Subscriptions: Canada $58 a year; two years $70; three years, $85. Group accounts, six or more subscriptions, $25 per subscription per year. Outside Canada, $95 per year.
Airmail $165. Single copy, Canada $6; elsewhere $10. Reproduction prohibited without permission of the publisher.
ISSN 0226-7572. Back copies from 1996 onward are available through our website www.forestnet.com
Publications Mail Agree ment No. 40064045
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to CIRCULATION DEPT. PO Box 86670 Stn Main North Vancouver BC V7L 4L2
e-mail: SubscribeLSJ@forestnet.com
POSTMASTER: Send US address changes to LSJ Publishing Ltd., PO Box 9085, Fargo, ND 58104
Printed on FSC®certified paper.
Published January/February 2025
“We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada”
“Supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia”
Logging & Sawmilling Journal is a member/associate member of the following industry organizations:
FEATURES
On the Cover: Autopiloting is where forest equipment operation may be headed, and along the way it could help address workplace and staffing challenges currently facing the industry, such as widening the labour pool for equipment operators. One of the technology providers in this fast-developing area is Kodama Systems, which is working with heavy equipment manufacturer, Weiler Forestry. They have installed and proven their Kodama Autopilot machine teleoperation platform in a Weiler Forestry S340 skidder. Read about all the new developments in autopiloting on page 28 of this issue of LSJ (Photo courtesy of Kodama Systems).
4 Spotlight: Winning equipment expansion
Added-value operation DH Manufacturing, of Houston, B.C., has recently expanded its automated finger jointing line, increasing productivity and grade, while greatly reducing the physical demands on employees—a win all the way around.
8 Roseburg ramping up new sawmill
A new $200 million (U.S.) Roseburg Forest Products sawmill in North Carolina— built on a turnkey basis by Comact—is ramping up its second shift, and looking to add a third shift in the near future.
14 Fighting the fibre shortage in B.C.
A chipping operation in Kamloops, B.C., is helping to address the province’s fibre shortage—and using wildfire-impacted wood—with some new equipment, and a strong focus on preventative maintenance.
20 Preview of B.C.’s Council of Forest Industries conference and the Montreal Wood Convention
We take a look at the major events affecting the forest industry, west and east, including a new U.S. president in Donald Trump, and what is going on with possible Trump tariffs, all of which will be discussed at these two major industry shows, in Prince George, B.C., and Montreal.
26 Heads up: the first Alberta Equipment Expo is on its way!
The forest industry, along with other heavy equipment-related industries, is getting ready for the inaugural Alberta Equipment Expo, coming up April 24 to 25 in Edmonton.
28 Putting forestry equipment on autopilot
Autopiloting and the autonomous operation of forestry equipment is no longer in the future—it has arrived. LSJ takes a look at the newest developments in this fastchanging technology.
34 Canadian Success Story TimberMAX: Living the logging equipment dream
With a strong logging background, Quebec’s Mathieu Lavoie has been able to fulfill his ultimate dream with the development of the TimberMAX traction winch attachment.
39
Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry is a story from the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC).
46
The Last Word
There is one heck of a barrage of issues facing the B.C. forest industry—including a Trump presidency, and tariffs—notes Jim Stirling.
DEPARTMENTS
WINNING equipment expansion
Added-value operation DH Manufacturing, of Houston, B.C., has recently expanded its automated finger jointing line, increasing productivity and grade, while greatly reducing the physical demands on employees—a win all the way around.
By Jim Stirling
The secondary and value-added wood product manufacturing sector works best in concert with a healthy primary sawmilling industry. The trouble is that’s not been the case in the British Columbia Interior recently—and as a result the sector is struggling.
Wood fibre availability challenges are a primary cause and are the result of a confluence of issues. The aftermath of B.C.’s mountain pine beetle epidemic and new restrictions imposed by the provincial government and First Nations are squeezing the forest industry’s access to the land base. A slew of additional influences including a persistent and severe labour supply crunch at home, and the diverse effects of economic crises and wars abroad, affect the macro-picture. But the
elephant in the room for the timber access conundrum is the warming climate. It has become an increasingly unpredictable phenomenon with its own dangerous agenda.
For one secondary wood product manufacturing company, hard work and persistence is beginning to pay off and there’s now a glimmer of light flickering at the end of the proverbial tunnel. DH Manufacturing Inc. is a family-owned and operated finger jointing and lumber remanufacturing plant based at Houston in west central B.C.
“Implementing improvements has been a long struggle,” concedes Dustin Hotte, vice-president and part of the company’s ownership team.
Expanding and modernizing the plant and installing an automatic finger jointing machine has long been a work in progress
at DH Manufacturing. They do what they can when they can afford it, summarized Hotte.
The District of Houston itself delivers a mini case history of the forest industry’s misfortunes in the region. A reconfiguration project in 2004 boosted production capacity at Canfor’s Houston sawmill to about 600 million board feet of lumber annually. The production capability was among the largest in the world at the time. Twenty years on and Canfor’s presence in Houston has changed. The company shut down its Houston sawmill operation in 2023 and in May 2024 announced it was also scrapping plans for a $200 million replacement mill in Houston.
The management team at DH Manufacturing thoroughly investigated the automated finger jointing system landscape in Canada and abroad, and opted for the Conception RP2000 finger joint machine (above, in DH’s new building) from Quebec City-based Concept Manufacturing. A key consideration in the equipment choice was that Concept Manufacturing were willing to work closely with DH, reports Dustin Hotte, vice-president of the company.
from page 4
“We have made the difficult decision to suspend our plans to build a new stateof-the-art sawmill in Houston as we are not confident that an investment of this magnitude can be successful at this time,” reported Canfor in a press release.
There’s a close connection between Canfor Houston’s past and DH Manufacturing’s present. Dennis Hotte was mill manager in Canfor’s high production days in Houston. Dennis and Denise Hotte— the original ‘DH’ in the company’s name—opened the business in January, 2007.
Dennis Hotte was not one to get caught in the hype surrounding ‘ the biggest
production sawmill in the world.’ When the sawmill was officially opened in 2004, Hotte instead emphasized the premium grade and higher margin lumber the expanded operation would produce.
The same emphasis on improved product grade and quality has been transplanted into DH Manufacturing’s operational credo. Dustin Hotte, Dennis and Denise’s son, explained the parallel with the new finger jointing line at DH Manufacturing. “It’s not the operational speed that makes the difference but the efficiency and minimal defects which create high production and recovery.”
It’s a fitting legacy for Dennis Hotte, who succumbed to cancer about seven years ago.
The combination of circumstances that have dashed Canfor’s dreams for Houston have been repeated throughout the region. “It’s really sad,” declared Hotte. “Many of these small towns had their own local mills. Now they’ve closed down or curtailed production. It’s tough to see.”
It’s one of the key reasons why community groups are calling on the provincial government to reapply the appurtenancy rules that were suspended in B.C. in 2003. In essence, the rules call for harvested timber to be processed close to its point of origin. “It is crucial to re-institute the appurtenancy clause to protect communities like ours and enhance the sustainability of the local economy,” urged Amber Oevering, president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to the provincial government.
The provincial government has assisted DH Manufacturing’s cause with a timely grant designed to assist companies unwittingly caught in the vortex of changes.
“We cannot thank the B.C. Job Manufacturing Fund enough for helping us to complete the expansion of our new building and automated finger jointing line. The new equipment increases productivity, grade and recovery all while greatly reducing the physical demands on our employees,” said Hotte. “Completion of this project will bring stability to the company and our town that has been shaken by the challenging times of the lumber industry.”
The physical demands of the work
Hotte alluded to have been a continuing concern to the company. “It’s been really difficult to find employees,” reported Hotte.
