Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

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May/June 2020

USING SALVAGE WOOD to produce log homes —and more TAKING FOREST MANAGEMENT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL with drones SOUTHERN SAWMILLING IN ALABAMA, with a bit of Canadian flavour...

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FEATURES May/June 2020 Volume 51 • No. 3 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling, Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski Publisher/CEO Anthony Robinson • (604) 990-9970 E-Mail: robinson@forestnet.com Social Media: Kaitlin Davidson Digital Marketing: Diane Mettler Email: digitalmarketing@forestnet.com Sales Associates James Booth • (604) 506-8631 E-mail: jbooth@forestnet.com Perry Rosehill • (604) 613-3001 E-mail: rosehill@forestnet.com Subscription Enquiries Maureen Cole, Circulation Manager (905) 201-0853 Fax: (905) 294-8645 E-mail: SubscribeLSJ@forestnet.com Design & Art Production Manager Sheila Ringdahl E-mail: artwork@forestnet.com Accounting Manager Shelina Jessa • (604) 731-1535 E-mail: accounting@forestnet.com Office PO Box 86670, Suite 200 - 120 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, BC V7M 2E8 Phone: (604) 990-9970 • Fax: (604) 990-9971 Website: www.forestnet.com Subscriptions: Canada $58 a year; two years $70; three years, $85. Group accounts, six or more subscriptions, $25 per subscription per year. Outside Canada, $95 per year.

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On the Cover: One of the largest sawmill construction projects in North America last year came together without a great deal of fanfare— but a lot of hard work—in southeastern Alabama. Since then, Rex Lumber, Troy LLC has been steadily working its way up to production capacity thanks to a committed workforce, experienced management, and family ownership that stretches back almost 100 years in the forest industry. Key to building the project was Rex Lumber’s Canadian-based equipment and construction partner, The BID Group. (Cover photo courtesy of Utility Power South).

6 Spotlight: Taking forest

management to a whole new level—literally—with drones

Drones have evolved into a cost effective tool for the forest industry, as B.C.’s Burns Lake Community Forest has discovered over the last several years.

8 Southern sawmilling,

with a bit of Canadian flavour …

One of the largest sawmill construction projects in North America came together last year in Alabama for Rex Lumber thanks, in part, to Canadian-based construction and equipment partner, The Bid Group.

14

Using salvage wood to produce log homes—and more A B.C. company, T.L. Timber, has found a solid market niche in manufacturing log homes and timber—all of it produced from dry wood that has been salvaged from mountain pine beetle stands or forest fires.

20

Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, is a feature story from the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC).

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar.................................................6 Suppliernewsline...............................35

24

What's new in Saw Filing!

Saw Filers Show in Print

The forest industry was declared an essential industry early into COVID-19 hitting Canada, and sawmills continue to provide customers with muchneeded wood products in these challenging times. While some sawmills are seeing reduced operations, saw filing remains an essential part of every mill, and it’s important to continue to get information out to the industry. Sawmills continue to need the most up-to-date technology, and their continued efficient operation is dependent on sourcing saw filing equipment and technology. In light of the recent cancellation of the B.C. Saw Filer’s Association annual convention, Logging and Sawmilling Journal is including a “Saw Filers Show in Print” section in this issue, featuring the newest technology from the major sawfiling equipment suppliers.

30 Tech Update

In this issue, Logging and Sawmilling Journal looks at everything that’s new in millyard equipment, from cranes to loaders to forklifts—it’s all here.

38 The Last Word

The COVID-19 virus has undoubtedly changed the ways the forest industry goes about its daily business and how it plans for future contingencies, notes Jim Stirling.

That said, the forest industry is buckling down and—as it always has—is getting the job at hand done.

Classifieds...........................................37 Subscriptions......................................37 Ad Index...............................................37

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

3

spotlight

Taking forest management to a whole new level— literally—with

Drones

Drones have evolved into a cost effective tool for the forest industry, as B.C.’s Burns Lake Community Forest has discovered over the last several years.

By Jim Stirling

I

n a relatively short period of time, drones have evolved into an increasingly cost effective and versatile tool for

British Columbia’s forest industry.

The usually small, unmanned aerial vehicles can quickly and efficiently perform a range of assigned tasks for forest industry managers. When fitted with

sophisticated high resolution cameras, the images produced and interpreted provide a wealth of essential forest management information for a specified area.

“The use of drones has taken forestry

The Lakes Timber Supply Area, where the Burns Lake Community Forest is located, was one of the hardest hit in B.C. by the protracted mountain pine beetle epidemic.

A strategic plan has been developed to help steer the community forest’s activities forward through the post-infestation era, and drones have a practical and important role to play.

4

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

spotlight and natural resource management to a whole new level,” reckons Frank Varga, general manager of the Burns Lake Community Forest in Central B.C. It has always been a challenge for forest managers to acquire an accurate and timely assessment of any given section of forest land from which to base the optimum management decisions. Now drones are increasingly flying to the rescue.

“I started using drones around 2016,” recalls Varga. “Now with the information they provide, we’re able to react faster and more productively on the landscape,” he says.

The Burns Lake Community Forest, a subsidiary of Comfor Management Services Ltd., encompasses an area-based tenure of 92,000 hectares in the Lakes Timber Supply Area. The community forest was established in 2000 and is one of the largest in the province. The community forest’s work is directed by a six member board comprised of three public members, and one each from the Ts’il Kaz Koh and Wet’suwet’en First Nations and the office of the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en.

The Lakes Timber Supply Area was

Outfitted with sophisticated high resolution cameras, drones are able to deliver images that provide a wealth of essential forest management information for a specified area—and they are very cost effective, compared to ground-based surveying.

one of the hardest hit in the province by the protracted mountain pine beetle epidemic. The legacy from the epidemic is very much in evidence throughout the region. Indeed, ‘Beyond the Beetle’ is the name given for a 10-year strategic plan

developed to help steer the Burns Lake Community Forest’s activities forward through the post-infestation era. Drones have a practical and important role to to page 6

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

5

spotlight

from page 5 play in the ‘Beyond the Beetle’ remediation process.

Varga explains drones have applications from pre-planning to post harvest assessments. They are best assigned projects which encompass small and medium size areas. On the other end of the scale, LiDAR (Light Detection and Range technology) is better suited to much larger areas that can justify the costs of the fixed wing aircraft employed.

“We typically will operate our drones at a height of 175 metres on a line of sight

basis and utilize an 80 per cent overlap technique to obtain the ground detail most helpful to us,” adds Varga.

The high resolution photos produced by the drone’s cameras provide a wealth of detailed data to assist good decision making. “It’s such a powerful tool.”

The community forest employs outside specialist companies with the sophisticated software required to produce the highly detailed three-dimensional images of the subject areas specified. One of the major advantages from drone use in forest management is getting more work done cheaper and faster than the traditional

methods. It’s expensive to dispatch a truck and quad out in the bush for a day of ground-based surveying for example.

A battery powered drone zips across the hectares with ease and precision.

Drones are being well assigned for identifying potential hazard abatement locations. The Boer Mountain area within the Burns Lake Community Forest is a multi-use recreational destination. It was subjected to the impacts of the mountain pine beetle epidemic, including the creation of extensive areas of blowdown.

Accurately identifying the areas requiring the most urgent attention is an ideal drone work assignment. Removing the worst of the hazards enhances the safety of people using the region, as well as protecting the sustainability of the community forest itself.

Similarly, drones have a role to play in implementing the community forest’s forest fire management program to better direct ground-based harvest and salvage efforts. “The use of drones has been very positive for us so far and we anticipate that will continue into the future,” concludes Varga.

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millconstruction Rex Lumber’s Jared Banta (centre), general manager of the new Troy, Alabama sawmill, with two of the local team members who worked to bring the new $120 million mill operation to the town of Troy.

Southern sawmilling,

with a bit of Canadian flavour...

One of the largest sawmill construction projects in North America last year came together in Alabama for Rex Lumber thanks, in part, to Canadianbased construction and equipment partner, The BID Group

By Paul MacDonald ne of the largest sawmill construction projects in North America last year came together without a great deal of fanfare—but a lot of hard work—in southeastern Alabama, and since then, Rex Lumber, Troy LLC has been steadily working its way up to production capacity thanks to a committed workforce, experienced management, and family ownership that stretches back

almost 100 years in the forest industry.

Key to building the project was Rex Lumber’s Canadian-based equipment and construction partner, The BID Group.

Rex Lumber, based in Graceville, Florida, and owned by the McRae Family, broke ground on the new $120 million (U.S.) greenfield sawmill in the town of Troy, Alabama in July 2018, and within a year was turning out lumber, and had created 120 new jobs.

Rex Lumber has three other sawmills,

8

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

O

two on the Florida Panhandle, and one in Mississippi, which produce a total of 575 million board feet of wood annually. The Troy operation sets a new benchmark for the company, though, with production capacity of 360 million board feet, operating on two shifts. Since they have timbers in their production mix, the company expects full production at the Troy operation will be closer to 300 million board feet a year.

“The Troy sawmill really takes us up a notch,” says Rex Lumber Troy general

millconstruction manager Jared Banta, a 15-year veteran of the company. “With the three existing Rex Lumber mills, this will take us up over 875 million board feet of annual capacity across the family of mills.

