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September 2016

VOLVOS DELIVERING VOLUME for Weyerhaeuser sawmill “BIG DATA” being utilized in Canadian sawmills

STREAMLINING LOG HANDLING in British Columbia

WITH THIS ISSUE… The Edge!

LOG MAX/DOOSAN LOGGING COMBO in New Brunswick

Let us help you find it With over 25 years in the grinding and recycling industry, we’ve learned that there’s always more than meets the eye in a pile of waste materials. Even if you already turn your wood waste into fiber commodities like mulch or animal bedding, you could be missing out on better market opportunities or more efficient production methods. You could be leaving value behind.

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320-548-3586 www.rotochopper.com

September 2016 Volume 47 • No. 5 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski

Publisher Rob Stanhope E-mail: stanhope@forestnet.com Phone: (604) 990-9970 Fax: (604) 990-9971 Sales Associates James Booth (604) 990-9970 E-mail: jbooth@forestnet.com Perry Rosehill (604) 613-3001 E-mail: rosehill@forestnet.com

Circulation Manager Maureen Cole (905) 201-0853 Fax: (905) 294-8645 E-mail: mcole@idirect.com Design & Art Production Manager Sheila Ringdahl E-mail: artwork@forestnet.com Office Manager Betty Rosales E-mail: brosales@forestnet.com

Office PO Box 86670, 211 East 1st Street North Vancouver, BC V7L 4L2 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. Airmail $165. Single copy, Canada $6; elsewhere $10. Reproduction prohibited without permission of the publisher. ISSN 0226-7572. Indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Ltd. Back copies from 1996 onward are available through our website www.forestnet.com and in microform from Micromedia Ltd., 416-362-5211. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064045 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to CIRCULATION DEPT. PO Box 86670 Stn Main North Vancouver BC V7L 4L2 e-mail: mcole@idirect.com POSTMASTER: Send US address changes to LSJ Publishing Group, PO Box 610, Edmonds, WA 98020-0610 Published September 2016 Printed in Canada on 20% recycled paper. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Logging & Sawmilling Journal is a member/associate member of the following industry organizations:

FEATURES On the Cover:

The Weyerhaeuser sawmill in Princeton, B.C. has added two new Volvo wheel loaders, a Volvo L350F and a Volvo L150H, from B.C. Volvo dealer Great West Equipment to help manage log operations. Read about how the equipment is helping make the operation more efficient beginning on page 10. (Photo by Paul MacDonald).

4 Spotlight – Tapping into

the growing bio-economy at Alberta’s Bio-Mile

10 Volvos delivering

volume

18 “Big Data” already

being utilized by forest industry

Although “Big Data” has become a buzz term in business circles in recent years, the forest industry is already well on its way to using Big Data in a number of areas, from machine centres at the sawmill, to woodlands operations.

Hard work = successful sawmill

Though it requires a lot of hard work, Alberta sawmiller Colin Ruxton says that small sawmilling can pay off—and he’s proven it with both a band and circular sawmill.

36 Lean log handling

B.C.’s coastal forest industry and the provincial government are working on streamlining the log handling process through making changes based on the “Lean” philosophy that is practiced in other industries—and it’s already showing results. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Family fencing operation

B.C. specialty mill operation Nagaard Sawmill, run by brothers Darrol and Dale Nagel, has found its niche—and it’s in producing fence components from western red cedar for a growing market, with a mill that features a fair bit of home-made equipment, and lots of ingenuity.

48 Liking the Log Max/

Doosan combo

New Brunswick harvesting contractor Remi Doucet is a fan of the Doosan/ Log Max harvesting combination, and recently upgraded his equipment with a new Log Max 7000 head.

A life in logging: from horses—to Tigercats

Long time logger Alan Costain may have started with yarding horses, but these days the horsepower in Costain Lumbering is of a very different sort, with equipment such as a Tigercat 822.

70 The Edge

Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, are stories from the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre and Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions.

78 The Last Word

The Fort McMurray fire of earlier this year could have ripple effect on the cost of insurance for the forest industry, says Jim Stirling.

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar.............................................. 9 Suppliernewsline............................... 72 Ad Index / Subscriptions.................... 76 Classifieds......................................... 77 3

spotlight

Tapping into the growing bio-economy at Alberta’s

BIO-MILE Workers put the final touches on the Bio-Mile’s new $11 million Clean Energy Technology Centre in Drayton Valley, Alberta.

A new $11 million Clean Energy Technology Centre recently opened in Alberta and among its goals is supporting greater product diversification within the forestry sector, and encouraging more participation by the industry in the bio-economy. By Tony Kryzanowski here is a shiny new addition to the town of Drayton Valley, Alberta’s Field of Dreams—officially known as the Bio-Mile. It is the $11 million, Clean Energy Technology Centre (CETC), which the town hopes will attract business startups, researchers, conferences and biotechnology investors. Drayton Valley is a resource community heavily dependent on the oil and gas and forestry sectors about 90 minutes southwest of Edmonton. For the past decade, it has been at the forefront of smaller Canadian communities attempting to grow

by attracting investment from the biotechnology sector. According to Manny Deol, Chief Operating Officer for the CETC, the hope is that people doing research related to biotechnology, organizations looking for somewhere to hold events related to the bio-economy, visitors from around the world looking for somewhere to establish a biotechnology business, or organizations needing space to provide training, will find a home at the CETC. The CETC is also the new local home for NorQuest College, which offers diploma and certificate courses in vocational careers as well as professional development.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

In addition to credit courses, the town has partnered with NorQuest College to provide programming and support to help the town fulfill its objective of becoming a hub for economic development activity related to the bio-economy. These activities will include non-credit educational services, business incubation and development, conference services, corporate training, and research activities. “This whole area is designed for innovators,” says Deol. The goal is to nurture technology and product development to page 6

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spotlight

The new Clean Energy Technology Centre is part of an effort to move beyond traditional products like dimensional lumber. Manny Deol (inset photo), CETC Chief Operating Officer, believes that the new Clean Energy Technology Centre fills a critical gap to helping spur more development in Drayton Valley’s Bio-Mile.

from page 4 related to bio-energy and bio-products from the lab bench to commercialization, hoping that this leads to more businesses setting down roots in the town’s Bio-Mile. “We are the one-stop shop if you want training, if you want to do innovation, if you want to do business, if you want investment or if you are an investor,” Deol adds. The CETC is a 28,500 square foot facility with a large multi-event space able to seat 250 at tables or 400 at theatre seating. It has classrooms including video conferencing suites, computer stations, a

health care lab, and learning spaces. The learning common area provides students, researchers and instructors with space to collaborate in small working groups. The facility also provides space for CETC and NorQuest College administration. Construction was completed this spring, which is timely, as Alberta’s recently-elected NDP government has signaled that it is serious about making the transition to the production of more green energy. According to its Climate Leadership Plan, it intends to bring forth legislation to eliminate coal-fired power production in the province by 2030. It will also introduce a carbon tax to help

fund future bio-energy and bio-product development. Deol is very encouraged by these significant changes in the province’s support for the bio-economy and feels Drayton Valley is in a good position to take advantage of this shift toward ‘greening’ Alberta’s economy. However, he says both the town and province believe that the success of the Bio-Mile concept and CETC in particular should be industrydriven and self-sustaining. Deol doesn’t have an issue with that. “The interest of industry is enormous right now,” he says, adding that there will be methods of generating revenue from CETC users for services provided to help sustain the facility. Like the movie ‘Field of Dreams’, Drayton Valley’s approach to promoting the Bio-Mile is very much of an ‘if you build it, they will come’ strategy, in an attempt to boost both interest and economic activity in the community. But Deol says this approach is also meant to support greater product diversification within the forestry sector and encourage more participation in the bio-economy. “The potential for forestry in the future is unbelievable,” says Deol. “You can make clothing, cosmetics, household goods ... whatever you can do with oil, you can do with forest products.” The Bio-Mile is situated on a 20 hectare parcel of serviced land owned by the town in an industrial area south of Drayton Valley’s core. It is near Weyerhaeuser’s sawmill and bio-energy power producer, Valley Power. The Bio-Composites Group (BCG) has built a new $15 million headquarters and production plant within the Bio-Mile. BCG has a number of projects on the go using wood fibre mats to manufacture bio-products. They are currently involved in an extensive vetting process with car component manufactures to potentially replace fibreglass sections with more environmentally-friendly and lighter wood fibre alternatives. What spurred Drayton Valley Town Council’s enthusiasm to establish the BioMile in 2007 was Weyerhaeuser’s decision to shut down its oriented strandboard (OSB) plant, which didn’t come as a huge surprise, given what impact the severe downturn in housing in the U.S. had on all OSB production in North America. Deol says that the downturn in the forest industry hampered development of the Bio-Mile during that time. However,

to page 9 6

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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spotlight from page 6 Weyerhaeuser’s sawmill remains a strong contributor to the local economy, with the company having recently invested $23 million in production upgrades, which included a new saw line. As part of its research to attract business to replace what the town lost with the closure of the OSB plant, Council discovered that there were other opportunities for wood fibre in the bio-economy beyond traditional products like dimension lumber and wood panels. So it created the Bio-Mile. In addition to the community providing support to help the forest industry become more involved in the bio-economy, Drayton Valley also has a desperate need to diversify its industrial base. The local economy is highly dependent on the fortunes of the oil and gas industry, which is notoriously feast or famine. It is currently in a severe downturn. Deol says that right now, forestry jobs are helping to cushion the financial blow on the community, proving the value of diversification. “In our economic development plan, we are always looking for diversification … how we can create something that stabilizes the ups and downs of the economy,” says Deol. “We discovered that we needed an institution to support the forestry and oil and gas sectors in terms of facilitation of education, connecting to academia in their research and development, creating a place for applied research, and creating a culture in the community about innovation.”

Deol adds that there has been no shortage of effort by the town to raise the profile of the Bio-Mile locally, nationally, and internationally, as well as with the forestry, agriculture and oil and gas sectors, through participation in a variety of trade shows and events. What proponents of the Bio-Mile have noticed, however, is that researchers and investors engaged in bio-product development—who need to work with a raw material such as wood fibre to advance their research—were having to organize its shipment to their lab locations out of town. Given the amount of wood fibre available locally and with the CETC providing work and meeting space, the hope is that many of these researchers will find it easier to come to where the raw material is situated, to advance their programs. Furthermore, should the research they are conducting into bio-products reach pilot plant or commercialization stage, they will be aware of what the Bio-Mile has to offer, which could result in more bio-businesses setting down roots in town. “We are going to bring the university researchers here to do their experiments,” says Deol, with the goal of providing lab and business incubator space, adding that the CETC has access to venture capital to help with start ups. Deol acknowledges that development of the BioMile has not been

without its challenges, the biggest ones being that biotechnological development, whether for bio-energy or bio-products is still evolving. So advancements to commercialization take time. Secondly, Deol says that, “financing for innovation is still a roadblock in Canada,” with much more venture capital available in places like the United States. So financing and proven technology have been significant hurdles to further Bio-Mile investment. However, the town is encouraged that every day, biotechnology innovation is being improved and perfected. To some degree, the CETC is an investment into the future, and the Alberta government has been a prominent supporter of the Bio-Mile initiative, recognizing that the project not only could help the province grow its presence in the bio-economy, but also contribute to rural economic development. In addition to providing $11 million for the construction of the CETC, the government has also provided the Centre with $350,000 in operational funds through its Community Partnership Grant program, to support program development and training.

CALENDAR September 28-30

Timber Processing & Energy Expo, Portland, OR

334-834-1170, www.timberprocessingandenergyexpo.com October 5-7

National Hardwood Lumber Assoc. Annual Convention, Washington, DC 901-377-1818, www.nhla.com October 26-28

NAWLA Traders Market, Las Vegas, NV 800-527-8258, www.nawla.org November 7-9

Pacific Logging Congress 107th Convention San Diego, CA 425-413-2808, www.pacificloggingcongress.org November 10-12

26th Tree Care Industry Expo, Baltimore, MD 603-314-5380, www.tcia.org

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

BCsawmilling

Volvos delivering vo

Some new Volvo wheel loaders are helping the Weyerhaeuser sawmill in Princeton, B.C. deliver efficiencies in the millyard, in feeding logs into the high production, two-line sawmill, and handling chips and hog fuel. By Paul MacDonald he Weyerhaeuser sawmill in Princeton, B.C. is one heck of a busy place these days. The two-line sawmill turns out upwards of 300 million board feet of SPF lumber annually, and is in the process of being upgraded. Producing that amount of lumber requires a smooth running operation, most importantly in the millyard, and in feeding logs into the mill.

Two new Volvo machines are now ably helping the Weyerhaeuser-Princeton millyard manage log operations—and improve its efficiency, both on the infeed side, and in chip handling. Last year, the mill purchased two new Volvo wheel loaders from B.C. Volvo dealer, Great West Equipment, a Volvo L350F and a Volvo L150H. The machines are working out well, and the service level from Great West Equipment is hitting the mark, so much so that Weyerhaeuser-

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Princeton has ordered another L350F wheel loader. The Weyerhaeuser-Princeton millyard features a good sampling of heavy equipment names—Link-Belt, Cat, Madill, Hitachi, Komatsu and Wagner. “They are all good machines,” says Jim “Slim” Norman, maintenance supervisor at the millyard. The mill’s approach when looking at new equipment is to solicit at least three, and sometimes as many as five, quotes from dealers. The quotes, and of course

BCsawmilling

olume

The Weyerhaeuser sawmill in Princeton, B.C. is one heck of a busy place, making efficient operation of the millyard all that more important. The two-line sawmill turns out upwards of 300 million board feet of SPF lumber annually, and is in the process of being upgraded.

the specs of the specific machines, are then evaluated. And this time around with the wheel loaders, Great West Equipment won out, with its Volvo equipment and a promise to provide a very high level of service. And it has delivered on that, says Norman. “So far, so good,” he added. He notes a rep from Great Western checks in at the operation weekly, in person— sometimes with Timbits. Service is top of the list when making an equipment purchase decision, explained Norman. “We’re looking for good service and parts support from the dealers we work with,” he said. “At the time we were looking for loaders, Great West did not have any equipment in our ‘neighborhood’.”

