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December/January 2019
GETTING AN EDGE ON STEEP SLOPE SKIDDING with Timbermax winch-assist unit
OPENING THE DOOR to growth at Quebec’s Milette Doors HARVESTLINE EQUIPMENT GETS WORKOUT in B.C. Interior With this issue…
The Edge!
CWF’S OUTSTANDING LOGGING CONTRACTOR: New Brunswick’s Jack McMillan
ON THE COVER December/January 2019 Volume 49 • No. 8 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski
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Winch-assist systems are becoming an essential tool for some Canadian loggers as they pursue options to help with harvesting harder to access—but valuable—timber on both steep slopes and in adverse ground conditions. B.C.’s Essential Evergreen Contracting have mounted a quickattach T10 Timbermax traction winch to a Hitachi ZAXIS 290 Forester to do steep slope skidding (cover photo by Anthony Robinson).
FEATURES 4 Spotlight Story:
Beetle attack growing in B.C. The numbers are revealing: the spruce bark beetle outbreak in the B.C. Interior has been growing at an alarming rate— and it’s gaining momentum.
10 Kiwi equipment cuts steep slope logging costs
The New Zealand-produced—and new to B.C.—Harvestline mobile cable yarder is proving to be a good solution to accessing extreme steep slope timber in the province’s tough geography.
18 Getting an edge
on steep slope skidding
B.C. logger Creole Dufor is gaining an edge on skidding on steep slopes with help from the Timbermax quick-attach winch-assist unit.
24 Forest pays
dividends—to the town
The B.C. town of Powell River has seen big-time benefits from its community forest, with a hot log market meaning significant investments in community projects—and work being created for local contractors.
34 Grinding it out is a team effort
The Canadian Woodlands Forum’s Outstanding Logging Contractor of the Year—New Brunswick’s Jack McMillan— started out in trucking, but now runs a major chipping and grinding operation, with a strong focus on employees working as a team.
40 Opening the door to further growth …
An investment in a new cut line, featuring high performance scanning technology, is helping Quebec’s Milette Doors meet increasing demand for its products throughout North America.
46 Achieving contractor
sustainability is just going to be plain tough
B.C. logging contractors are continuing to push for a viable business sustainability model, but there is some tough work ahead to achieve that goal.
50 The Edge
Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, are stories from the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Alberta Innovates and FPInnovations.
62 The Last Word
New logging technologies are good for both loggers—and the environment, says Tony Kryzanowski.
DEPARTMENTS
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
3
spotlight
BEETLE ATTACK growing in B.C.
The numbers are revealing: the spruce bark beetle outbreak in the B.C. Interior has been growing at an alarming rate—and it’s gaining momentum.
By Jim Stirling
G Jeanne Robert, forest entomologist, Omineca Natural Resource Region, B.C. Ministry of Forests.
raphs are cold, clinical things. But they can eloquently reveal a story. The bar graphs chronicling development of the spruce bark beetle outbreak in north central British Columbia well illustrate the point. The graph’s bars get progressively longer after the results of each year’s aerial and ground surveys are interpreted and displayed. In 2013, spruce beetle numbers within the Omineca Region in north central B.C. were benign. They reflected what might be expected from the beetles’ endemic role within the interconnected web of the regional spruce forest ecosystem. In 2014, however, surveys illustrated that about 50,000 scattered hectares within the sprawling Omineca Region showed signs of infestation. And by 2015, the total area showing evidence of spruce beetle infestation had mushroomed to more than 150,000 hectares. to page 6
4
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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spotlight from page 4 The trend continued in 2016 when the estimate was more than 200,000 hectares infected—and after the 2017 data was plotted, the bar registered about 375,000 hectares of forest lands affected by the spruce beetle. Concerns about the beetles’ population surges have been growing along with the bars on the graph, but so have the management responses. B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development has been and continues to share tactical information about the infestation with the regional forest industry—which once again finds itself on the front line of a beetle wood salvage challenge. The ministry and the forest industry are also communicating with a range of other partners including First Nations and the general public, explained Jeanne Robert, forest entomologist, Omineca Natural Resource Region with the Ministry of Forests. Comparisons are inevitably drawn with the mountain pine beetle infestation in the B.C. Interior, the effects of which will be evident in the region for years,
6
and probably decades. That infestation subsided mainly because of the forest industry’s prolonged and effective salvage work, coupled with a lack of mature and over-mature pine wood left for the beetle to consume. The spruce beetle, say the experts, is a different proposition both in its behaviors and potential rates of spread. For example, the pine beetle thrived by consuming huge swathes of similarly aged contiguous forests of pine tree stands. Spruce beetle infestations are characterized more by patches within the spruce-balsam deciduous forest. Spruce beetles seek out mature blowdown stands as a preferred habitat. Robert said parts of the Omineca Region were subjected to violent winds and blowdown in 2010, especially among older stands. The blowdown might have contributed to kick-starting a seven-year growth cycle within the regional spruce beetle population. But that’s where everything becomes a little hazy. Recent experiences continue to demonstrate that traditional weather patterns, and the reactions of ecosystems to them, are no longer valid. “One of my concerns is that we have
this combination of conditions,” said Robert. “It’s warmer with longer growing seasons and higher minimum winter temperatures.” One of the consequences of that and other factors is the spruce beetles are moving increasingly from a two-year life cycle to a single one, she added. Those factors in combination are putting spruce trees under increasing stress and making them more susceptible to beetle attack. The warming and more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns are encouraging similar tendencies in other beetle and forest pest populations from Alaska to California. For example, the Douglas fir beetle is infesting at least 65,000 hectares in B.C.’s Cariboo region. The spruce beetle doesn’t encourage early detection, further complicating plotting the extent of the infestation at any given time. “With the spruce beetle you can’t see from the air where the green attack is and that makes them harder to track,” she explained. Ground surveys permit a more thorough
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
to page 8
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spotlight from page 6 investigation of an area of interest, but are expensive to conduct and need to be wisely chosen to yield the most valuable information about the infestation’s spread, continued Robert. The mountain pine beetle epidemic and the spruce beetle infestation is putting increasing pressure on the mid-term timber supply available to the regional forest industry. The forest industry has become adept by necessity to shifting harvesting priorities and strategies to accommodate diets of beetle infested wood. Regional
Regional entomologist Jeanne Robert has begun testing spruce at various stages of beetle infestation.
forest companies and their log harvesting contractors in the Omineca, including Canfor Corp., Conifex and BC Timber Sales, are working with the forests ministry and its other partners. They are strategically targeting stands where sanitation harvesting can help reduce spruce beetle populations while receiving economic value from the timber for the province and the industry. The Ministry of Forests has formulated guidelines to assist the industry to more efficiently and effectively prioritize and plan their harvesting activities. For example, designated suppression management zones in the Omineca region recommendations have been circulated to help minimize the risks of beetle escapes as infected logs are transported, stored and milled. Air temperature is a critical controlling factor. Spruce beetles tend to fly and consequently spread when air temperatures exceed 16 degrees Celsius. Below that threshold, harvesting and mill related activities are unaffected. Up to 25 degree Celsius, night hauling and milling are recommended. When temperatures exceed that level, no log hauling or milling is requested. The objective is to reduce “no haul” windows to about six weeks in the specific suppression management zones.
Regional entomologist Jeanne Robert has begun testing spruce at various stages of beetle infestation. The goal is to learn more about the rate of wood deterioration caused by the beetle and demonstrated by development of defects like dryness, rot and decay. It’s an obvious area of interest to salvaging log harvesting companies. She cautions findings are very preliminary and further testing in different areas is planned. “But the results so far tell me a stand shelf life after infestation is quite reasonable.” The forest ministry’s mandate also requires communication and collaboration with other industry forest-users. These include but are not restricted to parks, protected areas and special management areas such as wildlife habitat and old growth management designated areas. The ministry’s collaborative efforts are further reflected through the creation of spruce beetle working groups in Mackenzie and Dawson Creek.
CALENDAR January 16-18
76th Annual Truck Loggers Association Convention, Vancouver, BC 604-684-4291, www.tla.ca January 22-24
BC Natural Resources Forum, Prince George, BC
250-640-7469 www.bcnaturalresourcesforum.com January 29-30
Forest Nova Scotia 85th AGM, Halifax, NS 902-895-1179 www.forestns.ca February 4-7
Paper Week Canada 2019, Montreal, QC 514-392-0265 www.paperweekcanada.ca February 6-8
Association of BC Forest Professionals, AGM, Kamloops, BC
604-687-8027, www.abcfp.ca
8
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
KIWI EQUIPMENT cuts steep slope logging costs BClogging
The New Zealand-produced—and new to B.C.—Harvestline mobile cable yarder is proving to be a good solution to accessing extreme steep slope timber in the province’s tough geography. By Tony Kryzanowski
I
t’s frustrating for loggers to have to bypass prime timber located in blocks with slopes deemed unsafe or too expensive for conventional logging equipment. But a new mobile cable yarding tool called Harvestline is now opening up many of these high-value blocks to logging. B.C. logger Ray Hascarl, who has put the first Harvestline yarder to work in North America, says that this mobile cable yarder is working out better than expected after a couple thousand hours on the job. “I could see that the format of wood in front of me always required tower logging, mixed with some grapple yarding from time to time,” says Hascarl. “I had
10
to try to find a machine where I could harvest tower wood efficiently and take advantage of the grapple wood when available with fewer workers—and it also had to be easy to operate. Since I have owned the Harvestline, I have continued to log tower blocks with it.” Hascarl says that in terms of productivity and in comparison to conventional tower yarding systems, first, unlike a common tower yarder, there is very little set-up time required with the Harvestline system. Second, in good working conditions, he is able to deliver twice as many loads per day using the Harvestline, with less labour, compared with a tower yarder with more workers. This represents a double dividend, as productivity has increased
as much as 50 per cent—and he has lower labor costs. Even in less than ideal logging conditions, Hascarl says that “the Harvestline will retrieve the same number of loads per day as a tower yarding system on its best day.” He can also assign less specialized employees to operate the Harvestline compared to a tower logging set-up, where a specialized operator commanding high wages is required. Such operators are becoming harder and harder to find. So, economically speaking, including a Harvestline in his equipment tool box was a no-brainer, and he has been able to
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
to page 12
At the Galena Contractors’ logging site, left to right: Chris Hancock, Electrical Machinery Services (EMS); Greg Cunningham, Galena Contractors; Frank Chandler, Technical Forest Solutions (TFS); Ray Hascarl, Galena Contractors; and Vince Wilbur, TFS.
BClogging from page 10 retrieve logs as far out as 1,000 feet using the Harvestline system. The Harvestline system is an alternative yarding system to a conventional grapple yarding system that Hascarl says allows him to access areas not accessible to conventional grapple yarders, or at least, not economically. It requires no choking crews because it is a two-line, mechanical yarding system that uses a motorized log grapple that travels on overhead lines. He says that this is a major safety improvement. “My system uses the same clothesline technique as a conventional grapple yarder, but my grapple is motorized and remote controlled with a camera, so it can open, close, and rotate while watching on the camera, making it easier to grab the payload,” Hascarl says. “Because it hydraulically opens and closes and it doesn’t need a third overhead line, this makes it much easier to operate.” The system allows loggers to re-purpose existing excavators to perform a new function, so many loggers need only purchase the Harvestline system and pay for the cost of retrofitting existing equipment. That is exactly what Hascarl has done.
Productivity and access were only part of the Harvestline attraction for Galena Contractors. The worker safety aspect—since the Harvestline requires fewer workers and no choker crews at ground level—was a major incentive. “I took a 12,000 hour Cat road builder 330D excavator and had it built into the Harvestline yarder,” says Hascarl. Developed by a company in Rotorua, New Zealand called Electrical Machinery Services (EMS), at least three Harvestline systems have already been sold in British Columbia.
MADE IN FINLAND
What EMS developed with Harvestline didn’t go unnoticed by Hascarl, who owns Galena Contractors Ltd, headquartered in Nakusp, about 200 kilometres east of Vernon. He harvests about 280,000 cubic metres of a wide variety of coniferous to page 14
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
BClogging from page 12 species, primarily for Interfor to supply their sawmill in Castlegar. About 70,000 cubic metres are harvested on extreme slopes, up until now using conventional tower cable logging equipment. While many of his forestry clients were eager for him to invest in a Harvestline system because they could see the benefits, Hascarl credits Interfor for helping him to finance the purchase of a Harvestline in exchange for a four-year contract, to help prove its value working in his logging environment. He describes it as having a lot of extreme slope. Hascarl adds that there is no doubt that what’s driving interest in specialized tools like the Harvestline is the desire by loggers and forest companies to harvest higher value timber in more challenging environments in a safer manner. In his own situation, he is simply handed a harvest area by the forest company and told that it’s his job to find ways to economically, safely and efficiently deliver that timber to the sawmill. Given his working environment, systems like Harvestline have been on his radar for at least the last three years.