“It’s really about scale—with the extra Troy mill capacity, it makes us more of a contender in the lumber market, and with customers,” he added.

Banta explained that the McRae Family and company management had been talking about building a new sawmill for several years. But they wanted to make sure they had the right construction partner—in this case, that was the BID Group.

The BID Group has over 30 years of experience in the forest industry, and has built sawmills throughout North America.

One of the largest integrated equipment suppliers to the wood processing industry, the company includes BID Construction, Comact, PHL, DelTech, BID Service, McGehee, MoCo, and Miller Manufacturing, under its corporate umbrella. The BID Group provides turnkey solutions that include engineering, project management, installation, startup, and after-sales service—exactly what Rex Lumber was looking for.

“We’ve had a good relationship with the Comact group and BID,” says Banta.

“When it comes down to it, there are very few companies out there like the BID Group that can handle building such a large sawmill on a turnkey basis.”

The BID Group has been involved in a number of sawmill projects in the U.S. South, but was very interested in partnering up on a turnkey basis for the new sawmill—and a fast-track construction schedule was developed with Rex Lumber.

Prior to that, however, Rex Lumber started the site selection process, and were looking at different states in the U.S. South, and different regions within those states.

“We chose Troy, Alabama not only because of the wood basket—that would have been required no matter where we built—but also the local workforce and the state government incentives,” explained Banta.

“Alabama has a very strong work training program, and they committed to helping us screen potential employees, and training employees—and that had a lot to do with us selecting Troy, in addition to the region meeting our timber needs for the new mill.”

The sawmill, which sits on a 300-acre site, has a concrete foundation and is clad with steel and has a steel roof. The steel framing for the 148,000 square foot sawmill building was provided by American Buildings.

But prior to a single truckload of concrete being poured for the foundation, though, some extensive site prep was required. Some 80 acres of earthwork and site preparation was completed in a very short 46 days by W.S. Newell & Sons Inc. The company, based in the state capital of Montgomery, moved almost a million cubic yards of dirt.

Alabama-based CDG Engineers & Associates Inc. was responsible for environmental permitting, geotechnical, site work design and transportation engineering for the project.

From the get-go, Rex Lumber was looking to make a variety of Southern Yellow Pine product at the sawmill, and now turns out lumber from 2X4s through to 2X12s, and 4X4, and 4X6 timbers. They target long boards—the average production length in the sawmill is 16 feet.

And as Banta noted, the company was very familiar with the BID Group family of products from their other mills. Their mill in Graceville, Florida is primarily Comact equipment, as is the mill in Bristol, Florida. The Graceville mill planer has had a good deal of work done by Miller.

They have a MoCo stacker at the Bristol mill and at the Mississippi mill. They also have some Vibra-Pro equipment at the Graceville operation.

“As the BID Group consolidated and bought these companies, Rex Lumber has almost always been on that customer list—we know them, and we know them well,” says Banta.

“I think BID Group really changed the mindset of what is possible in mill construction,” he added. “Instead of dealing with multiple vendors and multiple

to page 10 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

Emphasis on people at Rex Lumber

W

ith Rex Lumber being owned by the McRae Family, there is a strong emphasis on people. The family has been involved in the lumber business dating back to the early 1900s, and Rex Lumber itself was founded in the 1920s by W.D. McRae. One of W.D.’s grandsons, Finlay McRae, is still involved in the business, as are three of Finlay’s children, Charles McRae and sisters, Carolina Dauzat and Roby Bethke.

And though it’s been said so many times before, the family believes it’s the people in the mill that matter, says Rex Lumber Troy general manager Jared Banta. “As technology in industry increases, and things become more and more automated, it can become easy to think that people are not as important.

“But what we’ve seen and learned first-hand with training people in our industry, is that no matter how much automation, and how much ‘handsfree’ equipment may be, having well-trained people turning out good product is the key.

“You need to train people on how to operate the equipment, and make everything flow. Essentially you are teaching people what to do—but you also need to train them on why they are doing it. In addition to seeing a log in front of them or a piece of lumber in front of them, it’s recognizing what to look for in that log or piece of lumber, and whether something may look out of place.”

The 120 people they have hired at the Troy operation are motivated to do exactly that, with a strong focus on quality control. They want the company and the mill to do well— and they want to personally do well, Banda says. “We have a workforce with great heart—we just need some more training and time to go along with their desire and initiative.”

9

millconstruction from page 9 engineering groups and multiple consultants, all trying to piecemeal something together over two to three years, BID is able to provide a greenfield solution in 12 months by internalizing and handling all those companies themselves.”

Banta said that although Rex Lumber Troy was a turnkey operation, once it was built, it was not quite as simple as turning the key on your pick-up truck and driving away.

“I wish it was that easy,” he says.

“There is still all the training and shaking out you get with a new mill, but you can start that process in 12 months vs. two to three years out.

“And you have one vendor—BID Group—who is responsible for everything.

You don’t have different vendors, pointing fingers when something is not going right.

It’s really just us and them, working to overcome the start-up challenges of a new operation.”

The new equipment starts in the millyard, with a 32-ton Konecranes RPC-226 rotating single-bite portal crane. Timber is fed on to a Comact stem deck and Comact

10

Rex Lumber has three other sawmills, two on the Florida Panhandle, and one in Mississippi, which produce a total of 575 million board feet of wood annually.

Combined with the three existing Rex Lumber mills, the Troy mill will help bring the company to over 875 million board feet of annual capacity across its family of mills. wave feeder system. The Troy operation has a 30-inch electric Comact debarker, which Banta believes is the only 30-inch machine out in the market right now.

Logs are fed to a Comact five-saw log merchandizer. The merchandizer feeds on to three sort decks: small medium and large sorts. From there, wood goes into the Comact Optimized Sharp Chain

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

(OSC), which is equipped with Lindex chip heads, and dual Lindex profilers.

The sideboards and fletches (and when the mill is fully up to production capacity, the squares) go to a Comact five-saw edger. The cant from the OSC goes to a Comact TBL3 shape sawing gang system.

The profile boards and the edger drop on to a trimmer accumulation deck,

millconstruction

From the get-go, Rex Lumber was looking to make a variety of Southern Yellow Pine product at the sawmill, and now turns out lumber from 2X4s through to 2X12s, and 4X4, and 4X6 timbers. They target long boards—the average production length in the sawmill is 16 feet. where a double unscrambler feeds into a Comact Lug loader and a Comact TrimExpert system, which generates a grading solution, which is carried out at the Comact trimmer. Completing the mill set-up is a 65-bay Comact drop bin sorter, and a Comact stacker.

At the planer mill, they have a Comact dual pack tilt hoist. Lumber goes into a

deep pile after the tilt hoist and to the double unscrambler ahead of the planer infeed. It then goes into the Miller pineapple bridge to the infeed for the Miller planer. It comes out to an accumulation deck, a double unscrambler, and to a Comact lug loader.

Lumber then goes to the Comact GradExpert 2.0, and then into a 65-bay Comact

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

sorter. Under the sorter, wood counterflows back to a roll case, and two Comact package makers and planer stackers. The wood then outflows to three independent Signode BPX lines—stacker #2 feeds into strapper #3, and stacker #1 feeds into strapper #2, and strapper #1 catches any material from either stacker. Wood then travels out to three independent outfeeds to the finish heads.

“The back end of the planer mill is built to handle cut-in-two and half-packs, that’s why we have two stackers and three independent strapping lines. Our plan is to cut in two, 95 to 100 per cent of the 18 and 20 foot pieces coming from the sawmill,” says Banta.

Outside the mill, back in the millyard, they have a Barko 595 knuckleboom crane for backing up the Konecrane, and for quality control in sorting loads.

There is a Hyundai HL980 wheel loader for crane support, spreading loads and general clean-up. “The Hyundai is a good utility wheel loader—it’s just a good piece of equipment to have around the yard,” says Banta. to page 12

11

millconstruction from page 11 At the back end, they have Hyundai 180D fork lifts for the big kiln loads, and an all-electric Carer A80-900X forklift fleet. The mill has three continuous lumber drying kilns.

Banta said there are significant challenges to designing and building a sawmill from the ground up—but there are benefits too, vs. doing an upgrade on an existing mill, where you have to work around equipment that is already in place. And, you can plan for the future.

“With Troy, when we sat down and worked through the design of the mill, we left room for growth—we have room and space for an entire additional log line and canter line,” Banta explained.

“So our next stage of growth is already there, Since Troy is a new mill, we were able to design it from scratch and it gave us a lot more flexibility and freedom to future-proof ourselves, at least as much as we can.”

Utility Power South built a 20 MW substation to meet Troy’s present and future needs; it currently uses about 4.5 MW of that.

“One thing we know is that to be competitive in the market today, you have to be efficient,” says Banta. “And the more efficient you can be in the future, the longer you can be a viable operation. I think we have given ourselves a great advantage in the decades to come in the way we have designed the mill and the room we have left for this mill to grow.”

With an existing operation, you are still able to see ahead and make plans—but you have existing infrastructure that you have to work around, and there may be

more costs involved because you have to move infrastructure or design around it.

“With Troy, we’re able to save ourselves money in the future by spending a little of extra time and money now on the design,” says Banta.

In terms of the timber going into the mill, Rex Lumber Troy’s procurement team has started with three spec sizes with the timber owning and dealing industry in this area of Alabama, with the understanding that they are going to re-visit those specs.