There were a few Volvo pieces in a local mine. But Great West was very interested in establishing more of a presence on the mill side and in the forest industry. “We’re kind of the first guys to get this equipment in the area.” And Great West is making sure the Volvo wheel loaders are supported. “They’ve been very good on the service side,” says Norman. Their service needs are pretty straightforward, he says. “When we ask someone to be here, they need to be here, and when we need a part, we need it here pretty quickly. As long as they can keep that up, we’re good.” The Volvo L350F has been particularly productive at the Weyerhaeuser mill. The machine is equipped with a specially engineered Weldco-Beales grapple. The log grapple is an M38 model, with capacity of 46.6 square feet. It can take a full bite of both short logs and long logs, up to 55 feet in length. Equipped with the grapple, the L350F is able to feed the mill from both the short log and long log hot decks into the infeed. With a machine this size, and with the grapple, the mill is able to reduce the number of machine cycles since it is carrying more volume to the infeed. The unit features Volvo’s D16 Tier 3 engine, which delivers 528 hp. “The grapple is working well for us,” Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

says Norman. “We needed a grapple like that for working with our long logs and short logs.” They wanted to up the volume of cut-to-length logs being handled by their loaders—and the grappleequipped L350F seems to be doing the trick. “It’s specially designed by WeldcoBeales to give us a large volume of cut-tolength logs and be able to handle the long logs, without overloading.” The Weldco-Beales log grapple has provided solid performance, with no tweaking or adjustments necessary. Norman notes he applied a little maintenance trick he learned from the bush to the machine. “We put a little bit of plating on the bottom of the grapple, and underneath the tips. It helps keep the wear down.” The plating is replaced on a regular basis. The machine has had a very significant impact on production—pretty much doing double the volume of a predecessor loader. In addition to transporting logs more efficiently to the mill infeed, that kind of productivity means the L350F is also able to help out elsewhere in the yard, when it is not feeding logs to the mill. The L350F, for example, helps unload

to page 12 11

BCsawmilling brought up with when I worked on the logging side—and we stick with it, because it works well.” Having experience on the logging equipment side has proved helpful at times, says Norman. The equipment can be similar, though a bit different. “With the butt ‘n top and wheel loaders, it’s a bit smaller out in the bush, but it’s the same idea.” When it comes to getting uptime from their millyard equipment, Norman says the most important thing is preventative maintenance. “That is the single biggest thing you can do. Keep it clean, keep the heat down, and service it.” The heavy duty mechanics at Weyerhaeuser-Princeton do a very capable job of maintaining and servicing upwards of 25 pieces of equipment in the mill yard, everything from the Volvo and other loaders, to the 10 Cat and Hyundai lift trucks on the lumber end of the

from page 11 trucks if their Wagner L4115 C log stacker is busy. “It depends on what’s going on in the yard, and with our Link-Belt 600LX log loader and the Wagner, but we’ll unload the logging trucks sometimes with the L350F. “It can get busy here first thing in the morning, with trucks lined up to unload. Depending on the time of year, and what’s going on in the bush, that can start anytime between midnight and 6 a.m.” The butt ‘n top equipped LinkBelt is equipped with a bypass clam grapple. In addition to unloading trucks, the Link-Belt also does log sorting, and stacks logs on the yard’s decks during the delivery season. The machine then breaks down the high decks, as the wood is needed. The Volvo L150H handles things at the other end of the mill, in that it loads trucks from the chip pile, as well as hog fuel. It has several quick attach buckets, to separately handle those materials, and to make sure the wood chips are kept clean. It features Volvo’s new D13J Final Tier 4 engine, which delivers 300 hp. At such a busy mill, there is a huge focus on equipment uptime. The mill runs two 10-hour shifts a day, Monday to Thursday, and a 12-hour shift each day, Friday to Sunday. So they need mobile equipment that delivers, day-in, day-out. “Our loaders are a big part of the mill operation—we need to be able to deliver

the logs to the sawmill from the yard, seven days a week.” Related to that, there is a strong focus on preventative maintenance. “I’m very detailed about the maintenance program we have,” says Norman, who cut his teeth in the forest industry doing equipment maintenance out in the bush and for the mining industry, in B.C. “We service and fix equipment on schedule—we’re very diligent about doing our 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 hour servicing. We’re usually within about 20 hours of that mark. That’s something that I was

yard. The shop is busy as they have a mix of newer and some older mobile equipment. The latter stood up very well during the industry downturn, when new equipment purchases were few and far between. “The guys in the shop worked hard to keep equipment going then,” he said. A few examples of equipment longevity: their Wagner log stacker has close to 50,000 hours on it, their Hitachi EX450 LC-5 loader has 40,000 hours, and they have two Cat 966 wheel loaders with close to 40,000 hours on them. Their Madill 4800 butt ‘n top loader has 53,000 hours on it. “Some of them are getting up there,” says Norman. “But we look after the equipment—and it looked after us during the downturn.” The new Volvo wheel loaders are mere youngsters in this equipment picture. This past summer, the L350F had 3500 hours on it, and the L150H had 2500 hours on the clock. “They’re still new to us—we’re generally looking to get 20,000 hours on a piece of equipment before doing any major work on it.” This will come as no surprise to anyone working on the mobile equipment side, but the operation has had some challenges dealing with Tier 4 Interims and Tier 4 Final engines on their equipment. To reduce emissions, these engines have to page 14

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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BCsawmilling from page 12 Engine Control Modules (ECMs) and feature exhaust after-treatment components, such as a Diesel Particular Filters (DPFs). “We’ve struggled with some of our equipment—it’s given us a little bit of trouble—but we’ll get there,” says Norman. Norman says they are fortunate in that they have a good complement of younger heavy duty mechanics—such as lead hand Dave Holland—to whom new technology is second nature. “We’ve got good guys, and they do better at technology than I do—I’m a bit older,” says Norman, who is a 15-year veteran at the mill. “They’re learning a lot more technology in school now, and with their apprenticeships.” If there are computer-related problems with equipment, the mechanics are quick to get on the dealer-supplied laptops to do some diagnostics, and if necessary, get dealer representatives on the phone. They work from an on-site shop, with three bays to handle the smaller loaders and forklifts, and a recent shop addition to take on the larger equipment, like the Volvo L150F and the Wagner stacker. “We try to do as much of the maintenance ourselves, as possible. We’ll sometimes go to the dealers for exchange components if it’s a major piece of production equipment. “ In terms of maintenance, the mill has factory-installed autolube systems on the new Volvo loaders, and the butt ‘n top loaders, too.

The heavy duty mechanics at Weyerhaeuser-Princeton do a very capable job of maintaining and servicing upwards of 25 pieces of equipment in the millyard, everything from the Volvo and other loaders, to the 10 Cat and Hyundai lift trucks (above) on the lumber end of the yard. “This helps us a lot because we can have limited time for maintenance between shifts—sometimes just a little more than an hour.” The lumber storage yard is mostly paved, as is wherever the forklifts are operating. But like many other millyards, Weyerhaeuser-Princeton has some dusty conditions to work with, at times, in its unpaved log storage area. “In the summer

months, there can be a lot of dust. We try to keep the equipment clean and cool in the summer. “Our log yard is pretty level, but it is dirt, so we can have some mud issues in the spring and fall. And since we deck wood in the winter time, there can still be some mud—and even ice and snow—under the log decks in the summer, so we have to deal with water. The equipment has to work harder to get through any mud that is in the yard. That’s always an issue with a dirt yard.” Whenever they can, they do some grader work in the yard, to help fill in the heavily trafficked areas. Winter is kind of welcomed, as the ground in the yard will freeze up. But the temperatures are not as severe as they used to be—with it getting -15 degrees Celsius, and perhaps as cold as -20 degrees a few days through the winter. “Growing up in Princeton, I remember it being a lot colder,” says Norman. Norman reports their new Volvo loaders are well-equipped, with good heaters to handle the cold, and are solid ergonomically and in terms of controls. “Pretty much all the manufacturers have gone away from a steering wheel to joystick steering, and electric controls. A lot of the guys really like the joystick steering. to page 16

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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Seize the opportunity to meet Valutec, the world leader in continuous kilns. Timber Processing and Energy Expo. September 28-30, 2016. Portland Expo Center. We’ll be in booth 465. Let’s talk. Valutec is one of the world’s largest suppliers of drying equipment for the sawmill industry, with more than 4 000 lumber dry kilns delivered during nearly 100 years. As a driving force behind the wood drying industry’s technical advances, Valutec aims to be a symbol for modern lumber kilns, now and in the future. www.valutec.ca

BCsawmilling from page 14 If they are doing some fine work, though, they will switch back to the steering wheel.” He says the joystick steering and electronic controls mean operators are less tired at the end of their shifts. With the L350F and L150H fitting well into the Weyerhaeuser-Princeton operation, another L350F machine, this

one equipped with a Weldco-Beales Pelican grapple to unload logging trucks with cut-to-length wood, will be joining the equipment ranks. The Pelican grapples are used for handling shortwood (20 ft and under) in millyard applications. The Pelican Grapple’s taller curved profile and larger envelope area delivers the higher capacity payloads required in shortwood applications, says Weldco-Beales. The

profile of the grapple enables high capacity log handling or sorting with tip-to-tip precision, yet still maintains excellent visibility for the operator. The additional L350F machine will be an especially good fit, as the mill is moving increasingly to cut-to-length wood, and away from long logs.

Weyerhaeuser upping its game on mill equipment side

n addition to its millyard, Weyerhaeuser Princeton works hard to keep on top of its game on the sawmill equipment side, too. The processing begins at the mill with short log and long log combinations of Comact wave feeders followed by Nicholson A7 debarkers. Long logs are scanned and processed thorough a custom designed cut off saw system. The equipment on the large and small log primary breakdown lines includes Kockums CanCar (now USNR) chip ‘n saw units. On both chip ’n’ saws they use Cougar XX round saws from Cut Technologies. MPM Engineering, of Surrey, B.C., has been involved with a number of projects at the Princeton mill, both in terms of equipment and optimization software. There are MPM Scanners on all log infeeds, primary breakdowns and trims. The mill edging equipment is Newnes, (also now USNR). The planer is a Stetson-Ross.

The mill has six double track 120’ dry kilns, from 13 MBTU to 20 MBTU, with single/double pass air flows. As with all sawmills, the equipment and systems have evolved over the years. Several years back, Weyerhaeuser Princeton contracted North Vancouverbased LNS Services to design, supply and install a new log processing system for short logs. This new system allows the mill to process a wider variety of logs and meet the demands of a changing marketplace. LNS worked closely with Weyerhaeuser to design an efficient system that integrated with its existing infrastructure. A number of years ago, Lucidyne did five GradeScan installations for Weyerhaeuser with systems in British Columbia, Alberta, and North Carolina. The B.C. application required Lucidyne to integrate information from a Metrigard CLT machine and a Northern Milltech moisture sensor to grade machine stress rated

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

(MSR) and dimension lumber. The mill requires the scanner to process lumber at speeds up to 2,250 ft/minute. They’ve also made a significant shift to variable frequency drives on the sawmill lines, as well, installing a number of Mitsubishi VFDs from Arrow Speed Controls. Current projects at Weyerhaeuser Princeton include the overbuild of the entire sawmill building with a new high efficiency building, including overhead cranes. The new building will provide a better envelope for lighting, heating, dust control and the installation of future lumber processing equipment. Once the new building is complete, the old timber structure will be demolished from under the new building, using the overhead cranes. In addition, a further new short log infeed will be installed to better process cut-tolength wood.

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industryefficiency

“Big Data” already being utilized by forest industry

echnology providers like IBM and Microsoft are making a big deal out of the concept of mining “Big Data”, but it is something many forest companies already deal with—and they are well on the way to exploiting Big Data, especially to enhance their knowledge of their forest resource. “For me, Big Data is data sets that are too large to be processed with traditional tools,” says Francis Charrette, a researcher in the Modeling and Decision Support Group at FPInnovations, working with such software products as FPDat and Optitek.

“There is a business around Big Data for sure,” he says. “But as a researcher, I can also say that this data can be useful to have a more efficient forestry supply chain.” Francois Leger, a PhD in mechanical engineering and owner of PMP Solutions, says his view is that the concept of working with Big Data is really an effort to try to better predict the future. His Quebec City-based company provides software solutions called manufacturing execution systems (MES) specific to the forest industry. He says that new software tools like Microsoft Power BI are a good example of the type of tools being developed to help companies make sense of Big Data. “Everyone is looking hard at how they can market that big information,” says

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

By Tony Kryzanowski

Leger, “and my own understanding is that its value is for forecasting.” He adds that the value of Big Data remains to be seen because it still depends on how well developed the eventual mining tools are, the quality of the data being mined, and hiring a qualified analyst to work with the tools. Robert Larocque, Senior Director for Environment and Labor Market Policies at the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), says the quality and timeliness of the data being mined will be a critical element as to the value of Big Data intelligence gathering, regardless of the quality of tools to page 20

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industryefficiency from page 18 being developed. He manages economic and mill data bases at FPAC and is familiar with the growing interest in the Big Data concept. “You need to be sure that the data that you are getting is accurate,” he says. “You don’t want to mine datasets that are not accurate, because it will skew your results.” He adds that one potential roadblock to a company’s ability to tap into high value Big Data sets is confidentiality. The question that Logging and Sawmilling Journal posed to these experts is whether the Big Data trend is real, and whether the forest industry can benefit from it. Overall, the experts said it is a real advance in technology. The question is how quickly and how deeply forest companies should invest their time and effort to purchase the tools and hire the personnel to take on a comprehensive Big Data mining venture. “I’m a believer in Big Data, but it’s new,” says Larocque, and is possibly three to five years away from having practical applications in the forest industry. All those contacted said that the development of tools and training of individuals with the right skillsets—to understand how to properly work with the tools—is very early days. Most of the work around Big Data, especially as it relates to the forest industry, is still taking place in universities. One area where companies are already making great strides mining Big Data is in resource management. Alberta-based Silvacom has been at the forefront of responding to the forest

industry’s desire for more powerful data gathering and analysis tools since 1983, when hand-held GPS units first arrived on the scene. Two big data mining and management tools they have developed in concert with the forest industry are called the Comprehensive Automated Land Inventory (CALI) with seven forest companies as collaborators, and the Land-use Social, Environment & Economic (LuSEE) decision support system with 14 forestry partners. This program uses numerous datasets spanning more than 43 million hectares “to enable the evaluation of trade-offs between overlapping values.” “There’s a lot of pressure on forest companies on their ability to harvest in certain areas,” says Chris Lang, vicepresident of business development at Silvacom. “They just want to make sure that good land use decisions are being made using data and science, rather than emotion.” That’s where LuSEE will prove its worth. CALI takes multiple big data sources like LiDAR and multi-spectral imagery to create a detailed forest inventory. It provides companies with metrics like volume, piece size and tree species, but with more precision, higher resolution and up-todate information—the value to forest companies being savings in “substantially less field verification”. Part of the forest industry’s interest in mining resource Big Data is being driven by greater involvement in the bioeconomy. Many companies have recognized that it isn’t enough to just have the capability to evaluate a forest resource on an individual tree scale. Companies now

want to know the internal and external characteristics of individual trees, such as their density and elasticity, as well as how much biomass, lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose can be generated from harvesting a particular cutblock. This is in addition to their potential for solid wood and chip production. “We are taking a more in-depth look at working with some of the CALI data now on fibre composition,” explains Lang, “because when you get into producing biomass and using biomass in different feedstock operations, that becomes really important for facility construction. Our work here is leading edge, for sure. It is more than just about volume.” Forest companies want more detailed information about piece size, log profile, complete biomass, what’s left behind in the cutblock and what could be available for other people to potentially use. When it comes to product manufacturing, experts have different opinions whether the installation of machine centres, each with its own software tools and data gathering capabilities, can get in the way of working with a single Big Data gathering and analysis platform at the mill level any more. Larocque says that significant advances have been made over the past five years with software tools to build platforms that integrate data sets from different companies and machine centres. Valley West Controls Ltd. in Langley, B.C., is a perfect example of one data management and analytical software provider that has already heavily invested in to page 22

In terms of utilizing Big Data at the sawmill, advances have been made over the past five years with software tools to build platforms that integrate data sets from different companies and machine centres. 20

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Big Data analysis could prove useful on the lumber marketing front, to make inroads into new markets, as tariffs come down and new markets open up with the potential Canadian approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as well as a trade agreement with the European Union. from page 20 providing the forest industry with big processing data management solutions. Company owner, Rob McLean, says “it’s my life’s work.” He says the company has had a data gathering and management system available to the forest industry for the past 15 years. It is based on a commercially available program called Microsoft SQL Server. It allows companies to capture data from machine centres— manufactured by any significant vendor to the Canadian forest industry—into one database and analysis platform, including PLC data from such leading vendors as Comact, USNR, and Autolog. “Give me a vendor and we likely have a driver for them to go and grab their data, pull it into a single SQL database, and then be able to create reports based on data coming into that database,” says McLean. Their clients include West Fraser, Canfor, Millar Western and Tolko, adding that the technology is accessible and affordable to anyone. “Really what Big Data means to me is just a lot of data that needs to come in faster than what we have been able to do up to this point,” says McLean. “But I don’t know of anybody that is really doing it well yet. We’re dealing with millions of records right now out of the single SQL database, and it’s the difference between three seconds and ten seconds to refresh and pull the data.” McLean says that at present, it seems that providing companies with data capture capabilities at the manufacturing level on a log by log or board by board basis “is more than sufficient for their data needs.” On the marketing side, FPInnovations’ Francis Charrette says big data analysis, such as analyzing customer buying habits by being able to track where each stick of lumber or sheet of panelboard is used— as well as being able to track individual wood products back to the forest to demonstrate to customers and consumers that a product has been harvested from a certified and sustainable resource—could provide some value to the industry. The experts agreed that Big Data analysis could also prove useful on the marketing front as tariffs come down and new markets open up with the potential Canadian approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as well as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union. There will be a need to carefully evaluate local wood consumption habits and marketing avenues for Canadian forest companies to make product inroads into some of those new markets.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

sawmilling

Hard work = successful sawmill

Though it requires a lot of hard work, Alberta sawmiller Colin Ruxton says that small sawmilling can pay off—and he’s proven it with both a band and circular sawmill.