14
He has considerable experience logging in this environment, including the use of three conventional tower yarding systems. His company is both a roadbuilder and logging contractor. In addition to an extensive fleet of roadbuilding and specialized logging equipment—like four Tigercat 870 tilter feller bunchers and 18 primarily Caterpillar high and wide excavators deployed for both hoe chucking and road building—he also owns a Madill 071 yarder and a Skylead tower yarding system. This system is based on a skidder frame, giving it a bit more mobility. He also employs four full time, hand fallers among his 75 employees. Hascarl describes himself as a “numbers guy”—and the numbers trying to log in some of his steep slope locations using conventional logging equipment and the yarders that were available just weren’t adding up. While he believes that conventional tower yarding still has its place, he has encountered many situations where it isn’t cost-effective or even possible for a conventional yarder to be deployed. “The Skylead system takes four to five guys to run and the Madill 071 takes
upwards of six to seven guys to run efficiently,” says Hascarl. “We started to have injuries, nothing major, just tripping and falling while trying to hook chokers on steep slope.” What was also happening is that equipment operating above the workers was at a standstill for safety reasons about 70 per cent of the time when the choker crews were working, which was highly inefficient. So, Hascarl began looking for a mechanical cable yarding system, which is how he struck on Harvestline. It all starts with the roadbuilding where he says that using the word “challenging” working in this environment is an understatement. Often, the only safe pathway for roads results in rock faces on the high side. “There’s hardly a road built in this area that doesn’t need blasting, so it’s steep and ugly,” says Hascarl. This makes it either impossible or expensive to anchor a conventional yarder down. So this is one situation—and this is becoming more frequent—where Hascarl saw a lot of potential for a system like Harvestline, which uses an excavator bucket as the anchor. They have also encountered situations
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
BClogging where there is a regen block on one side of the access road, which again means no availability of tieback stumps. So, the historic method has been to build what is called a deadman or tie-back trail where logs are buried within the regen plantation or machines are parked to provide mooring. “In most cases, this meant wiping out the first 50 metres of standing regen forest that was 30 to 40 years old,” says Hascarl. “The Harvestline allows you to harvest that same ground, but because you don’t have to tie-back the unit, you don’t need to disturb all that ground.” It’s obvious that using this historic method of tie-backs is also expensive, as it requires building the trail, reclamation and replanting. There is also the fact that in another 60 years when that regen block is ready for re-harvest, that the first 50 meters will still be too immature to harvest. “I felt that with the Harvestine and not having those tie-back issues, I could log in a lot more areas that historically have been left because a normal yarder couldn’t go into there. I also believe there are limited dollars available for logging rates with the mills, so if I can cut costs
like reforestation and silviculture, I would have better success when negotiating logging rates,” says Hascarl. He began searching the Internet for the right tool and discovered the Harvestline system about two years ago. He then reached out to EMS in New Zealand, who at the time didn’t have the capability or service support to deliver a system to North America. It took about 18 months and some convincing by Hascarl that there was a market for the Harvestline system in North America. “I finally threatened to just go down there (New Zealand) and buy one off of a logger, dismantle it, ship it up here and put it back together,” says Hascarl. “That’s how serious I was. “That's when Technical Forest Solutions (TFS) got involved, as they were already brokering the Tractionline tethering system produced by EMS.” He worked with TFS, headquartered in Kelso, Washington, which now offers Harvestline as part of its product line, to help them understand why it was the right tool for his logging environment, and together they put the first system to work in B.C. But productivity and access were only part of the Harvestline attraction. The
worker safety aspect—since the Harvestline requires fewer workers and no choker crews at ground level—was a major incentive for Galena Contractors. Even finding people willing to work on choker crews is becoming harder. “There aren’t a lot of guys wanting to crawl around on steep slopes putting up with the elements like snow, bugs and heat to set chokers on logs and it is also a safety factor,” says Hascarl. Since putting the Harvestline to work, he has adjusted his workforce from three yarder crews to two, and has assigned two employees to the Harvestline operation. Hascarl says that they are learning more and more about all the advantages of deploying the Harvestline yarding system the more they use it. One situation that they recently encountered was the ability to continue working in foggy conditions. With a tower logging system and with fog disrupting visibility of workers on the ground, that operation would have shutdown. However, they were able to continue logging with the Harvestline system because there are no workers at ground level.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
15
BClogging
Harvestline cable yarder turning heads with its productivity and mobility
By Tony Kryzanowski
D
eveloped in New Zealand, the Harvestline mobile cable yarder is available in North America through Technical Forest Solutions (TFS), based in Kelso, Washington. TFS provides distribution in Canada through a network of dealers. On extreme slopes with challenging ground conditions, a cable yarder system is often deployed to retrieve fallen logs. A simple system consists of a guyline tethered yarder and backspar connected with overhead cables consisting of main and haulback lines. Guylines are typically tethered to stumps to hold yarders in place. A carriage moves along a skyline, controlled by an operator either in the yarder cab or on the ground. There are choker setter crews on the ground that chain or ‘choke’ logs to the overhead carriage, and once connected, the engineer operator has to wait for the chokermen to clear to a safe spot. Then he lifts and transports the logs to an area where they are either hoe chucked, forwarded, or placed on a landing for processing and delivery. A manual chaser removes the chains from the log at the landing, although there are automatic release systems for that now.
16
Vince Wilbur, Product Support and Sales Manager for TFS, describes Harvestline as a mobile, purpose-built grapple yarding system designed to be mounted on a forestry excavator/log loader base machine. The system features hydraulically-powered winches that provide precise control of the carriage and grapple. “Control in grapple logging is money,” he says. B.C. logger Ray Harscarl, who put the first Harvestline to work in North America, says that the winches are fully interlocked, and that’s a very key aspect of the machine. “When you haul in with your mainline, your haulback line automatically feeds out at the same speed,” says Hascarl. “You have a foot pedal to control speed, and you can feed in or feed out with a push of a button. It’s so easy and smooth to run, it’s crazy. It is the number one reason why I went with the Harvestline system over some of the other manufacturers.” An excavator equipped with Harvestline has a fold-down mast. With the mast extended, wires cables run from a spool on the back of the excavator, through the top of the mast, and are connected to a stump or mobile backspar like another excavator or log loader, to establish an overhead skyline system that supports the grapple.
Wilbur says Harvestline offers considerably better control over older style yarders because it doesn’t involve clutches, brakes and air controls. It’s all hydraulically controlled. Unlike traditional yarders, the Harvestline is a hydraulic yarder designed for grapple logging. Its hydraulic drivetrain and fully-integrated control system provide precise control of the grapple. The Harvestline uses a motorized grapple carriage called the Hawkeye. The two are engineered and designed to work together. The Hawkeye uses an onboard camera system, providing eyes on the ground for the operator. “With the Harvestline system, you’ve got two guys doing the work of what used to be a five- to six-man crew,” says Wilbur. The Harvestline can work out to as far as 1,200 ft, but it works best between 600 ft to 900 ft in either uphill or downhill log retrieval, in medium to extreme slope ground. “The Harvestline has many advantages over traditional yarders but where it really shines is the ability to set up and work with no guylines and the Hawkeye grapple gets workers off the ground,” says Wilbur. “The ease of operation and precise control make the Harvestline equally productive in bunched and hand felled wood.”
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
equipmentprofile
GETTING AN EDGE on steep slope skidding B.C. Logger Creole Dufor is gaining an edge on skidding on steep slopes with help from the Timbermax quick-attach winch-assist unit.
By Tony Kryzanowski
W
inch-assist systems are becoming an essential tool for some Canadian loggers as they pursue options to help with harvesting harder to access—but valuable—timber on
both steep slope and in adverse ground conditions. While proven as a valuable tool working in steep ground, having access to a winch-assist system can also make the difference between equipment working or being parked during extended weather
patterns like rain and accumulated snow pack later in winter. Being able to work in less than ideal ground conditions can have a huge impact on a logger’s annual bottom line. It also results in happier clients as there is more consistent log flow to mills.
B.C.’s Essential Evergreen Contracting have mounted a quick-attach T10 Timbermax traction winch (above photo) to a Hitachi ZAXIS 290 Forester excavator they already owned as the anchoring unit. They are using the Timbermax exclusively with a Tigercat 630E skidder.
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
equipmentprofile
Having the ability to log in these conditions could also mean the difference between winning and losing logging contracts in future, says one B.C. logger, who has embraced winch-assist logging with a couple of systems in his fleet. “There’s room to grow if you are willing to work in steep ground,” says Creole Dufor, co-owner of Essential Evergreen Contracting, of Revelstoke, B.C. “Mills are looking at tougher and tougher ground as a way to access fibre. So if you have the ability to safely do that, you are well-positioned.” The question for loggers is whether to invest in a purpose-built winch-assist unit or to investigate quick-attach winch systems. Both systems are mobile, but each has pros and cons, starting with the upfront cost. For example, a quick-attach winch-assist unit, like the one developed by a Canadian company called Inovforest Forestry Equipment and called the Timbermax, can be fitted onto an older excavator already in the logger’s fleet. It functions as an anchor to support equipment working on slopes, in mud, or in deep snow. This saves loggers the cost of investing in a purpose-built unit before becoming more experienced with the technology. The Timbermax can also be installed on a forest machine working on steep slopes, with the cable tethered to a stump or other anchoring point, thus allowing the tethered forest machine to work more safely on a down grade either to harvest or retrieve logs. Timbermax is distributed in Western Canada by Top Down Enterprises, of
Kamloops, B.C., which specializes in equipment that supports steep slope logging. There are three quick-attach Timbermax traction winch systems available: the T10, T14 and T20 series. The T10 and T14 require any 24 tonne and over excavator or dozer while the T20 unit requires a 30 tonne and over unit. Inovforest says that only limited modifications are required to the anchoring unit. The deployment limits of the Timbermax traction winch system vary depending on ground conditions. However, the company says that experience has shown that it delivers optimal performance in grade from 35 per cent to 70 per cent. It’s iWinch control system provides the operator with continuous feedback on the traction capacity of the soil below the machine. It comes with a quick coupler so that an excavator can transform from a road builder to a winch-assist system in under an hour. In addition to a quick-attach Timbermax unit, Inovforest will begin offering a purpose-built winch-assist anchoring unit using Timbermax technology called the Elevator in 2019. It is a self-powered winch unit equipped with a Cat 305 hp, 7.1 engine. Weighing in at 12,500 kgs, it has a Cat 312 undercarriage and can be equipped with any series of the Timbermax traction winch units available. The Timbermax iWinch control system is the control unit for the quick-attach
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equipmentprofile from page 19 unit. It is a remote control system operated from within the cab of the unit tethered to the winch anchor unit, with the ability to automatically recognize which direction the tethered machine is moving and can be set with either uphill, not moving or downhill settings. At any time, the operator can reduce the current tension between the anchor and tethered unit using the potentionmeter located within the tethered unit’s cab. Operators can also test soil traction capability by reducing the cable tension to zero to determine if the tethered machine can hold on to the slope unassisted. This system is designed to limit the top speed of the tethered unit to 5 kms/ hr while the winch is engaged, preventing overspeed so that the operator can focus on the task at hand. The iWinch system also gives the operator important feedback in real time on such important factors as the current slope gradient that the tethered machine is working on, and winch tension. It also delivers important information about the anchor unit, such as low fuel, low engine oil pressure,
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check engine, over temperature, and low hydraulic oil level. There is also a built-in movement sensor to detect if the anchor unit is moving. A drum camera is mounted on the anchor unit so that the operator working in the tethered unit can ensure that the cable management system is functioning correctly. While the decision whether to invest in a quick-attach unit or a purpose-built carrier will vary from logger to logger, Essential Evergreen Contracting decided to mount a quick-attach T10 Timbermax traction winch to a Hitachi ZAXIS 290 Forester excavator they already owned as the anchoring unit. Dufor says that they are using the Timbermax exclusively with a Tigercat 630E skidder. “This tether is a first step toward working with several tethering systems,” says Dufor, with the company aiming to invest in systems that will work with their entire range of potential harvesting equipment used in steep slope logging. With the Timbermax quick-attach winch-assist system, they have been working out to 450 metres, with one worker in the tethered skidder cab managing the entire system.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
equipmentprofile Essential Evergreen Contracting is established in the southern B.C. Interior in the area near Lumby in the Monashee Mountains, logging primarily for Tolko Industries in Lavington. The area has lots of steep ground, big wood and wet hillsides—and it’s essential that the outfit have a productive and well maintained fleet of equipment.
