure’s Elephant Kings are equipped with K100 cranes and Hultdins SuperGrip 360 grapples. The forwarders are equipped with a back rack, custom fabricated by Hydromec. The initial visit to the BoissonneaultCoutoure operation began with meeting the two men at the end of a muddy road, and, they shared their ATV’s to bring this writer and Trionex sales rep Samuel Dennis-LaRocque into the work site. Trionex is a well-established machine and fabrication shop based in Amos, Quebec which in recent years has become a sub-dealer for Ponsse dealer Hydromec, which is based in Lac St. Jean. Boissoneault’s John Deere 953 was harvesting a mature aspen stand which shadowed a spruce-fir understory. The largest aspen easily exceeded 20 inch at the butt, and the Deere—with an H8 Ponsse head—easily managed the big stems, occasionally employing the top saw to handle troublesome limbs or top the final block from the stem. The timber supplied by this particular harvesting/forwarder operation includes aspen going to Forex LVL in Amos and Uniboard Val-d’Or, while the softwood was directed to Scierie Landrienne in Landrienne. Boissonneault pointed out that the large diameter aspen on harvest operations is why he continues to rely on big John Deere tracked harvesters and the H8 heads. His harvester team consists of a 903, a 953 and 2145 Deere models. “The harvesters have great stability for operating in the large trees,” he explained. “We also see up to six feet of snow in the winter and the track harvest-

ers can move through it very well.” Boissonneault added that in just about every type of snow condition, his harvesters continue to operate effectively, while it is not uncommon for the forwarders to struggle for traction in bad snow, even as they work on the trail created by the harvesters. Prior to purchasing the H8 heads, Boissonneault had began his association with Ponsse dealer Trionex through the purchase of a couple of used LogMax 7000 heads. That connection to Trionex made him acutely aware of the Ponsse brand and Trionex’s commitment to customer service. The Trionex shop in Amos is only 50 kilometres from Boissonneault’s home in Barrute, which provides an important logistic advantage. Eventually, he tested an H8 head with top saw on his harvester and the test turned into a deal to purchase the head. Impressed with the performance of the H8, Boissonneault then made a deal to purchase a Ponsse H7 HD. However, the H7 did not meet the performance marks of the H8, and as a consequence, the H7 was traded in on a new H8. Still later, Boissonneault made a deal on a third H8, and equipped all three John Deere harvesters with H8 heads. Boissonneault allowed that he considers the Ponsse H8 head to be very well

to page 30 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

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Quebeclogging from page 28 designed—it comfortably handles the large trees he encounters, and still has speed to quickly and accurately handle small diameter trees. He added that having the same model heads on his Deere harvesters rationalizes his parts inventories. “And I’m convinced that Ponsse provides more reliability and performance than other manufacturers,” he says. “And the parts and service provided by Trionex makes Ponsse the best choice of harvesting head for my operation.” Marcel Coutoure lives in Amos, and owns a service shop nearby in La Sarre. His career in harvesting got underway in 1989 when he began full time employment in his father’s contract forwarding operation. In 2002, Coutoure bought out his father and continued forwarding. From 2007 to 2012, he added two harvesters to the operation and increased that eventually to four forwarders, working them primarily in northern Ontario. Coutoure established his relationship with Ponsse when he traded in a John Deere 1410 forwarder to Trionex for a Ponsse Elephant King forwarder in 2016. Coutoure was impressed with the service that Trionex provided, and he added a second Elephant King machine in 2018. Coutoure points out that the reliability of the Elephant King has made him a committed Ponsse customer. He also notes the large comfortable cab and good visibility

make the machine great to work with. “The cab is very roomy and comfortable and it lets me bring my children to the woods, so they can see how we work,” says Coutoure. Taking a ride in the cab with Coutoure in the operator’s seat soon shows his competence as an operator. The big doublebogie 20 tonne machine smooths out the travelling, and with Coutoure’s skills, the loads are piled on quickly. His loading speed also shares a good deal of credit with the harvester operator, who puts the wood in neat, separate product piles. Coutoure’s Elephant Kings are equipped with K100 cranes and Hultdins SuperGrip 360 grapples. The forwarders are equipped with a back rack, custom fabricated by Hydromec. Coutoure explained the back rack is especially useful when loading slippery (loose bark) aspen. He says that operators can easily align the back pile of eight-foot wood against the back rack, and load very rapidly. When they get to roadside to unload, the back piles are still aligned, allowing for rapid handling. Coutoure operates with Olofsfors tracks on the double bogie Elephant Kings, all year round. He said that because they may see operations where they are forwarding up to 2,000 feet, the 20 tonne payload ensures there is a good load to compensate for the long travel distance. While a harvester contractor and forwarder contractor have to develop a deep

While not an official business entity, Eric Boissonneault and Marcel Coutoure are a very productive and complimentary team. Boissonneault owns three John Deere harvesters with Ponsse H8 heads. 30

