The Leading Logging Contractors in Alberta - Top 10

Welcome to Logging and Sawmilling Journal's continuing series identifying Canada's leading logging contractors.

In this issue, we feature Alberta's Top 10 Logging Contractors, based on harvesting volumes. These lists reflect our effort to determine the major players on a regional basis on the harvesting side of the industry. It's expected that as we see changes in the forest industry from region to region, there will also be changes in these lists as logging contractors experience fluctuations in their volumes from one year to the next. Some of the Alberta contractors on our list, for example, have seen volumes increase in the last year or two with the required accelerated harvesting of wood made necessary by forest fires in the province. Other fluctuations have taken place as a result of mill restructurings and industry consolidation.

The Canadian forest industry is rapidly changing, with new equipment and new methods being introduced on a regular basis. At Logging and Sawmilling Journal, we keep our readers up to date on those changes across the country. The structure of the harvesting side of the industry continues to evolve, with some forest companies looking to consolidate harvesting with fewer, larger logging contractors. In other areas, the trend seems to be towards more, smaller operators with specific functions, such as skidding, being contracted out. The concept to determine the major players on the contractor side of the industry grew out of Logging and Sawmilling Journal's annual feature in our February issue on the country's largest lumber producers. Our first installment of leading logging contractors-which ran in the September issue and focused on the coast and interior of British Columbia-has already generated strong reader interest.

Over the next few months, we will continue to publish these lists and look forward to your feedback. As a general rule, there are no records kept of the total annual volumes of logging contractors-except by the contractors themselves. LSJ has contacted industry associations, suppliers, mills and the contractors themselves to obtain this information. Again, for a variety of reasons, some contractors whose companies should appear on this list have requested exclusion from this feature. In view of that, the list is as complete as we could make it. We look forward to your feedback, however. If you have information that you think should be included, please contact us. We will be working east in future issues of the magazine, with top contractors from Saskatchewan and Manitoba to come next. Watch for the Prairie's Top Logging Contractors in our November issue.

#1. D & J ISLEY AND SONS CONTRACTING LTD Owners: Roy and Morgan Isley. Head office: Grande Prairie. Areas of operation: Fox Creek, Whitecourt and Grande Prairie. Soft and hardwood/Tree length and cut to length. Volume: 800,000 cubic metres

#2. VIDAR FOREST TECHNOLOGIES LTD Owner: Brian Peterson. Head office: Hythe. Area of operation: Grande Prairie. Soft and hardwood/Cutto length and tree length. Volume: 550,000 cubic metres

#3. DOUBLE B LOGGING LTD Owner: Leo Berube. Head office: Whitecourt. Areas of operation: Whitecourt, Wolf Lake. Soft and hardwood/ Tree length and cut to length. Volume: 550,000 cubic metres

#4. ZELL OILFIELD SERVICES LTD Owner: Les Zeller. Head office: Spruce Grove. Areas of operation: Slave Lake, Lac La Biche. Soft and hardwood/Tree length and cut to length. Volume: 500,000 cubic metres

#5. DECHANT LOGGING LTD Owners: Alphonse and Alvis Dechant. Head office: High Level. Areas of operation: High Level, Valleyview. Soft and hardwood/Tree length. Volume: 385,000 cubic metres

#6. BTL WOOD ENTERPRISES LTD Owners: Daniel Trembley and Marius Lebrun. Head office: Peace River. Area of operation: Northern Peace River. Soft and hardwood/Tree length. Volume: 379,000 cubic metres

#7. AUGER LOGGING LTD Owner: Eric Auger. Head office: Wabasca. Area of operation: around Slave Lake. Soft and hardwood/Tree length. Volume: 375,000 cubic metres

#8. GARDEN RIVER LOGGING CO 1988 (LTD) Owners: Danny, Wayne and Doug Dechant. Head office: High Level. Areas of operation: High Level, Manning. Soft and hardwood/ Tree length and cut to length. Volume: 350,000 cubic metres

#9. ROGER'S LOGGING LTD Owner: Roger Moore. Head office: Guy. Area of operation: Slave Lake. Soft and hardwood/Tree length and cut to length. Volume: 350,000 cubic metres

#10. LOBAR LOG TRANSPORT CO LTD Owners: Greg and Verne Jacob. Head Office: Drayton Valley. Area of operation: west central Alberta. Soft and hardwood/Tree Length and cut to length. Volume: 300,000 cubic metres.

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