Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

Visit LSJ’s website at www.forestnet.com!

October 2015

Deere’s new 953M bunchers back B.C. logger’s expansion NEW SAWMILL TOOLS at New Brunswick's Garant GP mill

With this issue…

The Edge!

Tilting Tigercat tackles B.C. hillsides Improved hydraulics cut energy costs at Conifex Mackenzie

Special Insert: Millyard Best Practices Wallchart

Rule the Forest

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FEATURES October 2015 Volume 46 • No. 6 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski

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

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

On the Cover:

R. Clauson Logging’s continuing commitment to John Deere forestry machines is reflected in Clauson's acquisition of two new 953M-series tracked feller bunchers for its new harvesting side. Read about how Deere’s 953M machines, supplied and serviced by B.C. Deere dealer Brandt Tractor, better handle the Prince George region's larger piece size averages, beginning on page 10 of this issue (Photo courtesy of John Deere).

4 Spotlight

A new guidebook aims to help forest companies adapt to the significant climate change-related threats to the fibre supply that could lay ahead for Canada’s forest industry—and will be a welcome tool for companies looking to make adjustments in their forest management practices.

10

Deere’s new 953M bunchers backing B.C. logger’s expansion

Office PO Box 86670, 211 East 1st Street North Vancouver, BC V7L 4L2 Phone: (604) 990-9970 Fax: (604) 990-9971 Website: www.forestnet.com

B.C.’s R. Clauson Logging recently embarked on a new logging venture, moving into the Prince George region, and it has the support of two new 953M series feller bunchers—and dealer Brandt Tractor and manufacturer John Deere behind them all the way.

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16 New sawmill tools

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ISSN 0226-7572. Indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Ltd. Back copies from 1996 onward are available through our website www.forestnet.com and in microform from Micromedia Ltd., 416-362-5211.

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for tool-making

The Garant GP added value operation in New Brunswick is the epitome of versatility, changing its product mix to meet market needs, from hockey sticks to wooden tool handles. And it now has higher levels of efficiency thanks to a new Cleereman carriage matched to a PHL double cut band saw.

22

Tilting Tigercat tackles the hillsides A tilting Tigercat LS855C shovel logger is doing a very able job of helping Marlo Logging deal with increasing elevations and tougher access in the B.C. Interior, moving wood from steep gullies and draws to more accessible positions.

28 Improved hydraulics

cut energy costs at Conifex Mackenzie

The Conifex Timber sawmill in Mackenzie, B.C. is seeing improved performance following a recent hydraulic systems upgrade, with a bonus that the system now uses 65 per cent less energy.

36 Delivering green energy

Prince Edward Island logger Joe O’Connor keeps pretty busy these days with a number of projects, including supplying biomass material to an energy systems plant in Charlottetown.

41 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, Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions and FPInnovations.

58 The Last Word

It’s encouraging to see Resolute Forest Products standing up to the environmental activist bullies, says Tony Kryzanowski.

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar.........................................................................................................8 Tech Update: Lumber Strapping and Wrapping.............................................46 Suppliernewsline..........................................................................................50 Classifieds / Employment Opportunities.......................................................56 Ad Index / Subscriptions...............................................................................57 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

3

spotlight

Facing the threats that climate change poses for the forest industry A new guidebook aims to help forest companies adapt to the significant climate change-related threats to the fibre supply that could lie ahead for Canada’s forest industry—and will be a welcome tool for companies looking to make adjustments in their forest management practices.

By Tony Kryzanowski

T

he devastation wrought by the mountain pine beetle is one example of how climate change could have a significant impact on the Canadian forest industry’s medium to long term timber supply.

For example, one worst case scenario predicts that without human intervention, the boreal forest—which now extends as far south as the midpoint of Alberta— could retract as far north as the Northwest Territories border, with the new landscape resembling the grasslands of Montana by 2080.

A retraction of the boreal forest is not only a threat to localized ecosystems, but could have a considerable impact on the global environment, as Canada has 397 million hectares of forests and other woodlands, representing 10 per cent of the world’s forest cover.

Many forest industry professionals already understand that climate change is a significant threat to the fibre supply for many forest companies, but until now, they have had few resources to work the problem. That has now changed.

A climate change adaptation guidebook has just been released by the Climate Change Task Force working under the direction of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM). It addresses two important issues—a company’s ‘organizational readiness’ to respond to the impact that climate change could have on their short, medium and long term fibre supply, as well as a carefully conceived, step-by-step, guidebook for companies to evaluate and respond to identified threats to that fibre supply.

4

In its introduction, the guidebook states that “failure to acknowledge the new reality of climate change may result in widespread impacts, many of which could be reduced or avoided if appropriate adaptation actions were identified, planned, and implemented today”.

The guidebook does not take a onesize-fits-all approach, concluding that “impacts will differ widely from region to region within Canada”. to page 6

Many forest industry professionals already understand that climate change is a threat to fibre supply for Canadian forest companies, and they now have a climate change adaptation guidebook from the Climate Change Task Force to help address climate change-related issues.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

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spotlight from page 4 Jason Edwards, a forest officer with the Adaption Research and Knowledge Exchange Group with the Canadian Forest Service, and part of the technical group that drafted the guidebook, says working through the guidebook’s various stages could take a company a couple of days or a couple of years, depending how organizationally ready the company is and whether they take a basic or comprehensive approach to assess their vulnerability and adapting to climate change.

“It depends who you have around the table and the resources available,” says Edwards. “It can be a couple of days’ event with some structured formats or it could be a couple of years’ process. It really depends on the level of information required to actually move forward.”

The guidebook was piloted with the Government of Manitoba, which spent two years working through the document’s stages. However, it was a learning process for both them and the Task Force technical team, which accounts for how long it took to complete the process.

Guidebook revisions and refinements

were made along the way.

Based on his interaction with various forest companies over the past decade, Edwards says that there is no doubt in his mind that the guidebook will be a welcome tool for many forest practitioners.

Some companies have already made some adjustments in their forest management practices towards adaptation while others are just starting out. Development of the guidebook was in direct response from workshop attendees who expressed a need for a ‘how to’ and ‘hands on’ document to complement the academic theories and concepts expressed in many of the preceding documents produced by the Climate Change Task Force.

“The guidebook actually leads you to an implementation plan, and therefore you can scope out who is responsible for what, provide timelines, assess available resources, and take action to move forward,” says Edwards.

The CCFM identified climate change as one of two priority issues for Canada’s forest sector as far back as 2008. That resulted in the Climate Change Task Force, consisting of a national network of scientists and technicians that have delved into the

6

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

key issues concerning climate change and its impact on Canada’s commercial forest.

Phase 1, which was completed in 2010, involved a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of various tree species and identified management options for adaptation. Phase 2, which is wrapping up now, has gone beyond the level of trees to look at climate change adaptation within forest ecosystems and the broader

spotlight

forest sector. Its goal is to equip members of the forest sector with a suite of tools and state-of-the-art information to enable them to make better decisions about the need for adaptation and the types of measures that may be most beneficial.

The adaptation guidebook developed by the Climate Change Task Force draws upon the technical reports and review papers generated by nearly 100 individuals

over two years from a wide range of organizations, and is part of CCFM’s Climate Change Adaptation series consisting of 10 documents, which includes the guidebook, aimed at better equipping industry.

The guidebook is targeted toward the forest resource professional.

“What we mean by that is anybody that is working in the forest sector,” says Edwards. “It could be people at the provincial or territorial level, people in policy and regulation roles, and those within the forest industry itself. It would likely be people in planning roles.”

The guidebook takes a structured decision-making approach, broken down into four stages of adaptation, with a menu of tasks and worksheets. It also cites a variety of case studies along the path of what’s been tried at various stages to date as possible approaches.

“Throughout the process that we have developed here, the idea is that you are engaging all your staff in the process, so that you are getting feedback from all your planning and operations team,” says Edwards, representing such individuals as operational silviculturists, forest engineers responsible for building roads, and

planning foresters. He emphasizes that everyone from harvest planning down to replanting needs to be involved because climate change has the potential to impact all stages of this process with adaptation methods built into each function, as needed.

Stage 1 tackles the issue of organizational readiness. This is a separate process, with the adaptation guidebook assuming that a company has already completed this process before embarking on further analysis and adaptation work. This process has its own report and guidebook entitled, “Adapting sustainable forest management to climate change: a systematic approach for exploring organizational readiness.”

Initially, it may just be one person within a forest company testing the waters to assess the company’s organizational readiness to move forward to the impact assessment and implementation stage.

“A crucial first step is to identify the strengths and capabilities, along with weaknesses and gaps, that will affect the organization’s readiness to respond to

to page 8

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spotlight from page 7 the challenges of climate change,” says the Task Force’s organizational readiness report.

Stage 2 is a pre-vulnerability analysis.

Fundamentally, this allows a company to describe current climate and climateforest relationships, and develop future climate and forest impact scenarios.

Stage 3 is a detailed vulnerability analysis. Its purpose is to identify where

sustainable forest management is vulnerable to climate change, and therefore where adaptation is needed, and where opportunities or positive effects could occur, which could be enhanced by adaptation activities. That is one of the notable findings of scientists working on the Climate Change Task Force: that while the overall impact of climate change on Canada’s commercial forest will be negative, there are situations and places where it could in fact have a positive impact.

Stage 4 is to identify, implement, and monitor adaptation, with the goal of mainstreaming these adaptation measures into sustainable forest management decision making.

For forest companies, implementing initiatives like this typically comes down to resources. The guidebook takes this into account, as it offers several paths forward from basic to comprehensive—with the caveat that if companies opt for the basic approach exclusively throughout, they could miss critical aspects of the sustainable forest management system.

According to Michael Norton, Canadian Forest Service Director General at the Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton, the work of the Task Force, including the guidebook, has been presented to all members of the CCFM for further dissemination and distribution throughout their jurisdictions. The Task Force has been given a limited and modest continuing mandate, with one of its tasks being to work with its fire and pest working groups to incorporate climate change considerations into their regular work plans.

The guidebook, as well as the entire catalogue of reports developed by the task force, are available online at www.ccfm. org.

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equipmentprofile The 330 hp 953M has the tried and true John Deere features like its renowned track power—but experienced loggers like R. Clauson Logging have also had their say about the new machine's features.

Deere’s new 953M bunchers backing B.C. logger’s expansion B.C.’s R. Clauson Logging recently embarked on a new logging venture, moving into the Prince George region, and it has the support of two new 953M series feller bunchers—and dealer Brandt Tractor and manufacturer John Deere behind them all the way.