Colin Ruxton made good use of the sudden abundance of softwood that became available because of the mountain pine beetle epidemic in and around Grande Prairie. He developed a good market for fence boards, which now makes up 90 per cent of his sawmill’s production.

By Tony Kryzanowski here is no lack of people attracted to entering the wood products industry, given the volume of entry level band and circular sawmills sold every year. However, the million dollar question is whether it can pay as a business.

Alberta sawmill owner Colin Ruxton says it absolutely can—and he’s proven it with both a band and circular sawmill. “If we had the timber supply, I could be ten times larger,” says Ruxton, referring to his current set up. That is the biggest issue threatening Ruxton’s business today: timber supply, thanks to the mountain pine beetle

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

epidemic in the lodgepole pine forest surrounding Grande Prairie, Alberta, where his sawmill is located. Big changes are on the horizon for the local softwood lumber industry over the coming decade, and Ruxton’s sawmill business, JC Ruxton Ventures, is feeling the timber supply pressure, just like the big players. Like the infestation that

sawmilling devastated lodgepole pine forests in the B.C. Interior, the beetle outbreak around Grande Prairie created a sudden abundance of merchantable timber early on. But the bubble has now burst, and a lot of the remaining standing wood has decayed beyond merchantability. The timber supply issue has raised questions in Ruxton’s mind as he approaches three years to full retirement: whether the time has come to cash in his chips and walk away from a business that he still loves. However, when it comes to operating a successful sawmill business, there’s no questioning what he has achieved since he started out in the industry 42 years ago, in 1974. When Ruxton first started out, it was with a bandsaw mill with a focus on servicing the local market with products like fencing and 2” X 6” planks for farmers, and specialty wood products for the oilpatch. What it didn’t provide was a lot of volume. From there, he invested in a Finnishbuilt Kara circular sawmill, which he operated for eight years and still owns, but has placed in mothballs. While it was a circular saw and provided more volume, it was tough sledding to operate it profitably. With more timber becoming available, he decided to invest about $700,000 in a new building and sawmill line featuring a Helle circular saw. He designed production flow exactly as he wanted it, based on his 30 years in the business to that point, and daily production at the sawmill grew substantially. Average production per day with the old bandsaw was about 2,000 board feet. It grew to 7,000 board feet per day with the Kara circular saw, and is now about 20,000 board feet per day with the Helle sawmill. Ruxton’s philosophy all along has been to manufacture wood products that don’t compete with the large, dimension lumber producers. JC Ruxton Ventures is located about 20 minutes west of Grande Prairie on Hwy. 43, near a town called Wembley. Being located along a four-lane highway that connects Alberta with B.C. provides the business with great visibility.

Many large, high volume and commodity-driven sawmills could learn from the precise layout, cleanliness, and drainage of his sawmill yard. It’s obvious from the driveway that this wood products business is well-managed and making money. They consume about 18,000 cubic metres of both softwood and hardwood annually, with 5,600 cubic metres harvested from Ruxton’s own governmentissued, commercial timber permit area, supplemented by a small portion from Weyerhaeuser’s Forest Management Area (FMA) set aside for small sawmill owners, purchase of oversized logs directly from Weyerhaeuser, and private wood purchases. Their logs average between 12” and 14” in diameter, but they can process anything from 6” to 48” in diameter. While economical sources of merchantable timber are now harder to find, the initial beetle-infected wood bubble— which provided the sawmill with eight straight years of salvaged beetle-killed wood—encouraged Ruxton to invest in his Helle circular saw line to deliver the production he wanted. But with greater production, it became essential to find new markets for all his wood products. That’s when Ruxton made a second important decision about 20 years ago: to market some of his products through a broker. That has made a

Logs are bucked to 12’ lengths in the JC Ruxton Ventures yard using a Hood slasher. A Helle carriage and circular saw has allowed JC Ruxton Ventures to increase production to 20,000 board feet per day.

While he does produce some pipeline skid and rig mat material for the oilpatch, Colin Ruxton feels fortunate that he didn’t hitch his wagon too deeply to that industry, given how much of a downturn it is currently experiencing.

to page 26 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

sawmilling Both cants and sideboards come off the Helle carriage and are manually directed for further processing (left). Cants are processed through a Cornell gang edger that produces primarily 1” X 6” material for fencing or five-quarter material for decking.

from page 25 huge difference to his business as about 90 per cent of his product is now sold that way. The majority is sold to pressure treaters and secondary manufacturers as 1” X 6” by 6’ rough fencing material and five-quarter dimension lumber used in decking. Ruxton leaves it up to his broker to find buyers for whatever wood product they require, while he handles local sales. He simply provides a material supply and sawing service. The broker also handles all

the transportation of product to non-local customers. Ruxton purchased his nearly new Helle circular saw line directly from the Farmington, Illinois-based company in 2006, when it became available from a bankruptcy sale. Although he purchased the unit second-hand, he says he continues to receive excellent service support from Helle. “There are no manufacturers in Canada to buy a mill of that size,” says Ruxton. “Here, they are either a little bandsaw or a super mill. There’s nothing in the

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middle. But in the American Midwest, there are all kinds of mill suppliers down there.” Because the Helle unit is a circular sawmill designed for the hardwood forests of the American Midwest, it has very robust construction. Ruxton adds that he has experienced very few breakdowns of the unit, short of a few hydraulic hoses here and there. It also produces the type of fence board quality his broker’s fencing customers like. “The guys in Edmonton can’t get enough of our fencing because just about everywhere else they buy them, the boards are resawn with a bandsaw,” says Ruxton. “The boards still have dust sticking on them and they aren’t clean. The fencing companies like to paint before they use the fence, and having to get rid of the dust before they paint is just a big

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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sawmilling hassle for them. Our boards come out clean.” Logs arriving in the yard are decked tree length. A Hood slasher bucks the logs primarily to 12’ lengths, as needed, and a John Deere 544K loader delivers the logs to the sawmill infeed. Ruxton saws the logs on the Helle carriage, capturing as many 1” X 6” sideboards as possible from each cant; because the carriage is equipped with a vertical edger, there is no further edging required on them. He aims to saw down to a 6” cant. A conveyor transports the 1” X 6” sideboard material directly to the trimmer operator, while the cants are manually directed and processed through a Cornell gang edger, with individual boards conveyed to the Helle trimmer line from the edger outfeed. The cants can also be processed through the gang edger into five-quarter material or they can bypass the gang edger altogether if the sawmill has to fill an order for timbers. Any slightly thick sideboards or smaller pieces from the carriage can be manually directed and processed through a Baker resaw before it is conveyed to the trimmer. After trimming, the material proceeds down the green chain to the manual sorting and stacking line. It is here that the line has been equipped with a chopsaw to cut 12’ boards into 6’ fence boards before stacking. While he does produce some pipeline skid and rig mat material for the oilpatch, Ruxton feels fortunate that he didn’t hitch his wagon too deeply to that industry, given how much of a downturn it is currently experiencing. The biggest impact it has had on his business is disposal of his wood waste pile—he had a good market within the oil industry prior to the downturn. As an alternative, Ruxton is working on a potential bioenergy market for this material. In addition to working as the sawyer, Ruxton operates a delimber in his mechanical logging operations in the winter, which lasts from about November to midFebruary. During that time, his daughter, Tamara, leaves her office job in the business and works as the sawyer. His son, Seth, is the loader operator. Both children are long time employees of the business, which in total has seven employees. Some have worked with Ruxton for 30 years. Logging is not something Ruxton particularly enjoys, but it became necessary about three years ago as he couldn’t find anyone locally to log for him. Their logging fleet is also second-hand, consisting

of a Timberjack 850 feller buncher, a Tigercat 630B skidder, and a Komatsu carrier equipped with a Risley Lim-mit 2000 delimber. When not sawing wood or logging, Ruxton spends a couple of evenings per week doing preventative maintenance on the saw line. So his own work schedule is a good indicator of the type of commitment required to operate a successful sawmill. Ruxton asks two questions of anyone

interested in establishing a successful sawmill business: do they have a reliable wood supply… and how hard are they prepared to work to succeed because, he says, “it’s a lot of hard work.” Ruxton also suggests that sawmill owners try to focus on higher volumes of products in steady demand. Fence boards, for example, have worked out well for him. In good times or bad, there always seems to be a demand for them and prices are stable.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

GRADEXPERT™ 2.0

TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING

GRADEXPERT™: THE MARKET’S #1 & STILL THE ONE TO BEAT Owing to the 10-year success of the GradExpert™, the industry standard in automated grading for planers, Comact is now introducing its second generation; the GradExpert™ 2.0. The new GradExpert™ design results from sound expertise acquired over the last ten years on a hundred such systems in operation worldwide. “We took the time to carefully listen to what our clients had to say, to understand their needs, and to take into consideration the improvements they suggested. What we’ve come up with is a clever finished product that raises industry standards yet again,” states Stéphane Desjardins, VicePresident for optimization.

Analyzed, Tested, Proven Technology Geared Towards Simplicity • 100% colour vision system with high-definition cameras; • Improved detection of knots, splits and decay made possible by this highly reliable technology; • LED lighting; • Latest-generation electronic components for even better performance; • Redesigned compact, solid and optimal built; • New diagnostics and simulation tools for users; • Increased performance backed by a guarantee.

THE NEW-GENERATION GRADEXPERT™ 2.0 This new generation offers improved features designed to increase productivity and user-friendliness, in addition to its new modern look.

Higher accuracy, better performance, and even faster return on investment with production gains as high as $20/MFBM

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ADVERTORIAL ENSURED RELIABILITY • Equipment pre-startup prior to installation; • 100% traceability; • No stopping required during production; • Fair and accurate grading; • Powerful optimization algorithms based on information acquired through 3D geometric vision, 2D colour vision and a triple-action tracheid system; • A stable, seasoned team of software developers and wood processing specialists who constantly strive to push the system’s limits even further. TEN YEARS OF SUCCESS STORIES Renowned for being able to optimize over 35 species of hardwood and softwood, the GradExpert™ has been installed in various types of mills, from those who produce conventional milled lumber all the way to those who offer a more conspicuous, specialized product. Its highly adaptable configuration combined with its high performance has made it a versatile product meant to meet the needs of a broad range of mills. • Increase in throughput and in value-added products; • Decrease in trimming and in labour; • Return on investment within 1 year.

The Comact team has made sure that all of these new technological developments were also made available to firstgeneration GradExpert™ owners, so that they can also benefit from the enhanced capabilities of the 2.0. We invite you to get in touch with us to find out more on the retrofits we have to offer!

“

The GradExpert™ has helped us recover a lot of value that was lost through manual grading. We were expecting recovery from the better grading, but never as much as we’ve gotten in reality. One of the surprises came from the gain for over trimming; we never thought we were losing that much. The grading is very precise, and our customers are happy to get a more consistent product, thanks to this machine. One of the best investments we’ve ever done!

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added-valuewood

Going from logger— to lumber producer New Brunswick’s Pierre Friolet has used skills developed as a logging contractor to set up an added-value operation that produces thermally modified wood, finding customers from architects to guitar makers for the unique wood product. By George Fullerton

“I always liked working with wood or in the woods, and I thought a wood value-added process would be a rewarding enterprise,” says Pierre Friolet. 30

ierre Friolet says that 22 years of experience as a logging contractor in northeastern New Brunswick provided him with a lot of skills and insights to develop a new lumber value-added enterprise, deal with financial crisis—and then rebuild a value-add wood manufacturing business. In the early 2000’s, Friolet had built a successful contracting business in northeastern New Brunswick, operating a Direct feller buncher and a Daewoo and Hyundai processor, each with Hornet heads. Friolet developed skills including welding, as a mechanic, in electronics, and in business management. “When I was contracting, I had the idea that I wanted to build a business that added value to wood,” explained Friolet. “I always liked working with wood or in the woods, and I thought a wood fibre value-added process would be a rewarding enterprise.” On a trip to Quebec to prospect new harvesting equipment, Friolet was by chance introduced to a thermally modified wood processing concept. He continued to study the technology and made contact with an equipment manufacturer in Finland, and eventually brought in