Most companies throughout the regional forest industry are well aware of the difficulties attracting and retaining suitable employees. DH Manufacturing’s labour challenges are compounded by the physical nature of much of the work in the plant. Nowadays, hard and repetitive physical work is not on the top of the desirability list for most job applicants. Plus, added Hotte, it’s impossible to compete for the limited pool of potential workers in wages, especially when compared to oil patch related work. The automated new finger jointing line will alleviate some of these issues.
DH Manufacturing launched a satellite operation in 2013 at Drayton Valley, Alberta. “It was built from the ground up and upgraded over time. It started with a simple chop line, followed by a sort line prior to stacking the product and moving it to Houston for processing,” recapped Hotte.
“It led to the installation of a finger jointing capability in 2016. But the market subsequently dropped, forcing closure of the finger joint line in Drayton Valley.” But the operation continues to produce finger joint-ready blocks and chop product blanks which are trucked to Houston for further processing. DH Manufacturing is a significant employer at both its locations with about 30 positions in Drayton Valley and 40 in Houston. The raw material for the Houston plant is sourced from Drayton Valley and West Fraser’s Pacific Inland Resources sawmilling operation in nearby Smithers, B.C.
Hotte and the rest of the management team thoroughly investigated the automated finger jointing system landscape in Canada and abroad. The manual machine being replaced proved a good basic servant but dated back to the 1970s and the finger jointing art has matured comprehensively since then. Others in the business consistently suggested the DH team investigate a company based in Quebec City. The Conception RP2000 finger joint machine staff at Concept Manufacturing were willing to work closely with them, reported Hotte. That was an important consideration.
“We will run the same lug speed as we currently run to start but the RP2000 has the capability to increase another 20 per cent which will be dictated over time and future incoming fibre,” outlined Hotte. “With everything running optimally and
having enough incoming fibre, we could do more than 30 million board feet annually.” All the company’s finger joint output is sold and delivered by rail to Texas for use in the construction industry.
DH Manufacturing’s new building is about 7,000 square feet in size with a 60 x 30 foot truck shop. “Everything in the new building is tied to the Concept line with other equipment engineered and built in-house.
“The chop line side of the Houston plant’s business produces strips, dunnage and lathe material principally for markets in B.C. and Alberta.
“The majority of our sales are to sawmills and others in the lumber industry but we also deal with core boxes for mining, strips for agriculture and fences and yard projects locally.” Versatility is essential. “We can produce any custom lengths and thicknesses. We currently make or are set up to make lathe starting at 4 millimetres wide x 1.5 inches high and 33 inches long up to strips 3/4-inch-wide x 3.5-inchhigh and 96 inches long. Dunnage from 1 3/4 inches to 3.5 inches wide in lengths from 24 inches to 48 inches is standard, but custom cutting is available, said Hotte. “We are currently looking at making other products such as survey stakes, pallets and rig mats.”
Wood and its uses are limited only by production costs and ingenuity. B.C.’s secondary wood product manufacturers have by necessity become adept at searching new markets out and developing them at the local, regional and international levels.
CALENDAR
March 25-27
International Mass Timber Conference, Portland, OR 406-546-5977 www.masstimberconference.com
April 2-4
Council of Forest Industries Annual Convention (COFI), Prince George, BC 250-860-9663, www.cofi.org
April 8-10
Montréal Wood Convention 2025, Montreal QC 418 650-6385 www.montrealwoodconvention.com
April 9-10
Canadian Woodlands Forum Spring Meeting, Moncton, NB 902-897-6961, www.cwfcof.org
April 24-25
Alberta Equipment Expo, Edmonton, AB 506-688-5991 www.albertaequipmentexpo.ca
April 29-30
Ontario Forest Industries Association Annual Convention, Toronto, ON 416-368-6188, www.ofia.com
May 1-3
Interior Logging Association Conf. and AGM, Kamloops, BC 250-503-2199, www.interiorlogging.org
Roseburg ramping up sawmill
A new $200 million (U.S.) Roseburg Forest Products sawmill in North Carolina— built on a turnkey basis by Comact—is ramping up its second shift, and looking to add a third shift in the near future.
The new high-tech Roseburg Forest Products Weldon sawmill initially operated on one shift, with plans to add a second and third shift to bring production to 6 million board feet a week. Comact did the entire Weldon sawmill project, including design, construction of the mill buildings, and equipping the complex.
millconstruction
lumber annually. All production is sold S4S, surfaced in its planer mill operations.
By Tim Cox
Roseburg Forest Products has begun bringing its new pine sawmill in Eastern North Carolina online. The new mill, which began operating as Roanoke Valley Lumber in February, is ramping up a second shift and will add a third in the future. It represents a capital investment of $200 million (U.S.) for land, construction, and equipment.
The mill is located in the small town of Weldon, which has access to the I-95 corridor and is situated in a region with abundant forest resources and other nearby woods products businesses, including two paper mills and other lumber mills.
The 175-acre site in years past had been used for a coal-fired power plant. Roseburg announced plans for the mill in the summer of 2021 and began doing site preparation work. The company demolished some remaining power plant infrastructure and cleaned up the site. It held a groundbreaking ceremony in the spring of 2022 to mark the start of construction.
Prior to taking on the development and start-up of the new mill, plant manager
Adam Reed, 34, was operations manager for the company’s mill in Roseburg, Oregon. Reed, who holds an operations management degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology, has worked for Roseburg—headquartered in Springfield, Oregon —for about 10 years.
Reed was involved in the “tail end” of the company’s decision to site the Southern Yellow Pine mill in Weldon. The company’s decision process focused quickly on Weldon in 2017, and it began buying stumpage and timberland in the region, in both North Carolina and Virginia. Now it owns nearly 200,000 acres of timberland
in the region, making it the largest private timberland owner in the Roanoke Valley region.
Roseburg is interested in business opportunities where it can produce wood products with vertically integrated operations, noted Reed, and already has two other manufacturing facilities in the Southeast U.S.—in South Carolina and Arkansas.
There were a “couple of factors” in the company’s decision to choose Weldon to page 10
All of the Roseburg Forest Products Weldon production is kiln dried in the mill’s three continuous lumber kilns supplied by Deltech, a Comact brand. Each kiln can dry about 100 million board feet of
millconstruction
from page 9
to site a mill, noted Reed. One was the opportunity to expand the Roseburg footprint in a vertically integrated manner. Another leading factor was the people of the region, said Reed, the quality of the workforce. “We had to have the best people,” said Reed. “We had the best opportunity to hire them here.”
The new mill is currently producing
At the time of a recent visit by Logging & Sawmilling Journal, it was ramping up a second shift that was expected to bring production to 5 million board feet. A third shift, envisioned operating in late-2025 or early-2026, would push production to 6 million board feet. The mill operates Monday-Thursday and is shut down Friday and the weekend for maintenance.
The mill employs about 140 workers— Roseburg likes to refer to its staff as team
will require about 20 to 30 more workers. The staff includes foresters.
Canadian-based BID Group, now renamed Comact, did the entire project, including design, construction of the mill buildings, and equipping the complex. (The BID Group includes subsidiaries that manufacture leading brands of sawmill equipment, including Comact. The company announced in September that it was transitioning to a new corporate identity as Comact.)
Reed was involved with other Roseburg management in selecting Comact for the project. Roseburg considered other partners for the project and also has its own internal engineering group. However, the company wanted a ‘turnkey’ solution, said Reed.
“Comact was offering that solution and had done it elsewhere. For us, it made the decision pretty easy.” Comact and its subsidiary equipment manufacturers supplied all the equipment, from log infeed to finished product, including scanners and optimization.
The start-up process has “gone very well,” said Reed. “We’ve been very happy with the way it’s gone.”