Banta noted that they started with specs that were well established, specs that a lot of competitors for the same wood basket were already pulling. “There is a greenwood basket in this area, and a pretty well developed production infrastructure of loggers and timber dealers. We wanted to make it easy for them to sell to us.

“We started with a 10 and six, no-butt seven and a 14 and eight, with the understanding that we are really going to learn what this mill likes to eat, and what its diet wants to be.”

They cut their first board this past June, so they are still in their first year of operation, he noted.

One change they have made is they started with a minimum 25-foot length, standard spec for the area. “But with targeting longer lengths, we’ve found that a 33-foot spec makes a lot more sense.”

Banta says that the biggest challenge with the Troy project has been in hiring workers, and training them.

“With the unprecedented building frenzy in sawmills in this area—which is probably a once in a generation building explosion—that has happened over the last two to three years, the labour pool for experienced sawmill workers is very small.

“Most people who are good at working in a sawmill, and want to work at a sawmill, are already working at a mill,” he says.

“When we started the operation, we started with 120 employees and we had a total of only five employees with previous sawmill experience.”

But they have a good sized pool of general labour in the region, and the State of Alabama has been helpful in helping to screen potential employees—and BID has been helpful in training employees. Some of the new employees were transported to the Graceville, Florida mill for training.

“At this point, our people have nine months of experience, and the sawmill is running well. We have some work to do to achieve consistency with the planer operation,” says Banta.

Even people with experience in other manufacturing operations have found working in a sawmill to be a challenge, he says. “Compared to other manufacturing environments, the forest products industry is unique in that you are dealing with a natural product, wood, that is not the same all the time.” In other industries, like auto manufacturing, you are working with the same part, with the same size, hour after hour, day after day, he says.

“With the forest industry, you can be in it for 40 years, and you can see something new.”

With the Troy sawmill equipped with the best technology in the business, the operation is clearly ready to get some more traction on their production. “We have the latest technology, the latest advances in the industry,” notes Banta. “We have a lot of potential now—we just need to get the maximum out of that potential.”

Since Troy is a new mill, Rex Lumber was able to design it from scratch and it gave the company a lot more flexibility and freedom to “future-proof” it, as much as possible. There is room for growth—there is space for an entire additional log line and canter line.

12

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

addedvalue

Using

salvage wood

to produce log homes —and more

A B.C. company, T.L. Timber, has found a solid market niche in manufacturing log homes and timber—all of it produced from dry wood that has been salvaged from mountain pine beetle stands or forest fires.

By Paul MacDonald

I

f you’ve ever been to the massive Bass Pro Shops outdoor gear store in Las Vegas, you’ve seen the handiwork of British Columbia log home and timber supplier, T.L. Timber Ltd. Located in the small town of Cawston in B.C.’s Southern Interior, T.L.Timber has supplied various commercial building contractors across the U.S. and Canada— and has outfitted several Cabela‘s and Bass Bro Shop retail stores, as well as Great Wolf Lodge locations in the U.S. While T.L. Timber’s piece of the business with these projects might not be huge—some of the Great Wolf Lodges can be as large as 250,000 square feet—their contribution is noticeable. A 62-foot

Clayton Hillman, operations manager of T.L. Timber, spends time with customers and finds out what they truly want, in building their dream home or cabin.

“It’s exciting to see them get exactly what they want—I think that’s part of the reason why after 22 years, I’m still here. I really like what I do.”

14

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

addedvalue

In addition to commercial work—such as for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s—T.L. Timber’s main business is log homes. Though most of the homes are modest in size, they recently finished off an 8,000 square-foot home, made of 13-inch logs, for a customer on the east coast of Canada. milled log from T.L.Timber is the main truss in a Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kansas.

Working from a high profile site along the Crowsnest Pass Highway, T.L. Timber, which is family owned and operated, has been turning out milled log homes, log cabins, log siding, custom cut timbers, cants, log railings and stairs—and more— since 1996. The company has been offering custom milled log home packages for over 20 years.

T.L. was set up to better utilize both the wood the Lusted Family harvests in the Okanagan-Similkameen region, and the family’s land holdings. Through Dave Lusted and his parents, the family had been involved in agriculture in this farm-rich area of B.C. When Dave shifted operations to logging and set up Lusted Logging, he wanted to make use of part of their land holdings that had been used for farming, for an added value wood products operation—and T.L. Timber was set up.

Dave’s son, Clayton Hillman, who is operations manager for T.L. Timber, explained that the company originally set up operations on another property, with a handset headrig.

“When we moved to where we are now, it was all bare land,” says Clayton.

Clayton had worked at Lusted Logging, and in the oilpatch for a while before finding his niche running T.L. Timber.

“Logging wasn’t really for me,” he says.

Running an added value operation, with all the different moving parts involved, had more appeal.

After extensive negotiations with the regional district and the Agricultural Land Commission, they set up shop and started producing cants—and have since evolved into producing just about anything related to log homes and timbers.

And all of it is produced from dry

spruce and lodgepole pine timber that has been salvaged from mountain pine beetle stands or forest fires.

Most of it is sourced from Lusted Logging, and local forest company, Gorman Bros. Lumber. “Really, we would not be here without Lusted Logging and the support of Gorman Bros,” says Clayton.

Lusted Logging does almost all of its logging for Gorman Bros., which, like Lusted Logging and T.L. Timber, is family-owned and controlled.

Clayton was 21 when he started with the company, and he says he’s learned a lot over the last two decades-plus of running T.L. Timber. “I didn’t know a lot about running a mill operation, and managing people when I first started,” he says.

“It’s been a process—and I’m still learning.” He was managing employees who were twice his age—but he’s listened, and learned, a lot over the last 22 years.

Equipment-wise, Clayton says that they went from just cutting cants to buying an old log lathe and a notching system. Along the way, they invested in a new Pendu M9700 system, which is their workhorse.

The Pendu equipment is designed for the log home manufacturing industry or companies who remanufacture large timber—and the M9700 Gang Saw is Pendu’s top-of-the-line model. With cantilevered arbors designed to handle up to 19” diameter saw blades, the M9700 has the capability to handle material up to 14” high and 14” wide. And with two 125 HP motors, it’s got the capacity to power demanding requirements.

Built on a thick, full 1” steel boxframe, the M9700 features an automatic chain infeed system, one-touch hydraulic height adjustment and inboard cant sizer.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

15

to page 16

addedvalue

A new initiative for T.L. Timber involves taking more of a retail approach to marketing their homes, rather than going through builders or marketing through other companies. This will see executive package homes pre-cut, and pre-built on T.L.’s site, before being transported to the customer’s building lot.

Easy-access arbors, supported with conical outboard bearings, make maintenance simple, says the company. The M9700 has a variable feed rate up to 90 fpm.

Clayton says that they have a variety of log profiles, so they change out the cutting heads as required on the M9700. “There are lots of smaller Pendu’s out there, but this is one of only three in North America this size.”

“We really needed a machine like the Pendu, for more output,” says Clayton.

In terms of other equipment, they have a vintage but heavily customized Webb and Gifford headrig, and an older custom built log lathe. They can cut a 32 inch by 65 foot log on the headrig, and the lathe can handle a log up to 34 feet, with a diameter of up to 20 inches.

Clayton says it would be nice to have the infeeds and outfeeds more automated, “so the guys don’t have to do as much pushing and pulling”.

But that said, he’s happy to be working with solid, sometimes vintage equipment that is truly not built anymore. “This older equipment is bomb-proof,” he says.

“We’ve always kept things very simple, and I don’t think it has hurt us,” he added. “I’m not a fan of speed. I like the guys to go at the right speed, take their time—that way we are doing the job right the first time.”

He added that it would sometimes be helpful to have a scale. “All of our logs are hand-scaled,” he says. “We usually don’t get more than two or three loads a week, so our scaler can handle it. But if we get a Timber Sale that has 30 or 40 loads, it can become an issue.”

In addition to commercial work—such as for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s—the company’s main business is, of course, log homes. They recently finished off an 8,000 square-foot home, made of 13-inch logs, for a customer on the east coast of Canada. That particular house had a 20page SmartCut cutlist, which starts with the longest cuts, working down to the shortest cuts.

For smaller homes, Clayton explained, there will be a shorter cut list, as there will be fewer logs, and multiple combined log cuts. This particular house is more of a one-off. “Not everyone is going to want an 8,000 square foot log house,” notes Clayton. Reflecting the size, and that it was all logs, there were over 1,000 notches that had to be made on the logs that went into the project.

Clayton says that projects as large as this don’t come in often—they are producing plenty of smaller log homes, that people will use as second homes or recreational homes.

As noted, they use dry wood as feedstock.

“We’re using downgraded timber, but

16

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

from page 15

once you machine it, you don’t notice the difference,” says Clayton. “Logs with sapwood rot on the outside may look like firewood, but when you mill the sides off, and get down to solid wood, it looks great.

“The production process is a bit arduous, but the log value is there—we can still come under most stick frame home builders, in pricing.”

It’s tougher now to source the wood that T.L. Timber uses, with a number of mill closures in the B.C. Interior, less beetle-affected wood, and some cant producers entering the market.

“Other companies are coming into the market, buying this wood, making it into cants and selling it offshore—they have a market for the chips.” There are also firewood producers, who are also looking for wood.