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

business partners, purchased equipment and established the business in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Thermally modified wood involves totally drying lumber, and then heating it to an extremely high temperature which forces natural sugars out of the wood and alters the structure of the cells. The process makes the lumber somewhat less dense, but more structurally stable and resistant to rot and other degrading effects. The thermal treatment operation, offices and showroom were established in a 46,000 square foot building, in a building, which was formally a grocery distribution centre, in the Bathurst Industrial Park. “We had our building, with equipment installed and working, in June 2008 and things looked promising,” said Friolet. “But by October 2008, the world economy went in the toilet and we went through four years of hell. We had contracts set up with retailers and they came to us one after another and cancelled the contracts.” Despite a four year struggle to keep the fledgling business afloat, the extended downturn finally led the company to collapsing, and Friolet and his partners filed for bankruptcy. That was not the end of the story, though. Friolet knew he had a unique and

added-valuewood versatile product, and there was potential to build a significant market for thermal modified wood. Rescue came through support from a variety of investors who helped revive the business as Thermalwood Canada. The partners revived the operation, found new customers and began treating lumber and filling contracts. The knowledge of heat treating wood has been around a long time. Vikings used heat treated lumber to extend the life of their sailing ships, and for other wood construction and tools. Scientific research into heat treating lumber, to extend its durability and useful life, has been ongoing since the 1930s. Thermalwood Canada adheres to the heat treating guidelines outlined by the Finnish Thermowood Association. The thermal modification process uses a specially designed kiln, where the lumber is heated, following a precise schedule that effectively cooks the lumber. The thermal modification process chemically transforms sugars in the wood, makes changes to the physical and chemical characteristics and gives the lumber a dark appearance, as well as making it resistant to decay and attack by wood degrading pests. The process provides lumber with greater dimensional stability even in high humidity conditions, which makes it a great choice for outdoor or high humidity indoor applications. Thermally modified wood has gained a good deal of consideration as a green alternative. Because there are no chemicals added during the process, it is enjoying significant popularity with many consumers in very diverse markets. Thermalwood’s kiln is 26 feet long, eight feet high and eight feet wide, and it has a 30 cubic metre, or 12,000 to 14,000 board foot, capacity. Lumber is stickered at one-foot intervals with conventional ¾ inch lumber stickers. For 4/4 lumber, boards are double stacked between the stickers similar to conventional kilns. Charges are loaded into the kiln with a conventional truck and rail system. One particular difference from conventional kiln construction, though, is that the entire interior is constructed with stainless steel. “Our high heat cooking process results in a variety of compounds being released from the lumber which are highly corrosive, and stainless steel has been recognized as the most resistant to damage,” explained Friolet. The Thermalwood process is divided into three main phases:

The first phase, after the lumber has been loaded and the doors secured, involves a high temperature lumber drying phase. Using steam and heat, the kiln temperature is quickly raised to 100 to 130 degrees Celsius, which reduces the lumber moisture content to zero per cent. “It’s important to ensure all the moisture is removed from the wood because if there are any pockets of moisture, the intense heating process will cause the lumber to split,” explained Friolet.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Propane gas fuels burners that heat oil, which is the heat transfer conductor. It is pumped through a heat dissipation unit (radiator), and the heat is circulated by fans in the kiln. Steam moderates the drying process and eliminates the possibility of combustion during the treatment processes. In the second phase, the temperature to page 32

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from page 31 in the kiln is increased to between 185 degrees and 215 degrees, and held at the specifically targeted temperature for two to three hours. The specific cooking temperature and cooking duration is determined by a combination of lumber species and its particular characteristics, and by the specific end use of the thermally modified lumber. “This extreme high temperature phase alters the wood’s cell structure and forces the sugars out of the wood, in the process producing a completely transformed wood product,” stated Friolet. The high temperature cooking process begins to thermically degrade the hemicelluloses in the wood, beginning at 150 degrees, and continues as the temperature is increased. As a result, the wood becomes denser, and the wood’s natural tendency for swelling and shrinkage due to moisture is significantly decreased. The third phase of the process is the cooling and moisture conditioning period. The heat is turned off and the internal temperature of the kiln is lowered using a water spray system. A re-moisturizing process brings the wood moisture content to between 4 and 7 per cent. The entire drying and heat treatment process takes 48 to 60 hours, depending on the wood species. The kiln processes are computer controlled and the controls can be remotely monitored on Friolet’s home computer. In the event that there is a malfunction

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

with the kiln process, he receives an alarm message on his cell phone. Because of its rot and decay resistance and physical dimension stability, thermally modified lumber is finding applications for window and door manufacturing, as well as exterior cladding. Thermally modified lumber is also finding applications for exterior decking. The strength of thermally modified wood has a strong correlation with density, and since heat-treated wood has a slightly lower density after the treatment, it is not recommended for use in load bearing applications. In addition to marketing modified wood for decking and cladding applications, Thermalwood also markets a unique plastic clip decking and cladding installation system called ClipJuAn. The deck or cladding boards have a pair of slots machined into the unexposed side of the boards which engage with the plastic clips, which are securely screwed to the deck or wall framing. The plastic clips allow for quick and accurate installation, even for do-ityourselfers. It reduces installation time by up to 50 per cent, and requires no drilling for nails or screws, eliminating the potential for splinters. The decking or cladding maintains its pristine appearance because there are no exposed nail or screw heads. Friolet explained that while thermally modified lumber takes on a dark appearance, it will gray to varying degrees when to page 34

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The Rawlings family knows the meaning of hard work. The family business started out as a sawmill Construction Company in 1976. While growing a successful business and reputation within the forest industry, Pat and Cliff Rawlings raised their three sons, John, Craig and Mike, in and around sawmills, working and learning the industry from the inside out.

HISTORY OF THE RAWLINGS WOOD HOG

In the early 1980s, Cliff developed the Rawlings solid rotary wood hog. During this time, sawmills had generally used hammer mills to pulverize bark into hog fuel for boilers, but many had given up on processing cedar because the bark was so stringy. Cliff’s new grinder used a system of solid rotors that efﬁciently reduced the more challenging bark without the usual equipment breakdown. The same concept is being utilized today in the Rawlings wood hog. In 1996

John Rawlings improved on his father’s original rotary hog design an introduced the Super Hi Inertia Rotor. Since then, Rawlings has earned the reputation for a heavy duty wood hog that can handle tough materials, such as green waste, cypress, redwood and cedar. Rawlings has manufactured and marketed several series of product lines offering its customers wood waste processing equipment in a full range of sizes and models.

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All three sons have continued working in and around the forest and sawmill industries. Some would say they have sawdust in their veins. John Rawlings, current Owner and President of Rawlings Manufacturing Inc., also known as the “Hog Doctor”, has continued to manufacture the Rawlings wood hog, while developing custom wood and bark recovery systems. Craig Rawlings, President and CEO of Forest Business Network, is a walking textbook on woody biomass, and is recognized as a national expert and leader in under-utilized timber and woody biomass. And Mike Rawlings, President of Rawlings Industrial, is a leading builder of saw mills, chip mills, and planer mills and has earned the trust of mill owners, project managers and engineers nationwide. Rawlings Manufacturing Inc. still knows the importance of owning and operating a family owned company. The next generation of Rawlings sons, Cliff and Nick Rawlings, currently work at the company and bring new energy to the future vision at Rawlings. Much of the family’s growth is a result of the rock solid work ethic that is inherited from their parents and grandparents. We would like to thank our customers for making this milestone happen.

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added-valuewood from page 32 it is exposed to sunlight. He added that thermally modified wood readily accepts a wide variety of finishes which stabilizes changes due to sun exposure. While controlling colour deterioration due to exposure to sunlight is necessary for most applications, Friolet and the Thermalwood Canada team have done some product development where they employ sunlight degradation to develop a unique paneling product. “I was experimenting with some native tamarack in our process and ended up with a weathered texture which reminded me of weathered boards on an old barn. We were not very impressed with it at first, but we thought maybe if it was allowed to turn gray, it might have more appeal. “We put a pile of it outdoors and after a couple months it took on a mellow grey shade, and it sold. One of our local customers used it to panel the walls and ceiling in their pool house and it did a spectacular job.” There has also been some testing with the cooking duration and the results have provided subtle shade characteristics, while still maintaining stability and decay resistance features. Friolet explained the different shades appeal to customers’ unique tastes, especially for panelling or accent trim. Thermalwood’s machining tools include three molders, a frame saw for splitting lumber into thin panels, and a sander which has an additional mechanism with a wire brush head which can add a texture to the lumber. Several decking customers who require a certain degree of texture for traction (decks around swimming pools and saunas) and often request the wire brush-treated decking boards. Friolet is currently marketing product primarily in eastern Canada and the United States, including a good deal of Thermalwood that is wholesaled to businesses that provide the product through Internet shopping. He added that the thermally modified wood is being used by architects to create unique visual effects in a variety of high end homes and buildings. In addition to uses in housing and construction applications, Thermalwood has seen increasing interest from a number of guitar makers who have used the modified wood and claim it provides a mature and mellow sound. compared to natural soundboard woods.

Pierre Friolet notes that Thermalwood has developed a niche market of live sawed large diameter hardwood for mantles, bar tops and other specialty installations. Among its machining tools is a sander which has an additional mechanism with a wire brush head which can add a texture to the lumber.

Thermalwood’s machining tools include three molders and a frame saw for splitting lumber into thin panels. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

industryefficiencies

LEAN LOG HANDLING

very time a log is moved it costs money. Streamlining the efficiency of the log handling process is the objective of a government/industry co-operative venture now underway on the British Columbia Coast. Questioning how, where and when logs are moved in the journey between forest and destination is the focus of the business improvement strategy. The provincial government’s application of the “Lean” philosophy is based on a well established business model designed to eliminate waste and improve efficiency through the collaboration of all parties involved. The Lean process—it’s not an acronym, more a description of intent—has been credited through the years with turning around the business fortunes of many companies and organizations. The reinvention of the Toyota management system during the 1980s in Japan is just one example. The first Canadian province to adopt Lean principles was Saskatchewan, within its public service. More recently, Lean objectives have been applied to parts of the B.C. Ministry of Health. The Lean analysis of log handling procedures on the coast is the first application of its kind in the B.C. forest industry. The initiative is jointly sponsored by the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Coast Forest Products Association (CFPA) representing the regional forest industry. The Lean project began in June 2015 and both parties involved report satisfaction with the progress being made. The program’s financial objective was to page 38

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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industryefficiencies from page 36 an ambitious one: to reduce coastal log handling costs by $5 to $7 per cubic metre through identifying and eliminating waste process inefficiencies. However, the parties report they are well on the way to realizing the project’s financial objectives. Both ministry and industry spokesmen also emphasize the Lean process is not code for job cutting. “The objective is to save effort and effect process cost savings,” points out Paul Knowles, executive director with the forests ministry in Victoria. “Lean is about eliminating waste, not peoples’ jobs,” concurs Les Kiss, vicepresident forestry with the CFPA. “In fact, through Lean, individuals can achieve more and have more fulfilling jobs.” Knowles says every step in the coastal log handling process was considered from the time a mature forest stand is cruised to the time a log is delivered to a mill or put on a ship for export. “We mapped out the process to establish what’s most important and productive,” he summarizes. It led to identifying four priority areas: scaling logs: the when, where and hows; log export processes and systems; cruisebased billing; and log grades. An inclusive working group was formed for each of the first three priority areas. The log grade working group is scheduled to launch its Lean examination this fall. Having a dedicated process to follow is the initial step. Making it work on a practical and realistic level requires guidance. Fortunately, an experienced Lead facilitator with the B.C. government was available to make sure participants maintained focus and asked questions of the present systems guiding coastal log handling. “From the first workshop, John Marcheson mapped out the process required and brought it home to the participants,” recalls Knowles. “We sat at the table—not across the table. Everyone was committed to the process,” adds Kiss. There’s a further advantage. Working together to advance mutually beneficial Lean goals helps erase a traditionally adversarial relationship between the provincial government and the forest industry, notes Knowles. An examination of the present log handling process at log sorts was cited by Knowles and Kiss as a good example of to page 40 38

The Lean program’s financial objective is ambitious: to reduce coastal log handling costs by $5 to $7 per cubic metre through identifying and eliminating waste process inefficiencies. But the parties involved report they are well on the way to realizing the project’s financial objectives. Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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industryefficiencies from page 38 working together to improve efficiency and lower costs. “We have got this requirement at every log sort to have a load available for checking,” backgrounds Kiss. The Crown needs to ensure it’s getting full value of a publicly owned resource. But the present method involves additional log handling to ensure check load availability. The Lean process working group asked: “Is there a more efficient way while still meeting checking requirements?” The answer appears to be yes, although it is still subject to pilot testing at a handful of dry log sorts run by TimberWest and Western Forest Products. The key is to refine the software in hand-held scaling computers to accurately record “parcels” from each load for scale checking purposes. They are seeing a savings from the pilot projects, better flow-through and an increase in production levels, reports Knowles. Another initiative being tested under Lean is the installation of a scale scanner at Interfor’s Acorn Division sawmill in Delta, B.C. “The system has significant savings potential,” continues Knowles (see the July/August issue of Logging and Sawmilling Journal for the story on the scanner). The export of B.C. logs is a sensitive issue. The broadly-based working group examined the subject from a cost savings/ process perspective and not the politics of the issue. One of the results was to reduce the application process for export logs, while maintaining the two week advertising period during which domestic mills can bid on them. Knowles reckons systemic change reduced the approximately 45 days required for an export permit by nine days, creating significant savings on a coast-wide basis. This change has been implemented resulting in cost savings, without increasing log export volumes. A water scale trial is underway on the south coast under the Lean program, says Kiss. It, too, is demonstrating positive results. The advantages can be considerable in a heli-drop operation, for example, if dewatering logs can be avoided and they are delivered direct to the mill. Kiss is bullish about the application of Lean principles to coastal log handling. “I’ve found it very interesting and think it’s really positive,” he endorses. “There are definitely other aspects of the coastal forestry business that might benefit from a Lean examination.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

BCsawmilling

Family fencing operation B.C. specialty mill operation Nagaard Sawmill, run by brothers Darrol and Dale Nagel, has found its niche— and it’s in producing fence components from western red cedar for a growing market, with a mill that features a fair bit of home-made equipment, and lots of ingenuity.

Darrol (left) and Dale Nagel of Nagaard Sawmill, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this past summer.