The biggest challenge with the start-up process had nothing to do with machine centres or equipment, noted Reed. It’s been the soft lumber market.
“We’re constantly working through procurement of raw materials to processing wood and pushing into a market that’s not taking a lot right now,” he said. “I give a lot of credit to our sales team,” he added, to find markets for the company’s lumber.
The COVID pandemic also impacted operations of suppliers and delayed the scheduled delivery of some key components, such as high voltage electrical equipment and the overhead crane for the log yard.
The mill is processing 100 per cent
loblolly pine, which is abundant in natural stands as well as plantation forests in the region. The mill takes tree-length wood up to 20 inches in diameter and down to 6 inches at the top. Logging contractors are used to harvesting trees on companyowned stumpage or timberland. At full production, about 20 to 30 percent of raw material is expected to be generated from Roseburg holdings and the remainder from ‘gate logs’, purchased from other logging contractors. Roseburg foresters manage the company’s timberlands.
All the company’s production is kilndried from the company’s three continuous lumber kilns supplied by Deltech, another Comact brand. Each kiln can dry about 100 million board feet of lumber annually. All production is sold S4S, surfaced in its planer mill operations.
The mill’s production is sold to lumber treating businesses, home centres, and secondary manufacturing markets. In the long term, Reed believes the leading market will be treating companies and professional building materials dealers.
The mill manufactures dimension product, 2-inch lumber in increments ranging from 8 to 20 feet and 4 inches
to 12 inches wide. It can also cut studs, 1-inch lumber and 4 x 4 timbers. The leading products, depending on market conditions, are 2 x 4 and 2 x 12.
The mill’s operations are highly automated, noted Reed. In fact, only three employees are needed to oversee the automated controls, from log infeed to the trimmer and sorter, although a small group of employees is stationed at key points to monitor processes and help clean up debris. It took time to train workers on the automated systems. “It’s a big learning curve,” said Reed.
In the yard, logs are unloaded from trucks with either the Konecranes 32-ton radial crane or a Cat 988 large wheel loader, and put in inventory. Either can be used to load logs onto the infeed deck that feeds them to a single ring Comact debarker. After debarking, the logs go to a four-saw Comact merchandizing system equipped with 72-inch circular saws. The merchandized logs are kicked off and segregated onto one of two decks, depending on diameter.
Primary breakdown is done by the Comact Optimized Length Infeed system. The sharp chain infeed secures the log for
scanning, and the system adjusts the log for skew and slew as well as positioning the cutting tools. Chipping heads open two sides of the log, and circular quad saws remove jacket boards from the two sides. The two-sided cant feeds directly into a canter-chipper that opens the top and bottom faces to finish the profile of the cant before it enters a gang saw.
The boards are graded by a Comact GradExpert set-up and trimmed by the Comact TrimExpert, then collected in a 75-bin sorting system. Boards are conveyed to a MoCo stacker that stacks them automatically in layers with sticks for kiln-drying.
The planer operations are on the ground floor of the mill, under the other mill equipment. A tilt-hoist removes the sticks and the lumber is surfaced on four sides by a Miller planer.
Logs are scanned and optimized by Comact technology prior to primary breakdown and material is subsequently scanned and optimized at each major machine center. Log, lumber, and residual
to page 12
Professional Forestry Equipment
www.wallingfords.com
North America’s leader for forestry tracks, tire chains, harvester bars, saw chain, teeth, grapples and more.
GB bars, Orbit Saw Chain and Orbit Saw Teeth are manufactured with high quality alloy steel, providing the strength and durability professionals expect of their cutting technology.
Forestry tracks developed in various sizes and designs to suit virtually any terrain, the harshest climates and all machine types.
Lydia Stone : 207-250-3284 (français et anglais) JD Moore : 548-887-2626 (anglais)
High strength steel grapples featuring twin cylinders and a unique claw shape to improve timber handling, and provide low and even shaft loading.
millconstruction
The Roseburg Weldon mill, with its state-of-the-art technology, manufactures dimension product, 2-inch lumber in increments ranging from 8 to 20 feet and 4 inches to 12 inches wide. It can also cut studs, 1-inch lumber and 4 x 4 timbers. The leading products, depending on market conditions, are 2 x 4 and 2 x 12.
from page 11
conveying and material handling equipment came from Comact. Lumber strapping equipment was supplied by Signode.
It is the first time that Roseburg has turned to Comact for such a turnkey project, although it has Comact equipment at its mill in Dillard, Oregon.
The mill produces four types of residuals—bark, green chips, sawdust, and dry shavings. There are markets for all of them—nearby paper mills and pellet
mills, landscape businesses and contractors, and farmers, among others.
The mill has three open sheds, including two for storing rough dry lumber. Finished lumber is stored under 100,000 square feet of roof. The property has rail service for shipping.
Roseburg has 13 manufacturing facilities in North America, including the country’s second largest short lumber stud mill in Dillard, Oregon. The South Carolina mill, which manufactures engineered wood products, opened in 2020.
The Arkansas plant, which manufactures medium density fiberboard, was acquired in 2018.
Founded in 1936, Roseburg Forest Products is a privately-owned company and one of North America’s leading producers of particleboard, medium density fiberboard and thermally fused laminates. Roseburg is also a major manufacturer of softwood and hardwood plywood, lumber, LVL and I-joists. The company owns and sustainably manages more than 600,000 acres of timberland in Oregon, North Carolina and Virginia, as well as an export wood chip terminal facility in Coos Bay, Oregon. Roseburg products are shipped throughout North America and the Pacific Rim.
Something that is very important to Roseburg is their team members throughout the company’s locations, said Reed. The mill location was selected in large part because of the community and its people, he said. “When you look at our team, I’m very proud of them.” People were hired based on “fit,” and not just work experience. Roseburg looks for three attributes in candidates, he added: “Are they hungry, humble, and smart—do they work well with other people.
“Our team members show up to work every day and do their jobs in a professional environment and do so in a professional manner. We’re team members working toward a common goal.”
Fighting the
FIBRE SHORTAGE in B.C.
A chipping operation in Kamloops, B.C., is helping to address the province’s fibre shortage—and using wildfire-impacted wood—with some new equipment, and a strong focus on preventative maintenance.
By Paul MacDonald
There’s no doubt that there is a wood fibre shortage going on in B.C. right
the fibre shortage, and literally helping to keep the Kruger pulp mill in Kamloops in the chips, and more than 300 people employed at the mill.
The chipping operation is also making use of wildfire-impacted wood, a huge plus when you look at how wildfires have hit the forestry base in B.C. over the last few years. The B.C. government is still working on the tally for the 2024
forest fire season, but the 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive in British Columbia’s recorded history, with more than 2.84 million hectares of forest and land burned.
All of this means that there are now literally millions of cubic metres of fire-affected timber in B.C.—and the Kamloops chipping operation is doing its share to put a dent in that.
The River City Fibre operation in Kamloops, B.C.—which supplies wood chips to the adjacent Kruger Inc. pulp mill—has added to and upgraded its wood chipping and mobile equipment. River City Fibre also partnered with Kruger Inc. to build an enclosed electric conveyor system to move wood chips from the facility to Kruger’s chip yard, located directly across the street (bottom of photo).
The Kruger pulp mill in Kamloops is now getting about one-third of its fibre supply from nearby areas that have been hit by wildfire. That represents a huge increase from the two per cent the mill was using as recently as 2022.
Kruger typically uses about two million cubic metres of pulp wood and 800,000 cubic metres of hog fuel logs to burn in its power plant each year. Historically, about 80 per cent of the mill’s chips came from sawmills, but that is now down to 65 per cent, due to a number of sawmill closures in the B.C. Interior.
And talk about utilization—the River City chipping operation uses every part of every log. The portion of the log that is not used for chips is used in in the 76 MW energy co-gen operation at the mill, which powers the mill and delivers excess power to the grid.
