Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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January/February 2021

VIRTUAL CONVENTION COVERAGE

BIG RECOVERY BOOST for Quebec’s Bois CFM sawmill with upgrade LANDRICH 2.0 HARVESTER IS LAUNCHED with New Brunswick loggers WITH THIS ISSUE...

ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF INDUSTRY INNOVATION

ENHANCING PELLET PRODUCTION at Pinnacle’s operations in the B.C. Cariboo

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FEATURES January/February 2021 Volume 52 • No. 1 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling, Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski Publisher/CEO Anthony Robinson • (604) 990-9970 E-Mail: robinson@forestnet.com

On the Cover: Logging contractor Tyler Backer of Pro Link Logging has seen a technological revolution within British Columbia’s forest industry, and says he’s always got an eye open for new harvesting equipment developments and techniques that might enhance Pro Link Logging’s efficiency. Read all about his logging approach—and the equipment he executes that approach with, such as this Hitachi 260 processor —beginning on page 18 of this issue (photo courtesy of Pro Link Logging).

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4 Spotlight:

30 Enhancing pellet

B.C. partnership steps up to the plate in training equipment operators

production—and quality— at Pinnacle

8

Big recovery boost for Quebec mill with upgrade

The BC Council of Forest Industries’ Annual Convention is going virtual for 2021, and we talk with COFI CEO Susan Yurkovich about the compelling speakers and the important issues in forestry that will be discussed at the convention in April—and what new U.S. President Joe Biden might mean for the industry.

47

The City of Quesnel, B.C. and partners are looking to step up to the plate to train logging equipment operators on harvesting methods new to most B.C. loggers.

virtual convention coming up

18

Dealing with changing logging logistics

Logging contractor Tyler Backer is dealing with changing logging logistics in the B.C. Interior these days, such as working in steeper ground—but he has the dedicated people and tough iron to successfully take it all on.

24

Landrich 2.0 is launched

The Landrich harvester 2.0 version has been launched by New Brunswick’s A. Landry Fabrication, and the new machine features a number of improvements suggested by very loyal customers of the original Landrich harvester.

Pinnacle Renewable Energy recently completed a $30 million investment package in B.C.’s Cariboo region designed to enhance pellet production efficiency—and product quality.

36

The Bois CFM Inc. sawmill in SainteFlorence, Quebec recently installed a new optimized primary and secondary line from USNR to meet growing customer demand, that will move its production to the next level.

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 (CWFC), FPInnovations and the Faculty of Forestry of University of B.C.

54 The Last Word

Jim Stirling takes a look ahead for the forest industry, beyond the recent elections, and COVID-19.

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar.................................................7 Tech Update.........................................42 Suppliernewsline...............................50 Classifieds...........................................53 Subscriptions......................................53 Ad Index...............................................53

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

3

spotlight

B.C. PARTNERSHIP STEPS UP TO THE PLATE

in training equipment operators The City of Quesnel, B.C. and partners are looking to step up to the plate to train logging equipment operators on harvesting methods new to most B.C. loggers.

By Jim Stirling

M

Erin Robinson (above), Forest Initiatives Manager for the City of Quesnel and primary project manager for the research pilot project, at a fuel management site near the Quesnel Airport that utilized single-grip harvesters, forwarders and handcrews for fuel abatement (Photo credit by Dominic Robinson).

4

uch of the forest landscape in the British Columbia Interior has significantly changed during the last 20 years. The implications of those changes are profound.

As an illustration, alterations in the composition of the remaining forest stands means the previous log harvesting systems may no longer be appropriate and new methods need to be adopted. But using the different types of logging equipment and harvesting methods that are now required underlines a significant regional shortage of the operators qualified to implement them.

The City of Quesnel and its partners have stepped up to the plate to help redress the situation. The group is devising an operator training proposal unlike others in the province. It has borrowed from the experience gained in selective harvesting and thinning techniques regularly employed in eastern Canada. Those types of harvesting systems were pioneered in Scandinavia, but until relatively recently have represented unfamiliar territory to most B.C. loggers.

The Quesnel group’s training program will focus on the understanding, appreciation and operation of two key pieces of equipment: single grip harvesters and forwarders. The two machines are key to operating the harvesting systems the group believes will be increasingly used in forests across the B.C. Interior region.

The Quesnel Selective Harvesting Research and Innovation Pilot Project has applied for a $1.7 million grant from the B.C. Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. If all the pieces fall

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

to page 6

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spotlight from page 4 into place, the first crop of student operators will begin their training at Quesnel in March 2021, anticipates Erin Robinson, Forest Initiatives Manager for the City of Quesnel and primary project manager for the research pilot project.

“Quesnel is in the heart of a pivotal transition occurring in B.C.’s interior ecosystem.” points out Robinson. “Changes in training and workforce development will be necessary to navigate this transition.” She adds some background. “The state and condition of forests comprising the Quesnel Forest District have changed greatly in the last 20 years, substantially influenced by the large scale beetle outbreaks and landscape level fire disturbances,” she explains. “Managing forest land to restore its resilience to potential disturbances and mitigating their impacts is part of our objectives,” she says.

One of the factors involved with the process is looking closer at the options presented by less economic stands. These include young forest stands that have resulted from salvage harvesting activities, and opportunities offered by mature but

“Quesnel is in the heart of a pivotal transition occurring in B.C.’s interior ecosystem.

Changes in training and workforce development will be necessary to navigate this transition.” vulnerable older stands. Selective harvesting is viewed as a way of restoring resiliency and the integrity of mature stands while commercial thinning techniques can be applied to benefit the young forest stands.

“The project proponents are certain advanced approaches to research, technology and best practices from eastern Canada and Scandinavia can be transferred/adapted to develop state of the art solutions tailored to the unique conditions in B.C.,” continues Robinson.

Quesnel City Council, led by Mayor

Bob Simpson, has taken the initiative to be in the vanguard of accommodating change, an unusual role for a municipality. Quesnel is one of the more definitive forest industry dependent communities in B.C. It is home to a range of large and small forest industry enterprises and a broad-based industrial expertise pool.

Mayor and council believe the forests surrounding Quesnel can be an incubator for ideas on how forest management can be shaped to address climate change challenges and new forest product development. The city’s pro-active attitude is reflected in several ways. It hosted a “think tank” in 2018 to generate ideas from a wider cross section of people. It followed up with a second one the following year. Quesnel was working toward acquiring a partnership in a community forest licence. A Forest Innovation Centre was established in Quesnel in part to help the public better understand the forest industry’s transition. The new worker training initiative was another of the ideas to emerge from the “think tank” process and mature into action.

As with its other ventures, the Quesnel group cast a wide net to trawl for the best

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spotlight expertise at home and abroad to assist with curriculum development, course content and program review for its initial training period between November 2020 and 2023.

Robinson says the three primary project partners are the Department of Forest Resource Management, University of British Columbia; Natural Resources Finland; and the Forest Initiatives Program staff in Quesnel.

Project partners are: Forest Liaison Inc, a provider of operator training for the timber harvesting sector, established in New Brunswick in 2007; the College of New Caledonia, serving B.C.’s Central Interior since 1969; West Fraser Mills, a large integrated forest company founded in Quesnel in 1955; FPInnovations, a not-for-profit organization supporting Canada’s global competitiveness in forestry; and Valhalla Equipment, an authorized Ponsse dealer.

program designed for Ponsse harvester and forwarder operations will provide trainees exposure in a non-threatening learning environment with immediate real time feedback from the technology.

“The findings from the Quesnel case study can then be scaled up to the provincial level by offering a ‘how to guide’ for other training institutions and by offering training in Quesnel to students from around the province (and beyond) by 2023,” concludes Robinson.

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The Quesnel group’s training program will focus on the understanding, appreciation and operation of two key pieces of equipment: single grip harvesters and forwarders.

Project collaborators include local First Nations governments and local log harvesting contractors who have embraced the use of harvesters and forwarders.

Project supporters include the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Land, Natural Resource Operations; the Likely Community Forest; the Williams Lake Community Forest; B.C. Forest Safety Council; and Community Futures. The Fraser Basin Council will be the evaluator of the first three-year course.

The plan for the program’s first threeyear period is to train 12 students in three groups of four, each within a 15-week program delivery period. Priority will be extended to students in the Quesnel and surrounding areas and those impacted by mill closures and other forest industry curtailments. Each training group will include one female and one First Nation representative.

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industryevents

THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT AT VIRTUAL CONVENTION The COFI annual convention will be virtual this year due to COVID-19, but there will still be plenty of topics covered off—such as the new occupant in the White House, and what that means for the forest industry.

8

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

industryevents

“We plan to offer a rich and impactful program with the Council of Forest Industries’ virtual annual convention,” says Susan Yurkovich, president and CEO of COFI.

Susan Yurkovich

By Jim Stirling

L

ife has been turned inside out for more than a year for individuals and businesses—including the forest industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen to that.

Knowledge about COVID, vaccines to combat it and rules governing our behaviours in dealing with it continue to change regularly. One consistent thread has been and continues to be the bans on corporate travel and in-person events which continue to be regularly enforced across the country and around the world.

