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February 2017
COFI CONFERENCE: Advance coverage FORT MCMURRAY’S NORTHLAND Forest Products back on track after massive wildfire
STUMP-SIDE PROCESSING in Alberta WITH THIS ISSUE… The Edge!
NEW WORK STANDARDS for sawmill planers
FEATURES February 2017 Volume 48 • No. 1 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski
Publisher Rob Stanhope • (604) 990-9970 E-mail: stanhope@forestnet.com
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On the Cover:
The theme for the upcoming Council of Forest Industries (COFI) convention in April is “Forestry for the Planet. Forest Products for the World” which helps underline the renewable nature of wood and its suitability for green-conscious building construction. But a big topic of discussion is going to be what Canada can do to strike a new softwood lumber deal with the U.S. Read all about the convention beginning on page 10. (Cover photo courtesy of Resolute Forest Products)
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Spotlight – A new beetle battle in B.C.
In the wake of the mountain pine beetle, spruce beetles have become a big concern in the B.C. Interior, prompting a two-day spruce beetle summit held recently in Prince George, to keep all the parties in the loop about this latest beetle battle.
10 COFI Conference
32 New work standards
The upcoming Council of Forest Industries (COFI) convention in April will be looking at the challenges now facing the industry, including how to get a new lumber deal with the U.S.—but these challenges are being tackled by an industry that’s resilient, creative and successful, says COFI President and CEO Susan Yurkovich.
New work standards for sawmill planers in B.C. are expected to make the work environment safer—and contribute to an increase in planer efficiency.
Preview
16 Back on track… after The Beast
The growth plan at Fort McMurray’s Northland Forest Products is back on track, after being temporarily interrupted by the massive wildfire—called The Beast—that hit the city this past spring.
20 Milling for the movies
The Brooks sawmill, in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta, has developed a varied client list—including supplying wood products to the recent hit movie, The Revenant.
26 Bigger—and better
Alberta logging contractor Corey Stoneman finds that when it comes to choosing equipment for the stump-side processing he does for Spray Lakes Sawmills in the eastern slopes of the Rockies, bigger is definitely better. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
for sawmill planers
34 Cutting its own path
Simpson Lumber Co. has cut its own path to success in B.C.’s Robson Valley, focusing on Doug fir timbers, specialty and custom cuts—with the bonus being a very short commute for mill owner, Larry Simpson.
43 The Edge
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 and Alberta Innovates.
58 The Last Word
Getting the B.C. forest industry to a bright future is going to take some doing, with a falling timber cut, says Jim Stirling.
DEPARTMENTS
Calendar............................................ 8 Tech Update.................................... 46 Suppliernewsline............................. 52 Classifieds....................................... 57 Ad Index / Subscriptions.................. 57 3
spotlight
A NEW BEETLE BATTLE in B.C. In the wake of the mountain pine beetle, spruce beetles have became a big concern in the B.C. Interior, prompting a two-day spruce beetle summit held recently in Prince George, to keep all the parties in the loop about this latest beetle battle. By Jim Stirling
A
long and frigid winter gripping the forests of north central British Columbia would be a huge bonus. But it’s more likely a forlorn hope, than a realistic possibility. Sensibly, therefore, the forest industry coalition working toward containing an expanding spruce bark beetle infestation in the region is concentrating its efforts on factors and initiatives it can control in its continuing battle with the effects of a consistently warming climate. Aerial surveys of the Omineca region during the summer of 2016 were backed by GPS and on-the-ground surveys. They confirmed the regional spruce beetle outbreak is continuing to increase in size, reports Heather Wiebe, Omineca spruce beetle project manager and resource 4
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
manager with the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations based in Mackenzie, B.C. About 210,000 hectares of forest have now been damaged by the spruce beetle, according to the 2016 surveys compared with about 156,000 hectares in October 2015. Sections of the Prince George and Mackenzie forest districts are the hardest hit by new beetle attack. A continuing cycle of warm springs, dry summers and warm winters are contributing factors to the spruce beetles’ growth. Those climatic factors are what’s influencing the beetles’ traditional peak and valley population cycles to population surges and a shift from normal endemic levels to epidemic proportions. to page 6
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spotlight
A beetle assault on mature spruce forests could make an already serious timber availability situation—due to the mountain pine beetle epidemic—even worse, and have an impact on the mill operations of major B.C. Interior lumber producers, and employment in forestry-dependent communities. attracting spruce beetles than a standing stem, relates Wiebe. The spruce beetles’ habitat preferences are further recognized and accommodated by licencees and their log harvesting contractors working in and around infected spruce stands. Decking patterns at roadside are changing. Larger spruce stems—the beetles’ preferred hosts—are being placed at the bottom of the deck. They are then shaded by smaller spruce positioned on top. “It’s like an umbrella”, says Wiebe. The umbrella helps maintain a cooler environment for the host spruce underneath and that, in turn, inhibits beetle
from page 4 A further climate-related factor influencing spruce bark beetle populations in the forests is an increase in windstorms and the blowdowns they create. The phenomenon can be a mixed blessing: blowdown of mature trees can create a preferred environment for the spruce beetle. Site specific falling of mature spruce to act as trap trees is part of the containment strategy underway in the Omineca. When full of beetle larvae, the trap trees are removed for ‘hot’ harvesting. A felled spruce tree can be 10 times more successful in
flight. Sixteen degrees Celsius (in the canopy) is the ‘flight time’ signal for spruce beetles. Fortunately for containment strategies, spruce beetles typically don’t fly the distances of the mountain pine beetle, for example, in their quest for new hosts to infest. And equally fortunately, spruce forest stands in the region are more patchy in distribution, and not comparable to the vast contiguous and even-aged stands that compounded the devastation caused by the mountain pine beetle epidemic. to page 8
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spotlight from page 6 “We received the raw data from the 2016 aerial surveys about a month earlier than we had previously,” Wiebe relates. That proved very helpful. Timing is everything in putting together the critical elements for an effective beetle containment plan. But that said, timing is also a moving target. “We’re getting our conventional trap trees down in April, about three weeks earlier than before.” But the strategy has to be tempered by the maximum attractiveness of the beetles’ pheromones: too early, and they’re less effective, notes Wiebe. The forests ministry, industry and partners like a public advisory committee in the beetle containment efforts don’t religiously follow a one size fits all control prescription.”We’re looking at each area uniquely and applying the appropriate beetle management system,” she points out. That might mean sanitized logging, a trap tree program, both or neither. It depends more on the specific circumstances within each small ecosystem, adds Wiebe.
Non-timber guidelines have been developed through the forests ministry to help log input from those quarters into an area’s management plan. Wiebe says from the time the spruce beetle population increases were first noted in 2014, efforts have been taken to keep the range of land users and the general public informed and involved in
assault on mature spruce forests, as well, would simply exacerbate an already serious timber availability situation for many communities. Part of that larger picture and a continuing commitment to cooperative involvement, were reasons behind the organization of a two-day spruce beetle summit held October 2016 in Prince George. One of its objectives was to bring together people who lived through the last major spruce beetle infestation in the 1980s to contribute the best known group wisdom to the present situation, explains Wiebe. The summit was attended by about 115 people, mainly representing the forest industry, ministry and academia from areas across the province. The spruce beetle numbers are on the march in several B.C. regions for similar combinations of changing climatic factors. “The summit helps ensure we are up to speed as we go forward,” she adds. “We need to continue pulling together in the same direction.”
“The Spruce Beetle Summit helps ensure we are up to speed as we go forward,” says beetle project manager Heather Wiebe. what’s being undertaken to control the outbreak. The interest levels—like the stakes—are high. There is considerable concern in forestry- dependent communities throughout the B.C. Interior about the short and mid-term timber supply implications in the wake of the devastation caused by the mountain pine beetle epidemic. It’s a given that annual cuts will be decreased, with some areas being harder hit than others. A protracted beetle
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Council of Forest Industries Annual Convention, Vancouver, BC 604-684-0211, www.cofi.org
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
COFIconvention
Taking on the tough challenges at COFI convention The upcoming Council of Forest Industries (COFI) convention in April will be looking at the challenges now facing the industry, including how to get a new softwood lumber deal with the U.S.—but these challenges are being tackled by an industry that’s resilient, creative and successful, says COFI President and CEO Susan Yurkovich. By Jim Stirling
T
he Council of Forest Industries (COFI) Convention is being held for the first time in Vancouver, at the signature Vancouver Convention Centre West April 5-7. The venue delivers a message. The interior of the harbourside convention centre is characterized by the innovative use and visual appeal of wood products. The green surroundings will
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provide a timely backdrop to a packed business agenda for hundreds of forest industry executives, politicians and suppliers from around North America and beyond. “Our conventions usually alternate between Kelowna and Prince George,” outlines Susan Yurkovich, president and CEO of COFI. “This is a good opportunity
to page 12
COFIconvention The policies of U.S. President Donald Trump continue to dominate the headlines, especially regarding trade. Just how Canada, and Canadian lumber producers, will fare under the new U.S. administration remains to be seen, and is creating uncertainty in the forest industry.
to showcase our industry in Vancouver, which is a forestry-dependent community, too.” Many of the 145,000 direct and indirect forest industry jobs in B.C. are in the province’s heavily populated southwest. The 2017 COFI convention theme is “Forestry for the Planet. Forest Products
for the World.” The theme helps underline the renewable nature of wood and its suitability for a more green-conscious design choice for building construction. The theme also reinforces the fact B.C. wood products are increasingly sold around the world. Some of the panel sessions will focus on innovative wood building systems and particularly their suitability for applications in Asia, along with wood
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
from page 10
product use in hybrid buildings and tall wood structures. The recently completed 18-storey student residence building at the nearby University of British Columbia provides a stunning example of wood’s versatility and function potentials. As the world hears more daunting examples daily about the multiple effects of a warming climate, the inherent advantages of wood as a carbon retainer have become more
COFIconvention apparent. Increasing numbers of building owners are becoming more aware and looking at climate friendly building options, notes Yurkovich. Work continues to get the new concepts incorporated into more building codes, she adds. Factors influencing the trade file for B.C.’s wood product manufacturers will occupy a high profile during the COFI Convention. It’s anticipated that both federal and provincial ministers will provide a perspective on trade issues and other challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Yurkovich says company CEOs will be back for a panel discussion at the convention. But they won’t all be representing the forest industry. Some will demonstrate how other industries and sectors have applied emerging technologies to assist them in achieving their long term business objectives. Emerging technologies and equipment will also be in visual evidence during the convention’s trade show component. At the corresponding 2016 event in Kelowna, more than 35 businesses and suppliers supporting the B.C. forest industry participated in the trade show.