Eddie Mickelson, spare man at the chipping operation, is involved with much of the day-to-day operations, and brings a great deal of experience, including working in logging, pipelining, and railroading, to his job.
Mickelson explained that the chipping operation already had a solid equipment maintenance program in place. But as it has started to use more fire-impacted logs, it has upped its game, to deal with the dust and soot that comes from the wood. The logs arrive at the chipping yard with a lot of carbon on the outside.
Mickelson said in addition to the efforts of Arrow itself, they utilize several local companies to do contract work: Wild Horse Industrial Inc., a First Nationsowned business, Aldo’s Welding, G2 Diesel, which handles the mobile equipment, and a local machine shop, Acumen Machine Ltd.
“We’ve developed and implemented a very comprehensive maintenance program at River City that they help execute—all of these companies have been key to the efficiency of the chipping operation,” he said. The 96 per cent uptime rate at the operation speaks volumes about the support from these companies, and the efforts of Arrow, River City, and its employees.
The first, and most obvious, impact of fire affected-wood is the dust that is created as the logs are handled, which means equipment air filters are changed much more often. “It requires much more detailed maintenance on our mobile equipment, and on our debarker,” says Mickelson.
The chipping operation is, of course, key to the smooth operation of the pulp mill—wood chips are the feedstock for
The River City Fibre chipping operation is making use of wildfire-impacted wood, a huge plus when you look at how wildfires have hit the forestry base in B.C. over the last few years. There are now literally millions of cubic metres of fire-affected timber in B.C.—and the Kamloops chipping operation is doing its share to utilize that timber.
the operation, which operates around the clock. “We keep the equipment all tuned up,” says Mickelson. “From the loaders, to the debarker to the chipper.”
Wood getting chipped up is, as Mickelson, puts it, a violent process, so it’s key that they are on top of their game in terms of maintenance.
Recent additions to the rolling stock
woodfibremanagement
The Kruger pulp mill in Kamloops is now getting about one-third of its fibre supply from nearby areas that have been hit by wildfire. That represents a huge increase from the two per cent the mill was using as recently as 2022.
from page 15
at River City include a Tigercat 875E log loader, supplied by Inland Equipment in Kamloops, and a Volvo EC250E loader, from equipment dealer Nors in Kamloops. They also have three Cat loaders and a Cat skid steer, from equipment dealer, Finning.
The relationship with equipment dealers is key to the smooth running of the chipping operation—any hiccups in production due to equipment issues need to be addressed quickly. There were challenges to that with some equipment suppliers in B.C. during the building of the Trans Mountain expansion in the last few years—there was a huge demand for heavy equipment, parts, operators, you name it. But local dealers still met their commitments to the chipping operation.
“We have a range of equipment,” Mickelson explains. “We’re happy with the machines we have—they’re doing a great job for us.” And he notes they follow a strict preventative maintenance program, a key to maintaining a high level of equipment reliability.
Nors supplements the maintenance program and supplies River City with many of the maintenance supplies required to keep up with the demanding maintenance schedule of the mobile equipment fleet, and Arrow is very pleased with the River City/Nors relationship.
Prior to setting up the joint operation with the Simpcw First Nation (see sidebar story on page 18), the Arrow Group, a B.C.-based leader in transportation, logistics, environmental and forest residual management, acquired River City Fibre in 2016. The Arrow Group made significant capital investments in the facility in 2022, adding a large chipper and upgrading the electrical system, plant control systems, and the plant in- and out-feed conveyors.
When Arrow purchased the chipping operation, it came with a Deal Pocket rotary debarker, from IEM-Industrial Equipment Manufacturing in Surrey, B.C., which has continued to deliver reliable service.
“But to do a really good job on debarking the fire-affected wood, we’ve stepped up the maintenance,” says Mickelson. They went from sharpening the teeth on the debarker every 12 months to every six months.
The equipment investments by Arrow included a new Kadant 117-inch, 1500 hp eight-pocket chipper unit. With the new chipper, the operation can now han-
dle 33” wood down to a one-inch top, vs. the 23” wood they could handle before. “It will,” says Mickelson, “just about eat anything. It works like a hot damn.
“We get the odd log that is larger, but we just split it.”
They utilize an Iggesund TK4 turnknife system, which has delivered significant gains.
“When we upgraded to the Iggesund TK4 knife system, it reduced the volume of fines the chipper was producing by 2.5 per cent, or equivalent to a 50 percent reduction,” explained Mickelson. “That extra 2.5 per cent is now going to chips, instead of sawdust. This has resulted in significant savings in the log cost portion of the chips sold to Kruger.”
The upgraded chipper required extra electrical, which was handled by Houle Electric and CM3 Consulting.
An equipment upgrade can have ripple effects, and in this case the ripple effects meant some accompanying conveyor equipment upgrades. “We wanted to make sure to have the infrastructure to support the new chipper,” says Mickelson.
Like any new system, there was some tweaking to be done, such as changing the slope of the floor on the chipper to get better chip flow, but it was minor in nature.
Previously, the chips flowed directly to the conveyor, but now they go to a surge bin equipped with a level indicator, which monitors the level and flow of chips.
“It controls the flow of chips by regulating the flow to the chip screen.
“So there were a few new things that we had to set up—but once we got it all going, it’s been hair straight back,” says Mickelson.
The company also partnered with Kruger Inc. to build an enclosed electric conveyor system to move wood chips from the facility to Kruger’s chip yard, located directly across the street. The conveyor eliminates 40 to 55 truckloads every day and is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the operation by approximately 400 tonnes annually.
The conveyor system was built and installed by Tycrop of Chilliwack, B.C., which is more known for its trailers, although the company also designs and manufactures bulk handling systems, such as the one at Kruger.
Arrow facilitated the installation of the conveyor system under the leadership of Jim Floris, a consultant with Arrow. River City is responsible for the maintenance of the conveyor, which is carried out by Rob Crossley, a contract millwright from Wild
Horse Industrial Inc, who does an outstanding job executing the comprehensive preventative maintenance program for the conveying system, says Mickelson.
In terms of the wood coming into the yard, any issues with quality or size of logs are brought up quickly with whoever supplied the logs.
“For the most part it’s very good, but sometimes we will get a situation where a processor is out on measuring some logs, and when the logs go through the chipper, they will jam up,” says Mickelson.
“For the most part we don’t have quality issues because we are dealing with lower quality pulp logs, not saw logs, and the quality reflects that.”
When the chipping operation was first built, they were chipping a fair bit of beetle kill pine, but that has declined with the years of clean-up of mountain pine beetle-affected timber.
They have seen an increase in fir, primarily a result of the recent forest fires in the region. “We also purchase white wood, lodgepole pine, spruce and balsam, and hemlock.
to page 18
Recent additions to the rolling stock at River City include a Tigercat 875E log loader, supplied by Inland Equipment in Kamloops, and a Volvo EC250E loader, from equipment dealer Nors in Kamloops.
woodfibremanagement
First Nations group has invested in River City chipping operations
In 2023, the Simpcw Resources Group (SRG), the economic-development arm of the Simpcw First Nation, made a significant equity investment in the River City whole-log chipping facility in Kamloops, B.C.
SRG and the Arrow Group of Companies now operate the facility under a newly formed limited partnership, River City Fibre LP.
“We strive to identify business opportunities that align with Simpcw cultural-heritage values while promoting economic growth,” said Paul Donald, Chief Executive Officer of SRG, about the investment.
“As a Nation, we place significant emphasis on actively participating in forest management and stewardship. With this investment in the whole-log chipping facility, we are excited to expand our activities across the forestry value chain and enhance the benefits that Simpcw receives from the responsible development of natural resources within Simpcw Territory.”
