Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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September 2018

CONIFEX TIMBER DOUBLES PRODUCTION CAPACITY with major mill investments HEIDEMAN & SONS boosts mill production with $17M investment

GOING FULL TILT with Tilt Contracting on B.C.’s steep slopes

With this issue…

UPPING VENEER VOLUME at British Columbia’s ATCO Wood Products

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FEATURES September 2018 Volume 49 • No. 5 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski

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On the Cover: A new Sennebogen 830 M-T at the Cameron River Logistics operation in northern B.C. moves 16-foot CTL logs from truck to rail for the Dunkley sawmill. Watch for the next issue of Logging and Sawmilling Journal, and a feature story on how a Sennebogen 830 M-T log handler’s stacking ability has boosted yard capacity for Saskatchewan’s Edgewood Forest Products (Photo courtesy of Sennebogen).

4 Spotlight Story …

Securing safer sawmills

Forest industry veteran—and safety advocate—Kerry Douglas has seen safety become a higher priority over the course of his 48-year career, with more focus on mill safety, especially in areas like dust containment.

8 B.C.’s Conifex Timber

goes south …

B.C.-based Conifex Timber is doubling its production capacity with major sawmill investments in the U.S. South— including a significant upgrade to its El Dorado mill.

14 Capital investment

48 Sawmilling is

sometimes like a box of chocolates …

Operating a small sawmill for Saskatchewan’s Vernon Heatwole can be like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, in that he never knows what kind of unusual lumber order the next phone call will bring.

54 Keeping their options open—even with logging equipment

Maintaining their independence and keeping their options open—including being open to buying and selling equipment at any time—has paid off for veteran logging operation D & L Rehn Contracting.

60 Mountains of wood residue

Ontario sawmiller Lavern Heideman & Sons has invested $17 million in its operations, and it has paid off big time, with an expected production boost of 60 per cent.

A hog fuel working group that had sought workable solutions to the problems presented by the growing volumes of wood residues on the B.C. Coast has found there are no easy solutions to dealing with these mini-mountains of residual wood.

22 Idaho mill gets high

62 Double-down

delivers production boost

tech makeover

The Idaho sawmill of Woodgrain Millwork is definitely on the upswing, thanks to a high tech makeover with equipment from suppliers, including HewSaw and Bosch Rexroth.

28 Going full tilt …

Tilt Contracting’s Russ Parsons has grown his operation, thanks to a strong focus on having logging equipment that delivers on B.C.’s steep slopes—and counts himself fortunate for having a solid crew, both at work and on the home front.

38 Upping veneer volume Family-owned ATCO Wood Products has been able to double its production of veneer products over the last five years, with a series of smaller equipment upgrades and changes—and a team approach at the company.

Saskatchewan sawmiller Dean Christiansen has taken a leap forward in equipment with an upgrade to a Wood-Mizer LT70 electric band sawmill, which has allowed him to double his production potential.

75 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.

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar............................................ 7 Tech Update: Yarders......................... 78 Suppliernewsline............................. 82 Classifieds....................................... 89 Ad Index.......................................... 89 Subscriptions................................... 89

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

3

SECURING

spotlight

safer sawmills

Forest industry veteran—and safety advocate—Kerry Douglas has seen safety become a higher priority over the course of his 48-year career, with more focus on mill safety, especially in areas like dust containment.

By Jim Stirling

Lifetime safety award recipient, Kerry Douglas (centre), of West Fraser Mills Ltd., with BC Forest Safety Council CEO Rob Moonen (left) and former BC Forest Safety Council Chair, Ken Higginbotham.

province’s sawmills during the next five to 10 years.

The course being followed is one of accident prevention by design. Sawmills can be safer places to work in when the potential hazards are fully understood and safeguarding systems are in place to mitigate the risks. Sawmilling equipment can also be designed or modified to make it safer and reduce the frequency and severity of accidents.

Douglas’ opinions carry the weight of experience. He recently retired from his position as manager-safety for West Fraser Mills Ltd., a large North American forest company based in the B.C. Interior city of Quesnel. His retirement marked the end of a 48-year career in the forest industries of B.C. and Alberta, with much of it devoted to helping make sawmills and other wood processing plants safer and better places in which to work.

In 2017, Douglas was awarded the Cary White Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for commitment to safety excellence from the BC Forest Safety Council. Interestingly, Douglas had worked with White during one stage of his career.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

K

erry Douglas anticipates British Columbia’s largest forest companies will continue their leadership role in improving worker safety programs in the

Worker safety is receiving a much higher and more consistent focus at the end of Douglas’ career than it did at its beginning. “There were no real industry standards then,” recalled Douglas.

That was around the time he started working weekends and school holidays in the sawmill and planer at the same Rayonier mill in New Westminster, B.C. where his dad, Wally, worked. “Safe work procedures were very much learned from whom you worked with.”

The mentoring systems by more experienced people worked well to a point. But bad safety habits or an under-appreciation of the risks could inadvertently be passed on to the newcomers.

Looking back on a career, it’s often easier to identify the more significant defining moves or experiences that influenced it.

“One of the things I really wanted to do was become a qualified pilot,” said Douglas He realized that ambition by earning his fixed wing licence in 1975. He added a helicopter endorsement the following to page 6

spotlight from page 4 year. Safety in all its manifestations is emphasized and hammered home during the learning to fly process and in every subsequent flight taken.

A second such seminal period began during Douglas’ tenure with Canfor Corp., in the late 1970s. He moved from being a buyer for the company in Vancouver to a similar role in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

And later, while there, he applied for and was appointed to a maintenance supervisor position at Canfor’s Hines Creek sawmill complex. He spent about four years there, gaining an invaluable appreciation of safety issues from that perspective in the process.

The interest in and dedication to workplace safety in the forest industry was further augmented by a career with WorkSafeBC. It included a 17-year stint as a safety officer in Prince George. He moved on to join West Fraser in 2004.

Douglas reckons safety programs in sawmills were taking on a more unified and organized format by the mid-1970s.

In-house safety committees in sawmills became more focused. “People had to

realize sawmills are primary manufacturing centres containing a lot of inherent hazards where one simple error can have pretty devastating results,” said Douglas.

The growth and sophistication of sawmills and the concentration of the forest industry began driving the need for the development of more safety processes, he continued.

“That evolution requires the creation of systems to manage safety programs.”

The maturation of B.C.’s forest industry toward safety issues in its plants advanced significantly in 2009 with the creation of the Manufacturers’ Advisory Group (MAG). It was a group of industry executives and safety specialists who met on an ad hoc basis to share best safety practices.

The co-operation about safety within MAG really opened up the CEO group to working together and viewing each other not just as marketplace competitors, he explained.

The existence of the MAG was a key reason the forest industry could react quickly and positively to the two sawmill explosions and fires in 2012 that killed and injured forest workers. Investigations into the devastating incidents indicated accumulations of sawdust were critical factors in the explosions and fires.

The MAG developed benchmark standards to assist all wood processing plants to institute and maintain wood dust control programs. The co-operative from-the-

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spotlight top down MAG approach has since been adapted to improve worker safety in other facets of the forest industry.

“It’s really helped us dealing with our contractor groups, too, and we’re seeing a lot of benefits,” Douglas reported. Contractors are non-company employees who come on sawmill property to perform various tasks. They could be crane operators, mechanical or electrical contractor representatives or equipment owner-operators.

“Now we’re dealing with a co-ordinated safety entity from the CEOs on down.”

The sawdust containment issue in wood processing plants brought with it a side benefit. “Mills are now much cleaner, brighter and more inviting places to work,” observed Douglas. The fact doesn’t hurt when it comes to recruitment.

The sawmill sector, like most of its industrial counterparts, is struggling to attract and retain new workers to replace an ageing work force. The traditional views of sawmills and types of work available within them are obsolete. Sawmills now are highly sophisticated places requiring a technically literate work force. Each machine centre and transfer system can be observed on a video screen while computers generate reams of detailed real time information about what’s happening within each function. Young hires under-

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stand the technology world. “But the challenge is new hires don’t readily recognize hazards or understand the risks.”

The machine centres in each sawmill or plant differs to best deal with the fibre types passing through them and the end products being manufactured. Douglas said there were 44 canters working within West Fraser’s mills in Canada and the U.S. They are similar in function, but different in execution. They have large and small heads and layers of cutting patterns. It’s

a similar situation with other equipment like board edgers, stackers and planers.

“They all require safety systems in place to reduce risk,” said Douglas. Safeguarding systems require worker buy-in. “Our employees are incredibly good,” Douglas said he’s looking forward to the next chapter in his life and his future calendar was looking full. “I’m leaving West Fraser with many fond memories and an appreciation for the support for safety initiatives from the CEO group.”

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

7

millupgrades

B.C.’s Conifex Timber

goes south ….

8

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

millupgrades B.C.-based Conifex Timber is doubling its production capacity with major sawmill investments in the U.S. South—including a significant upgrade to its El Dorado mill.

By Tony Kryzanowski

B

ritish Columbia-based Conifex Timber Inc has doubled its production capacity and tripled its potential output of southern yellow pine (SYP) with the completion of its $70.8 million refurbishment of its El Dorado, Arkansas sawmill and recent purchase of two additional sawmills in Arkansas and Florida.

The company has purchased the former Suwannee sawmill in Cross City, Florida and the former Caddo River sawmill in Glenwood, Arkansas for $200 million (U.S.) from the Blue Wolf (BW) Group, bringing its total sawmill footprint in the American South to three.

Both new purchases produce SYP lumber and specialty products like decking.

The decking is described as a high margin product that will be sold to customers throughout the American Southeast and Southwest, which will help Conifex diversify its revenue streams.

“This is a highly strategic and transformative transaction for Conifex,” says Ken Shields, President and CEO of Conifex Timber Inc. “It brings together two successful growth-oriented companies to create a leading SYP lumber producer.”

All told, Conifex now has the ability to produce 1.09 billion board feet of lumber annually. Their SYP production capacity is over half of that, at 550 million board feet.

In establishing a significant presence south of the border, Conifex has joined several other Canadian forest industry leaders like Canfor, Interfor and West Fraser who have also diversified their businesses by expanding in the U.S. “We had been looking at getting a foothold in the high margin U.S. South for a number of years,” says Shields.

He noted a number of solid business reasons for making purchases in that area

Conifex Timber’s El Dorado mill is currently ramping up with the goal of achieving full production of 180 million board feet on a two-shift basis by 2019. The single line high-tech sawmill processes pine logs down to an 8” top and up to 22” in diameter. of the United States. Among them are higher lumber mill net prices after duties in the U.S. South compared to the Interior region of BC; access to the largest and fastest growing U.S. residential housing market: and, availability of a plentiful and cost-effective log supply with close proximity to mills.

Another motivation was the mitigation of foreign exchange risk, as costs and selling prices are, or course, in U.S. currency.

Perennial softwood lumber disputes between Canada and the U.S. also factored into the decision, as Shields noted that

the U.S. sawmill purchases mitigate adverse impact from risks and uncertainties to cross-border trade disputes.

“We also expect higher profit margins reflecting the competitive cost structure and higher mill net realizations,” he says.

Overall, the goal of the El Dorado sawmill refurbishment and new sawmill purchases is to increase shareholder value.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Conifex Timber is celebrating a decade in business,

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

9

to page 10

millupgrades

The highest volume product at the El Dorado sawmill is 2 X 6, with the highest value product being MSR lumber. Products manufactured at the mill will serve the new home construction market, treaters and the renovation and repair market.

having been established in 2008 when it acquired its first then-idled sawmill in B.C. A second mill followed two years later as well as a biomass power plant that has been operating since 2015.

The company has invested about $80 million in its two Canadian sawmill com-

plexes, in Fort. St. James and Mackenzie, B.C., and related businesses, as well as $100 million in its green power generation businesses, creating over 500 jobs.

The El Dorado sawmill was the company’s first facility purchase in Arkansas and the Southern U.S. The El Dorado sawmill was previously owned by Georgia-Pacific and was a

10

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

from page 9

producer of SYP dimension lumber and specialty 1” products. It closed in 2006 when its timber supply was allocated elsewhere and it remained closed throughout the severe housing downturn in the U.S., starting in 2008. The U.S. housing market has since rebounded dramatically, reflected in current high lumber prices.

The shuttered sawmill was purchased

by Conifex and the company has completed its sawmill refurbishment project.

It is currently ramping up with the goal of achieving full production of 180 million board feet on a two-shift basis by 2019. The re-opening and upgrading of the sawmill has brought 138 jobs back to this south Arkansas community of 18,000 residents.

“I have been driving by that site twice a day for the past 10 years, and I’m glad to see the property back in use,” says Union County Judge Mike Loftin. “The jobs that have been created for Union County will be a great boost to our local economy.”

El Dorado Mayor Frank Hash adds that, “from timber owners, timber harvesters, timber processors, plant maintainers and suppliers, and product transporters, the economic gains to all will be significant.” Conifex is expected to purchase about 700,000 tons of pine annually within a 100 kilometre radius of the

millupgrades sawmill, spending about $30 million with suppliers.

Shields says that there is an excellent supply of pine timber available for the sawmill, and that they acquire their logs from multiple sources. The single line El Dorado sawmill will process logs down to an 8” top and up to 22” in diameter, producing products from 2 X 4 to 2 X 10, over a wide grade range. Their highest volume product is 2 X 6, with the highest value product being MSR lumber. Products manufactured at this sawmill will serve the new home construction market, treaters and the renovation and repair market.

As part of the refurbishment project, Conifex was able to use portions of the existing building and some machine centres. For example, the existing bucking line, edger, trimmer and sorter were reactivated. However, the planer mill is all new except for the refurbished sorter.

Hans Thurs, executive vice-president of Conifex responsible for the U.S. South expansion and rebuild, says that the robust fibre supply and potential for superior mill returns was a driving force behind capital investment decisions. Conifex’s primary

engineering partner on the project was Mid-South Engineering, which is now owned by USNR, having been acquired by the latter company earlier this year.

Starting at the front end, a new overhead crane log handling system was supplied by LogPro, LLC. Conifex describes it as a state-of-the-art system. It is capable of unloading trucks in just seven minutes.

Logs enter the sawmill infeed through

planer mill as part of the entire project.

The primary line consists of a new USNR breakdown unit that includes auto-rotation, scanning and positioning, repurposed twin bandmills, and a new USNR Horizontal Shape Saw (HSS) gang.

The goal is to achieve the highest lumber grade recovery from each log. Lumber proceeds through the reactivated edger, trimmer and sorter portion of the line.

At the back end of the sawmill, Conifex purchased a new MoCo Engineering & Fabrication stacker.

After kiln drying, the planer mill begins with a new Piche infeed tilt hoist, leading to processing through the new USNR planer and lineal high grader. The sorter is repurposed. The new stacker was also supplied by Piche, and a new strapper was supplied by Signode.

Other new equipment installed as part of this project includes a new Acrowood chip screen, a new baghouse system installed by local El Dorado business, Long’s Blow Pipe Inc, with controls by Raptor, and a new rail siding by Dustin Grace in

“We had been looking at getting a foothold in the high margin U.S. South for a number of years.” the reactivated and existing bucking line.

Conifex installed a new Nicholson A8 debarker, followed by log feeders also supplied by LogPro. USNR supplied almost an entirely new primary breakdown line.

“Most of the primary breakdown is state-of-the-art USNR, including the Sharp chain and HSS gang,” says Thur, adding that USNR also supplied two, natural-gas fired, continuous dry kilns, planer and optimized lumber grading equipment in the

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

to page 12

11

millupgrades from page 11 nearby Pine Bluff.

Thur says that Conifex is investigating integration opportunities among its three U.S. sawmills.

“Conifex Glenwood is two hours northwest of El Dorado, so there are some obvious opportunities for harmonization of shipping and log procurement,” he says. “We will be looking at best practices sharing across all the South, and with our Canadian operations.”

Conifex estimates that integrating the acquired mills with its existing operations will generate over $5 million (U.S.) in synergies through procurement opportunities, cost benefits, customer service rationalization, and providing business support services to an expanded number of mill locations.

One particularly positive element of the recent purchase of the two additional sawmills is that the Conifex Glenwood and Cross City operations will likely not need much capital investment. Both have been upgraded with significant capital investment in recent years. A $12 million (U.S.) modernization and optimization project was completed at the Cross City mill in 2017 and approximately $14 million (U.S.) of capital expenditures were completed at the Glenwood mill in connection with its restart in May 2017.

The Cross City sawmill upgrade project

included installation of Comact GradExpert automated lumber scanning and grading technology, a Comact upgrade of the log handling and processing functions including profiler and new gang, and installation of a USNR Biovision optimizer at the trimmer. There were also controls upgrades on the edger, log merchandizer and log handling system provided by Comact and ACS. Phase one of the Conifex Glenwood sawmill upgrade included reconstruction

12

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

of the existing dry kiln by AFS Technology, mill equipment including gang, trimmer upgrades and edger optimizer by Baxley, quad and bandsaw controls optimization

by Comact, planer upgrades by the BID Group with independent contractor Dennis Miller and Columbia Construction, and a new strapper supplied by Samuels.