While Lusted Logging and Gorman Bros are the mainstay wood suppliers, T.L. Timber also gets timber from logging contractors in the region. The vast majority of wood harvested by contractors will be sawlogs, and be headed straight to a sawmill. But there will sometimes be small amounts of low quality timber. “We’ll hear that a contractor has a bunch of dry wood, and give them a call,” says Clayton.

Some contractors might only send them to page 18

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addedvalue from page 16 a few truckloads a year, but T.L. Timber is happy to receive them.

“We’re also capable of handling larger logs that the sawmills and pulp mills aren’t set up to handle,” he noted.

T.L. Timber tries to have a good inventory of logs before break-up, sourcing logs wherever they can. “We can be the last ones to see logs before break-up because the sawmills are trying to pack out whatever they can out of the bush. They’ll call us and we’ll pick it up however we can.”

Trucking the wood can be an issue. “It can be tough to find a trucker that is willing to take a little less to bring the wood to us vs. taking a load of green wood to Gorman’s or Weyerhaeuser, in Princeton.”

They sometimes will find truckers looking to fill in some hauling time towards the start of break-up because the roads are still decent, or in the spring, when loggers go back to the bush, and there might be some dry wood piles that need to be moved.

T.L Timber has a solid crew of 10 employees, but at various points it has had up to 18 employees.

“At one point, we were bigger, but it was kind of crazy and too much—at the end of the day, you would look at the numbers, and we weren’t making any money,” says Clayton. They right-sized the operation, both in terms of employees, and output, and are now on a more solid footing, financially.

Clayton said they take a very prudent approach to finances for the business.

“We’ve yet to have to go to the bank for a loan—we try to do everything on money coming in, and money going out.”

In terms of competition, the economic downturn of 2007 slimmed down the number of companies producing timbers and log homes. “Log homes are not exactly an essential item when times are tough,” says Clayton.

There is sports memorabilia in Clayton’s office, and while he longer plays hockey, he is a strong proponent of the team concept at T.L. Timber.

“We are a team, and the guys know that,” he says. “We have a lead hand and a foreman, but aside from that, we don’t have job descriptions. We make sure that everyone knows what they are doing in the yard, so they can always step in and help out with the next job.”

In terms of what all the T.L. Timber folks are producing, Clayton has two go-to web sites that he refers potential customers to for home designs, one that is more practical, the other more high end.

“I use those two quite often—but if people come in and are in love with a plan, we’re happy to work with that. We welcome all home plans.”

He noted that people really have come in to T.L Timber with their design on a paper napkin. “And we have turned it into a proper stamped, certified design. Those are the best because you get to spend time with people and find out what they truly want, and build their dream home or cabin. It’s exciting to see them get exactly what they want—I think that’s part of the reason why after 22 years, I’m still here. I really like what I do.”

A new initiative for T.L. Timber involves taking more of a retail approach to marketing their homes, rather than going through builders or marketing through other companies. This will see executive package homes pre-cut, and pre-built on T.L.’s site, before being transported to the customer’s lot.

“We’ll be doing more of that—it’s a little bit more hands-on,” says Clayton. “It lets our guys see what we are doing, with the assembly in the yard—they usually don’t see the finished product.

“My goal as a log home company is to bring the home to a dry-up stage, and then the trades take over after that.” The homes will be branded, Epic Log and Homes.

Both Clayton and the crew are excited about this new business initiative. “This is one of the best crews we’ve ever had,” he says. “This is the next direction we want to go in.”

This move will help keep things busy at T.L. Timber.

“It can be a bit challenging in the winter months keeping everyone busy,” says

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

Clayton. To help out, they’ve been running a firewood operation the last three years.

“It’s been a good little business. We use wood that is not used in the home packages, cut it to proper lengths, split, and deliver it.”

They deliver the wood using a classic 1986 dump truck found in a barn in Alberta.

“It’s the same with our wood chips— we will deliver them, or people can come and get the chips themselves. We’re in a big agricultural area, so we get ranchers that want it for their cattle or horses.”

While they have had the occasional sale of a timber home to China, their market is pretty much between Canada and the U.S. these days. But another market might be in the offing. They had a recent visit from a New Zealand company interested in purchasing complete log homes.

“So far, so good,” says Clayton about the possible Kiwi business. “The best part is the difference in seasons. They will be looking for at least half-a-dozen homes, and they will want them in their summer—which is our winter here.” It would be a good fit, in terms of sourcing wood.

Clayton noted that T.L. Timber is better able to access good, solid dry timber from spruce belts in the winter—these areas can’t be logged in the summer.

And while it may seem unusual to be sending timber homes to a major forest products country such as New Zealand, Clayton said TL Timber is able to supply them with large diameter timbers that are hard to find in New Zealand—all from a mid-sized operation that is adding value, and providing employment, in small town B.C.

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Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, in Collaboration with Alberta Innov Completes the Detailed Measuring And Monitoring of OnEllerslie Short Rotation Woody Crop (SRW

The ultimate goal of afforesting with SRWC (3-20 year rotation) is to maximize volume and value to land owners and industry.

The fast-growing resource is a predictable and sustainable feedstock for use in the production of conventional forest products and for bioenergy and other bio-products to grow the Canadian bioeconomy.

The mature SRWC plantation, established and managed as a demonstration site by Natural Resource Canada's Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) in Edmonton was harvested in the winter of 2018-19 with a focus on evaluating a variety on-site mid-supply chain options to process harvested SRWC crops to the desired size and characteristics required by end users.

The high yield afforestation trees were felled, delimbed, piled and transported to a local pulp mill and the residues were chipped to various sizes.

The large stems for each plantation established between 2002 and 2005 were tracked separately by cultivar and age (14-17) and were transported to a local pulp mill using self-loading haul trucks with the weights validated with the pulp mill scales.

A portable, whole tree chipper powered by a tractor PTO was used to chip the harvest residues with the material blown into a chip trailer for delivery and weight analysis by cultivar and age (14-17).

Concentrated biomass plantations were harvested using a Claas Jaguar Harvester, a forage harvester with a drum chipper (11.09 Tonnes/ha) and an Anderson BioBaler, a tow behind drum harvester and baler that creates round bales of full stem willow and hybrid poplar (3.0 Tonnes/hr).

CWFC believes that the data collected and shared will prove to be invaluable to industry in developing workable business cases, with realistic financial inputs to potentially include SRWCs into their fibre supply mix. This information can also be used to assess the feasibility of recovering harvesting residues from natural forests for biomass.

20

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

vates, FPInnovations, University of BC and Biomass Innovations Ltd., -Site Recovery, Processing and Transportation Options at the WC) Technical Development Site in Edmonton The harvesting of the 18-hectare Edmonton SRWC plantation offered a unique research and development opportunity for CWFC to intensively measure, monitor and verify various harvesting, pre-processing, and transportation systems consistent with a commercial supply chain.

Detailed time and motion studies for all the equipment and weight measurements were completed to determine recovered volumes for all harvested materials.

Full tree permanent sample plots were destructively sampled to validate growth trajectories, partition the tree components and determine carbon values.

Of the 31 salix and 2 hybrid poplar cultivars established between 2005 – 2007, two culivars, NM-6 hybrid poplar (11.48 ODT/ ha/yr) and Salix dasyclados (11.10 ODT/ ha/yr) performed the best. The remaining cultivars averaged less than 6 ODT/ha/yr with only Salix purpurea and P-38 hybrid poplar being above 3.1 ODT/ha/yr.

A tractor powered tub grinder (1130 Haybuster) was used to reprocess the round bales created by the BioBaler to produce woody biomass of various desired size and characteristics required by end users. Productivity ranged from 5.86 (2” Screens) to 12.86 (5” Screens) tonnes per hour.

To reduce transportation costs and enhance storability of woody biomass, a locally designed and manufactured woody biomass compaction unit prototype was demonstrated to compact and package woody biomass into dense, easily transported round bales. The compaction prototype created woody biomass bales that resulted in an increased bulk density of the piled mulched material from 84.9 ODKG/m3 to an average of 242.89 ODKG/m3, ranging from 216.96 (5” Screens) to 265.73 ODKG/m3 (1” Screens).

For additional information, contact Derek Sidders at derek.sidders@Canada.ca or 825-510-1287 or Tim Keddy at tim.keddy@Canada.ca or 825-510-1193. Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Edmonton, Alberta.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

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millequipment

Saw Filers Show

—In Print!

Getting the edge on saw filing—with Logging and Sawmilling Journal’s special Saw Filers Show in Print feature.

By Paul MacDonald

I

t’s shaping up to be a challenging year for the forest industry, with the current COVID-19 virus situation affecting all sectors, from the forest to the sawmills—and also restricting what would normally be a busy time of year for many industry people who would be attending and exhibiting at tradeshows, conferences and industry events.

One of the most crucial sectors of the industry, of course, is sawmilling—with the forest industry having been declared an essential industry, sawmills continue to provide customers with much-needed wood products in this very difficult time. Sawmills are still operating, and still needing products, such as saw filing equipment, to turn out those wood products.

In light of the recent cancellation of the B.C. Saw Filers’ Association annual convention, Logging and Sawmilling Journal is pleased to be able to provide our readers with this special “Saw Filers in Print” section.