A significant portion of the logs chipped at the River City facility are harvested on Simpcw’s traditional territory within the Secwepemc Nation. Simpcw Resources Group is a regular supplier of pulp logs to the plant from various owned licenses. The SRG for-
estry department based in Clearwater, B.C., manages all phases of these operations and provides consulting services to other license holders.
There can be a scramble for fibre in B.C. these days, but this partnership has already brought a level of fibre stability to River City and the Kruger pulp mill.
“Getting fibre in B.C. is a huge issue now—and the Simpcw are able to bring timber to the table,” says River City Division Manager, Cliff Ramsay.
Recently, the band was doing logging around the Valemont area to help feed pulp logs to River City.
“Across Canada, we are seeing a push to increase local and Indigenous community participation in the forestbased economy,” says Tim Bell, the Arrow Group’s Executive Vice President. “The Arrow Group has been building successful partnerships with Indigenous communities for more than 30 years.
“This equal-equity partnership with SRG reflects our corporate commitments to the promotion and practice of sustainable resource management and the creation of meaningful relationships with our Indigenous neighbours around economic reconciliation, training and employment, and capacity development.”
from page 17
“Being able to offer a larger log profile to our valued log suppliers and to expand the River City wood meal was the biggest reason for the chipper upgrade. This also enhances the utilization of our natural resources by having the ability to accept a larger profile. But we’ll get real small pieces, too—it’s all over the map, in terms of size. If the wood comes in the yard, it’s all good—we just want to utilize it.”
After chipping, the chips are sorted by species, so the pulp mill can store it separately and use it as needed, for its various products. There are well-established specs on chip quality that must be met to maintain a high-quality chip being delivered into the Kruger pulp mill. River City maintains a high level of communication with Kruger to ensure chips produced are within their specifications.
River City operates on a 20-acre site, which is required to facilitate the added volume of log inventory required to make it through the breakup months when logging traditionally slows down due to weather conditions.
“Our inventory levels are healthy at the moment,” explained Mickelson. “But it fluctuates depending on market and weather conditions. If lumber prices are hot and heavy, like they were several years ago, everyone is logging to beat the band. Winter is really prime logging time and we build up our inventory for breakup then.”
On an average day, they will consume 42 truckloads of cut-to-length logs, and in busy times, they will get upwards of 70 loads a day. The operation consumes about 50,000 cubic metres a month, on average, which translates into 9,500 truckloads a year.
At one point, Canfor’s operation in Vavenby, 150 kilometres to the north, had been one of their biggest suppliers of logs, but that operation was shut down five years ago. Rivercity’s geographic region for log procurement has a large radius extending from Valemount in the North, Revelstoke to the east, and to Princeton and Merritt to the South. Arrow, Simpcw and Kruger work jointly on log procurement, working closely with all the major forest companies, including Tolko, Interfor, Weyerhaeuser, West Fraser, and Gorman Bros. They also work very closely with several other smaller logging contractors in the region.
The overall operation has been supported by funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC). As
woodfibremanagement
part of a project led by Simpcw Resources Group, FESBC funding enabled the transport of low-quality logs from outside the current economic range of Simpcw Resources Group’s operations to Arrow and Kruger for chipping, instead of being piled and burned.
“FESBC’s purpose is investing in the forests through activities like wildfire risk reduction and salvage of damaged stands,” explains Jason Fisher, Executive Director of FESBC. “Working with innovative partners like River City means that more of the biomass that gets generated through forest management activities gets put to use, rather than being burned.
“It also means that we can reduce the cost of these activities so that we can treat more hectares,” added Fisher. “And it really is innovative. It was not too long ago that no pulp mill would have considered bringing chips from burnt wood in as anything but hog fuel. Now Kruger has figured out how to work with it and views it as an important part of their fibre program.”
While there is plenty of equipment on the River City site, it’s really the people who make it successful. Arrow is proud and grateful to have the team it has at its chipping operations in Kamloops, says Mickelson.
“Our guys work hard, and they will all take on different jobs at the chipping yard—and that’s reflected in our high uptime rate.”
Mickelson himself brings a wealth of experience to the operation, including logging for 20 years for his brother near Valemount. He went through the whole transition from manual to mechanical logging, from handfalling to feller bunchers and processors. He’s also done work on the mill side, and has his scaling ticket.
“I’ve worked around all kinds of different equipment—and worked with a lot of different people, big crews, small crews,” he says. Mickelson adds that’s he’s happy to be part of the high performing River City crew these days, and helping to best utilize B.C.’s forest resource.
Kruger investing in Kamloops mill
Forest company Kruger Inc. is continuing to make investments in its Kamloops operation, which is a mainstay of the city’s economy.
This past September, Kruger Inc. announced a $32.4 million investment at its Kamloops Pulp Mill to implement innovative technology to diversify its product portfolio and expand into fast growing markets. In addition to improving Kruger Kamloops’ competitiveness, performance, and environmental footprint, this initiative will contribute to securing 340 jobs at the mill, as well as 1,000 indirect jobs in B.C.
The governments of Canada and British Columbia are contributing $5 million each to this project through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program (Canada) and the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund.
Kruger Kamloops’ new pulp washing system will enhance the plant’s effectiveness and significantly reduce
inorganic material and talc in the finished product. The process will also result in a notable reduction in bleaching chemical usage.
This technology will be combined with advanced controls and AI-based capabilities to ensure that the pulp consistently meets the most stringent requirements for specialty products that require ultraclean pulp.
And the pulp mill itself has made continual investments. The 76 MW co-gen plant was installed originally by Weyerhaeuser, which originally owned the operation, and has since been upgraded. Some years ago, Andritz did a rebuild on the recovery boiler to enhance its long term efficiency and reliability.
Kruger is one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of pulp and paper products and acquired the Kamloops Mill in June 2022, from Domtar.
▪ 24 Month Warranty on All Lasers.
▪ 3 Day Laser Rebuild Turn Around.
▪ Same/Next Day Order Processing.
▪ Low Voltage AC/DC Power Options.
▪ American Manufactured Hardware.
▪ Stationary Mouting Brackets.
▪ Edger Shift Assemblies & Kits.
▪ Gang Ripsaw Racks.
UPCOMING COFI conference and the Montreal Wood Convention tackling big-time issues—including Trump tariffs
Major events are affecting the Canadian forest industry, west and east, including a new U.S. president, and what is going on with Trump tariffs, all of which will be discussed at the upcoming COFI conference in Prince George, B.C., and the Montreal Wood Convention.
By Jim Stirling
Changes have always defined British Columbia’s forest industry. The difference today, though, is the number of changes underway simultaneously. And now, with the potential to compound the problems, B.C. and Canada’s largest market for its softwood lumber products is set to impose additional tariffs on them.
U.S. president Donald Trump has vowed to carry through with his threats of tariffs
as part of his fixation on economic and military domination for the U.S.
By the time this is read, Trump’s opening gambit will be known, along with the initial responses from Canada and its affected provinces. If there’s a positive side to Trump’s new tariffs, it’s that they will force the B.C. government to elevate the forestry file for action.
The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) can help. It has decades of successfully disputing U.S. claims of unfair
Zara Rabinovitch, COFI vice-president, sustainability and public affairs.
trade practices with softwood lumber, and indicating the damage tariffs inflict on the American economy through higher prices. COFI can also reiterate its recommendations on dealing with the forest industry’s internal issues.
The process can begin at COFI’s annual convention slated for April 2 to 4 at the Prince George Civic Centre. The convention has been built around a particularly timely theme: “Where Do We Stand? Strategies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”
The COFI convention is always a highlight event when it comes to Prince George. It attracts the political decision makers and the leaders of industry. Collectively, they hear and contribute to a stimulating range of perspectives on the industry’s issues and ways of tackling them.