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

trust arrangement, each of them also have to ensure they have a solid business relationship with the service and repair suppliers. They need to have the confidence that providers have productive technology and back-up for prompt service and parts supplies. Both Boissonneault and Coutoure have built reliable relationships with a variety of suppliers in their community. One of their most important supporting businesses is Trionex, which provides a machine shop/ hydraulic service in addition to supplying Ponsse forestry products. Trionex, based in Amos, was founded by Michel Drapeau and a couple of partners in 1976. It was originally established as a hydraulic and machine shop, serving the mining, and milling industries. At the beginning, they served the mining industries in northwest Quebec and northwest Ontario. Trionex provided sales and service for hydraulics, pneumatics as well as mechanical and machining service. As time went on, their expertise also supported forestry and manufacturing industries. Trionex became a sub-dealer for Hydromec, the Quebec Ponsse dealer, in 2013. Their large shop employs certified welders and welding inspectors, CNC technicians, and an engineer, in addition to administration and sales staff. As well as employing well-trained service and repair technicians, Trionex also offers rental bay space to contractors who wish to handle their own mechanical work. Samuel Dennis-LaRocque is a Design and Manufacturing Engineer with Trionex, and dedicates a good deal of his energies to representing Ponsse to clients. “Since we have become a Ponsse dealer in western Quebec, contractors have embraced the Ponsse technology, and we sell machines very quickly,” he says. Dennis-LaRocque says that at times, it’s not unusual for Trionex not to have a Ponsse machine on their premises—customers are looking for the machines, and they sell quickly. He explained that they tried very hard to keep a new harvester head on display inside their front door, but the heads sold very soon after arriving. Trionex compromised by displaying a 2004 H73 Ponsse head, one of the very first Ponsse heads to come to Quebec. “The harvesting head has many thousands of hours on it and it still looks pretty good,” Dennis-LaRocque explained. “It serves our purposes well, representing the engineering and performance expertise that Ponsse provides to its customers.”

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. The new Hitachi Foresters were created to push the limits of productivity starting with a reliable, Final Tier 4 engine that doesn’t require a DPF. More legroom, less noise and better AC are standard comfort features of the larger cab. Safety also takes a front seat with improved visibility and cab access. The result? Productivity measured in truckloads. Let’s get to it. HitachiConstruction.com/Foresters

loggingequipment

Delivering the goods —in the midst of COVID

Equipment dealers are working hard in unusual times, dealing with COVID-19, and are helping loggers deliver timber to mills for muchneeded lumber production.

t’s turning out to be a challenging year for the forest industry, with the COVID-19 situation affecting all sectors, from the forest to the sawmills—and also changing the picture in terms of industry events, such as trade shows, which have been cancelled or rescheduled. Shows have been great settings for introducing new logging equipment. One of the most crucial sectors of the forest industry, of course, is logging. With the forest industry having been declared an essential industry, loggers continue to provide mills with much-needed timber in challenging times.

In light of these events, Logging and Sawmilling Journal is publishing this “Equipment Suppliers Update”. We know that equipment manufacturers and dealers have not stopped developing new products and we hope we can help bring those to light through this “Equipment Suppliers Update”. We talked with several major dealers about how they are working with the current COVID-19 situation—and what they have in the works for new logging equipment for loggers.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

to page 34

T E C H N O LO G I E S F O R T H E S AW M I L L I N D U ST RY

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loggingequipment from page 32

What is the biggest issue for your customers in terms of COVID-19, and how are you helping them deal with that issue?

What changes have you made to your business as a logging equipment dealer to navigate the recent COVID-19 situation?

Finning:

Through our equipment Finance Partner, Caterpillar Financial Services Ltd., we have been able to help numerous loggers and manufacturers restructure payments or defer payments, as they manage constraints with cash flow and capital budgets. As we have seen recently, activity has increased in forestry and this breathing room has really made a difference as we come out of this challenge.

SMS Equipment:

We are supported by Komatsu, a world class manufacturer. They were able to quickly launch several supportive financing programs, deferred payment options, and a newly introduced standard 2-year, 5,000-hour warranty on feller bunchers, in addition to the standard Komatsu Care program, providing complimentary maintenance for the first three years or 2,000 hours on all forestry products (with the exception of harvesters and forwarders). SMS Equipment’s ability to offer in-house warranty programs tailored to customers’ needs has been successful with our customers, providing them peace of mind with their warranty coverage. We have been able to support our customers over the last few months, and as many return to work, we continue to work behind the scenes to develop new strategies to help them.

Great West Equipment:

There are a wide range of concerns, from health and safety to the struggles all businesses have faced during this time, some stemming from the state of the forestry industry leading into the pandemic. We pride ourselves in being big enough to service our territory and small enough to listen to and adapt with our customers. Many of the brands we represent have come to the table with offers to help alleviate any immediate financial concerns for our customers, but more importantly, our team has spent the last year listening to each of our customers to understand their unique goals, circumstances and challenges so we can create specific proposals to meet their short term and long term needs.

The Inland Group:

In a time of hardship, our task is to offer a stable support system by continually supporting customers with wholesale, parts, service, and financing needs. As our customers operate in essential industries, whether that be trucking, forestry, or construction, our duty to support these businesses has become even more vital. Our respect and appreciation for our customers has truly become apparent during this pandemic as they are keeping our communities strong and running. Many customers have opted to use Inland’s Online Parts Counter to order parts and have them delivered directly to their business. This tool provides customers another option to navigate office policies, work from home set-ups, or just personal preferences. The absence of the next Truck Loggers Convention & Tradeshow is also felt. Customers and Inland employees look forward to this conference every year to catch up with each other and industry news. Instead, Inland Sales Consultants have opted to catch up with customers over the phone or via email. The most important part has been shifting the focus from ourselves and focusing on the needs of our customers to learn what we can do to better support them during these times. 34

We have established a number of protocols to keep our people and customers safe and avoid direct contact. These include the obvious facemasks, barriers and hand sanitizers to things like the online Parts Store and Electronic drop boxes. Finning had invested heavily in digital platforms like My.Finning.com, which provides customers with real time machine information, parts locators and other critical information— information which in the past required them to come into our branches. Now customers can access critical fleet and uptime information, parts ordering at their fingertips through their smart phones.

SMS Equipment:

We adjusted our inventory on hand, and are rigged and ready to go. We have now modified our inventory planning accordingly for the upcoming season to ensure we have the right equipment at the right time for our customers. Our goal is to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our communities and worksites. SMS Equipment continues to adapt our prevention measures to ensure we are protecting the health and safety of our employees, our business partners, customers and visitors; especially those with underlying health conditions.