The election of U.S. President Donald Trump has dominated the headlines and influenced the subtext since last November. The election implications for the forest industry and its dependent communities in B.C. and across Canada remain unknown. Everyone waits to see evidence if the Trump in power will be more pragmatic than the Trump on the campaign trail. The U.S. lumber coalition
wasted little time after Trump’s election to file a petition alleging softwood lumber imports from Canada were harmful to the American forestry sector. The B.C. Lumber Trade Council, of which Yurkovich is the president, was equally quick to answer the U.S. lumber to page 14
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COFIconvention
from page 13 lobby’s petition. “While we are not surprised by the filing of the petitions by the U.S. lumber lobby, as they have long advocated for limiting Canadian access to the U.S. lumber market, we are disappointed that once again we are in litigation rather than working co-operatively with the U.S. industry to grow the market for wood products in North America,” responded Yurkovich. “The claims levelled by the U.S. lumber lobby are based on unsubstantiated arguments. Similar claims were made in the prior round of trade litigation and were ultimately rejected by independent NAFTA panels which concluded that Canadian lumber was not subsidized and did not cause injury to the U.S. industry. With respect to this new action, we are fully prepared to defend our industry and are confident we will again prevail.” The B.C. Lumber Trade Council’s response reiterated a preference for negotiating a new trade agreement between the two countries. The trade council also noted the U.S. lumber industry alone cannot meet the demand of its domestic customers and that trade action will simply drive up the price of lumber for U.S. consumers. Yurkovich told Logging and Sawmilling Journal that discussions with the U.S. on the trade issue are continuing. “We are fully prepared for this legal battle,” she adds. “But it’s not our preferred approach. We continue to press for a managed lumber trade environment between our two countries.” Ironically, events are unfolding at a time when the U.S. housing market is ticking upward, says Yurkovich. The COFI CEO recently participated in a B.C. government-led trade mission to China and Japan. It’s true that growth has slowed in China but the country is still predicting a robust six per cent expansion in 2017, she notes. China’s lumber demand was concentrated in lower grade 14
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
COFIconvention
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products during its years of annual double digit growth. B.C. sawmills could supply large quantities of timber that was killed by the mountain pine beetle available. Now, says Yurkovich, the Chinese lumber buyers are looking more to higher value timber. She cites its use in the building of new resorts and hotels as examples. Work continues, with the industry talking to customers, builders and designers to specify the increased use of wood products. Yurkovich says Japan represents a relatively stable market for B.C. lumber producers. But what’s showing up more there is interest in building systems using Cross Laminated Timber and taller wood structures. The ASEAN markets may also produce opportunity as Chinese labour costs rise, she points out. “As well, we’re dipping our toe into the Indian market, trying to understand it and the types of wood product shipments we might supply.” Back in B.C., the forest industry is continuing its adaptation to the post-mountain pine beetle infestation era. “After an uplift in cut for salvage purposes we’re now, after more than a decade, returning to pre-uplift or below cut levels in some areas. And that will have impacts,” she affirms. It’s about accommodating the new normal. “We want mills that are stable and not chasing too little fibre.” Despite the raft of uncertainties facing B.C.’s forest industry right now, Yurkovich is not anticipating a sombre mood to the COFI convention. On the contrary. “This is an industry full of great people with a positive roll-up-your-sleeves attitude. This is not the first time this industry has faced hardships and it won’t be the last,” she declares. “This is an industry that’s resilient, creative and successful and that’s evidenced within our mills and our markets.” For further information and registration details for COFI’s 2017 convention consult www.cofi.org.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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Albertasawmilling
Back on track… after The Beast
The growth plan at Fort McMurray’s Northland Forest Products is back on track, after being temporarily interrupted by the massive wildfire— called The Beast—that hit the city this past spring. By Tony Kryzanowski
“
T
he fire probably took four good runs at us,” says Howie Ewashko, co-owner of Fort McMurray’s Northland Forest Products. “We saw 300-foot flames right at the edge of the firebreak around the sawmill and fought
them from coming onto the property. We were in the middle of the fire and our log decks were at great risk on certain days.” That’s how Ewashko describes his encounter with ‘The Beast’—a historic wildfire that consumed 590,000 hectares of forest and 2400 homes in Fort McMurray last spring, spurring the largest wildfire
Eight employees volunteered to stay at Northland Forest Products through the duration of the fire, to do whatever they could to protect the sawmill, log deck, and the 55 jobs that the business provides in Fort McMurray.
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evacuation and resulting in the most costly disaster in Canadian history. The forest fire started on May 1 and was not declared under control until July 5. Tinder dry conditions resulting from an unseasonably warm winter, and little moisture in the ground, are what turned the forest around Fort McMurray into a wildfire powder keg, and when it blew, Northland Forest Products, located about 16 kilometres north of the community, found itself at great peril. At the fire’s worst, as Fort McMurray residents rushed to answer the mandatory evacuation order, the mill also became a place of refuge as evacuees from the city and surrounding area fled north and south down Hwy. 63 to escape the flames. On May 3, at the start of the evacuation, many families were separated, and at one point, there were 150 people in the mill yard, with people worried about their families, and wondering where to turn. They eventually found safe passage to reunite with family members and escape the Beast, when authorities deemed area highways safe enough to travel. Ewashko was among eight sawmill employees who volunteered to stay at Northland Forest Products through the duration of the fire, to do whatever they could to protect the sawmill, log deck, and the 55 jobs that the business provides. “The biggest concern upfront was food, water, and fuel and how we were going to deal with that, not knowing the length of time that we would not be receiving any services or goods,” says Ewashko. It was a battle. The fire approached the sawmill from three different directions on
Albertasawmilling
A combination of sprinklers and water cannons propelling 70,000 gallons of water per minute into the air helped save the Northland Forest Products log deck from catching fire.
four different occasions. Once, they narrowly escaped disaster as the fire roared past their western flank, and destroyed the nearby Blacksands Executive Lodge. “We had seven water cannons and 120 sprinklers, positioning them depending on where the fire was coming from,” says Ewashko. “Every minute, we had about 70,000 gallons of water from the Athabasca River going into the air. It wasn’t every day that the fire was imminent, but every day for three weeks you could have had a spark light up our log pile.” So in addition to moving the sprinkler system and water cannons into position, depending on wind and the direction of the fire, staff were on guard patrolling the log decks, watching for hot spots. Luckily, through the efforts of company staff and area firefighters, the sawmill, the log deck, and jobs were spared. These jobs are invaluable to a community struggling with job loss due to the oil industry downturn. Only one employee has decided not to come back, and only two houses in town attached to Northland and its employees were burned. “We had some great employees who volunteered to stay here to help us out, and we also had the provincial government with some wildland forest fire fighting groups to help us with sprinklers,” says Ewashko. “They helped us set up a mobile filling station and hydrant station so we could fill water trucks. Some days, we would fill 80 water trucks which moved through the Hwy. 63 corridor.” Production at the sawmill was down for about two months, with those employees able to make it back early first
taking up residence in an on-site camp that Northland’s logging contractors had placed in the mill yard. Now, the independent forest company owned by Howie Ewashko and his brother, Craig, is sifting through the aftermath. Production was shut down entirely during the fire. The entire city of Fort McMurray remained empty until authorities deemed that it was safe for residents to return. But as the threat diminished, Northland Forest Products was able to slowly bring production back online. Residents didn’t begin returning to the fire ravaged city till mid-June.
And as life returns to some semblance of normal, Northland Forest Products is assessing the fire’s damage to their timber supply in the forest, and how that could influence the Fort McMurray sawmill’s plan to ramp up production from 60 million board feet to 80 million board feet this year, with the eventual goal being 100 million board feet annually. The plan was to achieve this uplift through some strategic investments, to make their sawmill
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to page 18
Albertasawmilling from page 17
At times, the flames from the fire that surrounded Northland Forest Products last spring were as much as 300 feet high. A series of firebreaks helped to protect the business from the fire, which blazed several times at their doorstep.
more efficient, and also acquiring a larger wood supply. In January 2016, Northland Forest Products purchased the idled Millar Western Forest Products sawmill in Boyle, Alberta. Boyle is located about 250 kilometres south of Fort McMurray. The purchase included a timber quota attached to the sawmill. “We saw a decline in our fibre basket with the oil sands operators expanding,” says Ewashko. “So we were looking for fibre and the majority of the Millar Western Boyle fibre was somewhat close to us. So it was a great opportunity for us to firm up our fibre requirements.” Ewashko says this purchase was aimed primarily at acquiring the timber supply. They have no short term plans to reopen the Boyle sawmill, but want to channel the wood allocated to the Boyle facility to Fort McMurray. The problem, however, is that the Fort McMurray fire destroyed some of that wood supply, and Northland is in the process of assessing the status of that wood basket in the fire’s aftermath. “What we’ve concentrated on is finding the stands that we can salvage,” says Ewashko. “We’re into those stands already, doing some harvesting and continuing to investigate what impact the fire has had on our annual allowable cut.” The company’s annual allowable cut pre-fire of 550,000 cubic metres is held jointly with pulp producer, Alberta Pacific Forest Industries (Al-Pac). Northland harvests the conifers and Al-Pac harvests the hardwood. Northland’s log diet consists of about 40 per cent jackpine and 60 per cent white spruce, with the average diameter being 8” to 10”. Ewashko says that if anything positive has come out of the fire, it is that initial efforts to work more closely with Al-Pac on forest harvesting operations have now accelerated, to almost full integration. The Fort McMurray sawmill is equipped with three processing lines. The small HewSaw log line processes logs from 3” to 8”, the medium line processes logs from 8” to 26”, and the large log line processes logs over 26” diameter. They manufacture a wide range of dimension lumber from 2” x 3” to 2” x 12”, as well as 1” x 4”, 1” x 6” and 5/4” x 6” decking. Lumber lengths vary from 6’ to 16’. The company has investigated various value-added opportunities over the years, their decking line being one example of that. In the recent past, they have also produced notched stringers and pallet kits. They aim for 100 per cent utilization,
marketing both their sawdust and shavings. In 2008, they invested in a gasifier to convert their bark into syngas. The syngas is used as fuel to heat a series of oil tubes. The heated oil, in turn, provides heat for their buildings and dry kilns. While operating the gasifier offers no major financial benefit at today’s natural gas prices, “there is a huge aesthetic and environmental impact to not running a beehive burner,” says Ewashko. “What we are really focusing on now is upgrading our scanning technology and we have just started up a new merchandizing bucking system,” he adds. Last summer, Northland Forest Products worked with their in-house engineer to develop a system of scanning and moveable saws at the sawmill infeed to more efficiently buck up their tree length logs. The goal is to achieve higher throughput on each processing line. The concurrent investment into newer scanning technology will provide the sawmill with a better view of the characteristics of each log. MPM Engineering provided the scanning technology for the bucking system, with engineering assistance from Salmon Arm, B.C.-based, Iron Code Engineering. The sawmill accepts both tree length and cut to length logs. About 80 per cent are tree length processed through the new merchandizing bucking system, and 20 per cent is cut to length.