“As far as government participation, we do expect the B.C. Minister of Forests to attend and traditionally we have the Premier speaking on the Friday (April 4),” said Travis Joern, COFI’s director of communications. “We’ll see if the tight majority has an impact on the number of MLAs going to events, if there are any votes happening. We would not expect any federal participants as signs show we will likely be in a federal election by early April.”
The COFI convention attracts a wide representation from the service and supply sides of the forest industry. That is reflected by the highly popular trade show component of the convention. It effectively combines an informal business showcase with a networking bazaar.
“This year’s convention comes at a pivotal moment as the sector faces a number of intersecting challenges,” outlined Zara Rabinovitch, COFI’s vice president, sustainability and public affairs. She explained that the challenges range from the unpredictable access to fibre and price volatility to policy transitions and a divisive political context with a looming federal election.
“Adding to these dynamics is a U.S. administration poised to double duties on Canadian softwood lumber, with the potential for additional new tariffs,” she added. “Some of these things are out of our control. But others create an opportunity to stem the tide of curtailments and set the industry on a sustainable path for now and long into the future.”
COFI opts for a more conciliatory approach to resolving issues than a confrontational one. “The forest sector’s history of navigating complex policy debates highlights a key lesson: starting
from shared priorities is the most effective way to achieve meaningful progress and lasting solutions,” said Rabinovitch. “Despite different perspectives, most stakeholders agree that the status quo is not sustainable.”
Rabinovitch believes the forest industry and its partners recognize the need for action in a number of areas. They include forging new business and partnership models; fibre supply; forest landscape management and planning to mitigate wildfires and support healthy ecosystems. She underlined the importance of First Nations in the stewardship of B.C.’s forest lands. “New partnerships and collaboration can drive economic reconciliation and lift up indigenous stewardship, ensuring B.C.’s forests are managed inclusively and effectively.”
It all begins with a stable and predictable fibre supply. “Reforms to permitting and tenure systems—as well as collaboration between primary and value added producers—are key to addressing this challenge and maintaining forestry’s role as an economic cornerstone in B.C.,” she said.
Rabinovitch said the B.C. government has talked recently about ways to restore confidence in the forest sector. “While the signals are encouraging, the challenge lies in translating those commitments to tangible actions.” COFI convention delegates—all the anticipated 600 of them—would like to see nothing better. The latest details are available on cofi.org
Just as those delegates head home from Prince George, another forest industry group some 4,321 kilometres to the east will be making their final organizational tweaks to a still larger industry gathering.
Delegates to the Montreal Wood Convention (MWC) will be filling the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Quebec City April 8 to 10. It’s expected to attract up to 1300 delegates and visitors.
to page 22
New CEO for COFI
Kim Haakstad has been appointed the new president and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI). She takes over the dual responsibilities from Linda Coady who is retiring from the positions she assumed in July 2022.
“Kim brings a wealth of experience and expertise to COFI with over two decades of leadership in executive roles across government, industry and stakeholder relations,” said Greg Stewart, chair of the COFI board of directors and head of the Sinclar Group of forest companies based in Prince George. “A seasoned strategist and relationship builder, Kim has consistently demonstrated her ability to navigate complex policy landscapes and forge strong partnerships that drive shared success,” he added.
Haakstad’s executive experience includes that of deputy chief of staff to the B.C. premier. “Her deep understanding of government processes, coupled with her strong connections across sectors, positions her as a uniquely qualified leader to guide COFI and the forest sector through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” said Stewart.
from page 21
The MWC has deep historic roots tracing back to the Canadian Lumberman’s Association and its Montreal gathering in 1908. The event began taking its present shape and function under the guidance and cooperation of four regional forest industry organizations. They are the Maritime Lumber Bureau; Ontario Forest Industry Association; Quebec Forest Industry Council and the Quebec Wood Export Bureau, and they’ve been at the organizational helm since 2013. The MWC has flourished under the group’s organizational tutelage along with eastern Canada’s wood product manufacturing and export sectors.
Sven Gustavsson is director of softwood and value added softwood with
the Quebec Wood Export Bureau and doubles as event director for the convention’s organizing committee.
“The approximate breakdown of the convention’s attendees is 65 per cent Canadian, 25 per cent from the United States and 10 per cent international,” estimated Gustavsson.
What they all have in common is a passion for the promotion and expansion of wood product use in North America and beyond. Details of the convention content were being finalized at Logging and Sawmilling Journal’s press time. Some of the highlights include a seminar on economy and markets presented by Benjamin Tal. The managing director and deputy chief economist for CIBC Capital Markets Inc., is becoming something of a fixture at the MWC with his third successive appear-
THE WOOD TRADE EVENT
ance scheduled. A CEO panel discussion will follow Tal’s presentation.
Jon Montgomery is scheduled to be the lunchtime keynote speaker. The winner of a gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 is now featured on the Amazing Race Canada TV program.
“Drawing on his experience, he’ll offer powerful insights on goal setting, resilience and how to embrace the challenges with passion and purpose,” promise the organizers.
Interwoven throughout the convention program are opportunities for networking and collaboration between the suppliers and buyers of wood products. The informal opportunities provide the perfect setting for renewing existing contacts throughout the wood product industry and forging new ones with other industry
professionals. “The benefits of face-toface meetings at the conference each year cannot be overstated,” reckoned Gustavsson.
The attendance and participation prospects for the convention were on a positive trajectory in early January. “It’s looking very good,” confirmed Gustavsson. “We were about 20 per cent ahead on registrations compared with the corresponding time last year.” Booth sales were similarly robust and heading toward a physical space limitation of around 115 exhibitors.
It’s a good indication of an event’s success when other associated organizations choose to stage their events within a similar time frame.
An example with the MWC is the North American Wholesale Lumber Association with its headquarters in Chicago opting to hold its regional meeting to coincide with the MWC event. The MWC aspires to be inclusive and actively encourages a diversity of participation. That’s one of the reasons why WOLF is making a comeback at the convention. Women in Lumber and Forestry, the group behind the acronym, will be holding a networking session prior to the convention for the second successive year. “Their participation is part of the MWC’s efforts to support women’s role in the forest industry and promote gender equality,” explained Gustavsson.
The event’s concept of inclusion is given further expression in the MWC’s trade show. “The range of equipment and services offered to our industry is broad, ranging from insurance services to software and transportation services and more recently forest equipment and machinery.”
Encouraging the interests of young people in the diverse opportunities offered by the forest sector in eastern Canada is also an integral part of the MWC’s organizational strategy, continued Gustavsson. The MWC provides ample opportunities for young people to question and learn from the wide group of professionals in the wood production cycle and wood use technologies, he continued.
Part of the MWC’s success comes from its strong organizing committee, suggested Gustavsson. It sets the tone for the cohesive and inter disciplinary approach. “And that makes our whole event a successful experience.”
For further information about the latest developments contact the MWC at info@montrealwoodconvention.com
Heads up: the first ALBERTA EQUIPMENT EXPO is on its way!
The forest industry, along with other heavy equipment-related industries, is getting ready for the inaugural Alberta Equipment Expo, coming up April 24 to 25 in Edmonton.
By Tony Kryzanowski
Increased industrial activity is attracting significantly more people to Alberta and driving greater demand for services like housing and development, while also providing good paying jobs often involving the use of heavy equipment, such as in the forest industry.
Given this backdrop—where the popu lation has grown by 4.4 percent in 2024 alone and Edmonton being the gateway to most industrial activity in the province including the famed oil sands—the inau gural Alberta Equipment Expo, focusing on the forestry, road building, heavy construction, and other related sectors is making its debut on April 24 to 25.