Phase two included installation of a second dry kiln by American Wood Dryer, and lumber sheds.

Ontariosawmilling

CAPITAL INVESTMENT delivers production boost Ontario sawmiller Lavern Heideman & Sons has invested $17 million in its operations, and it has paid off big time, with an expected production boost of 60 per cent.

14

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

By Tony Kryzanowski

O

ntario specialty wood products manufacturer Lavern Heideman & Sons Limited is expanding operations and consolidating manufacturing processes in one location to improve efficiency and better position itself to satisfy a growing market demand for its wide range of products.

The company has made a $17 million investment in a new production line, which the owners expect will increase volume by 60 per cent. Their total annual production will increase to about 50 million board feet.

Previously, their sawmilling was done near Eganville, while finishing, planing and marketing of their white pine products occurred in Pembroke. By moving all operations to Eganville, the company will now be able to saw, kiln dry, plane, market and ship all their lumber products from one location.

In terms of the Eganville location itself, the expansion project situated both their large and small log lines under one

Ontariosawmilling roof. Prior to the expansion project, the company operated two separate saw lines in two separate buildings. Both were equipped with their own manual sorting systems. Now, both saw lines will operate in the same building that currently serves the small log line. There was enough space to situate the new large log line, supplied by Lindsay, Ontario-based, TS Manufacturing, in that one building, which was expanded slightly to accommodate a new automated sorting and stacking system that serves both lines.

Because of its new automated Piche 123 bin sorter and stacker, the Heideman operation has been able to increase overall production. It also provides them with many more sort options versus their old manual sorting system, which helps from a marketing standpoint, as it gives them more flexibility with their customers.

Despite switching from a manual to automatic sorting and stacking system, all existing employees have remained with the company and 20 more jobs have been added as a result of the expansion project, for a total complement of 110

employees working on a two-shift basis, five days a week.

Although the expansion project has added more employment, company coowner Kris Heideman says that sorting automation has allowed them to increase throughput by that 60 per cent without requiring a lot more labor. He adds that the company was constrained by its manual sorting system because it was only capable of about 20 sorts at each sawmill location versus the 123 bins in the new system. Finally, the automated system also addresses the challenge of finding enough employees to work in the manual sorting area.

With the extra cost of sawmilling in one location and finishing in another location, as well as the constraints of the manual sorting system, Heideman says that he and his father and business partner, Eddie, realized that their situation wasn’t sustainable over the long term. There was an obvious need to modernize to protect existing jobs.

Lavern Heideman and Sons has been to page 16

Kris Heideman (above), along with his father and business partner, Eddie, have invested $17 million to expand and modernize their specialty wood products sawmill near Eganville, Ontario. These red pine squares are destined for treating and the landscape market.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

15

Ontariosawmilling from page 15 in business for nearly 45 years. It was launched in 1974 with Lavern Heideman and four of his sons as owners. Today, one son, Eddie, and his son, Kris, continue to own and operate this growing business.

What finally made the expansion project feasible was their success in securing more wood in 2016. They became members of the group harvesting merchantable timber in nearby Algonquin Provincial Park. This added 50,000 cubic metres to their total, meaning that they will now process about 215,000 cubic metres annually.

The company is fortunate to be located in a region with one of the most diverse wood baskets in Canada, with their species mix including red pine, white pine, hard maple, yellow birch and oak. Their product line includes red pine squares and timbers destined for pressure treating and eventually the landscaping market, white pine lumber for appearance applications, and green hardwood lumber sold to C. A. Spencer Inc in Laval, Quebec, which sells to page 18

16

A Tigercat 234 loader with a slasher unit (above) bucks logs to length in the Heideman sawmill yard. Lavern Heideman & Sons Limited is fortunate to be located in a region with one of the most diverse wood baskets in Canada, with their species mix including red pine, white pine, hard maple, yellow birch and oak.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

Ontariosawmilling from page 16 finished hardwood lumber products to both domestic and international producers of flooring, doors and cabinetry.

Most of their red pine comes from a private land management program where they have supply agreements with over 100 landowners. They also acquire red pine offered through municipal harvesting tenders. Other wood species processed at the sawmill come from several surrounding provincial Sustainable Forest License (SFL) areas, as well as Algonquin Provincial Park.

Kris says the timing of the sawmill expansion was good because there is growing demand for their products, at a time when the market for wood products generally is doing well. This is quite a change from when they initially expanded operations with the purchase of International Lumber and Pembroke Lumber Company in 2014. At that time, their customers’ businesses were just starting to pick up steam after a recession precipitated by the housing downturn in the United States.

The reason for that purchase was to provide the Heideman operation with direct

control over their white pine lumber finishing, drying and marketing.

“The bulk of our new production is going to be consumed by our existing customers,” says Kris. “They are very supportive of our project and we had extensive conversations with them before we started into this. They wanted the wood and they wanted us to produce the wood for them.

So we are excited about that.”

The expansion, consolidation, and relocation project began in April 2017 and is expected to wrap up completely in November 2018.

The entire new sawline conveyance infrastructure was provided by TS Manufacturing. Logs entering the sawmill first encounter a Nicholson R2 ring debarker, leading to the TS slant carriage and then either to the double cut band headrig or diverted to the repurposed, TS band resaw from the old large log line. Carriage controls and optimization technology was provided by Autolog.

“We do just enough log breakdown on the carriage to capture some of the high grade hardwood lumber or to size the cants for the resaw,” says Kris. “Both the double cut band headrig and the resaw

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

are cutting all the time.”

Wood products are then processed through the TS Canadian style trimmer.

Heideman says that they chose TS Manufacturing as their main supplier because they had experience with the company when installing their small log line in 1997 and a band resaw unit on the large log line in 2005. They were pleased with the products and services that TS Manufacturing provided. It was also beneficial to have a supplier headquartered reasonably close by for quick customer service response, if required.

After primary breakdown, wood products from both the small and large log lines merge into the new Piche 123 bin sorter and stacker. Logitech provided the sorting software technology for this system.

“We can sort by dimension and/or grade,” says Kris. “We can sort for value, we can do more width sorting, we can do more length sorting, and we can separate grades that we previously put together.”

The only modification made to the small log line as part of this expansion to page 20

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Ontariosawmilling from page 18 project was the addition of a Piche lug loader which feeds into the Piche sorter.

They purchased two new propane-fired Cathild dry kilns as part of this project for their white pine products, each able to dry up to 60,000 board feet in one charge. Prior to this investment, all wood products were air dried.

“We still air dry a high percentage of our lumber, but the kilns have allowed us to manage our inventory much better,” says Kris.

While the planer mill is being moved entirely to Eganville into a new building, there was no requirement to spend additional capital on it at the present time, only to move it closer to sawmilling and drying operations to save on transportation costs.

Kilmarnock Enterprises from Smith Falls, Ontario provided installation and project management services on the expansion project. Renfrewbased Valley Automation and Control Inc. was the electrical contractor, Jamieson Mackay Forming and Construction Ltd was the concrete supplier, and Cornerstone Builders worked with Kilmarnock to provide building erection services. RJ Selle & Son Sand and Gravel Ltd provided site preparation services.

“Overall, with a project of this size, we’ve been quite happy with the scheduling as well as remaining on budget,” says Kris. “We have been very pleased with everything that we have started up so far. Pretty much everything has met or exceeded our expectations as far as production capabilities, efficiency, and improvement in working conditions.”

They have also been very satisfied with the service support and training provided by the various suppliers to the project to familiarize employees with the systems that monitor production and sorting control to ensure quick and appropriate response to any issues.

With completion of the planer move to Eganville, the focus will then be on fine-tuning the entire production flow. Both Eddie and Kris are eager to witness the entire operation working according to design, as the company enters a new phase in its evolution.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

millprofile

IDAHO MILL gets high tech makeover

The Idaho sawmill of Woodgrain Millwork is definitely on the upswing, thanks to a high tech makeover with equipment from suppliers, including HewSaw and Bosch Rexroth.

By Barbara Coyner

M

any thought the final epitaph had been written for the historic sawmill site in Emmett, Idaho when the Boise Cascade sawmill closed in 2011. A string of new owners came and went after that—but uncertainty seems to be in the rear-view mirror these days since Woodgrain Millwork purchased the site in 2016.

Eager to outfit the dormant facility with a major high tech makeover, the mill is now up and running the latest in sawmill equipment, indicating that the new owners see an optimistic future in southern Idaho.

“It’s been quite a journey over the last couple of years,” says Emmett Woodgrain mill manager Bob Shaw, a hometown boy who began his wood products career at the old Boise Cascade mill. When Boise Cascade left town, Shaw moved over to Woodgrain, managing the company’s door plant at nearby Nampa, before being tapped for the manager slot at Emmett.

The home office for Woodgrain Millworks is just miles away in Fruitland, with other manufacturing plants across the U.S. and in Chile. The company churns out doors, mouldings and some 60 other secondary wood products, with Home Depot featuring Woodgrain as its largest moulding supplier.

The new sawmill at Emmett stands out

The new sawmill at Emmett, Idaho, stands out as Woodgrain Millwork’s first primary breakdown facility since its earlier days in Utah in the 1950s.

22

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

to page 24

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millprofile

The new HewSaw SL250 2.2 multi-side breakdown line is now a centrepiece of the Idaho sawmill of Woodgrain Millwork, with the system now handling up to 16-foot logs vs. the past 12foot log length. from page 22 as the company’s first primary breakdown facility since its earlier days in Utah in the 1950s.

Rattling off a long list of mill upgrades and improvements, Shaw notes that the new HewSaw SL250 2.2 multi-side breakdown line is the star of the show, now handling up to 16-foot logs vs. the past

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

12-foot log length. The mill’s older large log side has seen some upgrades, as well, but the small log side is all new.

“We’ve changed the layout of the mill drastically and improved the flow,” he points out. “We looked over where we could change things for better efficiency.

It’s not up to full production yet, but we’re getting close.”

The choice of HewSaw evolved after Woodgrain researched equipment and booked a trip to Finland. “We liked the logs-to-lumber line,” Shaw says of the HewSaw. “One pass and you’re done.

We’re still not up to full volume and are at 1,500 logs per shift. But we hope to be up to 2,000 logs per shift before too long.”

“Independent sawmillers are our main customers,” explains Bruce Delicaet, General Manager of HewSaw U.S. “These customers rely on us to find the right balance between cost, efficiency and reliability. They need usable technology that enhances their sawmill’s productivity without unnecessarily adding to its complexity”.

For Delicaet, the Emmett facility is all about practical innovation, with HewSaw pulling together a tried-and-true group of equipment suppliers that has fine-tuned its team after years of working together.

He touts the whole installation as a turnkey approach, reducing risks to the owners. “We tend to see ourselves more as partners than suppliers,” he adds.

The basic needs of the new small log side were met with the flexibility of the HewSaw itself, allowing Woodgrain to mill Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and white fir,

millprofile always being nimble to changing markets and manufacturing needs. For example, the saw’s chipper canter can maneuver to take five boards off the cant, then turn 90 degrees to re-scan, sending the products on to the bull edger, again maximizing every log for full value.

The high tech wizardry is augmented

by HewSaw longtime partner Prologic+, which integrated their unique G2880 heads with dual cameras for the log scanner to get a 100 per cent reading coverage, and the G2380 for the cant scanner. Both models were provided with LMI scanner heads, to fine tune the scanning and optimizing capabilities. In this instance, Woodgrain opted to install two scanning zones, one at primary breakdown and one prior to the bull edger.

Bosch Rexroth came in with sophisticated Sytronix hydraulic drives, and as Bosch’s Rodney Trail notes, “it’s the most advanced system we’ve done to date for HewSaw. This machine is so advanced that it has a mind of its own, so the information going back and forth is really mind blowing. The Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) can actually tell the operator what’s wrong with itself. It is very intelligent.”

Trail defines the hydraulics as the heartbeat of the system. “Hydraulics get the tools in position fast and they have to be reliable. It’s all done with hydraulics and if the hydraulics stop, it all stops. Motioning pulls it all together. It’s how a machine motions. That’s where it all starts.”

While Trail can give a good primer on the importance of hydraulics, he’s more enthused to talk about the forward thinking that has come into the field. He’s especially impressed with the freedom he and others had in designing the system for Woodgrain.

“The owners were open to all forward thinking and they really took advantage of that forward thinking, which will save them buckets full of energy,” says Trail.

“That HPU is so smart in terms of positioning of tools, and positioning of controls and flow. It is excellent because of pressure control and the whole positioning loop. There is more velocity and more gap control. There is so much accuracy.

It’s just a finely tuned ballet.” And that ballet, it turns out, is designed to operate with far less power being pulled from the power grid. The savings in energy costs for Woodgrain will be substantial.

“The Emmett system is the most advanced Smart System we’ve produced,” Trail says. “It was a joy to build and it’s the crown jewel for us.”

With “Industry 4.0” the new measuring stick for manufacturing perfection these days, Trail feels the Emmett facility definitely earns high marks. Citing the fact that humans, machines, sensors and devices all connect and communicate with one another, Trail notes that the automated systems also create a data history, putting that data in context. There is the symbiotic relationship between machines and people, as well, with machines taking on tasks too difficult or unsafe for humans. Ultimately, the machines are also capable of functioning in an autonomous manner in more routine situations.

Another advantage of this technology is that it allows mill staff to call upon the expertise of off-site specialists for technical assistance any time of the day. Here Delicaet weighs in on the importance of having smart technology that allows troubleshooting from afar. An equipment

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

25

to page 26

millprofile from page 25 expert from Canada might be working in collaboration with a European specialist to help identify and correct an issue with a system located in Idaho, thanks to the commonality of supply and the worldwide cyber highways.

“We deliver an integrated package that is tried and true,” says Delicaet. “Our belief is this level of technology is not only functional but helps to mitigate the customer’s overall risk during the life of the sawline.

Our customers don’t need added risk—they have enough without their suppliers adding to it,” Delicaet emphasizes.

Placing the new Emmett mill in the bigger context for Woodgrain, there’s much to be said for having the primary breakdown facility just miles from other processing

Congratulations, Woodgrain Millwork, on your start-up!

26

plants at Nampa and Fruitland. Because the boards from Emmett are destined to become appearance-based products, they need careful handling and packaging. Here Woodgrain looked to the Signode Industrial Group.

“The company’s BPX strapping system really caught Woodgrain’s eye, with its top edge protectors, independent side compression units, and other features promising efficient and protective packaging and shipping,” says Dave Rentz, Signode Equipment Project Manager. Additionally, the strapping equipment features easy-touse modules, making changing of strapping heads much simpler, and eliminating the need for fork trucks or cranes. Signode furnished training for the fully automatic system, including equipment maintenance training.

Meanwhile, as technology fine tunes in the sawmill, it’s definitely got its strong points for Bob Shaw, who cut his teeth on sawmilling in an entirely different era. He’s seen the human labor associated with the old green chain and other manual chores, and the eventual upgrades to scanners and computerization. In the new Emmett system, he really sees the advantages in speed, accuracy and efficiency, but human safety is one of the biggest selling points to the new technology. “Woodgrain doesn’t just look at safety as a priority, it’s a corporate value,” he says. “Priorities change, values do not. We want to make this mill as much hands-off as possible. For example, we have fences around the mill and if a gate opens, the mill shuts off.”

Beyond the safety of his current 50 employees, Shaw is tasked with finding the new wave of mill workers, the ones who embrace technology and are tech savvy.

“It’s one of my biggest challenges, finding the right people.

We held over some of the old employees, but this is knowledge work, not the old style labor work. We have to have some training for the new ways of doing things.”

For Shaw, the look backward to the old heyday of sawmilling in the region has been replaced with an excitement about Emmett’s and Woodgrain’s future.

“The owners, I believe, have built something special here.

It’s good for the employees, it’s good for the customers, and it’s good for the community. The equipment and technology are so amazing.

“For a while, I have been focused on the short term, but now in the long term, I’d like to see us become the preferred employer and an economic driver around here. It’s been said that in the wood products industry, every dollar turns over seven times. The grocery store, the drug store, the hair dressers and gas stations, everybody gets a piece of that dollar. I’d like to think this will help with a community revival as new businesses come in and there is new life in town.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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contractorprofile Tilt Contracting’s Russ Parsons has grown his operation, thanks to a strong focus on having logging equipment that delivers on B.C.’s steep slopes—and counts himself fortunate for having a solid crew, both at work and on the home front.

G

g n

l l u

it l

f

i o

By Paul MacDonald

B

.C. logging contractor Russ Parsons has known some of his logging crew for a long time—a very long time.

“I went to school with at least half of the crew,” says the 41-year-old Parsons, who owns Tilt Contracting in Powell River, at the northern end of B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. “They’ve been friends, and they have stayed around Powell River,” he says. And Parsons has also stayed around Powell River.

One of the keys to a successful logging operation are the people who step into the equipment cabs each morning, as operations start.

“I’ve always been very fortunate to have a good bunch of guys on the crew, and a supportive and loving crew at home, which is my wife and two daughters,” says Parsons.

