September 2008

COVER Logger Greg Joe has put an awful lot of chips on the table starting up a wood chipping business in the BC Interior with a new Peterson 5000G portable chipper. But it’s more of a strategic business decision than a gamble, considering that there’s an ample supply of raw material and good chip demand from pulp mills. (Photo by Paul MacDonald)

Spotlight
The Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) project in Alberta—said to be the world’s largest forestry experiment—is in danger of coming to an end, unless financial support is found soon.

Diversifying into wood chipping BC logger Greg Joe has diversified into wood chipping with a Peterson 5000G chipper and is finding there’s good demand for product due to sawmill curtailments.

A solid production team
Nova Scotia’s John Nutter has built a solid production team with his new logging operation, and that extends to his Cat\TK equipment.

New training opportunity for employees
Forest companies need to offer training opportunities, but it can be a challenge to free up employees to send them offsite. The BC Institute of Technology offers a new distance learning, online-driven training option.

Keeping competitive —for more than 50 years
West Fraser Timber has had more than a half-century of success, and the company is continuing to improve its operations— most recently its Quesnel sawmill—to remain competitive in these tough lumber markets.

Trailers keep on truckin’
Facing long—and tough—truck hauls in Northern Ontario, Nor-Jean Transport has found solid transport trailer supplier and service partners in Titan Trailers and dealer, All North Truck Centre.

Big performer in big spruce in BC
It’s not all small, bug-killed pine in the BC Interior these days—a Keto 825 processing head paired with a John Deere 2554 carrier is delivering consistent performance in some big spruce for Stones Bay Holdings.

Power conservation equals mill profits
BC Hydro has introduced a new program that offers mills generous incentives to improve their energy conservation practices, providing much-need savings that drop right to the bottom line.

The Last Word:
With its potential to generate power and be converted into ethanol, wood biomass could be a gold mine for the forest industry, says Tony Kryzanowksi.

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