October/November 2011

On the Cover:

British Columbia’s 450,000 kilometres of resource roads are under unprecedented pressures. In addition to being used by the forest industry, the roads are now the arteries for increased levels of exploration by the mining industry, and the oil and gas industry. Read about how the B.C. government is trying to streamline the plethora of different road rules, regulations and operational procedures on page 44 in this issue. (Photo by Jim Stirling)

Spotlight

The forest industry turnaround has started in one of B.C.’s most forest industry dependent-communities —Mackenzie—and in a very welcome move, people are being recalled back to work at the sawmill.

Deal with BC Hydro made bioenergy plant happen

Making the grade, lumber-wise

The recent installation of a completely computer-based grading machine in the planer mill at the Tolko High Level sawmill in Alberta shows that computerized grading systems can indeed make the grade.

Blazing a new business trail

Faced with the shutdown of the local sawmill, B.C. logger Ralph Stewart is blazing a new business trail these days, using B.C. government timber sales to keep his harvesting equipment busy.

Guest Column: Saving money with your fork lift equipment

Scott McLeod of Fleetman Consulting on how to save money through better management of fork lift equipment.

Steady sawmill hand

Thanks to regular equipment improvements and steady family hands running the company, Quebec’s Clermond Hamel sawmill has been able to survive the industry shakeout of the last few years, and is even expanding the business.

Getting Beyond Commodity OSB

Tolko’s Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan OSB operation is going beyond turning out commodity product, with the installation of new technology to create a more versatile forming line that is capable of producing other engineered wood products.

Towing timber

It may go back to days gone by, but forest company Conifex finds that moving logs by water is still a very efficient way to move timber, despite having to deal with the weather on Williston Lake in the B.C. Interior.

Taking forestry matters into their own hands

After years of forest industry frustration in northwestern B.C., the First Nations-owned Gitxsan Forest Enterprises Inc has taken matters into its own hands, and is actively managing, and harvesting, a forest licence the company purchased several years ago.

What’s in…The Edge!

Included in The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry—now incorporated into Logging and Sawmilling Journal—are stories on Canadian Wood Fibre Centre /Natural Resources Canada, Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions and FPInnovations research projects.

B.C. driving effort for safer resource roads

The B.C. government is trying to streamline the huge variety of different rules, regulations and operational procedures and in the process overhaul how the province’s resource roads can be more safely regulated.

Tech Update

Logging and Sawmilling Journal has the latest information on what’s new in lumber grade optimization equipment.

The Last Word

Tony Kryzanowski asks …Where is the wood lobby for Edmonton’s massive redevelopment plan?

Supplier Newsline

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B.C. driving effort for safer resource roads

The B.C. government is trying to streamline the huge variety of different rules, regulations and operational procedures and in the process overhaul how the province’s resource roads can be more safely regulated.

By Jim Stirling

British Columbia’s 450,000 kilometres of resource roads are under unprecedented pressures.

They are no longer simply the domain of the forest industry and the public seeking back country access. The roads are now the arteries for increased levels of exploration by the mining industry—driven by high commodity prices—and a migrating oil and gas sector seeking new opportunities from its traditional operating areas east of the Rocky Mountains. The problem is the bush road system was not designed or built for such heavy industrial users.

“It’s really an issue of capacity and who’s going to pay for it,” summarizes MaryAnne Arcand, executive director, member services with the Central Interior Logging Association (CILA) based in Prince George. “All three industries (forestry, mining and oil and gas) have different standards, rules, radio frequencies, costs and cost sharing mechanisms,” she says. “Right now, depending on location, it’s scary out there.”

The B.C. government is trying to streamline the plethora of different rules, regulations and operational procedures and in the process overhaul how the province’s resource roads can be more safely regulated. The proposed enabling legislation is the Natural Resource Road Act. Its intent is to establish a single legislative framework for use, construction, maintenance and management of resource roads. A government discussion paper is available online at www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/nrra/. Submissions to the government from interested and affected parties can be made until December 15, 2011.

“We’re at the table so we can help sort out liabilities and operational procedures and not have additional costs downloaded on to the logging contractor,” adds Arcand. Equipment like ore trucks and drilling rigs weigh considerably more than loaded logging trucks. With the increased payloads come the corresponding damage risk to roads not constructed to withstand them.

Arcand says a forest service road can be constructed to standard at 25 per cent the cost of a corresponding mining road.

This is the second time the provincial government has tried to get a grip on regulating the resource road issue. The first time around—in 2008—potential legislation was stalled when government decided more discussions with resource road users was required. “I am optimistic, although I don’t know how successful it will be,” reports Arcand of the present effort. “But there is a healthy appetite to get a grip on what’s going on."

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