By Jim Stirling mbarking on a new venture is easier with proven partners in support.

R.Clauson Logging Ltd., has two major partners in its corner.

The first is Clauson Logging’s people, the ones who make the company work day in and day out. The second set of partners are John Deere and Deere dealer

Brandt Tractor which provide the reliable equipment and the essential back-up service respectively so the logging company can do its work and consistently meet its obligations.

Those partnerships were instrumental, albeit in different ways, influencing Clauson Logging’s decision to expand its business north from Quesnel into the Prince George region of British Columbia early

10

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

E

in 2015.

The continuing commitment to John Deere forestry machines is reflected in Clauson’s acquisition of two new 953Mseries tracked feller bunchers for its new harvesting side. The machines can better handle the Prince George region’s larger to page 12

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equipmentprofile from page 10 piece size averages compared to those encountered around Clauson’s Quesnel home base.

The logging contractor continues its long standing harvesting relationship with Tolko Industries in the Quesnel area.

Taking delivery of its first 953M feller buncher was like being re-acquainted with an old friend. The 330 hp 953M has the tried and true John Deere features like its renowned track power—but experienced loggers like Clauson have also had their say about the new machine’s features. Clauson Logging was one of the customer advocacy groups sought out by John Deere’s team of engineers to gather input into the design of the M series of machines.

John Deere invested about 11,000 hours of prototype testing into the machine’s design. “Clauson Logging has helped John Deere with previous machine series, including the ‘K’ buncher and John Deere skidders,” explains Dustin Clauson, who’s running the company’s new Prince George side. “John Deere is really pro-active seeking people out. And they listen to you.”

A single joystick push has helped simplify boom and stick operation on the 953M, says Clauson. The Rapid Cycle System is optional and there’s an automatic head leveling system that can be engaged if required. “The machine has a longer boom reach (in excess of 29 feet) and a wider cutting swathe which can help improve production through less machine walking,” he points out.

“With bunchers, it’s the little things,” Clauson added. Like re-locating the toolbox to the machine’s track frame. Apart from being handy, it helps free up space in the operator’s cab which has under-

A single joystick push has helped simplify boom and stick operation on the 953M. The Rapid Cycle System is optional and there’s an automatic head leveling system that can be engaged if required. gone extensive redevelopment in the M series of machines.

Operator comfort, safety and ability to do the job required are the priorities on the 953M. The operator’s visibility is enhanced compared to earlier models, with up to 44 per cent more glass, including an overhead skylight. The operator has a fully adjustable suspension seat. In-cab storage space has also been improved. Tilt hoses have been rerouted in the 953M in what is a beefier machine all around.

The John Deere-manufactured FR24B cutting head has the ability to accumulate a couple of trees at a time for improved productivity. And it handles well within

itself the taller and greener wood now being more frequently encountered in the Prince George region. “You don’t want to be pushing a machine to the max all the time,” says Clauson.

The 953M features a sealed switch module which is a pass code for use of the machine by up to 10 operators. It allows each operator to instantly engage his personal pre-set operational parameters.

It includes things like track power and button configuration.

Derek Landry is the regular 953M operator for Clauson Logging. “We really haven’t had to do much with the machine apart from tweaking a couple of pressures early on,” says Landry.

Since then, about 450 hours of operation have been put on the machine’s clock. “The 953M is a lot more stable,” reports Landry. That’s because the machine’s tracks have been widened by four inches and the track frame enlarged by nine rollers.

“The cab is roomier, you can see better—there’s really good visibility—and you feel safe in the cab,” adds Landry. He also notes the 953M runs cool even when the ambient outdoor temperatures are around 30 degrees.

to page 14 12

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

equipmentprofile

Good machine operators with local knowledge can be especially important when moving into a new area, as is the case with Clauson's Prince George division.

"John Deere is really pro-active seeking people out. And they listen to you," says Dustin Clauson (above), who is running the company's new Prince George side, which uses the new 953M bunchers.

“The 953M has exceeded expectations so far,” agrees Clauson. “We’ve had no real issues with it. It is a newer machine but our uptime has definitely improved.”

Clauson Logging’s new side is for Canfor’s Polar Division sawmill complex at Bear Lake, about 72 kilometres north of Prince George. The contractor’s relationship with Canfor in the region began last spring with an assignment to harvest about 40,000 cubic metres of mainly small diameter wood. “Since then we’ve had meetings with Canfor and we’ve been very happy with them. We’re now working on a 350,000 cubic metre contract for five years and we’re continuing to talk and hope to grow that in the future,” says Clauson.

The family-owned log contracting company with principal Rick Clauson (Dustin’s dad) has been a fixture in Quesnel for 43 years. The bulk of that time has been as a primary Tolko contractor, with volumes augmented by occasional BC Timber Sale blocks. But the dynamics of the forest industry there have changed in the aftermath of the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Forest companies and their contractors are anticipating cuts in harvesting volumes in the Quesnel Timber Supply Area as a result.

“We have to worry about our crews and we need to be pro-active,” explains Dustin Clauson. Their crews need and deserve long term security, he says. “It’s really important to us as a company. If it wasn’t for our guys, we’d be just another logger out there who won’t win.”

Clauson Logging helps put the food on the table for at least 80 people between the two divisions, including companyowned and contract truckers. There are about 20 people working on the Prince George side.

“Our people are the big thing for us,”

14

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

continues Clauson. “Some of them have been with us 40 years, lots around 20 years and we have the newer guys. We give them good, safe well maintained equipment to work with so they can go home safe each day and earn a good living.”

Good machine operators with local knowledge can be especially important when moving into a new area, as is the case with Clauson’s Prince George division. “We can get a lot of knowledge from the local guys. The ground’s different, the seasons are different—everything’s a little bit different. We need to really listen.”

The good equipment part of the equation is where John Deere and its dealer Brandt Tractor Ltd., come to the forefront. Clauson’s Prince George side runs a Deere 903K apart from the two new 953M-series feller bunchers. The machines are complemented by Deere 2954 and 2454 log loaders; two 848 skidders; a 1910 forwarder; three Deere 2454s with Waratah 623 processing heads, and a Deere 2154 with a 622 head. There’s also a small Deere 160 hoe for graveling and ditching and two Caterpillar dozers for roadbuilding.

“We have as good a relationship as you can get with John Deere. We trust them a lot,” continues Clauson. “Through thick and thin, when we need something extra, they’ve always come through to help us.”

The Brandt guys don’t hesitate to run out to a block or re-route a mechanic if there’s a problem. “They’ll do it with little notice, no complaints and they get the job done. All of their departments have always been stellar with us,” says Clauson.

“It’s why we’re not a paint tin logger.”

No indeed. To Clauson Logging, John Deere’s green and yellow paint job looks just fine.

addedvalue

New sawmill tools

for tool-making The Garant GP added value operation in New Brunswick is the epitome of versatility, changing its product mix to meet market needs, from hockey sticks to wooden tool handles. And it now has higher levels of efficiency thanks to a new Cleereman carriage matched to a PHL double cut band saw.

By George Fullerton

R

ichard Poulin is happy with the recent upgrades to the Garant GP dowel mill in Woodstock, in New Brunswick, upgrades that have modernized this value-added operation to help increase yield from the wood supply and improve the plant’s efficiency.

Over the past year, the mill has seen an investment of over one million dollars

and welcomed a new Cleereman carriage matched to a PHL double cut band saw.

“This is the largest and most significant investment in the mill in the past 20 years,” explained Poulin, operations manager of the mill. “The new carriage and thin kerf saw have immediately increased our yield by three to four per cent, and that will help us pay back our capital investment in under four years.”

There’s more to come. “Next year we expect to add 3-D scanning technology

for the headsaw and replace our old HMC rosserhead debarker with a Robertson cambio debarker. The new debarker will go a long way to reducing fibre loss and the 3-D scanner will increase sawing efficiency even further.”

The Garant GP operation is a major economic contributor in the town of Woodstock, employing more than 30 people. The mill was established in 1961 as a maple turning operation, and its primary product was solid wood bowling pins. When the bowling industry switched from solid pins to pins manufactured from laminated lumber, the mill lost its primary market.

The next iteration for the milling operation was producing solid wood hockey stick handles. After the hockey stick industry, too, went to laminated wood, the mill again went looking for products, and that brought them to producing dowels from

The new Cleereman carriage matched to a PHL double cut band saw in action at the Garant GP mill (at left). “This is the largest and most significant investment in the mill in the past 20 years,” explained Richard Poulin, operations manager of the mill.

16

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

Dowels ready for shipment from the Garant GP dowel mill in Woodstock, New Brunswick. The dowels are supplied to Garant’s St. Francois, Quebec manufacturing plant where they are kiln dried and manufactured into a variety of wooden handles for hand tools, including shovels, rakes and some striking tools.

solid wood, for wooden tool handles.

The dowels are supplied to Garant’s St. Francois, Quebec manufacturing plant where the dowels are kiln dried and manufactured into a variety of wooden handles for hand tools, including shovels, rakes and some striking tools.

If your assortment of yard tools includes Garant or True Temper brands, chances are the handle began as a log in the Woodstock yard.

The mill was established on the edge of the Woodstock industrial park in the 1960s, but the park has since expanded and the Garant operation now sits surrounded by light industry and supply warehouses.

Trucks loaded with white ash logs growl down the streets to the log yard and trucks pulling van trailers come looking for a load to deliver to the Garant St. Francois factory.

While the mill procures some hardwood logs from producers in northwest New Brunswick, nearly 90 per cent of the white ash supply actually comes from the neighbouring state of Maine. White ash has excellent flexibility and shock absorbing characteristics, and has a long and significant history for tool handles.

Trucks arrive in the millyard and are unloaded by either a Cat IT38G wheel

loader or a truck mounted log loader.

“Our Cat wheel loader sees a lot of demand,” says Poulin. “It feeds the logs to the mill infeed, and it also piles down and spreads logs for scaling. It also mounts a bucket to load bark and chips, and then it unloads logs.

“And when there are a few log trucks in the yard, rather than wait for the wheel loader, some of the truckers will use our truck mounted loader to unload their own trucks. These drivers know their way around loaders and equipment—many of them load themselves in the woods—so they can use the log loader and avoid what might become a bit of a wait for the wheel loader.”

Each log is stick scaled by Bangor rule, primarily because that is the log scale system that 90 per cent of the producers are familiar with. The mill also pays the U.S. producers in U.S. funds. Richard Poulin and his son Paul handle the stick scaling of the mill log supply.