“Forestry tends to be really hard on equipment and the margins are always very tight for loggers,” says Dufor. “So equipment has to work—and it has to be efficient. So far, the Timbermax has been working for us.” Dufor is a second generation B.C. logger. His father moved to B.C. from Ontario to attend the University of British Columbia. He worked as a hand faller on the B.C. Coast during the summers in the 1960s and was well-acquainted with logging, having been born and raised in a logging camp in Ontario. So Dufor and his brother and business partner, Easten, are carrying on the family logging tradition. As youngsters, they moved around B.C. a
lot once their father gave up teaching for horse logging. “It was a non-traditional, North American upbringing,” says Dufor. “I was around logging all the time, and I worked the summers a bit here and there with my Dad. After I finished school, I bought a power saw and went to work.” The Dufors owned a family woodlot license in the Cariboo region, so Creole partnered with Easten to log that area. They began logging more woodlot licenses, generating income through salvage sales and evolving toward working for major timber licensees. Today, Essential Evergreen Contracting is established in the southern B.C. Interior in the area near Lumby in the Monashee Mountains, logging primarily for Tolko Industries in Lavington. Dufor describes the area as having lots of steep ground, big wood and wet hillsides. Having the Timbermax in their equipment arsenal in this logging scenario is an advantage. “It takes us about 40 minutes to mount the Timbermax on our excavator on the
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equipmentprofile
from page 21 long end,” Dufor says. “The fact that you can switch back and forth so quickly and that you don’t compromise the excavator’s ability to be a roadbuilder was an important selling point for us. It’s two separate systems on one machine and they don’t conflict with each other.” He adds that the price point on this winch-assist system vs. other systems is, “substantially lower,” so that if the unit sits idle for a week, it is not a huge investment that’s not working to earn its keep. They talked a lot with Top Down Enterprises about the Timbermax system before deeming that it was the best option for them. Dufor says that the quick-attach Timbermax can’t simply be transferred from one machine to another without a control system being installed in each machine. But the modified unit, like their excavator, can still work in a variety of applications. Inovforest says that installation of a control module in a new machine, including testing, takes less than a day. Essential Evergreen Contracting gained experience with winch-assist systems by taking on a ClimbMAX winch-assist unit that Tolko imported from New Zealand and was investigating for its potential use in Canada. So, when they purchased the Timbermax, the Dufors already had an understanding of a winch-assist system’s capabilities. Their experience with using the T10 Timbermax has been positive. “As far as using the skidder, a 5/8” cable and 10 tonne winch is plenty of power as long as you are wise about how you lay things out,” Dufor says. “It’s definitely a more thoughtful style and you have to have the right operator doing it.” The effort has been worth it, he added. “You can access sites that you wouldn’t 22
Being able to log in less than ideal ground conditions can have a huge impact on a logger’s annual bottom line. It also results in happier clients as there is more consistent log flow to mills. And having access to a winch-assist system can make the difference between equipment working or being parked in tough winter weather. be able to otherwise or you would be putting yourself at risk,” says Dufor. “It also changes how you plan your blocks in terms of decking locations. So far, everything we have attempted with the winchassist, we have been successful at.” Where he sees tethering systems like the Timbermax really shining particularly in B.C. in future is in situations where tower yarding is difficult or not an option due to numerous ground deflections. With good planning, a tethering system can work around these deflections to
harvest and deliver logs to decks. Also, fewer employees are needed to operate this system vs. a tower yarding operation, and there is considerably less set-up time required. With greater buy-in from loggers and forest companies to tethering systems, Dufor says he can envision a logging future quite different from what it is now, with operators trained in new skills to work with these types of systems.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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forestmanagement
Forest pays dividends —to the town
The B.C. town of Powell River has seen big-time benefits from its community forest, with a hot log market meaning significant investments in community projects—and work being created for local contractors. By Paul MacDonald
T
From building logging road to harvesting timber, the Powell River Community Forest creates jobs—and pays dividends—in the B.C. coastal community. 24
he town of Powell River, on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, received a whopping financial dividend—for $2 million—courtesy of its forest operations, in 2018. In fact, the community of 22,000 has been getting dividends, via its Community Forest Reserve Fund, for the last 10 years, each of them representing the profits from the Powell River Community Forest (PRCF). And the town has been putting the money to good use, funding everything from the Powell River library to scholarships for local students studying resource management. In 2017, thanks to strong log markets— despite the tariffs on softwood lumber destined to the U.S.—the PRCF harvested about 28,500 cubic metres of wood. And along the way, put back close to $1.7
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
forestmanagement
Chris Laing (above), of Powell Riverbased company, Results Based Forest Management Limited, is general manager of the Powell River Community Forest. Laing works closely with the board of the community forest board to ensure a successful business, and the highest standard of forest practices. million into the Powell River community, using the services of everyone from logging and roadbuilding contractors to local log scalers. That’s on top of the record $2 million in dividends they delivered to the town. The PRCF recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and over the years has contributed in a major way to the community. In 10 years, close to $8.6 million has been contributed to projects in Powell River. And that funding does not simply disappear into general revenues. In that 10 years, the community forest has made 98 grants—which have had a significant impact in this town two ferry trips and 135 kilometres up the coast from Vancouver. It’s all made possible by a Community Forest Agreement the town made with the province a decade ago. For those not familiar with the term, a Community Forest Agreement (CFA) is an area-based forest tenure issued by the B.C. Ministry of Forests that allows harvesting of timber on provincial forest lands. The intent with CFAs was to provide communities with the opportunity to have more control over how their local forests are managed, and
to directly receive benefits from forest development occurring in their area. The Powell River Community Forest covers about 7,100 hectares of forest area, and has a sustainable AAC of 35,000 cubic metres per year. Powell River Community Forest Ltd. was set up by the town to hold the CFA on behalf of the entire community. While it is a for-profit company, 100 percent of its profits are returned to the community. The PRCF is overseen by a nine-person volunteer board of directors, many of them with forest industry backgrounds, such as Greg Hemphill, who retired as district manager for the Sunshine Coast Forest District with the Ministry of Forests, and is now president of the PRCF. He worked on establishing several community forests in the region during his time with the ministry. “I’m pretty bullish on community forests,” he says. Hemphill’s position, along with the other board members, is unpaid.” General manager of the PRCF is Chris Laing, of Powell River-based company, Results Based Forest Management Limited. Laing works closely with the board
both to ensure a successful business, and the highest standard of forest practices. Laing’s firm does work for a number of clients. “But the community forest is definitely my favourite client to work with,” he says. “It’s inspirational, seeing all the benefits that go to the community.” All that said, there are challenges to operating a community forest. Larger contractor and licencee operations are able to achieve efficiencies of scale, because of their size. That’s less so with smaller community forests, like PRCF. “The big thing for us, because we are smaller, is keeping overhead down,” says Hemphill. For example, they share an office with the local tourism centre, and there are no employees—everyone, including Laing, works on contract for the PRCF. “PRCF is careful not to overstep it’s modest-sized cut and the board believed it would be a mistake for us to go out and hire full time employees and hire our own equipment,” says Hemphill. “We
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forestmanagement from page 25 recognize we can’t sustain that and that contracting makes the most sense.” And that means everything, from building road to sourcing their office supplies. “We recognize that with the level of annual cut that we have, that it’s a part time operation,” adds Laing. That may be the case, but Laing spends a lot of time on community forest work. He does pretty much everything, from engineering, planning to running public tours. An advantage the PRCF has is that it was originally planned, and still is, an economic development initiative. “Every community forest has a different approach in terms of how they balance their economic, social and environment objectives,” explains Hemphill. “But with Powell River, the Community Forest Agreement was definitely planned to make money and create jobs for the community.” But he added that it is not their only focus, as there are other key forest management objectives such as protecting the water quality of the Haslam Lake and Lang Creek community watersheds, as well as integrating their operations with
high use recreation values in the community forest area. Hemphill notes that they don’t have the pressure of being the sole support, log wise, for local wood manufacturing facilities. “We do sell some of our timber
locally, but it is pretty small scale.” That said, the PRCF gives preference to local manufacturers first with their logs. to page 28
In 2017, the Powell River Community Forest harvested about 28,500 cubic metres of wood, and along the way, put back close to $1.7 million into the Powell River community, using the services of everyone from logging and roadbuilding contractors to treeplanters, and supplied timber to local mill operations. 26
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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forestmanagement from page 26 In the bush, they try to plan out operations so they are able to make best use of local contractors. “We try to do logging and roadbuilding operations in the fall and winter when the major forest operations aren’t quite so busy.” This also works well with timber markets. “The timing is important,” says Laing. “With our winter logging shows, we are able to then hit the spring market with our timber, and get fairly good prices.” Hemphill notes that Western Forest Products, with their Tree Farm Licence 39, has fairly large local operations. That means there is a good contractor community in Powell River that the PRCF can call on to bid on work. “All of the major work goes out to bid,” says Hemphill. “For a lot of companies, it helps to fill in their work schedule. They won’t plan their year around our work, but it helps keep them going over the winter. “And I think the companies like being part of the community forest, and seeing part of the money going back into the community.”
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The Powell River Community Forest helps to keep local logging contractors like Tilt Contracting—and equipment operators, such as Chris Westgate (above) of Tilt Contracting—busy in the woods. In the last 10 years, the community forest has also funded close to $8.6 million of community projects in Powell River.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
forestmanagement One of those is Bob Marquis, a local roadbuilding contractor, who does work for the PRCF. “I can’t say enough about the Powell River Community Forest,” says Marquis. “I think it’s a model for the whole province.” He noted the dozens of community projects it has funded over the years. “They are not projects, as far as I am concerned. They are community accomplishments.” With their harvested timber, the Western Red Cedar is trucked to the largest local mill, Lois Lake Lumber, which is primarily a cedar operation. “It’s been a great relationship, both for Lois Lumber, and for the community forest,” says Hemphill. Cedar is a minor component of the second growth Douglas fir leading stands covering most of their forest, so supply is limited. The rest of their timber is marketed through log broker, Canadian Overseas Log and Lumber, into the broader domestic market. Pretty much from the start of the community forest, their Douglas fir, from 5 to 15 inches, has gone to plywood manufacturer, Richmond Plywood, for peelers. Richply, located in Richmond in
the suburbs outside of Vancouver, is an interesting story in itself, since it is 100 per cent employee-owned. “Recently, Richply has also been taking our 6 to 11 inch hemlock for peelers, as well, with the hot timber market,” says Hemphill. “They have been a good customer for us.” The PRCF is starting to shift logging operations, to target hemlock blocks, to take advantage of the healthy log markets. The stands with a higher component of hemlock normally drag down profitability. The community forest also supplies smaller mill operations in and around Powell River. “As long as they can buy logs by the truckload,” says Hemphill. A truckload will keep many of these smaller outfits going for quite a while, he notes. So pretty much all of the timber harvested in the PRCF ends up at local or regional mills. At times, they’ve exported small amounts. “It’s been worth it, from time to time, to export lower grade hemlock, but that has been a small amount of what we have been producing.” With a strong domestic log market over the last couple of years, there have been virtually no exports.