Great West Equipment:

Over the past few months Great West Equipment has made a few changes to navigate our new normal. We have increased our sanitization procedures and adapted to socially distant meetings and online communication tools, to ensure we are providing the level of service customers have all come to expect.

The Inland Group:

Over the last 70 years, since Inland’s origins in 1949, the business has persevered various obstacles and economic conditions. However, a pandemic is certainly a new challenge to navigate for us. Nevertheless, in today’s COVID-19 world, Inland has proven incredibly versatile to accommodate our customers, with the primary focus being the safety of customers and employees while continually offering the same level of great service and support. As a logging equipment dealer, Inland’s daily operations have adapted. Extra time and resources have been carved out to allow for frequent sanitization, employee training, in-store modifications, and customer communication. Our parts and service departments have social distancing modifications, such as plexiglas counter barriers, floor stickers and employee face masks. Inland Service Technicians have been trained to thoroughly sanitize the cab interior, keys, and door handles both before and after service. Inland prides itself on excellent customer service, so the biggest challenge has been maintaining relationship connections with customers. An integral part of a good, trustworthy relationship is the ability to look eye to eye and solidify a deal with a handshake. Inland Sales Consultants have become creative in closing deals during this pandemic. We are now prepared with hand sanitizer in pocket if a customer wants to seal the deal with a handshake.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

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Experience the Progress.

Liebherr Wheel Loaders L 550 XPower® L 580 XPower® for industrial applications XPower ® is the new generation of Liebherr’s large wheel loaders. Liebherr XPower ® is an integrated, innovative machine concept that sets new standards in terms of reliability, performance, robust design and comfort. For industrial use, the optional industrial lift arm is the best solution, as it allows large attachments to be fitted for transporting heavy loads. The XPower ® power-split driveline with Liebherr-Power-Efficiency (LPE) achieves a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 30 percent - so you handle more, faster.

Liebherr-Canada Ltd. 1015 Sutton Drive, Burlington, Ontario L7L 5Z8 Phone: +1 800 387 3922 E-mail: info.lca@liebherr.com www.facebook.com/LiebherrConstruction www.liebherr.ca

loggingequipment Can you give us an idea of what you are excited about, what new logging equipment might be coming soon from you and the manufacturers you represent?

Multi-Docker has moved to Cat Next Gen uppers, which offer quick cycle times, and fuel efficiencies we have not seen before. Multi-Docker offers the widest range of material handling solutions on the market. The future for forestry at Finning is bright given the investment we are seeing from our suppliers, and we are optimistic we are turning the corner out of the pandemic, and back into opportunity.

Finning:

SMS Equipment:

from page 34

Finning represents five forestry brands: Caterpillar, Weiler, Log-Champ, Allied Wagner and Multi-Docker. These brands give us the broadest coverage of conventional products in the business. What makes these relationships work is their close association with Cat in that they utilize powertrain, undercarriage and an assortment of other Cat parts. From a dealer perspective, this makes it a lot easier to service and provide parts for these machines and keep our customers running. The next generation Cat products are going to be revolutionary, building on the legacy of operator comfort, machine connectivity, productivity and reliability. Weiler’s next generation feller bunchers are a step change in performance and reliability. This already competitive field is going to have an exciting challenger. Their upgraded skidders leverage the Cat history with some important improvements. T-Mar continues to build on the success of the LC-550 and LC650, and will be launching new products to help lower the costs of steep slope harvesting and make the application a lot safer. Allied Wagner stackers have leapt forward in machine design and their investment in forestry shows in their new products. With the average Allied stacker having 50,000 hours of operation time, there will be lots of opportunity to modernize.

Over the last 24 months, we have seen Komatsu’s focus on entering the forestry market, with several acquisitions and product developments. Although COVID-19 has affected some of the timelines, we will see some new products soon. We are looking forward to the introduction of some new forestry products.

Great West Equipment:

As our forestry customers have navigated the industry over the past year, some have expanded their business to work in complementary industries. We are excited to be dual-purposing what was once considered strictly forestry equipment to work in other applications. The TimberPro TF840, for example, is being adjusted to move swamp mats in pipeline applications. We appreciate being a part of so many wonderful forestry teams and the opportunity to work alongside customers in building a better tomorrow.

The Inland Group:

Despite everything else going on, this has been a great year for new Tigercat products. Tigercat successfully launched the new purpose-built roadside processor. This package includes the 850E Carrier and 568 Processor Head. It is the only truly purposebuilt roadside processor in its class. IndusINTRODUCING WOOD-MIZER’S NEXT GENERATION FLAGSHIP INDUSTRIAL SAWMILL try-leading fuel economy, cooling capacity and revolutionary serviceability set the 850 apart from excavator conversions, while the 568 patented 4WD–2WD auto-shift drive system maximizes productivity. Our Link-Belt 40 Series purpose-built forestry carriers continue to be a strong performer in the woods with Link-Belt actively working on product improvements for what the next generation of Link-Belt Forestry will look like. Keep an eye out for further information in winter 2021. We are also excited to announce the introduction into the wood waste and biomass market with the Tigercat 6050 Carbonator, which uses a carbon sequestration process to reduce wood debris onsite. The Tigercat 6900 Horizontal Grinder is another new material processor designed for maximum production and uptime. It comes in either NEW! Call TODAY! Depend on the ALL NEW WM4500 industrial sawmill to withstand the most 850, 1050 or 1200 horsepower options. demanding sawing requirements of high production operations. Engineered and built strong, this industrial sawmill meets these rigorous expectations to Call for Finally, we will see the first Tigercat pricing. break down log after log after log. Don’t just live the wood life, CONQUER IT with Wood-Mizer’s next generation flagship industrial sawmill. six-wheel skidder with swing boom, the SAWMILL HEAD SAWMILL BED SB635H skidder, making its debut in B.C. High Pressure Blade 2" Blades with Steel Wheels Improved Construction & 21' Cutting Length with Lubrication System Design for Better Durability this December. This will be the third ever Board Removal Stronger Head, Mast, and All New Adjustable Material Drag Back Strain System Reinforced Dual-Rod Pull Down Cinch Clamps for Cants swing boom off Tigercat’s production line. Side Supports Longer Lasting 3" Diameter Blade New 5HP Feed Motor and Off-Feed Conveyor & Roller with Guide Rollers Heavy-Duty Angled Bed Rails Suspension Larger Up/Down Gearbox With all these exciting new products, we are looking forward to even more an877.866.0667 nouncements and product launches in woodmizer.ca © 2019 Wood-Mizer LLC 2021.

