Anthony Robinson joins LSJ TeamLogging and Sawmilling Journal Publisher Rob Stanhope is pleased to announce that Anthony Robinson has joined the LSJ Team as Associate Publisher.
“Anthony’s experience in client relations, communications, consulting, forest operations and project management is truly an asset in taking on strategic planning, special projects and business development for both Logging and Sawmilling Journal, and our associated U.S. publication, TimberWest,” says Rob. “He is a welcome addition to the LSJ and TimberWest Team.”
Anthony has taken a leadership role in the further development of the industry-leading website—www.forestnet.com—for the two magazines, as well as related social media activities.
“I’m very excited to be joining the team,” says Anthony. “I think the Canadian forest industry has a bright future, in spite of some current challenges, and I think our magazines do a terrific job of serving readers and advertisers—and we can build on that further with the web site and social media.”
Anthony’s 10 year career in forestry and natural resource management includes project management, consulting, operational planning, harvesting, mining and geographic information systems. Anthony began his journey in the forest industry like many, as both a tree planter and mill worker.
Born in Australia, Anthony completed his undergraduate degree in 2008 at the University of Western Australia. He began his career working for a small agroforestry company in southwestern, Western Australia. Some years later, his passion for forestry operations and planning led him to the University of British Columbia, where in 2014 he completed an MSc in Forestry. Anthony later joined the UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest as the on-site coordinator for the Demo International 2016 trade show.
Recently, the Canadian Institute of Forestry nominated Anthony for the James Kitz Award for outstanding young forester. The award recognizes individuals involved in forestry in Canada who make outstanding contributions early in their profession.
New clam grapple from Weldco-BealesWeldco-Beales Manufacturing (WBM) has introduced its all new HCL (Horizontal Cylinder and Linkage) series clam grapples, designed to handle high volume cut-to-length wood in loading and unloading applications. The HCL represents an industry first, says the company, combining the performance and versatility of a basket style (bunching) grapple jaw arrangement with the proven efficiency of a power tilt/controlled head excavator grapple. Purpose-built, this attachment was designed using customer feedback, specifically for the forest industry.
The HCL Grapple was successfully tested at a pulp mill in British Columbia, with extremely positive feedback, says WBM. What regularly took operators nine or ten passes can now be completed in four or five, unloading bunks and moving trucks along much quicker.
Using a single 5,000 psi hydraulic cylinder and timing linkage rather than two cylinders, the engineered geometry was created to efficiently grab the wood, keeping the jaws synchronized and maintaining even power at all times. The grapple operates with WBM’s ‘flexdrive’ system, which allows drive components to be mixed and matched to generate the desired speed and torque.
By changing the style of the grapple, the new HCL grapple not only sets Weldco-Beales Manufacturing apart from its competitors, it increases efficiency for customers, raising the bar for innovation in the forestry industry, according to the company.
Staff and management were thrilled to see an impressive array of heavy equipment professionals—and great attendance—at the Canada North Resources Expo (CNRE) in Prince George, B.C., May 26 and May 27, resulting in another successful CNRE show.
One of the region’s most popular heavy equipment trade shows, CNRE featured leading companies and products that are part of Canada’s varied resources sectors—including forestry, heavy construction and major resources infrastructure. Covering a massive four acres of indoor and outdoor exhibits, beautiful spring weather attracted more than 8,000 visitors from the industry and their families.
Aside from the strong attendance and interest from multiple media outlets, there were several other memorable highlights from this year’s edition. The third annual Interior Safety Conference (ISC) was a major success, attracting over 150 delegates.
“This year the conference expanded to a two-day event with 85 people attending the manual tree falling and log hauling presentations on day one,” says Gerard Messier, Manager of Program Development. “Ninety people attended the safety and leadership presentations on day two. Topics included how to improve communication between different generations of workers, how the brain works and how the flight or fight response can lead to incidents, workplace fatigue management programs and new steep slope logging technology.
“A big thank you to Master Promotions, the organizers of the CNRE, who partnered up with the ISC again this year,” added Messier.
Meanwhile, the show’s ‘Recruiting Here’ program connected potential job seekers with exhibiting companies that are currently hiring. There also were several prize winners and individual honors. The photo contest winner was Nick Winther, who won tickets to Rocking River Music Fest 2017. The Facebook Like and Share winner was Amanda Isadore, who won a Stihl grass trimmer from Western Equipment.