By Paul MacDonald here’s no doubt about it: fences are big business in the U.S. wood products market. A recent report from research firm Freedonia notes that U.S. demand for fencing will be expanding seven per cent this year and next, and will rise to a hefty $9 billion by 2018, totaling 875 million linear feet. Growth, the report notes, will be boosted in high value fencing materials that improve the appearance and value of properties. And as far as Darrol and Dale Nagel are concerned, fencing materials do not

get any better than B.C.-produced western red cedar. The two brothers run specialty operation Nagaard Sawmill in Port Alberni, on B.C.’s Vancouver Island, and these days they are very happy to have a small piece of that huge U.S. fencing market. That’s in addition to the regional retail markets they serve on Vancouver Island, and to customers as far afield as Alberta. “There is a huge market for wood fencing in the U.S.,” says Darrol. “The amount of wood fencing that Home Depot alone sells down there blows me away. You’re talking about companies taking entire trainloads of lumber at a go.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Even B.C.’s Lower Mainland fencing market is huge, he notes. “There is no way we could even supply the Vancouver market,” he says. “There are a lot of hammers nailing a lot of fencing every day in Vancouver—it can suck up a lot of wood.” The brothers say they do just fine without getting into such huge markets, mostly selling on Vancouver Island, and doing sales into the U.S., and some into Europe. Working from a site on the outskirts of Port Alberni, not too far off the Pacific Rim Highway leading to the west coast of Vancouver Island, Nagaard Sawmill produces everything customers need for fencing—and then some, too, with boards,

BCsawmilling

timbers and some dimension lumber. If it involves fencing—whether it be rails, boards or posts—it’s bound to be in the Nagaard cutting program. And customers really like the rich look and natural preservatives of western red cedar. “A lot of customers we get prefer cedar to treated wood,” says Darrol. “And in some areas with access to water, you can’t build with treated wood, because of the chemicals in the wood.” The two brothers manage the mill and also take care of most things on the maintenance side. The ability to take care of the mechanicals of a sawmill, and its equipment, comes naturally to Darrol

and Dale—and came naturally to their father, Donald, and their uncle, William, who founded Nagaard Sawmill. Before emigrating to B.C. in the 1960s, their Dad ran a dairy operation in Wisconsin, and did much of the monkey-wrenching that always seems to be required on a farm. The family—Darrol was 11 years-old when they moved to B.C.—first moved to the B.C. Interior, around the Mackenzie area, and set up a sawmill there. After operating there for several years, they moved to Vancouver Island, and ran several sawmills before setting up a mill operation on Great Central Lake, near Port Alberni. Great Central Lake is one of the deepest lakes on Vancouver Island, with a depth of over 290 metres. As its name implies, the lake lies pretty much in the centre of Vancouver Island and is, in fact, the gateway to Canada’s tallest waterfall, Della Falls, with a drop of 1,443 feet. Starting in 1968 and for eight years, the mill processed floating logs from the 43 kilometre long lake. “There was probably the equivalent of 200 acres of logs floating on the lake, and it took some time to clean that up,” says Darrol. Water levels were raised by a dam built across the Stamp River in the 1950s for hydro power generation. It raised the existing shoreline of Great Central Lake, in the process putting a good amount of timber under water. Nagaard Sawmill moved to its present location in 1976, and Darrol recalls that they used some of the equipment from the Great Central Lake mill. “It was a bit different set-up at the lake in that it was somewhat portable,” he says. “All in, it probably took a year to build the mill that we have now.” Even after the mill was built, though, Darrol says it went through a lot of additions, much of them of the home-made variety. “A lot of it has been built inhouse,” he says. They added a Yates A66 planer, an Acme strapper, a small pony edger and a Nicholson chipper, with a good deal of this picked up used, at equipment auctions. “We worked to incorporate equipment into the mill over the years,” says Darrol. “And sometimes we’ve had to make changes in equipment and production because of changes in the market—necessity really can be the mother of invention.” While it may not be 2016 cutting edge technology, Darrol noted that technology has moved ahead in the mill; they now Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

have four PLCs, and computer controlled hydraulics. Their most recent major addition was an Albany twin band saw. They pretty much had to rebuild the saw, but it has since run extremely well. In terms of incorporating the twin into the sawmill, Darrol did not exactly figure it out on the back of an envelope—but all the details were worked out on a single piece of paper. The Nagel brothers believe in keeping things simple, wherever possible. “We had to do some tweaking on the twin for two days after we installed it, but it hasn’t really stopped since then,” he says. “That was a big project for us—and we did it while the mill was still running.” One of their projects involved re-doing the back end of the mill, installing a newto-them Nicholson chipper. “We did the whole back end, and it works so much better now. We revamped the planer set up, too, to make the infeed longer.” And it was all done in-house, with Darrol and Dale, and their very capable crew. “Everything seemed to work afterwards,” said Dale, modestly. Just as the upgrade was completed, the brothers had to leave for a family emergency. The new set-up had not even run

to page 44 43

BCsawmilling from page 43 a stick of lumber. But they walked their employees through how the mill should work before they left. “We’re lucky to have good people working for us. When we came back, it was all working fine— there were no snags at all.” Even though they are focusing on the fencing market now, they’ve worked in other areas of production in the past. At one point they were putting together home packages, and finished siding. They also did some custom planing for Weyerhaeuser, which used to own mill operations in the area when the company purchased MacMillan Bloedel. The mill ran double shifts to do this, but both Darrol and Dale said this work was often more trouble than it was worth. “At one point, we had 55 guys working at the operation—now we have 15 people, and it’s a lot easier to manage.” The operation runs one shift, five days a week. There’s no strict division of work between the two brothers. “We both pretty much do it all,” says Dale. “Buy the logs, do the maintenance in the mill, sell the lumber.” Pretty much all of the work on

These days, Nagaard Sawmill pretty much cuts all western red cedar. They’ve been able to establish a strong customer base, and built relationships with these customers, who really like the rich look and natural preservatives of western red cedar. the mill and mobile equipment is done in-house, at a maintenance shop on site. They have five Hyster H80 forklifts, a Clark 8,000 pound forklift and a Cat 15,000 pound forklift. For the heavy lifting in the yard, they have two 966C Cat

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

log loaders and a 966C Cat bucket loader. Transporting the chips is a Kenworth truck. These days, Nagaard pretty much cuts all western red cedar. “That has made it a lot easier to get and keep customers,” says

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Darrol. Since they’ve been able to access logs and produce western red cedar product, they’ve been able to establish a strong customer base, and built relationships with these customers. Working with other species often meant shorter production runs, says Darrol. “With cutting other species, it can be short term. We might have been cutting a bit of Douglas fir, a bit of hemlock and yellow cedar, and it can be hard to find people to buy it, with the short runs.” In addition to making sales to the U.S., and some sales to Europe, through a Vancouver broker, they have healthy retail sales in the region, and on Vancouver Island. They recently sold some product to a customer in Alberta, too. Local sales are so good that several years back they built an 80 by 160 foot Quonset-style Diamond fabric building, purchased from Manitoba-based Dueck’s Mechanical Inc. Customers can now drive right into the building and select their wood. Assembly of the building was done by the brothers and their employees, with even their accountant, Al Schwenning, pitching in to pull the fabric over the building frame. Nagaard has no forestry tenures, and buys its cedar in the log market, dealing with Western Forest Products, Island Timberlands and the log sales arm of the Probyn Group, among others. This year, they’ve found sourcing wood challenging, as Western Forest Products and one of its logging contractors have been locked in a contract dispute since December, reducing the amount of timber available. “We usually have up to 2,000 cubic metres of wood in the yard, about three weeks’ supply,” says Darrol. “We produce about 25,000 board feet a day, and use about 150 cubic metres a day. But the log supply is a bit skinny right now in the yard, with the dispute.” They are having to source some cedar from alternate suppliers because of the dispute. That said, the mill is humming along nicely these days. Dale reports that business in 2015 was “crazy” busy for them. “Sometimes it’s a bit quiet through the winter, but this past winter, there was little snow in the area, and we had a lot of people coming in the yard looking for wood,” he says. It got busy one day this July, too, but for another reason. The mill had a small celebration, to mark its 50th anniversary. The brothers hosted a party, and invited to page 46

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

BCsawmilling from page 45 all present—and former—employees, for hot dogs and hamburgers. It was a low key affair, but then, again, the brothers like to keep things simple. The Nagel brothers have been there for a lot of that five decades. Both Darrol and Dale started working at the mill basically out of high school. Having gone through some rough patches over that time, they know that there are no certainties in the sawmill business—and that things can change on a dime. They’re pretty satisfied with the current mill set-up, but are always looking for ways to tweak things. “The mill is working pretty good right now,” says Darrol. “I don’t think there’s a need to spend a lot on additional mill equipment. But it’s good to improve on what you have, and make changes so nothing is hanging you up, equipment-wise.” He added that when it comes to mill machinery, they need to be resourceful. And it’s clear they like the challenge of working with equipment. So much so, that the challenge continues

after they leave the sawmill. At his home shop, Dale has rebuilt tractors and a Model A Ford over the years. A recent project involved rebuilding a 1936 Lincoln Zephyr, believed to be the last Canadian-built model. “Eleven years and 45 pounds of welding wire later, it’s a brand new car,” jokes Dale.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Working from a site on the outskirts of Port Alberni, not too far off the Pacific Rim Highway leading to the west coast of Vancouver Island, Nagaard Sawmill produces everything customers need for fencing— and then some, too, with boards, timbers and some dimension lumber. “It’s kind of how we grew up, fixing things—and I guess we just don’t get enough of that during the day,” says Darrol, with a laugh, whose own home project was rebuilding a 1969 Camaro.

LIKING THE

Log Max/Doosan combo

New Brunswick harvesting contractor Remi Doucet is a fan of the Doosan/ Log Max harvesting combination, and recently upgraded his equipment with a new Log Max 7000 head.

By George Fullerton emi Doucet is following a family tradition with his harvest contracting business. Both his father and grandfather were contractors, based in the Bathurst region, in northeastern New Brunswick. Doucet graduated high school in 1994, and at the time his father was retiring from his contractor business. Doucet found a job driving truck for a contractor delivering wood to regional mills in

northern New Brunswick, and in 2001, he quit driving truck and bought a forwarder and began contracting. Doucet soon added a second forwarder and picked up work on Crown lands operations. By 2009, he was operating with a six wheel Ponsse forwarder and an eight wheel Timberjack forwarder, contract forwarding for Chaleur Sawmills in the Christmas Mountains of New Brunswick. While he had pretty good success as a forwarder contractor, Doucet decided he should have harvesting capacity as well,

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

and in 2011 he sold a forwarder and bought a used Timberjack 608 harvester. In addition to being well used, he eventually determined the 608 had sand contamination in the hydraulic system, which resulted in endless problems. Doucet solved the problem by trading up to a new Doosan DX225LL carrier with a new 7000 Log Max head operating with a 402 computer system, purchased from Paul Equipment in Balmoral, New Brunswick. “I really like the Doosan for a harvester,”

eastcoastlogging Foreman Sylvan Roy (right) confers with an operator heading back to work. Remi Doucet says Roy is a key part of the operation, assisting operators with daily maintenance and any repairs, providing another set of eyes on the machines, looking for mechanical issues.

he says. “It is economical to buy and operate. It’s very reliable, and it fits my operation very well.” As proof of his confidence in Doosan machines, Doucet added a second, used Doosan with a Log Max 750 head in 2014. In 2016, he upgraded the second machine with a new Log Max 7000 head which was installed at the Paul Equipment shop. Carl Arsenault, sales manager with Paul Equipment, explained that the Doosan DX225LL is a dedicated forestry package for both harvester and loader applications. “The DX225LL has been a highly productive forestry machine and we’ve sold upwards of 200 machines through our shop to forestry contractors in the Maritimes and eastern Quebec,” says Arsenault.

The Doosan is a 35 tonne platform, with a high and wide undercarriage, rock guards, heavy panelling on the upper house, heavy duty rollers top and bottom, along with additional forestry guarding. Tracks feature heavy-duty links with double grouser shoes and full-length track guiding guards. The machine has a 36foot reach. The engine is rated at 155 horsepower and features four valves per cylinder. The DX225LL is manufactured with two

hydraulic pumps and a PTO adds a third hydraulic pump, if the head application requires more oil delivery. The Electronic Power Optimizing System (EPOS) links the hydraulic system and engine control for productivity while minimizing fuel consumption. The carrier also boasts centralized grease points, wide side access doors to page 50

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eastcoastlogging from page 49 for cleaning the cooling system, boom pivot bushings with greasing intervals of 250 hours and large capacity engine air pre-cleaner that removes more than 99 per cent of airborne particles and extends filter cartridge service life. “The Doosan/Log Max makes a very productive and reliable harvester,” says Doucet. “I’m not concerned operating in any forest type. It’s economical to buy and economical to operate and it produces well. I’m very comfortable working these machines.” In 2013, Doucet purchased a 2005 Valmet 860.1. “The Valmet was a oneowner machine and it had about 35,000 hours on it, but it still works extremely well. It has been a trouble-free machine. Operators like the big cab, good visibility and the strong loader, with good reach.” Doucet began a contract in 2014 to operate on a 10,000 acre block of forest land, near Allardville (about 25 kilometres south of Bathurst), which will be developed for blueberry production. He has a 10-year time window to harvest the standing timber, save for water course buffers. Historically, the land was once owned by Sir James Dunn, a compatriot of Lord Beaverbrook and a notable financier to the Allied Powers’ effort in World War II. Subsequently, the land became part of the Smurfit-Stone (Bathurst) paper mill lands. The woodlands were dispersed after the mill closed in 2005. The block was harvested by the Bathurst mill operation in the 1950s/1960s and regenerated naturally, with very little follow-up silviculture. The area hosts almost the full suite of the Acadian forest species, but is dominated by relatively small diameter balsam fir. Work is ongoing on the site. Following harvest, all logging debris and stumps will

Remi Doucet’s Valmet 860.1 unloading studwood destined for the Fornebu Sawmill (above). Doucet purchased the Valmet used in 2013. It was a one-owner machine with about 35,000 hours on it, and it still works extremely well, says Doucet. be removed and managed to populate the site with wild blueberry vines. Doucet’s harvesters operate double shift, as does the forwarder. He hires another forwarder, owned by Richard Roy, on a contract basis to help out whenever harvesting gets ahead of his own forwarder capacity. Doucet explained that Roy is nearly fully retired, and the part-time operating seems to fit his pre-retirement lifestyle just fine. Doucet operates a three truck fleet. A 2016 Kenworth T800 hauling a Manac steering quad trailer, with Serco loader, is the newest in the fleet. A couple of 10-year-old heritage cab Western Stars make up the power in the fleet, with one pulling a quad (non-steering) trailer, while the second pulls a BWS B-train. The three trucks provide more than

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

adequate trucking capacity, and often one or more trucks are hired out to other operations. Doucet explained that having three different trailer options in his fleet allows him to assign the type of trailer that will best work in the contract job. The operation sells wood to a number of mills. Eight- and nine-foot stud wood is sent to the Fornebu sawmill and a truck can make four trips per day. Sawlogs are directed to the Chaleur Sawmill in Belledune, which is also in the four trip per day parameter. Low grade softwood and hardwood ships to Belledune, to the Shaw Resources pellet mill and Envirem Organics biomass composting facility. Hardwood is shipped to the Arbec OSB to page 52

eastcoastlogging from page 50 mill in Miramichi, which is also in the four trip per day range. Any white pine sawlogs go to the J D Irving mill in Doaktown, in addition to a small amount going to a local portable mill producer. Doucet targets production of 50 to 55 loads per week, to keep business profitable. The operation runs double shift and weekends, with a total of fifteen employees. Four processor operators operate double shift through the week, Monday morning to Friday night. The weekend crew operates harvesters for three twelvehour shifts—Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Even though that sounds like an odd shift and strange lifestyle, Doucet said the weekend operators are very happy with the schedule, pointing out that their wives also work weekends, so they have the weekdays for family and other needs/ activities. The operation also has a weekend watchman on site, who in addition to keeping an eye on the equipment, tools and fuel supply, fills in with some forwarding work. The harvest area is well frequented by ATV and snowmobiles. Doucet shared that equipment damage and thefts are not unheard of, so the watchman operates the forwarder when the harvesters operate, and sleeps in an onsite trailer. “If we didn’t have a watchman on site when the operators are off, the fuel and the tools and other supplies wouldn’t be here for long,” he warned. Foreman Sylvan Roy is a relatively recent hire to the busy operation. “Sylvan is a key part of the operation,” said Doucet. “He often starts out his day picking up parts and supplies and bringing them to the operation. Sylvan has turned

out to be an amazing mechanic, as well. He learns very intricate high-tech repairs, simply by observing.” Roy’s mechanical abilities came to light after he had been in the foreman position for a time. “One time, we had worked on tracing a problem in a machine, and he watched me find the problem and make the repair. A short time later, he was reporting to me about a machine going down and what the problem had been. It was a fairly complicated issue, so I asked him how he got it going. “Sylvan replied that he had fixed it himself—but I challenged him on how he knew how to make the repair, and he simply replied, ‘Well, I watched you fix the same thing once, so I just did what you had done and it worked fine.’ He has become a very valuable employee.” Roy files chains, straightens bars and assists operators with daily maintenance and any repairs. Doucet says that with Roy assisting the operators, another set of eyes is on the machines looking for mechanical issues, and the additional person provides an important safety element to the operations. Roy also helps out with strip layout, and daily quality control inspections. With so many operators, there is a lot of attention to the layout of harvest strips and water buffers, so that the next shift can accurately follow strips and the forwarding operation has a consistent pattern to follow. The most recent hire has been an office manager, who handles a good deal of the day to day paperwork. “I finally came to the realization that I could not be on the operation and keep up with all the paperwork,” explains Doucet. “My most important job is to be on the operation to supervise and deal with mechanical issues. It has been an

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Winching down a load of low grade softwood (above). Remi Doucet operates a three truck fleet, which provides more than adequate trucking capacity, and often one or more trucks are hired out to other operations. efficient move to get a good deal of the paperwork handled by a dedicated office employee.” Doucet says that he is well satisfied with the equipment line-up he has, and compliments his crew for their dedication and hard work. While there are many challenges every day, he has the confidence to continue to invest in his business —and plan for the future.