R E U Q N O C

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

AUTOMATION • OPTIMIZATION • VISION

LOG

• GANG EDGER • BOARD EDGER

GANG EDGER • BOARD EDGER • TRIMMER

LINEAR PLANER OPTIMIZER

INNOVATION FROM ONE END OF THE MILL TO THE OTHER 1-450-970-2113 service24@autolog.com

THE

ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF INDUSTRY INNOVATION

User guide and quick reference on treated boomsticks now available

n British Columbia, damage from marine borers reduces the service life of boomsticks used to keep log bundles together for storage and transport, and is estimated to cost the forest industry $12 million a year. FPInnovations and its collaborative partners have developed a promising solution that involves treating the boomsticks with a preservative. Based on the results of a recent trial, researchers estimate that the treatment will extend the service life of boomsticks by

more than 10 times that of untreated boomsticks. FPInnovations developed a guide to assist users with the successful implementation and usage of treated boomsticks. The guide contains key information for effectively managing a treated boomstick from the start to the end of its service life, including guidelines on deployment, tracking, handling, inspection and disposal. Also available is a brief summary of “do’s and don’ts” on log handling and disposal of treated

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

boomsticks, which field users will find convenient for use as a quick reference. To request a copy of the Treated Boomsticks User Guide, or the Quick Guidelines on Treated Boomstick Handling and Disposal for Field Users, contact the FPInnovations library. For more information on treating boomsticks to extend service life, contact Mithun Shetty (mithun.shetty@fpinnovations. ca, 604-222-5732).

Alberta landowner establishes short rotation high yield plantation next to fossil fuel power complex to highlight reclamation/biofuel options By Tony Kryzanowski

n Alberta landowner has launched an orchard-style, tree farming business venture next to a massive fossil fuel power production complex west of Edmonton, leveraging the short rotation, high yield afforestation technology developed by the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC). Furthermore, the Swan River First Nation has also launched a tree farming business venture based on deployment of CWFC’s afforestation technology. Both adopters are being mentored by CWFC as they deploy the proven high yield afforestation technology that CWFC has developed over two decades of trials and demonstrations. It features short rotation and purposegrown poplar clones, novel plantation patterns, and precise vegetation management methods. These investors approached CWFC independently because of their knowledge of the natural resource sector and their belief in the potential of deploying this technology to players, particularly within the mining, oil and gas, and forestry sectors. CWFC is confident that these two ventures are only the beginning of even greater uptake of its proven afforestation technology, especially as Canada works toward its stated goal of planting two billion trees over the next 10 years. Hybrid poplar clones grown on high yield afforestation plantations patterned after CWFC’s models grow on average eight to ten times faster than trees grown in a natural forest. There is also the potential to develop two crops from one land base by deploying CWFC’s mixed wood model. This features a hybrid poplar crop with white spruce or white pine planted in the understorey that CWFC has demonstrated can achieve a 50 per cent increase in production and growth response in the first 10 years. The goal of the Fenton family venture west of Edmonton is to create interest in this technology as a possible reclamation strategy across hundreds

of hectares of reclaimed land located adjacent to several fossil fuel power plants in the Wabamun Lake area, as well as on many other disturbed sites requiring reclamation around Alberta. “We were wondering what to do with our property and decided to do something different,” says Keith Fenton. “My daughter is an environmental field practitioner with a great interest in CWFC’s afforestation technology and my son, Kevin, the primary operations co-ordinator for our site, also has a great interest in pursuing this opportunity. Our goal is to explore new bioeconomy business opportunities as we have a large land base right across the road that has been mined. In addition to potential use in reclamation, there are a lot of BTUs in poplar for potential use as an alternative fuel source.” The Fentons are developing what might be described as a four-hectare, roadside showroom. Passersby will be able to observe and evaluate the amount of growth that various hybrid poplar clones deemed suitable for central Alberta achieve over time. They are also producing stool beds to develop hybrid poplar cutting material as well as nursery beds for softwood seedlings that they can market to a variety of potential end users for the possible establishment of larger-scale, short rotation hardwood or mixed wood plantations. Both the Fentons and First Nations representatives have taken advantage of knowledge transfer products and events

delivered by CWFC over the years. In addition to opportunities with the mining and oil and gas sectors, they can also market this technology to forest companies to help them enhance their fibre baskets. And down the road, adopters of this technology can work toward claiming carbon credits since trees are a natural carbon sequestration solution. About half-a-tree is carbon. “We have reached the pilot and application stage with our technology,” says Derek Sidders, Project Manager, Technology Development and Transfer at CWFC, “and these investments are a large step toward adoption. The technology is sound, their partnership with us is well-respected and we are quite pleased to be able to co-operate and assist.” He adds that CWFC is holding discussions with a variety of investors who recognize the value of CWFC’s afforestation technology for developing short rotation, purpose-grown crops as feedstock for biofuel or bioproducts, for reclamation and remediation, to enhance wood fibre resources, to deploy as a natural climate change solution, and to enhance the environment to attract both birds and wildlife. For more information about these ventures and how to establish a successful purpose-grown, short rotation woody crop plantation based on CWFC’s proven technology, contact Derek Sidders at derek.sidders@canada.ca.