Other highlights included Master Promotions and the Resources Expo Society presenting a $10,000 cheque to Brian Badge, director of college advancement at the Northwest Community College. In honor of Family Day, Master Promotions received remarkable support in collecting donations for the Prince George Salvation Army.
Stay tuned to www.CNRE.ca for updates and information about the 2019 event.
Multi-function ‘XHAND’ attachment launched at CNRENecessity is truly the mother of invention. At the recent Canada North Resources Expo in Prince George, the XHAND was launched to the people and industry that prompted its development—forestry.
Fifteen years ago in the Okanagan, operator Lea Sirr was growing weary of clearing path and building industrial roads with single-function buckets. It was expensive and hardly efficient. So, he designed the first multi-function attachment of its kind, the XHAND.
Capable of digging, dozing, shovel loading, double handful grabbing, and screening, the XHAND was designed to give the operator the dexterity and functionality of a human hand via its live hydraulics. Its competitive advantage is this: operators can use all of its functionality in both the forward and back directions. Land clearing, brush piling, road building, and on-site screening can be done with one attachment, and in both directions. It’s said to increase an excavator’s efficiency by up to 40 per cent. Now many prototypes later, the XHAND is engineered and field-tested to handle all jobs in the bush.
FBC takes stress out of tax planningTaxes aren’t just a once a year occurrence. At least that’s not the way that FBC approaches taxes. They look at taxes year-round. Different things happen at different times when you run your business. The same thing happens with your taxes. Wouldn’t you want to know exactly how much you owe before February? If you had that kind of foresight, FBC says that you can plan to save thousands in tax dollars. That’s where FBC comes in.
Their local tax consultants work with clients year round to ensure that they pay the least amount of tax, year over year. They will work with clients in the fall so that they can save in the winter. They do all the work, giving clients time and energy to focus on running their business and making money.
FBC specializes in tax planning, tax consultation, tax preparation, and audit protection. They have developed their own proprietary software to build a custom tax solution for every client. Together, they tailor a solution for a client’s business to ensure they get all the deductions that are owed to them.
Simonds International and Scies B.G.R. Inc have merged companies in a transaction that will create a leading producer and marketer of cutting tools and related equipment for the primary wood fibre industry.
The combined entity will continue to operate in the United States and Canada with nine facilities located in the major wood fibre regions of North America. All products and customer segments currently served by Simonds and B.G.R. Saws will continue uninterrupted during the integration process and thereafter.
“This merger will combine the two leading companies in our industry, with a deep history of product innovation, quality products and customer focused organizations providing value added services to our customers,” says Ray Martino, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simonds. “The cultures of the two companies are similar and will strengthen our service to the industry. The Simonds and B.G.R. brands are prominent in the industry and will remain a core part of the combined company in the future.”
“The merger brings together the strengths of two great companies with a common goal, efficient and innovative solutions to the industry we serve,” says Sylvain St-Hilaire, President of B.G.R. Saws. “The products and services offered by the merger will enable both companies to go beyond the product offering and bring a complete solution through products, services and equipment that reflect the changes in the industry requirements.”
Titan chain offers improved wear lifeTitan chain incorporates the latest improvement from Tsubaki’s R&D to increase the wear life of roller chains in harsh and high speed environments. The Titan chain embodies the best features of Tsubaki’s standard ASME/ANSI chain paired with the latest and unique features that the company says will outperform competitors’ chains.
Titan provides a harder surface, lowering friction pin which limits the wear between the pin and bushing area. Tsubaki says that it has tested Titan chain against other manufacturer’s chain, and Titan chain extends wear life and outperforms the competition in similar environments.
Special coated pins provide an extra hard, low friction surface, limiting the wear between the pin and bushing area, significantly extending wear life, and providing robust performance even in high debris environments.
Zinc coated pin link plates and black oxide roller link plates provide an additional layer of protection for corrosion resistance.
Tigercat 1055C forwarder updated with low-wide bunk system and moreThe 1055C forwarder now offers Tigercat’s innovative low-wide bunk system found on the larger 1075C and 1085C models. Low-wide provides superior line-of-sight to the load and reduces operator strain. The 1055C is also available with a choice of three wagon frame lengths and fixed bunks.