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BUILDER of business relationships

B.C. logger Shane Garner says a successful harvesting contracting operation is all about business relationships, from his employees to his John Deere-heavy logging equipment fleet. By Jim Stirling

Shane Garner (below) of Hartwood Holdings took possession of its newest piece of equipment, a John Deere 2154D processor, which happened to be the 4,000th machine produced by forestry equipment manufacturer Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products of Langley, B.C.

hane Garner credits building and maintaining business relationships on all levels as the key to driving forward his log harvesting contracting company. The right people, the right equipment and the right support. “That’s what makes it work,” asserts Garner, principal of Hartwood Holdings Ltd., based in Prince George, British Columbia. And it’s an assertion that is put into practice many times each working day and in an equal number of diverse ways. The right equipment for Hartwood Holdings is manufactured by John Deere and supplied and serviced through Deere dealer Brandt Tractor. “They are an integral part of our company,” declares Garner. All but two of the company’s log production fleet are John Deere machines supplied through Brandt. “Our 15 staff are also of the utmost importance,” he emphasized. “It wouldn’t work without them. They’re very dedicated.” Hartwood’s other support network is diverse and includes key relationships with licencees like West Fraser Mills in Quesnel, Lakewood Mills in Prince George and a host of suppliers of ancillary goods and services. Hartwood Holdings has evolved into a full phase logging contractor in the complete sense of the term. The company bids on and buys its wood through BC Timber Sales or from private wood owners. It provides complete logging services on its to page 56

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

contractorprofile from page 54 acquired sites, harvesting in the ballpark of 300,000 cubic metres annually for sawmill clients like West Fraser. Hartwood doesn’t have a wood quota per se with any single licencee. A recent agreement made with Lakeland Mills is on a block by block as-required basis, points out Garner. And, as of spring 2016, Hartwood has diversified further and is involved in a specialty manufacturing and bioenergy venture. It’s all a far cry from Garner’s first job in the forest industry as a 17-year-old kid in Quesnel, doing what he was told and learning the ropes. There have been many steps along the way since, of course, working for large and small forest companies before moving into a partnership and then into sole proprietorship. Each one of those steps has contributed its experience and perspective that today collectively assist Hartwood Holdings to progress. The company has been acquiring its own wood since its formation about six years ago. Hartwood uses WoodX, a BC Timber Sales tracking system that helps member users with bidding and sales management strategies.

Garner says Hartwood Holdings has managed its fibre acquisitions and scheduling activities to keep its people and equipment working steadily. “It comes back to maintaining relationships,” he says by way of explanation. The John Deere/Brandt Tractor relationship is reflected at Hartwood Holdings through two 853M feller bunchers and two 748H skidders. The three Deere 2154D’s with Waratah 622B heads handle the wood processing at roadside. In the spring of 2016, Hartwood Holdings took possession of its newest piece of equipment, a 2154D processor, which happened to be the 4,000th machine produced by forestry equipment manufacturer Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products of Langley, B.C. The balance of Hartwood’s primary log harvesting equipment includes two Deere 2454 butt ‘n tops; a 2154 roadbuilding excavator; a 772G grader and a 320 skidsteer. Hartwood also keeps busy two Cat bulldozers, a D6D and a D7R. Hartwood Holdings builds up to 60 kilometres of road annually to access and support its log harvesting activities. In the last year-and-a-half, the company has moved into the log hauling business.

It now runs three Kenworth logging trucks, each similarly rigged for moving an average volume of 62 metres short, cut to length logs. “At times in the past we couldn’t get logging trucks when we needed them,” explains Garner. “Having companyowned trucks means a steadier flow of logs and that means a steadier cash flow.” Homogenous trucking equipment—like the John Deere/Brandt Tractor connection on the harvesting side—simplifies, parts, service and stocking issues, he notes. Garner believes in maintaining an up to date fleet of equipment. He replaces most of his primary production John Deere machines every couple of years. “It helps with increased uptime and to attract and retain good people. And with most of our work being within the Prince George Forest District, our employees are home with their families every night.” Hartwood Holdings’ venture into the remanufacturing/bioenergy sector represents a natural progression in wood fibre utilization. More than three-quarters of the company’s harvested wood volumes goes to primary sawmills for commodity lumber production. That’s despite the continuing high percentages of pine killed by the B.C. Interior’s beetle epidemic. Producing sawlogs from the material, to page 58

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

contractorprofile It was Machine #4,000 for Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products…

ate last year, forestry equipment manufacturer Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products of Langley, B.C. celebrated its 4,000 machine produced, a 2154D processor equipped with a Waratah HTH 622 B head that was purchased by B.C. logger Shane Garner, of Hartwood Holdings Ltd. Hartwood is a customer of Brandt Tractor Ltd. The more than 100 employees of Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products celebrated the 4,000th machine, along with Shane Garner and representatives of Brandt Tractor. The company is a joint venture between John Deere and Hitachi and manufactures purpose-built equipment for the forest industry.

from page 56 however, creates increased volumes of unused wood fibre. But within those volumes lies opportunity. Lower grade sawlogs and pulp material harvested by Hartwood are now sorted and taken to

the Northern Interior Fibre Group’s mill in Prince George. The Northern Interior operation replaces an older mill on the site. Now the low grade and pulp material is run through the upgraded mill to produce a range of marketable wood products. The

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

unused hog and chips go on to support Pacific Bio Energy’s nearby wood pellet fuel processing facility. Hartwood also manages the new mill’s log yard which includes unloading logging trucks. “This agreement represents a way in which we can use all our fibre,” summarizes Garner. “It’s economically and morally the right thing to do. It’s wood fibre material that would otherwise end up being burned.” Garner also finds the time to be involved in log harvesting association work in B.C. He’s been a director of the BC Timber Sales Advisory Council for about 10 years. The advisory council is comprised of forest industry and government representatives which meets biannually to review BC Timber Sales’ procedures and policies. “I find membership very useful and informative,” reports Garner. “It keeps you up to date on what’s affecting the sector on a variety of fronts.” Additionally, Garner is a director of the Vernon, B.C.-based Interior Logging Association and represents the group on the BC Timber Sales Advisory Council. Garner seems to thrive on the hectic schedule required to keep Hartwood Holdings humming along. The stack of ‘to do’ reminders on his truck’s dashboard seems to regenerate itself from within. So when the occasion arises, Garner welcomes the chance to climb up into the comfortable operator’s cab of one of his John Deere harvesting machines to become a logger again. “I find it relaxing,” he smiles.”Operating a machine is a destresser for me.

eastcoastlogging

A life in logging:

from horses—to Tigercats

Long time logger Alan Costain may have started with yarding horses, but these days the horsepower in Costain Lumbering is of a very different sort, with equipment such as a Tigercat 822 with a Log Max 7000 head. By George Fullerton ew Brunswick logger Alan Costain explained that his first job in the woods was carrying nubbins off the yard on his father Kenneth’s logging operations near their home at Benton, in the Upper St. John River Valley in western New Brunswick. With his sheepish grin and chuckle, Costain recalls that his first job promotion gained him a four-foot measure stick and a double-bitted axe, to mark pulpwood bolt lengths on tree length timber for chainsaw bucking. Costain added that after he grew his legs long enough, he was allowed to follow, hook up and unhook the yarding horse.

In his teens, Costain graduated to chainsaw and skidder operator on his father’s logging operation. Eventually, he bought his own cable skidder, and in his early-20s, began his own operation in 1978. In addition to buying stumpage on private woodlots, he contracted 21 years for Georgia Pacific Corporation. Costain allows that through his years working in the woods, he’s observed that “things are always changing”. In 2000, Costain approached Rex Brown, woodlands superintendent with the Nackawic pulp mill, proposing buying stumpage on a piece of Nackawic land, close to his home. After a short time, Brown came back with a contract offering—and Costain

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Lumbering began a business relationship with the Nackawic mill. The Nackawic mill was built in 1970, and for 34 years produced kraft pulp. In 2008, Aditya Birla Corporation bought the mill and converted it to a dissolving pulp process, using poplar and maple fibre. The unique cellulose product is shipped to Aditya Birla fibre plants in Asia to manufacture rayon fibre. In 2008, with encouragement from the Nackawic mill, Costain stepped into mechanical harvesting with the purchase of a Case 9030B excavator conversion with an Ultimate (Quadco) 5600 fixed mount head. For the first year and a bit, the harvester felled, delimbed and bunched tree

eastcoastlogging True to family tradition, Alan Costain brought his sons Jonathan and Jason to the woods operations at an early age, eventually introducing them to chainsaw operation and running skidders and other equipment, as well as involving them with equipment maintenance and repair. (In the photo, left to right, Alan, Jason and Jonathan).

length, and cable skidders pulled tree length to roadside, where product was slashed out with chainsaws and piled with a log loader. By 2010, a slasher, a grapple skidder and (new to Costain) used loader were added to the yard operation. “I have only ever bought one new piece of forestry equipment, a 1998 Timberjack skidder. I have always been cautions about investing in new technology, basically because I was not sure how it would work, and how I might get along with it,” says Costain. “Also, I have always been cautious about taking on major financing challenges. The trade-off for buying used and making fewer payments is I have spent an

awful lot of time shutdown repairing used equipment.” True to family tradition, Alan Costain brought his sons Jonathan and Jason to the woods operations at an early age, eventually introducing them to chainsaw operation and running skidders and other equipment, as well as involving them with equipment maintenance and repair. For the most part, they began working full time on the family-owned logging operation after they finished high school,

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

“They are both good mechanics,” explained Alan. “I can get by with regular mechanics and hydraulics, but with newer machines with electric over hydraulic and electronics, I am lost. But they understand it well, and can keep things running. We had a full time mechanic for a number of years, and both Jason and Jonathan worked

to page 62

eastcoastlogging from page 61 closely with him, and learned a lot.” Costain began seriously considering cut-to-length technology around 2012, after AV Nackawic began suggesting the move. By the spring of 2013, he had made a deal on a used Tigercat 822 with a Log Max 9000 head, with about 28,000 hours on the clock. He followed that with the purchase of a used Timberjack 1410 forwarder, in Nova Scotia. “Nackawic was a bit surprised when we jumped into cut-to-length so quickly. They thought we would take several years to make the move. It was a good decision, though—cut-to-length has been a Costain Lumbering started seriously considering cut-to-length technology after AV positive move for our business.” Nackawic began suggesting the move. The equipment shift included purchasing a Part of the purchase agreement for the used Timberjack 1410 forwarder (above). Tigercat harvester included the previous owner’s commitment to send an operator to train Jason to operate the new machine. to his tree length operation—because of differences in stand “At the time, we were on a block harvesting for our trucker, types and tree size—he contends that with the new head, the Eric Cummings. Eric wanted it cut tree length, which was quite CTL side is nearly twice as productive as the Ultimate/grapple/ a challenge for the trainer because he had only ever operated slasher operation. cut-to-length. The trainer had a very hard time trying to adjust to “We work in different forest types and we steer the Tigercat operating for tree length, but he was able to show Jason the basics towards softwood where there are a lot of sorts, and we put of operating the machine, and then Jason just took off with it.” hardwoods and poplar toward the tree length side of the operaCostain says that although it is hard to compare the CTL tion. We can still put up a lot of hardwood with the tree length side.” Jason spends his time in the Tigercat and Jonathan in theTimberjack. Alan typically is on the loader and slasher, Bank Trust Wealth Management while operator Brent Brewer is in the Case harvester, and Greg McKinley is in the Timberjack grapple skidder. “We need a lot of room for tree length operation to pile wood and then equally, a lot of room to pile products, considering there are a lot of sorts for sawlogs, studwood, biomass and several hardwood sorts. “I really like the fact that with CTL, Jason does the cutting and sorting products right at the stump. Jonathan loads sorts as he sees fit, and when he lands it in the product piles at roadside, we are done with it. It is handled far less, and more efficiently, than with the tree length operation.” As the cut-to-length team was integrated into the operation, true to Costain’s used equipment mantra, there was a good deal of minor and fairly major repairs to the equipment. The crew soon realized that they needed to make a change in heads. “The heads are very complex and ours had lots of worn parts giving us trouble. In the first year, Jason was working on the head several times a day, it seemed. Eventually, we decided CWB Equipment Financing gets what you do that in order to make the machine productive, we would need and what it takes to get things done. And to put a decent head on the Tigercat.” because we’re local, we work when and where Jason said that through their experience with the machine, you do. Need equipment? Make us your they had developed a great working relationship with Log first call. Max Forestry in Moncton, “Whenever we had a problem with the head, I would call Log Max and they would put me right through to a mechanic, and they would quickly analyze the Call Michael, our crew leader, at 1.855.761.0060. problem and explain how to fix it. They also carry a real good

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to page 64 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

eastcoastlogging inventory and we got parts very quickly.” That positive working relationship led the Costain’s to purchasing a new Log Max 7000 head in 2014. For the head installation, they floated the harvester to Eric Cummings’ truck garage, and gave a hand to the Log Max technician installing the new head. “We started fairly early in the morning and by supper time we walked the harvester, complete with new head, out into the yard. The installation went very smoothly,” said Jason. Start-up with the new head was painless, except Jason had to get used to the increased power and function speed. “When I cut the first tree, I was operating the controls like I did with the old head, but when I hit the delimbing function, the tree nearly shot completely out of the feed rollers. I was very surprised how strong and how fast the new head was. I had to concentrate for a bit to learn how to handle the new power.” The new head went right to work without any mechanical issues. In addition to reliability and performance, Jason also

enjoys a larger screen which came with the new computer. It works basically the same as the old one, but is a lot easier to read. Jason confirmed he has a good deal of admiration for the purpose-built Tigercat harvester. He pointed out that while they often operate in some very rocky ground, he is comfortable with and has confidence in tracked machines, adding that he just has to be aware of his travel path. “When we are working in very rocky conditions, I will harvest for a while, then get out and walk to pick out a trail for the machines. It’s not so much finding an adequate path for the harvester, but more to make sure the forwarder can travel through the boulders and reach the wood.” Now in his 60s, Alan feels the wear on his body from years of manual logging. Still, he loves logging and finds it very rewarding to be working side by side with his sons. While working in the woods is his sweet spot, Alan recognizes the business side requires a good deal of work and he recognizes the long support and

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

from page 62

dedication to the family enterprise by his wife, Sally. “Sally is a very important part of the business—in addition to handling the majority of the office work, she also dedicates a good deal of time obtaining parts and supplies to keep equipment running,” explained Alan. True to family tradition, Alan supports exposing their grandkids to the woods and harvesting operations, and maybe taking the opportunity to share a story or two about a yarding horse. Alan says it’s not unusual on a nice day in the summer for all of their grandchildren—which includes Shanice, Sashta, Jackie, Jade and Sloan—to show up and have a picnic with the crew. “It is a special time for us to see those kids in the woods, and have them see the way we make our living,” he says, with pride. “They see and learn a lot of things through that kind of experience. I don’t know if they might have a career that associates with the woods, but they will head out in life with valuable experience and knowledge.”