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
“What we expect from this system is to double our throughput to over 400 pieces per hour versus 200 pieces per hour previously,” says Ewashko. The sawmill’s most recent upgrade was to install a Comact GradExpert computerized lumber grading system in the planer mill. “That investment really evened out our flow through the planer and there is no bottleneck for us in the planer mill at all,” says Ewashko. Northland Forest Products continues to make strategic investments to boost outturn and value uplift. A new HewSaw R200 A1 breakdown unit will be installed in spring 2017 to replace an older model HewSaw. The new HewSaw will provide the sawmill with board edging capabilities on its small log line, more throughput speed, and improved log turning and scanning. The new HewSaw will be equipped with scanning and optimization technology from Prologic+ in Quebec. The sawmill may bring on a second shift, but Ewashko says they still need to become more familiar with the capabilities of their new merchandizing bucking system and have a better idea of the fire’s impact on their wood supply before making that move.
smallsawmilling
Milling for the movies
The Brooks sawmill, in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta, has developed a varied client list—including supplying wood products to the recent hit movie, The Revenant. By Tony Kryzanowski
T
he Leonardo DiCaprio movie ‘The Revenant’ was filmed in southern Alberta, and the movie’s set designers purchased a lot of wood products manufactured by the Brooks Sawmill, one of several Western-themed movies that the sawmill has supplied among its highly eclectic client list. The website for the business, which is really the only public profile the company has besides supporting a number of community groups in Cochrane, says that they are ‘easy to talk to’. And they surely are, which is why customers keep coming back. While it has maintained a relatively low profile because business through word of mouth has served it well, Brooks Sawmill has a long and storied history. It is a five generation sawmill nestled among the million dollar ranches and
oil money mansions located in the picturesque Rocky Mountain foothills west of Cochrane, many of whom they have supplied. Chances are the lumber for the corrals and outbuildings, the beautifullyknotted and burled gate posts leading to ranch houses, peeled logs for log homes, and even wood for furniture was supplied by the Brooks Sawmill. The area surrounding the Brooks Sawmill is highly prosperous now, but the fictitious, hinterland backdrop shown in ‘The Revenant’ movie was daily life for decades for the Brooks family. It is a mere half-hour drive from Cochrane today, but in its early days, it was wagon trails and pioneer living in the wilderness. Now owned by David and Marcie Brooks, the property was purchased by David’s great grandfather, Frank Brooks, in to page 22
It takes a dedicated team of employees to deliver quality finished wood products that keep customers coming back, as is the case at the Brooks Sawmill. They are (left to right) Roy Brooks, Marcie Brooks, Tom Powder, MaryLou Brooks, former owner Frank Brooks, his son and current owner David Brooks, Boyce Fox and Willy Jules. 20
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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smallsawmilling from page 20 1901. The Brooks Sawmill was established in 1923 and is likely the oldest, continuously-family-owned, sawmill business in the province. The business started with manual felling and horse logging on the Brooks property as well as adjacent properties. “When my great grandfather started the business, they were producing a lot of ties for the mines around Canmore and further east,” as well as lumber for area farmers and ranchers, says David. In the 1930s, they acquired a steam engine from an old Canmore coal mine that provided the power to operate their sawmill. “There was a drought in those days, so there was only enough water to saw for half-a-day,” explains David. “We’d run the engine till we ran out of water.” Later, it was upgraded to a TD14 diesel engine, which powered the sawmill till 1990, when it was replaced with a Detroit Diesel engine. The Brooks Sawmill has supplied everything—from timbers to lumber, to authentic looking hanging trees, to biscuits from the ends of logs for wedding decorations.
Brooks Sawmill owner David Brooks maintains quality control and production flow at the sawmill by bucking the logs himself, and delivering them either to the Kara circular sawmill or to the Wood-Mizer bandsaw. David says that after so many years in the business, he has seen his share of unusual customer requests, coming from movie set designers, log home builders, furniture builders, oil companies, mining companies, ranchers, farmers and homebuilders. The sawmill yard is busy. Both David and Marcie are actively involved, with
David setting up the weekly production schedule, bucking logs by hand to the desired length to fill orders in a lay-up yard, and then driving the front-end loader to deliver logs to one of two sawmills, depending on orders. Marcie is the office manager and takes care of the books. The business has four full-time sawmill
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
smallsawmilling employees and nine part-time employees who work a couple of days per week on the firewood packaging assembly line. David and Marcie established the firewood division when they took over the company in about 2000, purchasing a Cord King firewood plant, establishing an assembly line, and hiring part-time staff. They have contracts to supply several campgrounds and hotels in the surrounding area. David’s brother, Roy, also works in the business as a sawyer. David brings considerable experience to the business, first working with his father and grandfather at Brooks Sawmill, then spending 15 years working at Spray Lakes Sawmill, a high volume, fully modern, dimension sawmill in Cochrane. He took over the 93-year-old family business when his father retired. In addition to managing the sawmill, David and Marcie also manage a herd of 30 head of cattle. Business at the sawmill, which features both a Finnish Kara circular sawmill and a Wood-Mizer LT40 bandsaw, is steady. Marcie says their current website is probably the highest profile the company has ever had, even though the company is almost 100 years old. A custom sawing operation, Brooks Sawmill aims for high quality and has shipped wood products as far as Texas. The lumber cut at the sawmill, in fact, helped build Cochrane and the surrounding area. David recalls that the in the early days, the community only had one telephone at a local general store. Customers would call the store and pre-order lumber loads in the fall. Brooks Sawmill would cut the orders in the winter, and customers would pick up the lumber with horses and wagons in spring. They provided a bunkhouse so that customers could rest up overnight before returning home with their load of wood products the next day. This practice carried on for years. “Grandpa would ride down every week to the store and pick up the orders of what he needed to saw, and he would just stockpile it all,” says David. His mother, MaryLou, describes the road between the sawmill and Cochrane as a “goat trail” before the current modern road and blacktop was installed. When she inquired about a bus being sent to the sawmill to take her children to school, the school office asked how she expected the school bus to get there, given the condition of the road. To solve the problem, she became the school bus driver. Brooks Sawmill derives its income from both solid wood products and firewood, with just over half coming from the solid
wood side of the business. Their product mix extends from as small as 1” x 4” lumber as short as 8’ to as large at 14” x 14” timbers as long as 32’. They also produce rough dimension lumber in popular sizes from 2” x 4” to 2” x 10” for non-structural applications, and aim for high quality, removing all lumber with red rot indication from their lifts, and sending it for firewood. “We’ve shipped material such as heavy timbers as far as Texas, and we’ve done a lot of movie sets,” says David. “Pretty much every movie that has been filmed
here that is a Western, we’ve supplied most, if not all, their timber.” For decades, the sawmill did select logging primarily in winter on a variety of private woodlots in the area. Until the early 1960s, manually felled logs were skidded to roadside with horses, until David’s father, Frank, purchased a small TD7 dozer. That was before what some consider the notorious southern Alberta log boom in
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smallsawmilling from page 23 the 1990s, when local landowners were being paid exorbitant prices to clearcut their land, with the logs largely shipped to British Columbia. What used to be acres of virgin timber is now pasture. “The boom hit in 1996 and the price of logs went up to $130 a tonne at that time,” says David. “Everyone around us just cashed in on it, they clearcut their properties, and that put us into a whole different ballgame in terms of getting timber again.” David says that the sawmill has never owned a government quota to harvest wood, but he would love to own a commercial timber permit. It’s a point of frustration in the business, after several attempts to acquire a timber permit. Today, Brooks Sawmill purchases its 5,000 cubic metres of wood fibre from surplus oversized spruce and pine logs sold typically by large dimension sawmills in the province. David says he can almost measure the
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The Finnish Kara circular sawmill (above) at the Brooks Sawmill is the backbone of the business, producing about a truckload of lumber per day. Also part of the milling line-up at the Brooks operation is a Wood-Mizer LT40 bandsaw. They use the bandsaw for doing heavy and long timbers up to 32 feet long. pulse of the economy based on the wood products most in demand at the moment. When the economy is humming, he has plenty of demand for timbers, especially from the oilpatch. They also take a lot of
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
his sawdust. However, when the economy is in a downswing, he says that he produces a lot of dimension lumber, which is currently the case. But he says it all balances out and they do practically no product stockpiling because orders consistently show up to fill their order sheet each week. The Kara sawmill works efficiently in what David describes as a “one man operation”. It does take only one person to lift, place, and saw each log to size, but it also takes one person to catch the freshly sawn lumber and stack it. This sawmill was purchased in 2000 after watching a demonstration at the Prince George Forestry Show, and David says it produces very accurate cuts. For custom jobs that take a little longer and are more suited for a bandsaw, Brooks Sawmill operates its Wood-Mizer LT40 bandsaw with one operator, in tandem with the Kara operation. The Wood-Mizer bandsaw was purchased in 1998. All told, they process about 33 cubic metres, or one logging truck load, per day on the Kara circular sawmill, with the Wood-Mizer producing considerably less, being a bandsaw. “We use the bandsaw for doing heavy and long timbers up to 32 feet long, and a lot of one inch material due to the small kerf on the band,” says David. “We use the Kara sawmill for dimensional lumber—everything from two-by-fours to two-by-twelves.” Always looking to use as much of each log as possible, David plans to purchase and install an in-line slab processor on the Kara sawmill to buck the slabs to length so that they can be used for firewood. They may also possibly purchase a board edger.
BIGGER— and BETTER contractorprofile
Alberta logging contractor Corey Stoneman finds that when it comes to choosing equipment for the stump-side processing he does for Spray Lakes Sawmills in the eastern slopes of the Rockies, bigger is definitely better.