The new Tigercat F135T85 hooked crane means more lift for the 1055C and less chance of the crane contacting the gate. Increased operator confidence and more lifting power translates to decreased loading and unloading times and increased productivity. The maximum reach of the new crane is 8.5 m (335”) and it has a gross lifting moment of 135 kNm (99,571 lbf).
The 1055C is powered by the Tigercat FPT N67 in Tier 2 and Tier 4 configurations. Tigercat FPT engines are said to offer quick load response, low operating costs and high power density, combined with excellent fuel economy.
All parts in the forwarder can be lifted out as opposed to dropped from underneath the machine. The engine hood flips forward for great access to both sides of the engine and the entire engine compartment. The strong steel engine house cover forms a comfortable, spacious work platform in the open position.
Cat offers high rotation seat for wheel skiddersCaterpillar now offers the High Rotation Seat cab and an enhanced monitor display for Cat D Series wheel skidders.
The High Rotation Seat cab offers 100 degrees of seat rotation and features the new Cat Advanced Ride Management (Cat ARM) seat suspension for unparalleled ergonomics and comfort for the operator, according to the company.
The ability to rotate the seat 100 degrees when picking up bunches, working and backing the skidder around the deck, and backing down long skid trails improves operator ergonomics and efficiency, says Cat.
Combined with the integrated Cat ARM seat suspension, a four-point seat belt, and joystick steering, the High Rotation Seat reduces operator fatigue and provides leading ride quality for the operator.
A key safety advantage of the Cat High Rotation Seat is the utilization of the park brake to hold the machine in place when the operator is rotating the seat. The park brake will automatically apply when the seat is released. The machine is secured even in adverse terrain. Once the seat locks into position and an operator commands a direction, the park brake is released automatically, further improving safety.
John Deere now offers the popular Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) as an option on all 1910E forwarders.
Now available on the biggest forwarder in the John Deere line-up, IBC technology significantly increases machine productivity and efficiency, while providing the best possible fuel economy and boom lifetime, says the company.
With intuitive IBC technology, the powerful CF8 boom on the 1910E is accurate, fast, and easy to operate, as the operator now controls the boom tip directly instead of controlling each of the independent boom joint movements manually. Additionally, by eliminating unnecessary extra movements, the IBC system extends the boom component wear life and allows for faster cycle times.
The 1910E machines also feature new configurable joystick controls. The integration of the new joystick controls allows dealers to quickly reconfigure the machine to meet the preference of the operator. One of three configuration options can be applied, providing the operator with an intuitive control system. The configurable joystick controls, when combined with the IBC technology, boost operator productivity, says the company.
John Deere’s 1910E forwarder with the IBC option and configurable controls is now available in North America. IBC is also offered as an option on all of John Deere’s 1110E, 1201E, and 1510E forwarders. www.johndeere.com
On the Cover:
The Seneca Sawmill Company has been part of the Eugene, Oregon landscape for more than 60 years. It’s now nearing the completion of a second $65 million upgrade which included upgrading the dimensional mill with new equipment and technology, installing additional dry kilns and upgrading its dimension mill planer (Photo by Diane Mettler).
More computers in the cutblock
For the forest industry, the cutblock is expected to be the focus of advanced systems and technology for equipment over the short term—but don’t expect to see any logging equipment without operators quite yet.
Tracked performance—without the tracks
Moore’s Logging of Alberta says its new TimberPro 840C combo machine—an eight-wheeled forestry machine which can function as a harvester, processor, forwarder or clam bunk skidder—is able to deliver track machine power, without the track machine issues.
Solving steep slope challenges—to a T
The T-Winch, a new to Canada, European-developed tethered skidder assist system, is solving multiple steep slope issues for Alberta logger Kelly McGlynn.
Seneca sees second mill upgrade
The Seneca Sawmill Company in Oregon is nearing the completion of a second $65 million upgrade which—on the heels of a similar size upgrade during the recession—means a total investment of $130 million, clearly reflecting the confidence the company’s owners have in the industry.
Bonus Christmas gift
The residents of Hornepayne, Ontario received a bonus Christmas gift late last year, with the shuttered sawmill/biomass power plant in the town coming back to life, thanks to industry veteran, Frank Dottori.
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, Alberta Agriculture, the Forest Products Association of Canada and FPInnovations.
The Last Word
It’s time for Canada to get our economic mojo back—with a new softwood lumber deal, says Tony Kryzanowski.
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