COVID-19 has become a huge impediment to conducting business in anything approaching the normal fashion.

That considered, the British Columbia Council of Forest Industries (COFI) is writing a new page in its history by turning to technology. COFI’s 2021 annual convention will be presented in a virtual format. The half-day event will take place Thursday, April 8. “We plan to offer a rich and impactful program,” promises Susan Yurkovich, president and CEO of COFI. Participation in the virtual event is essentially a matter of registration. “It’s very simple,” she adds.

One of the features of past COFI conventions has been the attraction of

keynote speakers worthy of the appellation. Work was underway at Logging and Sawmilling Journal’s press time to uphold the tradition.

On the agenda is Katrine Conroy, the B.C. Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, in her initial official appearance before a COFI audience.

The recently appointed forests minister is the NDP MLA for Kootenay West.

Yurkovich said the event organizers were working toward assembling a panel discussion to focus on the role and value

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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9

Tall wood buildings moving ahead in B.C.

industryevents

T

here will be a variety of topics under discussion at the upcoming Council of Forest Industries (COFI) annual convention, including the growing use of wood in construction in Canada.

COFI is of course a strong supporter of wood use in all types of construction, and that advocacy by the industry has paid off in B.C.’s largest city—Vancouver.

Last year, Vancouver City Council approved bylaw amendments allowing mass timber construction up to 12 storeys for residential and commercial use.

“Vancouver City Council has taken an important step, seizing Vancouver’s green building opportunity while also supporting an industry that is a cornerstone of the B.C. economy,” said Susan Yurkovich, COFI President and CEO. “By giving the green light to building taller wood buildings, Vancouver is advancing its work to combat climate change and supporting forestry-related jobs right here in the Lower Mainland and in every corner of the province.”

Building with sustainably harvested, renewable, low-carbon wood products is emerging as a safe go-to solution in jurisdictions around the world looking to reduce their GHG footprint, notes COFI. That is because carbon remains in the wood not only for the life of the tree, but for decades after—in products such as lumber, millwork or furniture.

The City of Vancouver joined municipalities across B.C. that are embracing green building as a climate change solution. This includes flagship projects such as the Brock Commons Tallwood House at the University of British Columbia—which, at the time of its construction, was the tallest mass timber building in the world. The B.C. government’s commitment to use B.C. wood in the construction of the new St. Paul’s Hospital and in more public infrastructure are other good examples of the leadership being shown, and all good steps in maximizing the opportunity for using B.C. wood, says COFI.

10

from page 9 of partnerships within the association’s activities. Also on the virtual event’s agenda is a further edition of the CEO panel.

It’s an informal discussion, more of a chat really, among some of the key forest company executives in the province. The event has proven hugely popular with the audience because the conversations about the day’s most pertinent issues tend to be frank and forthright. The participants are also available for questions.

The last keynote address is traditionally reserved for the premier of B.C. Yurkovich says it’s hoped John Horgan will maintain the habit in this first virtual event. www.Cofi.org is the place to go for the

latest info on the speaker’s list and full registration information.

The COFI convention is usually by far the largest gathering of the forest sector in western Canada. It brings together industry executives, managers, suppliers, business and professional services along with government, community and First Nations leaders.

Technology will allow COFI’s 2021 annual convention to proceed in its abbreviated form. “We think it’s important to still connect,” adds Yurkovich.

But the trade show component of the convention won’t be presented in its

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industryevents

from page 10 normal and informative fashion. There’s a further, more intangible ingredient that will be missing from the usual COFI convention experience in 2021: the opportunity to renew old industry friendships and connecting through networking is the glue of good business and an essentially enjoyable part of it.

Yurkovich is adamant that element will return to the COFI convention tradition just as soon as it can be, hopefully in Vancouver in 2022.

In the meantime, the B.C. forest industry has a challenging year ahead to navigate as effectively as it can. Fittingly, it’s characterized by change in leadership. In the U.S., President Trump is out and President Biden is in.

“Our proposition is that there will greater stability and less volatility,” says Yurkovich, with the new administration taking over the White House. She expects more international ties to organizations like the World Trade Organization to be reinvigorated and other connections made to the broader industry.

The U.S continues to be Canada’s number one market for lumber and other wood products. And while work will most definitely continue to further Canada’s position, Yurkovich is not predicting major changes to the U.S. stance of placing financial impediments on Canada’s softwood lumber imports into the United States. Canada’s case is habitually vindicated in international trade rulings but only after a protracted process and financial hardships for Canadian softwood lumber producers.

Yurkovich reckons that public health related issues will dominate the domestic U.S agenda, as COVID continues.

Meanwhile, she notes, the U.S. housing market has been to page 14 12

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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from page 12 and remains strong. It rose 4.5 per cent between November and the end of 2020.

The growth includes the single family dwelling sector which is good news for Canadian lumber manufacturers. “Wood is a green building material which offers a climate change solution,” she adds.

At the time of going to press it remained to be seen what forest policies the B.C. NDP might introduce now that it’s

backed by a majority government. Premier Horgan has talked in the past about B.C.’s forest industry being in transition from a high volume industry to a high value one. “We have a strong secondary manufacturing sector now in B.C.,” says Yurkovich. “It’s not either or.” A strong primary sector is what supports the value added sector, she points out.

Yurkovich says COFI has talked to the B.C. government about the possibility of creating a working forest in the province.

COFI launched the idea most recently a couple of years ago. “We need secure access to fibre at a reasonable cost,” she explains. B.C. needs to be a jurisdiction that can compete with others around the world, she asserts.

The forest industry remains a cornerstone of the B.C. economy representing more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs. The situation was reinforced and amplified through a study conducted on behalf on COFI based on 2019 and 2020 data. The study revealed how deeply and uniformly the forest industry positively influences the B.C. economy.

The 19 members of COFI purchased some $7 billion worth of goods and services in 2019 from nearly 1,900 B.C.based companies and indigenous suppliers from every region of the province.

“This study clearly demonstrates how our forest industries’ deep roots are supporting workers and families right across our province,” explains Yurkovich of the regional supply chain study report.

The survey provided further insights.

Drilling down, it showed COFI members purchased $2 billion worth of goods and services from 2,100 businesses located across 19 municipalities in Metro Vancouver. Vancouver-based companies were

to page 16 14

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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industryevents from page 14 the top recipients of forest industry supply chain spend, with local purchases totaling $978 million.

The study assessed the supply chain spend and reach of COFI member companies. It found that more than 340 communities and 120 First Nations and organizations of all sizes benefited economically from the forest industry supply chain.

On Vancouver Island, $1.2 billion worth of goods and services were purchased from 1,600 suppliers, with more than a quarter of them located in Nanaimo. In the North, Prince George was home to 970 forestry suppliers that provided $718 million in goods and services. And more than 550 businesses from Kelowna and Kamloops in the Interior provided a combined $220 million of the forestry supply chain spend.

Importantly, the study confirmed that forestry is also a primary industry in many indigenous communities. Forest business agreements between the industry and First Nations generated about $250 million in economic benefit to indigenous business communities participating in the industry.

“As we look to recover from the devastating impact of this global pandemic, our sector can help light more British Columbians up by keeping our operations running and continuing to buy goods and services from local businesses,” says Yurkovich.

“To do this, we need to work together to address the challenges we face and seize new opportunities ensuring our deep roots continue to be the foundation for strong communities, sustainable growth and shared prosperity for long into the future,” she concludes.

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contractorprofile

Dealing with changing

LOGGING LOGISTICS Logging contractor Tyler Backer is dealing with changing logging logistics in the B.C. Interior these days, such as working in steeper ground—but he has the dedicated people and tough iron to successfully take it all on.

By Jim Stirling

I

Tyler Backer (above) heads up Pro Link Logging, a family-rooted business based in Quesnel in B.C.’s North Cariboo region. Pro Link is a full stump-to-dump logging contractor with all the equipment needed to produce up to 250,000 cubic metres of wood a year.

18

f there is a normal work week for logging contractor Tyler Backer these days, it would be roughly organized into twos and threes. Two days in the office and around town tackling essential business there, and three days in the bush getting his boots dirty.

At the age of 36, Backer has grown up during a technological revolution within British Columbia’s forest industry. The results of that revolution embrace and direct many day-to-day activities. Backer says he’s always got an eye open for new harvesting equipment developments and techniques that might enhance Pro Link Logging’s efficiency.

The virtual world that technology makes so readily available is handy for many things—but Backer still prefers reality when it comes to other parts of

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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contractorprofile from page 18 the logging contractor’s job. Checking out a new block prior to harvesting is an example. It makes more sense to Backer to do that in person, slogging it out on the ground the old fashioned way. It helps him to better understand the lay of the land and identify issues before they can develop into problems. “Being in the bush just helps clear the head out. It works for us,” he says.

Pro Link Logging is a family-rooted business based in Quesnel in B.C.’s North Cariboo region. “We’re a full stumpto-dump logging contractor with all the equipment needed to produce up to 250,000 cubic metres of wood a year,” says Backer.