One of his non-school crewmates is his Dad, Ivan Parsons, who is soon to be 65, and still works as an operator. “This might be his last year operating equipment—but I really don’t know if he’ll ever retire. It

28

… t

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

contractorprofile

Contractor Russ Parsons (above) stresses the importance of having good operators in the cabs of his equipment, whether it’s a loader, feller buncher or processor.

“The guys who are in the seats of the equipment are going to determine, in part, if you are going to be productive, and be able to make your monthly equipment payments,” he says. just wouldn’t be the same out there without Pa,” laughs Parsons.

Parsons says he always tries to open and honest with the crew—and they appreciate that. If they have slower times, he gives them a head’s up that they may be off for a while. “But when things get busy again, and I make the call to them, they come back.”

They’re a good bunch of guys, he says, and they enjoy working for Tilt Contracting, and Parsons. And they know that he is working just as hard, if not harder, than they are. Like his crew, Parsons has a great work ethic.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

“I’m not the company owner who sits in the office and who doesn’t know how to run equipment,” he says. “I try to be out there, with the crew. And if I’m not out there in the bush, I’m usually out there trying to find work for us.” Or he could be in the company’s relatively new shop, helping out with maintenance and repairs.

Parsons stresses the importance of having good operators in the cab of his

to page 30

29

contractorprofile

With the growth in the amount of higher elevation work on the B.C. Coast, Tilt Contracting has been looking at tethered systems, for steep slope work. But there has to be enough area designated for tethered equipment, and the rates have to be there, for it to make sense financially. from page 29 equipment, whether it’s a loader, feller buncher or processor.

“The guys who are in the seats of the equipment are going to determine, in part, if you are going to be productive, and be able to make your monthly equipment payments,” he says. “Or, in some cases, they can increase your maintenance bill for the month, if you get the wrong people in the seat.”

Parsons himself has been in the operator’s seat himself since he was a teenager.

Tilt Contracting itself was started in 2004, when Parsons joined forces with logging veterans Monty Hussey and Bob Nassichuck. The two later sold him their

shares of the business, and Parsons took over as sole owner.

“We then starting doing some work on Vancouver Island, and some work up the coast, in Bute Island—lots of sub-contracting felling and processing.”

Following that came the economic and industry downturn, and Parsons focused on getting through those difficult times.

“We then got an opportunity with Island Timberlands,” he explained. “They were putting out tender packages for stump to dump, and we bid on it and were awarded the contract.

“That changed everything—we now had control of the job and were getting paid directly by the company, and it worked out really well.”

30

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

From that time forward, Tilt Contracting has grown. They’ve continued to do work for Island Timberlands, and worked for a lengthy time for Olympic Forest Products.

But an opportunity also came up to work for Western Forest Products, the major licencee on the B.C. Coast.

“We’re now coming up on working for Western for 11 years, working directly for them as a stump-to-dump contactor,” says Parsons. “We started out with three or four machines, and we’ve continued to grow, adding a machine or so a year, up to the size we are now, which is 16 machines.” to page 32

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contractorprofile

Technology delivers for Tilt

I

n addition to the high tech equipment that their logging machine hit the bush with, Tilt Contracting works with their clients to incorporate new technology, to help them log better.

Western Forest Products uses an ISRI program, ARC/GIS, for all their mapping, and Tilt Contracting was the first logging contractor in Powell River to work with the system.

“It’s working really well, and it saves time,” says Tilt Contracting’s Ross Parsons.

Western Forest Products e-mails the

files to them, and they can download them and use PDF Expert to make notes on the maps and files.

Islands Timberlands has been a leader on the B.C. Coast in employing LiDAR, which provides detailed maps to contractors.

“It’s great for the feller buncher operators and hoe chuckers,” says Parsons.

“There were some rocky areas in the last block we started, and it showed exactly where the steep areas are. It’s a block where there are bluffs, and it

from page 30

Madill 2250 tilting feller processor, with a Waratah 626 head.

“It was the first Madill buncher they had ever put together with that size a head on it,” recalls Parsons.

They’ve also worked with some Cat equipment. Tilt Contracting has two Cat 330C machines, that they use for processing, and a Cat 330D log loader.

“They are solid—the quality is there.

We never have to weld anything on the

The growth has been rewarding for Parsons. “I’ve always been ambitious to grow the business,” he says.

They’ve worked with a variety of equipment over the years. But their first equipment was B.C.-born and developed, from Madill Equipment. The company’s name, Tilt Contracting, actually came from their first piece of equipment: a

showed exactly where those are so the operators knew what was ahead of them.”

Tilt Contracting is in the process of installing I-Pads in all of their equipment, which should be complete by the end of the year.

“The guys have been using SmartPhones equipped with Avenza Maps, but we will soon have I-Pads in every piece of equipment,” says Parsons.

With LiDAR information, the I-Pads will let them know at a quick glance where they are in a cublock, and what is around, and ahead, of them.

boom or the undercarriage,” says Parsons.

“They just go, and go, and go. They may not be the quickest machines, but if you are in a large stand of timber, they really do shine. They’ve got the power.”

A lot of the equipment they have been purchasing in recent years, however, has been Tigercat. “We got our first Tigercat buncher in 2011, and I ran it a lot of the time,” says Parsons. “It was extremely productive and comfortable. And the service was incredible—they were always there if we needed help.

“From there, I’ve bought more and more Tigercat equipment. They are strictly forestry, and it shows in their equipment, since it is purpose built.”

Making the initial investment in purchasing equipment is of course a big deal, but so is the service side, Parsons says. If that is not there, they can be stuck with equipment that, plain and simple, is not working, and not generating production.

“It can be a huge problem if the service side is not there,” says Parsons. That has never been an issue with Tigercat, and B.C. Tigercat dealer, the Inland Group.

Operationally, like a lot of coastal contractors, Tilt Contracting can at times face the challenge of overlapping phases in the work it does, and they have to be flexible with their equipment. A contractor can have a couple of blocks on the go, and road construction can still be going on in a particular area. This kind of situation involves more co-ordination and communication, and can affect productivity, says Parsons.

“We try to minimize how many times we handle the wood. Anytime you’re touching the wood twice, it essentially doubles the cost,” says Parsons. to page 34

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

contractorprofile from page 32

A lot of the equipment Tilt Contracting has been purchasing in recent years has been Tigercat. Russ Parsons is a fan of the equipment, since it is purpose built—and they get solid service support from Tigercat, and dealer, the Inland Group.

“So when you are getting into areas where a trucking contractor has not yet hauled the right-of-way wood, and you are you having to move that wood to the other side of the road to keep your processor working, it costs you time, fuel and wages.

We want to be as efficient as possible, and stay away from that.” Winter conditions can also definitely play a huge role in adding costs when they are not able to haul, yet they still try to be productive and keep the crews employed, he added.

With the growth in the amount of higher elevation work on the B.C. Coast, Tilt Contracting has been looking at tethered systems, for steep slope work.

“We almost purchased a system not too long ago,” says Parsons. “But the biggest thing is having enough areas designated for tethered equipment, to have it make sense financially.” Key to all this, too, are licencees paying a rate that compensates contractors for the investment, and the higher costs of harvesting wood on steep slopes.

“You’ve got to have a realistic contract and the workload there to justify putting the money into a steep slope system,” notes Parsons.

But he said they are prepared for it, equipment-wise. They have a Tigercat L855D tilting hoe chucker that could easily be converted with a felling head. “We already have the winch mount for the machine in the yard of the shop. And we have two L870C bunchers. They could both hit the slopes—we just need the winch system.

“I think we could do well with winch assisted equipment. But we need a steady amount of steep slope volume wood, like 80,000 or 90,000 cubic metres, and the rate, to make it pay.”

Part of the interest in steep slope equipment is a focus by Tilt Contracting to be creative and innovative with their harvesting, and keep their equipment current. They want to be seen as an attractive place to work, with their operators working in newer equipment, which should help attract younger people to the business, and the company. “We also try to have some fun out there,” says Parsons.

“When you really look at it, what the guys do out there is pretty neat—logging is a pretty cool job.”

But it can be a tough, and very competitive, business, notes Parsons. To run a to page 36

34

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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contractorprofile from page 34 professional, safe logging operation, you need to have fair and reasonable rates.

A number of contractors have exited the business in recent years because those rates have not been there—or logging volume has been shifted to another operation because they are able to do the work a bit cheaper.

Parsons notes that contractor sustainability is a focus with the managers at Western Forest Products, and it has worked to keep a steady supply of timber going to Tilt, which in turn provides steady work for the crew.

At the end of the day, Parsons says, he needs to make a reasonable amount of return on what amounts to a huge investment in people, and equipment.

He wants to pay his crew good wages for the hard work and long hours they put in, and have good equipment for them to operate.

“You know, my heart is in logging,” he says. “But we need to make money at what we are doing—it’s not enough to just love logging.”

New shop allows move into rebuilding processing heads

A

major change for logging contractor Tilt Contracting in the last couple of years was getting a new shop built, just outside of Powell River, B.C. Previously, the company had a fabric-covered building where maintenance had been done.

“I was looking to make some changes, and always wanted to have this kind of shop,” says Tilt Contracting’s Russ Parsons. “We’ve worked out in the cold and rain, and it’s hard to run a proper equipment maintenance program like that.” So Parsons bought some property to the south of Powell River, and built a 2,700 square foot, two-bay shop.

“We now have a place where we can do all our own maintenance, and it is clean, efficient and organized,” says Parsons. “When you have skilled tradespeople, you want to treat them

right, and have a proper shop facility.”

He noted they’ve had their share of being out in the mud and wet weather, changing rollers on equipment in the middle of winter.

Like all loggers, they’ve had situations where the repairs were done only when needed. Sometimes the thought is you fix something when it is broken—you don’t want to bring the machine into the shop, and lose production time.

But that can result in having to rip out the rollers on a machine or an engine failure, out in the woods, in winter.

“At times, we’ve been there and done that,” says Parsons. “But it was time for us to invest more in our facilities, and show that we are serious players. When we are negotiating logging rates, we are basing it on that we are a company with a proper maintenance program, and a proper health and safety program—and we stick by that.

“We bring the equipment in and do

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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contractorprofile A major change for logging contractor Tilt Contracting—and its mechanics—in the last couple of years was getting a new 2,700 square foot, two-bay shop built, just outside of Powell River, B.C.

the things that need to be done, and have it in the shop for a week or two. When it goes back out there, it only requires minimal maintenance,” says Parsons.

“The guys have everything they need in the shop, they are not having to go back and forth from the bush to grab parts— they can thoroughly go over a piece of equipment, fix it properly, and we send it back out.”

Every one of their 16 pieces of equipment has its service file, with detailed information on maintenance and repairs.

“Every machine has a check-off sheet that the mechanics go through, to make sure we are doing what the manufacturer requires.”

Parsons says that while their maintenance records are paper-based, it is still a very efficient system. At some point, they

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

will make the move to a computerized system. “What we have now works just fine,” he says.

They share the maintenance shop with KLG Timber, who is one of their hauling contractors as well as a fabricating company.

“Eric Gaudreau with KLG Timber is an amazing fabricator, and I wanted to build something for him so we could rebuild our equipment, such as our log loaders and processing heads.”

In fact, they are now looking at rebuilding Waratah processing heads as a side business and have rebuilt two heads already for Tilt’s P1 and P4 machines.

“KLG Timber also has three logging trucks and shared ownership between myself and Eric,” says Parsons.

37

millprofile

Upping veneer

VOLUME Family-owned ATCO Wood Products has been able to double its production of veneer products over the last five years, with a series of smaller equipment upgrades and changes—and a team approach at the company.

By Paul MacDonald

B

Scott Weatherford (above), the CEO of ATCO Wood Products, explains that the team approach they’ve taken at the company has been a key part of its success.

“We looked at how we had a lot of good people and how we could bring everyone together in a way that we could unlock the potential of all of the assets of ATCO.” 38

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

.C.’s ATCO Wood Products will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2019—but it’s certainly a young thinking and dynamic company when it comes to business.

Case in point: with nothing in the way of major upgrades, the company has managed to double its production over the last five years.

Located in the West Kootenays region of British Columbia, ATCO Wood Products is a leading producer of softwood veneers and related byproducts. It specializes in manufacturing custom softwood veneer for plywood and engineered wood products customers in both Canada and the U.S. For almost six decades, the company has been steadily turning out wood products from its plant in the small town of Fruitvale, in southeastern B.C. And its efforts and achievements have been recognized. The company was the

winner of the 2017 BC Export Awards in the Natural Resources Category, and it was selected as the 2018 Canadian Family Enterprise of the Year, by the Family Enterprise Exchange.

Scott Weatherford, the company’s CEO, explains the company has deep family roots; the grandfather of his wife, Rebecca, founded the company in the 1950s.

Scott and Rebecca bought the company in 2007—and a very interesting, and difficult time, to say the least, followed, says Scott.

“I remember working on the deal to buy the company, and things were starting to get a bit iffy in the market, but overall it was still looking pretty good—and we had good projections. I thought we might see a 10 per cent correction.

“When we took over the business in early 2007, we got a couple of months under our belt, and thought, OK, well, this is do-able. It was like riding a bike—maybe a bit wobbly, but we were getting into it.

“Then in May and June of that year, the bottom started falling out of the markets—and each month got worse and worse and worse,” says Scott. “Through the next couple of years, it was really dismal, with a lot of red ink on the books.”

The silver lining, he says, is that difficult

times can provide the opportunity to make not-so-easy changes. “In good times, it can be easy to say, well, things are good, why rock the boat with changes. Well, back then, the boat was already being rocked, big time. Lumber was selling for $145 a thousand, and veneer markets were no different.”

Scott and Rebecca, and senior management, recognized that the company had to make a lot of changes if they were going to get through the Great Recession.

“We had a lot of great core assets,” explains Scott. “We had our forestry assets, our plant operations with lots of modern equipment, a good location with access to our markets—and we had, and have, a lot of dedicated people.

“The effort became how to bring all those assets together in a new way. We came up with what we thought was a way out.”

A key change is that they took a team approach to the business and the culture of ATCO. Some companies in the forest industry have tried to incorporate a team approach to their business; but being a mature industry, forest companies tend to follow the “we’ve always done it this way, why change now” philosophy.

“Rebecca and I come from completely different backgrounds than the forest industry, though,” Scott says. “We looked at how we had a lot of good people and how we could organize them, and bring everyone together in a way so that we could unlock the potential of all of the assets of ATCO.” They proceeded to, as Scott says, “bring everyone into the tent”, from senior management to the plant floor, to the people in the woods.

“We shared information with them on the realities of the business at the time, and encouraged them to come along with us.” It was very much an approach of Scott and Rebecca investing everything they had in the company, and employees investing their time and careers in ATCO. “We wanted to figure things out together.”

Together, they were able to survive the downturn, doing things they had not done before. For example, to take advantage of good chip markets, they got into whole log chipping. During the downturn, sawmills, the source of residual wood, were shutting down right and left, but pulp mills still needed chips—and ATCO had chipping equipment.

“We thought, what if we brought logs

to page 40 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

39

millprofile from page 39 in and reconfigured some operations. We ended up putting a one-year chipping program together, and taking employees who had been laid off from our veneer shifts, and hiring them for the chipping operation—it was different, but it was do-able. There have been other similar projects, too.”

The company is now thriving, thanks to this business approach and some very healthy wood products markets in the U.S. “That team effort continues today—as a result, it has generated a lot of good ideas about operational changes at ATCO.” All of the changes, and the change in culture, positioned the company well going into a very significant improvement in the wood products market, including for veneer.

“The benefits of that in terms of added value, reduced costs and everyone being really conscientious about the business model back then has delivered huge benefits for ATCO now,” says Scott. “That culture change saw us making operational changes, and seeing the benefits from those changes.”

One result is that they’ve been able to increase veneer production by a stunning 50 per cent over the last five years, on the same footprint, with pretty much the same equipment.

“The culture change at ATCO has transitioned very nicely from tough markets to good markets,” he says. “We make sure that we are spending dollars wisely, and most of the investments we’ve made have worked out really well.”

With the plant investments, the focus is on making changes that will improve productivity, quality and safety. They have a good safety record, but are not content to rest on that, and are consistently looking at ways to improve.

With equipment, they have made strategic smaller investments, says Scott.

“There have been no wholesale replacements of large lines. But we work closely with equipment suppliers to understand what new things they are working on.”

This means working with veneer equipment and associated suppliers such as Ventek (which is now part of USNR), Elite Automation, and Raute.

On the equipment side, their cutoff saw is home-made, and the mill is

equipped with a VK Kodiak debarker.

They have a Bruks drum chipper that screens through a BM&M screen, and a Universal hog. The plant is equipped with an AJ Equipment dust cyclone (multiclone).

The equipment line-up also includes a Raute charger, a Premier Gear lathe, Ventek scanner, Raute clipper, all with controls by Elite Automation. They also have a Raute stacker, with controls by Raute.

The plant includes an Acrowood veneer chipper that screens through a BM&M screen, and a REFORM Knife Grinder.

And, Scott adds, they are not afraid to be early adopters of technology or equipment. If it means being the first or second to implement it, they’re fine with that.

“We may not be on the leading edge, but we’re not far behind,” he says.

It’s critical, Scott added, to extract the most value and make the most use out of each part of every log that comes in the yard.