After each load is stick scaled and tallied, the Cat wheel loader scoops up all the logs and places them in piles in the yard. Yard capacity is 1.5 to 1.6 million board feet, generally a large enough to page 18 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

17

addedvalue

Log trucks arrive in the millyard and are unloaded by either a Cat IT38G wheel loader or a truck mounted log loader.

volume to operate the mill through spring break-up when deliveries slow to a trickle.

Annual mill production has traditionally been around eleven million board feet.

From the infeed, logs are debarked with the HMC rosserhead debarker, and the operator also scrutinizes each log for sweep, crook and defect, and bucks the log with a bar saw.

“With the rosserhead debarking process, we recognize we are losing valuable wood fibre,” said Poulin. “Next year when we install the Robertson cambio debarker, it will cut our wood fibre waste dramatically.” Poulin says they pay good money for logs—especially when the Canadian dollar is at a low level compared to its U.S. cousin—and it’s counterproductive to waste valuable fibre through an inefficient and outdated debarking process.

18

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

from page 17

“Our mill upgrades are well matched for logs less than a 10-inch diameter, but when we get logs greater than 10-inch, the new headsaw will bury the gang saw.

When the sawyer gets a group of large logs, he will slow his sawing somewhat to allow the gang saw operator time to both feed the gang saw and pile some of the two-inch live sawed lumber to the side,” explains Poulin. “The piled lumber is fed through the gang saw when the headsaw is fed a bunch of small logs and its production slows down some.”

The new PHL band saw not only increases production, it also necessitated a whole suite of band saw maintenance equipment, and doubling the size of the file room.

The new filing room equipment was a combination of new and used equipment sourced from both New Brunswick and Quebec suppliers. Pat Purcell, salesman with Lockhart Saw Ltd. in Saint John, commented that the reality in eastern Canada is that there is a big supply of good used sawmill and file room equipment on the market, out of shuttered mills. Purcell said that Garant was able to pick up a lot of their essential file room equipment on the used market, and then

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF SERVING THE HARDWOOD INDUSTRY!

New low-impact linebar design: • Press rolls pre-position for every piece • Positioned by servo positioner

Richard Poulin (above, scaling hardwood logs) is happy with the recent upgrades to the Garant GP dowel mill—upgrades that have modernized the value-added operation to help increase yield from the wood supply and improve the plant’s efficiency. filled out the system with a few new pieces.

Poulin explained that while sourcing band saw equipment was straightforward, obtaining band saw expertise became a real challenge.

“We began advertising to hire band saw filing and maintenance talent, and when that effort failed, we hired a head hunter to find talent,” he explained. “When that effort was unsuccessful, we engaged the talents of Michel Nadeau with Affutage Optimum of Claire, NB, to train our staff in band saw technology.

Michel came to our mill and helped set up the file room and worked with our staff to instruct them on maintenance and care of the equipment.”

The gang saw cuts the lumber into 1 11/16 inch square stock.

The squares are then feed into a Dayton doweling machine. The doweling machine is several years old and runs at close to 200 feet per minute and produces dowels 1 5/8 inch in diameter.

The random length dowels then drop on a conveyor that delivers them to a series of six grading/trim stations.

At the grade trim stations, operators trim one end and then assess the dowel for defect and it’s trimmed again to a predetermined length. Dowels are produced to 21, 24, 28, 36, 42, 46, 48, 54, 60 and 66-inch lengths, each size destined for a unique tool handle product.

Dowels are placed in a compartmentalized rack and as the compartment fills, workers grapple the bundle and add it to a pallet for the corresponding sized dowel.

Full pallets are shrink wrapped, and stacked in a storage room.

On average, three tractor trailers a day, loaded with dowels of varying sizes, head out from the Woodstock mill, up the road to St. Francois, Quebec.

Bark and residue from the debarking process is bucket loaded into trailers and delivered to the biomass energy plant at the Twin River pulp mill at Edmunston, NB. Pulp chips from slabs and edging is delivered to Woodland Pulp in Woodland, Maine.

• Smoother feeding = higher efficiency = more production • Automatic speed and gap control available • Conventional press roll design also available

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RELIABLE PRODUCTIVITY

to page 20 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

19

addedvalue from page 19 Sawdust is blown into parked trailers and delivered to the Flakeboard MDF mill in St. Stephen, NB. While Maine continues to supply the bulk of the white ash feedstock to the Garant mill, there is trouble on the way for the wood supply. The emerald ash borer, while an insect pest native to Asia, was discovered in the Detroit-area after ash trees began dying. It’s believed the insect was introduced by way of growing stock or non-heat treated packing or pallet lumber.

The borer pierces the bark of all North American ash species and cuts galleries through the cambium layer, impairing the tree’s ability to transfer food, and eventually killing the host tree.

The emerald ash borer has made its way east and been discovered in Montreal and Massachusetts. Despite research efforts, science has not yet produced a product to control the pest.

In an attempt to slow the invasion of the emerald ash borer, Massachusetts announced state wide restrictions this past November on the movement of certain wood products in to and out of the state.

The restricted products include ash nursery stock, ash lumber which has not been heat-treated and firewood.

“We are very concerned about the impact and threat that the emerald ash borer poses for the ash resource and our

20

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

At the grade trim stations (above), operators trim one end and then assess the dowel for defect, and it’s then trimmed again to a predetermined length. Dowels are produced in lengths from 21 to 66-inches, each size destined for a unique tool handle product. industry,” said Poulin. He went on to add, though, that as the ash resource declines, he believes the wood handle business will adapt to other hardwood species for their wood resource.

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And by maintaining a constant engine speed, it improves fuel economy, reduces engine wear, and extends transmission life. Just one more example of how we’re changing the logging game. At John Deere, We’re For Loggers.

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BCinteriorlogging Marlo Logging owner James Godsoe (right) with equipment operator Jochen Reiter, and the new Tigercat machine.

"The LS855C works the steep and uneven ground, moving the wood in relation to road locations,” notes Godsoe. “Then it can be forwarded off by other machines.”

Tilting Tigercat tackles the hillsides

A tilting Tigercat LS855C shovel logger is doing a very able job of helping Marlo Logging deal with increasing elevations and tougher access in the B.C. Interior, moving wood from steep gullies and draws to more accessible positions.

By Jim Stirling

T

he function becomes clearer watching the Tigercat LS855C as it probes the downed timber on the hillside.

The machine’s Rotobec grapple gathers and lifts the wood from the hillside’s steep gullies and draws and moves it to more accessible positions. From there, other machines in the logging fleet can safely access it and move the wood toward a road for processing. The sequence is all part of a pre-determined strategy designed to improve the overall safety and efficiency of the log harvesting operation in increasingly demanding terrain.

The Tigercat LS855C tilting shovel to page 24

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

BCinteriorlogging from page 22 logger is a recent acquisition to Marlo Logging’s equipment line-up. Marlo is a log harvesting and hauling contractor for West Fraser Timber of Quesnel in central British Columbia. Marlo’s usual operating areas are in the spruce, pine and balsam slopes east of Quesnel.

“We are getting into steeper ground all the time,” explains James Godsoe, Marlo Logging’s owner. It’s that zone in the landscape beyond the easy ground that has long since been logged, but lower than those regions accessible only by cable or high lead systems. It is sites that are within the safety parameters of ground based harvesting systems, adds Godsoe.

But there are also sites that sometimes demand a different approach. The nature of that ground is why the hoe chucking concept offers a practical solution to a regional problem.

Godsoe went to Vancouver Island to look at the systems employed there in steep and broken ground. He confirmed the potential and opted for the Tigercat LS855C to get the job done for him on home ground. And the Tigercat has not disappointed. “The LS855C works the steep and uneven ground, moving the wood in relation to road locations. Then it

can be forwarded off by other machines.

The system has to work for the next guy (the follow-up machine operator),” explains Godsoe. The Tigercat LS855C was purchased new and began working in October 2014. Some additional guarding is all that’s been added to it since then.

The Tigercat mark is familiar to Marlo

Increasing elevations and tougher access are less inhibiting for Marlo Logging with the addition of the tilting Tigercat LS855C. Logging and its crews of operators and mechanics. Godsoe appreciates the practical and consistent workaday performance of Tigercat forestry machines.

The LS855C hoe chucker joins a Tigercat 870C feller buncher (also with a tilting capability); an 880 logger with the versatility of becoming an additional hoe chucker when and if required, and a 630 skidder.

Complementing the Tigercats is a fleet of John Deere equipment. Marlo operates three processors (double shifted)—two

Deere 2954s and a 2454, all equipped with Waratah processing heads—one 623 and two 624 machines. A Deere 959 feller buncher, also with a tilting capability for the changing terrain, joins a 953 machine.

A Deere 3754 log loader handles about 90 per cent of Marlo’s wood. A Deere 2954 hoe/excavator works in conjunction with a Cat D6 for road building and a Deere 750 for building trails and chores like truck assists. Other Marlo equipment includes a Valmet 890 forwarder (it’s handy, says Godsoe, in several applications including small areas near no-go zones which can’t be accessed by skidders) and a Cat 140M grader.

“I like to operate one large side with phase supervision but that I can monitor myself,” he explains. “I’m very fortunate because I’ve got good guys working with me. That helps me try and run a good show.” The other side of the equation for the logging contractor is the licencee.

“West Fraser works with us and creates good logging plans that will work.”

Indeed Marlo Logging and West Fraser have a working relationship dating back decades into the 1960s. Godsoe began to page 26

The Rotobec grapple on the Tigercat LS855C gathers and lifts the wood from the hillside's steep gullies and draws and moves it to more accessible positions. From there, other machines in the logging fleet can safely access it and move the wood toward a road for processing.

24

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

BCinteriorlogging from page 24 working with Marlo in 1990 and graduated from running line and grapple skidders for them to contract processing for several years. He’s owned the company for the last nine years after the remaining founding Sales family members retired.

Since then, Godsoe notes he’s operated all the machines in the company’s fleet.”I wouldn’t ask an operator to work in a machine or area I wouldn’t work in.”

To his credit, Godsoe retained the Marlo Logging name as a sign of respect for Marlo’s reputation and longevity in the Cariboo. Godsoe Contracting Ltd., is the name of the company’s log hauling division. It currently operates nine Kenworth logging trucks.

The Inland Group in Quesnel is the Kenworth dealer and it also handles the Tigercat line of log harvesting equipment.

The symbiosis contributes to a positive and beneficial relationship between hometown logger and equipment dealer.