By Tony Kryzanowski
W
hen it comes to managing the business of logging, not much gets past Corey Stoneman, owner of Calgary, Alberta-based, Quinex Contracting—he brings years of experience, personally working in the saddle of every piece of logging equipment. A business administration and accounting grad from Thunder Bay’s Lakehead University, Corey has seen his share of stormy waters to know what it takes to succeed—and has managed to grow into a full-fledged stump-to-roadside contractor along the way. Quinex Contracting is one of Spray Lakes Sawmills’ (SLS) three main contractors, harvesting about 130,000 cubic metres annually. The sawmill is located in Cochrane, Alberta. Corey feels fortunate
Corey Stoneman (at right, standing), the owner of Quinex Contracting, has 20 years’ experience operating every piece of logging equipment, and he’s grown into a full-fledged, stump-to-roadside contractor, with the help of feller buncher sub-contractor Jason Johnson (in the cab of his Tigercat LX830 tilter feller buncher). 26
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contractorprofile
Since Quinex Contracting processes at the stump, they needed a sturdy carrier to travel from bunch to bunch and a head with a reputation for multi-stemming. So they chose the combination of a Tigercat H855C carrier with a Southstar 500 processing head. to be able to drive out daily to his cutblocks, typically located within an hour of Calgary, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Corey had no background in logging, but became interested in the business through his wife, Inger, whom he met at Lakehead University, and his father-in-law, Roland Nilsson, who had considerable logging experience in British Columbia. Nilsson owned Kompis Contracting as well as Cypress Creek Logging, based in Gold River on Vancouver Island. Corey and Inger established Quinex Contracting almost 20 years ago, in 1997. Inger helps out in the business with bookkeeping and managing the safety paperwork. “I used to work in downtown Vancouver, and I really didn’t like it, so I decided to give logging a try because of my fatherin-law,” says Corey. Although he was new to logging, he was raised on a farm, which prepared him for the workload required with this type of venture. He started as a forwarder operator for his father-in-law, working for Weldwood
in Williams Lake, B.C., then purchased his first machine, a John Deere 1270 harvester, and worked for several years as a sub-contractor. Later, he took a contract working as a processor sub-contractor for Roper Ventures. They had a contract with SLS in Cochrane. At that time, Inger transferred to a freight forwarding job in Calgary. When one of SLS’s contractors retired, Corey worked there until the downturn in 2008. SLS reduced its log harvest that year, leaving Corey and Roper Ventures without work. To keep his equipment working and to make the payments, Corey took on thinning, firebreak, and highway construction clearing contracts in Banff National Park. In 2012, when the forest industry picked up again and SLS was looking for contractors, Corey earned a regular logging contract with them. One of the advantages he had was his familiarity with their unique logging method. He started with a contract for only 25,000 cubic metres. That progressed to 70,000 cubic metres, and is now up to 130,000 cubic metres. Quinex Contracting has nine employees and their log diet is
mainly spruce and pine, measuring from 6” to 30” at the butt. Corey is like an industry barometer: if he isn’t making money, nobody’s making money. That’s because he keeps close tabs on the profit and loss column, and sets realistic expectations. “I’ve made mistakes like everybody else, but I’m pretty good at knowing what my production numbers are and what I have to do to make things work,” he says. “A lot of guys seem to get themselves into trouble when they buy a piece of equipment with a production level in mind that just isn’t possible. It shouldn’t be based on your best day—but on what you can realistically average, day in and day out, for the season.” SLS uses a unique logging method of mechanical felling, at-the-stump processing, tree length decking, and in-the-block branch retention. The reason Quinex Contracting logs this way is because SLS conducts intricate
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contractorprofile from page 27 merchandizing of their logs at the front end of their sawmill, directing logs based on diameter, length and quality to one of their various product tracks, as they produce both dimension lumber and treated lumber in various dimensions. Typically, loggers would salivate at the prospect of tree length logging because it usually is a faster, simpler method. The catch with the SLS method, however, is their desire to maintain branches in the cutblock instead of at roadside—strong environmental scrutiny of logging activities in this part of the country makes slash pile burning highly unpopular. Corey says logging close to Calgary, with over a million people is a challenge. “A lot of people are really focused on what we do out here,” he says. Having tried various methods, including taking branches back to the cutblock from roadside with skidder grapples and scattering them, SLS has deemed that processing at the stump and leaving the branches in the block is the most efficient slash management method, with the highest natural regeneration response from the cones. But this is where this logging method becomes very tricky, requiring the feller buncher to stack felled logs a certain way, the same going for the processor, so that the skidder can efficiently drag the tree length logs to roadside with minimal slash resistance and log breakage. “Stump-side processing is really hard on equipment,” says Corey. “It’s tough on skidders. Sticks and debris get jammed up and break things constantly. That’s one of our biggest operating challenges.” This has definitely influenced the robust nature of his equipment fleet. “My view is that bigger is better,” says Corey. “I run one older and one brand new Tigercat, six-wheel, 635E skidder just for
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Because of the debris field that a skidder must navigate with the style of logging conducted by Quinex Contracting, they purchased a powerful, heavy, six-wheel, Tigercat 635E skidder to get the job done efficiently. the adverse pulling. A couple of years ago, I had a Tigercat 630 and it just couldn’t pull the adverse skids that we have sometimes—plus we also have long skids.” Their skids can be as long as 800 metres, which takes its toll on production if not managed well. In that case, they try to grapple as many logs as possible on each drag. It requires a lot of power to pull through all the debris. Corey says the adverse logging conditions is also why he has selected two Tigercat 855C processor carriers, which are equipped with Southstar 500 processing heads, to replace a couple of carriers from competing brands. They couldn’t navigate around the stumps as well as these Tigercat carriers. Having a purpose-built carrier versus a converted carrier has really made a productivity difference in moving from bunch to bunch in the block. “The Tigercat 855C is a lot of money, and for roadside processing it is probably
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
overkill,” says Corey. “But for what we are doing, it has the dual swing motors, the track power and the swing power to get around and be productive.” He selected the Southstar processing head because he appreciated their multistemming capabilities. “We’ve got a dog’s breakfast for our wood diet,” says Corey. “The wood we are in now is probably three trees to the cubic metre and we can be as bad as six. So to help out with production when we hit the small wood, that’s why I went with my first Southstar, to be able to have that multi-stemming function.” That goal has delivered mixed results, but the heads have proven reliable, which is why he purchased a second head. For log decking, Corey has selected a Cat 325C carrier. Rounding out his fleet
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contractorprofile
Quinex Contracting contracts out bunching services to Jason Johnson, who has a Tigercat LX830 tilter feller buncher (above right). Johnson says what he likes about the Tigercat LX830 tilter is that it has a closed loop system on the hydraulics, which provides power to several functions at one time. from page 28 is a Hitachi backhoe, Cat D7R dozer, and Volvo grader. Uptime is a major consideration when Corey purchases equipment, and other than hose replacement, he has only lost one shift because of mechanical breakdown with his Tigercat processor carriers in a year-and-a-half. Also, because
Tigercat equipment is manufactured in Canada, the exchange rate has made a difference in the price of equipment. The terrain where Quinex Contracting logs is largely clay base, with anywhere from flat to 45 per cent adverse slope. “It’s not as tough as Vancouver Island or southeastern B.C., but it’s definitely not flat by any stretch of the imagination,” says Corey.
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One astute business decision Corey has made is giving a trusted past employee the opportunity to contract his feller bunching services to Quinex Contracting. Jason Johnson worked for Corey for over a decade, and Corey promised that he would take him back as an owner/operator once he was able to secure a contract with SLS. Johnson has purchased a Tigercat LX830 tilter feller buncher. The advantage, of course, of sub-contracting out certain logging functions is that Corey avoids having to finance the purchase of those pieces of equipment and they aren’t on his payroll. The downside is that a subcontractor can seek greener pastures, but given his long term relationship with Jason, Corey says he feels comfortable with his decision. But he keeps a model TK feller buncher in his fleet as a back-up unit. Johnson says he has been logging for 23 years, starting out in B.C. when he was 18 years old. He has been providing Quinex Contracting with feller buncher services since 2012. Johnson says what he likes about the Tigercat LX830 tilter is that it has a closed loop system on the hydraulics, which provides power to several functions at one time. He chose the tilter model because it allows him to work level when felling on a slope, which he finds is easier on the operator and results in less fatigue. Johnson says he is also able to swing faster than with a flat bottomed feller buncher. The Tigercat LX830 has proven very reliable in this application, with no major downtime after 9300 hours. Corey says he appreciates dedicated sub-contractors like Johnson, as well as his reliable and hardworking crew who are willing to work the long hours demanded by the industry. They have meant a lot to the success of his business.
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millsafety
NEW WORK STANDARDS for sawmill planers
New work standards for sawmill planers in B.C. are expected to make the work environment safer—and contribute to an increase in planer efficiency. By Jim Stirling
N
ew standards designed to make working around planers safer for B.C. sawmill crews will soon be made available to industry. The safety measures are also expected to contribute to a significant increase in operational planer efficiency. The planer safety recommendations are the result of a collaborative examination of the issue by the British Columbia Forest Safety Council (BCFSC) and WorkSafeBC. The latter group was preparing a final report on the proposal at press time. Work on the file began when the industry’s Manufacturers Advisory Group (MAG) began looking at safeguarding in a sawmill/wood processing plant context. The MAG serves in an advisory capacity and reports to the board of the BCFSC. The Coast Harvesting Advisory Group, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada safety committee and the Trucking & Harvesting Advisory Group are other specialist committees operating in similar functions within the BCFSC. The MAG was originally formed in 2009 when about a dozen forest licencees’ representatives operating in B.C. met periodically to share best practices in forest safety. The MAG became the nucleus of the forest industry response to the 2012 sawmill explosions and fires at two separate sawmills in central B.C. The incidents killed a total of four people and injured scores more. The result of the response to the tragedies was the creation of an audit standard for the forest industry around the containments of combustible dust in wood processing plants. The decision was made
by the CEOs of the licencees involved to formalize the MAG. In April, 2015, the MAG took up its current role within the BCFSC structure. MAG members quizzed sawmill owners and operators on areas within their plants that might benefit from a more effective safety standard guarding control. Several areas were identified by respondents, including guarding issues associated with the principal equipment involved with
revolved around seemingly contradictory regulations and definitions concerning what exactly constitutes maintenance and production modes in the context of planer operation. That, in turn, influenced the appropriate procedures that should be followed by workers, he explains. The MAG and WorkSafeBC concluded a safe, workable device option was needed with a prior approved status. “We looked to technology and the infinite ways it offers to safely manage a planer room.” The partners were looking for the most suitable control to safeguard against common worker habits like reaching in to equipment or venturing where they shouldn’t to solve a production disturbance. The proposed safeguard system works like a programmable logic computer, says Beattie. It can perform a variety of functions to ensure creation of a safer planer room. The proposed safeguard system has the additional ability to monitor itself, he continues. “This control is better suited because it’s passive, automatic and equipment won’t fire up,” summarizes Beattie. He notes similar types of devices have been used in other industries including food processing and automotive manufacturing. The MAG investigative team reckons adoption of the proposed planer safeguard system will deliver the additional benefit of increased efficiency. “We estimate time losses due to (planer) jam-ups will be down by at least 30 per cent with this safeguard system,” predicts Beattie. “The planer room safeguard system will give the worker confidence that the room will be safe—and we also believe system use will reduce reduce mill downtime,” he concludes.
Planers handle a wood fibre diet that is frequently dry and more prone to breakage—and jam ups can be frequent as a result. Worker safety issues can arise while dealing with these jam-ups.
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the log breakdown sequence. But it was improvements in and around the planer that emerged as one of the key areas of common safety concern, recalls Darren Beattie, safety director with Conifex Timber Inc., a member company of the MAG. Modern planers are high speed precision machines. They’re asked to handle a wood fibre diet these days that is frequently dry and more prone to breakage. Jam-ups are relatively frequent as a result, to the infeed and fibre flow through the planer. Worker safety issues arise while dealing with the jam-ups to restore productive material flow. “It’s an area where serious injuries can happen,” reports Beattie. A risk assessment planning process was followed with an engineering design for a planer safeguarding system. The MAG worked closely with WorkSafeBC throughout these stages, adds Beattie. One of the challenges encountered Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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BCsawmilling
Cutting its own pat Simpson Lumber Co. has cut its own path to success in B.C.’s Robson Valley, focusing on Doug fir timbers, specialty and custom cuts—with the bonus being a very short commute for mill owner, Larry Simpson.