While some sawmill operations are seeing reduced operations, saw filing remains an essential part of every sawmill operation, and we know it’s important to continue to get information out to the industry. Sawmills continue to need the most up to date technology, and their continued operation is dependent on sourcing saw filing equipment and parts from suppliers.

We certainly know that saw filing-related equipment manufacturers have not stopped developing new products, and we are happy to feature these new products and technologies with these listings.

Andritz Iggesund Tools

Since Andritz Iggesund Tools introduced its Powerhead Conical Canter heads in 2003, it has delivered over 600 chipping heads to mills all over North America.

These applications have covered every conceivable species, feed speed and region in Canada and the U.S. Using this experience to further optimize the design of the these chipping heads and TurnKnife System, mills have the absolute best options for canter heads, says the company.

Andritz Iggesund continues to work very closely with the OEMs of canter lines, (BID-Comact, Optimil, Cone-Omega, etc.) to help these companies deliver exactly what a customer 24

demands from a new processing line, or a revamped line.

Andritz Iggesund’s Powerheads have proven to be among the most economical, troublefree chipping heads available to mills today. The company says the Powerheads are built like tanks, and coupled with the TurnKnife System, give mills the worry-free operations they are looking for in their plants. Most recently, these mills have added Andritz Iggesund canter heads: Dunkley Lumber, Prince George, B.C.; Pine Products, Martinsville, VA; Morgan Lumber, Red Oak, VA; and NorSask in Meadow Lake, SK. www.andritz.com

Key Knife

With over 115 installations in North America alone, Key Knife’s Key Planer Head (KPH) product line has a solid track record of increasing production, improving board finish, and reducing operating costs, says the company.

The innovative design and use of the disposable strip knife allows for up to 2X more knives in the same cut diameter of a conventional head. KPH users are able to crank up the feed rate and still achieve a superior finish. The KCC-treated strip knives are proven to last on average three to five times longer than conventional knives, says the company. In addition, the knives are disposable, eliminating all costs associated to grinding and handling larger conventional knives. www.keyknife.com

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

millequipment FUCHS Lubricants

FUCHS Lubricants are said to be industry leaders in the development and manufacturing of specialized bandsaw and edger oils, as its saw lubricants are specially formulated for use in bandsaw and edger oil applications. Extensive field testing has been done on the company’s products which allow its customers to reduce oil and water consumption, while minimizing unnecessary saw changes due to heat and guide wear.

FUCHS field technicians have over 25 years of experience and offer free optimizing services and lubrication system audits.

The company has worked on and understands most lube systems (both new and old) for bandsaws and edgers. www.fuchs.com/ca

Industrial Autolube

Industrial Autolube has specialized in only automated lubrication systems for the past 15 years. It has provided solutions to all facets of industry, but specifically the forest industry. Being one of only the few fullline Dropsa Lubrication Systems distributors, it partnered with that company in 2017, and is now part of their global family.

This partnership was brought about when Dropsa saw the technology Industrial Autolube had been developing with its Saw Guide Lubrication System. The system provides full monitoring, and precision control of water and oil dispensing rates, with no air. All parameters are then displayed on a touchscreen in real time. Any alarms pertaining to flow rates or pressure are then displayed for quick, easy troubleshooting. This information has allowed a reduction of as much as 65 per cent in water and oil used by standard systems. www.autolube.ca

optical levels and theodolites to ensure all wheels are true to the centerline of the log regardless of if you have a log carriage, line bar, sharp chain or end dogger.

Precision mill set-up including wheel pullback, alignment, cross alignment and sawguide offset can save time and money in every sawmill. Premier’s custom bandwheels can be fabricated or cast for both OEM or direct to the mill end user, with installation assistance available. Many older bandmills or headrigs still use cast iron or ductile iron wheels, and if required or requested, Premier can still produce these styles to original specifications and tolerances using today’s precision casting techniques. www.premierbandwheel.com

Williams and White

Building on Williams and White’s strong history and reputation for high quality and rugged machinery, the company is proud to introduce the all new Hammerhead 3000 Auto Bench to its growing equipment line.

to page 26

Premier Bandwheel & Equipment

Premier Bandwheel & Equipment Ltd. has a reputation for manufacturing top quality bandwheels at the best possible price for 30 years. The company’s manufactured fabricated bandwheels are capable of a maximum 14,000 SFPM through its mastering specialized welding, machining and dynamic balancing procedures.

Headrigs, re-saws or twins in vertical or horizontal configurations, and especially quads, require critical alignment using Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

25

millequipment from page 25 The Williams and White Hammerhead 3000 Auto Bench is an all-in-one band saw processing center designed to automatically tension and level a band saw with ease. It is a must-have for any sawmill or band saw producer, says the company.

Stand-out features include: an easy saw load system featuring hide-away clamps, independent rigid tension and level heads, intuitive touch screen control with teach functionality, and a full light curtain safety system.

The precision measuring systems for level, tension, and back allow the Hammerhead 3000 to efficiently work the band saw to exacting specifications. The Hammerhead 3000 is currently in stock at the company’s facility in Burnaby, B.C. www.williamsandwhiteequipment.com

Corbilt Group

The Corbilt Group of Companies includes Wrangler Engineering Ltd. and Corbilt Welding & Fabrication Ltd. who specialize in the design, manufacturing, and installation of various components/equipment for the sawmill and planer mill industry.

The companies’ VDA Outfeed eliminates the need for perimeter guarding due to its 100 per cent contained modular design.

The internal design of the outfeed eliminates sawdust spray and flitch hang-ups.

The built-in doors allow for easy inspection and maintenance.

Their Wrangler 2 Stage Cyclone was designed to replace filter bag houses.

The system reduces downtime and maintenance costs, due to no bags replacement. Wrangler’s vertical rotary air lock eliminates the issues of traditional horizontal rotary airlocks.

Their Bandmill Enclosure captures and controls the sawdust properly while allowing the saw filers and maintenance staff to perform their work easily and effectively. The focus of the enclosures is to capture fugitive dust at its source. www.corbilt.com

SiCam Systems

SiCam Systems provides saw filers with the information they need to know on how cutting tools are performing during production. Whether it’s the company’s probe or laser scanning technology, SiCam provides saw filers with critical information to understand how saws are trending over time or to look back at their historical performance.

SiCam’s technology enables a mill to catch issues immediately,

notifying the mill in RealTime and providing it with the opportunity to prevent costly saw wrecks from occurring. Log diet plays an important factor on line speed and saw performance; data from SiCam can be used to maximize speed opportunities.

Monitor saw deflection and guide ware optimize cutting tool change cycles through analysis that only SiCam’s software provides, says the company. Using all of this information will enable the mill to tune optimization and controls, minimize manufacturing variation, cut closer to/or achieve target size reductions and improve value recovery. SiCam helps mills improve quality and production. wwwsicamsystems.com

Simonds

Simonds AutoBench is the proven industry standard for mill run saws, says the company. The 095 uses the same technique and process to measure and recondition saws as do experienced benchmen.

And for mills running headrigs that are substantially thicker than their resaws, the 095 is now available with a Double Tension Roll feature to facilitate quick changeovers for different thickness saw blades. Key features of the 095 include: carbide tensioning rolls, contact sensor, Learn Mode to measure and store the benchwork specifications of a “good” saw blade, and full automatic mode plus manual override options.

Simonds has a team of skilled field service technicians and a well stocked inventory of replacement parts. With over 60 units of its latest generation AutoBench in use in North America, the 095 is said to be the industry choice for reconditioning mill run bandsaw blades. www.simondsint.com

Precision Machinery

Precision Machinery’s Wireless Saw Temperature Monitoring system provides users with valuable real time information from saws.

Saw temperature data can be used to: • Identify issues before they lead to catastrophic failures • Reduce water and oil consumption • Identify problems in the saw stack • Optimize feeds and speeds for increased saw performance A small, wireless, puck-shaped temperature sensor is mounted inside the guide, allowing for accurate saw temperature readings without effecting machine performance. The small profile of the temperature sensor allows the entire temperature sensor to fit to page 28

26

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

The Gold Standard for Performance

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When it comes to critical applications, reliability is everything. But not just any chain can withstand the nonstop stress of high speeds and harsh conditions. That’s why Tsubaki designed its Titan chain to deliver superior durability in challenging environments. Specially coated pins, solid lube groove bushings* and a patented ring-coining process increase fatigue strength while minimizing wear. The result is a significantly longer wear-life, even in extreme environments.

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millequipment from page 26 within the existing bounds of the saw guide. The data stream is presented live to the operator and is saved for easy data viewing and reference. The system is intended for constant monitoring, allowing the user to integrate temperature data into everyday decisions made during machine operation, with optional PLC integration allowing for automated optimization of machine parameters. www.pgmr.ca

BID Group

With the advanced technologies that are utilized to process wood products today, the industry is really machining wood, not just cutting it. This is the reason that precision alignment programs are invaluable in wood processing.

The BID Group’s Service Division utilizes advanced Hamar Laser Alignment Systems to maximize accuracy and repeatability to give its customers the highest value service in the industry. With specialized jigs, highly experienced and highly trained alignment technicians, the company provides value and reduced downtime with its alignment services.

The BID Group also recommends utilizing its machinery audits prior to the alignment process to maximize machinery efficiency and condition before the alignment process.

This will provide valuable information on the condition and the parts required to bring the machine to a level that maximizes the alignment process. Information about BID’s laser alignment systems payback is readily available from the company. www.bidgroup.ca

USNR

Does your mill have a large number of sorts, or process a lot of cut-n-two products?