On the forest management side, the PRCF has made some significant investments in technology in the last three years, including using advanced remote sensing methods such as LIDAR to do a timber supply review. The amount of data that they’ve been able to obtain has been truly impressive, says Laing. “As the person who is doing the planning and engineering, the accuracy and information you can pull out of the data from LIDAR is amazing—it’s a real game changer for managing the forest. “Now we can say we probably have the best timber inventory in B.C.,” says Laing. “In terms of sustainability and decision making, I’d say we are pretty comfortable.” While a lot of the timber that is ready for harvesting now on their 7,100 hectares is in lower elevation areas and fairly accessible, they are going to have to look to doing higher elevation work in future. “We have blocks that are ready to go for grapple yarding,” says Laing. And they may look at employing the newer steep
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forestmanagement from page 29 slope equipment that has been introduced to the B.C. Coast, such as tethered equipment. “I’ve been watching that quite closely,” says Laing. “I still have concerns on the soil impact since we are a community watershed. But there is some definitely some interesting steep slope technology out there.” The PRCF is part of the Haslam Lake and Lang Creek community watersheds. But as with the current work they are doing with logging contractors, it would involve making use of the contractors’ equipment, rather than the PRCF purchasing steep slope equipment. “It would really be driven by Western Forest Products and some of their main loggers,” says Laing. “If they went towards steep slope equipment, we would look at harvesting in the community forest in a bit of a different perspective, to see if it might be possible to use some of that technology on our claim.” Generally, they now employ feller bunchers, skidders and processors in ground-based work, with their contractors. With a decade of operations behind it, the PRCF now has an extensive road and trail network that in addition to being used for forestry operations, is heavily used by many recreational users in the community. Trail work is carried out regularly in the forest by the humorouslynamed BOMB Squad. BOMB stands for Bloody Old Men’s Brigade, a group of local retirees who build trails and bridges. The PRCF certainly lives up to its community name, in that it is used by a large number and broad range of groups, from mountain bikers, to horseback riders to quaders, in the community. Laing is a member of the Outdoor Recreation User Group Trails Society, an umbrella group for all the recreational user groups in the town. “We have pretty good relationships with all the user groups,” he says. They are fortunate, says Laing, in that people in Powell River, in general, understand the importance of the forest industry. “It’s not like we’re a big urban centre, where people go out there with their mountain bikes, and don’t want any logging,” he says. “People in Powell River understand that the forest industry is still a big part of what goes on here. We still have that dynamic in the town.” Some of those mountain bikers and hikers also work for local loggers or mills, he adds. 30
In its 10 years of operation, the community forest has made 98 grants—which have had a significant impact in Powell River, funding everything from the Powell River library (above) to scholarships for local students studying resource management. And the grants the PRCF has made help to solidify the connection to the community. Among its projects have been contributions to build a new library and purchase land for a new park in the centre of town, Millennium Park. The aim with their grants, says Hemphill, is to help with a specific project. “Our focus is not on giving grants for operating funds,” he explains. “We focus more on sustainable solutions. For example, there was a local society trying to raise funding for a youth resource centre. We worked with them, and gave them a grant to help renovate their facility. And for the Food Bank, we funded a delivery vehicle. Some of them are little, and don’t get a lot of attention, but they are important—especially in a smaller community.” While the Powell River Community Forest has been a success, with some hefty amounts available for local improvement projects lately, Hemphill cautioned that this will not always necessarily be the situation. “Part of our job with the board is to manage the expectations of our shareholders— and we have not been through a full industry downturn yet.” In other words, the PRCF is not always going to be making an annual contribution of $2 million to the community. The contributions have been more modest, some years. “When we started out, we thought a
strong dividend would be in the $500,000 range, for planning purposes.” The $2 million contribution should not be considered a given each year, he cautioned. “We have been on a pretty good run here for three years, but there are cycles.” During one down period, in 2009, the PRCF pretty much stayed to their cut. “Part of the decision making was to keep cutting timber, and keep people working,” says Hemphill. “We’re more about the community than about making the largest profit for shareholders. We were able to find blocks that had small margins of profitability.” He says the PRCF would like to grow in size, but that would require changes to provincial legislation governing community forests. “We think there is an opportunity for us to get larger. We’ve applied for an expansion, but we’re waiting on the legislation to change. “We think we have a good case for growing. We’d also like to be part of increasing local wood product manufacturing.” But Hemphill admits that would be “a tough nut to crack” with the record of mill closings—rather than openings—on the B.C. Coast over the last decade. In the meantime, everyone involved with the PRCF is looking forward—with great pride—to starting in on their second decade of operations.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
ADVERTORIAL
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Hey Alberta loggers— Motion Machinery in Edmonton has your back. They have the knowledge and experience from ownership on down to repair or tune up your equipment and attachments, no matter the make or model, because they are a forestry-focused service provider, ready and able to serve you as an alternative to the expensive ‘big guys.’ Whether it is carriers made by John Deere, Tigercat, Komatsu, Caterpillar, Eltec or Ponsse, or attachments made by Waratah, Southstar, Ponsse, LogMax or even stroke delimbers by Risley or Denharco, Motion Machinery fixes and services them all. Located at 21020 - 107 Avenue, near Winterburn Road, company owner JB Colbourne grew up in the forest industry. The company also has several service technicians with extensive forest industry service and operator experience. “We have people who are forestrytrained, certified, and product knowledgeable,” says Colbourne. “Repairing and servicing forestry equipment is something I have been around for a long time.” Motion Machinery understands that uptime is key to your company’s profitability because they have been there. They also understand that with the escalating cost of new equipment, loggers are trying to extend the productive life of their equipment fleets. Logging equipment is specialized, so service and repair shops need to know what they are doing. They are here to help, whether it is 32
advice over the phone, service in the shop, or mobile service. “It is important to understand how an attachment like a processor works because there is so much more involved in a unit like that than just changing a pump or changing a valve,” says Colbourne. “That whole machine runs on hydraulic oil flow, so unless you know how that machine works, you could sit there and spin your wheels for days. At the end of the day, you have to know what that attachment is trying to do. We do.” He adds that Motion Machinery does complete tear downs and rebuilds of both equipment and attachments right in-house.
With spring break up just around the corner, now is a good time to call Motion Machinery to discuss your needs and to book a service appointment to fix or tune up your fleet before heading back out this summer. Motion Machinery offers 90 day warranty on parts and labor. Colbourne understands that loggers are being squeezed on rates, so he has chosen to be very competitive on his service rates, inviting Alberta loggers to give him a call and inquire. “Our rates are very, very competitive for the services we offer,” says Colbourne. “Our philosophy is to provide fair value for a fair price. Rather than buying new, if
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
ADVERTORIAL
new isn’t in the budget, consider repairing something that still has some value.” Even if loggers are wanting to purchase something new, they may have to wait up to a year for delivery. So Motion Machinery can help you keep what you have running productively until that new unit arrives. The company has a well-equipped service department with the computer technology to diagnose, repair and service all makes and models. They even have service manuals for older style attachments. They can pick up your equipment anywhere in Alberta and bring it into the shop or can provide on-site, mobile service support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They have three service trucks and technicians who have forestry-specific product knowledge. “We can usually be on site working on equipment or attachments in a day compared to up to two weeks in some cases with some of the major dealers,” says Colbourne. “Also, once it’s in our shop, it is being worked on. There is no waiting around.”
That also applies to parts availability, as Motion Machinery has relationships with multiple parts suppliers who keep a good inventory. Mobile repair trucks also stock many common repair kits to handle common on-site repair issues immediately. The company understands that the most common repair kits will work across a wide range of brand models. If you need advice on a piece of equipment or attachment that is acting up, Motion Machinery is happy to talk to you on the phone. “We help people over the phone because we believe that a lot of that assistance will come around full circle,” says Colbourne. “Often, we’ll walk a logger through a problem over the phone, and if they can figure it out on their own, great, because we know that the next time that they have a really big issue, they will probably call us.” That availability, whether it is over the phone, in the shop, or on site, is becoming more and more important as equipment becomes more technically challenging and loggers are hiring less experienced operators with limited knowledge about how to service, diagnose and fix equipment. “There’s a lot of new people in the industry,” says Colbourne. “Contractors are putting workers on processors who have come off operating an excavator. Sure, they can learn how to operate the machine productively, but they have no idea how to fix anything, especially something like a dangling processor head.” Often, loggers don’t know who to call or who can help in this situation. That’s where Motion Machinery can help. Are you considering the purchase of a second hand piece of equipment either privately or at auction, and have no idea how much productive life is left in the
machine? Motion Machinery has responded to requests by loggers to check out a piece of equipment offered for sale to provide an honest assessment of whether or not it is worth the investment. Or you can wheel a newly-acquired second hand piece of equipment into the shop right from the auction to give it a good tune up before it hits the cutblock. Because of the level of both equipment repair and operator experience they have on staff, Motion Machinery can provide both equipment calibration and operator training service on a variety of forestry machines and attachments.
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eastcoastlogging
GRINDING IT OUT is a team effort
The Canadian Woodlands Forum’s Outstanding Logging Contractor of the Year—New Brunswick’s Jack McMillan—started out in trucking, but now runs a major chipping and grinding operation, with a strong focus on employees working as a team.
New Brunswick’s Jack McMillan, owner and manager of Guthrie Enterprises: “Building a good team is critical to our success.”
By George Fullerton
O
ne of the highlights of the Canadian Woodlands Forum (CWF) Spring Meeting is the selection of the Outstanding Logging Contractor of the Year. The CWF has been recognizing an outstanding contractor since 2000. Peter Robichaud, Executive Director of the CWF, was delighted to have some nine nominations for the 2018 Contractor of the Year. New Brunswick’s Jack McMillan, owner and manager of Guthrie Enterprises, took away the award this year, rising to the top through the extensive evaluation process. The award is open to any contractor harvesting, handling, processing or forwarding more than 5,000 metres of wood to roadside. Nominations are evaluated and judged by a team of forest industry reps and CWF personnel. The winner receives an engraved plaque, prizes, a membership to CWF—and a brand new peavey. Guthrie Enterprises operates two flail chippers and one tub grinder, contracted to J.D. Irving Woodlands, and works primarily 34
in the Sussex District, although their machines can get assigned, from time to time, to other districts in New Brunswick or on special projects in Nova Scotia. McMillan was a successful owneroperator hauling petroleum and chemical products for RST Transport when his son, Steven, fresh out of high school, expressed interest in driving truck. In 1996, McMillan put a driver on his RST truck and bought a logging tractor trailer with a centre mount loader, and began double shifting with his son. The log trucking soon expanded to three tractor trailers, each with centre mount loaders, hauling for J.D. Irving. When J.D. Irving suggested that he might be interested in becoming a forwarder contractor, McMillan took on the challenge in 1998, purchasing a Valmet forwarder. With his success in trucking and forwarding, Irving soon came forward with another proposal for McMillan to
consider: becoming a chip contractor. In 2001, he gained financing for a new Morbark 2755 flail chipper and five tractor trailer chip vans. “Operating a chipper was an entirely new experience for me,” says McMillan. “I hired a couple of crews and we started chipping. We met—and overcame—a lot of challenges. “We spent a lot of long hours on the chipper and we learned what breaks, and how to fix it. We learned how to operate the chipper to make both quality and production.” Encouraged with their success with the chipper, McMillan added a second Morbark 2755 flail chipper in 2004. With the addition of the second chipper and a new dispatch system for chip trucks, he decided to get out of the trucking side in 2007, and focus on chipping alone.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
to page 36
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eastcoastlogging from page 34 McMillan came to the realization that he required exceptional machine shop services and dedicated mechanical support. This requirement eventually led to purchasing J&J Machine Shop in 2005. When it came to staffing J&J, he looked over his chipper crew and was happy to have his brother, Mike, and Richard Blizzard agree to work in the shop, and also provide mobile service to the chipper. The machine shop came with a complete assembly of machining equipment, to which McMillan added hydraulic hose inventory and tools, and knife grinding equipment. J&J Machine Shop also provides both shop and mobile service to other contractors, undertaking any repair or rebuild challenge. The machine shop also provides services to sawmills, agriculture and other industries. Along the way, McMillan encouraged his son Steven to become an owner-operator, and sold him his first truck in 2008. “I suggested that if he was going to be in the trucking business, then he might as well own it,” he says. Steven possesses an entrepreneurial spirit, and has since greatly expanded, to 17 trucks, and a CBI horizontal grinder, under the business name MCM Bio. In 2009, McMillan added a tub grinder to his own operation. “I found a deal on a Morbark grinder with 250 hours on it,” he explained. “I thought I might get into grinding and making compost. The grinder would be complimentary to the chippers, cleaning up the debris and material left over in the wood yards and around the chipper pads.” McMillan’s Morbark equipment has been purchased from the Cardinal Equipment branch in Dieppe, New Brunswick. As it turned out, J.D. Irving had a
Encouraged by the success of their first Morbark 2755 flail chipper, Guthrie Enterprises picked up a second chipper. similar idea, and they contracted Guthrie Enterprises to grind debris around yards and mills for biomass, to supply the Irving Pulp and Paper mill in Saint John. The tub grinder has also been assigned to grind bark from Irving mills, and the material is incorporated into a landscaping compost product. “The grinder works very well and makes a uniform product,” said McMillan. Since the grinder has gone to work, skidders have been used to push debris and bark piles to within reach of the grinder’s loader. McMillan explained he had made inquires to a number of equipment dealers to source an excavator equipped with a root rake and thumb to replace the skidder’s task. “When we push with the skidders, sometimes we roll up rocks into the debris,” he says. “The grinder does not like rocks at all. So we figure an excavator can mine out the piles and feed the grinder as well. The grinder operates by remote control, so it will work from the excavator cab