A hybrid poplar transplanter sits in the foreground of an afforested field planted with hybrid poplar in the background. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

Developing the bioeconomy with FPInnovations

ur forests are a key element in fighting climate change. In addition to sequestering carbon, their biomass can be used as a source of energy or raw material and a substitute for fossil fuel-based products. It is therefore not surprising that several projects involving bioenergy, biomaterials or biofuels are now emerging, placing forest biomass at the centre of the bioeconomy. Significant investments are required to establish a forest biomass supply chain. Any medium or large project needs a feasibility study to address fundamental issues such as long-term supply guarantees, competitive costs and financing considerations. FPInnovations has developed the tools and expertise to conduct this type of study and ensure that projects are viable in the long term.

dues or low value logs) within a given radius of the processing plant. It is important to keep in mind that biomass transport distance is a key factor since biomass value decreases rapidly when distances increase. The FPInterface software and the BiOS module are perfect tools to evaluate these volumes at a given site. The BiOS application (iOS/ Android) calculates biomass volumes at roadside and the potential benefits when it comes to greenhouse gas. They consider the forest inventory, but also the technical availability, which means what is technically recoverable according to the harvesting system used (short wood, tree-length or full-tree).

FEASIBILITY STUDY 101 A forest biomass supply system must ensure not only volumes and quality in the long term, but also efficient production using effective technologies. The feasibility study would help answer the following questions: What volumes are available? Are they accessible? What are their associated costs? What are the market conditions like? What quality criteria are necessary for the raw material? What are the future prospects and vision? Scientific rigour is essential considering the importance of their answers.

RECOVERY COSTS The cost of getting the raw material to the mill will be calculated based on the forest supply source. The cost of recovering it in the forest will be calculated according to various scenarios that consider the type of cut (clearcut or partial), the harvesting systems and the cutblock layout. Will the recovery be integrated into current harvesting operations (preferable) or will it be done separately? How and where will the biomass be conditioned (shredded wood, wood chips, densification, pyrolysis)? Will it be in the forest or at the mill? What are the costs and benefits of each option? Added to these recovery costs are fees, diesel costs, road maintenance, transport logistics, indirect costs, etc.

AVAILABLE VOLUMES Available volumes must be evaluated by species and type (logging resi-

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT When recovering biomass, it is important to consider environmental

USERS Diversify supply sources

SUPPLIERS Increase supply by expanding the supply chain by investing in the forest sector

Establish a long-term partnership strategy with suppliers

Recruit and retain specialized workers. Attract young entrepreneurs

Ensure independence and security by owning part of the supply chain

Supply raw material meeting the customer’s quality requirements: Moisture content, particle size, contamination

Have storage capacity and be able to support inventory costs

Have a quality control system with clear guidelines, incentives and penalties

Use available and affordable quality wood fibre

Provide reliable delivery and raw material at competitive prices

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

aspects such as soil fertility and biodiversity. Environmental impact assessments must therefore be conducted to determine what percentage can be taken and what mitigation measures are necessary. Furthermore, in a bioeconomy, the carbon footprint must be evaluated. The carbon module, developed by FPInnovations, makes it possible to measure CO2 emissions resulting from forest operations (harvesting, conditioning, transport) and also the carbon delivered to the mill. MARKET STUDY Lastly, a market study analyzes potential users, the competition, the prices offered and prospects for the product. CHALLENGES AND SUCCESS ELEMENTS The table below gives a summary of the main challenges and elements that will make a forest biomass project successful for both users and suppliers. Various guides developed by FPInnovations can help meet some of these challenges: 1) Best practices guide for harvesting, conditioning and storing, 2) Pile management guide, 3) Quality control guide. Call on our experts: The researchers at FPInnovations are experienced and have been involved with major projects such as the BELT project in the Mauricie region and the iHUB project in Nova Scotia. For more information, contact Sylvain Volpé at sylvain.volpe@fpinnovations.ca or 514-782-4521.

Reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions across the forest-sector

uilding on the foundation of previous research on achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsfree mills, FPInnovations scientists have gone a step further and completed a full evaluation of energy efficiency across the forest sector value chain. The results will guide its member companies in identifying and correcting energy and GHG bottlenecks. In two wide-reaching case studies, the energy used by two forest operations companies, one on the East Coast and the other on the West Coast, were analyzed across their full value chains. The case studies looked at biomass supply, sawmills and wood products facilities, as well as pulp and paper mills, and final products. The year-long project was a collaborative effort by scientists in FPInnovations’ Pointe-Claire, Edmonton and Vancouver offices who have a wide range of expertise in all facets of forest supply chain operations. “FPInnovations is perhaps the only Canadian research organization with the capability to complete such an in-depth and far-reaching study with in-house talent,” says Tatiana Rafione, a researcher specializing in energy efficiency analysis. “We have scientific experts in biomass, transportation, mill operations, bioproducts and life-cycle analysis. Collaboratively, we were able to analyze the full spectrum of forest operations.” The case studies revealed several ways to potentially make each component of the supply chain more efficient, helping the forest industry stay on the path towards its GHG emissions reduction targets while optimizing the use of existing biomass. FIBRE SUPPLY Improving operating practices include the electrification and replacement of older equipment and installing new technologies at a low capital cost. For example, card locks for fuel dispensers, cab heaters and idle engine shutdown timers. Biodiesel generated from biomass could help decrease GHG emissions,