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northernsawmilling

Self-sufficient sawm The frontier community of Colville Lake, 50 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, has acquired a new portable sawmill which will produce building materials to help address the community’s need for improved housing.

Colville Lake

By Jim Stirling

eeking a traditional, land-based lifestyle seems incompatible with a modern world driving the horizons of artificial intelligence. Selectively dipping into parts of both worlds, however, can indicate technologies in one that can help promote the goals of the other. The community of Colville Lake provides a case in point. It recently acquired a new and sophisticated portable sawmill to help address the community’s need for improved housing while creating a foundation for increased self-sufficiency. The community of Colville Lake recently acquired a new and sophisticated portable sawmill, a DL 1224 diesel sawmill from D&L Timber Technologies, to help address the community's need for improved housing. In photo at right are Lindsay Flett (left, in photo) and Clayton Flett, of B.C.-based D&L Timber Technologies.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

milling Colville Lake is a frontier community of about 160 people about 750 air kilometres northwest of Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It is about 50 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle and connected to the rest of the world by air and a winter ice road. It is home for the Behdzi Ahda First Nation where trapping and fishing are traditional mainstays. “The people here didn’t want the dependency of the government system.

They want to get away from that and be independent,” explains David Codzi. Codzi wears several hats including being president of the local land corporation, vice-president of the economic development organization, and assistant to the band manager. Colville Lake’s geographic location and its peoples’ desire for more independence places a premium on finding ways to save money and shorten the supply line to the south. For example, the community is involved in a solar and diesel hybrid power system. Colville Lake is dark for much of the long winter months and light all summer. “We look at the tried and true and the experimental R&D to see what might work for us,” says Codzi. The community got a bit of both with its new sawmill: a proven, effective design augmented by innovative features. Colville Lake chose D&L Timber Technologies to supply it with a commercial DL 1224 diesel sawmill with a 180 degree swing blade. D&L is based in Lac La Hache, in British Columbia’s Cariboo country. Codzi admits the community hasn’t had too much time working with the new mill since its acquisition in 2015. Road construction, for example, has been the priority in 2016, he points out. But Codzi recognizes the potential of the D&L mill. “We’re working out the kinks,” reports Codzi. “The swing blade (feature) is a little bit different for us,” he adds. “Over time, though, yes, it will do what we want,” he believes. The raw material is readily available around the community. The land is the building supply centre. Spruce in the 12 inch diameter range is plentiful with larger stems in the better growing sites, he notes. Codzi says he also brought into Colville Lake a building shell for his own use at the same time as the D&L portable sawmill. The building package of ready-toassemble timbers was designed by Heartland Timber Homes, a ‘sister’ company of D&L (see sidebar story). to page 68 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

northernsawmilling The community of Colville Lake got a proven, effective design augmented by innovative features with D&L Timber Technologies’ DL 1224 sawmill with a 180 degree swing blade. The DL 1224 model delivered to Colville Lake was designed to meet commercial market needs, with all-hydraulic functions and diesel power.

from page 67 Lindsay Flett is the owner of D&L Timber Technologies. “Our family has been in the sawmilling business owning, designing and manufacturing for our own operations since 1950,” explains Flett. “D&L has been manufacturing our own designs since 1990. My father and I started the company and my son, Clayton Flett, is the

fourth generation,” he adds. “Our market has evolved by customer demand and request along with our ideas and experience in the sawmill business to produce a machine that fits the needs that exist out there.” The DL 1224 model delivered to Colville Lake was designed to meet commercial market needs, with all-hydraulic functions and diesel power.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

“I went to work and designed this by incorporating the frame design of our twin saw models and the 180 degree swing blade models,” summarizes Flett. The 180 degree swing blade model delivers inherent advantages compared with the 90 degrees on other units, says Flett. Safety is paramount. Sawguides swing with the saw and remain in place. Double cutting is simplified; the operator can cut from either side of the log and beams up to 12˝ by 24˝ feet can be cut without log turning. D&L uses carbide tipped thin kerf blades with in-place sharpening that the company says has been proven effective in both hardwoods and softwoods.

northernsawmilling

Mill company produces equipment for ready-to-assemble homes

he stories regularly surface about the deplorable housing conditions in aboriginal and rural communities across Canada. The situation seems especially acute in isolated northern communities. The reasons for the inadequacies are complex and interwoven. But while native leaders point fingers and politicians pour in money, little seems to change. Heartland Timber Homes (HTH) and partner D&L Timber Technologies do not presume to have the answers. But they do, however, offer a housing provision option for those communities and individuals willing to examine the possibilities. “HTH is as much a community development firm as a housing manufacturer,” points out Dave Loeks, president of HTH based in Whitehorse, Yukon. Essentially, the company offers a range of ready-to-assemble housing packages to First Nations and other communities across Canada, the western United States and Alaska, he explains. D&L Timber Technologies based at Lac La Hache, B.C. is responsible for engineering and manufacturing the processing machinery to manufacture HTH’s building system. The advantages of the HTH system for remote communities are its cost, structural integrity of the finished product and speed of construction, says Loeks. HTH’s post and beam timber frame homes are sold in three principal packages ranging from turnkey to building shells. HTH says walls of any length can be constructed by two people without a crane or heavy equipment, which is frequently unavailable in isolated communities and expensive. The company estimates it is feasible to construct a 1400 square foot home in nine to 14 days.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

September 2016

The Edge CWFC offers solutions to silviculture and bioenergy needs—and new opportunities

BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI he Silviculture and Afforestation Innovation Group at the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) is a one-stop shop to find applied sciencebased solutions to address specific operational forest sector challenges. Specializing in silviculture systems development and implementation, the group works closely with their partners to build business cases, develop novel woody feedstock strategies, and optimize supply-chain applications that encourage investment in bioenergy production, and take advantage of evolving forestry biomass-related opportunities. While much of what the Group has to offer supports the transformation and diversification of the forestry sector, its solutions also explore synergies between forestry and the energy and agriculture sectors. It can even offer silvicultural and bioenergy solutions specific to energy and agricultural stakeholders related to woody biomass production, carbon sequestration and bioenergy/bioproduct conversion. “Our Group has addressed a developing interest in woody biomass for clean energy opportunities, while encouraging the maintenance of a sustainable and healthy forest resource through the applied forest management solutions that we can provide,” says Derek Sidders, CWFC Regional Coordinator and Program Manager. CWFC has established a national

inventory of sustainable forest residues called BIMAT, which is accessible on the Web and capable of customized searches. It has also established a national network of sites to explore short rotation woody crops on non-traditional forestlands, which sequester carbon and create an alternative source of woody biomass in specific locations across Canada. “We’ve witnessed yields on these sites of somewhere between five and ten times native forests,” says Sidders. “We have also developed techniques to effectively recover native forest and afforest biomass, including conditioning, pre-processing and enhanced storage and transportation systems, all contributing to development of clean energy and renewable energy sources.” CWFC has a long history of developing science-based strategies involving innovative site prep applications and tools to help industry establish forest cover on challenging sites, rehabilitate non-productive forest sites, and apply innovative harvesting practices to mimic natural systems, protect select species, or enhance mixedwood management systems. “In the past two years, the Group has completed the establishment of a mountain pine beetle rehabilitation development site, co-operatively with Canfor and the University of Alberta, and supported by the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta,” says Sidders. The Group has also established innovative mixedwood forest and afforest management regimes, tested site re-vegetation

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

strategies with partners across Canada and have evaluated biomass pre-processing and densification systems in cooperation with numerous companies across Canada. “A lot of our work is looking at the operational aspect of biomass or woody feedstock production and utilization,” says Tim Keddy, Wood Fibre Development Specialist. “So we work with anyone using woody biomass or that may have forest regeneration issues or challenges. And in cooperation with them, develop solutions than can help optimize their operations.” Addressing climate change, adapting to policy changes, and taking advantage of potential investment opportunities could be top-of-mind for many Canadians in the near future as Canada develops its national climate change strategy. “The Group has been working with many different stakeholders to develop new climate change options for regeneration applications to suit pilot opportunities in the future,” says Sidders. “We have numerous active partnerships across Canada and we wish to explore new challenges by inviting questions and queries to develop solutions,” he adds. “If you have a challenge or question, send it to us.”

To explore what the Silviculture and Afforestation Innovation Group can offer or to discuss specific challenges, contact Derek Sidders at derek.sidders@canada.ca or Tim Keddy at tim. keddy@canada.ca.

The Edge

Major Alberta funding boost for forestry-based biomaterials advancement BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI

he province of Alberta recognizes that supporting research related to such forestry-based biomaterials as cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and lignin will help the province achieve its goals of reducing its reliance on fossil fuel exports while reducing its carbon footprint. Several projects related to streamlining the production and preparation of CNC and lignin for commercial application were approved recently as part of nearly $13 million in funding approved for 61 projects under the province’s flagship bioindustrial initiative, the Alberta Bio Future research and innovation program. It is funded by Alberta Economic Development and Trade and Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions (AI Bio), and administered by AI Bio. “The economy of the next 30 years is going to be very different than the economy of the past 30 years, and Alberta innovators are leading the way in finding solutions to future challenges and capitalizing on future opportunities,” says Deron Bilous, Alberta’s Economic Development and Trade Minister. “Using renewable materials in fascinating new ways is helping to diversify our economy and keep our province competitive.” Alberta is already well on its way to becoming a global leader as a supplier of both CNC and lignin, having established one of only a few pilot plants in the world capable of producing 100 kilograms of CNC per week and having one of the world’s only commercial lignin production plants attached to West Fraser’s pulp mill in Hinton. AI Bio provided financial and business support for both projects. “Alberta is blessed with abundant biomass in our forests and crops, advanced infrastructure and universities, and highly qualified personnel in our academic community, and bioindustrial sector,” says Steve Price, COO of AI Bio. “AI Bio works as a catalyst to bring these together to accelerate growth in an area with great potential.” Pulp producer Alberta-Pacific Forest

Industries (Al-Pac) has been working in partnership with Alberta Innovates over the last five years to streamline the commercial production of CNC. Through the Alberta Bio Future program, it received financial support for two important projects related to advancing this novel biomaterial toward full, commercial scale-up. One project is related to reducing CNC production costs by re-using the spent sulfuric acid in the pulp mill’s bleach plant. The other is related to testing novel process enhancements to improve CNC yield and quality while creating an end product that is economical to transport. The projects received total funding of $500,000. Al-Pac added another $290,000, for a total investment of nearly $800,000 for these two projects. “Without this work, the CNC program in Alberta would not proceed beyond this stage, as neither the economics of production, nor the product quality, would have been sufficient to warrant continued development,” says Geoff Clarke, Program Lead, Bio-Product Development at Al-Pac. “To provide suitable benefit back to Al-Pac, the forest industry, and the province, we must provide a competitive product that provides exceptional value to the market,” he adds. In addition to streamlining CNC production, AI Bio Future funding is also helping to advance research aimed at commercial application of this novel biomaterial in such areas as: production of reinforced foam-core sandwich composites structures; abrasion resistant, leak-proof pipeline coatings; novel ‘smart’ windows in partnership with All Weather Windows Ltd.; antimicrobial coatings in various medical applications; moisture vapor permeable air barrier and fire retardant emulsions in partnership with BarrierTEK Inc.; and nano-composites for use in bone tissue repair. The transportation industry sees great potential in using carbon fibre reinforced composites as an alternative to traditional metallic materials, as they provide very high stiffness and strength with much less weight. The challenge is that currently, Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) produced in Alberta. traditional carbon fibres cost about $10/ lb. The automotive industry would like to see it drop to about half that cost. Alberta researchers believe that lignin could be used as the raw material to reduce the manufacturing cost of carbon fibre. “Lignin has been investigated due to the fact that it is an inexpensive raw material and it is the second most abundant natural polymer in the world,” says Dr. Cagri Ayranci, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Alberta. Ayranci’s group has already produced carbon fibre from lignin and are now working to develop techniques to process the lignin, “to obtain better quality carbon fibres.” A total of $615,000 will be spent on two projects related to lignin conversion and process refinement, with $446,000 coming from the AI Bio Future program. For a complete list of projects funded by the AI Bio Future program, visit http://bio.albertainnovates.ca/funding/ abf/. Or contact Julia Necheff at AI Bio at julia.necheff@albertainnovates.ca. 71

SUPPLIERNEWSLINE

Tigercat releases 570 harvesting head

The new Tigercat 570 harvesting head offers excellent productivity and reliability, says the company, using many of the structural and hydraulic performance benefits of the larger 575 head, in a package ideally suited to Tigercat H845 series carriers. The wheel arms, pins, bushings, cylinders, feed motors and rotator are shared with the 575 model for proven strength and long life. The chassis is designed for optimum strength-to-weight with focus on visibility, component protection and quick service access. A new integrated valve package enhances performance and service access with fewer hoses and connections to improve reliability. Clean electrical routing with common service parts further increases uptime. Dual-purpose harvesting and processing knives—with replaceable blades and tips—come standard with independent cylinders as the ultimate solution for crooked or heavily limbed stems, says Tigercat. The dual, independent cylinders allow the knives to follow the stem profile, improving control and delimbing quality. The 570 is flexible and configurable. Optional hydraulic front knife timing improves picking performance in processing applications, while optional

harvesting knives with shorter tips enhance harvesting dexterity. Various wheel and motor options are available to tailor performance to application. The 570 is most productive working with trees 6”-20” in diameter in softwood and hardwood stands. Although best suited to the Tigercat H845 series, the 570 is designed to work with the H822 and H855 series carriers or a 20-25 tonne forestry excavator. www.tigercat.com

New Fuchs MHL320 F material handler good entry level option

The new Fuchs MHL320 F material handler boasts a compact yet powerful design. With an 11 percent more powerful engine and offering the same features found on larger Fuchs handlers, the versatile 50,485 lb MHL320 F handler is said to be a good entry level unit for operations that need high lift capacities at extended reaches, efficient sorting capabilities and fast trailer loading/unloading only delivered by purpose-built handlers. The new MHL320 F handler features a fuel efficient 127.4 hp diesel engine that meets Tier IV Final emissions standards. New joystick steering for the MHL320 F handler greatly improves on-site maneuverability, significantly enhances operator visibility and substantially increases legroom to elevate operator comfort. The standard dual solid rubber tire drive system offers a 30-degree steering angle to deliver a tight 22.9’ turning radius, so the compact handler nimbly maneuvers around obstacles. All-wheel drive and an oscillating rear axle deliver a 55 per cent

By Tony Kryzanowski

maximum grade-ability and aid in efficiently navigating uneven terrain. A dualspeed transmission allows the machine to quickly move about the yard at speeds reaching 12.4 mph. www.terex-fuchs.com