as well as it does from the grinder’s cab. The excavator operator has a good view of the root rake and can avoid the rocks.” In 2017, McMillan added a processor: a Cat 320 with LogMax head. Explaining his rationale for the processor, McMillan said: “It allows them to high grade saw material out of the full tree wood headed to the chippers. If we own the machine, we can count on it working when we need it. We don’t have to rely on another contractor. We know the wood is processed as required and it smoothes out our operation.” Guthrie Enterprises’ grapple skidder fleet to feed the chippers and grinder consists of three 545 Cats, along with a 555 Cat, a Tigercat 630 and a Morgan six-wheel drive SX 706 machine. “Building a good team is critical to our success,” explains McMillan, talking about the overall operation. “I have structured to page 38
Guthrie Enterprises’ grapple skidder fleet to feed the chippers and grinder consists of three 545 Cats, along with a 555 Cat, a Tigercat 630 and a Morgan six-wheel drive SX 706 machine. 36
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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eastcoastlogging from page 36 a bonus pay system based on production, safety, and quality, which can provide a $6 per hour bonus for my operators. In order for the team to make the bonus, we have to meet certain production and quality goals. To meet those goals everyone has to be focused and working hard. “That means at shift change, the crew makes sure that the chipper has been maintained and serviced properly, so the next crew can fill the next truck that lands in the yard. For example, that means there are sharp knives and the flail chains are serviceable. That may mean that an operator might stay with the next crew for an extra hour to ensure the chipper is ready to produce.” He’s happy to pay for that extra hour if it helps achieve the production and quality they need. “I can also use the bonus system to penalize an individual employee if, for example, an operator is out of the cab without a safety vest or hard hat. I can withhold the safety portion of their potential bonus. “I interview applicants and I get a pretty good idea if they will fit in on a woods operation, and if they have some of the basic skills that we can build on to help them fit in and be productive,” he says. When McMillan starts out a new guy, he will put him on day shift for the first
week. The new employee will be expected to be on site with the chipper, initially just watching, staying safe and helping the operator or skidder operator when they need a hand. “If he seems to have potential, in the second week he will ‘play’ with a skidder when they are waiting for a truck, for example,” explained McMillan. “They will continue to help out with service and repairs. Eventually, if they seem to have the talents for the job, they will fit into the production work on a skidder.” All new hires to Guthrie Enterprises have a 90 day probationary period. McMillan encourages all operators to gain experience in every aspect of the operation. He contends that working at a variety of tasks avoids monotony and boredom, which can impact production and, possibly, safety. Operator flexibility also helps ensure there is a qualified operator to fill a seat when another operator is off work for a shift. “I want my operators to be able to run every piece of equipment, if they are comfortable with it. Most guys want to switch around, but then there are a few guys who only want to sit in one seat, and that is ok, too. Changing seats is refreshing for most people working on long shifts. “I have had—and still have—exceptional team players who have helped make us successful. But when an opera-
Building on their success with the chippers, Jack McMillan added a Morbark tub grinder (above) to the operation. The grinder is complimentary to the chippers, cleaning up the debris and material left over in the wood yards and around the chipper pads. They also do contract work for J.D. Irving operations. 38
tor expresses a desire to move on to a new position or challenge, I understand that and encourage them to take on the opportunity.” A number of his top employees have gone on to become harvest and trucking contractors, and most of them have been very successful Safety is always front and centre for Guthrie Enterprises. Spring shutdown provides the opportunity for training and safety meetings. All employees attend and gain SFI-certified training in logging practices, safety and first aid. McMillan ensures that operating procedures and safety alerts are posted in the service trucks, and at headquarters. McMillan has incorporated a number of innovations into the flail chippers, and has co-opted manufacturers to produce some of his ideas. He recognized that flail chains were wearing out at the end of the oval links, while the rest of the link had experienced hardly any wear. This observation led McMillan to suggest to Peerless that round links would provide better wear characteristics. MacMillan conceded that when he got the round link chains, it was not a complete success because the flail drum was designed for oval link chain, and the round links had seating issues. In an effort to utilize round link chains, McMillan lobbied Morbark to produce a flail drum which would better accommodate round link chain. Eventually, he got a new flail drum from Morbark. The result has been a 30 per cent increase in chain and drum life, and a bark content reduction of one per cent, overall. McMillan was also one of the first to add grapple saws to the flail chipper loader. “I don’t know how contractors make production targets without a grapple saw,” he says. “My operators can remedy wide crowns and crotches with the grapple saw and they can also shorten up severely crooked stems, so they will feed into and process in the chipper. In my mind, a grapple saw is a critical part of a flail chipper.” McMillan’s insight and experience with chippers has also gained him employment as a consultant to other chipper contractors who are experiencing exceptional challenges in their operations. And he’s glad to help out, though it takes extra time on his part. “Over the years, I guess I have been late for supper a few times. But overall it has been pretty good fun.”
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
addedvalue
Opening the door to further growth… After the door components at Milette Doors are cut, they are conveyed into 70 sorting bins, and from there they proceed through a joining, moulding, and veneering process.
An investment in a new cut line, featuring high performance scanning technology, is helping Quebec’s Milette Doors meet increasing demand for its products throughout North America. By Tony Kryzanowski
A
$2.4 million investment into a new cut line—featuring more mechanization and high performance scanning technology—is helping Milette Doors, a Canadian manufacturer of wood interior doors, meet the high demand for its products. The investment at the front end of its production line significantly increases vol40
ume throughput, improves board selection consistency and solves an imminent labor problem. Canada Economic Development, National Bank, and Investissement Quebec supported the investment by StBoniface, Quebec-based, Milette Doors. Its custom-made products can be found throughout North America in retail locations such as Home Depot. The company is well-situated between Montreal and
Quebec City. They market their products across Canada, from Nanaimo, B.C. to Newfoundland. The company’s service is highly customized, as they are able to construct nearly anything required for a wood interior door. The new cut line features scanning
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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addedvalue from page 40 technology supplied by Italy-based Microtec, working in combination with a new wood handling system supplied by System TM, which is based in Denmark. Microtec has installed many cutlines together with System TM in North America, both in the U.S. and Canada. Vancouver-based Springer Microtec is the Canadian distributor of Microtec products. The Microtec Goldeneye 300 scanner analyzes the size, color, and position of knots on lumber at over 300 feet per minute and consists of 12 high definition cameras. “Before we installed the new cut line, on a very good day we’d produce between 25,000 and 30,000 board feet,” says Simon Milette, cutline machine operator. “Right now, if we have a good day with the new cut line, we produce between 55,000 to 60,000 board feet.” The company is now able to produce the same amount of material in two days that previously took five days—and the quality of door components is more consistent. Installation of the cut line took place
in spring 2017, with the entire interval between tear down of the old system and installation of the new cut line representing only a loss of about 10 days of production. With the help of local tradespeople, Microtec and System TM handled the entire installation, and stayed on site to train staff in operation of the new equipment. Prior to the installation, the suppliers custom designed the system to fit in the available space. Prior to this installation, the door component selection process was handled by human graders, based on specific parameters set by the company to produce the components needed to manufacture finished interior doors. Now, that selection process is handled by the Microtec scanner, with its advanced computer vision technology. “The system includes an optimizer which calculates the optimum cutting solution to minimize waste,” says Patrick Caron, cutline manager. “We have an average of only eight per cent rejection now, which we think is very good.” Milette says that they have high expectations for how well the new cut line will perform; they are satisfied with how
well it has performed so far, recognizing that because it is such a new system, it has taken some time to ramp it up to its full capabilities. Some system tweaking and new components are required. Both suppliers have been responsive to the company’s needs. Milette Doors uses a variety of species
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addedvalue
Milette Doors uses a variety of lumber species that constitute the interior structural components of its doors. This includes clear eastern white pine, knotty eastern white pine, oak, maple, birch and primed lumber mostly supplied by Eastern Canadian sawmills.
that constitute the interior structural components of its doors. This includes clear eastern white pine, knotty eastern white pine, oak, maple, birch and primed lumber, which they source from a number of suppliers. The majority of the structural components for their doors are manufactured from pine. They appreciate pine for its stability, screwability, strength, and affordability. The raw lumber is supplied in sixquarter thickness, usually 5” and 8” wide, in lengths from 4’ to 16’. Milette Doors kiln dries the lumber to between a 6 and 12 per cent moisture content. Prior to encountering the cut line, it is also planed. Dried and planed lumber is scanned by the Microtec scanner for moisture content, with quality based on six preset parameters set by the company for its door products, and the best cutting solution. This information is conveyed to the System TM cut line. After the door components are sawn, they are conveyed into 70 sorting bins, and from there they proceed through a joining, moulding, and veneering process. It’s the combination of these structural components that provide the hand-assembled interior doors with their style and strength. The company offers a variety of patterns and styles. It is up to the customer what species of wood they select for the structural components. Veneer glued to the components provides the doors with their visual appearance. The actual manual door assembly process is a bit like following a recipe. A door style will consist of a particular combination of core and moulded components, that may also include a glass feature. Assembly staff know from a production
or door assembly design what is required for each door style. Once it is assembled, the door is machined, sanded, painted, or stained as required, before it is packaged for delivery to the customer. Production of each door requires a large degree of employee effort and input, says Chantal Frigon, director of sales and marketing. “Because wood is alive, you can’t just use robots to make judgments and manipulate it.” to page 44
Automated grading: refined The new Goldeneye 800 ⤬ Multi-View X-ray technology inside ⤬ Pith detection ⤬ Knot displacement
The fastest and most advanced lumber scanner. Microtec’s Goldeneye 800 features three X-ray sources for precise pith detection and knot size calculation at feed speeds of up to 1,200 meters per minute (4000 ft/min). This Multi-Sensor
Quality Scanner maximizes recovery for high-speed planer mills and manufacturers of construction lumber and highspeed applications. New Microtec Multi-View X-ray technology identifies internal wood defects, pith and accurately determines
the knot displacement size inside lumber. This allows for ultra-fine split detection and unprecedented levels of accuracy in automated grading according to the National Grading Rule for Dimension Lumber. microtec.eu/Goldeneye800
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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addedvalue
The Microtec Goldeneye 300 scanner installed at Milette Doors analyzes the size, color, and position of knots on lumber at over 300 feet per minute. The scanner system includes 12 high definition cameras, and is said to be among the most advanced scanning and optimizing equipment available in the world. from page 43 No employees were laid off as a result of the investment in the cut line, as Milette Doors was faced with the potential consequences of an aging workforce. Frigon says the company knew that within five to eight years, based on the age of their employees, that they would face a labour crunch because it would be hard to replace employees who were retiring. So it made sense to seek a mechanized scanning, cutting and sorting solution on the cut line now, to address that issue. The new technology was installed in March 2017, and began functioning within a week. It took the company about three months to become familiar and comfortable with the performance of the Microtec computer program and its integration with the System TM saw line. Patrick Caron is responsible for the operation of this part of the production line and he has received extensive and ongoing training to optimize the performance of both the Microtec scanner and System TM wood management system. Others are also being trained in the cut line’s operation. The cut line project was the last capital investment made by company founder, Gerard Milette, before he retired. He believed that Microtec had the best vision technology in the world and System TM had the best wood handling system. After founding the company in 1967 and with the company celebrating 44
its 50th anniversary in 2017, he wanted to leave it in the best shape possible and with excellent future prospects. “Now that we have more production capacity, we are in the process of making improvements and looking at greater mechanization to help us achieve our goals,” says Chantal Frigon. “I would say that we intend to invest another threequarters-of-a-million dollars on various projects.” The company began from very humble roots in 1967, with Gerard and his wife as the only company employees of the window and door manufacturer for the first couple of years. The business grew steadily. By 1978, they had built a second manufacturing plant, a warehouse, and had also invested in state-of-the-art tools. But tragedy struck in 1979 when fire destroyed three months’ inventory of finished product, as well as the Milette family residence. They had five children, and it was in the face of this catastrophe that they were forced to start all over again. During the following decade, Gerard Milette decided to concentrate on solid wood doors and expanding his distribution network, always keeping quality in mind and being open to the acquisition of high quality manufacturing equipment. In 1987, he acquired what was considered at that time as an ultra-modern wood cutting machine. The 1990’s were a period of significant growth for the company as Milette invested $3.3 million into the construc-
tion of a new 52,000-square foot plant and a state-of-the-art wood dryer. He transferred the majority of operations to the new plant. Moreover, being already involved in the family business, his five children become full shareholders. Two other company managers also joined the team as shareholders. At the end of the 1990s, nearly 150 employees worked at the plant, and in 1999, the plant once again expanded to absorb the surplus of orders generated by exceptional economic growth. The past decade witnessed the split of the company into a retail sales division and one dedicated to suit the needs of distributors, as well as the introduction of significantly more computerization within the company’s production, shipping, sales and invoicing departments. The stage was also being set for greater involvement of the next generation of Milette family members. Most recently, the company has added maple and yellow birch to its wood species mix, and has expanded plant production, to 122,000 square feet. Its current co-presidents are Gerard Milette’s son, Mario, and daughter, Sophie. Milette Doors has 160 employees. Considering the company’s history, it should come as no surprise that Gerard Milette’s final act, before he left the company, was to invest in state-of-the-art scanning and cut line technology to meet even greater demand for the company’s products, going into the future.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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ACHIEVING CONTRACTOR SUSTAINABILITY IS JUST GOING TO BE PLAIN TOUGH
B.C. logging contractors are continuing to push for a viable business sustainability model, but there is some tough work ahead to achieve that goal.