but there are supply constraints in several regions. However, there is potential to recover biomass residues within the existing average hauling distances, which could then be used within the supply chain. In both case studies, 35 per cent of excess biomass was derived from biomass residues. SAWMILLS AND WOOD-PRODUCT FACILITIES Optimizing operations and reducing energy consumption can make more hog fuel available, which will reduce dependence on external sources, all the while decreasing GHG emissions. These optimization measures can also result in natural gas or biomass savings that could be used to produce bioenergy and other value-added chemicals. Indirect GHG reduction methods include reducing the use of chemicals by replacing phenolic resins with lignin extracted from kraft mills. PULP AND PAPER MILLS The biggest potential for energy reduction options lies in this link in the value chain. Not all measures would reduce GHG emissions, but they would focus on maximizing power generation. An example would be biomass savings, which could amount to more than the biomass required to maximize power Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

generation. Alternatively, the use of excess biomass in a gasification unit to generate syngas could replace natural gas in pulp and paper operations. Operating mechanical pulp mills represents the largest requirement of external electricity in the value chain. Existing cogeneration units have the potential to generate the electricity needed by sawmills, pulp and paper, and panel facilities. LOW CAPITAL EXPENDITURES Carbon capture technologies would help eliminate GHG emissions from lime kilns and could account for over 30 per cent of potential GHG reduction. Carbon capture can be expensive, however. One third of the measures identified in the case-studies are considered low capital expenditures. The results were presented to FPInnovations’ member companies participating in the case studies and an overview was presented at the Pacwest meeting in June 2019. For more information on the case studies on energy efficiency and GHG reduction across the forest sector value chain, please contact Enrique MateosEspejel at enrique.mateos-espejel@ fpinnovations.ca.

SUPPLIERNEWSLINE SPOT launches new Gen4 Satellite Messenger

Globalstar Canada Satellite Co., a leader in satellite messaging and emergency notification technologies, has launched SPOT Gen4, the next generation of the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. SPOT Gen4 offers more tracking features in a new enhanced mapping interface, improved product specifications for water resistance and a new carabiner with strap to complete the modern industrial design. The SPOT Gen4 is part of an awardwinning product portfolio that provides an affordable and vital line of communication with friends, family, colleagues and the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) using GPS location and satellite connectivity powered by Globalstar. “The new SPOT Gen4 complements the SPOT family of products, providing an affordable, easy-to-use solution for outdoor recreation and adventure enthusiasts, as well as lone and remote workers who travel beyond the reach of reliable cell coverage,” said Jim Mandala, Vice President, Globalstar Canada Satellite Co. “SPOT Gen4 is a pocket-sized, rugged device that provides users with a wide range of satellite communications functionality including enhanced tracking through a robust SPOT Mapping interface for added value and peace of mind.” SPOT Gen4 features include the following: • Enhanced Design – The new Gen4 has a sleek new look with improved grip and design features that snap in place to securely cover the Help and S.O.S. buttons. It is rugged, portable and includes a new multi-use carabiner and strap. • Upgraded IP68 Rating – Offers increased water resistance, up to 30 minutes at two metres in water. • Motion Activated Tracking – SPOT Gen4 sends tracks at a chosen rate for as long as the device is turned on and moving, conserving battery life. Alerts can be set to auto send notifications to others when movement is detected or upon entry and exit of specific geographic 42

areas in SPOT Mapping. • Battery Life – The new Gen4 offers the longest battery life in the product category far surpassing performance of alternative battery powered GPS messengers, says the company. • SPOT Mapping – Live and historical map views to view or share your SPOT locations for a minimum of three years. Optional upgrades available to meet user-defined mapping needs. —Map Layers – Select from several options to view your map in light or dark mode, satellite, open street map or terrain. —Alerts – User set and system generated for emergency or custom messages, new movement, no movement, check in and help. —Shared View Improvement – Unlimited shared views with easy interface to share a location. —Customized Position Icons – Ability to distinguish location points by SPOT product or user that adds a variety of in field and remote management of resources. —Geofencing – Allows users to create virtual geographic boundaries and set custom alerts. www.FindMeSPOT.ca

Waratah releases new H415HD harvester head

Waratah Forestry Equipment has unveiled the new H415HD, a heavy duty harvesting head with new features and options based on customer feedback and rugged application needs. The H415HD is an additional option for customers looking for a heavy duty performer for wheeled harvester applications. To increase durability across the range, the frame on the H415HD as well as the H415 and H415X heads have been strengthened at several locations based on customer feedback, providing more durability and increased uptime. The H415HD’s base weight is 1401 kgs (3089 lbs), which is 71 kgs (157 lbs) more than the standard H415. Standard features of the H415HD include an HD tilt frame with thicker steel plate, expander pins for upper tilt cylinder, feed roller arms, and lower delimbing knives to improve pin durability and frame longevity. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

By Tony Kryzanowski Additionally, HD feed motor and hose guards help improve durability. Likewise, to lengthen the service life of the saw bar and alleviate interference in some applications, the H415HD’s saw position was changed to provide more room between the saw bar and stem. All three configurations of the H415 heads now feature the possibility for a wider saw bar and improved saw chain tensioning to reduce chain loss, bar wear and promote more operational productivity. The models also share a lower saw box height (30 mm/1”) creating lower stump height and more wood recovery. This is complemented by an improved lower delimbing knife profile for larger stem sizes. www.waratah.com

Nordic Traction distribution brought in-house

Clark Tracks and OFA Chains parent group Nordic Traction have taken the distribution in North America back in-house to facilitate better service, support and delivery.