Maintaining a fleet of good equipment and ensuring it remains up to date is vital to Godsoe’s goal of keeping a good crew busy and harvesting the volumes required to meet obligations. In excess of Marlo Logging’s 300,000 cubic metres annually is harvested for West Fraser.

For the last three years, Godsoe has successfully sought additional volumes in the Mackenzie area of north central B.C. Those volumes usually take the form of timber sales. The positive upshot of the strategy is it keeps Marlo’s approximately

35 people (including loggers, truckers, mechanics and office staff) busy at one location or other for up to 11 months a year while improving machine utilization.

It can also translate into five day work weeks in the summer months and an appreciated increase in family time for the loggers.

West Fraser’s Quesnel sawmill specifies 100 per cent short logs. When the Logging & Sawmilling Journal visited Marlo’s operation, there were three sawlog sorts in lengths of 12 feet five inches; 14 feet five inches and 16 feet five inches. There was also a 17 feet 2 inch plywood sort.

If the Cariboo region of B.C. hasn’t endured more than enough of forest pests

in the last few years with the mountain pine beetle epidemic, now a spruce bark beetle infestation is becoming more widespread in the region’s hills and valleys. The balsam segment of Marlo’s cut is often in the form of pulp logs in higher elevations.

Increasing elevations and tougher access are less inhibiting for Marlo Logging with the addition of the tilting Tigercat LS855C. Tomorrow, of course, there will be new challenges that demand equipment decisions and allocations for the company to maintain a consistent flow of quality wood to the mill.

For the last three years, Godsoe has successfully sought additional volumes in the Mackenzie area of north central B.C. Those volumes usually take the form of timber sales. The positive upshot of the strategy is that it keeps Marlo's people busy at one location or other for up to 11 months a year while improving machine utilization.

26

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

STEEP SLOPE HARVESTING Tigercat specializes in steep slope harvesting systems around the world, from the Pacific northwest, to Chile, to New Zealand and beyond.

Purpose built for severe forest duty, the nimble Tigercat LS855C shovel logger is equipped with a powerful engine, high capacity cooling system and shovel logger optimized hydraulics with Tigercat’s energy recovery swing system.

The robust Tigercat 5195 directional felling saw is a perfect match for the high capabilities of the LS855C. This great combination results in excellent felling and shoveling performance in steep terrain and oversize timber.

Contact your local Inland dealer today to learn more about the benefits of owning a LS855C shovel logger.

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sawmillhydraulics "We now have stable pressure and the system is operating at maximum efficiency," says Tim Saunders, capital and automation manager with Conifex, of the hydraulic systems upgrade. "The oil in the system runs cooler and there's a big energy benefit.”

Improved hydraulics cut energy costs at Conifex Mackenzie

The Conifex Timber sawmill in Mackenzie, B.C. is seeing improved performance following a recent hydraulic systems upgrade, with a bonus that the system now uses 65 per cent less energy.

By Jim Stirling awmills today are required to perform rapid and repetitive functions with precision. The quest to improve overall performance is perpetual.

If components don’t perform precisely, consistently and smoothly as they should, a machine’s optimum performance will be compromised. The implications of that can be evident up and downstream of the machine itself.

Conifex Timber’s sawmill in Mackenzie, British Columbia was experiencing just such an operational issue at the quad canter on the mill’s large log line, outlines Tim Saunders, Conifex’s capital and automation manager. The sawline was subject to inconsistent hydraulic flow delivery and that was contributing to downtime, he summarized.

The solution required refining electro hydraulic technology to solve a mechanical problem: a deeply technical issue.

28

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

S

Bosch Rexroth Canada and its system integrator partner AMS Solutions were called in to resolve the situation. A diagnostic investigation was the initial step.

From that, a course of remedial action was determined and a team dispatched to Mackenzie to implement it.

Rodney Trail, Industry Sector Manager with Bosch Rexroth Canada Corp., in to page 30

sawmillhydraulics

from page 28 Fredericton, New Brunswick, was part of the team and he takes up the story.

“The sawline issues were being caused by out of position faults, velocity errors and oscillations in the axis,” he says.

“We took an advanced diagnostic approach to the situation to solve the problems and deliver a performance guaranteed solution,” recalls Trail. “We used a variant of Sytronix known as SVP 7010.”

Trail, a Sytronix specialist, says the term means the intelligent interplay of electronic

"The infeed system performed better than expected, out of position faults were all but eliminated and overall the system was a success, with the line running steady."

drives and smart hydraulic pumps.

He says the SVP 7010 variant is a closed loop system with the ability to maintain a desired pressure within the system in close to real time for better axis tuning.

“Not only are the adjustments made extremely fast but now the pump motor group has the capability to network with other devices in the mill. This enables us to set the reaction of the pump motor group based on system requirements,” explains Trail.

“For example, if the sawline requires a large group move for a particular saw pattern, the hydraulic power unit is made aware of the requirement before it happens.” Before it happens. A little bit of magic in Mackenzie.

“We now have stable pressure and the system is operating at maximum efficiency,” declares Conifex’s Tim Saunders.

“The oil in the system runs cooler and there’s a big energy benefit: we’re using about 65 per cent less energy. They (the Bosch Rexroth team) fixed an operational problem plus they delivered a range of benefits.” Saunders also delivered praise to AMS Solutions, the Enderby B.C.based industrial automation specialists.

“In my opinion, they are the best control people in the industry.”

Bosch Rexroth’s Rodney Trail was also pleased with the results. “The infeed system performed better than expected, out of position faults were all but eliminated and overall the system was a success with the line running steady and any changes noted in operation were all positives.”

Trail notes that pressure control under the new system now drops only a few PSI (not hundreds) and the system temperature is greatly reduced because of the increased efficiency.

to page 32 30

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

Ingenious solution, up to 80 % less energy used

Exactly

Increasing energy prices, cost pressures, strict environmental requirements – Sytronix, the pump with intelligence in the drive, is the ingenious solution for your machines. With demand-based control via the electric motor, you consume up to 80% less energy and reduce noise by up to 20 dB (A). Sytronix utilizes the unique Rexroth pump range and is the result of many years of application experience combined with our know-how in the integration of hydraulics and electrics. Numerous pre-configured sets with extensive hydraulic control functions help streamline your engineering. The result: tailor-made solutions that are easy to install. Contact us today and experience for yourself how Sytronix can be exactly the right choice for your application.

Bosch Rexroth Canada www.boschrexroth.com/sytronix

sawmillhydraulics

AMS Solutions, the Enderby B.C.- based industrial automation specialists that worked on the project with Bosch Rexroth Canada, received praise for their involvement with the Conifex Mackenzie project. "In my opinion, they are the best control people in the industry,” said Tim Saunders, of Conifex. from page 30 Conifex Mackenzie reaped a further benefit from building future technology into a dated hydraulic unit. “Our maintenance guys were part of the crew working with Bosch Rexroth and AMS,” explains Saunders. “As a result they gained a much better understanding of the new system installed.” The system has not missed a beat since the installation during Easter 2015. “It has been pretty much a hands-free issue,” says Saunders. “It just runs.”

32

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

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Dust collection systems installed at Conifex mills in Mackenzie, Fort St. James

T

he sudden clarity is eye-catching after you wash a dirty window.

Similarly, workers at Conifex Timber Inc's Mackenzie sawmill noticed an immediate and positive improvement in the air quality following the installation of a system designed to contain and extract combustible sawdust.

"Workers reported a new sharpness and brightness in the workplace," recalls Darren Beattie, Conifex's safety director. And a lot less sawdust.

The forest company invested about $12 million in creating a safer working environment between its sawmills in Mackenzie and Fort St. James in north central British Columbia. A Cyclo-filter/ bag house system was installed at each mill, with 2 - 50,000 CFM systems at Mackenzie (about $5 million) and 2- 60,000 CFM units at the larger Fort St. James operation (about $7 million). “Airtek Pneumatics was our main contractor for the design, supply and installation of the two systems.

Baum Pneumatics of Vancouver and Rodrigue Metal Inc., of Quebec supplied the main components. "I believe it was the second such system to be installed in western Canada," says Beattie.

Dust containment and extraction are keys to the system, with fresh air being returned into the mills. The dust is contained at areas in the mill where it tends to accumulate during the log breakdown process, at locations like transfer points, for example, in and outfeeds and at major machine centres like trim saws, explains Beattie.

A Pyro-Guard spark detection system was also installed at each Conifex mill.

"Our performance target was to meet all standards and codes,” says Beattie. That includes maintaining dust accumulation levels below one-eighth-of-an-inch over five per cent of the area after a two-shift day.

"We are meeting those standards," Beattie confirms.

As part of the NFPA guide lines, Airtek Smithco is the only company in the world has trained Conifex staff to maintain the exclusively dedicated to kiln fan propellers. Smithco’s system through regular inspections, clean4-, 6-, 8-, and 12-bladed propellers are designed and ing and documentation . manufactured exclusively for lumber drying operations like yours.

The sawdust extracted in Mackenzie has an end use: it's recycled into Conifex's power plant. "We're happy with this Smithco advantages include: system and its performance," concludes • Operation up to 175 oC (350 oF) • 100% reversible flow Beattie. "It's been a good fit for us."

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34

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

eastcoastlogging

Delivering green energy

Prince Edward Island logger Joe O’Connor keeps pretty busy these days with a number of projects, including supplying biomass material to an energy systems plant in Charlottetown, whose plant offers green power— an especially important alternative in a province that relies on imported electricity and oil for its energy needs.

By George Fullerton

J

oe O’Connor’s logging operations keep him pretty busy.

O’Connor’s Kinkora, Prince Edward Island-based business has two distinct production streams: a conventional roundwood harvesting team with a Tigercat 622 feller buncher, Ecolog 580B harvester and Rottne 16 tonne forwarder.

The second operation borrows the Tigercat buncher, as required, to cut and bunch low grade trees for biomass production, and relies on a 2012 TimberPro TF830-B forwarder to move fibre to a Morbark 30/36 chipper. The chipper loads into walking floor trailers and a chip trailer, which are hauled by Western Star tractors. And the whole operation works with O’Connor and three or four employees.

Even catching O’Connor by phone at his home is a challenge. His wife, Dawna Lee, described his schedule: “Well, he will be home sometime—it might be 7 pm or it might be 11 pm, depending on what needs to be done.”

Even after telephone contact and a visit time was pinned down, tracking down O’Connor’s biomass operation was a bit of a faith-based process.

“Oh, I am way up the eastern end of PEI, near to page 38

Joe O’Connor (left) operates the loader on his TimberPro TF830-B forwarder. unloading biomass fibre on its way to the Morbark 30/36 chipper.