That level of wood volume is a long haul from the company’s early days in Quesnel, back in the late 1980s. Tyler recalls one of his Dad’s (Rob) early jobs was running a small skidding contract for Weldwood of Canada, whose operations were later taken over by West Fraser Timber. Besides his Dad, other direct family involvement in the business included Tyler’s sister, Samantha, and his uncle, Ed, who at 72 still works with the company.

Tyler Backer began his working career in the bush as a high schooler working with his Dad. But later fate was to derail the company’s development and equilibrium. Rob Backer was killed in a road traffic accident in 2009. The younger Backer found himself with a load of responsibilities at the toughest of times.

“I was so young at 25 and we had no secure contract at the time and we had people to find work for,” he relates.

The Backer family buckled down and regrouped. This process included forging a key business relationship with West Fraser Timber. Today, Backer’s log contracting company has an Evergreen contract with West Fraser to supply 140,000 cubic metres of wood a year to the company’s sawmill in Quesnel. The balance of wood the company harvests—up to the 225,000 to 250,000 cubic metre range—is sourced through timber sales and private wood.

Most of the company’s wood is in the Barkerville area, hilly and broken country to the north and east of Quesnel.

“The logging logistics are changing there. We’re doing a lot more moving between smaller blocks and in steeper ground,” explains Backer. “We have to build more new roads. All the easier blocks have gone.”

Pro Link Logging has an interesting and versatile cast of production logging equipment to meet its obligations, including three feller bunchers, a John Deere 959M and a 903K which are joined by a Tigercat 877C.

to page 22 20

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

contractorprofile

Most of Pro Link Logging’s wood is in the Barkerville area of the B.C. Interior, hilly and broken country to the north and east of Quesnel. The logging logistics are changing there, with the company doing a lot more moving between smaller blocks and in steeper ground. from page 20 Backer’s log harvesting activities are neatly complemented through a sister operation. Quesnel Sand and Gravel involves a gravel pit operation complete with all the material moving equipment and a batch plant. “We can gravel our own logging roads and that’s helped us keep the trucking moving,” he points out.

The logging company has an in-house low bedding capability. “There are some good low bedding contractors locally, but every company has its own approach and having our own has worked for us.”

The company-owned gravel pit operation has added benefits. “It helps keep our employees working during break-up or when we’re rained out of the bush.

The graveling operation also helps when the logging industry is slow, as it has been for the last couple of years,” continues Backer.

The backbone for any successful logging contractor is the people working for it and the equipment supplied and supported to get the job done efficiently.

Backer reckons he’s on solid ground on both those critical levels. “This business has been successful because of my dedicated employees,” he states. Many of the 50 or so people involved including the truck drivers, office staff and equipment operators have been with the company for years, he adds. They know their jobs.

People like bush supervisor Todd Lloyd and head mechanic Dustin Dick help keep the operation’s core logging functions running smoothly, says Backer.

“And I feel it’s important to maintain a good relationship with our suppliers like the Inland Group which supplies us with Tigercat equipment and our Kenworth logging trucks. Wajax supply us with our Hitachi equipment, that we use for our processing and log loading duties,” explains Backer. “Both of those dealers offer us good service.” And both have full dealerships in Quesnel, making them both readily available when required.

Backer’s logging company has assembled an interesting and versatile cast of production logging equipment for it to meet its obligations. There are three

Tyler Backer credits the success of Pro Link Logging to its employees, many of whom have been with the company for years, and know their jobs inside out. Tyler’s uncle, Ed Backer (above with their John Deere 850J dozer), is 72 and still works with the company.

22

feller bunchers, a John Deere 959M and a 903K which are joined by a Tigercat 877C. Skidding duties are provided by Tigercat machines, a 635E and a 630D. A Tigercat 875 decking machine is joined by a Hitachi 240 log loader used as a decking machine. There are four processors: two Hitachi 260s with Waratah 623C processing heads; a Hitachi 240 with a similar Waratah head; and a Hitachi 210 with a Waratah 622B head.

Other key equipment includes a Hitachi 260 road builder; a John Deere 210G excavator; Cat D6T and D6D dozers; a Deere 850J dozer and a Case CX210B excavator. There’s also a Hitachi 370 log loader and a 976G Volvo grader for use on bush roads.

Backer favours using Kenworth trucks in both his logging and gravelling operations, typically eight units and five respectively, with a couple of Western Stars complementing the fleet.

Adhering to preventive maintenance schedules and conscientious operators are key to getting the optimum performance from logging trucks and logging equipment. Becker says he looks to replace his logging trucks every four years or so.

Replacement decisions for log harvesting equipment varies upon a number of factors, he explains. These include function.

For example, if main production machines like processors and bunchers are regularly double shifted. The additional hours can influence the machine’s resale value.

These are volatile times for the forest industry in general and no less so than in Central B.C. Backer feels his logging company has weathered the storm relatively well so far.

“Our company is at a good size right now to operate in the most efficient way we can,” reckons Backer. “We will always look ahead at what’s available for us to log and we will plan accordingly.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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equipmentprofile

LANDRICH 2.0 is launched The relatively new Landrich harvester 2.0 features a number of improvements suggested by very loyal customers of the original Landrich harvester.

By George Fullerton

A

fter a decade producing the Landrich harvester, A. Landry Fabrication launched the Landrich 2.0 version late in 2019.

In the past 10 years, the purpose built Landrich tracked harvester has gained a solid reputation for reliability and productivity. The harvester was a vision of Armand Landry, founder of A. Landry Fabrication and a founding principal of ALPA Equipment based in Balmoral, a small village located in northeast New Brunswick.

Over the last decade, A. Landry Fabrication produced 42 machines in their modest manufacturing and assembly shop in Balmoral. The harvesters were marketed through ALPA Equipment in the Maritimes, and Hydromec Inc. in northern Quebec.

Yves-Michel Thibeault is the operations

manager and chief engineer for A. Landry Fabrication, and he coordinated the development and testing of the original Landrich, and has also led the development of the 2.0 version.

Asking Thibeault what is new about the 2.0 series of the Landrich harvester, he noted that some of the machine has remained the same. “Basically, the track frame and the booms are the same—but beyond that, just about everything has been changed.”

The 2.0 version sports a new cab, a new Tier 4 Mercedes-Benz engine, new engine cover panels (to cover the Tier 4 hardware), a slightly increased tail swing (due to Tier 4), and a new all inclusive control system (which includes machine tracking control) developed with Ponsse.

“We upgraded and tuned up the crane and tracking valving, and our customers say that the 2.0 is a whole different machine,” said Thibeault.

Yves-Michel Thibeault is the operations manager and chief engineer for A. Landry Fabrication, and he coordinated the development and testing of the original Landrich, and has also led the development of the 2.0 version 24

By March 2020, two machines had been delivered to customers and were working in northern New Brunswick.

A third was nearing completion and destined to be the highlight of the ALPA Equipment booth at the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show in Moncton, though that show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. (Note: The 2021 version of the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show has been postponed to 2022. It will now take place April 13-14, 2022 at the Moncton Coliseum Complex.)

But, no pun intended, the new machine is getting traction.

“As soon as the first two machines were out working, word about the improvements got around and we immediately had orders for six more machines,” said Thibeault.

Thibeault described the 2.0 Landrich as a simpler design, which incorporates a lot of improvements suggested by past customers.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

“By simpler, we mean that we made the design less complex,” he says.

The design improvements mean that maintenance and repairs are less complicated, and provide owners with more uptime and, consequently, greater production.

The Landrich cab was redesigned on the original footprint.

The new design features a tilted windshield, which increases operator space and comfort, and requires no wiper. The are three escape hatches, and the design has been ROPS accredited.

Serge Landry, the son of Armand Landry, and now president of ALPA Equipment, shared that the flat window replacing the curved widow of the original Landrich came as result of requests by customers. Additionally, it provides the option to design a feller buncher model of the Landrich. Landry said the new cab design meets all relevant international safety regulations including west coast G603 and G604 when using the OEM add-on package.

The new Landrich is currently produced with the same D6HD-style undercarriage as the original Landrich, but the 2.0 version is designed to accommodate a D7 undercarriage in the future, levelling technology and the ability to handle bigger heads.

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25

equipmentprofile from page 25 The cab also features an improved HVAC system, with the air routed through galleries in the floor, walls and ceiling.

Vents in the air galleries direct air to keep windows condensation free, and the operator comfortable. The air galleries are insulated to reduce condensation potential caused by cold winter temperatures on the exterior walls of the cab. A. Landry worked with a Texas-based manufacturer to improve the HVAC system.

The condenser for the HVAC system is installed in front of the engine radiator.

When spec’ing the Tier 4 power plant for the Landrich 2.0, Mercedes-Benz engineers came to the A. Landry facilities to load test the installed engine under a range of atmospheric temperature extremes. Thibeault said the engine was designed and tuned to perform under a full spectrum of environmental conditions that the Landrich is expected to work in.

Serge Landry pointed out that the Mercedes engine in the Landrich 2.0 is designed with the option to add twin turbos, for a horsepower boost to meet design options including D7 undercarriage and different market requirements.