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
loggingcontractors By S. J. Trotton
F
or a good part of last year, Canada’s forest industry generated economically positive headlines that ranged from news about healthy lumber prices to wide-spread multinational support for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, even though there are no signs of a deal on softwood lumber. However, what has not changed as we enter 2019 is the status of the industry’s logging contractors, who continue to find themselves struggling when it comes to staying sustainable in the long-term. Simply put, those familiar with this contractor sustainability challenge define it as an economic imbalance between what logging contractors are paid and what licencees expect of them. Others say it is a bigger-picture problem that involves logging contractors finding consistent work at high-enough rates to keep their operations viable. However, all groups agree: the monetary discrepancy is so significant, dozens of contractors have been squeezed out of the business in recent years—or they plan to abandon the sector if conditions get worse.
The contractor business model itself has some easy-to-identify challenges to overcome, say observers. The first being owners are aging and don’t have succession plans, and the vocation is not attracting enough potential employees starting their post-secondary training. The second challenge industry analysts cite is the average profit margins seen by those looking to take over contracting businesses are considered marginal, and they claim it’s because of chronic financial underperformance. Vancouver Island company W.D. Moore Logging is an example of a coastal logging contractor closing its doors due to an ineffective supply chain model that would not allow them to stay in operation. At the time of its closure in 2017, which came after almost 90 years of being in business, owners said the timber tenure system had become so complicated, they had no choice but to shut down. In British Columbia, groups like the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) and Northwest Logging Association (NWLA) have vocalized their concerns for years, and report as many as 30 to 40 logging contractors throughout the province
have shut down in the last decade alone. NWLA director and associate member Rick Brouwer has gone on record repeatedly to say: “What we see (evidence of) is that our members and contractors throughout B.C. are becoming increasingly less viable.” When qualifying what he means by viability, Brouwer explains further: “There are few new or young workers coming into forestry in our region, and without them, we won’t have the chance to develop or catch the interest of the next generation of contractors.” In his messaging, he also points out that a significant reason for this sustainability issue is the lack of understanding when it comes to recognizing the costs involved with logging, and the fact that logging contractors are just like any other business—operators need to make a profit and have access to reinvestment capital. Finally, Brouwer says, over the years, logging contractors have been challenged by “long delays in processing plans and permits by government agencies. to page 48
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loggingcontractors from page 47
Among the recommendations that have been made to improve operating conditions for B.C. logging contractors is that British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests should work with contractor associations to develop a government/industry funded training program beginning in 2019, and that the program be delivered in the field around the province.
48
“These delays can mean local licencees are unable to consistently provide contractors with a steady flow of blocks to log and/or develop, resulting in lots of stops and starts, mobilization and demobilizations,” Brouwer added. “The contractors try to accommodate the needs of the licencees, but the moves and the ‘I-promise-it’s-just-temporary’ and ‘thepermit-should-be-here-any-day’ delays mean higher costs, less revenue, and much more frustration.” Their concerns have prompted action at the provincial government level in British Columbia where 13 recommendations resulting from the lengthy Logging Contractor Sustainability Review were made last year. Among these recommendations that are focused on improving the overall competitiveness of both logging contractors and licensees were: • BC Timber Sales should be encouraged, within its mix of blocks for auction, to offer a greater number of smaller blocks. • Encourage licencees to support contractor purchases of equipment. • Government to work with industry associations to develop best practice models and options. • Licencees work with contractors on planning and permitting in order to schedule work for 12 months ahead, and that the Ministry Forests take the necessary steps to facilitate this through improvements to the permitting process. • Government acquire the most advanced version of LiDAR (2.0) and make province-wide topographical and inventory data freely available to all partners on the Crown land base. • Information on quality of contractor/licensee relationships should be gathered by government and published annually. • Models must be shared with contractors. And, British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development should work with contractor associations to develop a government/industry funded training program beginning in 2019 and the program be delivered in the field around the province. Aaron Sinclair, Principal of PNL Consulting Inc., a Prince George, B.C.-based financial consultancy who provides fiscal expertise for mid-market companies, has studied the issue for many years and echoes the need for dramatic improvements when it comes to fixing the logging
& Sawmilling - December/January LoggingLogging & Sawmilling Journal Journal - December/January 2019 2019
loggingcontractors contracting business model. His company has worked with numerous clients who report they can’t have a succession plan because nobody wants the business. “I have talked to owners in their 70’s and a few of them have said, ‘I will continue to run the business until I die to support the employees whose families depend on these jobs,’” says Sinclair. “A lot of these contracting businesses are generally not making enough money to make them worth somebody buying them out and taking on all the risks associated with those investments. They are worth more sending their equipment to auction than as going concerns.” Sinclair, who describes British Columbia’s forest sector contractors as “a shrinking breed”, says the industry as a whole needs to find ways to work more collaboratively. “They need to look at, how do we actually make the supply chain most efficient and sustainable, with the end product being top of mind,” he explains. “Instead, there’s just a lot of fighting about cost management along the way. “Many are too busy trying to create the cliché of a larger piece of the pie instead
of working together to make a larger pie.” A step toward fixing the current business model, explains Sinclair, would be to incorporate more best practices when it comes to logging and all of the associated costs. “Generally, if there were more opportunities of sharing best practices, we would see some improvement on the sustainability side. Setting contractors up for success can be a more important factor of a sustainable supply chain than the actual rate,” maintains Sinclair. Among those best practices would be what Sinclair describes as a very standard piece of advice: “Contractors need to cost every piece of equipment they need for their operation. They also need to cost all aspects of any project they take on. Those who do that generally have a better return on investment,” says Sinclair. Sinclair says the “long-term solution to supply chain sustainability is creating an attractive investment environment for capital. That doesn’t necessary mean rates have to increase. It means that the return has to justify the risks of the operating environment.” The B.C. government is currently working on a report that will be completed by
Dan Miller, a former premier and provincial cabinet minister who was hired back in August as a third-party facilitator. In his role, Miller will be responsible for bringing the province’s contractor and licensee associations together to identify where there is consensus, in which case whether or not action can be taken on those recommendations, and where there may be differences of opinion. Wayne Lintott, who is general manager of B.C.s Interior Logging Association and has been working in the industry since 1974, says his association will be very interested to hear what the final outcome of this review process will be as his association was actively involved in lobbying the government to conduct the review in the first place. “We felt that the industry was simply not sustainable so requested a review be conducted,” he says. He says that the 13 recommendations were what associations like the ILA expected, and that they all come down to, “a better line of communication between the licencee and contractor.”
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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December/January 2019
The Edge FPInnovations strikes partnership with University of British Columbia professor
F
ibre-supply operations are an increasingly key aspect of the forest industry and the recent signing of a collaborative partnership between FPInnovations and Dominik Roeser, University of British Columbia (UBC) associate professor in the Department of Forest Resources Management, will create new opportunities for sharing knowledge, resources, and best practices that will benefit FPInnovations’ members, students, and the forest industry. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Denis Cormier, FPInnovations’ senior director of Sustainable Fibre Supply, and Roeser appoints Roeser as an FPInnovations senior associate. The MOU aims to establish an innovative approach for a fibre-supply operations strategy, as well as evaluate options to introduce new technologies that will improve fibre supply. “Our members will benefit from this MOU because it strengthens our link with UBC, improves the value of the services we offer them, and will help train a future generation of foresters,” says Cormier. The partnership has established specific
areas of research, which include developing strategies for alleviating fibre shortage, increasing biomass supply from harvest residues, improving operational deployment for wildfire prevention, and mitigating impacts to forest operations from climate change. Roeser is a former FPInnovations senior director who has been conducting forest industry research for nearly 20 years. “I’m glad to be fostering co-operative bonds with FPInnovations,” says Roeser. “We have the same interests and objectives and we’ll work in synergy to achieve the desired outcomes for the betterment of forestry operations, with a specific focus on finding innovative solutions for fibre procurement. The partnership will also lead to opportunities for students to be
exposed to research and development in the forest industry.” The joint investment in knowledge and information sharing will help raise the profile of forest engineering research in B.C. and encourage novel approaches to industry issues by openly exchanging developments and approaches that will eventually lead to collaborative projects.
For more information on this partnership, please contact Denis Cormier (denis.cormier@fpinnovations.ca), Senior Director, Sustainable Fibre Supply at FPInnovations. 50
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
The Edge
Alberta Innovates aims to raise profile of tree farming, supports wood fibre recovery project in Edmonton BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI
A
fforestation, or the practice of planting trees on non-forested lands, is a common practice among many of Canada’s forest industry competitors in other countries. Yet it is not common in Canada, with only about 33,000 hectares currently planted. Alberta Innovates (AI), the publicly funded corporation for research and innovation, believes tree farming has considerable economic and climate change mitigation potential. AI is supporting research to advance knowledge and raise the profile of this renewable resource. AI has provided a $130,000 grant to Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) under the Alberta Bio Future program. The investment is intended to support the recovery of wood fibre from an 18-hectare shortrotation woody crop (SRWC) demonstration forest that has achieved maturity in southwest Edmonton. The Alberta Bio Future program has a continuous intake component administered by Alberta Innovates, aimed at diversifying the provincial economy and accelerating the growth of Alberta’s bioindustrial sector by taking advantage of emerging opportunities. It focuses primarily on projects that add value to biomass in agriculture and forestry, while creating new and improved bioindustrial products and bioindustrial technologies. “This project focuses on purposegrown biomass, so that’s why it was of interest to us,” says Steve Price, Executive Director of Bioindustrial Innovation at Alberta Innovates. “In this province, we tend to look at natural forest stands but we don’t look very much at the opportunity to actually farm tree species.” The scientific information gathered from harvesting the Edmonton SRWC site will help to identify a way to gain greater recognition and acceptance of short-rotation woody crops as a potential new agricultural crop and biomass resource. Such crops would supplement the forest industry’s fibre supply and potentially be a tool for climate change mitigation and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by acting as a carbon sink.
Alberta Innovates believes that tree farming has considerable economic and climate change mitigation potential. Derek Sidders, CWFC Program Manager, Technology Development and Transfer, says Alberta Innovates has been a valuable supporter and partner in research and technology transfer as it relates to the economic and climate change mitigation potential of SRWCs. “This technology is 100 per cent contributing to the development of the bioeconomy, as well as carbon sequestration, carbon mitigation and the growing of renewable biomass for the production of energy,” says Sidders. “The financial support provided by AI is going to help tell the story of this Edmonton site from start to finish and help to develop a technology transfer package that will include field and best practice guides for practitioner use.” The knowledge developed in Alberta will be shared across Canada. The Edmonton site was established in 2002. It consists of a large variety of hybrid clonal poplar, aspen and willow species planted in an orchard-style pattern to demonstrate which species have the best growth potential as an agriculture crop in both Alberta and Canada. The demonstration forest has achieved remarkable growth response from several species, with some poplar varieties growing as much as 400 cubic metres per hectare of wood fibre in just 15 years. This is 8 to 12 times faster than poplar growing in the natural forest. Also, some fast-growing willow species, which can be harvested every three years for up to six rotations, achieved as much growth as 8 oven-dried
tonnes of woody biomass growth per hectare per year. Price says the project will demonstrate and evaluate economical ways to harvest, process, and transport these solid wood and concentrated biomass species. Such data will help to make the business case for both landowners and industry to come on board to develop these commercial crops. From the province’s perspective and its desire to grow the bioindustrial sector, short-rotation woody crops also represent a designer feedstock that could function as the raw material in the production of a variety of bio-products and bioenergy. “Coal-fired electrical generation is being phased out in Alberta, but during that phase-out period, there is opportunity to move toward biomass-based electricity production,” says Price. “You could use biomass from the natural forest, or you could be producing that biomass in purpose-grown plantations.” Wood recovery from the Edmonton SRWC site will also provide valuable information about what biomass volumes can be expected from growing such crops as fast-growing, purpose-grown willow as bioenergy fuel.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
For more information about the Alberta Innovates Bio Future program, visit https://albertainnovates.ca/ funding-alberta-bio-future/, or contact Julia Necheff at julia.necheff@albertainnovates.ca. 51
The Edge
CWFC begins recovery and data collection from mature short rotation woody crop plantation BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI
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he data collection phase from harvesting and processing the wood fibre from the mature, 18-hectare, Ellerslie Short Rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) demonstration plantation in Edmonton is underway. It will provide the foundation for a series of field guides, best practices manuals, instructive Internet e-lectures, afforestation carbon capture research and development, and virtual tours being developed by Natural Resource Canada’s Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC). The goal is to provide industry, landowners and practitioners with useful guides to help them establish successful SRWCs to enhance their wood fibre resources, to supply government policymakers with quality scientific data to verify and demonstrate the role that SRWCs can play as carbon sinks as part of a climate change mitigation strategy, to provide landowners with another cash crop option, and to fuel interest among investors in this renewable, sustainable, predictable and fast-growing raw material for the development of a variety of bio-products. The Edmonton site, which is part of a national network of SRWC demonstration sites, was established in 2002. Prior to harvest, it consisted primarily of large stem hybrid poplar and aspen, in high yield, orchard-style, afforestation plantations, yielding over 400 cubic metres per hectare of growth in just 15 to 17 years. This is 5 to 10 times faster than typical poplar growth in a natural forest. It also consisted of concentrated biomass plantations delivering 6 to 8 oven dried tonnes of wood fibre per hectare per year, ready for harvest within three years and selfpropagating at least five times. Derek Sidders, CWFC Program Manager, Technology Development and Transfer, says that actual recoverable volume data gathered from the Edmonton project will be used to validate predictive growth response models, which could prove invaluable for commercial use and in developing climate change mitigation options.
