Nisula Forest and Top Down sign B.C. dealership agreementNisula Forest Oy and Top Down Enterprises Inc. have signed a dealership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Top Down Enterprises will sell Nisula Forest products and parts, and offer customer service in British Columbia for Nisula Forest products.
Nisula Forest said it is proud to present its first dealer in North America. It noted that customers from the west coast have been actively asking for products for forest fuel reduction operations, partly due to the huge forest fires in the last several years in western Canada and U.S.
Located in Kamloops, B.C., Top Down Enterprises is in a perfect spot to offer great customer service around B.C., says Nisula Forest.
“If you are in Western Canada and looking for the best commercial thinning, or forest fuel reduction equipment, and great customer service, feel free to contact Mike Niedziejko and his team,” said Timo Savornin, Sales Director at Nisula Forest Oy.
In a blockbuster deal for the forest industry, Canfor has entered into an agreement with Millar Western Forest Products Ltd to acquire the company’s solid wood operations and associated tenure for $420 million, including $56 million in working capital.
Canfor says it expects to generate at least $25 million in annual synergies principally related to alignment with the company’s marketing programs and operational enhancements. Millar Western’s solid wood operations, located in Alberta, will add 630 million board feet of production capacity and have access to a globally competitive, high-quality timber supply.
The assets consist of three well-capitalized operations including two sawmill complexes in Whitecourt and Fox Creek, and the high-value, specialty Spruceland Millworks facility in Acheson that is dedicated to serving strategic markets and generates higher, more stable returns, says the company.
“The acquisition of Millar Western’s solid wood operations, including the highly successful Spruceland Millworks facility, is well aligned with Canfor’s strategy to grow and diversify our global operating platform. We are excited to expand our Alberta operations to meet the growing demand of our customers for high-quality and sustainable wood products,” says Don Kayne, President & CEO, Canfor.
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
Resolute renews partnership agreement with Ontario First NationResolute and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation recently celebrated the renewal of a long-term partnership agreement at a signing ceremony held in Thunder Bay.
For nearly 25 years, Resolute and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, a Treaty 3 Nation located in northwestern Ontario, have enjoyed a productive, mutually beneficial partnership. The First Nations community participates in forest management and land use planning, and plays an active role in local citizen committees, providing valuable input and expertise on matters related to local development and commercial enterprise.
Resolute also announced a $25,000 contribution to the Lac des Mille Lacs Education Centre, an innovative, multicultural school established in 2019 in Thunder Bay.
“We recognize the importance of Indigenous-led educational programming, with their potential to revitalize communities and create lasting positive effects in students’ lives,” says Remi G. Lalonde, President and CEO of Resolute.
“The contribution by Resolute will support curriculum development, including natural resources programming with a focus on experiential learning, Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language instruction, and our hockey program,” says Lac des Mille Lacs Chief Whitecloud.
Due to the strong demand for Bandit products, Bandit is on a major expansion campaign.
Three expansions of Bandit plants were completed in 2021 and two other expansions will be completed in the first quarter of 2022. Three additional facilities will be built in 2022. Total capital expenditures for 2022 will be $16.5 million (U.S.).
Most recently, Bandit Industries has purchased The Trelan Company. Bandit purchased the assets and properties of Trelan from the Schumacher family in December.
Trelan has a long strong history in the whole tree chipper arena. The first Trelan chippers were produced in the early 1970s. Trelan’s unique chippers will enhance Bandit’s extensive line of whole tree chippers. The Trelan chippers will add volume without affecting the sale of Bandit’s line of whole tree chippers.
Bandit will use the 45,000 square foot manufacturing and 10,000 square feet of storage buildings to continue to produce the Trelan machines and to produce additional Bandit machines.
Enhancements for John Deere’s M-Series bunchers, harvesters and shovel loggersJohn Deere now offers new options and updates to its M-Series tracked feller bunchers, harvesters, and shovel logger that include enhancements to the previously-released Smooth Boom Control (SBC), as well as improved seat and heated-ventilated seat (HVS) and premium radio that is XM ready.