The new Tier 4 engine has five more horsepower than the original Landrich, but is tuned to have more low end torque, which improves engine and overall machine performance.

Outwardly, the Landrich 2.0 sports larger upper body cowlings, per the Tier 4 engine hardware. Thibeault explained that there was a great deal of attention paid to ensuring the cowlings fit in order to limit the ingress of debris.

Thibeault pointed out that the new Landrich has an unsymmetrical appearance, which is amplified when body panels are opened. The engine is oriented at an angle relative to the cab, in an effort to minimize size of the upper body. He also pointed out that the engine is situated so that it allows access to both sides for service.

With the first iteration of the Landrich, A. Landry made an agreement with Ponsse to utilize the Ponsse Ergo harvester technology for upper body functions, and basically tricked the technology to work for a tracked machine. The original series of Landrich relied on Rexroth proprietary technology for tracking functions.

Thibeault explained that when plans advanced for the Landrich 2.0, Ponsse was invited to assist with machine controls, and their engineers and developers collaborated with A. Landry to develop a 26

unique and dedicated complete machine control system which includes tracking functions. Operators who have tested the new Landrich say the result is a very smooth operating machine.

“Operators say the old Landrich was great, and Landrich 2.0 is a whole step better,” commented Thibeault.

The initial introduction and live demo of the Landrich 2.0 was scheduled for the Fall Meeting and Field tour of the Canadian Woodlands Forum, back in 2019.

Thibeault explained that the machine came directly out of the paint shop, to the demo site.

“I had just made final adjustments to pressures, but I had not been able to test them prior to putting it to work. As it turned out, the Landrich 2.0 worked perfect, and the audience of more than 100 people (woodlands staff and contractors) to page 28

The Landrich 2.0 gets the thumbs up from operators

M

iguel and Terry Mallais own and manage Aurele Mallais et Fils Ltee., which was originally founded by their grandfather, Aurele, who built the forest and construction operation into a major business.

Eric Mallais (Miguel’s uncle) has worked 30 years with the company, initially as a truck driver, and for the past seven years he has operated their Landrich harvester. Eric had five weeks’ experience in the Landrich 2.0 when he shared his impression of the new machine.

Eric notes the Landrich 2.0 has a lot more swing power, and boom action is extremely smooth, providing greater control on the harvest head. He commented that the new machine is very stable, which is a bonus for production, as well as minimizing operator fatigue quite a bit.

Eric especially likes the new windshield, declaring it “amazing”. He also said the heating ventilation system worked perfectly, pointing out “the system is strong, pushing a lot of air, which should be good for AC through the summer”.

“And the space in the cab!” added Eric. “There were four men in the cab when the machine was first delivered.”

Eric said that the spacious cab will be perfect for training new operators.

“The seat and controls are perfectly situated. I don’t get tired on the machine and it is really fun to operate.”

Commenting on servicing access, Eric shared another ‘WOW!’ “Everything is easy to access, and easy to clean. The designers did a great job for the operators, making servicing and cleaning easy.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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equipmentprofile from page 26 were impressed with the machine.”

Contractors and operators who tried out the first 2.0 model were unanimously impressed with the machine—and word travelled fast, and orders came in quickly.

The first two Landrich machines were sold to contractors who had many years’ experience with their original Landrich model.

ALPA Equipment sales rep Jasmin LeBlanc closed the deal with Serge Desrosier, on the first Landrich 2.0. He said there are a number of reasons that some contractors prefer tracked harvesters. He said that sometimes their preference is based on their long established familiarity with tracks—and some contractors find that tracks function better in deep snow conditions. He went on to say some operators find tracks provide greater stability and are able to better handle steep and rough terrain.

Serge Desrosier took delivery of the first Landrich 2.0 and put it to work beside their original Landrich harvester.

Desrosier realized high productivity with the original Landrich, and was confident the 2.0 would also be a good investment.

Serge and his late father Paul-Albert,

28

are long-established in forestry—the family has been in the contracting business for 50 years.

Serge Landry recalled a discussion between the late Paul-Albert Desrosier and his father, Armand Landry.

“Paul-Albert was visiting the ALPA headquarters and approached Armand, declaring, ‘It makes no sense that machine (Landrich)’.

“My father thought they must be having problems with the Landrich, and asked Paul-Albert what was wrong.”

Paul-Albert replied: “In all my life, I have never seen a machine like that. It is the best machine we have ever had. And it is built here in New Brunswick, in my backyard. It makes no sense!!”

To help meet what it expects to be good demand for the new harvester, the A. Landry Fabrication plan is looking at expanding their machine shop and assembly shop.

“We plan to commence on an addition to the assembly shop which will give us room to add overhead cranes, to streamline the assembly process,” said Thibeault.

“We will also create a separate space for wiring and electronics assembly. The expansion will also allow us to improve

our parts storage, since we now have two Landrich models to support.”

Thibeault describes the A. Landry machine shop as ‘old school’, with manually operated machines, all of which are operated by talented and committed machinists and welders. Thibeault explained that A. Landry Fabrication is a family business, committed to providing a high standard of products and services for their customers.

He added that the business ethic extends to the employees, who share the commitment to building on the continued success of the Landrich brand.

Serge Landry shared some business strategy for Landrich. “In the short term, our goal is to fill the domestic demand throughout the Maritime provinces, selling Landrich through our ALPA dealerships, and then gradually, expand to the rest of Canada and the world.

“Since the debut of the Landrich, we have had requests from many countries to buy Landrich harvesters. However, our production capacity could not fill the demand. Our plan for the future is to increase our production capacity to meet demand, but it will be done on a step by step basis.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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addedvalue The expansion of Pinnacle’s wood fibre capacity in the Williams Lake region has reinvigorated an industry: the chipping, grinding and delivery of harvest residual material and other ground wood fibre sources.

Enhancing pellet production—

and quality—at Pinnacle Pinnacle Renewable Energy recently completed a $30 million investment package in B.C.’s Cariboo region designed to enhance pellet production efficiency—and product quality.

By Jim Stirling

C

ollateral consequences result when one forest industry sector unduly influences another.

That is what has been happening recently with the sawmilling sector in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. The ripple effects from changes to the sawmill30

ing sector have impacted the availability of the traditional raw material used in the manufacture of wood pellets. The situation meant new fibre sources for making pellets were necessary.

Fortunately Pinnacle Renewable Energy, a large industrial wood pellet manufacturing firm, was well advanced with contingency planning.

The company recently completed an approximately $30 million investment package on its production facilities in the Cariboo region, with an emphasis on accommodating a broader-based and more versatile fibre supply architecture. It’s designed to enhance pellet production efficiency and product quality without any interruptions in supply for Pinnacle’s

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

addedvalue

Scott Bax, Pinnacle’s chief operating officer, oversees the safe and cost effective production of quality wood products in Pinnacle’s nine industrial wood pellet manufacturing facilities in western Canada, and one in Alabama.

international customers.

The forest industry structure in the Cariboo was very different in 2006 when Pinnacle designed its Williams Lake pellet making facility.

“The plant was designed to use 100 per cent sawmill residuals like sawdust and shavings,” explained Scott Bax, Pinnacle’s chief operating officer.

But the forest products industry in the Cariboo has been subjected to a prolonged period of restructuring culminating in the period between 2016 and 2018.

Sawmill closures and production curtailments were contributing to a decrease

in and intermittent supply of sawmill residues.

“The dry sawmilling residues were being increasingly replaced by wetter materials with a higher percentage of harvest residuals and slash material,” noted Bax, who is responsible for the safe and cost effective production of quality wood products in Pinnacle’s plants. Pinnacle operates nine industrial wood pellet manufacturing facilities in western Canada and one in Alabama.

“We basically chose to install in our Williams Lake plant a single pass bed dryer manufactured by Stela in Germany,”

said Bax. The selection represented a known technology for Pinnacle. The company had installed two Stela bed dryers at its pellet plant in Lavington, B.C. and followed it up more recently with a similar installation at its Smithers, B.C. facility.

“One of the key reasons for installing the bed dryer is that it operates at much lower temperatures, around 110 degrees Celsius, compared with temperatures in some rotary dryers of 500 degrees Celsius,” he explained. “The pellet feedstock

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

to page 32 31

addedvalue from page 31 spends a longer time and with lower temperatures in the six-metre-wide to 40-metre-long Stela bed dryer.”

Pinnacle says the slower drying approach delivers a raft of advantages to preparing the Williams Lake plant’s new furnish supply for pellet manufacturing.

The advantages include the more even drying of the variety of material now being used; the system improves particle dispersion; prevents the over-drying of smaller particles and it lowers fire risks.

Low temperature bed drying is also said to have the lowest emission concentrations of any fibre drying technology.

Pinnacle has been very aware throughout the Williams Lake upgrade project to maintain the integrity of the local airshed.

The pellet plant is located in an industrial

area adjacent to downtown. “Drying at lower temperatures provides an improved emission profile,” notes Bax. The installation of the new dryer in Williams Lake is supported by other plant improvements and upgrades. These include the installation of two CSE Bliss Manufacturing hammermills designed to better reduce the plant’s coarser fibre mix. A cyclo-filters baghouse system supplied by Allied Blower & Sheet Metal was also installed during the Williams Lake upgrade along with a fire and explosion solution for combustible dust supplied

by CV Technology of Jupiter, Florida.