The Alberta Equipment Show will be held at the Edmonton Expo Centre and will feature displays from the key players in the forestry sector including Tigercat, John Deere, Wajax, Hyundai, Top Down Equipment, Wacker Neuson, Tanguay, EcoLog, Maskinen, Develon, CBI, BRON, Frontline Machinery, FAE and Link-Belt.
The Expo is an opportunity for heavy equipment contractors to experience first-hand some of the newest equipment entering the market and also discuss equipment needs and purchasing options directly with company representatives.
Pre-registration is free for a limited time online but there is a $20 registration
event. Those interested in attending can also obtain free registration through a number of passes given to display hosts.
Billed as “Building Alberta from the Ground Up” and hosted by Marketplace Events, the show is slated for the Edmonton Expo Centre which is well-suited for the display of some of today’s larger and most advanced heavy equipment because
of its spacious indoor environment. The site also features plenty of parking and easy access to public transit.
Marketplace Events is well-experienced at managing shows featuring heavy equipment as they are regular hosts of the Canada North Resources Expo slated this year for May 23 to 24 in Prince George, B.C.—and recently hosted the world renowned DEMO International event related to live demonstrations of forestry equipment typically held every four years. Last year, DEMO was held in Gatineau, Quebec.
Marla Kimball, Marketing and Operations Manager for Marketplace Events, says that the Alberta Equipment Expo has been at least three years in the planning, and there was a conscious choice to host the event in April during spring break up because it is a quieter time for industry. It is also the time when contractors typically consider additions to their fleets for the coming logging and construction seasons.
“Alberta is a fantastic province for the heavy equipment industry,” she says. “There are a lot of different industries in Alberta that have a ‘heavy equipment’ feel and there was a lot of interest in us hosting the show.”
She adds that those likely to benefit most from attendance are established heavy equipment contractors, operators, and those perhaps investigating careers and businesses in logging, roadbuilding, heavy construction, or a myriad of other industries where heavy equipment is commonly used. It’s the place to have important questions answered in order to make well-informed business or career decisions.
The organizers expect a good turnout of attendees from all over Western Canada. Therefore, the event is also a good opportunity for contractors, operators and those looking to enter the heavy equipment sector to not only identify who are the big players in the industry, but also to network with other individuals working in their particular area of interest.
The show will feature displays from the key players in the forestry sector including Tigercat, John Deere, Wajax, Hyundai, Top Down Equipment, Wacker Neuson, Tanguay, EcoLog, Maskinen, Develon, CBI, BRON, Frontline Machinery, FAE and Link-Belt. This is only a small sample of industry participants as the Expo is a good blend of well-known names along with new entries in each sector.
The variety of equipment displays will not only feature the manufacturers of key logging machines, but also related forestry equipment such as chippers, grinders, and mulchers. And then there are also the companies that support heavy equipment contractors like rental companies, tire manufacturers, lubricant suppliers, and even finance companies.
Logging and Sawmilling Journal, Canada’s leading print and online forest industry publication, has also purchased display space at the Expo.
“Our mantra at LSJ is that we take every opportunity to meet with our forest industry readers and advertisers who represent the core of the Canadian forest industry as often as possible, so that we stay current with the issues driving the industry,” says Anthony Robinson, Publisher of Logging and Sawmilling Journal.
He adds that there is a major transformation taking place within the heavy equipment sector, with the integration of remote piloting, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics on the horizon. So it is important for equipment
owners and operators to stay up-to-date on the latest technology, and attending shows like the Alberta Equipment Expo is a good way to stay connected with equipment suppliers.
Marketplace Events began selling display space for the Expo last summer and it is already sold out, demonstrating the high level of excitement amongst key heavy equipment dealers and related companies to participate in this event.
The Expo will also feature represen-
tation from a number of industry associations and some will be conducting association business in the well-equipped meeting rooms of the Expo Centre as part of the event. Among those already confirmed are the Canadian Rentals Association and the Canadian Association of Women in Construction.
Anyone interested in attending the Alberta Equipment Expo can register at www.secure.mpltd.ca/AEE/.
more information about this premier event, please contact:
equipmenttechnology
One of the technology providers in the autopiloting business is Kodama Systems, which is strictly focused on forestry and is working with heavy equipment manufacturer, Weiler Forestry. They have installed and proven their Kodama Autopilot machine teleoperation platform in an Weiler Forestry S340 skidder
Putting forestry equipment on
AUTOPILOT
Autopiloting and the autonomous operation of forestry equipment is no longer in the future—it has arrived.
By Tony Kryzanowski
Imagine that you are a heavy equipment operator working in the forest industry and instead of an equipment cab, your place of work is a control room a few blocks from home that is equipped with joysticks and a widescreen television monitor, projecting multiple screen images of a forest block or mill yard.
That’s instead of having to commute every day some distance from home, maybe on icy, rainy or sketchy bush roads, to jump into the cab of your equipment that’s been sitting in the cold all night.
Now imagine that your place of work is Vancouver while the equipment you are operating is situated somewhere like
Manitoba, South Carolina or Brazil.
This is where forest equipment operation may be headed, addressing all sorts of workplace and staffing challenges currently facing the industry, such as widening the labour pool by extending the potential employment longevity of valued experienced operators—as well as opening up new employment opportunities for women and disabled people as equipment operators, because of this revolutionary change in the work environment.
And given the amount of logging now using tethered systems for work on steep slopes, not having an operator physically in the cab of, for example, a tethered skidder offers a significant safety benefit.
Two North American companies have
already commercialized remote piloting technology for heavy equipment commonly used in the forest industry. One technology provider, Kodama Systems, is strictly focused on forestry and is working at the present time with heavy equipment manufacturer, Weiler Forestry. They have installed and proven their Kodama Autopilot machine teleoperation platform in an Weiler Forestry S340 skidder.
Another technology provider is Teleo Inc, with its autopilot system installed in a Volvo L350F wheel loader working for a logging contractor in Finland, as well as in three Cat wheel loaders working at a paper mill in Florida owned by RYAM, to haul bark and wood chips 24/7 at its pulp mill in Fernandia Beach.
equipmenttechnology
and how quickly this game-changing technology will catch on.
In the case of Kodama Systems, with its equipment working in an actual forest block, the availability now of the Starlink satellite network is allowing for communication between the operator and equipment within fractions of a second.
Pat Weiler, CEO of Weiler Forestry based in LaGrange, Georgia, says that the technology is at the “show me” stage, where it will be up to equipment manufacturers like his and technology partners to demonstrate and prove to loggers and forest companies that there is a noticeable cost benefit from adopting this advanced equipment operation technology.
Another company involved in autopiloting technology is Teleo, whose remote piloting and autonomous driving technology allows an operator to control several pieces of heavy equipment at one time.
Teleo has gone a step further by including robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning within their system so that the wheel loader can travel autonomously from point to point under the watchful eye of a human operator sitting in a control room, providing the opportunity for the operator to control or monitor multiple pieces of equipment at one time.
“The point to point autonomy part delivers immediate payback to contractors in all industries right away,” says Mark Piotto, Vice-President of Sales at Teleo Inc. He lives
near Kelowna, B.C.
He adds that based on their calculations, the system should pay back in efficiency gains in less than a year.
Both Kodama Systems and Teleo are headquartered in California.
The bottom line is that this technology is available now, inserting the latest remote piloting and autonomous driving technology into the regular workflow of repetitive equipment functions within the forestry sector, work which is now being handled by human operators in the equipment cab. The question now is if
“I was a little skeptical that we could get people to engage, but I have been very impressed with how quickly loggers have embraced the concept of having semi-autonomous or autonomous skidders,” he says. “Once it has been proposed to them, they are now leaning into it fairly aggressively and now are asking me about it quite a bit.