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CWFC is measuring and validating volumes, fibre characteristics and carbon impacts as part of the recovery effort, and also gathering data on harvesting efficiency versus conventional logging in a natural forest. To recover fibre from the high yield afforestation plantations on the site, they contracted the services of a conventional feller buncher. Because of the efficient layout of the plantation, there was no need for a skidder. The Edmonton site represented a typical SRWC site, featuring excellent access, flat terrain, and welldrained soils. This resulted in a highly efficient harvesting process, where the feller
“The site layout allowed us to minimize harvesting costs to less than 80 percent of natural forest logging.” buncher operator was able to harvest the mature hardwood while protecting selected understorey softwoods planted in several of the blocks, intended to demonstrate CWFC’s innovative mixedwood afforestation pattern. “The harvesting was very efficient with very little movement of the feller buncher because the trees were the same size, on relatively flat terrain, with equal spacing between them, and excellent landing access due to the fact these were fields previous to afforestation,” said Sidders. “The site layout allowed us to minimize harvesting costs to less than 80 per cent of natural forest logging.” For the concentrated biomass plantations, CWFC are using the Canadian-developed and now manufactured biobaler technology to create round bales and also a small stem wood fibre Claas harvesting head mounted on a Jaguar forage harvester combination. It produced chips blown into an accompanying wagon pulled by a tractor alongside the harvester. The chips were either compressed into bales or loaded into trailers for transport.
The harvested wood fibre will be subjected to several onsite processing studies as part of this recovery program. “We are developing a variety of onsite processing options that would give us a final value to meet commercial specifications for a desirable end product before it is shipped to the final user,” says Sidders. “This includes primary processing to create chips and secondary processing by sorting the chips according to size and then packaging them to the final users’ specifications.” The largest stem wood is being shipped tree length for pulp, while the residues and biomass plantation wood fibre is being processed to a variety of specifications, depending on the end user’s needs, with the goal of high production and minimal handling to address costs associated with this process. The value chain data collection and validation process, from harvesting to delivery to the end user, is a key part of this unique project. CWFC is also completing intensive tree and fibre sampling and validation of growth trajectories to gather both the quantitative and qualitative data needed to verify the value of SRWCs as a climate change mitigation tool. “We are looking at the carbon sequestration aspect in terms of how much biomass we have accumulated on the site and related carbon units sequestered from the atmosphere as it relates to carbon dioxide equivalent,” says Sidders. The sequestered carbon in the trees will be fractionated to take into account harvesting, processing and transportation of the wood fibre to reach its final destination. Researchers will be able to calculate the total carbon sequestration potential of each plantation as well as track the total lifecycle of the carbon after recovery. As part of this research project, they also evaluated the use of the wood fibre in bioenergy production and determining its value as a fossil fuel offset in green energy production. For more information, contact Derek Sidders at derek.sidders@canada.ca.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
The Edge
The Edge
Diversifying the destination of sawmill byproducts to the wood panel industry
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ith the upswing in the construction sector in Canada and the United States, the supply of chips produced by Quebec sawmills is greater than the demand, creating large surpluses in various regions of the province. In addition, the wood panel industry is facing a number of challenges associated with the constant procurement of raw materials, which relate to the quantity and quality of the supply. Faced with this situation, a major Quebec manufacturer in the particleboard sector seeking to diversify its sources of supply has partnered with FPInnovations to help it achieve this objective. FPInnovations’ employees have evaluated various options that can be implemented in the short and medium term to produce—from sawmill rejects—the wafers desired by the particleboard industry. Two options have proven promising following design studies and tests on production equipment: using canter heads during secondary breakdown to produce wafers or a two-step process to process solid wood residues into wafers. To produce chips, some mills in Quebec have cylindrical chipping heads that are used during secondary breakdown operations. A typical Quebec SPF sawmill and a cutting tool manufacturer have joined forces with FPInnovations to demonstrate the feasibility of such a concept to produce a type of wafer for the particleboard industry. FPInnovations’ staff determined the new cylindrical head configurations required to produce wafers of the desired size and shape for the particleboard manufacturer. These new cutting configurations were then tested on cants at the partner mill during the winter of 2017-2018, by adjusting the feed rates of the cants to simulate optimal configurations and produce wafers for particle-size analysis.
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The results of these tests were very positive: the wafers produced were perfectly in line with the particleboard manufacturer’s dimensional requirements, with an acceptance rate of over 95 per cent for the wafers intended for the core of the panel. This new technological configuration would allow a mill to ship 8,000 to 15,000 anhydrous metric tons (AMT) of wafers, depending on the mill’s annual production volume, to a particleboard manufacturer. Depending on the investment scenarios required and the sawmill operating conditions, a return on investment within five to eight months is foreseeable. The second wafer production option was to evaluate an existing two-step European process in collaboration with two Quebec SPF sawmills and an equipment manufacturer. This wafering process consists of first transforming the rejected logs and slabs into “maxi chips”, longer and thicker chips than those usually used in the pulp and paper industry, and then converting them using a knife ring flaker already available in particleboard mills. This two-step process is in fact well suited to sawmills, which will need a drum chipper adjusted to the required configuration.
Two test campaigns proved the feasibility of the process in question on existing equipment. Based on the results obtained, 75 per cent to 80 per cent of the wafers produced met the specifications of the particleboard manufacturer. In the face of declining demand for chips for paper making, this option would allow a few sawmills producing between 65,000 and 75,000 TMA of chips to sell 8,000 to 15,000 AMT of wafers annually. For this option, depending on the investment scenarios required and the operating conditions of the mill, a return on investment within a 12 to 16 month time horizon is conceivable. In summary, the proposed technologies will give Quebec sawmills a number of opportunities for diversifying their byproduct offerings, while providing particleboard manufacturers with solutions to secure new sources of supply.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
Further information may be obtained by contacting William Tropper, Senior Scientist in FPInnovations’ Advanced Wood Manufacturing team, at william.tropper@fpinnovations.ca. FPInnovations would like to thank the Quebec government’s Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs and Ministère de l’Économie, de la Science et de l’Innovation as well as its partners Pallmann, Keyknife, Cédrico, Matériaux Blanchet and Scierie Landrienne, who took part in this project to help the lumber industry add value to the mill byproducts.
The Edge
FPInnovations and partners make history in forestry truck platooning
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PInnovations and its partners took truck platooning research a giant step further recently and earned a spot in history by successfully road testing the emerging technology in the deep forests of Quebec in the first trial of its kind in Canada. The day-long trial took place in Rivière-aux-Rats, Quebec and signals the beginning of a transformation of the forest transportation industry on a scale not seen in decades. It could also solve the chronic issue of a skilled-driver shortage that’s plagued the industry for years and shows no signs of abating. The tests involved two platooned trucks hauling logging trailers on resource roads between a Resolute Forest Products sawmill and the company’s logging site 75 kilometres away. Drivers were at the wheels of the trucks but in the future, only the lead truck will have a driver and the following trucks will be fully automated. “These tests are a major accomplishment,” says Francis Charette, FPInnovations lead scientist. “To the best of our knowledge, no one has tested platooning in a forest environment before. As a respected forestry R&D organization, FPInnovations is ideally positioned to bring together specialized research organizations and commercial industries to further our common goal of introducing platooning on forest roads.” The trial is part of a joint research project in collaboration with Transport Canada, Alabama’s Auburn University and Resolute Forest Products. Platooning was also recently successfully tested by FPInnovations, Transport Canada, and Auburn University on public highways in Quebec. The platooning technology was developed by Auburn University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “There are switchbacks, steep slopes and dense forests that impact the communications systems between trucks,” says Édouard Proust, FPInnovations engineer. “We expected that and we’re working on the technology to solve the issues.” Until this trial, there was no data available on how a platooning system would work under the thick canopy of a forest. “Now we know what the technology gaps are, and we’re addressing them,” says David Bevly, Auburn University mechani-
cal engineering professor and director of the GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory. “Our platooning technology has already been successfully implemented on highways and it can include forestry operations.” Truck platooning is an emerging vehicle technology in which trucks are linked by a computer system that maintains the desired distance between trucks, as well as controls acceleration and braking, reacting faster than a driver typically can. Platooning uses a dedicated short-range radio communications (DSRC) protocol approved for communications at highspeeds, as well as a GPS system, and radar technology. Highway platooning is already legal in several U.S. states, including Tennessee and Georgia. However, platooning is only in the testing phase in Canada. “We’re very glad to be a part of the
tests,” says Jonathan Perron, Resolute Forest Products’ director of forestry operations. “The forestry industry has to be innovative to compete globally and the concept of automated platooned trucks following one lead truck driver can help us improve our efficiency despite a labour shortage that’s affecting our industry across the country. We also believe that this type of technology will help us attract a new generation of forestry workers.” FPInnovations will build upon the results of these tests to continue pioneering forestry truck platooning research in Canada.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
For more information, please contact Édouard Proust (Edouard.proust@fpinnovations.ca), Researcher in FPInnovations’ Roads & Infrastructure group. 55
SUPPLIERNEWSLINE TRC of Canada offers multi-season synthetic grease
Texas Refinery Corp of Canada (TRC of Canada) says that the development of the 880 Crown and Chassis Extreme synthetic greases began with a need. Canadians needed a grease, they say, that offered all the great qualities of the company’s 880 Crown and Chassis plus functionality in the cold of winter and heat of the summer, adding that the 880 Crown and Chassis Extreme is that grease. It offers year-round usage capabilities, maintaining the consistency of an NLGI #2 grease but will pump like a NLGI #00 grease at -40°C, while providing a high level performance. 880 Crown and Chassis Extreme is
designed and tested to lubricate efficiently from -40°C up to 130°C. It is a grease made for year-round use. www.texasrefinery.ca
Remsoft offers cloudbased management solution
Remsoft, a provider of optimized planning and scheduling tools for sustainable resource management, has launched Remsoft Operations, a cloud-based operational management solution for forestry companies. Responding to growing client demand, and drawing on its expertise in planning, scheduling and advanced analytics, Remsoft says that Remsoft Operations is the first of its kind for the company in the
By Tony Kryzanowski operational planning space. Built on the Remsoft RISE Platform, companies can now turn their long term strategic goals into tactically executable actions. Remsoft Operations allows clients to use their own data and Remsoft’s analytics to make evidence-supported real-time decisions on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual level using any of its three modules: Annual Planning, Crew Scheduling and Delivery Scheduling. Remsoft Operations provides a unified, easily accessible view of a company’s operational planning process while integrating with Remsoft’s optimization technology, Esri’s Web GIS platform, and
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Northern Metalic Group acquires Wiser Wire Rope The Northern Metalic Group has anNorthern Metalic manufactures on-site nounced that after 50 years as an industry to exacting specifications and standards, leader in industrial distribution, the comdelivering quality products, expertise and pany is expanding its reach in B.C. with the safety. The company’s certified testing recent acquisition of Wiser Wire Rope in services of up to 125 tonnes is just one Prince George. example of its commitment to quality and The transaction will allow the compasafety. nies to merge their people, processes and In addition to its impressive selection product offerings in developing a winning of products, Northern Metalic offers combination. The company anticipates customers a wide range of customized this combination will translate into signifisolutions to keep their businesses movcant wins for not only for its organization, ing. This includes delivery, consigned and but also for its customers and vendor financed equipment, custom hose ascommunities. sembly and specialized rigging and cable Northern Metalic is particularly excited manufacturing about its new premises—they have officially Northern Metalic can help equip shops opened the doors at 5240 Continental Way, or project sites with brand name power in Prince George. tools that keep going when the going 56