He notes they have done a good deal of electronic upgrades. “On our lathe, we’ve replaced every computer, motor, and electronic device.” They’ve implemented new control systems from Elite Automation to make use of the latest technologies. A Ventek Multi-Point Diverter system has been installed to better sort product.

A recent significant addition was the installation of a new dust collection system, from Corbilt Welding and Fabrication, and Wrangler Engineering. The Corbilt Group of Companies includes Corbilt Welding and Fabrication Ltd., AJ Equipment Installations Ltd., and Wrangler Engineering Ltd. The Enderby, B.C.-based firm is a full service design, fabrication and installation company. Wrangler Engineering Ltd’s primary focus areas includes the design of dust solutions for existing equipment, including low pressure collection systems in addition to design solutions for existing OEM equipment.

Besides the new equipment, there is also an increased focus on quality at the company, and ATCO now has a Quality Assurance Manager.

“We’ve also done a lot of work looking at the various impact of variables on the quality of veneer and the production process, such as different knives, different lathe settings, and how that impacts quality,” says Scott. “We want to deliver the quality characteristics that are important to our customers.”

to page 42 40

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The upgrades also extend to mobile equipment in the yard, with an investment in a new Cat 980M wheel loader, from Cat dealer Finning, and they also have a John Deere 624, from Brandt Tractor, to feed the veneer plant. They have a number of Cat forklifts around the plant.

A recent new initiative for ATCO involves setting up a landscape division, to sell products such as landscape ties from the small cores leftover after peeling, and packaged bark. To achieve the latter, they have acquired screen equipment from overseas manufacturers, to process bark that is ground from the Universal Hog. It is, says Scott, a matter of figuring out how they could fit into that market. ATCO is not a giant company, but they are also not a small portable mill operation that might not have enough material to get into the landscape market in a reasonable way.

“We are in between and we have a fair amount of material.” It would also help to diversify their use of hog material, which is presently transported and used to generate power at an Avista plant across the U.S./ Canada border. “We want to add more value, and it just makes good business sense to explore the landscape market.”

Though it is the driving force, and the major component of the company, the veneer manufacturing plant is one of four parts of ATCO, the others being forest land ownership, forest management, and a short-line railway (see sidebar story on the railway on page 44).

The company owns 25,000 acres of forestlands, and also has two Crown forest licences. This part of B.C. has a fair amount of private land, with railway land grants dating back to the 1800s. ATCO also manages other private forest landholdings. It is, in fact, one of the largest forestry management companies in the West Kootenays, with licenses and contracts to sustainably manage over 350,000 acres.

“We see the forest management side as an opportunity to grow and take our 60 years of forest management expertise and provide that to other land owners,” says Scott.

Depending on the client and their needs, ATCO can provide a full roster of forest management services, or specific services such as planning and silviculture.

The forest management work the company does for other landholders helps them to achieve some economies of scale with that operation. The company takes pride in its forest management history, and that it has built up its forest management

millprofile group. All of their foresters and forestry technicians are in-house. “The only things we contract out are the harvesting, log hauling and tree planting—we do everything else,” says Scott. “And there is 60 years of knowledge and experience we can bring to the table.”

Since ATCO has solid relationships with other mills in the region, they can also effectively market the timber from these other landholdings, in addition to their own.

Log sales, and trading, is really second nature to the industry in this part of the province, due to the unique nature of the resource, and the varied nature of the industry. The region is home to the Kootenay Mix Forest, a diverse forest of 13 different species, many of which can be present in a single hectare of land.

“We could have fir, spruce, cedar, larch, hemlock, balsam and deciduous, all within the same cut block,” says Scott. “It can be a challenge harvesting, because of all the different log sorts required. But it makes for a vibrant trading relationship in the region because every mill is specialized. A cedar log will go there, a sawlog will go someplace else, the high specialty

timber goes to another operation, and and a peeler log will come to us.” ATCO produces veneer in four species: Douglas fir, larch, spruce and hemlock.

The end result is that the right log is more likely to end up at the right milling operation, so the best use is made of the timber resource.

Even though ATCO is a private land owner, Scott says the company is not necessarily an advocate of more private land ownership in B.C. “I think the Crown model has also worked well. It’s a public resource with a stumpage system that more or less reflects the market.”

Like many in the industry, though, he has concerns about the stability of the provincial timber harvesting base, the “Working Forest”.

“With it being a public resource, you get all the different competing users on the land base coming forward, recreational, conservation, industrial—and from our perspective, the working forest components of B.C. forests tends to get pushed to the bottom.

“It always seems like the forest industry is being asked to give up some more—and then some more, and then some more.

“We’ve seen an erosion in that timber landbase and that concerns me. Every acre you take out of that landbase is definitely going to impact jobs somewhere in the forest industry. There needs to be more recognition that the working forest of B.C. has an important place, and that competing values on the land can co-exist.” He noted that ATCO consults on a regular basis with recreational users, such as ski clubs, with both its private and Crown lands.

Though there may be landbase challenges ahead, Scott says they are very excited about the future, and ATCO’s opportunities. “The world is really waking up to the benefits of using wood,” he said.

He noted that some of their customers are moving beyond producing just sheathing plywood to engineered wood that can suit specific applications. “One of our customers is developing Mass Plywood Panels— there are some exciting things going on that are going to increase the demand for veneer. It’s an exciting time for us and we’re really bullish on the future for veneer and veneer-based products.”

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43

millprofile

ATCO Wood Products’ rail line has its own locie, #4519, a model GP 9 whose 16-cylinder engine delivers some 1,750 horsepower.

ATCO Wood Products also operates its own rail line

I

t may be one of the best kept secrets in the business: ATCO Wood Products has the only rail link between Vancouver and Winnipeg with a U.S. railroader.

For decades, the Nelson & Fort Sheppard short line running south to the border was owned by U.S.-based railroad company, BNSF. The rail line was spun off by BNSF in the late 1990s, and had been purchased by a local businessmen, and the line, and its maintenance, was not a top priority.

“So I approached him and said that if he was ever looking to get out of the rail business, to please let me know,” says ATCO CEO Scott Weatherford. “He showed up at our office the next morning, with a box of financials, asking me to make an offer.”

In a sense, ATCO ended up buying the eight-mile rail line by necessity. “We’ve always shipped our veneer using that rail line, to plywood mills in Washington and Oregon,” explained Scott. “It would be really difficult to operate our business without that rail link. It’s not cost effective to ship into the U.S. by truck, and I’m not even sure we’d be able to get all the trucks we’d need.

“We had no great aspirations to be railroad people, but it’s crucial to our business,” Scott added.

The line came with its own locie, #4519, a model GP 9 built by the Electro Motive Division of General Motors. The locie’s 16-cylinder EMD engine generates some 1,750 horsepower.

They have since made investments in

44

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

modernizing the rail line, and have actually started marketing services to other companies in the industry.

“It’s a unique situation,” says Scott.

“It’s the only place between Vancouver and Winnipeg where a rail link comes into Canada—we have the short line, and we can ship directly on to the BNSF network.” That’s a plus, since BNSF has the largest freight railroad network in North America.

ATCO has set up a rail reload, and they are now bringing in lumber and woodrelated products from other companies, and shipping it on their line, to connect up with BNSF. “We are looking to more fully utilize this rail asset that we have,” says Scott.

“It’s similar to what we do with the mill: we want to do more with what we have, with a little investment here and a little investment there.” Ideally, they like to leverage the heck out of all their assets.

So what is it like to own your rail line, even a small one?

“It’s kind of fun most days,” says Scott.

“But when something goes wrong, it really goes wrong, and it can be expensive to fix. It’s very capital intensive.”

But a bonus is the public train rides the company does twice a year for the community, with the passenger car that the rail line came with. It would also, says Scott, make a great backdrop for a movie. “I’m still waiting for Hollywood to discover it, and give us a call,” he says, with a laugh.

smallsawmilling

SAWMILLING is sometimes like a box of chocolates …

V & R Sawing owner Vernon Heatwole (right) appreciates how his sawmill near Rosthern, Saskatchewan is developing into a family business. Son, Marcus, is one of three of Vernon’s sons who currently help him in the custom sawmilling business.

Operating a small sawmill for Saskatchewan’s Vernon Heatwole can be like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, in that he never knows what kind of unusual lumber order the next phone call will bring.

By Tony Kryzanowski hile it took some time to establish a client base, Saskatchewan sawmill owner Vernon Heatwole has demonstrated that there is no shortage of demand for good sawmilling skills and custom wood products, especially in these days when many smaller Canadian communities no longer have lumber yards.

There was a time when bigger towns had at least a lumber yard and a grocery store to support the surrounding community. But as people migrated into cities and farms became bigger with fewer

farmers, many small town lumber yards closed down. For those who have continued to live by choice in small town or rural Canada, buying the basics like a stick of lumber or a loaf of bread has become harder and more expensive, sometimes requiring a road trip of more than an hour from home. Over the past half-century, Saskatchewan in particular has witnessed considerable migration away from its small towns.

That’s why businesses like V & R Sawing are such a benefit to smaller communities like Rosthern, Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.

48

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

W

Heatwole says that it brings him great satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment that he’s able to fulfill his customers’ needs with wood products not easily attainable, while also having the opportunity to work with his children. Each phone call is interesting from the standpoint of the variety of custom wood products he is asked to manufacture.

The custom sawmilling and wood products business is highly visible, located about 45 minutes north of Saskatoon,

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

right along the busy Hwy. 11 corridor that connects Saskatchewan’s largest city with Prince Albert. Heatwole says that visibility has been great for attracting customers, with the majority coming from about a 100 kilometre radius of Saskatoon.

“There are many farmers in this area, and that’s our main customer base, along with some customers for industrial wood materials,” says Heatwole. “We do quite a lot of corral material in 2” X 6” dimensions in 16’ lengths, as well as windbreak slabs.”

While the good news is that he is surrounded by farms, the bad news is that he is surrounded by farms—which means that he has to transport logs to the mill.

But he says that hasn’t been a hindrance.

While Rosthern itself is a farming area, it sits on the southern edge of Saskatchewan’s extensive boreal forest.

V & R Sawing has been at this location for about 15 years and Heatwole has worked hard to establish the business.

The upheaval in Saskatchewan’s forest industry involving a number of closures around 2007 during the general industry downturn didn’t help in terms of securing a log supply, but he says the situation today is much better in terms of log supply and business growth potential.

Previously, Heatwole operated a similar business in Ontario. He grew up near Kenora. His father operated a sawmill “for as long as I can remember. I started helping him probably when I was as young as nineyears-old when I came home from school.”

Heatwole ‘s father was involved in custom sawing, where farmers would transport their primarily white poplar, red pine and white pine logs into the yard, and his father would saw them up.

Heatwole took over the family farm and sawmill in Ontario, diversifying into purchasing some logs, manufacturing wood products, and marketing them. For a time, he manufactured pallet material, which was sold into the United States.

The U.S. border is close to Kenora.

Eventually, he found that farming and operating his sawmill was too difficult to manage, so he sold the farm.

“I had an uncle here in Rosthern, so he invited me to come out here,” says Heatwole. He did and established his family sawmilling business, with sons Marcus, Daniel and Jeffrey working with him.

Heatwole’s experience working with his father in a custom sawmilling operation is really paying off because he can offer his customers the potential of providing them with just about anything they

smallsawmilling require, which is again a huge benefit to the area. Among the custom lumber products they can manufacture are tongue and groove, V-joint, ship lap, lap siding, two different styles of log siding as well as flooring products. Different products like these aren’t readily available from today’s retail lumber outlets. He also does a good business supplying timbers in a variety of custom dimensions, which has turned out to be a solid niche market.

“I always tell people that we can custom cut anything and everything,” says Heatwole. “There aren’t a lot of sawmills around here anymore sawing specialty materials. We do an awful lot of custom cutting of odd size material like timbers.

We can cut up to 18” squares and then lumber down to as small as 1/2” by 6” material for siding.”

What makes the business particularly interesting are some of the unique product requests. For example, one order required 22” long tapered timbers measuring 12” wide at the bottom and 7” wide at the top. They were used as blocking for a trucking company. He also filled another order of massive 12” X 12” timbers measuring 16’ long that were transported to a

mine site in northern Canada, in Nunavut.

At the mill, logs are first bucked to length by chainsaw in the yard, and then transported with a skid steer to the sawmill infeed. The sawmill consists of a 48” headrig with a vertical edger. Heatwole purchased the sawmill from Alabama after he established himself in Saskatchewan.

It combines components from several brands, consisting of some Frickco components and a Carthage carriage.

Ohio-based Frickco Inc was formed in 1993. After 20 years in the sawmill service and supply business, Jerry L. Albright, President of Frickco Inc, purchased all of the blueprints, patterns, copyrights and patents for Frick sawmills and related equipment, which had been designed and

built by The Frick Company of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, since the mid-1800’s.

“The sawmill arrived here in a pile of pieces, and I had to figure out what went where,” Heatwole says. “I rebuilt a bunch of stuff because it was in need of repair.

It’s older equipment, but it does the job.”

V & R Sawing produces between 4000 and 6000 board feet of wood products per day.

Previously, he operated the sawmill that his father custom built, describing it as “a totally manual mill, where all the log turning and dogging was manual. That’s why I switched to this mill, because my

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smallsawmilling from page 51

Many of the components on the V & R Sawmilling mill come from an American sawmill equipment company, Frickco.

The unit also features a Carthage carriage.

shoulders couldn’t take the log turning anymore.”

Heatwole says that the newer Frickco headrig has hydraulic log turning and air-powered dogging, as well as setworks, adding that once the log is on the infeed deck, he can manipulate it through the headrig from the control room cab. He has equipped the sawmill with Simonds circular saw blades that have carbide tipped teeth. He says that the Simonds blades deliver good performance and they are supplied to him by A.M Ludwig Saw Shop in Thunder Bay, Ontario. A.M Ludwig Saw Shop also hammers the saw blades for him.

Complementing his headrig is a Yates American four-sided planer moulder for producing wood products like V-joint and tongue and groove lumber. For transporting both logs and lumber stacks in the yard, V & R Sawing uses a Cat 246 skid steer and a Case 586G fork lift.

The company does no logging, but sources wood from loggers or purchases oversize logs from other sawmills.

“Anything that grows in Saskatchewan,

52

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

we can process,” says Heatwole. “We’ve had logs as large as 39” in diameter. As far as length, we like them 16’, but we also take quite a lot of tree length material and then cut that up.” He says his sawmill can cut logs up to 24’ in length.

While V & R Sawing can custom cut any local species, Heatwole has chosen to focus on spruce products exclusively for business reasons. He could cut poplar but he doesn’t have a market for those products, and although he has access to jackpine, Heatwole says those logs tend to be quite crooked with unacceptable amounts of what he calls ‘red rot’. It gives some lumber a red appearance, which Heatwole says is not something his customers like to see, and being that he saws a considerable amount of 16’ material, it is hard to find a straight jackpine log.

For these reasons, he just avoids jackpine altogether.

In addition to custom cutting, they also keep an inventory of common lumber sizes from 1” X 4” to 2” X 10” in different lengths, and popular square timber sizes.

Vernon says they fit in this inventory sawing whenever they can. Custom cutting takes up most of their time.

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Albertalogging

KEEPING THEIR OPTIONS OPEN—

even with logging equipment

Maintaining their independence and keeping their options open—including being open to buying and selling equipment at any time—has paid off for veteran logging operation D & L Rehn Contracting.

By Tony Kryzanowski

V

Doug and Lori Rehn (above), owners of D & L Rehn Contracting, are currently focused on harvesting and selling private wood and wood from their commercial timber permit area. But they also have considerable experience logging, both for forest companies and the oil patch.

54

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

eteran Alberta logger Doug Rehn has yet to find a good equipment deal that he could refuse.

That explains the number of times that D & L Rehn Contracting Ltd, located about an hour west of Edmonton near Wildwood, has bought and sold equipment over nearly four decades in logging, construction, and firefighting. They have logged for both the forest industry and the oilpatch, while harvesting and selling timber from a Commercial Timber Permit (CTP) administered by the Alberta government, as well as harvesting, purchasing, and marketing wood from private land.

Doug once went to an auction with a brand new Chevy pickup that he had spent time customizing to his exact specifications. A vehicle salesman offered to buy the truck right on the spot, and given the profit he could pocket from the deal, Doug sold it. The only problem was the phone call to wife and business partner,

Albertalogging Feller buncher operator, Rico Rehn (right), is the fourth generation of the Rehn family that has chosen forestry for a career. The family has a long history in both logging and sawmilling.

Lori, that he was hitchhiking back home to their acreage near Wildwood because he had sold his truck.

Then there was the time that Doug was harvesting some private wood beside the highway, with his John Deere 2054 carrier equipped with a Waratah 622 processing head. Another logger drove by and realized that this was exactly the piece of equipment he needed. So once again, he made Doug an offer he couldn’t refuse, and Doug sold it as well.

“I couldn’t believe that,” says Lori.

“Everything is for sale, all the time, except for some of the antique stuff that we have,” says Doug. “If someone comes along and they are wanting to buy, and they are offering what I am willing to sell for, then I’m out—and they are in.”