The new organization, Nordic Traction Inc., has warehouses set up across North America for faster delivery to equipment dealers and customers. A new team of experienced traction professionals has been employed with backing from head office in Europe to work with dealers to find the best and most productive products for their operations. Clark and OFA already have a reputation world-wide for both quality and to page 44

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2013 John Deere 2954D Roadbuilder w/2016 C3 Traction Line Winch Assist | Chilliwack, BC, CAN

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suppliernewsline from page 42 durability, and it is easy to promote that “track record”, say the companies. The dealerships in North America selling equipment out of Scandinavia, or built here, had the desire to deal direct with both Clark and OFA, say the companies. Launching the new FXS track for the slopes is another step forward for serving the forestry dealers it has. As for OFA, the U-Grip 22 mm is said to be a good addition. The company is excited to continue with old customers, and new ones added in recent months, and dealer inquiries are welcome, it says. For further information, please contact: Urban Fredriksson 1-844-909-6164. www.nordictractiongroup.com

Tigercat releases 220E loader with upgraded operator’s station and power plant addition

The quick and lightweight 220E loader is powered by the Tigercat FPT N45 Tier 4f or the Tigercat FPT N67 Tier 2 engine, delivering 125 kW (168 hp) and conforming to Tier 2 and Tier 4 emission requirements. The totally redesigned operator’s station has a significantly improved climate control system along with a number of

additional features to improve operator experience. The new heavy duty suspension seat is wider and standard equipped with heating and cooling. The seat has improved adjustability and many of the frequently used rocker switches have been repositioned into the armrest-mounted joystick pod for enhanced ergonomics. The climate control system is further enhanced by the addition of window blinds for the front windshield and skylight. Acoustical engineering along with the quiet Tigercat FPT engine contributes to extremely low in-cab noise levels, while the new sound system with Bluetooth audio allows for hands-free calling. 44

A new main pump and larger hoses to the boom cylinders provide faster boom and swing functions. Hydraulic component layout remains unchanged with hydraulic valves easily accessible underneath the deck plate cover, allowing for clean, easy service access. The updated electrical system incorporates hydraulic pressure sensors that can be monitored on the display in the cab as well as improving fuel economy with an automatic engine idle down feature. www.tigercat.com

Husqvarna announces new president for North America

Husqvarna has appointed Robert M. McCutcheon as President for North America. Bringing over 23 years of experience and expertise in consumer products, he has led successful business growth initiatives through Robert M. McCutcheon innovation, marketing and operational excellence. McCutcheon’s background includes positions with Conagra Brands, Walmart and Britax. “We are pleased to welcome Robert to the North American team and believe that he is uniquely qualified to lead Husqvarna during and beyond these challenging social and economic times,” says Sascha Menges, Global President Husqvarna Division. “His leadership style, broad international business background, and proven understanding of the customer experience will be vital assets for building an even stronger foundation for our business partnerships with our customers.” www.husqvarna.com

Record deal for Valutec, delivering kilns to Russian mega sawmill

Russia’s ULK Group is investing more than 400 million euros in one of the country’s biggest sawmill investments in modern times. Their goal is to have one of the world’s largest and most modern sawmills, with an annual capacity of more than 425,000 MBF sawn timber and 600,000 tonnes of pellets annually, when completed in 2023. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

To help achieve that, Valutec will deliver eight TC continuous kilns to ULK, making it the biggest deal in company history. Leading up to the decision, ULK carried out a comprehensive comparison of major kiln suppliers and visited many reference installations. Valutec is the only company offering TC kilns, where individual drying zones make it possible to combine high capacity and flexibility with optimum quality. The TC kilns are equipped with Valutec’s control system Valmatics 4.0, which has an integrated simulator that enables simultaneous optimization of capacity, quality and energy consumption. The ULK Group is one of Russia’s biggest sawmill groups. The group owns four sawmills and is adding a fifth. www.valutec.se

BID Group deploys Vuforia AR Enterprise Suite in continuing digital transformation

The BID Group of Companies has expanded upon its use of PTC’s awardwinning products to include PTC’s Vuforia Augmented Reality offerings. In particular, by adding a subscription to PTC’s Vuforia Chalk remote experience software, BID is empowering its remote service team to provide real-time assistance for customers wherever, and whenever needed. Prior to leveraging Vuforia Chalk, BID deployed PTC’s ThingWorx Industrial IoT Platform, enabling its customers’ facilities to maximize productivity, increase throughput, and improve overall reliability of the manufacturing process via real-time data analytics and a rich array of production reporting. BID has also implemented the Vuforia Studio and Vuforia Expert Capture AR products for deployment across the industry, aimed at improving frontline worker efficiency, safety, and agility. “As part of our digital transformation initiatives, we have prioritized the use of IoT and AR to help create smarter, more connected products, and services,” says Chris Wells, Senior Vice President, Aftermarket Service & Reliability at BID. “By incorporating PTC’s AR offerings, we are excited to unlock new opportunities aimed at servicing our clients in a more efficient and interactive manner.” www.bidgroup.ca

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AD INDEX ADVERTISER PAGE Autolog.................................................. 37 Brandt Tractor.......................................... 5 Cardinal Saw......................................... 14 Hitachi................................................... 31 Hugh Mackay......................................... 45 James G Murphy..............................24-25 John Deere............................................ 29 Kallesoe Machinery................................ 10 Liebherr................................................. 35 Linck..................................................... 33 Nordic Traction Group............................ 23