36 36

Logging Logging & & Sawmilling Sawmilling Journal Journal -- October October 2015 2015

eastcoastlogging from page 36 the community of Cambridge. Just call me on your cell phone when you get close,” he advised.

While the Island province offers a distinct and very pleasant rural landscape, such sketchy instructions offer little confidence for travellers tracking down a woods operation, and there is fear the exercise will provide more sightseeing than necessary.

Fortunately, the concerns about locating the operation eased when a chip truck was spotted fueling at a roadside fuel station, and they dissolved completely when the friendly driver confirms it is O’Connor’s truck, heading back to the chipping operation for a load. However, there was little time to take in the sights, since the chip truck kept a very rapid pace, slowing only slightly to wiggle past overwidth farm implements on the narrow rural roads.

The chip truck eventually pulled in on the shoulder of the rural road, as a similar Western Star pulling a Manac walking floor trailer emerged from a dirt sideroad.

Out pops O’Connor, and he exchanges greetings with the driver as they switch trucks. O’Connor heads the empty unit in on the side road, past a field of corn, and into a woodlot which extends into a low-bush blueberry operation and on to a clear cut of neatly bunched trees.

This operation is a straight land clearing job for blueberry development. O’Connor explained the landowner is expanding his blueberry production, and he was clearing a mix of hardwood and softwood which regenerated from a clearcut 20 to 25 years ago.

PEI has little wood processing capacity since the closure of J. D Irving’s Georgetown Timber saw mill in 2007. Harvested softwood is now trucked off the Island to mills in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The Island’s roundwood capacity has narrowed to a few small scale sawmills supplying local markets.

Agriculture, on the other hand, is the major economic driver in the province and the world demand for wild blueberries continues to grow—and Island production continues to expand. International players operate processing plants on the Island, and some operations ship fresh product to out of province processing plants.

“This is a pretty good site for blueberry production,” explained O’Connor, while brushing a ground-hugging low bush blueberry vine with his boot. “This land owner already has an area in production on this lot, and there is a good bunch of vines present on this ground, so he will get it in production pretty fast.

“I’m operating with three and sometimes four employees, and myself right now,” explained O’Connor. “It is really difficult to find good qualified operators. A lot of talent is out west in the oil industry.”

O’Connor operates the forwarder and chipping operation, and he has one driver on two walking floor chip trucks.

“We keep another driver busy on biomass chips to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, and I have another operator who switches between the Ecolog processor and the Rottne forwarder,” he said.

“I really do have a great crew right now. We seem to get a lot more work done than when I had six or seven people on the operation.”

On the day of this visit, the Tigercat

buncher was idle near the chipper operation, and another Western Star and float was parked at the chip storage pile in Stratford along with a Volvo wheel loader used to pile and reload chips. The fourth Western Star was hauling a load of biomass to Port Hawkesbury.

After initial greetings, O’Connor fired up the Morbark chipper, used the remote control to aim the discharge spout to fill the Manac trailer, then mounted his TimberPro forwarder and began feeding great gobs of bushy immature trees into the feed chute of the chipper. Once the staged pile of trees was consumed, O’Connor fed in the massive pile from the forwarder’s bunks.

O’Connor purchased the TimberPro forwarder used from Massachusetts where it had been used in the oil and gas industry, hauling and laying timber pads. To adapt it for biomass forwarding, the bunks were widened and the load stakes lengthened.

“The TimberPro is a big strong machine and it has a powerful loader which we need to help feed the brushy material into the chipper. I have been really happy with the way it works for us,” said O’Connor.

The biomass chips are produced with a Mobark 30/36 whole tree drum chipper.

The chipper is powered by a 500 horsepower John Deere engine and has a live floor feeding system, assisted by top and bottom feed wheels. O’Connor operates the chipper with a remote control module in the forwarder cab.

The chipper has pintle hook and hitches behind the highway tractor for moves between operations.

to page 40

The O’Connor biomass goes either directly to the PEI Energy Systems plant in Charlottetown or to a storage pile maintained in Stratford, just east of Charlottetown (above). They supply at least two loads of biomass chips every day, and three in winter conditions. Annually, the operation supplies around 18,000 tonnes to the plant.

38

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

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eastcoastlogging from page 38 The chipper infeed opening is 31inches by 34 inches, with a 30 inch diameter top compression feedroll with internal drive, and a 14 inch diameter bottom feed wheel. The live floor infeed is 31 inches wide and just over eleven feet long, with two feed chains. The chipper assembly has a 36 inch diameter drum, with six Babbittstyle chipper knives and six Babbitt-style counter knives. O’Connor can chip a 30 tonne load in about forty-five minutes, faster when the knives are freshly sharpened. Keeping material clean, O’Connor explained, is key to maintaining knife sharpness and chipper performance.

O’Connor selected the TimberPro for the biomass operation in good part because of the power in the loader. It has the power to lift big and awkward grapple loads —and the power to help feed the bushy material into the chipper’s throat.

“The bunks on the TimberPro are widened to 13 or 14 feet and we are extending the stake height as well. It looks like I have a big load on there, but it is mainly just a lot of tops. Even when I have a huge load on the machine, it is not even close to its load capacity. It takes two forwarder loads to make a thirty tonne trailer payload, and it takes about forty-five minutes to chip the load.”

The O’Connor biomass goes either directly to the PEI Energy Systems plant in Charlottetown or to a storage pile he maintains in Stratford, just east of Charlottetown.

The energy plant’s biomass had previously been derived from waste wood from the Georgetown sawmill. When the mill closed in 2007, O’Connor established a supply contract for wood chips to replace the sawmill fibre.

They supply at least two loads of biomass chips every day, and three in winter conditions. Annually, the operation supplies around 18,000 tonnes to the plant. When bad weather slows woods chipping, O’Connor hauls from the storage pile.

The energy plant mixes green wood chips with municipal waste and supplies heat and chilled energy to a number of institutions in Charlottetown including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the University of PEI Campus. The PEI Energy Systems plant is Canada’s longest-running, privately-operated, biomass-fired district energy plant. Operating since the 1980s, the energy system supplies 72 megawatts (MW) of thermal capacity and 1.2-MW of electricity. The electricity is used primarily by the biomass plant. The steam energy is delivered through a seventeen kilometre network of piping extending across the city.

PEI Energy Systems is operated by Veresen Inc., a diversified North American energy infrastructure company with interests in pipelines and power generation.

The district energy system’s biomass boilers and chillers offer a cost-competitive, cleaner and greener alternative for heating and cooling buildings, especially for a province that otherwise relies on imported electricity and oil for its energy needs.

O’Connor purchased their TimberPro forwarder used from Massachusetts where it had been used in the oil and gas industry, hauling and laying timber pads. To adapt it for biomass forwarding, the bunks were widened and the load stakes lengthened.

In the top photo is the operation’s Rottne 16 tonne forwarder.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

O’Connor outlined that not only does biomass make a lot of sense on the economic and energy sustainability front for the province, but it also makes a lot of good sense from a forestry perspective— especially in a situation where it is uneconomical to produce pulpwood for out of province mills that have an oversupply of low grade fibre in their own backyard.

Without the biomass alternative, PEI forestry operations would basically have little choice but to leave low grade fibre to go to waste in the woods, pointed out O’Connor.

In addition to chipping low grade trees on land clearing operations, O’Connor also generates some biomass from his conventional logging operations.

“We use the buncher to fell on either operation,” he explained. “On logging jobs, the processors buck out the bunched merchantable logs and we usually forward the logs, and then come back and gather up the tops for chipping. But sometimes we do forward the biomass before the logs. We just make sure we don’t make a mess when we forward either product.”

The roundwood gear was on an operation near Kinkora, PEI. The primarily hardwood stand had been dropped with the feller buncher, and the Ecolog was processing out a few sawlogs, and mainly eight foot hardwood.

The O’Connor operation runs at a very intense pace, and every piece of equipment appeared to be very well maintained and clean and working hard. The operations exude efficiency and order.

With four to five operators running eight pieces of mobile equipment, and good demand for biomass material, it looks like O’Connor will continue to keep busy.

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The Edge

October 2015

Stepping outside the box at FPInnovates Conference

T

his year, FPInnovations is excited to bring a different kind of event to an industry in transformation. FPInnovates, a new Innovation and Technology Conference, makes its debut in Montreal November 25-26. Open to all, including members and non-members, the conference takes place at the Hyatt Regency hotel in the city’s downtown core.

As a recognized innovation leader in forestry research, FPInnovations conceived this event to inform, inspire and change the way we think about innovation and collaboration in the sector. The conference offers a forum where business leaders, researchers, government representatives, academics and students can step outside the box to come together and build a common understanding of innovation and its impact on collaboration.

Showcasing the latest technological advances, successes and opportunities, the conference will feature a dynamic mix of speakers and presenters, including innovation experts, industry leaders and world-leading researchers.

Ignite the creative spark

FPInnovates’ diverse program offers insights on the process of innovation and how your company can innovate better.

Make the most of an opportunity to build valuable connections and expand access to the resources you need for collaborative

partnerships. Learn about the game-changing innovations that will shape the industry’s future. Take away a fresh perspective on innovation in its many forms and fire up that creative spark!

Conference highlights

The program includes a full day of sessions on November 25, followed by a half-day on November 26. Both days will feature a range of Technology Overviews, as well as Poster Sessions. Here’s a look at some program highlights: What Do World Class Innovators Do That Others Don’t Do? Jim Carroll, Futurist, Trends, and Innovation expert will set the stage with this keynote address. Through his work with organizations worldwide—from global brands to NASA—Carroll has inspired businesses to reframe the opportunity for innovation amid significant, transformative change.

Innovation as a Process will be explored in a session led by Jean Hamel, Vice-President, Pulp, Paper and Bioproducts, FPInnovations, and Peter Lister, VicePresident, Forest Operations and Wood Products.

Stepping outside the Box - The Partnering of the Oil and Forest Industries will highlight how the forestry and oil and gas sectors are furthering innovative collaboration.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

The Next Big Thing: Future Innovations for a Thriving Industry will feature a panel discussion with senior business leaders from the forest sector.

Trevor Stuthridge, Executive Vice President, FPInnovations will provide insights on the Impact of FPInnovations’ Strategic Action Plan.

The Day 1 sessions will also include a look at Venture Capital’s Role in the Innovation Process; Innovation in the Workforce – Recruitment and Retention; and International Perspectives: A Review of the Scandinavian Innovation Model.