That’s been the pattern at D & L Rehn Contracting over the past 36 years. The latest example was in 2014, when Doug and Lori sold their entire fleet of nearly new logging equipment to take some time to decide just how busy they wanted to be at that point in their careers—and because many of the consultants they enjoyed working with in the oilpatch had retired. But it turns out that they weren’t ready to quit logging. What brought them back was the current high demand and prices for timber.

“There was a point in time when it was quite difficult to sell the wood. But now, the mills are competing for it,” says Doug, noting that the current lumber price is quite high, thereby fueling demand. But once lumber prices drop to $285 per thousand

board feet or lower, it’s difficult to find wood buyers.

Recently, they purchased some secondhand logging equipment and are back harvesting wood on a CTP as well as buying, harvesting, and selling commercial timber from private land not too far from home. The timber, which can be a mix of both softwood and hardwood, is sold to whatever forest company offers the best price and the list of potential customers is long in both Alberta and British

Columbia. Maintaining their logging and timber marketing independence has just made better business sense for the Rehns.

The Rehns have been operating sawmills and logging for three generations,

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Albertalogging

D & L Rehn Contracting appreciates the performance of John Deere equipment, particularly their Deere skidders. Service and parts support has also been dependable through Brandt Tractor, the Deere dealer for Alberta.

from page 55 with Doug and Lori’s son, Rico, who operates their feller buncher, being the fourth generation family member building a career in forestry.

Although they have slowed down, the couple says that if the right logging contract to work for a forest company comes along, or if they find a good group of consultants to work with to salvage timber in the oilpatch, jumping back into either scenario is not out of the realm of possibilities. They’ll

just do what they have always done: go out, buy the equipment, and start all over again. They have had several logging contracts, primarily with Millar Western and Weyerhaeuser, although Doug says that throughout the years, they have harvested timber all over Alberta. At one time, they even purchased a new Morbark sawmill and were harvesting and sawing dimensional lumber from fire burns north of Whitecourt for Millar Western. However, that’s all been sold off now.

“We’ve bought and sold sawmills like

we’ve bought and sold logging equipment,” says Doug.

There is only one word to describe the Rehns’ approach to business in either forestry or construction, and that’s fearless.

There have been lean times, without a doubt, but there have also been extremely prosperous times. The bottom line is that they have never been afraid to sell it all, move in a different direction, yet leave the door open to whatever opportunity might fall into their lap.

“The key is to have a partner who understands,” says Doug. “Lori and I were quite compatible because she grew up in a construction environment and I grew up in a construction, sawmilling and farming family. I walked in sawdust as a baby.

Everything is risk, but I don’t find it stressful a high percentage of the time to log because there are very few surprises after 36 years in the industry.”

Lori agrees that having a good partnership is important.

“I think that it’s important to have a partner that works alongside you and that you have good communication,” she says.

Although the company is currently operating older, second-hand equipment as part of their CTP and private wood venture, they know that it’s dependable equipment based on their four decades of accumulated knowledge in the business, to page 58

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Albertalogging and Doug can do the repairs if necessary.

It features a Timberjack 618 feller buncher, an older John Deere 648 G skidder, and an older Caterpillar 322 carrier with a Denharco DT3000 delimber attachment.

But not too long ago, D & L Rehn Contracting was busy supplementing their logging activities on their CTP with log salvage work for the oilpatch.

“When the oil field would get really

busy, they would require more help,” says Doug. “We would usually expand our business to look after their needs, and at one point in time, we were running two logging lines, two low-bed trucks, and three log picker trucks moving oil field salvage mainly.”

Their most recent logging fleet featured a new John Deere 753 feller buncher.

“We made it into a bit of a Swiss Army knife,” says Doug, who has considerable experience with a wide variety of equip-

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from page 56

ment brands, models and styles throughout his career, including one of the first Scandinavian KETO mechanical harvester/ processor heads back in the 1990’s.

“On the John Deere feller buncher, I made a quick attach so that I could drop the bunching head off it and attach a bucket or drop the bucket off and put a mulching head on it,” says Doug. “So you could do pretty well anything with that machine.”

That fleet also featured a new John Deere 748G III skidder and a Tigercat 630 skidder. For processing, they used a John Deere 2054 carrier with a Waratah 622 processing head. They also owned two log trucks with picker attachments for self loading.

“John Deere treated us well and they have a very good product in the 748G III,” says Doug. “It’s probably one of the best skidders ever made as far as reliability and horsepower.” Brandt Tractor is the Deere dealer for Alberta.

In terms of their private wood operations, D & L Rehn Contracting will perform either select or clearcut logging, depending on the landowner’s needs. For select logging, they use the herringbone harvesting approach, with a single skid trail through the centre and connecting trails strategically harvested in either direction from the main trail, so that the feller buncher can reach in and harvest the prime timber without destroying the smaller wood and regen. That way, the landowner will have more wood to harvest within a few decades, and the woodlot remains intact.

“If you check with any of the people we have worked for, they have always gotten paid,” says Doug. “So, it’s not hard to get a job when the people know that they are going to be paid.”

In terms of others following their business model, Doug and Lori say that it depends on the individual. If they are the type of person who can motivate themselves every day, then the Rehns’ freelancing business approach might work. But they realize that others might need a push from above, so contract work might be better. As far as their approach to buying and selling equipment, Doug’s philosophy is simple.

“Don’t be married to anyone but your wife and business partner,” he says. “The rest of it is all for sale.”

Over the years, Lori adds that they have been treated very well by Millar Western, Weyerhaeuser, and West Fraser Timber in Blue Ridge, whom they have worked for and sold timber to on many occasions.

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residualwood

There is a lot of residual wood that’s generated as a byproduct of processing logs at coastal log sorts in B.C., and it’s proving tough to find a home for this material.

Mountains

of wood residue

A hog fuel working group that had sought workable solutions to the problems of growing volumes of wood residues on the B.C. Coast has found there are no easy solutions to dealing with these mini-mountains of residual wood.

By Jim Stirling he B.C. Council of Forest Industries (COFI) underlined its role as the industry’s principal standard bearer in the province with its April absorption of the Coast Forest Products Association (CFPA).

Welcoming the CFPA into the COFI fold continues a trend in forest industry association consolidation. It repeats an earlier consolidation that saw a concentration of fewer but larger forest licencees in the province.

It wasn’t that long ago when attitudes differed toward forest industry associations. Specialist associations representing generally smaller constituencies within the B.C. forest industry were common and considered the most likely way to the

get the ear and sympathy for their causes from the decision makers.

Now the thinking has come full circle.

It is now one voice—with the support of an entire industry—that commands the attention and respect of governments. The strengthened council is continuing its stellar work to benefit the forest industry. The trade file provides good examples: COFI’s work with federal and provincial governments to stimulate and sustain a viable Chinese lumber market; the continuing co-operative and patient approach toward NAFTA and achieving an acceptable softwood lumber agreement with the U.S.; and how COFI’s membership was galvanized into re-defining issues and operating standards surrounding sawdust containment in wood processing centres. The initiative used in that instance established

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a template that’s being applied in diverse co-operative ways throughout the forest worker health and safety arena.

But it is the smaller, less headlinegrabbing, everyday issues and concerns that can inadvertently fall by attention’s wayside when associations merge.

For example, the Coast Forest Products Association (CFPA) has been plugging away for a considerable time with the issues surrounding residual wood fibre on the B.C. coast. Hog fuel, as it’s more colloquially called, is a byproduct of processing logs at coastal log sorts. The material is additionally generated by whole log chipping facilities during the manufacture of wood chips and lumber. The problem has been what to do with the stuff and that is destined to become more apparent when B.C. coastal logging activities pick

residualwood up momentum again. Right now there are mini-mountains of residual wood fibre from isolated northern coves to the Vancouver waterfront. As a result, hog fuel handling, storage and liability issues have proved a constant and continuing financial headache for the regional forest industry.

The CFPA struck a hog fuel working group to collaborate with its partners to seek workable short and long term solutions to the problems presented by the growing volumes of wood residues on the coast.

“In the past, the coastal pulp and paper industry has been the prime consumer of regionally-generated hog fuel,” pointed out Les Kiss, who was vice-president of forestry with the CFPA and spent considerable time spearheading the residual wood fibre disposal issue on the B.C. coast.

The material was specifically used for furnish in the production of heat and power in the pulp and paper mills. But even in that modest function, the coastal hog fuel had its unfavourable limitations.

Two of those were the materials’ high moisture content and that it contained a large percentage of fines within the hog fuel mix, explained Kiss. The fines tend to inhibit boiler operation efficiency, he pointed out. The hog fuel source also needs to be within economic transportation distance of the consuming mill to be viable. It hasn’t helped the hog fuel surplus issue that the B.C. coast has lost some of its pulp and paper production capacity in recent years.

The CFPA estimated that as a result of the coastal hog fuel’s inhibiting features, it was only the third choice material for the remaining pulp and paper mills, continued Kiss. Top choice—if it was available—was dry hog fuel from the interior followed by low cost natural gas. Meanwhile, coastal hog fuel supply continues to outstrip demand.

The CFPA’s hog fuel working group identified possible new products for the material’s use in the long term including conversion into wood pellets or in bio fuel manufacture. But coastal hog fuel’s nemesis characteristics of high moisture and salt contents are potential restricting factors to be overcome or accommodated.

It’s a similar story with the wide geographical distribution of hog fuel sources.

A bio fuel manufacture operation, for example, would need to be centrally located while hog fuel sources are widely scattered. “The transportation economies have to come into play,” said Kiss.

Short term solutions to the coastal hog fuel surplus dilemma were proving equally

elusive. Options there included open burning of woody material at log sort sites or the placement of non-hazardous wood residues into landfills. The B.C. Ministry of Environment was one of the principal working partners for the CFPA. The issues revolved around the classification of wood residues i.e. hazardous or non-hazardous and how that determination could be clearly annunciated for all parties in the Landfill Code of Practice Review.

Progress was slow. The change in provincial government triggered a prolonged period of inertia within the Ministry of

Environment. But meetings on the coastal hog fuel issue were still being scheduled between ministry representatives and Kiss well into 2018.

Now the Coast Forest Products Association is no longer an independent entity, it remains to be seen if the Council of Forest Industries takes up the mantle.

The basic objective remains the same: to have a clear and equitable framework in place for managing residual wood fibres in coastal B.C. But then so do the problems inherent with the fibre.

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smallsawmilling

DOUBLE-DOWN

Saskatchewan sawmiller Dean Christiansen has taken a leap forward in equipment with an upgrade to a Wood-Mizer LT70 electric band sawmill, which has allowed him to double his production potential.

By Tony Kryzanowski

T

Dean Christiansen (above), owner of Christiansen Lumber near Big River, Saskatchewan, has worked hard to develop his business over the past two decades by producing a mix of high volume and high value wood products.

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o achieve the best results, good golfers visualize the swing before taking the shot, and that is exactly what Dean Christiansen has done with his sawmill business. He had a vision of what he wanted in a primary breakdown unit, and now he has it with his Wood-Mizer LT70 electric band sawmill, which has allowed him to double his production potential.

He owns Christiansen Lumber in northwestern Saskatchewan, near Big River.

This area—where the plains meet the boreal forest—has deep roots in forestry.

The local economy recently experienced a major boost when B.C.-based Carrier Forest Products purchased and reopened an idled sawmill south of town. Christiansen has a good working relationship with the large softwood lumber producer, purchasing oversized logs from them, as well as supplying them with specialty wood products for their own use.

Dean grew up in the forest industry.

He started out working with his father in

smallsawmilling logging, but eventually made the transition to sawmilling with the purchase of his first sawmill in 1999. He became a full time sawmiller about 10 years ago.

Christiansen Lumber aims for maximum recovery from every log. So they have a diversified product mix that includes rough sawn lumber, custom cut timbers, decking, and raw building logs. They also sell value-added planed and moulded lumber products like log profile siding, drop siding, V-joint tongue and groove, and shiplap. Other products include pine and birch fireplace mantles, live edge shelving, and they also sell firewood from what’s left over.

They produce about half-a-million board feet annually with three full-time employees and one part-time employee, but as with any specialty custom sawing operation, lumber volume is almost irrelevant. The goal is to achieve as much utilization as possible, while operating as efficiently as possible, with a balance between high volume and high value products.

Christiansen Lumber uses primarily white spruce but also some jackpine, poplar, birch and tamarack. With the poplar,

birch and tamarack, Dean is able to manufacture paneling and flooring material, representing 20 per cent of his business.

They process larger logs—anywhere from 22” to 40” at the butt, and currently can saw material up to 20’ long.

The company recently upgraded its primary sawmill with a Wood-Mizer LT70 electric band sawmill, replacing a gaspowered band sawmill from a competing brand. It has an extension that will allow Christiansen to saw logs up to 26’ long if a market develops for that product. The mill is located under a shelter and the operator manages the controls remotely in a weather-protected booth, which Dean says is important from a business development standpoint.

“I was shopping for a new sawmill because I was looking for a way to increase production while getting out of the cold to operate the mill,” says Dean. “Once I bought my Wood-Mizer, I was able to build my weather-protected cabin and put all my controls in there with a little construction heater to keep the sawyer

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smallsawmilling

from page 63 warm. That allows us to operate more year round. As soon as I bought that mill, I basically doubled my sawmilling capability because I could saw through the winter and run steadier.”

The sawmill is in production 40 hours per week.

In addition to providing a more comfortable working environment for the sawyer, Dean says that his new sawmill cuts more quickly because it has more horsepower than his old unit. The WoodMizer LT70HD electric model offers both a 25 horsepower and 30 horsepower option. What he also appreciates is that it is electric. So there are no oil changes,

no oil or fuel filter changes, and no motor operating issues in cold weather.

The Wood-Mizer will process between 4,000 and 5,000 board feet in an eighthour shift. Dimensions will vary depending on orders, from 12 x 12 timbers down to as small as 2” dimension lumber.

The sawmill is controlled with WoodMizer’s Accuset computer setworks, which Dean says is one of the features he likes best about the unit.

“You just program the size of the last board you want on the deck, and it does all the calculations for every cut until you get there,” says Dean. “The setworks will even calculate to allow for saw kerf if you like.”

After the first cut, which is essentially

a guess to maximize recovery, Dean says he pushes the ‘auto down’ button on the control panel and the sawmill will accurately cut the first board on his next pass without turning the log. Now after the log is turned manually, the setworks will take over in pattern mode and begin to saw the log according to the pre-programmed pattern and the size of the log.

What he also likes about his WoodMizer is its reliability.

“It very rarely needs much for service—the odd drive belt or pulley insert belt,” says Dean. “It runs day in and day out. The log turning and clamping is really strong. You don’t have any trouble turning a 40” diameter log.”

It’s equipped with a Wood-Mizer Turbo 7 blade, with a deep gullet, seven degree hook angle, and 7/8” pitch. The blade is 1.5” wide and .055” thick.

“It’s stable in the cut, saws quickly, and handles frozen wood really well,” says Dean. “So I am using it year round.”

To sharpen blades, he uses the WoodMizer BMS500 sharpener.

“It’s an improvement over my old drag grinder, where it would come down over the face of the tooth and then drag back,” says Dean. “This sharpener has a CBN grinding wheel made with a special material which comes down and hits the tooth in one grind. You are getting a perfect grind every time.”

He adds that he can walk away from the unit and let it do its job because it has a computer that counts the teeth.

“It saves me some time because if I get a few blades cleaned and set and then I to page 66

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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smallsawmilling from page 64 walk away from the machine with the last blade that I put on it, this grinder saves me 10 minutes every time,” he says. His sawmill requires six sharp blades every day, as blades are changed out every 1.5 hours.

“That’s really where the rubber meets the road because if you don’t have sharp blades, your sawmill is useless,” Dean says. “That’s why I spent the extra money and bought their best grinder.”

Complementing the Wood-Mizer is a Swedish-made framed Logosol Laks 300 sash gang saw. The movable blades are positioned inside a frame and the chain infeed is timed with the movement of the blades. The Logosol Laks produces high volume, unique dimension products where it is more efficient to use the sash gang saw than the Wood-Mizer. It operates about 10 per cent of the time compared to the sawmill. Silvana Import Trading Inc. is the Canadian distributor for Logosol Laks products.

“It keeps one guy pretty busy as it will process up to 2,500 board feet per eighthour shift of whatever you put into it,” says Dean. “It doesn’t seem to matter if you have four or fourteen blades installed in the unit. By the end of the shift, you achieve 2,500 board feet of either larger or smaller material. The Laks allows me to still produce smaller diameter wood within a decent time frame.”

Rounding out Christiansen Lumber’s

Dean Christiansen says he spent the extra money for Wood-Mizer’s BMS500 sharpener because it is a real time saver, considering that he has to sharpen six blades every day. processing line is an older Coutts edger, a custom-built resaw with a belt return, and a Baker M412 planer/moulder, which is used to manufacture their moulded and planed products. Dean is also in the process of setting up a Nyle dry kiln.