By Paul MacDonald
S
awmiller Larry Simpson has a heckuva short commute to work. From the family home to the sawmill he operates near Tete Jaune, B.C. is about a two minute walk. Simpson has a spectacular view, too, from the cab of his Morbark sawmill, as the mill sits in the midst of the Rocky, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. Virtually around the corner, on the Yellowhead Highway, is Mt. Robson, the highest mountain in the Rockies. It’s hard to beat, says Simpson, a veteran of almost four decades in the forest industry in the Robson Valley area of B.C. Working with Douglas fir logs supplied, for the most part, by the Valemount Community Forest in nearby Valemount, B.C., Simpson Lumber Co. produces timbers, specialty and custom cuts. His production could be used in anything from timber homes to bridges, with the sidecuts used for dimensional lumber. “We’re cutting some smaller logs today,” he says, taking a break from operating the mill. “But small or big logs, to page 36
Larry Simpson with his Morbark circular saw.
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BCsawmilling
th
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BCsawmilling from page 34 our customers are looking for wood, so we want to keep the wood moving to them.” Simpson buys the occasional truckload of logs from local landowners, and sometimes from a larger mill operation in the area, Hauer Bros. Lumber. But more than 90 per cent of his logs come from the Valemount Community Forest, which with an area of 70,182 hectares, has an annual cut of 40,000 cubic metres. Simpson requires only a small fraction of that for the smooth running of his mill operation. “It all depends on where they are cutting, but the community forest gives us pretty good logs,” he says. “They might be working in a patch of pine, but they will get three or four loads of fir that they will send to us. There is enough coming out of the community forest to meet our needs, and there is a good variety of logs there.” Simpson notes that when the mill first got going, most of the wood came from local woodlots and Hauer Bros. “We did not need a lot of wood when we first started,” he says. “But as we got going and we needed more logs, the community forest seemed to be the answer to our needs. We’ve worked with them fairly well.” All of the timber comes to their yard tree length—usually either 49’6” or 57’, which gives them flexibility on what to do with the log. “I don’t like buying cut to length,” says Simpson. “With cut to length, we could have a certain sized order, and the log
might already be bucked—we could be looking for a 16 footer, and it’s already been bucked to 14 feet.” He says this approach can involve a fair bit of log sorting, but this way they have a better chance of getting the best value— and maximum revenue—for the log. Simpson uses a Morbark 48” circular saw set-up. The saw, powered by a 160 hp Dodge Cummins diesel engine, can cut up to 24’ long and up to a 36” diameter. It has a two saw vertical edger, and can edge from a 1 x 4 to a 4 x 12. Following that is a two-saw trimmer and green chain. The trimmer is powered with a 13 hp Honda engine. Two smaller hydraulic systems run the chains and conveyors, and are powered by the Dodge Cummins, with a small Yamaha generator powering the hydraulic coils. This is actually his second go at setting
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up a sawmill. His first set-up was mostly destroyed in a fire in 2013. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the fire did not spread, even though the area had some dry, hot weather at the time. Neighbors spotted the fire, and were able to save some of the equipment. “Some of what we have now was from the other mill that got hit by the fire,” he says. “We were able to salvage a bit, but it was mostly done.” By and large, Simpson had to start pretty close from scratch in setting up the mill, after the fire. He found the Morbark circular mill in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. “Basically, it was just iron that no one wanted,” he says, with a laugh. “We just picked up some pieces from around the Vernon area that I thought would work, and brought it home. “I’ve just picked equipment up here and there, and put it together,” he says, modestly. It certainly helps with all this that Simpson is a certified millwright. The fire hit the operation in August 2013. But thanks to the support and efforts of Larry’s wife, Linda, his son, Dean, and his brother-in-law, Toad (Brian) Tinsley, who has been with the mill since they started up, they were running again by that fall. “That following winter it was pretty tough—I set up things a few different ways, to try to make it work best. It took a bit of time. But we got there.” He notes that they are now able to cut a bit larger log on the Morbark saw vs. their previous saw. “But the other saw was nice—it was all electric.” Before he set up Simpson Lumber, he worked for local sawmilling outfit, Hauer Bros, a long-established family-run mill, for 35 years. “Old Henry Hauer had a lot of iron in the yard down there at their mill, so I
BCsawmilling Current production for Simpson Lumber includes some six by six, and some twoinch product, for flooring, going to the B.C. coast. Side lumber goes to a planer mill in Prince George, and they send some one-by-six to a reman operation on the coast, for markets in India.
knew how to work with it.” It was good training for piecing things together with his own mill. Most of the wood Simpson Lumber produces goes west, to Prince George, and southwest, to Vancouver. The nearby town of Valemount is fairly small, with a population of about 1,000 people, so local demand for wood is pretty limited. That could change, though. A massive ski hill/resort has been proposed for the area, which would result in significant growth
for the town. The $175 million resort would be built in the Cariboo Mountains just west of Valemount, and has been approved by the B.C. government. For now, though, Simpson is focused on their current markets. “Lately, we’ve had some six by six, and some two-inch product, for flooring, going to the coast,” says Simpson. A lot of their side lumber goes to a planer mill in Prince George, and they send some one-by-six to a reman operation on the coast, for markets in India. The dimensions, he notes, are approximate, since they don’t have a resaw. “We produce the thick and the thin on the headrig,” he says. “We pretty much focus on the timbers—with the side lumber, it’s been a bit of a challenge to market, but we’ve found
places to sell it to.” If you’ve ever been in a Montana’s Restaurant, you’ve likely seen some Simpson Lumber timbers. “We’ve cut the timbers for just about every one of the Montana’s Restaurants—they’ve been a steady customer for us.” The CN Rail line runs adjacent to the mill site, but their lumber is shipped by truck from the mill. “Most of the brokers have their own trucks, and we also deal with a trucker who regularly hauls to Prince George.” Most of the time, Simpson Lumber works through brokers. “I’d say that 95 per cent of the time, I go through three or four brokers in Prince George.” That helps to keep them busy, he says. “We’re never looking for orders—we always have orders. We have to turn away business because we can only produce so much.” In fact, says Simpson, he is as busy as he wants to be. They operate the mill six hours a day, and he’s on the Morbark steady during that time. “It still involves some long hours—beyond running the mill, you have to tally the lumber, and do to page 38
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BCsawmilling a bit of maintenance on the mill. You have to keep everything running.” They usually have a crew of three, including Larry’s son, Dean, and brother-in-law, Toad. The Morbark mill, fortunately, does not require a lot of work. Some of the work, because of its age, involves some McGyver’ing work on Simpson’s part. “It’s mostly bearings, maybe some coils on the electrical side—we’ll fix it or, if we need to, we’ll phone the suppliers in Prince George, and the parts will be here the next day. “When I go to Prince George, too, I’ll buy a few of this and that, so we have spares on hand. The equipment is pretty straightforward.” The mill can take a bit of prodding to get going in wet or cold weather. In this part of B.C., it can get down to -20 or even -30. “It can be tough to get it going some mornings if it’s cold, with all the hydraulics,” says Simpson. “I have some fairly long hydraulic lines on the Morbark, and it can take a while get to get things warmed up.” But cold weather doesn’t deter them.
“The guys buying our wood have a home for that wood, and they need it by a certain day. When we take an order, we want to deliver it on time. We want to get it done for our customers.” On the mobile equipment side, they have a Bobcat A-300 and Cat 930 and 966 wheel loaders, which Simpson picked up used. Used equipment is the way to go for them, he says. “The 966 loader is an older machine, and we were having some problems with the engine,” he explained. “We could buy a new loader, but the benefits are not going to be there for us, for what we are investing in a new piece of equipment. “So I went online, and found this other 966 on the coast. I bought it, took the motor out and put it in our 966—and it works perfect. And we also have all these spare parts now.” And it’s often easier dealing with more traditional equipment technology, he says. “With the newer equipment, and the computerized parts it has, you might have to get someone from the dealership to look at it if you have problems. And we are not exactly close to a major centre, where the dealers are.” The equipment is moving around the
38
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
from page 37
yard a bit easier these days. As part of the construction work for a nearby CN Rail overpass, his mill site was used for fill material. As part of this, he was able to arrange to get the CN equipment put in a couple of feet of gravel, from the small gravel pit he runs on the side. “They packed it all in for us,” says Simpson. “We’re able to get around better now in the wet weather.” An issue for Simpson Lumber and other producers in the area is what to do with their wood waste. When things were booming in next door Alberta, the oil patch would take the sawdust off his hands; it was used as part of the mix for drilling fluids. “They paid for it, but the trucking costs ate up any money up we got for it—I was just happy to get rid of the wood waste,” he explained. Now, local farmers take some of the sawdust, for spreading on their fields. “I’m kind of helping them out, and they’re helping me out. “The biggest challenge for us now is dealing with the wood waste—the rest is all manageable,” says Simpson. to page 40
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BCsawmilling from page 38 A very neat solution for the waste wood would be a pellet plant that has been proposed for Valemount. Despite the long hours, Simpson clearly enjoys the work, and the independence. Before he left Hauer Bros. Lumber, he had already set up a small operation, using a sawmill, from D&L Doublecut Sawmills, of Lac la Hache, B.C. “When I went out on my own, we just made that company a little bigger,” he says. But in an era of big forest companies, and large sawmills, Simpson likes being small scale. “When I got my millwright ticket, we had big mills in Valemount at the time, and some of my buddies worked there. But I enjoy what I am doing. I did not want the pressure of the big mills.” Working for a modest sized operation like Hauer Bros was a good fit. “It was great—I really enjoyed working there. And old Henry Hauer was like a father to me. I learned a lot there.” And now, Simpson is quite happy to climb into the cab of the Morbark of his own operation every morning. “Some
people might say, why don’t you get someone else to saw. But I enjoy sitting there sawing. People ask how I can make something out of some of the logs we get. But I don’t even think about it—I put the
40
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
If you’ve ever been in a Montana’s Restaurant, you’ve likely seen some Simpson Lumber timbers. “We’ve cut the timbers for just about every one of the Montana’s Restaurants—they’ve been a steady customer for us,” says Larry Simpson. log in the carriage, and I make the cuts.” And then there are benefits of pretty much working from home. “I walk home for lunch,” he says, with a smile.