Day 2 will feature a session on The Missing Link: Connecting the Innovation and Financial Ecosystems, followed by break-out sessions to identify the top three challenges and present solutions to shape an action plan. The Best Poster Awards will be presented before the closing of the event.

Register now!

The conference fee includes meals and refreshments. Sign up before October 21 and save with the early-bird rate. The Hyatt Regency hotel is also offering a special rate on accommodation until November 13.

For more information, visit the FPInnovates website at http://fpinnovates.com.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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The Edge

Making road safety inspections more affordable with photogrammetry

C

anada’s vast network of resource roads continues to experience increases in traffic volumes from different sectors every year. Many of these roads, however, were first constructed for accessibility purposes and may have a legacy of substandard alignments, widths, sight distances, and signage. Furthermore, maintaining these legacy roads can also become problematic and expensive. Unsafe road conditions are a large factor in many accidents and fatalities each year.

Improving safety on existing resource roads

In an effort to improve the safety of resource roads, FPInnovations in 2008 developed a road safety inspection (RSI) service—a systematic approach that aims at assessing road safety through the use of mobile mapping systems (MMS).

In practical terms, the RSI performs a systematic, on-site review of an existing road section to identify hazardous conditions that may increase the risk of collisions. It requires a comprehensive and methodical approach to be performed by third party experts with the objective of preventing accidents, rather than responding to them.

The RSI methodology that FPInnovations initially developed uses an MMS that is equipped with high precision GPS,

cameras, and an inertial measurement unit integrated with LiDAR scanners. The GPS readings inform analysis of curvature radii, the cameras capture information on road width and existing signage, and the LiDAR produces a 3D point cloud model that is later analyzed for obstacles that can produce sight distance issues.

After the analysis is complete, the client receives a comprehensive report that can facilitate the prioritization of identified safety improvement recommendations.

This RSI approach has always led to excellent results—but its dependence on an array of sophisticated equipment means that the acquisition, postprocessing, analysis of collected data, and reporting can range from $200 to $450/ km, depending mostly on the length of road mapped. This led FPInnovations’ Resource Road team to search for a more affordable approach, while offering the same quality results.

The photogrammetry approach

FPInnovations has completed its initial investigation of using photogrammetry to create a 3D point cloud of a road corridor rather than utilizing a LiDAR unit on the MMS to fulfill the same function.

Photogrammetry creates a 3D model by analyzing the parallax between sequential images to identify common points, while the alternative LiDAR approach produces points by actively sending out light pulses and recording the returns.

To investigate a photogrammetric approach, FPInnovations performed tests on a selected 20-km long resource road corridor near La Tuque, Quebec. The deployed MMS was similar to that used in previous RSIs, except there was no LiDAR 44

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

unit. Additionally, the camera took photos at a higher frequency to obtain increased overlap between image sequences.

Once the field work was completed, 3D point cloud model production was tested using several commercially available photogrammetry software packages.

The tests led to the successful creation of a point cloud model along the entire 20 km road corridor. Although some sections did not have as many points as LiDAR would have provided, the resulting point cloud still had sufficient density for RSI purposes.

A promising solution

Since beginning its RSI initiative, FPInnovations has scanned more than 1,000 km of resource roads and delivered detailed reports for numerous road networks, with post-road upgrade assessments showing positive feedback. Now, the confirmation that a photogrammetrybased approach can provide point clouds with sufficient quality in a resource road setting adds to FPInnovations repertoire of RSI options to its customers. It is anticipated that a photogrammetry-based RSI will reduce costs by up to 40 per cent compared to the established LiDAR approach. But ultimately, a more affordable RSI solution can benefit all the drivers travelling on resource roads.

FPInnovations would like to acknowledge Natural Resources Canada for funding this research. For further information about FPInnovations’ Road Safety Inspection service, please contact Matt Kurowski (Matt.Kurowski@ fpinnovations.ca) or Glen Legere (Glen.

Legere@fpinnovations.ca).

The Edge

FPInnovations launches initiative on steep slope harvesting

I

n Western Canada, there are significant volumes of timber that are growing on slopes greater than 30 per cent. With the decrease in fibre supply resulting from the mountain pine beetle epidemic, the industry in this region needs to access more timber from steep terrain.

At the beginning of 2015-2016, FPInnovations launched a five-year steep slope harvesting initiative called STEEP that has three main goals: 1. Increase safety of operations on steep slope and reduce accidents by 50 per cent;

2. Increase margins on fibre recovered from steep terrain by $5/ m³; 3. Provide an additional sustainable volume of 2 million m³ from steep terrain.

To achieve these aspirational objectives, FPInnovations will step up its research efforts in its harvesting, resource roads and transportation programs. There will also be extensive liaison with international partners since many regions of the world including New Zealand, and countries in South America and Europe, are also actively engaged in developing and testing new technology for harvesting in steep terrain.

The focus in the initial stages of the initiative will be on technology assessments and gradual implementation in western Canadian operations, along with collaboration with equipment manufacturers and safety agencies to ensure that the innovations considered will have a positive impact on the safety record of the industry. In the medium term, FPInnovations will also aim to foster the development of domestically-produced technologies and work with government partners to ensure that environmentally-acceptable best practices are used in harvesting, road construction and regeneration.

A dedicated FPInnovations’ steep slope initiative web site will be launched shortly and will be the prime communication vehicle to transfer new information to members, partners and other stakeholders.

For further information on the steep slope initiative, please contact Jim Hunt at james.hunt@fpinnovations.ca.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

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The Edge

AI Bio funds R & D, commercialization to promote further growth in bioindustrial sector pplication review is now underway for all funding areas of the Alberta Bio Future (ABF) program offered

by Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions (AI Bio).

ABF’s goal is to help accelerate growth in Alberta’s bioindustrial sector. It is cofunded by AI Bio, a provincial funding agency, and the Alberta Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education. A total of $20 million has been dedicated to this program until 2019.

“Biomass is a very valuable resource that can feed a number of new products and bioindustrial technologies in Alberta,” says Dr. Christine Murray, AI Bio’s lead director responsible for ABF program implementation. “It can be an underutilized resource with a lot of value, and it is very often a byproduct in many processing technologies.” Many biomass sources can provide a stream of feedstock for new products and new technologies.

The ABF program has three components: Research and Innovation, Equipment Utilization, and Product and Technology Commercialization. There has been strong interest in the ABF program since it was launched last spring—AI Bio received 44 proposals from Alberta companies under its Product and Technology Commercialization component, including many involving forest biomass.

While the window for funding requests under two of the three ABF programs is now closed, there are still opportunities to apply for Equipment Utilization funding since this program has continuous intake. AI Bio reviews these applications quarterly. The next review will begin December 10, 2015. Murray emphasizes that this component is not for R & D, but for development work that is moving forward, for companies that already have done some lab bench work and are ready to move to a larger scale.

This program opens the doors to Alberta’s many public facilities with fibre-processing equipment and technical expertise, and for the creation of partnerships with companies to achieve scale-up

or pilot development of their bioindustrial products or technologies.

AI Bio’s call for research and innovation proposals closed October 28, 2015. “Our hope is that we have received research project proposals with clearly articulated benefits to Alberta—wherever they are along the research continuum—and that those projects are well developed with a multi-disciplinary approach,” says Murray.

The ABF Research and Innovation (R&I) program has $4.5 million in available funding. Its focus is on developing bioindustrial products and technologies using biomass. There is a focus particularly in the categories of biomaterials, biochemicals, and biomass characterization (documentation of important and useful properties) for the development of bioproducts that could be used in a wide range of industries. Project activities will include basic or applied research, or precommercial development. Information on biomass characterization developed by projects funded under the ABF program will be made publicly available to advance the bioindustrial sector.

Murray expects that many of the R & I projects will have three- to four-year time horizons, and successful applicants are being strongly encouraged to leverage ABF funding with other potential funding sources from both the public and private sectors.

In terms of the amount of research already underway within the bioindustrial sector in the province, Murray says that depends on the area of development.

While research is well advanced in some areas such as the development of biochemicals, there seems to be a need for more work in the area of biomass characterization.

“As you are advancing technology, there is the fundamental aspect of really understanding the feedstock—what its important components are, how you process

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

By Tony Kryzanowski

A

Companies can apply for funding under the Equipment Utilization component of the Alberta Bio Future program, and gain access to the wood processing equipment and technical expertise at the AITF lab in Edmonton.

it, and how you make new products from it,” says Murray. “There will need to be more work done in biomass characterization to fully utilize these biomass sources.”

The impact that proposed research and innovation projects could have on reducing the province’s carbon footprint is part of the evaluation process.

“The importance of products that reduce our carbon footprint is being valued as part of the project evaluation,” says Murray.

The ABF Research and Innovation program is supporting both new research and ongoing research with no specific funding allocation for each. All proposals are being considered on their merit.

For more information about AI Bio’s Alberta Bio Future (ABF) program, visit http://bio.albertainnovates.ca/funding/ abf/ or call (780) 427-1956.

For information on equipment eligible for funding, visit http://www.albertatechfutures.ca/RDSupport/BioandIndustrialTechnologies/BioIndustrialTechnologiesandServices.aspx and http://www1. agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs. nsf/all/bt15028.

The Edge

Silviculture and Afforestation Innovation Group demostrates two proven site rehabilitation tools.

By Tony Kryzanowski

T

he Silviculture and Afforestation Innovation Group (SAIG) is demonstrating various site rehabilitation techniques and tools to bring a variety of previously productive forest lands—like beetle-infected stands as well as sites disturbed for other land uses—back onto

a successful commercial forest recovery trajectory.

Two of the tools being demonstrated are the Meri Crusher and the Grizz mounted on an excavator. Growth response on research sites where these tools have been deployed show as much as a 20 per cent increase in seedling survival and 25 per cent increase in establishment

growth for tolerant softwoods.

Below is a photo representation of each tool working in the field and a description of their use and objectives.

For more information about these tools, contact Derek Sidders at (780) 435-7355 or by e-mail at Derek.Sidders@nrcan.gc.ca.

Meri Crusher

Grizz

• This commercially available tool was originally designed as a cultivation tool and works similar to a rototiller. It consists of high strength, bullet-shaped, carbon-tipped teeth on a horizontal drum that spins at 500 to 700 rpm.

• It has the ability to operate on forest sites with variable ground surface density that may include roots, various soils and stones.

• The tool mixes litter and humic layers, as well as the upper mineral soil on undisturbed or disturbed forest sites, creating horizontal micro-sites on moderate to well drained sites for softwood regeneration.