USNR has developed and installed unique new sorter designs that accommodate large numbers of cut-n-two sorts while maintaining high production rates. A powerful advantage is that both cut-n-two boards remain in a single lug space.

Options include split diverters that pick out either the lumber-line or clearline board, or tandem bins that position two short-length sorters side-by-side with independent bin floors under one sorter top.

This sorter solution looks dramatically different, with lumber from the tandem bins and the standard bins discharging to a centre jump rollcase, headed for the stacker.

USNR’s WinTally sorter management system can accommodate all these options, and MyMill mobile control makes it easy to manage the wide variety of products from anywhere in the mill. www.USNR.com 28

Supersaul Chemmex

Supersaul Chemmex Inc. is in the process of developing and bringing their new saw guide design to market.

The design of these new guides is from a consistent accuracy perspective.

Consistent accuracy is maintained by reducing two significant factors: heat build-up in saws and wear to the babbitt on the guides. By utilizing proven technology and applying it to the saw and guides, strict sawing clearances are maintained more accurately.

Also, this design is expected to increase service life of the guide by 50 per cent without consuming more water or lubricant. In other words, sawing accuracy can be increased for a longer duration with the same daily usage in water and lubricant. www.supersaulchemmex.com

Petro-Canada

In sawmills, efficiency is everything in the drive to cut downtime. The solution is PETROGLIDE ELV, Petro-Canada Lubricants' premium quality emulsified low- viscosity saw guide oil designed for specific applications and tested for multi-blade gang saws and edgers, says the company.

Features & Benefits • Emulsifiable formulation for better lubricity • Helps reduce wear and heat build-up for saw guides and blades, minimizing saw deviation and maximizing recovery • Fewer saw and guide changes, longer cutting cycles, less unscheduled maintenance and lower operating costs • Year-Round Cutting* • Wide temperature operating capability • Low pour point • Anti-rust additive keeps blades cleaner helping to increase saw life • Designed to emulsify with water for cooling efficiency *protect product from freezing www.lubricants.petro-canada.com

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

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TECHUPDATE

By Tony Kryzanowski

Millyard Equipment Hyster

Sawmills and loggers need their equipment operators to perform at the highest level to meet productivity goals and protect margins. The Hyster H190-360XD combines traditional ergonomic fundamentals with the latest technology to keep operators more comfortable and focused all shift long.

Truck performance data is easily accessible through the seveninch integrated performance display, which also offers onboard diagnostic capabilities. The display automatically dims in low light situations to reduce the risk of distraction The unique and standard control arm on the Hyster H190360XD puts all truck controls, including hydraulic functions, within easy reach and works in tandem with the display. Panels have backlight options so operators do not have to search for the right switch in the dark.

Exclusive one-piece, scratch-resistant curved glass boosts front and rear visibility. The redesigned mast and carriage boosts the visibility of fork tips at ground level, with modified lift chains, inner channel and carriages providing a wider window of view. www.hyster-yale.com

around the mill’s feed deck. Its long reach, 36’4”, and high rise Maxcab allow operators an elevated view of the loading zone while building and picking from high stacks.

Its specialty is moving quickly along direct travel paths between rows to pick loads up to 20 tonnes and deliver them directly to the feed deck. With the boom mounted at the rear of the chassis, the 735 is able to transport full loads safely without requiring a counterweight. During lift cycles, the elevated boom remains in the operator’s line of sight, to the front, left and right of the cab. www.sennebogen-na.com

Liebherr

The Liebherr LH 60 M Timber is equipped with all-wheel drive as a standard feature. As a result, it demonstrates maneuverability with the highest level of driving stability and improved directional stability. Combined with the rigid operator cab elevation for all-around vision, the LH 60 Timber is described as a reliable partner in timber handling operations. It is designed spe-

Sennebogen

The Sennebogen 735 Pick & Carry machine is purpose-built to deliver the fastest loading and infeed cycles in high stacking cut-to-length (CTL) woodyards, says the company.

Weighing in at 96,800 lbs, Sennebogen says that the 735 machine will outpace traditional loaders used at infeed decks and magazines in oriented strand board (OSB) plants, pulp and paper mills, biomass processors, sawmills, sorting lines and bin applications. Its undercarriage provides four-wheel steering to maneuver easily between closely stacked rows, and in high traffic areas

cifically for timber handling, assuring high load capacities with an operating weight of 55 tonnes to 61 tonnes, with a large reach of 20 metres at the same time. www.liebherr.ca

John Deere

Said to be ideal for millyard work, the John Deere 524L loader with a tool carrier configuration offers increased visibility

30

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

Pekka Hakkarainen is one of the first Ponsse machine

Synne Henriksen, is a new generation forestry machine operator, working

entrepreneurs. In the early stages of their business, Pekka’s

with Ponsse machines in Norway. She is working with both, harvesters

company forwarded wood to the roadside with Ponsse PAZ.

and forwarders full of enthusiasm and professionalism

Originated from forest machine entrepreneur Einari Vidgrén´s dream to build the best forest machine in the world, Ponsse will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. These five decades have had a major impact on the development of mechanized forestry worldwide. We will continue to work with a true Ponsse spirit and know-how towards more productive and environmentally friendly forestry solutions. What is most important, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this alone. Work has always been done with you - together. Humble thanks for that.

A logger’s best friend

www.ponsse.com

Tel. 358 (406) 565 139

www.alpaequipment.com Tel. 1 (888) 590-0858

www.readyquip.com www.hydromec.ca Tel. (418) 276-5831

Tel. (705) 268-7600

Tel. (403) 352-7191

techupdate from page 30 to the boom and forks. Less guesswork makes for fewer damaged logs, which means more efficiency and more profit. With the new High-Lift Plus configuration providing an additional 24” of hinge pin height over the standard Z-Bar lift height, and 10” over the High-Lift model, it isn’t an issue getting logs anywhere they need to be. Additionally, the 524L features an operator station that has three more inches of legroom and an adjustable seat belt, maximizing operator comfort. www.johndeere.com

company. Their three distinct styles of cranes are tailored to fit any size operation, then supported for decades to come with their woodyard-specific service and parts teams. Popular lately with turnkey sawmill clients has been the high performance Konecranes RPC-226 Rotating Portal Crane—described by the company as the ultimate combination of efficient radial storage and quick cycle times. Log handling crane specialist Konecranes optimizes the safety and productivity of any woodyard operation by maximizing inventory capability and minimizing truck turnaround times. www.KonecranesUSA.com

Konecranes

Pettibone

Konecranes woodyard cranes have emerged as an industry leader in log handling technology, combining deep roots in the 45-year history of Heede and P&H Portal Cranes with the global resources and lifting expertise of their multinational parent

Pettibone offers the Cary-Lift 254i in its line of log handlers.

The company says that the machine is purpose-built to deliver numerous safety and performance benefits over other material handling alternatives.

The Cary-Lift 254i features a unique overhead lift arm design,

giving the operator full front visibility when lifting or transporting loads—a sharp contrast to the lift arms on wheel loaders, which are located directly in front of the vehicle. Additionally, Cary-Lift forks are capable of tilting down 90 degrees for specialized lifting tasks.

The machine provides a maximum load capacity of 25,000 lbs and max lift height of 14’. Offering four-wheel drive, with two-wheel, four-wheel and crab hydraulic power steering modes, and with the wheelbase limited to just 12’, the 254i can achieve a turning radius of 23’ 6”.

Unlike forward reaching articulated loaders, the Cary-Lift’s heavy duty, solid steel frame design allows it to take full loads into sharp turns without sacrificing load capacity or stability. www.gopettibone.com

Wajax-Bulmor

Wajax has become the exclusive Canadian distributor of Bulmor sideloader forklifts.

Bulmor is well known for manufacturing premium, heavy duty, special-purpose lifting trucks. With Wajax taking on Bulmor sideloaders, this marks the first time that Bulmor has had a distributor in Canada.

These sideloaders are designed and manufactured by Bulmor according to stringent quality control standards, allowing them to withstand the additional stress and torque caused by long and heavy loads. Bulmor’s side loading capabilities allow for more products to be stored in one space, as well as offering easy maneuverability in narrow aisles and doorways. With a top speed of 21 km/hr, Bulmor’s sideloaders can move a large amount of product over long distances quickly, making them useful for increasing productivity.

Among the machines that will be available are the very popular DQrc 60 and DQr 80 diesel sideloaders, described as 32

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

techupdate

extremely durable machines. The DQrc 60 comes with a 55.5 kW motor, has a loading capacity of 6 tonnes, and is the perfect sideloader for the budget conscious, says the company. The DQr 80 can haul up to 8 tonnes. www.wajax.com

Tanguay

Tanguay loaders are custom designed and built with boom geometry, attachment selection and mounting arrangements carefully engineered to maximize millyard production.

Fixed single or dual pedestal mount loaders have been commonly seen in sawmill log entrances and slasher decks. Many oriented strand board (OSB) mills have gone to the innovative rail trolley mount to increase loader versatility by expanding the working range at their slasher decks, debarkers and flakers. Rail trolley loaders are also opening opportunities to unload trucks or trains directly at the mill entrance and provide access to large

wood inventory to minimize wood handling.