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February 2017
The Edge Tree nanomaterial may help repair and stengthen human bones BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI
A
University of Alberta researcher is hoping to harness the properties of a nanomaterial extracted from trees to help repair and strengthen human bones. At present, medical science uses inorganic and inert materials such as titanium to substitute for bone structure where it is missing in cases of physical injury, cancer surgery, birth defects and other disease conditions. However, Dr. Reza Vakili is developing a structural material that could give doctors an organic, non-toxic alternative to titanium. A novel, advanced biomaterial called cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) is a critical part of his formulation. Describing his work as “very modern science,” Dr. Vakili says the $182,000 grant from Alberta Innovates through its Alberta Bio Future research and innovation funding program, and the availability of CNC in Alberta from a pilot plant operated by Alberta Innovates, are making his cutting-edge research possible. Dr. Vakili is a polymer chemist and research associate in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the field of biomaterials. After attending a workshop about the CNC platform at an Alberta Innovates facility in Edmonton, he came up with the idea of developing a CNC-based organic alternative to materials like titanium for bone repair and replacement. He is working with Dr. Afsaneh Lavasanifar, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, with research interest in polymer-based delivery systems for drugs and biologics, to develop the entirely new bone repair substance that supports bone growth. CNC has unique structural, strength and optical properties. The Alberta Innovates CNC pilot plant, one of only a few in the world, is capable of producing
several kilograms of high-quality CNC per day from forest biomass. Dr. Christine Murray, Director of Agricultural Technologies at Alberta Innovates, says Dr. Vakili’s research was chosen for funding under the Alberta Bio Future program because of its many possible benefits. “CNC is a high-value biomaterial from a natural, renewable resource (trees) available in Alberta. Applications research is required to fully understand and utilize its potential,” says Dr. Murray. “This project was a unique use of CNC, proposing to use its strength properties and biocompatibility in a biomedical situation.” Moreover, the research supports Alberta’s forest sector and utilizes a leadingedge industrial product being created right in Alberta. The goal of tissue engineering is to develop “scaffolds” that mimic the structure of healthy tissue. Like scaffolding that supports construction workers, tissue scaffolds can provide strength to bones where some of the structure is missing. The challenge has been to find a structural material that the body will accept to combine with a soft and porous organic polymer. CNC has proven that it can be used as an organic, non-toxic, strengthening agent to secure the polymer where needed. What’s exciting about this new approach is that the organic scaffold has both strength and porosity. Doctors are able to implant bone cells onto the porous scaffold. The cells grow and eventually take over the scaffold. Being an organic material, the polymer-CNC scaffold simply dissolves over time, leaving behind actual human bone. “The focus of research in this area has shifted from development of bio-inert materials as bone replacements toward Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
Dr. Reza Vakili (above) is developing an organic replacement for inorganic materials like titanium to repair and replace human bone. The formulation includes cellulose nanocrystals from trees. generation of bio-active materials that can integrate biologics and/or cells for bone regeneration,” says Dr. Vakili. The potential market for an eventual commercial alternative to materials such as titanium is huge. “The cost of bone defect repairs has been estimated to be more than $2.5 billion annually just in the U.S. as of 2012. More than half-a-million patients have been treated with bone defect repair techniques,” Vakili says. “This figure is expected to double by 2020 in the United States and globally.” His research is currently in Phase 1— refining the scaffold formulation. The next step would be to evaluate how well cells grow on the scaffold, followed by clinical testing of the scaffold with live bone to prove its performance. He hopes to have a commercial product available for scaleup in about four years. For more information about this project, contact Dr. Reza Vakili at vakili@ ualberta.ca and for more information about the Alberta Bio Futures funding program, contact Julia.Necheff@albertainnovates.ca. 43
The Edge
CWFC promotes micro-site designs that regenerate high-value and healthy mixedwood forests and hardwoods. The site appeared to already be exhibiting regeneration challenges because of severe drought as well as fluctulimate change is having an impact on forest health and will have a ating temperature and moisture conditions definite impact on the forests of that were contributing to significant stand the future. So the Canadian Wood Fibre mortality. Centre (CWFC) has identified a need to CWFC Wood Fibre Development examine options for current reforestation Specialist Tim Keddy supervised the estabpractices by demonstrating a new and inlishment of the micro-site demonstration novative approach to establishing microproject, with the goal of maintaining its sites to ensure that future forests are not ecosystem integrity by regenerating tree only healthy, but bio-diverse and species that were originally in this resilient to withstand and flourish in mixedwood stand. an era of changing climate. CWFC used an excavator Under its new mandate of helpequipped with a Mericrusher highing to maintain forest resource speed mixer for selective micro-site health and sustainability, the CWFC preparation. By being selective, it believes that one option to achieve was possible to retain all the residual healthy forests in future is to place stems growing on the site. After a greater emphasis on mixedwood micro-site preparation, they were reforestation in natural, mixedwood planted according to CWFC’s design. forests, rather than trying to create “The excavator with the Meripure monocultures. Research shows crusher high-speed mixer selectively that single species landscapes are created 1.4 metre wide sites that among the most vulnerable ecowere usually one or two metres systems to pests, pathogens, and long,” Keddy says. “The idea was to climate change-induced weather plant trees on the sites so that they An excavator with a Soukone Meri-crusher highevents. were able to establish roots quickly speed mixer attachment at work (above). and grow vigorously, while keeping Through its extensive research competition at bay for at least two to and experience, CWFC has deterthree years.” precision. He adds that implementing this mined that proper post-harvest micro-site Both softwoods and hardwoods were approach delivers a number of benefits preparation and management is critical planted on the micro-sites, with hybrid down the road. These include cost savto creating an environment for planted poplar planted on some sites to re-estabings realized from increased growth of tree seedlings or natural regeneration to lish a leaf litter layer to provide organic the seedlings requiring less vegetation become well-established and to grow in nutrients. The poplar also acts as a shelter management treatments as they mature, a harmonized manner. To demonstrate or ‘nurse’ species for some conifers. After and there is the potential to regenerate a these options, it has established an op10 to 15 years, they will begin to disapvariety of commercially-valuable species erational research demonstration site at pear as the conifer seedlings have become that result in a healthy, resilient forest. the Natural Resources Canada Petawawa established. “We have to address the whole issue Research Forest in Ontario and recently “We’re looking at a different way of of changing climate and opportunities participated in a successful two-day tour managing the forest in the long run,” for diversification in how we manage our of the facility for sustainable forest Keddy says. forests,” says Sidders. management leaseholders and site prep contractors, which included an equipment The Petawawa area was a good choice and tool demonstration. to establish CWFC’s demonstration site because it is situated along the fringe of CWFC’s approach to successful microFor more information about CWFC’s the area in Canada probably most heavsite design and application is innovative micro-site design and implementation but involves using the same equipment ily influenced by a changing climate. The methodology as well as future CWFCcommonly used by logging and site prep 12-hectare demonstration site was a natural sponsored events, contact Derek Sidcontractors with purpose-built tools like the mixedwood forest that had been clearcut ders at derek.sidders@canada.ca or Soukone Meri-crusher high-speed mixer. as well as another 8-hectare regeneration Tim Keddy at tim.keddy@canada.ca. Although the research and demonstracut site consisting of white pine, red pine, BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI
C
44
tion site is located in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, CWFC recommends these same innovative micro-site preparation and management techniques for Canada’s extensive mixedwood boreal forest and is sharing this knowledge with site prep contractors working in this environment. Derek Sidders, CWFC Regional Coordinator and Program Manager, says the key to success is to apply CWFC’s recommended designs and methods with
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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TECHUPDATE
By Tony Kryzanowski
Scanning and Optimization set-up of multi-sensor layouts and communication of 3D data to a PC. The high density 3D models created by Gocator are used to deliver optimal volume recovery in today’s sawmill, says the company. www.lmi3D.com
Comact
LMI Technologies
LMI Technologies’ Gocator 2880 is a proven mill solution, delivering high-performance log scanning in sawmills. The large field of view (up to 1260 mm) and dual camera design help capture 100 per cent of the log’s surface, including large shape variation caused by splits and outer knots. In a typical lineal system, a ring configuration of Gocator 2880 scanners are used to create a complete 3D point cloud, revealing shape features such as taper, sweep and crook. In addition to the shape of the log, defects such as bark, splits, outer knots and debarker tear-out can be identified. To address the fact that log scanning requires multiple sensors, the Gocator 2880 easily scales to a multiple sensor network using LMI Master hubs. Hubs take care of power distribution, laser safety interlock, encoder and digital input handling, and deliver microsecond synchronization. Using just a web browser, the Gocator’s Graphical User Interface (GUI) is designed for flexible configuration of scan settings,
Coming directly from the new generation of GradExpert, the all-new TrimExpert and EdgeExpert from Comact has arrived on the market with remarkable performance possibilities, says the company. Featuring new 4k high-resolution cameras, LED lighting and three times faster tracheid detection, the TrimExpert and Edg-
eExpert are perfectly equipped to maximize the trimming and edging performance of a sawmill, says the company. This new equipment also features the software advances developed over the last 15 years in more than 35 wood species and through more than 100 systems in operation. These advancements allow for the sorting of production and elimination certain defects at the source before the drying process. The unique modular architecture allows for the addition of technologies step by step, according to customer needs. Additionally, the new and very compact architecture is easy to maintain and is very robust. Overall, customers should expect an impressive return on investment over only a few months, says the company. www.comact.com
PMP Solutions
PMP Solutions believes that in today’s highly complex wood manufacturing world, it is important to stay alert. With the progress of automation and scanner technology, today’s sawmills have become complex systems to operate, and problems affecting mill performance can go undetected for several hours. PMP TeamMate is a system that helps operators 46
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN PLANER KNIFE GRINDING to spot sawmill production issues in real-time and thus allow quick response to solve problems and minimize losses. Log rotation errors, estimated boards volume difference between log and cant scanners, all slash percentage, percentage of boards sent to edger, and lumber recovery factor are a few examples of indicators PMP TeamMate can monitor. The operating range for each indicator can be configured, and the mill alerted as soon as an indicator gets out of the targeted range. Real-time Web dashboards are displayed on the mill floor using large Full HD LED TV and are also accessible from any mobile devices connected to the mill’s network. The system comes with a complete set of reporting tools giving operators access to historical data from individual measured log to the full year production summary. It is installed within a day and will never impact daily operations, says the company. www.pmpsolutions.ca
Autolog
Autolog has recently partnered with Moose River Lumber in Jackman, Maine to upgrade Moose River Lumber’s HewSaw optimization and controls. Autolog was chosen for the project because of their reputation as a major supplier of optimizers and controls within the wood industry for 30 years.
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Although Autolog is mostly known for supplying systems at the back end of the mill and at the planer mill, the company has never stopped selling log systems at the front end of mills. By installing log optimizers and controls, the company has built a strong expertise in controlling machines from many different suppliers. Autolog has also developed a strong expertise in linking all the systems they provide into a network, to help support production by supplying extensive reports for all machine centres. The Moose River Lumber project started on time and company representatives say that it has exceeded expectations in production and recovery. Autolog will soon replace two more HewSaw systems at one of the major industry players in New Brunswick. www.autolog.com to page 48
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
47
techupdate
HALCO
from page 47
USNR
The mountain pine beetle infestation has left billions of dead trees in Western Canada and it is still expanding. Dead trees dry out and develop splits that severely downgrade lumber. USNR has developed split detection for logs that improves log rotation and log breakdown optimization. Without split detection, as much as 20 per cent of the lumber produced is later rejected.
USNR’s split detection system uses vision and geometric scanning to identify splits on the surface of the logs. The MillExpert optimizer then calculates the optimal solution considering splits, based on grade and value. Split detection and optimization can improve lumber yields by two to five per cent and reduce the volume of split reject boards produced by up to 80 per cent, says the company. It improves recovery from dead/dried out logs, reduces handling of downstream reject lumber, costs significantly less than X-Ray CT scanning, uses BioLuma 2900V sensors, and can be added-on to existing TriCam or LPLe auto-rotation scan zones. www.usnr.com
Finscan
Finscan’s BoardMasterNOVA-N is a non-turning auto-grading scanner. Complete analysis of boards is performed in 10 different directions including accurate defect detection and reliable optimization results.