Although Christiansen has an annual 5,000 cubic metre softwood allocation in the Prince Albert Forest Management Area (FMA) and access to a hardwood

Christiansen Lumber’s Chris Mckenzie (above) straps another load of large dimension boards produced fresh from Christiansen Lumber’s new Wood-Mizer LT70 band sawmill.

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allocation from that same FMA, the sawmill has kept Dean so busy that it makes more sense to purchase the diameter and quality of logs he prefers. He purchases oversized logs from large volume dimension sawmills operating in the area, and keeps his allocation as an insurance policy in the event that his usual sources dry up.

As long as his sawmill stays active, he can maintain his allocation.

As with any business, the goal is to develop regular customers, and Christiansen Lumber has done just that through its evolution and growth over the past couple of decades. For example, they have landed a couple of valued customers for their smaller dimension material for use as dunnage in 2.5 X 3 and 40” long dimensions as well as core box material for use in the mining industry in 3/4 X 2 and 60” long dimensions. The company is also attracting customers who place larger orders, which is great for efficiency. “But retail is still a big part of my business,” says Dean. His customers are primarily based in Western Canada, and many come from the agricultural sector.

“The business has grown a lot in the past three years and I expect that it will continue,” Christiansen says. With having a young family, sometimes the biggest challenge is to balance sawmill projects with hockey practice. But his children are starting to help out a bit in the business, so that’s a bonus.

Woodpellets

Adding wood pellets to the business mix The BioPower Sustainable Energy Corporation pellet mill in Atikokan, Ontario converts both hardwood and softwood from Resolute Forest Products and from their own forest holdings to produce wood pellets for Ontario Power Generation.

Ontario logger Mark Guillemette is diversifying his operations with the purchase and operation of a wood pellet mill in northwestern Ontario—and is now working on upping production at the mill.

By Tony Kryzanowski

W

inning the bid to purchase the assets of an Atikokan, Ontario wood pellet mill was like finding a diamond among the stones for northern Ontario logging contractor Mark Guillemette.

The pellet mill has a contract to supply Ontario Power Generation (OPG) with 44,000 tonnes of wood pellets annually until 2024, fuel for OPG’s Atikokan power plant. That power plant was converted to consume wood pellets exclusively in 2014 as part of the province’s goal to completely discontinue coal-fired power generation.

The pellet mill was previously owned

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Woodpellets

by California-based Rentech Inc. Rentech began selling off assets last fall, culminating in a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. in January. It owned pellet mills in both Atikokan and Wawa, Ontario.

Guillemette signed an asset purchase agreement for the Atikokan pellet mill with Rentech last December.

“In my opinion, Rentech didn’t fail with the Atikokan pellet mill,” says Guillemette. “It was operating, making money and had a long term contract. The issue they had is that they had another massive facility and that’s what was drawing all of their focus.”

While the Atikokan pellet mill continued to operate consistently even through the ownership transition, Rentech idled its Wawa plant in February 2017 to preserve capital. Rentech said at the time that it believed that the Wawa pellet mill’s mechanical issues could be overcome, but that it essentially couldn’t afford to pay for them.

Rentech’s own reports to investors also indicated that factors like warmer winters were resulting in less than anticipated wood pellet sales from their other subsidiaries, Fulghum Fibres and New England Wood Pellets. Both subsidiaries have since been sold. Also, the company’s background was not in the forest or wood pellet production industry but primarily in producing commercial fertilizer.

In addition to now owning the Atikokan

pellet mill, Guillemette is also CEO of True North Timber, a logging company founded by his father in 1998 and based in Chapleau, Ontario. Guillemette emphasizes that the purchase and operation of the Atikokan pellet mill is through an entirely separate company called BioPower Sustainable Energy Corporation (BPSE).

Having that guaranteed supply agreement to the nearby OPG power plant—as well as the pellet mill’s consistent production history—strongly motivated

Guillemette to want to make a bid when the mill was put up for sale. The assets purchased by BPSE were also available on favorable financial terms because of Rentech’s need for cash to address the company’s debt problems. Just prior to seeking bankruptcy protection, Rentech had $65.3 million of secured debt.

Due to its dependence on a consistent flow of biofuel from the Atikokan pellet mill, OPG was understandably nervous about how this transition might impact the supply of wood pellets to operate their power plant. So they required Guillemette to provide a $1 million letter of credit in the event that it had to secure wood pellets from elsewhere if there were any production hiccups. Thankfully for both OPG and Guillemette, there were none.

As to what this investment in the Atikokan pellet mill means to him, Guillemette describes it as “a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Purchasing the wood pellet mill wasn’t a snap decision. Guillemette was searching for new opportunities in the wood industry, which would allow his logging business to evolve and grow from strictly a logging service provider to include the manufacturing of wood products.

Guillemette frequently attended various conferences, including those demonstrating opportunities for wood fibre in the bioeconomy. Rentech was also aware that he was looking to build his business. So both parties were motivated to to page 70

The pellet mill has 25 employees and can produce 110,000 tonnes of wood pellets annually. The company is looking at how to better optimize pellet production, so they can increase capacity.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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Woodpellets from page 69 make a deal when the pellet mill became available.

Guillemette was somewhat familiar with Rentech as his company was one of their logging contractors for the Wawa plant. They supplied Rentech with hardwood, sometimes as much as 30,000 cubic metres per month, that they were harvesting as part of their logging contract to supply softwood to Tembec’s sawmill in Chapleau. Tembec is now owned by Rayonier Advanced Materials.

Guillemette was well aware that Rentech was experiencing operational issues in Wawa, simply from how this situation sometimes resulted in abrupt changes to log delivery schedules.

When the Atikokan pellet mill was put up for sale, it appeared to be the type of opportunity he was looking for. Guillemette says that the pellet mill is easily fulfilling its contract with OPG under current operating conditions and has 25 employees.

Atikokan is a smaller community that has seen its fair share of growth and downturns. Most recently, it has most definitely been experiencing growth, with the opening of a new sawmill close to town

by Resolute Forest Products and the maintenance of jobs at the pellet mill. This is in addition to all the support jobs generated by the pellet mill through activities like harvesting and transporting the wood, as well a trucking wood pellets to market.

What has Guillemette excited now

Logs entering the pellet mill are broken down and converted into wood pellets along three Andritz pelletizer lines. In addition to producing wood pellets, the operation is also open to exploring production of other biofuel products, since they have the space for expansion.

is that since his purchase, they have discovered areas where pellet production can be better optimized so that the plant will be able to significantly increase its nameplate production capacity of 110,000 tonnes annually. Those tweaks are currently undergoing verification, and he wants to have accurate numbers before revealing how much that increased potential capacity will be, but so far, it appears that they will be able to produce an extra five tonnes of wood pellets per hour.

“What’s nice about the facility is that it is really versatile,” says Guillemette. “We have the ability to mix a specific percentage of three different products, that being three different species of wood or differently sized material.”

The outcome could be pure whitewood softwood pellets, a blend of hardwoods and softwoods, or blends of different types of hardwoods and softwoods.

At present, they are consuming about half hardwood and half softwood.

Their production flow consists of three Andritz wood pelletizers, with their wood supply sourced from wood residuals being generated by two Resolute Forest Products sawmills in the area. They are also harvesting and purchasing some logs from Resolute’s Sustainable Forest License (SFL) area.

Since purchasing the pellet mill, Guillemette has been focused on finding markets for the mill’s total production capabilities. Recently, he participated in a federal trade mission to Italy, and he says the company is currently finalizing contracts with new customers. Also, he indicates that there may be opportunities to take advantage of shipping from Thunder Bay which is two hours away from Atikokan and is a major shipping port in the Great Lakes.

But the company is being careful about which markets to pursue aggressively because they have discovered that

to page 72 70

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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residualwood from page 70

Logger Mark Guillemette described the opportunity to purchase the Atikokan pellet plant as a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

it’s important to consider the logistics of shipping product to market. They are working hard to identify those opportunities that deliver the best income potential for the company.

“Overseas, or the export market, it will be very easy to sell our production over that 44,000 tonnes to OPG,” says Guillemette. “I have people calling literally from all over the world, places like Ireland, Bulgaria, Italy, South Korea, and other countries.

“I could have sold our production ten times over by now, but we are doing our diligence. What I am doing is taking my time to ensure that I don’t select the wrong partners for the next few years.”

With that in mind, Guillemette’s marketing effort has also been focused locally on building customers and selling bagged products in nearby communities like Fort Frances, Thunder Bay and the northern U.S. They are in the process of installing a bagging line at the pellet mill.

The fate of the Wawa pellet mill, located in a mothballed and converted OSB plant that Rentech purchased from

Weyerhaeuser for $5.5 million in 2014, is still uncertain.

While the assets of both pellet plants were for sale, Guillemette says that given the size of the Atikokan pellet mill and its history, it was a financial investment he felt comfortable making at this time.

While Atikokan is designed to deliver 110,000 tonnes annually, the Wawa plant is much larger, designed for 450,000 tonnes. Rentech had a 10-year contract to deliver 400,000 tonnes of wood pellets from that wood pellet mill annually to United Kingdom-based Drax Power Limited. It never fully met that commitment because of mechanical issues at the Wawa

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

plant, and eventually lost the contract.

Although he is focused on Atikokan for now, Guillemette says he may be interested in Wawa a year from now, once he gains more industry experience, if there is market demand, and should that plant still be available.

What he is also focused on in the short term is building his logging business within the northwestern area of the province.

Guillemette says that Resolute has been very supportive of his investment into the Atikokan pellet mill, and he is looking to build on that relationship for the benefit of both his logging company and pellet mill.

Resolute understands wood pellet production because it also operates a pellet mill attached to its sawmill in Thunder Bay. Guillemette concludes that he is also open to exploring production of other biofuel products in addition to traditional wood pellets; they have the space in Atikokan for expansion, it would be a good hedge against the pellet market and it would help overall to diversify his business.

Never Settle.

Handle more Liebherr has been precision-engineering efficient technologies for decades, and our LH 50 material handler is no exception. It features an energy recovery cylinder that reduces fuel consumption by up to 25 percent and promotes faster cycles for greater handling capacity.

And our handlers are industry-proven to deliver long life.

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Liebherr-Canada Ltd. 1015 Sutton Drive, Burlington, Ontario L7L 5Z8 Phone: +1 905 319 9222 E-mail: info.lca@liebherr.com www.facebook.com/LiebherrConstruction www.liebherr.ca

The Edge Alberta supports early-stage projects to investigate new applications for lignin

BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI

A

new push to advance high-value, commercial applications for lignin is underway in Alberta, with the recent announcement of successful applicants to the Alberta Innovates Lignin Challenge 1.0 funding program.

Lignin Challenge 1.0 is co-sponsored

by West Fraser Timber, which operates a lignin extraction demonstration facility at its pulp mill in Hinton, Alberta. The plant is capable of producing high-quality lignin using a novel extraction system called LignoForce. The 16 successful applicants will each receive $25,000, a quantity of lignin from West Fraser and technical support, plus access to researchers, capacity and facilities at InnoTech Alberta, an applied research subsidiary of Alberta Innovates.

Projects must be completed within a year.

Lignin Challenge 1.0 is part of the Alberta Bio Future (ABF) funding program led and managed by Alberta Innovates. ABF supports projects that add value to biomass sourced from forestry and agriculture, leading to new and improved bioindustrial products and bioindustrial technologies.

This investment by Alberta Innovates and West Fraser is for early-stage idea development, testing and new application development using lignin as a feedstock material. “This work builds on the fundamental research related to lignin, a great deal of which has already been done,” says Christine Murray, Director of Agricultural Technologies at Alberta Innovates and a member of the application review committee.

“It is really about using lignin in an economical and effective way,” she says. “We have this unique, refined lignin resource in Alberta. The potential is in asking a lot of people, who may not have necessarily worked with lignin in the past, for their ideas on how to use it.”

Successful applicants to the Lignin Challenge 1.0 program will receive a quantity of lignin from the West Fraser lignin extraction plant in Hinton for their experimental use.

There was a great deal of researcher interest in the program; Alberta Innovates received more applications than it was able to invest in under the program.

Eddie Peace, Bioproducts Co-ordinator at West Fraser, says the company is pleased to partner with Alberta Innovates in this program because it hopes to expand the number of avenues where its lignin can be applied, particularly in Alberta and across Canada.

“We are highly interested in those technologies that allow us to commercialize our lignin, which we hope can be used at scale eventually,” he says.

“We were ultimately pleased with the variety and quality of project proposals we received under the Lignin Challenge 1.0 program. We hope to support more programs of this nature through Alberta Innovates and research groups.”

Here are a few project highlights.

One project relates to the development of renewable isocyanates from lignin.

Isocyanates are chemicals used widely in the manufacture of fibres, flexible and rigid foams, coatings, paints, varnishes and elastomers. In 2016, the global isocyanates market was more than $30 billion (U.S.).

It is forecast to reach $47 billion by 2022.

Isocyanates are increasingly being used in the automotive industry, in autobody repair and building insulation materials, and in a wide range of retail, commercial and industrial uses to protect cement, wood, fibreglass, steel and aluminum—including protective coatings for truck beds, trailers, boats, foundations and decks.

Currently, isocyanates are produced from non-renewable petroleum resources.

Due to recent stringent regulations implemented world-wide, the production of bio-based isocyanates has great potential.

Lignin can be used to produce bio-based isocyanates.

Another project receiving funding from Lignin Challenge 1.0 involves development of ultra-light and highly flexible fibrous sponges and insulation materials containing a very high percentage of lignin. Lignin has unique thermal properties that make it a good material to use in this application. The project’s objective is to develop “scalable 3D, ultra-light, flexible, fibrous bulk materials from electrospun lignin-based nanofibres through a unique freeze-drying method and complemented by a post-heat method.”

A third project will investigate the use of lignin in the production of graphene, described as, “a rising star of materials”, with exceptional high crystallinity with superior mechanical and electronic properties.

Small sheets of graphene could be used in composites, functional coatings, fuel cells, batteries and super-capacitors, touch panels, low-cost solar cells, and next-generation flexible, wearable electronics.

Finally, Lignin Challenge 1.0 is also supporting a project that aims to adjust and refine the LignoForce extraction process at the West Fraser plant. The goal is to increase the number of formats and raw material specifications in which lignin can be provided to customers using lignin materials produced at a commercial scale, which will expand the number of industries and applications where these biomaterials can be used.

“We see these investigations into lignin use as a really strategic area within the bioeconomy, the province and the Alberta Bio Future program,” Murray says.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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For more information about the Lignin Challenge 1.0 program and successful projects, contact Julia Necheff at julia.necheff@albertainnovates.ca.

The Edge

CWFC provides rare opportunity to witness commerical-scale harvest of mature short rotation woody crop where it all started he Ellerslie Short Rotation Woody Crop Technical Development Site managed by the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) in Edmonton has achieved maturity. It will now end its service life as an important, real life, real time demonstration site to evaluate the harvesting, pre-processing, packaging and transportation of its various species of short rotation woody fibre crops for use by a variety of potential end users.

Started in 2002, it has achieved its full growth rotation and value as a model for the establishment of many other short rotation woody crop demonstration sites across Canada.

The CWFC Technology and Transfer Group, in partnership with industry and bioeconomy innovators, is organizing a series of exhibitions, local field demonstrations, trail walks, workshops, displays and virtual tech transfer opportunities over the next six months that will document and study the Ellerslie site’s final harvest, and transportation of raw materials to end users.

Among the potential final products for this wood fibre are wood pulp, oriented strand board (OSB) and bioenergy feedstock in the form of pellets, chips, logs, gas or liquids.

This commercial-scale 18-hectare site has achieved fibre volumes of 250 to 400 cubic metres per hectare over a very short time period of 12 to 16 years by the various hybrid poplar and aspen under highyield afforestation management regimes, as well as 6 to 10 odts/ha/yr for hybrid poplar and willow species under concentrated biomass—two of the CWFC’s prescribed management systems.

Derek Sidders, CWFC Program Manager, Technology Development and Transfer, describes the Ellerslie site as the focal point and centre of the development of short rotation woody crops for the bioeconomy and also carbon mitigation and adaptation in Canada.

“This site hosts many of the different hybrid poplar and willow clones that have potential in Canada,” says Sidders. “This

program is allowing us to take this site to full cycle, from developing the management practices, identifying potential species and clones, propagating and planting, and managing them to the point where the forests are mature. We now have a unique opportunity at very large scale to mimic, demonstrate and evaluate the commercial supply chain post-maturity.”

Ellerslie houses various examples of all three afforestation designs developed by CWFC over the past two decades, those being high yield afforestation, mixed wood afforestation, and concentrated biomass afforestation.

Sidders says that the Ellerslie site was challenging in some ways and ideal in others as an initial development site, which really helped in the development of other demonstration sites across Canada. Now, this rare end-of-service opportunity will greatly assist in gathering quality commercial data and knowledge transfer.

“We will be demonstrating how the supply chain can be integrated, looking at ways to maximize the fibre’s value while minimizing costs as it relates to recovering all the different types of fibre and their characteristics,” he says.

This harvest will also provide an invaluable research opportunity to gather data on such important topics as to the true value of these short rotation woody crops for carbon sequestration as part of Canada’s carbon mitigation and adaptation strategy.