Updated SBC improves the amount of pressure needed to operate a function, giving the operator more feel and control of the movement, especially during fine metering. This allows for a wider tuning range for individual functions and improves the set-up for multiple operator preferences and skill levels.
The new dual density foam seat provides more support and comfort during operation.
Additionally, John Deere has added adjustable suspension dampers to reduce vibration and provide more variable dampening. Lastly, for improved overall comfort, a heated and ventilated seat option has been made available.
DEMO International is recognized as one of North America’s largest and unique outdoor equipment shows.
The “all live and in action, in-woods” event not only serves to feature the latest in forestry operations-related (OEM) equipment, products and services, but has also provided the opportunity over the course of its 55-year history to feature and demonstrate the state-of-the-art design, technologies and innovation with members of the forestry sector worldwide.
Preparations for DEMO International, originally scheduled for 2020, were on track as the Canadian Woodlands Forum worked with its partners and host, SBC Cedar, to develop and invest in a world class show site, which at that time was 75 per cent complete.
However, the COVID pandemic prompted the decision on two occasions to postpone the event based on the circumstances and with the best interest of the health and safety of exhibitors, visitors, partners and contractors.
The DEMO International management team has been actively engaged in reviewing and discussing the circumstances around the pandemic and the likelihood/feasibility of executing the show in 2022. As part of the due diligence process and in consultation with most of the major DEMO exhibitors, the collateral impacts of the pandemic over the last 20 months continue to raise concerns with respect to international travel restrictions, interruptions to the supply chain, impacting availability of raw materials, production, inventory levels and delivery timelines.
Despite their best intentions, these challenges have made it extremely difficult for many manufacturers to maintain their participation in the 2022 show.
Based on the assessment and recommendation from the DEMO International management team, the Canadian Woodlands Forum Board of Directors in partnership with host SBC Cedar and show partners, have made the difficult decision to postpone DEMO International until September 2024.
As disappointing as this decision is, those involved with the show feel this deferral will put the show back on track with its typical four-year cycle, and will provide time for the global economy and supply chains to recover. In addition, with DEMO International always drawing a large international crowd, as well as people from all parts of Canada, it’s felt that travel conditions would continue to improve over the next couple of years, and that 2024 would offer a safer environment and ensure the successful show exhibitors and visitors have come to expect.
The Canadian Woodlands Forum and partners will continue to update all exhibitors and look forward to working with partners towards a very successful event in 2024.
On the Cover:
The payback in doing your due diligence on mobile equipment purchases can be rewarding in a number of ways, everything from more efficient operations to operator satisfaction—and the Weyerhaeuser sawmill in Princeton, B.C. is seeing that in spades these days, with their new Sennebogen 850E machine, the largest Sennebogen log loader operating in Western Canada (Cover photo by Paul MacDonald).
Log haul convoys being lined up …
Semi-autonomous log haul convoys—that could help address driver shortages—may be in the cards for northern Ontario, with a pilot project having been completed this past summer.
Conference coming up in April
Attendees to the Council of Forest Industries of B.C.’s (COFI) annual convention will have plenty to talk about at the first in-person convention to be held in three years, being held in Vancouver April 27 to 29.
Brothers in forestry...and sawmilling
Two brothers—both foresters—have built a hardwood sawmill chain that works out of the forests of Ontario’s well-known Cottage Country, north of Toronto.
Doing your due diligence on equipment purchases
The folks at a Weyerhaeuser sawmill in B.C. did their due diligence with their new log loader—and that homework is now paying off with a very productive new Sennebogen machine.
Turnkey timber technology
Georgia-Pacific Lumber has brought another new high-tech sawmill on stream, provided on a turnkey basis by B.C.-based sawmill equipment supplier, BID Group.
B.C. salvage project delivers solid results
A few different log harvesting and wood grinding outfits were involved in a recent wildfire salvage project—that delivered solid results—in the Clinton Community Forest in the B.C. Interior.
The EDGE
Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, is a story from the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC).
Tech Update:
We take a look at the new features in log grapples.
The Last Word
The B.C. government is risking dimming the lights in the province’s forest industry with its recent decisions, including deferring harvesting of 2.6 million hectares of Crown-owned old growth forests.
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