Based on required grades, the system optimizes boards giving detailed instructions for trimming, cutting, ripping and sorting. BoardMasterNOVA-N has comprehensive graphical reporting tools for operators, production planners and top management. The FinScan grading systems can be easily installed in existing or new grading lines, says the company. www.finscaninc.com
48
Machine centre optimizers give mills the power to control production mix, and mill flow. But to do so, they must be configured with appropriate parameters. HALCO’s WSO system “optimizes your optimizers”, says the company.
WSO is a production planning optimization system. It determines the mill’s optimal production mix, and the optimizer parameters required to produce that mix. WSO combines SAWSIM with linear programming optimization, in a proprietary iterative technique. WSO determines the operating plan that maximizes profit, considering: logs to be processed; market prices; sales mix constraints and committed orders; and mill flow/bottlenecking machines. WSO maximizes profit by resolving trade-offs between recovery, sales mix, and production rate. Sales average is increased with a high-value mix that satisfies market constraints. The production rate is increased, using bottleneck machines most efficiently. Recovery is increased, eliminating doing “extreme things” to rebalance inventory. Every multi-mill company that implemented WSO at one mill has gone on to place orders for subsequent sites, says the company. www.halcosoftware.com
JoeScan
JoeScan’s scan heads have been made for sawmills since the company introduced its first scan head in 2002. JoeScan’s newest scanner, the JS-25 X6B, is a high-performance, six-laser scanner, specifically designed for high-density, snapshot-scanning of logs on carriage headrigs. Each JS-25 X6B scan head can be mounted end-to-end to scan any length of log on 6” spacing.
The JS-25 X6B was designed to make it easy for optimizers and sawmills to upgrade obsolete carriage scanning systems, often reusing the existing scan frame. The JS-25 X6B is an easy hardware upgrade that provides higher scan rates, double the scan density, and is based on the sawmill-proven reliability of the JS-25 platform, says the company. The foundation of all JoeScan products is simplicity and reliability. Every scanner model comes with plug-and-scan Ethernet, a five-year warranty and a 10-year product support policy to protect against obsolescence. www.joescan.com
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
to page 50
SMART 3D LOG SCANNING
FOR THE SAWMILL
Gocator 2880 Dual Camera Advantage. Gocator 2880’s dual camera design and large field of view (up to 1260 mm) eliminate occlusions and help capture 100% of the log’s surface, including shape features such as taper, sweep and crook, and large shape variation caused by splits and outer knots. Using Gocator in a ring configuration, these sensors easily scale to a fully synchronized multi-sensor network. With a web-browser interface, sensors are configured to optimize scan results and communicate 3D data to a PC. High-density 3D models are then processed by optimization software to maximize volume recovery in today’s sawmill. GOCATOR 2880 3D SHAPE FOR LINEAL LOG SCANNING
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techupdate from page 48
Lucidyne
Mill ROI relies on maximizing fibre and value recovery. Lucidyne’s GradeScan identifies, analyzes and classifies board characteristics on and below the board’s surface, optimizes the saw solution, and grades the board in mere seconds. World-wide, GradeScan consistently delivers the results mills need, bringing return and new customers to Lucidyne, says the company. Interfor recently signed an agreement to purchase up to nine GradeScan systems from Lucidyne for installation at Interfor’s nine southeastern U.S. mills between 2016 and 2018.
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50
VAB Solutions
Lineal graders, moisture meters and lineal MSR graders all require board tracking in the ‘no lug’ transverse portion of the process. Once dealt to a lug loader or other board dealer, the data associated with the board must be transferred to the lug or machine the board is travelling in. Some board following methods involve UV markings, others printed codes. All are subject to read errors, costs for consumables, and hardware maintenance downtime and expense.
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Complementing GradeScan is Lucidyne’s patented True-Q board tracking system. Downstream from the GradeScan, but before lugging, True-Q captures each board’s image and matches it to the scanner image, keeping each board and solution paired. Even if boards get crossed or flipped, True-Q looks upstream and downstream to re-queue the solutions to match the boards correctly. www.lycidyne.com
VAB Solutions Inc. has developed a new tracking system that completely eliminates the need to mark the boards. Using cameras, the Air Board Tracker is mounted above the tracking area and, with the company’s proprietary software, this unique innovative technology visually follows the board and keeps it associated with its assigned ID number. The Air Board Tracker (patent pending) can be used with transverse travel distances from 4 to 100 feet, as long as boards are not one on top of the other, and will support operator or grader handling and even crisscrossing of boards one on top of the other. Board removal and re-insertion can be done on a first-out/first-in basis as long as it is done within a given time frame. www.vab-solutions.com
MPM Engineering
MPM Engineering, in its quest for scanning excellence and
joescan.com/dependability
continuous improvement in scanning technology, is currently involved in a research project to incorporate color information into their scanning realm. This new development will propel the next wave of hyper scanning technology into the future, utilizing the latest vision camera sensors, lighting, computing hardware and image algorithms.
Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
techupdate This system measures standard geometric features such as size and shape along with color information to better detect board features that are important to mill customers. The result is a better product to the market for customers along with higher yield and profit. This ensures that customers are able to meet market demand for good appearance grade products. www.mpmeng.com
Prologic+
After a year of development, Prologic+ has released a software option called DBA which stands for ‘Dynamic Bin Assign-
ment.’ This option can be implemented to an existing log sorter or ideally, to a new log sorter system. The first DBA system has been installed in Piteå, Sweden and has been running for more than two years. When the number of sawing patterns is higher than the number of bins, mills cannot affect a single pattern for every bin. Therefore, management of the bins must be done to give priority to certain patterns when mixing others with lower priorities into the same bin. This means that within one bin, two or three sawing patterns can be “mixed” together by separating the batch of logs per patterns within the same bin. The DBA system uses statistics and probabilities to forecast the bin assignment for each individual log. Since it’s impossible to make the right decision in real time, the decision will instead be based on previous data from the actual sorting scanner. The DBA will optimize productivity such as line feed speed and log gap using a dynamic log list. www.prologicplus.com
main advantages. Key features are: four-sided multi-channel visual and structural grading; optional high resolution transverse X-ray; trimming, sorting, edging and re-man optimization; integration of Microtec’s MSR module and moisture measurement (above and below fibre saturation); easy installation – standard chain height, no elevation changes; support – all sensors, cameras, LED lighting and x-ray components are produced in-house; new ‘occlusionless’ scanning conveyor; and, the Golden Eye 900 determines the overall quality of green, dry or planed lumber in one pass from all four sides. Value optimization before and after kiln drying is possible as the Goldeneye 900 grades both rough and finished lumber. www.springer-microtec.com
Springer Microtec
Using multi-channel technology, the Goldeneye 900 detects and localizes all types of knots, cracks, discoloration, pitch pockets, wane, curvature and other dimensional defects. This allows customers to automate, streamline and optimize all downstream production steps. Total production flexibility, reduced trim-loss, increased throughput and improved on-grade accuracy are the Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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SUPPLIERNEWSLINE Pierce introduces the PD5500M delimber
The new PD5500M delimber represents the best of both worlds, says Pierce: the design integrity of industry-leading Pierce and Denharco stroke delimbers, plus the genius of new cutting edge processing technology. The delimber features wireless communication, and operators may never have to replace a boom cable again, says the company. Instead of transmitting information through a cable that can easily be dam-
aged, information can be sent right to the head wirelessly. The PD5500M has even more features to help operators work safely and productively, including a high powered variable displacement cable drive system offering both speed and torque when needed most and curtainstyle hose hangers that minimize hose damage. The delimber has a safe and simple cab-operated transport system, and LED worklights light up the work zone. All of this and more is powered by Pierce’s colour touch screen Z5 control system, specifically designed for the stroke delimber application. www.piercepacific.com
EACOM selects Autolog for lumber grading at Elk Lake sawmill
by Quebec-based Autolog Inc. and features the latest technology in lumber grading. With this recent project, the replacement of the two saw lines and edger, as well as the reconfiguration of the co-products handling system, EACOM has invested over $13 million into the Elk Lake Sawmill since 2012. EACOM has a strong focus on continuous improvements and is committed to maintaining competitive operations to position the company for resilience and growth. The company currently owns seven sawmills, a remanufacturing facility, and a partnership operation in an engineered I-joist plant for a total of 1000 employees. www.eacom.ca www.autolog.com
New grapples enhance productivity of John Deere knuckleboom loaders
The John Deere 437E and 337E knuckleboom loaders are now equipped with new grapples manufactured by John Deere to further improve productivity and machine durability. The E-Series machines deliver five per
EACOM has successfully completed the installation of a new lumber grading system in its Elk Lake planer mill, in Ontario. The equipment was manufactured
cent more swing torque and lift force over previous models, and the new grapple complements these features by improving rotator torque and response times, as well as enabling higher side loads and rotator lift capacity. The new grapple, available with a 48” or 52” opening, is made with a more durable cast design and a larger, more robust rotator, providing loggers with a heavy-duty machine designed to withstand the toughest jobs, says the company. It has a rotator lift capacity of 123,000 lbs, rotator torque of 36,200 pounds/inch and is built with high impact and wearresistant custom steel. www.johndeere.com
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By Tony Kryzanowski Husqvarna introduces professional grade battery-powered pole saw
Husqvarna offers a telescopic batterypowered pole saw designed for professional use. The company says that this
telescopic pole saw has a reach of five metres and performance that surpasses its gas-powered equivalents. Its lightweight design, excellent ergonomics and quiet operation makes this professional pole saw ideal to use in any location at any time of day, says the company. www.husqvarna.ca
Tigercat upgrades 880 forestry carrier with new ‘D’ series
The Tigercat 880D supersedes the highly successful Tigercat 880—a heavy duty, purpose-built forestry carrier that can be configured for loading, shovel logging or processing.
The 880 stands out vs. converted excavators, with higher horsepower, more robust construction and superior productivity, says Tigercat. The D-series has been upgraded to the Tigercat FPT N67 engine outputting 308 hp at 2000 rpm. The engine is available in Tier 2 and Tier 4f configurations. Both deliver excellent fuel economy in a simple and reliable package, says the company. The swing bearing diameter has been increased from 54” to 62”. The larger bearing provides increased capacity and swing torque. The twin swing drive system reduces gear tooth loads. A massive
single-piece, forged pedestal strengthens the undercarriage and improves durability. The 880D logger now shares the modular main hydraulic valve with all other Tigercat 800 series carriers, for improved parts commonality. With the ability to easily swap out a valve section, the modular design simplifies maintenance. Another advantage of the 880D logger over competing excavator-based carriers is Tigercat’s forest duty undercarriage. Long frames and a wide stance carbody provide excellent stability, the company says. Track components are codesigned with Berco to provide maximum durability in forestry applications. The 880D has plenty of cooling capacity with an automatic variable speed fan for improved fuel efficiency and an automatic reversing cycle to clean the heat exchangers. Another fuel saving feature is the energy recovery swing system. A closed loop drive feeds power back to the engine when swing decelerates, reducing fuel consumption and recovering energy for other machine functions. www.tigercat.com
New WSM Pin Chipper expands supply and reduces fibre cost
The new WSM Pin Chipper is a high capacity fibre preparation machine that converts lower value mill residuals like shavings, hogged wood and alternate fibre supply sources into a high percentage of “pin chips” with long fibre length for use in the pulp and paper industry.
confirmed at rates of over 150 tph. WSM offers complete infeed and outfeed options to help supplement chip supply with lower cost fibre from the WSM Pin Chipper. www.westsalem.com
Northern Plastics offers durable polyurethane spider roll
Spider or flapper rolls are used for material handling in sawmills, such as for moving boards sideways to trimmers or other applications.