Brandt pays tribute to Fort McMurray heroes

The Brandt Group of Companies has reached out to express their appreciation to the many firefighters, local contractors and others who fought against tall odds to safeguard the city of Fort McMurray in the recent wildfire. “Having witnessed the battle firsthand, we are in awe of the heroic efforts put forth by this amazing group of men and women,” says Shaun Semple, Brandt President. “We are deeply proud that we were able to keep our facility operating and contribute our best efforts in support of theirs, and we honor their bravery and selflessness.” In recognition of those who battled the blaze, Brandt has released a 5½-minute video entitled ‘Standing Strong – Fort McMurray’, and has made it available on its website. www.brandt.ca to page 74

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

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PLP manages saw lubrication

PLP is described as an intelligent device to manage saw lubrication that is both scalable and modular. With its state-of-the-art controller, it controls water pressure, air pressure and water flow. The controller allows for communication with the machine PLC by Ethernet, serial link, or digital I/O. This communication set up is fully scalable and changeable, which means that it is possible to move the PLP from an older machine to a newer one. There is no need to call a technician to do this on site. Everything in the PLP’s software is already installed. Changing parameters through

Howard Leach

Howard A. Leach, founder of HALCO Software Systems, passed away peacefully on July 16 in Vancouver, B.C., at the age of 83. Howard arrived in British Columbia from England in the late 1960s with a background in process optimization in the petrochemical industry. He looked around, saw that he wasn't going to make a living in petrochemicals in British Columbia, but saw an industry that intrigued him: forestry. And so he decided to apply his process optimization expertise to the forest industry. To do this, he needed a sawing simulation program, and so Howard set out to write the SAWSIM® Sawmill Simulation Program. More than 40 years later, SAWSIM® is widely considered the industry-standard sawmill simulation program, the world over. Howard was a true industry pioneer in the application of sawing simulation and linear programming optimization to forest industry facility planning and production planning optimization. He was also a great mentor and a wonderful friend to his many industry clients, and to the staff at HALCO who continue to honour his legacy.

the HMI is the only action required. The water control system is scalable from one to four water lines, and offers a range of applications from a single arbor gang edger to a quad. www.ygeonline.com

Chuck Wert moves from Swanson to USNR

USNR has appointed Chuck Wert as senior vicepresident, with responsibility for aftermarket customer support, including spare and replacement parts, technical service, and training. Wert comes to USNR after 18 successful years with the Swanson Group, one of the largest independent lumber and plywood producers in the Western United States. He served in a number of executive leadership roles at Swanson, including most recently as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are very pleased to have Chuck join our leadership team,” said George Van Hoomissen, USNR’s President and CEO. “He brings not only a wealth of management experience, but also an intimate understanding of what it takes to be successful as a sawmill or plywood mill operator. This background and perspective makes Chuck uniquely qualified to lead and develop our customer support operations.” www.usnr.com

Oregon introduces SpeedMax XL .404 Harvester Guide Bar

Blount International has introduced the new Oregon SpeedMax XL .404 harvester guide bar. Engineered to keep operators in the cab and on the job longer, the SpeedMax XL is said to offer improved chain retention and reduced flex with a wider design and high-strength chrome-moly steel alloy. The all-new 14-tooth replaceable sprocket nose has been designed to withstand the demanding cutting conditions of high-output harvester machines. “We know time is money, and maintenance downtime can be frustrating for Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

any operator,” said Derek Vlcko, Business Segment Director for Oregon forestry products. “A bent guide bar or thrown chain is all it takes to idle a very expensive piece of equipment. The SpeedMax XL is designed to address both issues with a wider, stronger bar body and a larger, more durable replaceable sprocket nose.” Compatible with the most popular harvesting equipment, the SpeedMax XL features: • An all-new 14-tooth replaceable sprocket nose that makes 21 per cent fewer rotations during use when compared to a traditional 11-tooth nose. Fewer rotations decreases the amount of wear accumulated on the teeth and bearings, and increases the life of the nose for more overall productivity. • A wider guide bar made from highstrength chrome-moly steel alloy is stiffer and stronger, providing increased chain retention in high-speed cutting applications. • Oregon’s patented four-rivet sprocket nose design creates a stronger attachment to the bar body, and the industrialstrength high-alloy bearings are 14 per cent thicker when compared to some competitive products. • A longer nose design that is engineered to absorb more rail wear where it happens most. • LubriTec Oiling System keeps the chain running smooth, for less friction and longer life. • Many sizes are available with Oregon’s patented Jet-Fit motor mount. www.OregonProducts.com

Husqvarna introduces battery-operated chainsaws

With the launch of Husqvarna’s professional grade battery-operated products, the company says users will have an even wider range of high-performance tools to get the job done more efficiently. The new series continues to offer traditional performance but with a new power source. Each new product from the series is equipped with a high-capacity 36V Li-Ion battery that delivers the performance of a

suppliernewsline gasoline powered engine with a cleaner and quieter experience. Husqvarna battery powered chainsaws are powerful and quiet, and available in versions for professional tree care use and arborists, as well as for carpentry and domestic woodcutting. The powerful brushless motors, high chain speed and convenient handling make them excellent alternatives to gas chainsaws. The Husqvarna 536Li XP chainsaw is suited for professionally-oriented users who want a lightweight, high performance chainsaw. It is said to be perfect for carpenters, contractors and tree care workers. It features excellent ergonomics, high performance and high chain speed. www.Husqvarna.com

spectrum of Motion Control and Motion Logic systems that are matched specifically to hydraulics: from the cabinet-free singleaxis controller, IAC Multi-Ethernet valves and the pump control system SYDFED, the cabinet-mounted HMC (Hydraulic Motion Control) with programming according to IEC61131 through to IndraMotion MLC for up to 32 hydraulic axes. Bosch Rexroth can offer a solution for any requirement, the company says. Finely scalable in terms of function and

performance, these solutions cover all demands. The Multi Ethernet interface supports all common Ethernet protocols like Sercos, EtherCAT, Ethernet IP, PROFINET RT, Powerlink and Varan. A further commonality is the bestin-class hydraulic controllers that are matched to the special characteristics of

to page 76

Bosch Rexroth features intelligent hydraulics fit for Industry 4.0

There is much talk about Industry 4.0 as a vision of the future. From a pure automation point of view, it is not about an imminent revolution, but about an evolutionary development, which is ready for networking already today, says Bosch Rexroth.

Taking place at the internationally renowned Olympic Stadium in beautiful Montreal, this show will focus on the full spectrum of sawmilling equipment and technology.

In current Motion Controls and Motion Logic Systems for hydraulics, Bosch Rexroth has already integrated numerous functions in software, which used to be controlled purely hydro-mechanically in the past. The specialties of fluid power technology are automatically compensated for, and the decentralized controls perform their duties on their own and communicate with higher-level controls and master systems via open communication interfaces. Motion Controls for hydraulics from Bosch Rexroth are provided with decentralized intelligence and communicate with higher-level systems via open interfaces. They automatically adapt themselves to changing requirements such as velocity, changes in force, autonomously control movements in real time and fit seamlessly into machine concepts in a modular way. For this, Bosch Rexroth offers a wide

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

suppliernewsline from page 75 fluid power technology. They automatically take account of specialties such as valve characteristics and simplify parameterizing through their transparent structure in the operating software IndraWorks. The user is supported by a parameterization wizard, which prompts the user to enter all the required system data and makes parameterization suggestions for the control. The control is relieved, since the hydraulic control loop is closed centrally in the IAC Multi-Ethernet valve or in a decentralized form in the HMC. In this way, it is possible to operate multiaxis systems in real time independently of the PLC cycle time, among others. www.boschrexroth.ca

Williams & White raises bar on saw sharpening

The RoboSharp-Ax10L2 from Williams & White is a highly advanced, multi-function circular saw sharpening centre. With top and face, dual side and

This offers precise crack detection and a resulting regrind assignment. iBlade’s SAM software offers fast and complete selection of all information with one click. No manual support lines or other interactions

are required by the operator. The iBlade software also offers proper management and control of band saws. www.iBlade.eu

INDEX ADVERTISER PAGE Airtek/Baum........................................... 80 Allied Blower......................................... 68 Autolog.................................................. 17 Bandit Industries.................................... 65 Bosch Rexroth.......................................... 8 Brandt Tractor........................................ 73 Brunette Machinery................................ 67 Brunner-Hildebrand............................... 31 Canadian Western Bank......................... 62 Carbotech International.......................... 52 Caterpillar................................................ 7 Comact............................................. 28-29 Connexus............................................... 57 Delta Computer Systems........................ 32 DK Spec................................................. 59 FinScan.................................................. 61 Gateway Graphics.................................. 72 Gilbert Products..................................... 13 Gillingham Best...................................... 46 Globalstar................................................ 5 InterSaw................................................ 75 Intertape Polymer................................... 27 JoeScan.................................................. 26 John Deere............................................ 53 L-M Equipment....................................... 41 Lico Machinery...................................... 40 Linck...................................................... 47

Linden Fabricating.................................. 12 Log Max................................................. 55 Lonza Group.......................................... 37 Metal Detectors Inc.................................. 6 MPM Engineering................................... 46 Olofsfors Iggesund.................................. 49 Peterson................................................. 51 Pierce Pacific.......................................... 69 PMP Solutions........................................ 22 Prologic Plus........................................... 14 Rawlings Manufacturing.......................... 33 Rosta..................................................... 32 Rotochopper............................................ 2 SKS Engineering........................................ 9 Smithco................................................. 58 Springer Microtec................................... 45 Tsubaki.................................................. 35 USNR..................................................... 63 Valley West Controls............................... 21 Valon Kone............................................ 64 Valutec Wood Dryers.............................. 15 Wajax..................................................... 19 Waratah................................................. 79 Weldco-Beales Mfg................................. 44 Wolman Family of Products.................... 39 Wood-Mizer........................................... 56 Woodland Equipment............................. 23 WorkSafe BC.......................................... 26

SEPTEMBER 2016

NAME:________________________________ TITLE/POSITION:__________________

plunge grinding capabilities, Williams & White says that the RoboSharp is the most functional machine in the industry. The dual-bay robotic loader and automatic tool changing system allow this sharpening centre to run at optimum performance. Operators simply load the saws, select the cycle and return once the process is complete. It also allows the operator to grind multiple saw diameters in one cycle without the need for human interaction. www.williamsandwhiteequipment.com

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iBlade specializes in saw measurement

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

Every tooth on a sawblade has to be measured precisely. Because of certain geometry types, it is not possible to detect angles and geometric information properly with optics. With its patented method, iBlade is said to offer a unique solution to scan all these values within one cycle. Special light management allows for the detecting of every area of a tooth and its ratings, even with difficult geometrics.

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thelastword

Fort McMurray fire could have ripple effect on cost of insurance for the forest industry By Jim Stirling

oggers justifiably grumble about the rising costs of simply staying in business. Day to day operating expenses like tires, gas and equipment parts consistently trend upwards. Now the implications of a warming climate are poised to add a few more grey hairs—and potential bills for loggers and truckers. Higher temperatures punctuated by more extreme weather patterns are occurring more frequently. One of the more direct, and costly, effects of those are the increasing risks of wildfires. When wildfires become more intense and unpredictable, the damage caused can be catastrophic. Eventually, someone or something has to foot the bill. It’s what insurance is for and the premiums paid for it—general liability, equipment and property, for example— respond to the broader market forces that influence it. Insurance companies estimate the Fort McMurray wildfire in northern Alberta this May will cost them $3.58 billion. “There is little doubt that the Fort McMurray wildfire is one of the most horrific and damaging natural disasters in Canadian history,” declared Bill Adams during a conference call after the damage figures had been tabulated. Adams is vice-president, western and pacific, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “The vast majority of the overall costs of the fire will be borne by insurance policies,” he added. The $3.58 billion is a mind boggling figure and eclipses the previous costliest insured disaster in Canadian history, the Quebec ice storm of 1998.That event cost insurers about $1.9 billion in 2014 dollars, reckons the Insurance Bureau of Canada. The flooding in southern Alberta cost around $1.8 billion in insurable claims while the forest fire that almost wiped out Slave Lake, Alberta in 2011 cost about $742 million in claims. The Fort McMurray conflagration de-

stroyed more than 1,800 detached homes and 600 other housing units around the city. It forced major oilsands extraction companies to curtail production by around one million barrels of oil a day for two weeks. The wildfire’s influence was far reaching. Statistics Canada figures show the real gross domestic product in Canada contracted by 0.6 per cent in May. Statistics Canada attributed that to the economic fallout from the forest fires. The effects of the Fort McMurray fire are also likely to filter down to the logger and trucker, especially for those working in Alberta. The province now has the unenviable record of being the site for seven out of the 10 most expensive Canadian insured disasters. The Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Adams was cagey: “What impact this will have on (policy costs) will be determined at a later date by individual insurers.” Wildfires routinely cause interruptions to production schedules and cash flows for logging contractors and licencees. Wildfire risks curtail bush operating hours for the forest industry—and trigger outright work shutdowns. On occasion, the forest industry is blamed for causing a forest fire or allowing one to get worse. A case in point focused on the cause of a June 2010 forest fire southeast of Vanderhoof, in central British Columbia. The Crown alleged the licencee and its subcontractor doing the logging were negligent in the blaze. The Crown argued that flammable debris near the exhaust of a feller buncher likely caused smouldering on the forest floor which subsequently ignited. The logging block contained predominantly beetle-killed lodgepole pine. The province was seeking about $5.5 million in damages, it claimed were attributable to lengthy suppression costs on the stubborn 6,100 hectare fire; lost stumpage value; the lost value of immature timber stands

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2016

and reforestation costs. The B.C. Supreme Court Justice hearing the issue ruled in July 2016 that the provincial government had not proved its case. “In my view, the province has not established that it is more likely than not the fire started as a result of the (harvesting) operation,” Justice Bruce Greyell said in his judgment. “In my view, there is a fair inference to be drawn that the fire was a holdover fire which was the result of lightning on the (previous) evening of June 17.” The case reinforces the need for heightened vigilance during warm weather harvesting operations. And it emphasizes the wisdom in investing in comprehensive insurance packages. The effect on those premiums from the Fort McMurray wildfire is hard to predict. “But it will spill over,” believes Hedley Larson, an insurance broker at Capri Insurance Services’ Vernon, B.C. office. Larson has been selling insurance for about 25 years and represents 30 to 40 different insurance companies. He specializes in the commercial sector, including heavy equipment in the logging and mining industries. The home insurance sector might be the first to feel the pinch, given the heavy losses incurred there in the Fort McMurray fires, he surmises. Larson noted loggers’ insurance premiums have been pretty steady for the last several years. “But they are claim-based and every contractor is a bit different.” Loggers who haven’t made an insurance claim in 20 years of operation are obviously in a better position than those who have filed two or three claims, he points out. “My crystal ball is no better than anyone else’s, but will all individual contractors experience cost increases? Probably not. I don’t expect that,” he says. But losses on the scale of the Fort McMurray wildfires bring home the importance of having adequate insurance with a reputable company, adds Larson.

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Contained & Captured Simple Methods of Dust Collection Management AirTek Pneumatics and Baum Pneumatics work together to create better dust collection solutions and supply the industry with innovative, high pressure, pneumatic conveying and screening systems.

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Baum Pneumatics Feeders. Airlocks and Blower packages (4) systems shipping to Quebec.

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