Norsteel Building Systems..................... 12 Olofsfors................................................ 27 Peterson.................................................. 7 Ponsse................................................... 19 Prolenc Manufacturing........................... 14 Quadco Group.......................................... 2 Ritchie Bros Auction............................... 43 Ritchie Bros Financial Services.............. 21 Sennebogen.......................................... 15 Springer Microtec.................................. 11 Tigercat................................................. 48 USNR..................................................... 13 Waratah................................................. 47 Wood-Mizer........................................... 36

Assets of

Duz Cho Forest Products Mackenzie, B.C.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

NAME:________________________________ TITLE/POSITION:__________________ COMPANY NAME:_______________________________________________________ ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________

FAX:___________________________

EMAIL:______________________________________________________________ WEBSITE:____________________________________________________________

• 16 Foot Dimension Lumber Mill • Debarkers 17” A5B and 12” A5A Nicholson • R200 Hewsaw, c/w filing room, controls • Kockums canter, 4x4 to 10x10 • 3 Linden log feeders c/w decks • Milltech Trimmer 16’ with infeed and lug loader • 58” Forano 8 knife chipper c/w vib conveyor • West Salem counter flow chip screen 10x14 • Various BMM chip screens, • 45 unit chip with c/w incline belt conveyor • Strapping line c/w plastic head, rollcase + deck • Lumber sorter , 8 trays with stacker • Sap stain submerge Dip Tank, 3 years old • Log sorting line, 12 sorts complete, new • Truck Scale, Pacific, partially installed, 90’ deck • Woodmizer twin horizontal bandsaw • SCMI gang rip saws, 2 • Woodlandia Logripper 200, video on request • 13 sorter bins for up to 20’ lumber

Contact Hugh Mackay

604.908.6219

# Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

thelastword

Forest industry has addressed systemic racism for decades with some success— but more work needed By Tony Kryzanowski

he issue of systemic racism and working toward minimizing its influence on the day-to-day operations of forest companies is nothing new for the industry—and I think overall there has been a strong desire to create more of an inclusive environment largely driven by economics and frequent interaction, particularly between people of European descent and First Nations. Fundamentally, the interaction always works best when there is mutual respect. That doesn’t necessarily mean that there will always be agreement, and that is natural, as long as the position of the parties involved is reasonable and discourse takes place in a respectful manner. Is the situation perfect? Of course not. I can’t speak for the internal workings of individual forest companies at the office level. Perhaps there are situations where companies could do a better job of working toward more racial diversity in that area. However, at the field level, my experience is that generally there is strong encouragement for a racially diverse workforce. One of the leaders for greater Aboriginal involvement in the forest sector has been the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) in Saskatchewan, through its industrial investments division. It owns NorSask Forest Products, MLTC Northern Trucking and NorSask Transport, and Polar Oils. Within NorSask, MLTC also owns Mistik Management, a woodlands management company. One statement I remember when meeting with the Chief about 30 years ago was that the Council had taken the position that they would not take shortcuts for more of their First Nations members to get jobs in their ventures. Potential employees had to have the skills or the training for a particular job, or they would not be hired. That position struck

me as rather harsh at the time, but it has helped to sustain their economic ventures in the forest sector over time. MLTC is still a strong participant in the Meadow Lake and area economy today, with a significant biomass power project underway. Another First Nations participant that I encountered in my early years reporting on the industry is the Cree Nation of Waswanipi in Quebec, which today owns and operates Nabakatuk Forestry Products and the Nabakatuk INCI sawmill, along with many other economic ventures, in co-operation with a number of other First Nations communities. Recently, Western Forest Products and Huumiis Ventures Limited Partnership, owned by the Huu-ay-aht First Nations, came to an arrangement where the First Nation acquired a majority interest in TFL 44 Limited Partnership, which owns Tree Farm Licence 44, and an ownership interest in a new limited partnership that will own the Alberni Pacific Division Sawmill in Port Alberni, B.C. Finally, a Manitoba First Nations economic enterprise called Nekoté and Canadian Kraft Paper have formed a new company under a 50-50 partnership called Nisokapawino Forestry Management Corporation to co-manage 8.7 million hectares of boreal forest in northern Manitoba near The Pas. Nisokapawino is Cree for “two standing together,” and evokes a meaning that is deeper than partnership. Nisokapawino operates within a tenure designated as Forest Management Licence 2. It is the largest forest tenure in North America. This is a very small sampling of First Nations involvement in the forest sector. Their participation stretches to nearly every province in Canada. There are also many Aboriginally-owned and operated logging and mill yard management companies that have been hired by forest

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - July/August 2020

companies to assist in their wood harvesting, delivery and yard management operations. What has helped to build bridges in the working forest—particularly between First Nations and forest companies—is participation in certification programs like the Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Canadian Standards Association. A fundamental requirement in all these certification programs is active engagement with communities where companies harvest their wood resources to earn and maintain product certification. In this case, both the marketplace and certification organizations have helped to guide the building of these bridges, leading to greater participation and integration of First Nations workers within the forest sector. But challenges remain. Although there is greater First Nations participation, individual business enterprises in the forest tend to be almost entirely Caucasian or First Nations. While there is some racial integration within enterprises, sadly, it is not particularly widespread, and I think this fits within the definition of systemic racism being practiced by both identifiable groups. There is a tendency with both Caucasian and First Nations enterprises to want people of their own race working within those organizations. This is a trend that perhaps business owners and human resources professionals should consider in their hiring practices to improve racial diversity. Systemic racism throughout our society in all sectors comes as no surprise to me. As long as I have lived, there has been an undercurrent of it, particularly in who gets hired, and I often wondered how long it would take for Canada as a nation to seriously address this issue. Perhaps we have finally started by acknowledging that it exists.

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