Electrical engine operating and maintenance costs are less than 50 per cent of the cost of running a diesel engine and there is no need to waste time fueling, adding urea, and conducting engine maintenance and repairs, leading to more productivity.

Tanguay says its electric loaders have a proven record of reliability, low operating cost, long economical life with the extra benefits of no CO2 emissions. www.tanguay.cc

Komatsu

The Komatsu PC290LL-11 is available with either a butt-n-top or live heel log loader front, a Komatsu 398 or universal head processor front, or a road builder front for high performance in a wide variety of demanding logging applications.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

to page 34

33

techupdate Andritz

from page 33 Key features include a powerful fuel efficient, 196 net horsepower engine, a high capacity forestry cooling system, high swing torque, high drawbar pull, rugged purposebuilt forestry undercarriage, heavy duty forestry-specific guarding, narrow 11’5” transport width, comfortable operator controls, all-LED work lighting, and KOMTRAX Level 5.0 technology.

Powerful PC360 class final drives generate 64,250 lbs of drawbar pull for excellent shovel logging and rough terrain performance. A rugged PC390 class swing motor and drive delivers high swing torque for superior log loading, processing and road building performance. Serviceability is described as excellent and is further enhanced with the Komatsu CARE complimentary maintenance program. www.KomatsuForest.us

Cat

Delivering the power and reliability required for the most demanding material handling applications in millyard operations, Cat says that its new MH3040 builds on the successful legacy of the M325D L MH model.

The boom, sticks and other high stress areas feature thick, multi-plate fabrications, castings and forgings to withstand wear and deliver years of durable operation. Specially designed mountings on the upper frame support the new heavy duty cab.

The new Smart Mode operation automatically matches engine and hydraulic power to working conditions to reduce fuel consumption, while the Power Mode feature constantly provides maximum power to optimize productivity. The fuel efficient engine can run up to B20 biodiesel and offers up to 25 per cent lower fuel consumption than the M325D L MH. Offering a 12 per cent faster swing speed, the MH3040 reduces cycle times and allows operators to move more material in the same amount of time.

The advanced hydraulic system features valve priority to direct pressure and flow to where it’s needed and delivers the optimum balance of power, efficiency and load control, says the company. www.cat.com

34

The LogPorter crane from Andritz is a single piece of equipment which requires much less maintenance and attention than multiple loader arrangements, says the company.

Installing a LogPorter portal crane or a LogPorter radial crane typically reduces woodyard operating costs by a large percentage: • They require much less manpower to operate (compared to a loader-operated yard) when processing an identical volume of logs.

• Mills operating a LogPorter crane report less fibre loss and 75 per cent less log breakage than with their loader operations.

• They operate on electricity, eliminating the cost of diesel fuel required by loaders.

The LogPorter crane handles the unloading and storing of logs, and feeding to the mill, all in one unit. It can make as many as 40 picks per hour. This allows for a high number of trucks to be unloaded when necessary. It is equipped with storm brakes and can operate in all weather conditions, even in high-wind locations. www.andritz.com

Carer

Since 1976, Carer has been at the forefront of design, development and production of electric forklift trucks, says the company. With this experience in hand, Carer has developed a unique product line, designed to excel in all environments.

With a smaller footprint then most internal combustion trucks, they also boast similar or greater power output, can operate in all weather conditions, are designed for multiple shift applications, dramatically reduce fuel, maintenance, and labor costs, eliminates carbon emissions, and generate almost no sound or vibration, says Carer. With capacities ranging from 10,000 lbs to 60,000 lbs, and powered by lithium Ion batteries, Carer stands alone as an all industry electric forklift solution, according to the company. www.carerforklifts.com

Carer recently announced the A160/1200 forklift truck with 36,000 lbs capacity with a 48-inch load centre, which the company says was created to revolutionize the lumber industry.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

SUPPLIERNEWSLINE Log scanning technology provider Microtec purchases Lucidyne Technologies

Microtec has acquired Lucidyne Technologies, bringing two teams in the wood products scanning industry together.

Microtec has been on the forefront of bringing revolutionary scanning and optimization technologies to the wood market for over 40 years, and is capable of supplying all scanners in a mill, from log stem to finished lumber.

A familiar name to North American sawmills, Lucidyne has been an industry leader in scanning and optimization throughout North America since 1985, most recently leading the way with their patented Deep Learning technology. This acquisition expands both companies’ product lines and geographical reach.

Lucidyne’s products will now be enhanced by the availability of the entire Microtec product line and together there will be a mill-wide integrated scanning opportunity. In addition to continuing to offer all current products, Microtec and Lucidyne will be introducing co-developed products that bring the best of the companies’ technologies together.

Microtec’s headquarters will remain in Bressanone, Italy, and Lucidyne’s operations will remain in Corvallis, Oregon. www.springer-microtec.com

Tigercat expands harvesting head products with new 568 roadside processor Tigercat continues to expand its range of harvesting heads with the new 568, a

By Tony Kryzanowski

robust, productive four-wheel drive harvesting head for roadside processing.

The new Tigercat 568 harvesting head offers excellent productivity and reliability, says the company.

Optimized harvester head hydraulics maximize performance and efficiency, while robust, high quality components provide long term reliability. Large diameter hoses and large capacity valves deliver ample strength to match the greater hydraulic flow and power of Tigercat carriers. www.tigercat.com

the strength of an earthmoving tire with a new kind of lug pattern, the versatile Nokian Tractor King tire pushed the boundaries of tractor work in demanding forestry applications. In 2019, eight new tire sizes were launched, and from April 2020 onwards, a brand new size enters the market: the 650/65R42. www.nokiantyres.com/tractorking

Scanning equipment provider JoeScan launches new website

Atlas Polar, described as Canada’s number one truck-mounted equipment company, now carries the entire range of HIAB/LOGLIFT heavy duty cranes and accessories.

Sawmill scanning equipment provider JoeScan has just released a complete overhaul to its website. The new site offers a more streamlined experience for visitors and plenty of new content.

“This upgrade is much more than an aesthetic facelift,” says JoeScan president, Joey Nelson. “We needed a robust platform to support and interact with our sawmill partners.”

One of the highlights of the new site is the Sawmill Scanning Blog. Visitors will find regularly updated how-to articles, educational videos, scanning news, and more at the blog. The posts invite visitors to ask questions and provide feedback via a comments section.

There’s a lot to see and do at the new website, JoeScan says, including an interactive world map of sawmills with JoeScan scanners, and an application for a sawmill technology scholarship for college students.

JoeScan says that visiting the site is a great way to spend some time learning about sawmill scanning in general, and to get a closer look at its new JS-50 WX scan head. www.joescan.com

Nokian Tractor King family expands with new tire size

Featuring radical new thinking in tractor tire technology, the Nokian Tractor King tire is designed for the heaviest machinery and the most difficult forestry terrain. Now the Nokian Tractor King tire family expands its potential even further with a new tire size.

In 2018, Nokian Tyres launched a whole new type of tractor tire. Combining Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

Atlas Polar now carries HIAB/LOGLIFT cranes with virtual reality option

Users of the HIAB truck-mounted crane now can deploy HiVision LOGLIFT, the first timber crane to be controlled by virtual reality. Operators can safely and comfortably direct the crane from the passenger seat using the VR headset to gain a 270-degree field of vision. VR eliminates the need for an additional crane cabin, weighing up to 400 kgs. The lighter weight dramatically increases payload, potential profit and substantially increases driver safety, according to the company. www.atlaspolar.com

Komatsu’s new 901XC eight-wheel drive harvester described as thinning powerhouse

Komatsu says that its new 901XC eight-wheel drive harvester excels in challenging steep, rough or soft harvesting environments.

The 901XC has all of the features found in Komatsu’s proven 901 six-wheel drive to page 36 35

suppliernewsline from page 35

harvester platform, including the innovative, 3PS three-pump hydraulic system, ergonomic cab, four-way cab/crane leveling, and 180-degree cab/crane rotation.

Komatsu’s 901XC differs from other eight-wheel drive harvesters because of its unique drive system. The company says that its exclusive “double Comfort Bogie” drive system provides excellent handling, and follows the terrain more closely than competitors’ eight-wheel drive machines that have a fixed rear-axle design. The eight-wheel drive system generates 12 per cent more tractive effort and significantly reduces rear ground pressure: 53 per cent lower psi with tracks and 19 per cent lower psi with tires, compared to the 901 six-wheel drive model. www.komatsuna.com

Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. is the American sales and marketing arm of the Alliance Tire Group, a global leader in agricultural, logging, construction, material handling and other off-the-road (OTR) tires. The company’s Alliance, Galaxy, and Primex brands have earned global reputations for excellence and performance. www.atgtire.com

CBI introduces new horizontal grinder and chipper

Continental Biomass Industries (CBI) recently premiered its Magnum Force 6400CT horizontal grinder and chipper.

It is an extreme duty machine engineered for resilience and high production when grinding whole trees, pallets, storm debris, logs, mulch, slash, and stumps.

The new cassette style clam shell design allows end users to completely swap out rotors faster than any other grinder in its class, says CBI. Operators can go from grinding to chipping in half the time as before and accept jobs with various material demands.

Four interchangeable rotors give this

Alliance Tire Americas opens first Canadian warehouse

Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. (ATA) opened its first Canadian warehouse, in Mississauga, Ontario, in mid-June.