Bax gave additional credit to Continental Conveyor crews from Thetford Mines, Quebec which supplied all the chains and conveyors necessary to efficiently link the renovated plant together. “They were exceptional,” he added.

The project provided an opportunity to implement minor upgrades with other plant equipment where needed, including the five Andrtiz biomass pelletizing machines and the GreCon spark detection system. Pinnacle’s Williams Lake plant can now process up to 50,000 additional tonnes of woody debris, material that had typically been left in the bush after logging for burning.

About $10 million of the total Pinnacle invested in the Cariboo region was dedicated to a project at the company’s Meadowbank pellet manufacturing plant located about 40 kilometres north of Quesnel, continued Bax. The prime objective there was to install a new wet electrostatic precipitator supplied to page 34

Pinnacle Renewable Energy’s $30 million investment package on its production facilities in the Cariboo region of B.C. have an emphasis on accommodating a broader-based and more versatile fibre supply architecture. The upgrades included a single pass bed dryer manufactured by Stela in Germany, installed at its Williams Lake plant.

32

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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addedvalue from page 32

The ripple effects from changes to the B.C. sawmilling sector have impacted the availability of the traditional raw material used in the manufacture of wood pellets.

The situation meant new fibre sources for making pellets were necessary—and Pinnacle has responded accordingly.

through LDX Solutions of Seattle. “It’s an emissions control device that cleans up particulate and non-particulate matter,” he explained.

The project allows Pinnacle to significantly upgrade its environmental controls following the plant’s commissioning in 2011. The project also contributed some incremental production capacity.

The COVID-19 pandemic left its impacts on both the Williams Lake and Meadowbank projects. Bax said COVID necessitated an approximate six-week pause of the Williams Lake upgrade. “The Williams Lake plant is now operating very well,” he reported, on the cusp of the 2020-2021 winter operating season.

The expansion of Pinnacle’s wood fibre capacity in the Williams Lake region has reinvigorated an industry: the chipping, grinding and delivery of harvest residual material and other ground wood fibre sources. Pinnacle has two fibre supply agreements. One is with Tsi Del Biomass Ltd., a subsidiary of the joint venture between the Tsi Del Nation and Tolko Ltd. In turn, Tsi Del Biomass is working with the Williams Lake First Nation to increase utilization of biomass for both groups.

Pinnacle’s other agreement is in the form of a fibre supply deal with the Esk’etemc Nation through Alkali Resource Management, the First Nations’ integrated resource management company.

Pinnacle’s two fibre supply agreements with the First Nations have advantages for all the signatories. Marginal, damaged and dead wood fibre will be converted into valuable products. The land can be re-planted, promoting carbon capture and reducing wild fire risks. And that constitutes a positive collateral consequence.

Pinnacle to be acquired by Drax Group

I

n a deal announced in early-February that shakes up the wood pellet production market, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc. has entered into an agreement with British-based Drax Group plc, which will result in Drax acquiring Pinnacle for $831 million.

“The combination of Pinnacle and Drax will create a global leader in sustainable biomass with the vision, technical expertise and financial strength to help meet the growing demand for renewable energy products around the world,” said Duncan Davies, Pinnacle CEO.

34

Will Gardiner, Chief Executive Officer of Drax, said the deal will reinforce Drax’s position as the world’s leading sustainable biomass generation and supply business, delivering on its strategy to increase selfsupply, reduce its biomass production costs and create a long-term future for sustainable biomass.

Pinnacle is the second largest producer of industrial wood pellets in the world.

The company operates nine production facilities in Western Canada, including six in British Columbia (see attached story) and one in Alabama, with one

additional facility under construction in Alabama and more in development.

The company also owns a port terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C. Pinnacle operates 2.5 million tonnes of biomass capacity at its sites in Western Canada and the southeastern U.S., with a further 0.4 million tonnes of capacity in development (to be commissioned in 2021).

Pinnacle has a number of European customers, including Drax.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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millupgrade

Taking on

gnarly logs —with technology Quebec sawmill Bois CFM has been able to improve its recovery by 25 per cent with a new highly automated and optimized processing line, allowing the mill to work better with some gnarly logs.

By Tony Kryzanowski

A

Quebec sawmill producing pallet material has installed a new highly automated and optimized processing line supplied by USNR—and it’s been a big step forward, equipment-wise, for the company.

36

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

millupgrade Bois CFM expects to increase recovery by 25 per cent, giving it the ability to produce their pallet material from 25 per cent less wood fibre compared to their 40-year-old, completely manual system which had no optimization. The new system also requires less labour.

The technology installed at this sawmill could potentially revolutionize the pallet material manufacturing industry and also solve problems for many other sawmills.

Some Canadian sawmills face a situation of owning a wood supply of less than perfectly shaped logs, and less commercial wood species sometimes left to rot simply because of low recovery potential and how difficult they are to process economically. The technology deployed at Bois CFM may be exactly what these sawmills need when faced with this type of wood basket.

In an era where many sawmills and loggers claim that the ‘easy wood’ is becoming harder and harder to find and with log profiles getting smaller, finding a technology that has the ability to make more with less while expanding the range of wood species that sawmills can economically process into solid wood commodities is worth a look.

So many times—particularly in today’s boreal forest—the high value softwood is harvested while the hardwood is left standing for lack of a market or an economical way to process that wood into solid wood products. Technology may be catching up to the evolving needs of the forest industry, though, if the advanced technology available through USNR and deployed at the Bois CFM sawmill in Quebec is any indication.

Bois CFM, located in Sainte-Florence, Quebec is owned by the Coopérative forestière de La Matapédia. They have been in business producing pallet material since 1994 and produce green, rough sawn pallet components from lower value wood species like aspen, larch, and birch measuring 40” to 54” in lengths with differing thicknesses and widths. In other words, they produce the components that are manufactured into pallets by their customers.

Wood pallets are commonly used as the foundation for stacking and transporting goods and have become an industry standard worldwide because they are inexpensive, and easy to use with a forklift.

Talk to anyone in the Canadian forest industry, and they will tell you that the three species being processed at Bois CFM are among the most problematic to process, although high volumes of these

species exist in many parts of Canada.

Bois CFM consumes about 100,000 cubic metres per year, mostly from about 150 suppliers from the region known as the Gaspésie. The pallet component mill is an important industry in that area of Quebec.

About 85 per cent of their products are exported to the United States and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, business was increasing significantly, but their manual manufacturing process was stressed.

“The market from 1994 to today is completely different,” says Simon Roy, General Manager of Bois CFM and the Cooperative. “For several years, the habits of consumers have changed and the demand for pallets has increased due to the large number of goods that are shipped all over the planet.”

The company says that it wanted to

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

to page 38

37

millupgrade

The end dog carriage system provided by USNR has allowed Bois CFM to recover 25 percent more wood fibre from their logs.

Supplementing the end dog system is a new scanning system to make the most from their aspen, larch and birch logs. from page 37 continue to be a strong player in this industry, but their old equipment and manual system had a hard time keeping up with customer demand, and the recovery factor per log was also impacting their future competitiveness.

Faced with a situation of increasing customer demand for pallets as well as greater difficulty attracting workers to their highly manual system using older technology, something had to change—and change it did.

“It made sense to invest in the new highly automated system to move our production to the next level,” says Roy. They shopped around and eventually settled on the USNR system based on the expected improved material yield and return on investment. USNR also had many examples of where this technology had been deployed in other sawmills, The new mill consists of a completely new primary and secondary processing line. It starts with an optimized end dogger carriage system on the front end with 38

LASAR² scanning, followed by a quad arbor saw box and vertical sawing arbor (VSA) gang.

The LASAR² sensors are positioned to capture the complete profile of the log.

They are mounted at both sides of the carriage to scan the front and back sides of the log as it is rotated and prior to it being dogged.

Sideboards are routed to a new optimized edger system consisting of USNR’s Maximizer infeed to a Saw Boss edger box equipped with BioLuma 2900 LV sensors.

The system features BioVision lumber grading with Deep Learning technology

The technology installed at Bois CFM could potentially revolutionize the pallet material manufacturing industry.

to further improve the decision making process.

The mill’s trimmer is also equipped with USNR optimization and BioLuma 2900 LV sensors for geometric and vision scanning along with Deep Learning technology.

This new line is having an incredible impact on recovery at Bois CFM considering the challenging species they process.

Aspen, for example, is described as having difficult log characteristics such as gnarly shapes, many knots, extreme sweep and other defects. Sometimes there are three different sweep curves in one log. One of the main challenges at the Bois CFM sawmill was processing aspen logs with multiple defects like knots, pith, splits, sap stain, bark pockets, rot, grub holes and insect holes.

“The fact that they use vision at both the edger and trimmer is extremely beneficial,” says Martin Vaillancourt, Account Manager with USNR. “It allows the system

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

to page 40

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This includes over 1300 tried and tested solutions and a comprehensive program that tracks product life and cost savings once the best solution for you application is in place. It’s all part of the Tsubaki Advantage. We’re here for you.