is toughest. It carries all the top names, including Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt and many more. The company can hook customers up with compressors and generators, too. It is also the headquarters for lubricants for the automotive, machining and oil industries. Northern Metalic is proud to carry the Chevron line of lubricants for industrial, commercial and off-highway lubrication needs. Northern Metalic carries thousands of products that serve a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, farming, transportation, construction and agriculture. And it has them when customers need them—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. www.northernmetalic.com
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
suppliernewsline business intelligence capability. The application makes for instant collaboration amongst teams, as well as easy reporting and information sharing across the entire organization, it says. www.remsoft.com
example of a catastrophic process safety-related incident is the ammonia-nitrate explosion that occurred at the West Fertilizer Company facility in West Texas in 2013. The tragic incident resulted in the death of 15 people and injured more than 200 others. www.worksafebc.com
Thode Knife & Saw to represent Iseli Agency in Canada
Canfor to acquire majority interest in VIDA Group of Sweden
from page 56
The Iseli Agency in Canada will now be represented by Thode Knife & Saw. Thode have been providing filing room solutions with Iseli Machinery throughout New Zealand and Australia for many years, while building up a wealth of knowledge on the benefits that Iseli Machinery has in the modern filing room. Thode is a New Zealand-owned company which has been in operation since 1946, supplying saws and knives to a wide variety of industries. It says that it has built up a formidable knowledge base over this time and has consultants that are qualified sawfilers with years of experience, adding that its consultants can help with filing room upgrades and saw requirements to increase efficiency and quality. Thode says that a serious investment program in new machinery now sees the company having the latest “state of the art” Iseli CNC manufacturing capability. This allows Thode to offer a high level of accuracy and consistency when manufacturing bandsaws. Phillip Higgins, the Canadian manager based in B.C., has extensive knowledge of Iseli equipment and filing operations. www.thodecanada.ca
WorkSafeBC launches Process Safety initiative
Preventing low-frequency, high-consequence events such as catastrophic fires, explosions, chemical releases, and structural collapses is the focus of WorkSafeBC’s new Process Safety initiative. Process safety is a form of risk assessment that aims to identify any significant hazards and threats at a worksite and implement critical controls to mitigate any harm. The goal is to prevent the release of any highly hazardous substances, such as flammable and explosive chemicals, toxic gases, and combustible dust, that could lead to catastrophic consequences for workers and the public. The initiative is focused on employers in several industries, including wood products manufacturing, which encompasses the pulp and paper, biomass, wood pellet, medium density fibreboard and oriented strand board manufacturing industries. When process safety fails, the result can affect large numbers of workers, and potentially the public, often with devastating consequences such as serious injury or loss of life. A historic 58
Canfor has entered into an agreement to purchase 70 per cent of the VIDA Group of Sweden for approximately $580 million. The current owners of VIDA will retain a 30 percent interest and continue to manage the day-to-day business. “With the acquisition of VIDA, we are excited to become a truly international manufacturer and provider of wood product solutions for our global customers,” said Don Kayne, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canfor. “This transformational growth will allow Canfor to further diversify and secure a worldwide fibre supply to meet the growing demand of our customers for high quality wood products.” VIDA is Sweden’s largest privately-owned sawmill company, operating nine sawmills in southern Sweden with an annual production capacity of 1.1 billion board feet. All of the sawmills produce spruce and pine products, and are strategically located in high quality and sustainable fibre regions in Sweden. In addition, VIDA has nine value-added facilities that include premium packaging, modular housing, industrial products and energy. www.canfor.com
Upgrades for two Rayonier sawmills
Rayonier Advanced Materials is updating the primary breakdown line at its La Sarre, Quebec plant. The company is installing a new small log line that will feature a USNR Knuckle Turner and Extended Length Infeed with slew, skew and tilt capabilities, PGLR log rotation monitoring and correction system, canter, sideboard profiler, quad arbor sawbox and vertical shape sawing (VSS) gang system. The stud mill processes eastern SPF logs with a diameter of from 3” to 17”, with the line’s maximum operating speed at 600 fpm. The La Sarre mill will also install a sawmill multi-track fence as it retools to improve its process. Close on the heels of the investment in the La Sarre operation, Rayonier ordered a new vertical shape sawing gang system for its mill at Bearn, Quebec, as well as a planer mill multi-track fence for that location. The Bearn mill produces random length lumber. In 2017, Rayonier Advanced Materials, based in Jacksonville, Florida, acquired all of Tembec’s holdings in Canada, the U.S. and France. The La Sarre and Bearn mills are among those holdings. www.usnr.com
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
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OVER 70% SOLD! ATTENTION VISITORS -
Registration Coming Soon! Key Industry Players Confirmed! Check out the website for confirmed exhibitors!
For more information about this premier event, please contact:
MARK CUSACK
National Show Manager mcusack@mpltd.ca • Toll-Free: 1.888.454.7469
suppliernewsline from page 58
Link-Belt 2D grade control technology improves productivity
LBX Company now has two factory-installed grade control technology options for North American 210 X4 hydraulic excavators. The Link-Belt 2D Machine Guidance (MG) system provides an operator with visual and audible indication when they are above, below or at their desired target grade. The Link-Belt 2D Machine Control (MC) system provides the operator with not only visual and audible indication when they are above, below or at their target grade, but can also control the boom and bucket while the operator controls the speed of the stick to maintain a consistently smooth flat or sloping surface. The company says that 2D MG and 2D MC allows operators to increase their productivity by up to 50 per cent by providing them with the information they need and the functionality they have never had before. www.lbxco.com
Columbia Forest Products names new CEO
Columbia Forest Products has appointed Greg Pray as President and Chief Executive Officer. Pray will succeed Brad Thompson as CEO. Pray has been with Columbia since 2006, starting as an Executive Vice-President with Columbia’s Flooring Division, and then moving to the Plywood Division Greg Pray as its Executive Vice-President of U.S. Operations. Pray served in various roles for International Paper Company and Nevamar Company while obtaining his MBA in finance and organizational behavior from The University of Texas at Dallas. Brad Thompson, Pray’s predecessor as CEO, will remain with Columbia Forest Products as an advisor to the President/CEO through the first quarter of 2019. www.cfpwood.com
John Deere Forestry Certified Used Program gets additions
John Deere has announced new equipment and warranty additions to its forestry certified used program. The program, which ensures the value and reliability of used forestry equipment, will now include L-Series skidders and wheeled feller bunchers. Additionally, the warranty choices for all certified used skidders and wheeled feller bunchers now include an option to extend up to 12 months, in addition to the existing six month offering.
“Our certified used program is designed to give customers a sense of security when purchasing used equipment,” says Kent Stickler, Manager, Product Training and Information, John Deere. “Through this program, whether a machine has 5,000 hours or 8,000 hours, we are able to stand behind the quality of our equipment and provide our customers with the support they need to keep machines up and running.” The most notable change to the program is the inclusion of the L-Series skidders and wheeled feller bunchers, providing customers with more certified used models. The new 12-month warranty option guarantees that customers are covered if any issues do occur with used skidders or wheeled feller bunchers. Forwarders, wheeled harvesters, and tracked feller bunchers and harvesters are still eligible for a six month warranty. Each used machine must pass a strict 100-plus point inspection to be certified. www.johndeere.com
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
classified LOGGING CONTRACTORS – BIG RIVER, SK –
Carrier Forest Products Ltd. is a well-established family owned company. We operate the largest, and one of the most technologically advanced, sawmills in Saskatchewan. We are currently seeking experienced logging contractors to log, process and deliver timber to our sawmill in Big River, Saskatchewan. We offer industry leading rates and production incentives. Please contact us for further information: Ed Kwiatkowski – Woodlands Mgr., Saskatchewan ekwiatkowski@carrierforestproducts.ca (306) 922-6700
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thelastword
New logging techologies: good for both loggers—and the environment By Tony Kryzanowski
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he Canadian logging industry is experiencing one of its evolutions, not as disruptive as the switch from hand falling to mechanical logging, but a milestone nonetheless. It involves the greater use of winchassist systems, allowing loggers to continue to work in adverse ground conditions due to heavy rain and snow, as well as new tools for steep slope logging like mobile and hydraulically-powered grapple yarders that require fewer workers, provide a safer environment, much better mobility, and much higher productivity. These advancements are good for both the environment and for the forest industry. The simple fact is that a lot of the ‘easy’ wood is disappearing from Canada’s commercial forests—and second growth plantations are not growing fast enough to replace it. What’s often left is prime timber growing either on steep slopes or muddy ground where it is impossible, unsafe, uneconomical, or all of the above, to log. Being unable to access this wood has become a source of great frustration for loggers, as they drive further and further afield to harvest more easily accessible wood that is becoming harder and harder to find within a reasonable driving distance. History has shown that leaving inaccessible blocks to become over-mature can cause the forest industry a lot of headaches. First, over time, these blocks become susceptible to forest fire from lightning strikes. Second, they become a food source for destructive insects that establish themselves in the old growth and then threaten younger stock. Finding safe and economical ways to access this wood removes both a fire and insect hazard, while giving second growth
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plantations more time to grow into quality merchantable timber. It creates a much more sustainable and healthy growth and harvest cycle. Also, being able to safely and economically harvest this wood provides an expanded business opportunity for loggers. These cutblocks are often closer to home, meaning that there is less expensive travel and delivery costs for both loggers, and forest companies, when the right system is deployed. It also allows loggers to continue working during periods of extended rain and heavy snowfall. So, finding safe and economical ways to harvest this prime timber is a win all the way around. There are a variety of winch-assist systems evolving. They typically involve a purpose-built or converted anchor unit at the top of a steep slope equipped with a winch. Cable from the winch is attached either to a feller buncher, skidder, hoe chucker, or forwarder, providing them with both a safety lifeline when working on adverse slopes, as well as assistance to retrieve logs on adverse slopes or in tough ground conditions like mud and snow. The mobile grapple yarder system is another interesting new technology arriving in North America. Particularly along the West Coast, the typical method of retrieving logs on steep slope has been tower yarding. It has a long and proven history, no doubt, but it is not noted for being mobile or a cheap system to operate. Plus, there is also the manpower issue. It takes a skilled and experienced tower yarder operator to understand and use the clutches, brakes and air controls on a conventional tower yarding system. They are becoming harder to find and expensive. Then there is the obvious
safety hazard of choker crews working at ground level. It comes as no surprise that today’s younger generation are not all that interested in suffering through the bugs and heat in summer and snow in winter to choke logs. Plus, the very nature of having workers at ground level with a carriage carrying logs overhead is not exactly the safest work environment. The industry has done a good job of establishing protocols that ensure that workers are clear during dangerous maneuvres, but there are also the inevitable trips, falls and strains that occur when trying to walk in amongst all the fallen timber and stumps on a steep slope. So it is exciting to witness new grapple yarding technology from places like New Zealand that requires fewer workers overall and no workers at ground level. The use of a digital camera mounted on the grapple to assist the operator to retrieve the logs is an excellent application of modern technology. Furthermore, the mobile aspect of the anchoring unit is also a significant advancement, and when loggers report that they are able to deliver twice as many logs per day with a mobile grapple yarding system compared to a conventional grapple yarder with fewer employees, the industry takes notice. It comes as no surprise, then, that many forest companies with prime wood located in both steep slope or in environmentally adverse cutblocks are promoting the use of these new tools. However, it is important to ensure that contracts and rates are discussed and negotiated with forest company clients in advance of any winch-assist or grapple yarding systems put to work so that the financial benefits flow in both directions—to the forest company and the logger.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - December/January 2019
STEEP SLOPE HARVESTING. T H E P E R F E C T C O M B I N AT I O N. Don’t settle for anything less than the perfect combination for steep slopes. The robust Tigercat 5195 directional felling saw is a perfect match for the quick, agile and powerful LS855E shovel logger. This versatile carrier-head combo is much more than a shovel logger. It can fell and pre-bunch oversize timber in steep terrain and can shovel log the most challenging parts of the cut block – forwarding wood to easier ground at the lowest cost per tonne. Contact your Tigercat dealer today to learn more about the benefits of owning a 5195 equipped LS855E shovel logger.
www.tigercat.com