Northern Plastics Ltd offers a spider roll made of durable, polyurethane construction with keyed drive. It is compressible for even pressure on variable thickness pieces, and segmented for even pressure across the face of the pieces. The spider roll is non-marking and there is no need to sequence press rolls between pieces. This design and material results in less wear and tear on the press roll frame and pivot, and provides better feeding accuracy and increased throughput, with reduced gap between pieces. www.northernplastic.com
Wood-Mizer introduces Vortex sawdust-removal bandsaw blade
The WSM Pin Chipper is available in rotor diameters of 42”, 48”, and 60” and rotor lengths from 36” to 88” long, and typically operates with 200 to 800 horsepower. Modular and adjustable tooling includes either rigid or swing hammers with replaceable tips. Combined with modular sizing screens, this allows for adjustment to product sizing. It features field-proven performance at rates up to 75 tonnes per hour (tph), and when combined with a WSM pre-screen, the processing rate is
Wood-Mizer has developed a groundbreaking Vortex sawdust-removal bandsaw blade. Wood-Mizer’s new Vortex blade is engineered for pallet producers who need boards as free from excess sawdust as possible. The Vortex blade removes dust while sawing to minimize or eliminate the need
to page 54 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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suppliernewsline from page 53 for sawdust removal after the lumber is processed. This extremely unique blade profile has generated positive results in high-production pallet factory tests. Pallet producer Jeff Coomer of Indiana-based Coomer & Sons Sawmill tested the blade. “The Vortex blade was getting 98 to 99 per cent of the dust off, “ he says. “It was impressive how much dust it took off (compared to) a typical saw blade.” The Wood-Mizer Vortex blade is now available to order in .042 X 1¼” at any length. www.woodmizer.com
Tsubaki acquires Dia-Saw Manufacturing
Tsubaki of Canada Limited has acquired Dia-Saw Manufacturing Ltd, located in Maple Ridge, B.C. Dia-Saw has been serving customers in Western Canada since 1988. Starting as a manufacturer of shake and shingle mill equipment, they evolved into a leading manufacturer of sprockets and related drive components. “The addition of Dia-Saw gives us a
Correction
The December/January issue of Logging and Sawmilling Journal included a story on Resolute Forest Products’ new Atikokan sawmill in Ontario. The story should have said that Quebec-based Groupe KTG was the mechanical contractor on the Atikokan sawmill project. Logging and Sawmilling Journal regrets the error.
manufacturing base in British Columbia and will significantly enhance our ability to serve the market,” says Jos Sueters, vice-president of Tsubaki of Canada Limited. “We are also very pleased that David Dueck, the president of Dia-Saw, will be staying on to help us grow our business. We look forward to working with and learning from Dave.” Tsubaki of Canada Limited is a whollyowned subsidiary of the Tsubakimoto Chain Co. of Japan. www.tsubaki.ca
BGR Saws promotes Dan Betteridge to Senior Sales Manager BGR Saws has appointed Dan Betteridge as its Senior Manager – Sales, West Coast/Equipment Sales.
Betteridge has 25 years of experience in the wood industry, primarily in the sales, service and product development of state-of-the-art saw manufacturing and saw maintenance machinery. He also has broad experience in the saw sale business with BGR Saws. BGR Saws’ philosophy is not just to hire sales people, but actual experienced technical advisors to bring value and help sawmills to achieve better performance. “I’ve been a BGR Saws team member for over a decade,” says Betteridge. “Since I share the BGR Saws passion for achieving the very best performance and value at each and every sawmill and sawmill filing room, taking on this new position is a natural choice for me.” www.bgrsaws.com
Exhibit or Attend the
BC Saw Filer’s Association 66th Annual Conference and Trade Show!
Held in Kamloops at the Coast Kamloops Hotel
April 28-29, 2017 Pre-Register Now!
❖ Keynote Speakers & Educational Presentations ❖ Vendor Tradeshow - Friday ❖ Buffet Dinner & Comedy Night featuring Brian Stollery ❖ Annual General Meeting - Saturday Find out more at
www.bcsawfilers.com or E-Mail: bryan.glaister@gmail.com
BC Saw Filer’s Association Stay Sharp & Stay Safe
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
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INDEX JANUARY 2017
NAME:________________________________ TITLE/POSITION:__________________ COMPANY NAME:_______________________________________________________ ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________
FAX:___________________________
EMAIL:______________________________________________________________ WEBSITE:____________________________________________________________
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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - February 2017
ADVERTISER PAGE Allied Blower........................................... 40 Andritz....................................................... 5 BC Saw Filer's........................................... 54 Brandt Tractor............................................ 7 Brunette................................................... 53 Burton Saw................................................ 2 Canada North Resources.......................... 45 Cannon Bar Works..................................... 6 Carbotech................................................ 22 Corbilt..................................................... 38 DLA Piper................................................. 22 Elmia Wood............................................. 28 Gilbert Products....................................... 33 Halco....................................................... 46 HewSaw.................................................. 12 Interior Logging Association...................... 54 Joescan.................................................... 50 John Deere.............................................. 31 L-M Machinery......................................... 41 Lico Machinery........................................ 21 Linck........................................................ 11 Linden Fabrication.................................... 36 LMI Technologies...................................... 49 Log Max................................................... 29 Murray Latta............................................ 47 Peterson................................................... 25 Picprowrap.............................................. 51 Prince Rupert Port Authority..................... 13 Prologic Plus............................................. 17 Smithco................................................... 30 SonicAire................................................. 14 Springer-Microtec..................................... 15 Tigercat.................................................... 60 Tsubaki.................................................... 39 USNR....................................................... 21 Valutec Wood Dryers.................................. 9 Waratah................................................... 59 Wesgroup/Williams Machinery.................. 19 Wood-Mizer............................................... 8 YGE Advertorial........................................ 42 Z-Tec Automation..................................... 37
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thelastword
Getting the B.C. forest industry to a bright future is going to take some doing, with a falling timber cut By Jim Stirling
“
S
trong Past, Bright Future” is how British Columbia’s provincial government assesses the province’s forest sector. The provincial forest industry goals are creating healthy, resilient forests, a diverse, globally competitive industry and stable communities and First Nations. Few would argue against such objectives. What the plan is short of, though, is what all such politically correct Motherhood statements lack: a detailed and funded path to achieving them. There have been positive government announcements in the last few months and more on them in a moment. But the overshadowing reality for the forest industry is the lack of merchantable timber available in the B.C. Interior. This legacy of the mountain pine beetle epidemic surprises no one. But when reality sets in, the perspective changes. Last fall, Steve Thomson, B.C.’s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, informed a Prince George audience that the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) for the Prince George Timber Supply Area could decline to 6.2 million cubic metres by 2020, down from 12.5 million cubic metres in 2011. The same trend is predicted—to a greater or lesser extent— in other regions around the interior. The actual annual cut is a more informative indicator of what’s truly happening on the land base. Licencees are mindful of their internal responsibilities and situations and adjust them accordingly to the changes in wood product market demands. Often the actual cut is less than the allowable one. The industry recognizes a sawmilling overcapacity in the province. Mills have in some ways become victims of their own efficiency. Several pundits predict two or three more permanent sawmill closures in the interior. Others may have to adopt shorter operating hours, which will require a co-operative approach between licencees and unions. On the plus side, the provincial government has recognized, albeit belatedly,
the urgency to accelerate reforestation and rehabilitation of lands impacted by the beetles and wildfires. The provincial Forests for Tomorrow budget is now approaching $75 million. The government has a goal to replant 300,000 hectares within five years. The Forest Enhancement Society is a recently-created government agency. It has apparently been allocated $85 million to “fireproof” potentially vulnerable communities from wildfires, and rehabilitate forests damaged by the mountain pine beetle. Another $25 million is to be funneled into a program to help small forestry-reliant communities through economic transition. (Wasn’t there—or maybe there still is—a series of community-based, provinciallyfunded organizations around the regions hardest hit by the beetle epidemic which were charged with the same task? There were positive results from them in some cases, but most recommendations from those organizations involved diversifying local economies. Any high schooler could have told them that for nothing. What was and is needed is creative thinking and dialogue on how to make that diversification happen and what form it should take). The B.C. Liberals are very good at announcements, especially ones containing impressive dollar figures and statistics. What they’re not as good at is actually making the dollar figures available to the people who can put them to work where they’re most needed. The jury’s still out on these recent reforestation and rehabilitation funding allocations. The issue of “fireproofing” communities looks likely to gather momentum in 2017. The changing climate can best be characterized by the word ‘extremes’. Drought, flood and wildfires are all becoming more frequent, unpredictable and extreme. Slave Lake, Kelowna and Fort McMurray in 2016 have many people around B.C. justifiably concerned. The fear is the same can happen to any community. In so many instances around the interior, the last subdivision abuts the forest. Work to clean
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up adjacent fallen timber and create effective buffer zones has begun around several communities. But to properly tackle the issue is beyond the financial capability and expertise of many municipalities. A broader provincially-based program would seem to be more appropriate than a piecemeal one. Fire control and suppression experts would have to design each community’s protection program specifically. A cookie cutter approach couldn’t deliver value for money. Too many site specific variables influence wildlife behavior, and thus the types and scope of protection plans required. There could be several advantages to launching such a wildfire community program where it’s most needed. It’s pro-active in human terms and much cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of another Fort McMurray. The initiative would also be politically advantageous. But more to the point for the local and regional forest industries, the program stimulates employment opportunities for workers and equipment. Roads may have to be built, wood has to be felled, transported and processed. During times of falling annual timber cuts, every little opportunity helps not just for loggers, but in the communities where their money is circulated. Licencees may be able to benefit from some of the additional fibre created during wildfire protection initiatives. Smaller local value added and secondary remanufacturing plants could certainly use the feedstock. Many of their operations are consistently seeking additional fibre sources to survive. Experts in diverse disciplines are exploring ways of making our newly planted forests more resilient to insects, wildfires and changing climate. A similar approach can help protect vulnerable forest communities and their residents from the dangers of volatile wildfires. In the end, it is the people working in the forest industry who are key to achieving the bright future part of the provincial government’s slogan.
CONFIDENCE BY DESIGN. A PURPOSE-BUILT LOGGER THAT CAN BE CONFIGURED AS A LOADER, PROCESSOR OR SHOVEL LOGGER. The new 880D logger is equipped with the powerful and efficient Tigercat FPT N67 engine. A larger slew bearing combined with a new forged pedestal provides increased durability and swing torque. The forestry undercarriage and expansive ergonomic cab provide the stability, comfort and confidence that operators expect and require for high productivity in demanding applications.
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519. 753.2000
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