To learn more go to: Tsubaki.ca/hereforyou or contact: marketing@tsubaki.ca Tsubaki of Canada Limited

HEAD OFFICE & MANUFACTURING PLANT

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

1630 Drew Road Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA L5S 1J6

39

millupgrade

By using advanced Deep Learning technology, the Bois CFM breakdown system is able to place wood defects in strategic locations in pallet components. from page 38 to get the highest value from every piece by accurately finding defects and using each board to its best suited purpose within the pallet based on its grade.”

Deep Learning also helps the system decide where to put the waste within pallet components. It is a subset of Machine Learning where neural networks learn from large amounts of data similar to how humans learn from experience. The result is faster start-ups and increasingly accurate grading solutions.

The end dogger carriage holds the log in place at each end so there are no physical restrictions limiting rotation compared to a conventional log turner. The system provides full rotation, skew and tilt on every log, resulting in more control, better accuracy and more recovery.

USNR explains that conventional carriages have limitations, describing them as basically a manual operation with the operator controlling the carriage speed.

The end dogger is automatic. It loads the log automatically and sends it through the saws with no back and forth. The end dog approach is similar to processing softwood, where the operator doesn’t have much influence on recovery but it is left up to modern and advanced scanning and processing technology to optimize 40

that recovery. USNR describes its end dog carriage as a complete high tech solution when combined with modern PLC controls, advance scanning, optimization and automated grading.

The Bois CFM application of this system was the first time that USNR applied this end dogging carriage in a pallet mill and the company understands its potential within a much wider range of the wood product industry.

“We believe that the end dogger system has a bright future in hardwood processing,” say Vaillancourt. “It could replace up to half of the existing conventional log carriages in these types of applications.”

He adds that for sawmills processing small to medium diameter hardwood logs that want to increase piece count, this system will do it and achieve higher recovery at the same time.

In addition to USNR, Quebec-based Machinage Piché was also involved with the Bois CFM mill project. Machinage Piché supplied the mill outfeed starting with the accumulation decks and the double unscramblers, as well as the complete trim and sort line, lug loader, fence, fully adjustable trimmer, cut-in-two sorter and two stackers with integrated notchers. The company also integrated the new in-line spray system.

The new production line was installed

at Bois CFM in summer 2019 and was in start-up mode by fall. They were able to continue to operate their old line at a different location while installation of the new line occurred, and after two weeks of commissioning, all the employees were moved to the new operation.

The company acknowledges that it took considerable training for staff to make the transition to the new production line, but USNR was helpful.

“USNR has a training program for all the optimizers that we bought,” Roy says.

“Our technicians spent many days training in USNR’s facilities. It was a very good start-up and we were provided with good after-sales service from a very competent team at USNR.” What the company appreciates is the flexibility of the system which has also allowed them to expand their product line.

“This new mill has the flexibility to adapt quickly on demand,” Roy says. “Just a couple of clicks on the optimizer and it is done.”

The new mill requires fewer workers which the company says is an important factor now and into the future.

“And don’t forget that we need less fibre to produce our products,” Roy concludes.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

TECHUPDATE

By Tony Kryzanowski

Equipment Simulators The co-operative project with a game engine developer, the first in the domestic construction equipment industry, is also rare in the global construction equipment industry, says the company.

Unity is a global game engine company that has created the world’s most used real-time 3D development platform to date. A game engine is the base software required to make graphics look real. The Unity Game Engine was installed and used more than 37 billion times worldwide in 2019.

Suitable for the realization of virtual and augmented reality (AR and VR), the game engine has been evaluated to be incredibly useful in various industries such as shipbuilding, logistics, and construction.

Doosan Infracore and Unity have agreed to join forces to develop a ‘simulator’ that can materialize various virtual construction processes. na.doosanequipment.com

John Deere

John Deere forestry simulators are state-of-the-art tools for efficient, safe and cost effective operator training, according to the company. The simulators can be equipped with one of three configurations: TimberSkills, TimberMatic or TimberRite.

The TimberSkills option simulates the operation of a wheeled harvester or forwarder without a measuring and control system.

The TimberSkills simulator provides an efficient tool to teach effective working methods and operations. The TimberMatic configuration simulates the operation of a wheeled harvester or forwarder equipped with the TimberMatic control system, while the TimberRite configuration features a tracked harvester with the TimberRite control system. Both options provide an excellent tool for establishing the best working methods in a virtual environment, says the company.

Available on all three options, the Terrain Editor software enables the easy creation of different worksites for training, including various types of trees, rocks and driving tracks. Over 200 different scorable exercises, self-evaluations and teacher feedback helps to track performance and progress. www.johndeere.com

Ponsse

Ponsse simulators offer a modern learning environment for training operators how to use harvesters and forwarders as well as the Ponsse Opti information system.

The Ponsse simulator provides training for basic machine controls, working techniques, work planning and how to harvest a cutblock. It always includes the SimTrainer tool.

Doosan

Doosan Infracore has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Unity Technologies Korea for mutual co-operation in the development of a construction process simulator.

It is easy to create an individual learning path for each operator—training sessions can then be executed by signing in to the simulator. Passing sessions allows the operator to proceed to the next level, thus developing the skills needed most.

SimTrainer allows the trainer to work with bigger groups of operators while maintaining the possibility of individual guidance based on different skill levels. to page 44 42

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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techupdate from page 42 SimTrainer can also freely create exercises with Ponsse simulators and transfer them from one equipment simulator to another.

Experienced operators benefit from simulator training by learning new working techniques, such as thinning. Ponsse simulators are also available with 360-degree virtual reality (VR) headsets and excavator controls. www.ponsse.com

Waratah

Waratah’s virtual laptop or machine simulator applications

offer options to assist new or experienced operators in developing their expertise. Developed for harvesting or processing applications, both options build skills while removing on-the-job pressures to develop proficiency while maintaining a productive pace.

The virtual laptop simulator is a compact mobile unit complete with joysticks, ideal for personalized individual or instructional skill set development of general Waratah head operation.

Suitable for individual self-paced or remote instruction, operators learn technique in a realistic virtual environment with machine joysticks and a virtual environment simulating real-life machine, tree tendencies and head responses.

The machine simulator provides an expanded machine feel, including joysticks and seat. It also features the virtual environment plus the TimberRite H-16 control system. This version is ideal for developing H-16 knowledge including work sites, cutting instruction, adjustments, caliper calibration, data management and general familiarity of the system. www.waratah.com

Cat

GLOBAL

SOFTWOOD LOG & LUMBER

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE Virtual Conference Presentations Live Question & Answer Sessions

M A R C H 1 1, 2021

Cat Simulators teach the same applications as found in real world forest operations, says the company. The company adds that using correct operational techniques increases safety and production. Cat Simulators are the only Caterpillar-licensed simulators on the market.

The Cat Simulators system features convertible OEM controls, three to four-monitor screens, motion, and many optional accessories. Simulation training includes multiple machine applications built with Cat expert operators to teach the same techniques as found on real world sites. It is possible to record TH 11 A N N UA L E V E N T! and report the results of simulations sessions and track user progress.

The FM Log Loader teaches the learner foundational applications for log handling plus more challenging applications, such as loading and sorting logs.

The Track Feller Buncher includes many foundational applications the learner needs to get started, plus more challenging techniques like thinning and multiple tree cutting. www.catsimulators.com

The 11th annual Global Log & Lumber Conference will be a VIRTUAL event held on Thursday, March 11, 2021 focusing on global log and lumber markets amid multiple demand- and supply -side shocks. Delivered in a concise, easy-to-access format, the conference will provide attendees with timely updates on industry and market conditions from all major regions of the world. The virtual format will feature prerecorded presentations distributed to registered attendees in advance, followed by live question, answer, and discussion sessions conducted via Zoom. On the conference date (March 11), speakers will deliver a summary of their presentations before answering questions from delegates.

A G E N DA A N D S P E A K E R I N F O : https://getfea.com/conference/globalsoftwood-log-lumber-conference

44

O R G A N I Z E D BY

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

In 2019, nearly 9,900 suppliers from over 340 communities, and 120 Indigenous Nations and organizations provided $7 billion in goods and services to B.C.’s forest industry.

Learn more about your community & forestry at cofi.org.

Join us for COFI’s 2021 Virtual Convention TER REGIS T NOW A g/ cofi.or n tio conven

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 8:30AM - 12:00PM

THE

ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF INDUSTRY INNOVATION

FPInnovations provides guidance on forest operations and climate change in B.C.

A

s industry and governments continue to adapt forest management to climate change, there is a growing need for readily available information to provide guidance in future-proofing forest operations. An increasing wealth of valuable climate change data and forecasting is available from a variety of sources, but it can be a challenge for those responsible for forest operations management to interpret this data for their applications. To address this information gap, FPInnovations has been working on the development of regional climate forecasts and vulnerability assessments throughout British Columbia.

INTEGRAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS FPInnovations has previously performed three climate change vulnerability assessments for resource roads in B.C. (www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/ industry/natural-resource-use/resourceroads/climate-adaptation). Using a broadly applied assessment approach allows for obtaining crucial and valuable information related to all phases of forest operations management. Based on the learnings from the three earlier assessments, FPInnovations developed a general approach to: 1. Identify the key climate indices and related climate conditions that are the most relevant in determining the vulnerabilities of forest operations to climate change 2. Determine industry and government perceptions on historic and current climate induced challenges 3. Determine potential future forest operations challenges because of forecasted changes in climate Combining the experience developed in these earlier vulnerability assessments along with a literature review as well as consultations with climate

specialists, FPInnovations identified six climate indices to be the most relevant to determine the vulnerabilities of forest operations to climate change. FPInnovations is currently working with the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium to develop grid-layer maps to represent each of these six indices across B.C. REVEALING INSIGHTS The first round of industry and government consultations highlighted many key issues, challenges, and impacts. Among other questions, participants were asked if they had experienced an increase in costs in recent years due to climate change.

In the Northern Region, 100 per cent of participants indicated a noticeable to significant increase in costs, while the rate was 80 per cent in the Southern Region. Interestingly, the participants in the Coastal Region indicated that there has been no increase in costs in recent years.

Examples of the impacts of climate change in the Northern Region—primarily from increased precipitation—included delays in performing slash pile burns, transportation shutdowns occurring more frequently, as well as more water crossing structure washouts due to increased streamflows and debris loading.

In the Southern Region, similar impacts were identified, though there

were increased concerns related to heavy rainfall events and periods of drought. These conditions have stressed overall tree health, increased road maintenance costs, and have also created more frequent summer shutdowns due to drought and wildfire.

The Coastal Region consultations did not identify many specific concerns or issues related to most phases to forest operations management. In many aspects, the conditions in the Coastal Region are already considered extreme compared to much of the province.

However, the consultations revealed an observed increase in the occurrence of natural landslide events.

In the coming months, FPInnovations will continue the consultation work and interpretation of the climate indices and variable data to produce reports on the regional vulnerabilities to climate change of forest operations throughout B.C. These reports and supporting spatial datasets will be extremely valuable, allowing those responsible for forest operations management to implement climate-smart adaptation practices into their operations.

For more information, please contact Mark Partington at mark.partington@ fpinnovations.ca.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

47

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UBC Faculty of Forestry announces new programs for 2021

ith an eye on addressing the demand for innovative training to address global issues, the University of BC Faculty of Forestry is proud to be launching new degree and certificate programs beginning in 2021.

CLIMATE VULNERABILITY & ADAPTATION (CVA) MICRO-CERTIFICATE With government and certification agencies requiring more accountability in meeting climate change vulnerability and adaptation standards, the Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation (CVA) program offers working professionals a great option. Only 10 weeks in duration, the micro-certificate will deliver training for those who wish to advance their knowledge base in the area in a convenient, online format.

Ideal for natural resources professionals, the micro-certificate has been designed and will be taught by seasoned experts who have worked extensively with the resources sector and governments, and organizing training and workshops on the topic area. Students will leave with an in-

terdisciplinary understanding gleaned from real-world application, such as industry case studies in sustainable forest management and linkages between the sciencemanagement-business case interface.

The new program was scheduled to start on February 15, 2021. To learn more about the CVA, visit https://forestry. ubc. ca/micro-certificate/.

If you're interested in registering for the next session, please contact https:// forestry.ubc.ca/programs/certificate/ climate-micro-certificate/contact/.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN FOREST MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION (FMC) Today’s sustainable forest management practices must factor in political, legal, administrative, business, scientific and First Nations land stewardship considerations.

UBC Forestry’s new Graduate Certificate in Forest Management & Conservation (FMC) program addresses the need for global learners looking to advance their knowledge and expertise in this area.

With classes to start in September 2021, this fully digital, customizable, grad-

uate-level certificate will allow working professionals to complete their training in 2 years or less. Students will leverage new technology and use science-based practices to learn how to sustainably manage forests in rapidly changing social and political environments.

To learn more about the FMC, visit https://forestry.ubc.ca/graduate-certificate/. For questions or more information about this program, contact forestry.gradcertificates@ubc.ca.

MASTER OF URBAN FORESTRY LEADERSHIP DEGREE (MUFL) PROGRAM This 14-month online program takes a multi-disciplinary approach, as the courses will be offered by UBC’s Faculty of Forestry, the Sauder School of Business, and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Graduates from this program will have a combination of skills rarely offered by a single degree program.

For more information about MUFL, visit: https://forestry.ubc.ca/programs/ graduate/professional-masters-degrees/ master-of-urban-forestry-leadership/.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

49

SUPPLIERNEWSLINE Tigercat’s new H-series skidders feature improved cab size and operator functionality The Tigercat H-series skidder has a new larger cab while improving serviceability, reliability, and efficiency.

The new skidder line includes the release of the 620H, 630H, and 632H four-wheel models as well as the 625H and 635H six-wheel models.

The redesigned operator station provides 20 per cent more cab space than the previous E-series design. Window area has increased by 19 per cent offering superior forward and rear visibility. Additional low side windows allow for better sightlines to all tires.

A new and improved Turnaround system lets the operator rotate the seat 220 degrees. Effortless push button controls lock and unlock the seat in any position in the range. The operator has full control of all machine functions including drive controls. The 220-degree seat rotation improves operator visibility, greatly reduces neck strain, and allows the operator to easily exit either side of the cab. www.tigercat.com

Industry welcomes federal government’s two billion tree planting initiative The Canadian government plans to launch its two billion tree planting initiative in 2021.

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) says it applauds this thoughtful and inclusive approach which will help Canada move to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

FPAC is pleased to see the government recognize that sustainably managed forests, the use of carbon storing wood products, and effective conservation are key nature-based solutions and will help Canada achieve its collective goals for 50

forest resiliency and carbon reduction.

“The government has acknowledged that an incremental national tree planting initiative is complex and will require preparation and specific expertise as well as support from many partners,” says Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC. “Canada’s forest sector and our nursery and tree planting partners across the country are ready to do our part to realize the significant environmental, economic and social benefits that the two billion trees program promises to deliver.”

Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced the federal government’s plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years, with an investment of $3.16 billion, in December. The government estimates the plan will create up to 4,300 jobs.

The plan calls for trees to be in the ground starting this spring, across Canada.

The government has also already begun building long-term partnerships so that Canada has the infrastructure, especially nurseries, to carry out the full tree-planting plan.

In 10 years, it’s estimated the additional two billion trees will cover over 1.1 million hectares, an area twice the size of Prince Edward Island. www.fpac.ca

Doosan brings service to Thunder Bay region

Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, is partnering with ITEC 2000 Equipment to expand its service in northern Ontario.

In addition to providing increased service and support for customers, the new location will offer more access to Doosan equipment and parts.

ITEC 2000 Equipment has been serving northwestern Ontario since 1999. The company’s location in Rosslyn, just west of Thunder Bay, offers customers a one-stop shop with full service for heavy equipment.

Among their services are many in-house divisions, including an irradiator and oil cooler division, hydraulic component repair division and used parts division.

By Tony Kryzanowski The location will offer Doosan equipment designed to serve the core industries found in northern Ontario, including the forest industry. Doosan machines that will be available include log loaders, road builders, wheel loaders, wheel excavators, crawler excavators and articulated dump trucks. na.DoosanEquipment.com

BID Group to modernize its manufacturing operations in Vanderhoof

The BID Group is investing over $3.5 million at its Vanderhoof, British Columbia operations to create a steel pattern preparation centre using the latest laser and plasma technology.

Construction is scheduled to start in April 2021 and production will begin in September 2021.

The company will purchase high speed laser cutting equipment as well as oxy/fuel cutting equipment and a press brake to create a world class manufacturing site.

“Steel patterns are a key component in the manufacture of our equipment. This investment will allow us to produce over 80 per cent of the steel patterns required for our Western Canadian operations to continue to provide our customers the assurance of the highest quality workmanship in the industry,” says Simon Potvin, Executive Vice President and COO Wood Processing at BID Group.

The upgraded preparation centre will allow the company to standardize and improve its manufacturing performance, give it better control over costs and deliveries, and increase flexibility, ensuring commitments to clients are met at the high standards they have come to rely on from BID, says the company. www.bidgroup.ca

New Lim Geomatics data collection application Prism is tailor-made for timber cruising

Lim Geomatics has unveiled its new Prism app, describing it as a next generation timber cruising application that dramatically enhances how foresters collect and analyze field data.

The cloud-based digital tool is easy to

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

to page 52

suppliernewsline from page 50 set up, highly configurable and works on Apple, Android, and Microsoft tablets.

Prism is also fully integrated with ArcGIS Online to maximize compatibility.

Forest managers can plan cruises on the web app for diverse forest types, management goals, and environmental factors.

Cruisers can instantly sync data from the mobile app back to the office when within cellular, satellite, or internet service.

Pre-determined plot plans, basemaps, and satellite imagery can also be downloaded to the mobile app so foresters can execute cruises offline in remote locations.