As it unfolds, the program will show potential commercial users of CWFC’s various short rotation woody crop species and plantation designs how this afforestation approach can be integrated into current fibre basket and forest management systems, as well as provide feedstock for both conventional and novel bioproducts.

It will also show how to maximize production from the land base through the implementation of such innovative designs as CWFC’s mixedwood afforestation pattern, which produces both a hardwood and softwood crop on the same site.

Various technologies will be used and evaluated as part of the harvesting demonstration, producing wood fibre

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI

T

in different formats from logs to chips to round bales, with the goal of then evaluating the amount of wood fibre that can be loaded and transported in a single truck load, depending on its physical form. The goal is to verify the cost of transporting this raw material in a variety of formats to end users.

Without a doubt, the Ellerslie site has demonstrated the commercial potential of short rotation woody fibre crops based on CWFC’s designs and management protocols; samples from this site represent the nest eggs and nucleus of the development of the next generation of demonstration sites.

“In Canada, natural forest production is about 1.7 cubic metres per hectare per year,” says Sidders. “On this site, we are producing anywhere from 16 to 22 cubic metres per hectare per year. So we are looking at 8 to 12 times the productivity that we would see in a natural forest.”

He emphasizes that the volumes achieved at Ellerslie are well above their initial expectations, but well within cost expectations, cost effectiveness of CWFC’s treatments, and the realization of the value of products generated on this site from a carbon offset, energy fuel and a conventional forest products perspective.

“Ellerslie demonstrates that there is cost-effectiveness in deploying this technology on the forest agriculture fringe and as an add-on that can be applied to conventional agriculture land management, where it offers diversity, site protection and long-term site sustainability,” he says.

“With this program, we’re going to bring it to life for the end users, right in the centre of one of the major urban metropolises of Western Canada, the city of Edmonton.”

For more information about upcoming events as part of this program, contact Derek Sidders at derek.sidders@ canada.ca or Tim Keddy at tim.keddy@ canada.ca. Any person, organization or stakeholder group can contact CWFC for a private/custom tour of the site and its rich wealth of knowledge.

The Edge

Ellerslie CWFC SRWC Technical Development Site August 2017

TECHUPDATE

YARDERS Wheeler Equipment

The Wheeler Equipment Super 88 swing yarder ships at 93,800 lbs with lines and fuel.

It is equipped with a twin disc TD-44-1131 transmission, with four speeds forward and four speeds reverse, and a twin disc 8FLW 1601 single stage torque converter. It also has a 6090HF485, 350 hp, 2200 rpm, John Deere engine.

The intermediate drive shaft assembly, which includes the straw drum unit, is driven by a belt from the power plant.

The rear main, haulback, and strawline drums are equipped with hydraulic actuated clutches and hydraulic parking brakes.

The front main is equipped with a hydraulic actuated clutch and a spring set parking brake. The front main can be rotated in the opposite direction from the rear main to pull slack for a dropline carriage or to operate a grapple. The haulback drum is interlocked to the main drum by means of clutches and two gears,

By Tony Kryzanowski

one for inhaul and one for outhaul.

Two guy drums are standard, each powered in either direction by an independent hydraulic motor and chain drive. Guy drums are held in place by spring set, hydraulic released dogs. The guy lines are used to raise and lower the boom and “A” frame.

The swing unit assembly is powered by a vane-type hydraulic motor, with gears and pinions housed in a fabricated steel case. www.wheelerequipment.com

Technical Forest Solutions

New Zealand’s EMS has introduced a hydraulic mobile yarder called Harvestline to the North American market.

The Harvestline mobile yarder, in conjunction with a motorized grapple carriage called the Hawkeye, has been operating in New Zealand for several years and is proven technology, providing good results for its customers, says the company. The

Harvestline and Hawkeye are now available in the United States and Canada through North American distributor, Technical Forest Solutions, through its U.S. and a Canadian dealer network. The Harvestline mobile yarding system is a purpose-built hydraulic driven yarding system that provides high cycle times, good pulling power, quick mobilization, precise control and no guy lines. The Harvestline is a fully integrated operating system, making it extremely easy to operate. The operator interfaces with the Harvestline using a 15” monitor that also displays the video footage from the onboard camera in the grapple carriage. www.technicalforestsolutions.com

Madill Equipment

Madill says its purpose-built logging equipment has set the standard in performance, productivity and longevity for over 60 years. Its heritage of rugged, tried and true forestry machines ensures both reliability and durability for the most demanding logging environments, according to the company.

The Madill 124 is a large, fully interlocking swing yarder powered by a Volvo D13 Tier IV 469 hp turbocharged engine, mated to an Allison 4500 OFS, fully 78

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

techupdate automatic, powershiftcapable, transmission with auto lock-up torque converter.

A large, multi-function display provides the operator with critical engine and winch information while supporting custom set-up for many yarding operations. The 124 uses a forestry undercarriage, boasts a 60’ yarding boom and offers three guy lines and equal drum reversing as standard. Ideally suited to grapple logging, Madill says that this is the premium swing yarder in the industry. www.madillequipment.com

450 metres with a 3/4” superswage haulback and mainline, without the need for guy lines.

The Alpine winch’s drive system is what sets it apart, according to the company. The technology in the winches provides smooth lift, high speeds, and braking without producing excessive hydraulic heat and wear and tear. www.integralequipment.ca

Integral Equipment

Teleforest

B.C.-based Integral Equipment is supplying the Alpine shovel yarder and Alpine grapple carriage to North America. Although new to North America, the Alpine product line has been thoroughly tested globally, says the company.

The latest model is a two-drum interlock with an optional third drum skyline which mounts on an excavator, mated with the Alpine grapple carriage. This swinging yarder system can yard

Teleforest Inc manufactures and sells the Sky-Log system, a unique concept to transport logs in hard-to-reach areas.

The premium Sky-Log has a self-propelled carriage with a remote-controlled and laser-guided hook. The carriage moves

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

to page 80

79

techupdate T-Mar Industries

from page 79 on a free hanging cable between two excavators connected by winches and masts. The force of gravity is an advantage for tree hauling downhill. It reduces operational costs by 40 per cent, says the company.

The excavators’ and anchorless masts’ mobility results in effective equipment utilization. Sky-Log allows operations in flat, damp areas, marshlands and mountain slopes. Teleforest says that this product differs from others by: reducing costs of operation; ease of operation; and improving worker safety and equipment mobility. www.teleforest.com

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For years, an aging fleet of log yarders on the B.C. Coast has provided loggers with a productive and reliable method of retrieving logs from rugged terrain.

These machines are coming to the end of their days, and with demand for wood products increasing, suitable replacement equipment is tough to find. This concern has been echoed by loggers around the globe. This is where the story of T-Mar’s Log Champ Yarders begins.

T-Mar Industries says that it has designed completely new swing yarders from the ground up. Jim Mantle, Ed Hughes and the T-Mar engineering team have drawn on their years of experience in yarder design to manufacture the most modern, versatile and the most efficient yarders possible.

Designed for steep slope logging, the Log Champ 550 and 650 yarders are built in B.C. www.tmarequipment.com

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

DON’T MISS OUT, RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY! For more information about this premier event, please contact:

MARK CUSACK

National Show Manager

mcusack@mpltd.ca Toll-Free: 1.888.454.7469

SUPPLIERNEWSLINE

By Tony Kryzanowski

Cat distributor Finning to work closely with Weiler to expand relationship in purpose-built forestry products Canada’s largest Cat distributor, Finning, has announced its intention to expand its dealer relationship with Weiler, Inc., following Caterpillar Inc.’s announcement that it has entered into a preliminary agreement to sell its Cat purpose-built forestry business to Weiler.

“Finning already has a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with Weiler and we look forward to growing that relationship through distributing this portfolio of machines for the forestry industry through our extensive dealer networks in Canada and South America,” said Juan Carlos Villegas, COO of Finning International.

Founded in 2000, Weiler has a long-standing history of successfully manufacturing purpose-built equipment distributed through the Cat dealer network and currently produces an extensive portfolio of products.

Finning will work to distribute Weiler’s purpose built-forestry machines including wheel skidders and track feller bunchers, while continuing to provide Cat’s forestry excavators designed for log loading, processing and other forestry applications. Weiler’s product offering is complementary to other specialty forestry lines already offered through Finning.

“We remain strongly committed to our forestry business and expect Weiler’s forestry customers will benefit greatly from the exceptional sales and service experience that Finning, as Caterpillar’s largest equipment dealer, is proud to be known for,” added Villegas. “We will work with Caterpillar and Weiler during their transition to ensure a seamless customer experience.”

Weiler has been manufacturing purpose-built equipment for the asphalt paving market since 2005, with sales and service through the Caterpillar dealer network.

“We believe that the purpose-built forestry product line is the ideal addition to our current product portfolio,” said Pat Weiler, owner and founder of Weiler, Inc. The company has a proven track record of working with Cat dealers, including Finning, to respond rapidly to customers with specialized product needs. Weiler is said to be an engineeringbased company that has designed and developed more than 50 products, and is a recognized manufacturer of quality products.

It has distribution exclusively through the Cat dealer network.

“We are confident that our existing product line-up, our flexible manufacturing strategy, and our unrivaled customer focus will differentiate us within the forestry segment,” said Weiler.

Weiler anticipates retaining the approximate 270 employees supporting the forestry business, adding to the nearly 500 employees currently employed at the Knoxville, Iowa-based manufacturer’s corporate office and manufacturing facility.

The sale includes Cat operations and facilities such as the manufacturing plant and warehouse in LaGrange, Georgia, the demonstration and training center in Auburn, Alabama, and the legacy Prentice parts distribution center in Smithfield, North Carolina.

And more forestry equipment could be on the way from Weiler. “Utilizing the capabilities of both the LaGrange and Knoxville facilities, we have plans in place to expand the existing forestry product line to further meet customer demands,” said Weiler. www.finning.com www.weilerproducts.com

Cat remains committed to forest industry Caterpillar, Inc. announced in August that it had entered into a preliminary agreement with Weiler, Inc. to sell the Cat purposebuilt forestry business. The sale is subject to negotiation of a final agreement, the closing of which is expected by early 2019.

But Cat will continue to serve the very significant forest industry market. An important point is that Caterpillar will continue to provide forestry excavators designed for log loading, processing and other forestry applications, in addition to supplying core Caterpillar equipment to the forestry industry. Forestry excavators have a high degree of design and parts commonality with hydraulic excavators. It’s thought that this is a good fit with Cat’s construction equipment business.

“We remain committed to supporting our forestry customers and the forestry industry,” said Tom Pellette, Caterpillar Construc-

82

tion Industries Group President. Among the drivers for the deal was how best to serve customers for purpose-built forestry equipment, to ensure that the demand for these specialized products can be met. The company acquiring the purpose-built business, Weiler, Inc, has a proven track record of working to respond rapidly to customer needs in other specialized product segments.

“The sale of the purpose-built forestry business enables Caterpillar and Weiler to serve the complete forestry industry while providing customers with the same outstanding sales and service support they’ve come to expect,” said Pellette.

Caterpillar will supply engines, axles, transmissions and other components to Weiler for the purpose-built forestry machines, following the sale. www.caterpillar.com

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

suppliernewsline CBI and Ecotec forum in New Hampshire to feature all-new 6800CT horizontal grinder

Logging and forestry professionals are invited to the 2018 CBI & Ecotec Factory Forum taking place from October 2 to 4 in Newton, New Hampshire.

Headlined by the all new 6800CT horizontal grinder, this year’s demo lineup features grinders, shredders, screens, material separators, flails, conveyors, and attachments. The event will include technical workshops, factory tours, industry presentations, awards, an authentic New England dinner, a night out in the historic city of Portsmouth, and live entertainment, all in the backdrop of New Hampshire’s world class October foliage. www.cbi-inc.com www.terex.com/ecotec

While designing its HCK-A dry kiln, the company put great emphasis on creating exactly the right temperature, climate, and air speed drying conditions for the respective lumber moisture content. The technical features of each individual drying zone are customized to the drying state and moisture of the lumber passing through.

Lumber is placed length-wise on carts and dried during transport through a number of zones with separate climates.

Ultimately, customers will dry lumber in

the company’s continuous HCK-A kiln just as they would in a conventional package kiln. Conditions are perfectly adjusted to the lumber moisture content at all times.

It features the company’s new “greenkiln” technology for energy management and the Hildebrand Turbo Technology (HTT), ensuring tight final moisture distribution for maximum planer yield. www.brunner-hildebrand.com to page 84

Once it lumbered.

USNR expands Eugene facility

USNR is expanding its operations once again, this time at its Eugene, Oregon facility. The investment moves the company’s existing operation to a new, expanded facility that USNR says will be outfitted to meet the growing needs of its business.

The Eugene facility is described as home to a thriving team that supports and advances USNR’s optimization and veneer handling activities. It is the U.S. base for USNR’s optimization technology, from hardwood, shop and moulding, and green lumber grade scanning, to veneer scanning and grading solutions. From logs to lumber and blocks to dry veneer, USNR says that the Eugene team has a key role in the development of innovations for the solid wood and engineered wood industries.

The new facility encompasses over 60,000 square feet, situated on 3.2 acres.

The majority of the space will house electrical manufacturing, with the remainder for engineering, R&D and training facilities, warehousing and sales offices. The new facility is expected to be operational in January 2019. www.usnr.com

Brunner-Hildebrand has highly efficient, continuous-type dry kiln

Brunner-Hildebrand now has a highly efficient continuous-type kiln, the Alexander Hildebrand Continuous Kiln (HCK-A).

This type of continuous kiln is designed for mills that produce large volumes of lumber product, such as dimension SPF.

Now it runs like a Swiss watch.

The Delta RMC synchronizes two massive 30’ long hydraulic cylinders to smoothly and reliability lift the arms carrying bundles of logs into the mill.

Look to Delta RMC motion controllers and graphical RMCTools software to make complex motion design easier, smoother, and more precise.

Call 1-360-254-8688 or visit deltamotion.com Find case studies like this about Western Forest Products, Vancouver, B.C., and many others. Watch training videos to see how Delta Motion can make everything work in perfect, precise harmony.

See us at TP&EE Booth #945 Delta RMC Motion Controller Family

1 to 32 axes

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

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suppliernewsline from page 83

New VKE veneer and Itipack VKB panel products strapping machines The new VKE Veneer Strapping Machine has been designed with both efficiency and flexibility in mind, says the company.

With a very reliable top and bottom dunnage feeding system,

and the latest version of the Advanced Systems Diagnostics HMI, strapping veneer has never been easier, says the company.

This new machine also comes equipped with the new Itipack ITP-80 strapping head, which utilizes 45 per cent fewer parts than its reliable predecessor. Operations can even use old dunnage/bunks—typically that would not be possible with standard dunnage/bunk feeding systems.

The new Itipack VKB Panel Products Strapping Machine is said to be a robust, innovative and uniquely designed strapping machine. Itipack designed the VKB with operators and maintenance personnel top of mind, with modular functions and features such as quick head change technology, fixed strap tracks, head float system and HMI programmed servicing positions.

Modular options (which can be added at any time) include top, side and/or bottom edge protectors, side compression and different quantities of dunnage magazines (including the potential to add a mass dunnage feeder if desired).

The VKB works with dual compression rollers, allowing for the load to be transferred to the machine’s base, preventing warping of the machine or its floor anchor points over time.

Itipack has employed a side seal head design on the new VKB Panel Products Strapping Machine that indexes on a new monorail system. When activated, the HMI Head Servicing Button allows for the head to automatically index offline. Once fully indexed offline, maintenance personnel can complete regular PM away from the compression and pressure points of the machine, ensuring a safe work environment. The strapping heads’ ergonomic placement on the side of the machine allows for easy and comfortable access for daily, weekly and monthly PM. In conjunction with the side seal head location, Itipack has introduced a quick-change head system that will allow for easy head changeovers to be completed in less than two minutes.

The heads share a common mounting system, meaning there is no need for any changes to the mount when installing on the machine or test stand. www.itipacksystems.com/en/

Mill achieves payback on Andritz chipper heads

Andritz Iggesund Tools focuses on quality, reliability, and maximum production from their chipping heads, making them one of the most economical canter heads to operate today.

The company’s engineered canter heads, used in the highest production sawmills worldwide, are backed by best in class technical and field service support.

Andritz Iggesund Tools has long been a leader in developing superior knife quality from the TurnKnife system, coupled with innovative chipping heads like its Powerhead conical head and its TKD drum style head, that tackle even the most severe applications. Producing superior chip quality and unmatched board finish with maximum uptime is the common goal with all of the company’s canter head installations. Whether upgrading just the chipping heads, or installing a greenfield mill, Andritz Iggesund Tools says that its canter heads are by far the choice of mills today.

Its most recent upgrade improved the mill’s chip quality and uptime allowing the payback of new chipping heads to be realized in just three months. www.andritz.com

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

suppliernewsline LINCK cutterhead discs good for producing pulp chips or wood pellet fine chips

LINCK cutterhead discs allow for either the production of chips for the pulp industry or fine chips for wood pellets. Retrofit sets are available to change between the production of pulp and fine chips at any time.