The warehouse will serve dealers in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, says Dhaval Nanavati, President of ATA. The warehouse is located at 6611 Northwest Drive in Mississauga.

"It's very exciting to be able to support our dealers in eastern Canada with a new warehouse that puts them just a phone call away from a huge selection of Alliance tires for agriculture, forestry, construction, material handling, and more," Nanavati said. "Pulling from our warehouse inventory can be a very costeffective tool for helping their customers address just about any challenge."

The warehouse is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information on the warehouse or to order Alliance tires from the facility, dealers can contact ATA reps Daniel Menard at (819) 469-3574 or dmenard@atgtire.com, or Barrie Taylor at (306) 381-5150 or btaylor@atgtire.com.

36

horizontal grinder the versatility needed to stay on top of changing markets, says the company.

Also, CBI recently named Frontline Machinery its 2019 Dealer of the Year.

Frontline Machinery has opened a new branch in Woodstock, Ontario.

“As a manufacturer, Frontline Machinery is exactly who you want representing your products in a territory,” said George Wilcox, Director of Sales and Marketing at CBI & Ecotec – Americas. “Their world class customer support for sales, service and parts continues to set them apart as one of North America’s leading industrial heavy equipment dealerships.” www.terex.com/cbi

Wajax acquires Albertabased NorthPoint Technical Services

Wajax Corporation has acquired Alberta-based, NorthPoint Technical Services ULC, located in Calgary.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

NorthPoint was formed in 2018 as a national electro-mechanical services provider and serves a broad range of resource and industrial customers. Specializing in the repair of rotating industrial equipment, including motors, generators, gearboxes, switchgear, transformers, pumps, fans and turbines, NorthPoint operates nine branches across Canada and employs approximately 177 people.

Northpoint’s branches are located in Grand Prairie and Calgary, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Kirkland Lake, Sudbury and Sarnia, Ontario; Moncton, New Brunswick; and St. John’s, Newfoundland. www.wajax.com

Wallingford’s now distributing Veriga in North America

Wallingford’s Inc. has announced a new partnership with Veriga, one of the largest global manufacturers of tire chains and forestry tracks.

Wallingford’s is the largest wholesale distributor of logging supplies in North America, serving nearly 3,000 OEM, distributors, and dealers, says the company. “We are very excited with this new relationship with Veriga and look forward to bringing this great brand across the Atlantic,” said John Wallingford, President of Wallingford’s Inc. Wallingford’s Inc. will be marketing Veriga’s broad range of products across North America, adding new products with European design and quality to its line-up.

Veriga uses high quality raw materials in their manufacturing, and have an advanced manufacturing facility, including cutting edge heat treatment, resulting in functional and durable products.

The new products that will be introduced to North America include: a full line of bogie and wheel tracks for forestry equipment; forestry chains for skidders and CTL machinery; snow/traction tire chains for trucks, tractors and heavy machinery; and tire protection chains for heavy machinery.

“We are looking forward to our co-operation with Wallingford's Inc.,” said Mitja Peterlin, CEO of Veriga. “We have been trying for quite some time to find the right partner to introduce our products to the North American market. We have enormous trust in Wallingford's, which has tradition and is a true specialist in the required field. Together we will make sure that we will give customers the best possible service.” www.wallingfords.com

classified

AD INDEX ADVERTISER PAGE BID Group...........................................13 Brandt Launch Campaign.............. 22-23 Brandt Tractor.....................................39 Carer Electric Forklift Solutions...........11 Ford....................................................19 Inland...................................................2 John Deere.........................................17 Ponsse................................................31

Ritchie Bros Financial Services.............7 Sennebogen.......................................29 Signode Equipment & Strapping.........10 Smithco................................................6 SuperSaul...........................................25 Tanguay..............................................33 Tigercat..............................................40 Tsubaki..............................................27 Valutec Wood Dryers.............................5 Wood-Mizer........................................32

# MAY/JUNE 2020

NAME:________________________________ TITLE/POSITION:__________________ COMPANY NAME:_______________________________________________________ ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________

FAX:___________________________

EMAIL:______________________________________________________________ WEBSITE:____________________________________________________________

# Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

37

thelastword

In spite of the COVID-19 virus, the forest industry is buckling down and­—as it always has—is getting the job done

By Jim Stirling

T

he COVID-19 virus forced many world businesses to hang up the ‘closed until further notice’ sign.

That said, the forest industry in the British Columbia Interior has so far been more fortunate. There’s still a light on in the window, albeit illuminated by a 40watt bulb. But the disease’s spread has undoubtedly changed the ways the forest industry goes about its daily business and how it plans for future contingencies.

It seemed like overnight people became experts in the practice of “social distancing”, surely the worst example of politically correct code for ‘don’t cough on each other’. Forest companies were asked to comply with regulatory changes which altered with the rapidity of infection rate spreads. Companies issued COVID-19 response measures that we’ve all become familiar with in industries from airlines to zoos.

For example, B.C.-based Conifex Timber Inc., issued a statement April 1, 2020 which read, in part: “The health and safety of our employees, contractors and their families is our top priority.

In addition to adhering to public health directives, we have implemented a pandemic contingency plan to guide our employees, contractors, visitors, facilities and operations. Our plan includes restricting access to our offices and operation sites, restricting business travel, mandating selfisolation for anyone who has travelled, is exhibiting symptoms or has been exposed to the virus, practicing appropriate social distancing at our premises and increasing the frequency and emphasis on cleaning and sanitizing.”

The Conifex statement also announced a two-week shutdown of its Mackenzie, B.C. sawmill, mirroring what was happening with other forest companies around the B.C. Interior to reduce lumber production in response to a crazy market situation. “Extreme market volatility and major economic turmoil” is the way Canfor Corporation CEO Don Kayne described the situation when announcing

an operating loss of $88.9 million for the company during the first quarter of 2020.

The Coronavirus meant many forest company office workers have been asked to work from home as a self-isolating precaution, especially if they had recently travelled overseas. Working from home has a comforting sound to it. In reality, the practice is a double-edged sword, with pros and cons. Padding around the house in jammies at all hours might sound appealing. And the technology exists to easily keep in contact with the office in a variety of ways. But working from home for people not accustomed to it does take getting used to on an operational basis.

There’s no lack of tips on the Internet designed to keep the newly isolated worker productive. Most of it is common sense: recommendations like establishing a makeshift office, setting regular hours and routines. Some of the work-fromhome tipsters express concerns about how their subjects will handle the phenomenon from a mental perspective, not just a productivity one.

The practice of working from home has been accelerated by the Coronavirus spread, but has been a growing workplace option for employers looking to trim fixed operating costs, as well as achieve other efficiencies. When the emergency subsides, it may be that working from home becomes more common for some forest industry employees.

B.C. sawmills have had plenty of practice dealing with hazards and mitigating their impacts. Mill managers have become expert at introducing and maintaining protection and safety management protocols. With the advanced levels of automation, there are fewer people working on the sawmill floor at any one time. The problem for the sector is more one of the reduced number of plants and the impacts of market-driven production curtailments.

The numbers of logging trucks rolling through interior B.C. communities has been reduced in the last few months, but

38

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - May/June 2020

logs are still moving. But logging contractors and machine operators are used to spending large chunks of their working days alone on the job. The communication systems in each machine help to keep each log harvesting sector in operational touch.

The day’s routine work is similarly solitary for most outdoor workers in the silvicultural sector. The challenges there are accented when tired tree planters, for example, return to their camps for some necessary R&R. Fortunately, most of the work force is young and healthy. It doesn’t provide immunity to the virus, but youth does offer at least a statistical advantage to infection.

One of the most consistent problems with the Coronavirus situation is selecting the fact from the fanciful in the daily smorgasbord of information with which the public has been bombarded. The banishment from usual public activities also creates the perfect petri-dish for a culture of misinformation—and plain stupidity—to flourish, And it has. The people and organizations which take pleasure in propagating such stuff have had weeks of field days. The net result is a bad situation is made worse.

At the time of writing, most Canadian provinces were figuring out ways of gently re-introducing normalcy. The doomsayers were having a wonderful time assuring everyone nothing will ever be the same.

The world’s economies are shot, despite the vast amounts of money leaders are throwing at them. Trade patterns and strategies are severely compromised. And, don’t forget, we still have awaiting us the implications of a warning climate and a damaged planet.

It seems B.C,’s forest industry routinely faces such calamitous sounding scenarios.

It has always emerged stronger. The forest industry has learned to buckle down and very ably concentrate on what it can do and control.

WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME. In logging, time is always short and productivity is everything, so Brandt helps you get more done faster with state-of-the-art tools like TimberManager™, TimberMatic™ Maps, JDLink™ and FleetWise™. You’ll maximize loads, quickly transition between shifts, track and manage machine maintenance and usage and much more, all more easily than you’ve ever dreamed possible.

‘Stand Tall’ is our commitment to you to deliver more full-service branches, inventory, and productive technologies, closer access to parts, and more service techs, every single day.

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THE PERFECT PACKAGE Pair the Tigercat 850 carrier with the 568 harvesting head for the perfect roadside processing solution. Industry leading fuel economy, cooling capacity and revolutionary serviceability set the 850 apart from excavator conversions, while the 568 patented auto-shift drive system maximizes performance and productivity.

Contact your Tigercat dealer today to learn more.

www.tigercat.com