• Equipped with a quick attach and hydraulic system suited for forest conditions, it requires 35 to 40 dedicated hydraulic horsepower on the prime mover to operate the tool.

• Attached to a prime mover such as a 200 or 250 series excavator, it can reach in to prepare micro-sites for seedlings.

• The tool mixes down 15 to 20 cms (6 to 8 in) and creates a 1.2 metre wide bed, with multiple tree planting options, depending on the length of the micro-site bed.

• An experienced operator can create 140 to 200 micro-sites per hour, with planting possible immediately after preparation.

• Price for the tool adapted for this forestry application is $25,000 to $30,000.

• This tool controls competition, enhances the growing environment of seedlings that is very easy to plant.

• The Grizz is a mixing tool developed and patented by the Government of Canada that creates an elevated bed mix similar to a potato planting hill.

• It takes the organics and undisturbed mineral soil and mixes it up from the outside edge of the disturbance, tossing it toward the centre, using two aggressive disks powered by two hydraulic radial piston motors. The hydraulically powered discs rotate at 20 to 30 rpm and require 40 to 50 horsepower to drive the head.

• It creates an elevated bed that is 0.6 to 0.9 metres in width, allowing for good moisture management. It can be used on sites with good and poor drainage.

• The Grizz tool can be deployed attached as a single head to a 200 to 250 series excavator to create individual micro-sites 1.5 to 3.5 metres long.

• Canadian service suppliers are available to build Grizz attachments, with the cost estimated at $35,000. The patent has expired on this tool design.

• This tool creates an elevated micro-site which controls competition and enhances the growing environment of seedlings.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

47

TECHUPDATE

By Tony Kryzanowski

Lumber Strapping and Wrapping Do2

Clients can depend on Do2’s automatic wrapping machine’s outstanding performance, the company says, specifically designed to streamline production and increase safety.

Do2 says its automatic wrapping machine will last the test of time and increase production for lumber manufacturers. Its RapidWrapper System reduces costs and increases efficiency with the optional in-line label printing system.

Benefits include the need for no operator, consistent wrapping quality, fast wrapping, fast payback, low maintenance, reliability, low cost labeling with great quality, user friendliness, use of standard woven wrap, and high autonomy.

Zero maintenance components include the Gearbox Alpha which provides zero backlash, timing belts, self-lubricated NSK linear bearing, and SMC pneumatic components. www.do2.ca

IPG

As a market leader in protective fabrics, IPG says that customers can be sure with its lumber wrap that their products will arrive completely protected.

IPG has been a major, integrated supplier to the North American lumber industry for over 25 years. Its products offer premium protection with exceptional tear resistance, strength, durability and whiteness.

IPG’s coated woven materials are widely used as protective packaging for a variety of industrial products such as dimensional lumber, engineered wood products and metal coils.

The company says it offers superior aesthetics with its durable white wraps. Customers are able to advertise their corporate logo in up to four colors, for increased brand awareness throughout the transportation process.

Weather and sunlight resistant, IPG’s wraps are said to be ideal for protection during transportation, handling and storage.

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They are also available in various weave strengths, colors, laminations and coatings.

IPG operates printing and manufacturing plants on both the east coast and the west coast of North America. www.itape.com

Signode Packaging Systems

Designed to deliver maximum package reliability in a simple to operate and easy to use machine, Signode Packaging Systems has introduced the innovative BPX lumber strapping system incorporating Signode’s revolutionary modular head technology.

Engineered with a number of cost, safety and time-saving features to facilitate easier maintenance and operation, the BPX reduces maintenance time to maximize productivity.

The BPX’s innovative features and overlapping functions result in maximum load stability. It starts with unique independent side compression for improved load squaring and alignment. Unlike other systems, the BPX pre-folds edge protectors prior to placing them on the load, to ensure consistent strap tension. Battens are precisely delivered to the load and held securely in place until strapping is concluded.

The BPX’s automatic load pre-staging prepares the platen and side compression bars to accommodate variable size loads, shortening the cycle time. Its highly intuitive, user-friendly HMI (Human Machine Interface) provides quick and easy diagnosis of service-related issues. www.signode.com

RAPTOR

Utility Composites Inc. offers a completely metal-free stapling system primarily used for tagging and wrapping lumber. The company says that the industry’s customers want metal-free lumber. If companies or their customers are concerned with rips, tears or staples pulling-through wrap, or corrosion, staining and degradation of wood from moisture, then RAPTOR composite staples are said to be a good solution. www.raptornails.com

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

techupdate

Samuel Strapping Systems

Bulldog Bag

Samuel, the toughest frame in the industry. Its flexible platform can be configured to suit individual specifications, with up to 25,000 lbs top and side compression available to suit the needs of client products. Automatic bunk carriage magazines and flat fibre edge protector dispensers ensure complete package protection and total automation. www.samuel.com

From its facility in Richmond, B.C., it supplies a complete line of lumber wraps and custom-sewn cover products. This includes its standard Lumber Shield and its Lumber Shield Plus products.

Its custom graphic printing is done in-house, which the company says offers some of the best lead times in the industry. www.bulldogbag.com

Samuel Strapping System’s SLP-25 lumber press has built a reputation for toughness from the installation of the first machine in 1970. Over the years, the company has evolved the design of the SLP-25 to meet the demands of today’s demanding mill environments with state-of-the-art controls and, according to

Bulldog Bag Ltd. has been providing the forest products industry with unique solutions for packaging kiln-dried, treated and green lumber for the better part of 40 years. From the company’s polywoven lumber wrap and custom-sewn covers to its full line of packaging solutions for shavings, bark mulch and wood pellets, Bulldog Bag says it has a packaging solution to meet client needs.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

49

SUPPLIERNEWSLINE Comact thinks big—and moves to Mirabel

Comact, one of North America’s leaders in the design and manufacturing of equipment for wood processing plants, has opened a new 30,000 square foot facility in Mirabel, in the Greater Montreal area.

The company says this is an important investment that will allow its people to operate and provide services in world-class facilities.

The new workplace will provide Comact, a Quebec subsidiary of British Columbia’s BID Group of Companies, with a dedicated

By Tony Kryzanowski

confident in the brand as recognized by our customers,” says John J. Wallingford. “Formally one of the market leaders here in the U.S., GB has survived the global financial crisis,” he added.

“With this behind them, we intend to make GB the number one brand of choice. Through intensive marketing and extensive field presence, we will claim market share and demonstrate to our customers that GB will outperform its competitors while also providing for considerable cost savings.” www.gbbarsusa.com

Komatsu’s new log loader lean on fuel

Komatsu has launched its PC210LL-10 log loader, which features a more environmentally friendly engine that increases horsepower by 7 percent and lowers fuel consumption by 10 percent.

The Komatsu engine in the PC210LL-10 is also EPA Tier 4 Interim certified.

The newest addition to Komatsu’s Dash-10 series of log loaders has a flywheel horsepower of 158 hp and weighs 65,118 lbs in road building configuration. The PC210LL-10 is also available

space for testing as well as training for the company’s clients.

“The project became a priority in June 2013,” says Brian Fehr, Chairman and Managing Director of the BID Group of Companies, about the relocation. “We wanted to be able to offer our customers an experience that matched the quality of products and services delivered by Comact.”

The new offices will house over 110 people in state-of-the-art spaces. The optimization services, after-sales service team, calling centre, and administrative staff will be located in the new space. www.comact.com

Aussie harvester and slasher bar manufacturer inks deal with Wallingford’s Inc Australia’s GB Group PTY Ltd has inked a new agreement with Wallingford’s Inc to be the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of GB harvester and slasher bars.

The GB Group has been expanding its range of guide bars, sprockets, and accessories catering to all markets and customers throughout the world. Their full range of guide bar options include 3/4” and .404 pitch bars with replacement nose, double ender bars, as well as replacement nose tips and drive sprockets.

Wallingford’s Inc has been serving the logging community since 1975.

“We are very excited to be part of the GB Global distribution group and are

50

in log loader and processor head carrier configurations.

All major components on the new PC210LL-10, including the engine, hydraulic pumps, motors, and valves, are exclusively designed and produced by Komatsu. The loader uses a high carbody with reinforced front idlers, higher capacity recoil springs, ski-type full length track guiding guards, straddle-mounted carrier rollers, HD swivel guard and front and rear pull hooks.

The swing system and undercarriage components on the PC210LL-10 are from the next-size-larger Komatsu excavators for work in demanding logging applications. The larger final drives and motors provide high drawbar pull for shovel-logging applications.

Updated full length support ski-type track roller guards help increase track life in tough logging conditions. The rear compartment covers on the PC210LL-10 are more than three times thicker than those used on comparably sized excavators, and the compartment doors also feature stronger door hinges.

The new ROPS/OPS/FOPS/TOPS/FOG/WCB/Oregon OSHA certified Komatsu forestry cab is built to provide a more comfortable and quiet work environment. www.komatsuforest.us

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

to page 52

LIVE EQUIPMENT DEMOS, IN-WOODS

& IN ACTION! For more information and to secure your exhibit space at this premier event, please contact: Mark CusaCk, National Show Manager mcusack@mpltd.ca Toll Free: 1.888.454.7469

suppliernewsline from page 50

Tigercat’s new low-wide bunk system combined with reshaped hooked crane

Tigercat has released the revolutionary low-wide bunk system as well as a new hooked version of the F195T85 high capacity crane for the 1075B and 1085B forwarders.

The extendable bunks are angled to reduce overall gate height and eliminate the need for a vertically sliding gate. The low-wide bunk system allows for easier crane operation and decreases loading and unloading cycle times.

Strongco branches serving Sennebogen customers in Quebec include Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, Saint-Augustin, Trois-Rivières and Val d’Or. “Strongco has been an extremely effective representative for Sennebogen in the Maritime provinces, making us a leader in purpose-built loading equipment for log yards, sawmills and pulp and paper mills in that area,” says Constantino Lannes, Sennebogen President. “Their understanding of these applications will be a great asset to us and to customers in Quebec’s forestry industry.” www.strongco.com

Wood-Mizer offers new line of lumber dry kilns

In combination with the hooked crane, the low-wide bunk system significantly reduces the chance of contact with the gate or bunk stakes. The working envelope of the crane is expanded for reduced machine travel and improved productivity.

Operator visibility and ergonomics are enhanced. The operator enjoys a clear sightline to the top of the load, increasing log placement accuracy and decreasing cycle times. In addition, the grapple stays within the operator’s view through the entire loading and unloading cycle for reduced operator strain.