Regardless of the kind of chips, LINCK says that their excellent quality is guaranteed. The shape of the pulp chips produced meets the high requirements of the pulp industry. A pre-cutting saw ring ensures an even and tear-free surface on the two-sided cant produced by the chipper canter.

products in Canada for more than 30 years,” said Dan Reader, President of Murray Latta. “Our long working relationship with Kimwood, familiarity with Kimwood’s products, reputation and brand, as well as our respect for the employees of Kimwood, made this an easy decision.

Our goal is to keep operations in Oregon and invest in reinvigorating the Kimwood brand and products.”

Kris Woodard, President of Kimwood

Corporation added: “Kimwood has been in business in Cottage Grove for more than 70 years. As a family owned business in a smaller community it was important that we choose wisely who might acquire the Kimwood operations; a buyer who would respect the community, Kimwood’s long history and, foremost, Kimwood employees. to page 86

Screw Technology – the new generation of log handling systems The cutterhead discs are arranged in multi-steps. The knives for the outer step that are less in use than the ones of the inner step must therefore be changed less frequently. The possibility of re-grinding and re-using the knives several times reduces cutting costs.

An anti-friction bearing-supported disc in the cutterhead ensures reliable guiding of the cants during processing, and provides for excellent product dimension accuracy, says the company. www.linck.com

Murray Latta acquires Kimwood operations

Murray Latta Progressive Machine, Inc. of Surrey, B.C., announced that it has acquired the operations of Kimwood Corporation, a Cottage Grove, Oregon-based manufacturer of machinery for the forest products industry.

Kimwood’s manufacturing line-up includes sanders, planers, re-saws, rotary hogs and cylinders. Murray Latta designs, manufactures and distributes industrial machinery for several industrial sectors including forest products, oil, gas, mining, material handling, construction—and the company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“Murray Latta has been a licensed manufacturer and distributor of Kimwood

Over 130 installations worldwide

Reliable, low maintenance operation. Even-ending, gap control, and a minimum of slippage when transferred to the chain conveyor. These are the benefits of Springer screw technology over traditional methods such as step or wave feeders.

Chosen by customers in BC, Alberta, Pacific Northwest, and the Southeast US, Springer screw technology works on all types of log species, especially those with a high percentage of crooked and broken logs, for lengths of 8 to 65 feet.

Visit us at Timber Processing & Energy Expo in Portland on booth #527

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018 Springer Inserat LSJ 117x191 Portland.indd 1

85 07.09.18 12:26

suppliernewsline from page 85 “The combination of the Kimwood operations with Murray Latta simply gives the operations a broader international reach and opportunities for the Kimwood employees,” said Woodard. “This transaction ensures the continued presence of Kimwood manufacturing operations in Cottage Grove for many years to come.”

The new company will be operating under the name Kimwood Machinery Inc. All Kimwood employees will be retained, including Woodard, who will continue to manage the new company’s operations. www.mlpmachine.com www.kimwood.com

Alberta association launches social media campaign

The Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA) has launched its #Foresters social media campaign. It will focus on telling the stories of the women and men who work to manage Alberta’s 38 million hectares of forested lands.

“Foresters are unique professionals,” says AFPA President and CEO Paul

Whittaker. “They have a solid academic background combined with an intimate connection with the land they work to manage. Foresters also bring an incredible passion for our landbase and environment to their job. It is a real pleasure to tell their stories.”

Six video profiles of Alberta forestry professionals will be at the core of the campaign. A new video will be released at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays for the campaign's duration. Videos and other content can be found on the AFPA’s Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as the association's website.

Alberta has more than 1,500 forestry professionals, including Registered Professional Foresters and Registered Professional Forest Technologists www.albertaforestproducts.ca

New rep for Peerless Saw Peerless Saw Co. of Groveport, Ohio is now being represented by longtime head saw filer, Jimbo Davis of Longview, Washington.

Following the untimely death of Paul Duclos, the company says it believes Davis will fit perfectly with their strategy to

aggressively grow their share in sawmills throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Davis is well known and respected throughout the territory from his previous 36 years as a saw filer and his record as a former president and officer of the Western Sawfilers Educational Association, says the company. Davis prides himself as a third generation sawfiler, who will offer his problem solving skills to filing rooms throughout the territory.

Recent consolidation in the cutting tool industry has increased the demand for alternative, independent suppliers like Peerless Saw. Mill managers and saw filers throughout North America are searching for viable alternatives to supply high quality, competitively priced round saws in faster delivery times. Peerless Saw is positioned well to provide the sawmill industry with this option, says the company.

And adding Davis’ expertise to the Peerless sales team makes a powerful offering to cutting tool customers.

Peerless Saw became an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company in 2016 and has steadily been gaining market share in round saws throughout the U.S. In business for 87 years, the company has grown to 60 employees, encouraged by the opportunities offered with employee ownership.

Peerless Saw is one of the few round saw manufacturers that employs its own in-house heat treatment of Americanmade Nickel Alloy saw steel. The hardening furnace uses an exclusive quench press technology employing hydraulic pressure and water cooled platens to simultaneously flatten and harden the steel.

Add a robotic, Gerling auto-tensioning system plus a hydraulic leveling process and customers can understand why the Peerless Saw factory produces among the flattest round saws available. www.peerlesssaw.com

First Nations and Canadian Kraft Paper Industries form forestry management company

A historic partnership has been forged between Nekoté, a corporation representing seven First Nations, and Canadian Kraft Paper Industries (CKPI) in Manitoba.

Under this 50-50 partnership, Nekoté and CKPI will form a new company called Nisokapawino Forestry Management Corporation (NFMC) to co-manage 8.7 million hectares of boreal forest.

Nisokapawino will operate within a 86

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

suppliernewsline tenure designated as Forest Management Licence 2 (FML-2). It is the largest forest tenure in North America, which overlaps with the traditional territories of nine First Nations.

Since November 2016, CKPI and Nekoté have been working diligently to create partnership agreements that improve communication with rights-

holders and stakeholders on the FML, enhance understanding and opportunities around forest management decision making, and create better access to employment and business development opportunities.

CKPI will transition the work associated with the FMLA responsibilities to Nisokapawino.

Canadian Kraft Paper Industries Limited is located in The Pas, Manitoba, and focuses solely on the production of unbleached extensible kraft papers. These high performance extensible papers are sold to converters throughout the world for various demanding applications.

Ponsse's new solutions for harvesting, factory expansion Ponsse’s products and services that improve productivity and profitability had a strong presence at the recent FinnMETKO trade fair in Jämsä, Finland.

The Ponsse Bison forwarder and Ponsse Cobra and Fox harvesters were launched at the fair. These products will complement Ponsse´s already extensive machine range.

The new products are part of Ponsse’s Boost/Save philosophy enabling customers to improve the productivity and cost efficiency of harvesting through the right products, information systems, training and service.

Apart from forest machines, Ponsse presented new features, products and solutions for environmentally friendly and responsible harvesting.

The Ponsse Bison Active Frame is said to be a ground-breaking innovative forwarder. The company says it is a next-generation forwarder that performs at its best over long transport distances.

Featuring a modern Mercedes-Benz/MTU engine, powerful loader and robust CVT gearbox, the Bison Active Frame is an unbeatable powerhouse for timber transport, says the company.

The Ponsse Bison Active Frame is equipped with Active Frame cabin suspension system. The structurally simple, yet effective system ensures that lateral swings affecting the driver are eliminated in an efficient and unnoticeable fashion.

The Ponsse Cobra is an eight-wheel allround harvester with an extensive range of options. The Cobra’s strengths include a powerful six-cylinder engine, a highperformance hydraulics system powered by a large 210 cm3 working pump, and a robust and thoroughly tested structure.

Thanks to the high quality of its basic solutions, the Cobra is a reliable and fueleconomical package, says the company.

The accurate and easy-to-use crane, great balance and powerful six-cylinder engine make it an excellent solution for varying conditions, says Ponsse.

Thanks to the latest technology and reliable basic solutions, the Ponsse Fox is an economical and efficient harvester.

Suitable for demanding conditions and soft terrain, the Fox can easily tackle harvesting challenges thanks to its accurate and powerful crane, good visibility, great stability and low surface pressure. The eight-wheel Ponsse Fox is right at home at thinning sites and on soft terrain. The crane is powerful, easy-to-use and located near the cabin, with excellent visibility to the work area.

The Ponsse Active Crane offers a new way of controlling the loader and boosting work performance. Active Crane is a new method the driver uses to control the grapple movement, instead of individual functions. This allows the driver to concentrate on loading.

The Active Crane is said to be easy to control using two control levers, one of which controls the grapple height from the ground and the other the direction.

What is essential is that the driver does not need to control all the functions simultaneously. When the desired grapple location is specified for the machine, the system performs the lifting, folding and extending operations automatically.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

All of this forestry equipment is being produced at Ponsse’s newly opened factory in Vieremä, Finland.

Ponsse has made the largest factory investment in its history, expanding its production facilities from 2,700 square metres to 4,000 square metres.

The investment means a leap forward in production technology.

“The new factory facilitates the strong development of quality, flexibility, occupational safety and productivity,” says Juho Nummela, President and CEO of Ponsse Plc. “We are able to react with more flexibility to changes in the market situation and ensure effective customer variation of Ponsse forest machines in serial production conditions.”

The new factory uses new smart storage technology that enables a smooth flow of components to production lines.

This has significantly increased productivity of storage logistics and reduced manual handling of components. Storage automation includes 15,500 storage places for small goods and 3,900 pallet places.

The construction of the new factory started in early 2016. All Ponsse forest machines are manufactured in Vieremä. www.ponsse.com 87

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USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Comact: DDM6 Complete with log turner & infeed, 2001 Comact: DLI Twin complete with log turning & infeed, 2001 2xUSNR/Lunden: Sawmill Stackers – 16Ft., 2001 Bruks: 1512CS Drum Chipper, 2006 CAE/Newnes: 50 Bin Sorter, 16FT, 2001 CAE/Newnes: 26 Bin Sorter, 16FT CAE/Newnes: Trimmer, 16FT, 2001 BM&M: 10 x 20 Chip Screens, 1995 Salton: Dry Kiln Steam, 2000 Chip Bins: 3 x 30 unit Diamond/FlatSide Acrowood: Chipper with Edem Vibrating Conveyor Milltech: Tilthoist hydraulic, 16FT, 2000 Westech: Two Tier Hydraulic Tilthoist, 16FT, 2000 Nicholson: A5A Highspeed 17” Debarker, late 90’s Newnes/McGhee: Newnes/McGhee 6” curve saw gang 2001 For Info Contact Scott • 1-780-504-1999 Scott@wolftek.ca

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

ADVERTISER PAGE Allied Blower............................... 79 Andritz Iggesund Tools.................... 5 Arrow Speed Controls ................. 73 Autolog........................................ 17 Bosch Rexroth.............................. 27 Brandt Tractor ............................. 71 Brunette Machinery Co................. 44 Brunner Hildebrand..................... 84 Can-Am Chains ........................... 45 Carbotech.................................... 11 Caterpillar.................................... 53 CNRE .......................................... 81 Corbilt ........................................ 40 Delta Computer Systems ............. 83 EBI Electric................................... 18 FinScan........................................ 70 Gilbert......................................... 19 Globalstar SPOT X.......................... 2 HewSaw........................................ 7 Hyundai Dealers.......................... 33 Inland ......................................... 92 Itipack Systems............................. 43 Jet Marking Systems ............... 50, 51 John Deere.................................. 31 Lico Machinery ........................... 58 Liebherr....................................... 74 LINCK.......................................... 21 Linden Fabricating ....................... 64 Metal Detectors........................... 25 MPM Engineering......................... 56 Murray Latta Progressive............... 67 Oleson Saw Technology...........46-47 Olofsfors ..................................... 36 Peterson....................................... 59 Peerless Saw ................................ 61 Piché Inc...................................... 20 PLC USA...................................... 72 Prologic +.................................... 24 Promac........................................ 52 Quadco / Southstar...................... 57 Quadco Teeth.............................. 30 R & S Cutter Head ....................... 43 Raptor Integration ....................... 13 Rosta .......................................... 29 Rotochopper ............................... 65 Sennebogen ................................ 49 Signode........................................ 26 SKS Engineering............................ 51 Smithco....................................... 42 SMS Equipment............................ 37 Springer Microtec......................... 85 Supersaul Chemmex Inc............... 18 T P & EE....................................... 86 TS Manufacturing......................... 16 Tsubaki ....................................... 41 USNR .......................................... 23 Utility Composites ....................... 39 Valutec Wood Dryers.................... 80 Wallingford's ............................... 35 Waratah ...................................... 91 Wellons.......................................... 6 Western Equipment ..................... 32 Wheeler Equipment...................... 78 Wood-Mizer................................. 34 Z-Tec............................................ 63

89

thelastword

Wood-based bioenergy getting a boost in small communities in B.C., the Yukon

By Jim Stirling

S

ometimes it just makes sense to look at things backwards.

When the ultimate objective is to re-establish a forest economy with a community sawmill at its heart, it’s prudent first to find out what can profitably be done with the 60 per cent of the available wood basket that won’t make sawlog grade lumber.

Members of the Teslin Tlingit Council learned that while on a forestry fact finding trip to Finland. And that is why the first phase of work on a wood-fired bioenergy system is now well advanced in the southern Yukon village.

Fully using the available forest resource to its best advantage is seen as the best route for Teslin to further its forest industry aspirations. At the same time, the Teslin Biomass Project promises a raft of other benefits to the approximately 400 community residents.

In the mid-1990s, there was a small sawmill in Teslin and a wood harvesting system to support it. But it went under.

Now the Teslin Tlingit Council has an enhanced level of self determination and has developed its own model for a sustainable forest industry and providing the advantages its people want.

The Teslin Biomass Project’s first phase includes the installation of 10 new wood chip boilers from the Austrian manufacturer, Hargassner.

“They make a pretty forgiving chip boiler,” said Doug Hogan, who was involved with Teslin’s earlier experiences in the forest industry. They can accommodate wood chips that are green, dry, dirty and in different sizes. “They are also CSA approved and that was important to us.”

Another important factor for the Teslin Biomass Project was involving various levels of government and other interested parties from an early date in the process.

Those relationships are continuing. For example, the Teslin Tlingit Council is cooperating with the Yukon Territorial Government to develop a commercial timber

harvesting plan which will provide the raw material nucleus for the community sawmill.

Chipping the log component unsuitable for sawmilling as furnish for Teslin’s bioenergy system delivers additional cost and environmental benefits. Right now, Teslin relies on diesel fuel as its main power source.

“We will be able to offset about 110,000 litres of diesel fuel each year,” estimated Blair Hogan, Doug’s son.

“And there should be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of about 7470 tonnes/year.”

Hogan said later implementation stages of the Teslin Biomass Project will see the system expanded to service local Yukon Territorial Government offices and the Teslin municipality. Later on, the bioenergy system will expand to serve both industrial and residential clusters in the lakeside village.

When the much anticipated sawmill is up and running, Hogan anticipates its priority will be serving the community.

“Teslin will be its own lumber customer.”

In June, Hogan outlined what Teslin anticipates from its wood biomass project to a receptive audience at the 8th Canadian Biomass Conference and Exhibition held in Prince George, British Columbia.

Hogan would like to take the interest one step further. They’re interested in sharing their model and approach and develop a kind of district heat system tourism, he outlined.

Biomass heating systems have been successfully introduced to larger northern communities including Whitehorse, Yukon and Yellowknife, NWT. But according to Clean Energy BC, more than 292 rural or isolated communities are still dependent on diesel fuel to support their energy needs. Clean Energy BC has been around for more than 25 years.

“Our goal is to develop a power generation and power management industry in B.C. that serves the public interest by

90

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - September 2018

providing cost effective electricity through the efficient and environmentally responsible development of the province’s generation and transmission facilities,” says its website.

One of the most isolated communities in B.C. is Kwadacha or Fort Ware. The community of about 80 homes is about 570 kilometres north of Prince George and accessed only by air or by a framerattling series of logging roads north of Mackenzie and Williston Lake. For years, the Kwadacha Nation has been working toward weaning itself from a total reliance on imports of diesel and propane.

A major step forward was taken in 2017 with the start up in Kwadacha of North America’s first off-grid wood biomass gasification energy system. It incorporates well proven technology used in plants of varying sizes in Europe and Japan from the German manufacturer Spanne Re2. But the location and BC Hydro’s diesel generation plant in Kwadacha makes the application groundbreaking.

It starts with the raw material. In Teslin, their wood is air dried for a couple of years until a moisture content of 20 to 30 per cent is reached before it is chipped and stored. In the Kwadacha process, wood chips have to meet exacting standards of size and a maximum 15 per cent moisture content. Chips are burned in gasifiers and the gas cooled and filtered before being fed into three generators.

The mountain pine beetle epidemic has helped supply Kwadacha with many years supply of suitable wood fibre. Surplus heat from the gasification process is used to heat the community school, dry the wood chips as required and heat three hydroponic greenhouses for year around operation. The much-anticipated greenhouses will provide residents with fresh organic veggies like cucumber, peppers and tomatoes.

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