Prism is an all-in-one timber cruising app that is as powerful as it is userfriendly. Every tool that foresters need, from navigation to data entry, is housed in the same place and organized by Lim Geomatics’ trademark intuitive design. www.limgeomatics.com/prism

Waratah debuts multiuse HTH623C loader processor head

Waratah now offers a new model configuration of the HTH623C harvester head.

The new HTH623C loader processor

(LP) features a wide delimb opening for increased productivity while its short tilt frame improves reach for higher deck piles, making it more maneuverable and ideal for tight spaces, says the company.

One of the biggest differences from the HTH623C harvester head is the large delimb opening on the HTH623C LP, which allows for multiple logs. The maximum delimb opening on the new configuration is 37”, which is 9” larger than the HTH623C’s opening.

The new short tilt frame allows for better log control along with more flexibility working on high decks or sloped piles, and with the advantage of grabbing multiple logs, operators can clear the yarder chute or shovel more efficiently. www.waratah.com 52

Ponsse forwarders capable of firefighting equipment outfitting

Ponsse forwarders can now have firefighting equipment installed in the load spaces for extinguishing wildfires.

“A forest machine is the most natural and effective way to access a forest fire area. Operations in difficult terrain come as second nature to them and they have more than enough capacity in their hydraulic system for demanding conditions,”

for Ponsse Buffalo and Ponsse Elephant forwarders. The minimum loader requirement is Ponsse K90+.

The firefighting equipment is delivered to the fire location as a single package and after it has been connected to forest machine hydraulics, the equipment is ready to operate. The 10 m³ water tank of the firefighting equipment can be filled with its own pump from a natural water source or the tank of a fire truck. The water cannon has a range of 47 metres and a turning radius of 360 degrees. www.ponsse.com

Remsoft partners up to integrate forest operations planning data in the Cloud

says Juha Haverinen, Ponsse´s product manager of forwarders. “When the rescue authorities asked us if we were willing to develop this product together, we were ready right from the beginning because rescue professionals and our customers had a clear demand for firefighting equipment.”

The firefighting equipment is available

Rotochopper celebrates its 30th anniversary

Rotochopper is celebrating 30 years of delivering innovative waste grinding solutions.

The Rotochopper brand has long been synonymous with “Perfect In One Pass” grinding precision and simplicity, says the company.

The Rotochopper brand began when two companies from different industries joined forces to manufacture unique recycling equipment. Cofounders Fred Peltz and Vince Hundt established the company’s core values

Remsoft, a forestry planning and optimization software provider, is partnering with Safe Software FME certified data integration specialists Locus and Consortech to automate data integration in the Remsoft Operations Cloud.

The company says that forest product companies often work within multiple systems, spreadsheets, and different data formats. The resulting data fragmentation hampers efficiency, effective decision making, and the ability to rapidly respond to changing conditions that could affect harvest levels and product delivery.

of customer-centricity and “Perfect In One Pass” engineering that continue to define Rotochopper today.

“For 30 years the people of central Minnesota who are Rotochopper have been inventing and building machines that solve problems,” says Hundt.

Rotochopper’s product offerings have expanded over the last three decades in response to its customers’ evolving business and operational needs. Today, their horizontal grinders are at work in a broad range of businesses including wood waste. www.rotochopper.com

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

classified Through the partnerships with Locus, an Australian and New Zealand-based consultancy focused on unlocking the power of FME to solve enterprise data challenges, and Consortech, a North American leader in geospatial data integration and FME expert, forest product companies can now automatically transform and connect data from different sources via Safe Software’s FME technology to the Remsoft Operations Cloud.

Forestry companies that want to make more effective use of their data to improve operational planning decisions have a clearer and faster path with Remsoft Operations and Safe Software’s FME data integration platform, says Remsoft. www.remsoft.com

CV Technology releases Interceptor-QV explosion isolation device CV Technology now offers a new explosion isolation device called the Interceptor-QV. It uses a patented system where a differential pressure switch continuously monitors the pressure drop across the mesh cartridge, alerting operators if

buildup of dust occurs on the mesh.

CV Technology specializes in complete explosion and fire protection solutions for the prevention and mitigation of explosions and fire hazards that result from the manufacturing and handling of dry bulk materials, such as in the forest industry.

The core feature of the Interceptor-QV is the stainless-steel mesh cartridge which is based on the tried-and-true flameless Quench Tubes that the company has been applying for over 25 years.

“Everyone at CV Technology is excited to introduce a product to the marketplace which draws upon our over 25 years of experience with passive flameless explosion protection that allows our clients to protect their personnel and process from the effects of a deflagration while simultaneously solving the problem of discharging clean air to the exterior of their facility,” says Bob Cudnik, vicepresident, Technical Services and Quality Assurance. “With the Interceptor-QV you get the protection you need while safely and efficiently returning clean air to the facility, thereby reducing HVAC costs and building air make-up issues.” www.cvtechnology.com

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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thelastword

A look ahead for the forest industry... beyond elections and the pandemic

By Jim Stirling

L

ogging trucks laden with snow-slicked timber are still rolling along the highways of the British Columbia Interior this winter. Not in the quantities of years past perhaps, but wood is flowing to the mills where the lumber being produced is coming off a sustained and record-setting bull market and prices in the United States.

As usual with the forest industry, it’s what’s going on away from the bush and the sawmills that’s framing the near term prospects for B.C.’s forest-reliant communities. And while cluttered with legions of ifs, buts and maybes, most of those prospects are more hopeful than helpless.

As always, it behooves Canada to look south to help foretell its fortunes. The events of the last few months have been remarkable even within the pantheon of U.S. politics. There is a new president who is widely predicted to restore some stability and decorum to the office. America is shifting course, but it’s unlikely any new direction or approach in forest policy between the U.S. and Canada will be anything but constrained in the next few months. But there should be fewer alarming and contradictory tweets emanating from the White House.

In the meantime, we’re playing the familiar games with the U.S. Department of Congress surrounding U.S. softwood lumber duties. The first administrative review at the end of November set the new rates for countervailing and anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood imports at an average nine per cent. Some company rates had been set at up to 20 per cent.

The reaction was quick, and reinforced the Canadian forest industry’s position. “As we have consistently said and has been proven in previous rounds of litigation, the Canadian industry is not subsidized and this trade action levelled

by U.S. producers is completely without merit,” reiterated Susan Yurkovich, CEO of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries (COFI).

While the world was being mesmerized

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by the bizarre unravelling of the American political machine, B.C. had its own quiet Canadian affair. The event went entirely as hoped for by Premier John Horgan. His NDP party received the majority mandate it sought. The legislative door is now open for potential changes to provincial forest policy.

Horgan appointed Katrine Conroy, the NDP MLA for Kootenay West, as the province’s new Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. Of additional significance to the provincial forest industry was Nathan Cullen’s appointment as Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Cullen is MLA for Stikine and was for 15 years the MP for SkeenaBulkley Valley in Ottawa.

Conroy and Cullen are to co-ordinate the creation of a new Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource Operations. How the process will complicate the functioning of the working forest industry is unknown until the government’s plans are explained.

During the last provincial government, and with the support of the B.C. Green Party, the NDP put in place some building blocks that might provide the framework for its future plans for forestry in B.C. The process was launched with an examination of B.C.’s structurally changed forest industry. It began with a revitalization plan for B.C.’s moribund coastal forest sector.

It was followed in the spring of 2019 with an Interior Forest Sector Renewal plan.

The plan involved seeking a broad cross section of opinions from around the forest industry, and those with a vested interest in its health.

A further indication of the direction the government proposed following came in November 2019. British Columbia became the first Canadian province to pass legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In February 2020, the provincial forest ministry issued a consultant’s report

entitled “What We Heard.” It was a summary of the findings from the Interior Forest Sector Renewal consultation process. What We Heard reported 41 per cent of the survey respondents identified forest tenure and fibre supply as the most important policy area.

This was no surprise. It’s fundamental to the future of the B.C. forest industry and its many lifeblood communities.

The second most important policy area identified in the government’s survey was climate change and forest carbon, identified by 23 per cent of respondents. That would seem to primarily be an area requiring co-operation with other ministries and jurisdictions. Fibre and sustainability of timber, along with non-timber values, was identified in importance by 17 per cent of the survey’s respondents.

Premier Horgan dropped a couple more hints about his government’s direction of forestry in his mandate letter to forests minister Conroy. He called on her to lead the transition of B.C.’s forest sector from high volume to high value production, and to increasing value added initiatives of the forest economy including making mass timber use a priority in public buildings.

And, of course, there’s the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is chasing an effective antidote to an elusive foe. The virus appears to develop new characteristics with each set of headlines, each one a seeming contradiction to its predecessor. But COVID-19 will ultimately be controlled.

Unfortunately, the current situation offers a convenient and partly understandable diversion from action and attention on other fronts for the B.C. government, including forestry. Perhaps the biggest challenge therefore during the next few months will be to maintain a government focus on the forest industry. Changes implemented now can help restore healthier forests and a more diversified forest industry in B.C.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - January/February 2021

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