The low-wide bunk system is available on the 20-tonne capacity 1075 series forwarders and the 1085 series 25-tonne machines. www.tigercat.com

Strongco to represent Sennebogen in parts of Quebec

Sennebogen has named Strongco as its dealer north of the Greater Montreal area and in portions of southern Quebec. The arrangement builds on the existing agreements that Strongco has with Sennebogen in parts of Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

Wood-Mizer now offers a new line of lumber drying dehumidification kiln kits.

The Wood-Mizer KD Series of kilns, ranging from 1,000 to 35,000 board feet capacities, offer a variety of lumber drying solutions for any sized operation, says the company.

Joining the Wood-Mizer KS50 Solar Kiln, the KD Series of dehumidification kiln kits feature 100 per cent corrosion resistant aluminum cabinets and specially coated dehumidification coils to ensure quality performance and an extra long life. www.woodmizer.com/kilns

B.C. issues third First Nations woodland licence

British Columbia has issued a woodland licence to Campbell River’s Wei Wai Kum First Nation, enhancing employment and economic opportunities in the region, says Steve Thomson, provincial Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations.

This 25-year First Nations woodland licence allows the Wei Wai Kum to harvest almost 9,900 cubic metres of timber per year from their traditional territories. The agreement covers a 2414 hectare parcel of Crown land near Heydon Bay on B.C.’ s south central mainland coast and another 1212 hectares by Pye Lake, north of Campbell River.

This is the third First Nations woodland licence issued since the province began the program in 2011. These area-based, direct-award forest licences give First Nations a stronger role in forest and land stewardship and make it easier for First Nations forest companies to secure investment and loans, says the government.

First-ever FPInnovates conference on innovation and new technologies coming up in November

FPInnovations invites participants to the first edition of FPInnovates, an exciting new conference on innovation and the to page 54 52

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suppliernewsline from page 52 impact of new technologies, to take place in Montreal, November 25-26.

FPInnovations—a not-for-profit world leader that specializes in the creation of scientific solutions in support of the Canadian forest sector’s global competitiveness and which responds to the priority needs of its industry members and government partners—says that this event aims to inform, inspire and change participants’ perspectives on innovation and collaboration between the forest industry and other sectors.

The one-and-a-half-day conference will also feature the latest progress, successes and technological advances by FPInnovations and university stakeholders, amongst others.

The FPInnovates Conference is aimed at business leaders, operations managers, innovators, researchers and representatives of government organizations and universities. The program includes many presentations by renowned specialists and representatives of FPInnovations as well as technology overviews and poster sessions. www.fpinnovations.ca

TimberNavi jobsite mapping solution now included in John Deere ForestSight

TimberNavi is an easy-to-use, fully integrated mapping solution for John Deere L-series skidders and wheeled feller bunchers as well as M-series tracked feller bunchers.

It provides owners and operators with maximum visibility to the land they’re harvesting, helping them to be more efficient and productive in the woods.

TimberNavi increases the operator’s spatial understanding of the job site, terrain information, harvesting areas and points of interest on a map, which in turn helps enhance productivity, increase uptime and deliver lower daily operating costs.

TimberNavi is seamlessly integrated into the machine as part of the John Deere ForestSight suite of technologies. www.JohnDeere.com

Duo create pressure treated wood manufacturing company

Goodfellow Inc has signed a letter of intent to form a treated wood manufacturing company in partnership with Groupe Lebel Cambium. It will consist of seven wood treating plants to better serve markets in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

Group Lebel Cambium’s four plants in Bancroft and Caledon, Ontario and those of Dégelis and St-Joseph, Quebec, will be combined with Goodfellow’s three plants in Delson, Quebec, Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, and Deer Lake, Newfoundland to form a new business unit The company becomes one of the largest producers of treated wood in Eastern Canada.

In conjunction with the creation of the new company, Goodfellow Inc receives the exclusive mandate to market and distribute the entire production of the company. www.goodfellowinc.com

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

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classified

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

classified REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Olofsfors is a Swedish company founded in 1762 with North American operations based in Brantford, Ontario. Olofsfors Inc. supplies forestry attachments and accessories to the North American forest equipment industry. For full product details visit www.eco-tracks.com and www.iggesundforest.com.

We are seeking a candidate with at least 2 years sales experience preferably in Forestry or Construction equipment or components. French speaking would be an asset but not necessary.

Primary responsibility will be to maximize the sales volumes of all Olofsfors Products through forestry equipment dealers. The assigned sales territory will include market regions in both Canada and the U.S. and will require extensive travel.

This position will be responsible for engaging dealers to represent and support the company’s product lines, dealer product sales training, introducing products to new potential customers and general support of the dealer network.

We offer a casual but fast paced environment, competitive salary, commission structure, and full benefits package.

Please submit resumes to:

garet.robinson@olofsfors.com

#

August/september 2015

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

FAX:___________________________

EMAIL:______________________________________________________________ WEBSITE:____________________________________________________________

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - October 2015

INDEX Ac# Advertiser Page Airtek Pneumatics............................ 32 AMS Solutions................................. 30 Bosch Rexroth Group...................... 31 Brandt Tractor................................... 9 Brunette Machinery Co.................... 17 Brunner Hildebrand........................ 18 Brutus Truck Bodies........................... 6 Canadian Western Bank.................... 7 Caterpillar....................................... 39 Cleanfix NA..................................... 49 Demo International 2016................ 51 DK Spec.......................................... 29 Dodge Ram....................................... 5 Ford................................................ 11 Globalstar....................................... 42 Hangzhou Qirui.............................. 12 Inland Group.................................. 27 James G Murphy....................... 53, 55 John Deere..................................... 21 Log Max.......................................... 13 Microtec Springer ............................. 8 Nokian Heavy Tyres........................... 2 Olofsfors......................................... 37 Peterson.......................................... 15 PHL Inc. / Comact........................... 19 Quadco.......................................... 20 Sennebogen.................................... 33 Smithco Mfg.................................... 34 Southstar........................................ 23 Steep Slope Logging Conference...... 54 Tigercat........................................... 60 Tsubaki........................................... 35 Wajax Equipment............................ 41 Waratah.......................................... 59 Wood-Mizer...................................... 7 Woodland Equipment...................... 25 Woodland Supplies......................... 49 Millyard best practices wallchart Accurate Fabricating Liebherr Great West Equipment Linden Groundworx/RD Olson River Cable Laser Technologies Sennebogen LeTourneau T-Mar Industries

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thelastword

Resolute Forest Products standing up to the environmental activist bullies

By Tony Kryzanowski

C

anada’s Resolute Forest Products is locked in a pitched legal and public relations battle with environmental activist groups Greenpeace and ForestEthics.

Once again, this is a clear case of egos run amuck within these environmental groups.

The environmental groups may think that the tail has the power to wag the dog through a campaign of intimidation, but once again they are about to find out otherwise, and it will cost them and their financial supporters dearly in their pocketbooks.

Resolute is suing Greenpeace for $7 million in damages for intentional interference with economic operations. An attempt by Greenpeace to quash Resolute’s lawsuit against them has failed at the Ontario Court of Appeal level, and they were ordered to pay $20,000 in court costs.

ForestEthics has even gone so far as to declare in July that it was effectively banishing Resolute from the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), as if it even had that power and authority.

While this dispute has undoubtedly resulted in some short term financial pain for Resolute, this forest company’s courage to face down environmental activist bullies like Greenpeace and ForestEthics is a great service to the entire Canadian forest industry.

Resolute says that despite issues with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on some of its forested lands, it is 100 per cent certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), an organization that competes with FSC on certifying sustainable forestry practices. It is continuing to seek certification of forests previously FSC-certified, and has reached an agreement with FSC auditor Rainforest Alliance to conduct a second Corrective Action Verification Audit with a new audit team on one of its northwestern Ontario forests.

This was after a dispute on the first audit, which has been sealed by the court as

part of a settlement with the Rainforest Alliance.

I agree with Resolute that there is nothing wrong with demanding to be treated fairly as part of the auditing process, and the fact that the Rainforest Alliance was willing to settle on the content of its first audit rather than face a court challenge speaks volumes.

Apparently, being SFI certified wasn’t good enough for Greenpeace. It has shown its true colors by being more interested in capturing media headlines and rebuilding its financial war chest by spreading bogus information, rather than working with Resolute to protect at risk species like the Woodland Caribou, while also being concerned with protecting important forestry jobs.

For example, a Greenpeace e-mail to its supporters recently referred to the Caribou Forest in Ontario as an “ancient forest” in its successful campaign to stop Best Buy from sourcing its paper for flyers from Resolute. Say, what?

As a fire origin forest, the boreal Caribou Forest of Ontario will typically burn every 100 to 150 years, usually from fires from lightning strikes. This is part of its natural renewal, if the wood is not harvested before it is overmature. Referring to it as an ‘ancient forest’ would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic.

This only puts on full public display the scientific ignorance that companies like Resolute must contend with in dealing with some environmental activist groups, apparently Greenpeace being one of them.

Things seemed to have been improving between Canada’s forestry companies working in Ontario and environmental activist groups with the signing of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) in 2010. With the agreement, forestry companies agreed to set aside significant amounts of the boreal forest for the protection of the endangered Woodland Caribou in northern Ontario in exchange

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for a halt to public attacks from environmental groups that signed the CBFA. Greenpeace was one of the groups, but it bowed out at the end of 2012, deeming that companies like Resolute were not keeping up with their commitments, like building forestry roads in off-limits areas in Quebec. This claim was quickly proven false, and before the ink on the letter announcing they were leaving the CBFA was dry, Greenpeace was already eating crow.

Having recently traveled through a considerable part of the Caribou Forest in Ontario, I saw nothing out of the ordinary with logging practices among contractors working in that area. In fact, I was aghast at the amount of paperwork they must endure from regulatory agencies like the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) on an annual basis to ensure they all are complying within, for example, the restrictions placed upon them by the Endangered Species Act, which is meant to protect species like the Woodland Caribou.

My guess is that the problem with maintaining the caribou population in northern Ontario has little to do with forest management practices but more to do with the same problem as other areas of the country where small pockets of caribou are holding on by a thread, and that is predation primarily from wolves.

I am pleased to read that northern Ontario communities, including the City of Thunder Bay, are throwing their support behind Resolute Forest Products in their dispute with Greenpeace and ForestEthics in their ‘You Deserve A Voice’ campaign, recognizing the $90 million investment the company has made into northwestern Ontario. Resolute Forest Products has also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with a number of area First Nations communities, which is providing them with an additional $100 million in new business opportunities.

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