“It certainly will reduce costs over time with more consistent and controlled use of the equipment, it is certainly safer, and it certainly is going to be a better environment for the operator,” he said.
At the moment, Weiler Forestry is primarily focused on remote piloting with partner, Kodama Systems, to make its Autopilot system available within its line of forestry equipment. A demonstration of the technology working within Weiler’s S340 skidder was unveiled at the American Loggers Council conference last fall, and is being offered to customers in 2025.
Although Kodama’s system is capable of autonomous functions, company CEO Merritt Jenkins says that those functions such as enabling the skidder to autonomously drive itself from point to point are still in the development stage.
He adds that the company has focused exclusively on forestry because of the perceived need.
“This is an industry that hasn’t seen a lot of attention from the communities of robotics, AI, and computer vision and there are really significant labour challenges that the logging community is facing,” he says. “You have long commutes, dangerous work, and challenges attracting younger employees. So we see this as a really attractive industry where there is a really significant need to build out teleoperation and autonomy of heavy equipment.”
equipmenttechnology
from page 29
He identifies four technological advances that have occurred over the past decade to make this opportunity to revolutionize equipment operation in forestry possible.
These are satellite connectivity and specifically Elon Musk’s Starlink network. In that case, it allows for remote operation of equipment where there is no cellular service and the operator can be located anywhere in the world.
The second advance is the development within forestry equipment of drive-by-wire systems. This is the use of electronics or electro-mechanical systems in place of mechanical systems to control driving functions, making integration of autopiloting and autonomy components much simpler.
The third advance is growth of computing capacity in relation to computing cost. There has been a huge reduction in computing costs over the past decade.
The fourth advance is a reduction in the cost of sensors.
“As we have seen a scale-up of autonomous vehicles, we have seen a reduction in the cost of sensors,” says Jenkins.
He describes Kodama System’s Autopilot “as really a simple system in terms of hardware. It’s a computer, cameras and the associated networking to be able to stream all of those video feeds.”
Their system installed in the Weiler Forestry S340 skidder has been working in a thinning application of mixed conifers in relatively steep slopes in northern California for the past year-and-a-half to stresstest and demonstrate that its Autopilot will work as advertised. The skidder is now working in a salvage logging environment. Their camera selection has allowed them to work day and night by exploiting the illumination provided by lights on the machine.
They can integrate their Autopilot system into any forestry machine with their focus on skidders and especially Weiler Forestry equipment products for now, given the support that Weiler has demonstrated for their product. But Jenkins adds that the system is not specific to Weiler’s line of equipment and that they are open to working with any forest equipment manufacturer, as they want to make their Autopilot available throughout North America.
“We see Canada as a really attractive opportunity, especially in northern Canada
to page
Three Cat loaders working in a RYAM pulp and paper yard in Florida utilize Teleo remote piloting technology, and deliver bark autonomously for use in energy production 24/7.
/// Simplicity Refined
Weiler is a leading engineering and manufacturing company offering a full line of forestry products designed with Canadian loggers in mind. Make them rugged, make them perform, and keep them simple are common requests and that is exactly what drives Weiler’s design. Weiler Forestry products are sold and serviced from coast to coast by the Canadian Cat® dealers Toromont and Finning. Reach out to them today and ask about our new B767 feller buncher with industry leading fuel efficiency.
equipmenttechnology
Using Teleo technology, this Volvo loader at a Finnish forestry operation is traveling autonomously from where an operator unloaded a truck to the point where the logs will be deposited in a deck, handled by the remote operator. This represents, says Teleo, “the world’s first logging yard with autonomous operations”.
from page 30
where workforce capacity challenges are really extreme,” says Jenkins, and according to Weiler, their stance is that they don’t want to limit great technology from other people being able to use it.
Kodama Systems plans to expand the offering of its remote Autopilot system to all logging equipment manufacturers.
Teleo has experience creating autonomous construction equipment such as bulldozers, wheel loaders, and articulated dump trucks. Last fall, they announced that they have included logging as part of their strategic focus by partnering with FinTerpuu Oy, one of Europe’s largest logging companies.
They have equipped a Volvo L350F wheel loader owned by the logging company to autonomously transport logs from their arrival point to a processing yard, hailing what they say is “the world’s first logging yard with autonomous operations.”
Teleo says that it can convert any make, model and vintage of heavy equip -
ment into “autonomous robots”. Its Supervised Autonomy keeps human operators involved, where one human oversees multiple autonomous machines at once. The human operator acts as the supervisor, with the ability to step in remotely to control the machine if needed.
Teleo’s Mark Piotto says that their system is largely identical for use in a variety of heavy equipment.
“We thought we would be focusing in mining and construction, but the second we did a wheel loader, that opened up a number of industries—logging, pulp and paper mills and forestry for sure,” he says. “A wheel loader is the Swiss army knife of machines.”
Teleo provides what it calls a mesh communication network, which is a group of connectivity devices such as Wi-Fi routers, to act as a single network, that is dedicated to the work site to provide the linkage between the operator and the equipment. Operators can log into the mesh network through an Internet connection and work from thousands of
kilometres away from the work site. The company is currently evaluating satellite connectivity.
Initially, the operator will set a path for the wheel loader or forklift to take. In the case of their Finnish client, the operator is still fully engaged remotely with the function of unloading the logs from trucks and placing them in the processing yard. But the task of travelling from the unloading point to the log placement point is autonomous, though monitored, allowing the operator to control several wheel loaders or other equipment such as forklifts at one time.
Throughout this repetitive process, Teleo and its AI and machine learning technology is in fact learning, so that over time, it will be possible to include more complex autonomous functions.
“Teleo is learning every time that operator is interacting with that machine,” Piotto says, “creating our own library, allowing us to inject more autonomy into the application.”
So, for example, it will be possible to teach the wheel loader eventually how to safely unload the logs from the truck and place the logs in the processing yard, in addition to travelling from point to point and then returning.
But he adds that it will take a while before their system would go to work remotely or autonomously in a feller buncher because of the remoteness and complexity of that machine’s functions.
“We’re not there yet,” he says, but as far as heavy equipment being operated remotely and engaged in repetitive tasks such as transporting materials autonomously, they’re open for business and there is a lot of interest to take it further. They are listening.
the logging LIVINGDREAM equipment
With a strong logging background, Quebec’s Mathieu Lavoie has been able to fulfill his ultimate dream with the development of the TimberMAX traction winch attachment.
By Tony Kryzanowski
The Canadian-designed and manufactured TimberMAX traction winch attachment—which allows loggers around the world to more easily and safely access valuable timber growing on steep slopes—has enjoyed significant growth since arriving on the market in 2018.
Now available in 15 countries and with the recent launch of its HDX series—a significant update of its previous product offering—the development of the TimberMAX traction winch is without a doubt a Canadian forest industry success story. The product launch of the HDX series occurred last fall at the renowned DEMO International event held in Eastern Canada.
“It started with one winch at a time and it started in Canada,” says company owner Mathieu Lavoie, speaking of how the business has grown over the past six years.
The notable growth of this RouynNoranda, Quebec-based company, where the four models of the attachment are manufactured, has occurred for three primary reasons: its passionate owner; the greater need to access merchantable timber on steep slopes; and, the power of the Internet and social media.
Lavoie says that once information about his product began to circulate on social media in its earliest days, the phones at the TimberMAX headquarters began to ring off the hook with loggers wanting to learn more.
There are other purpose-built tethering systems available, but one unique aspect of the TimberMAX is that it is an attachment, versus a purpose-built unit, that can be mounted on a variety of machines and equipment models. The winch can be quickly attached, for example, to an excavator, feller buncher, skidder, forwarder or harvester which has been configured to accept the attachment. And even though
Mathieu Lavoie, who has an engineering and logging background, has fulfilled his ultimate dream of participating in the development of the next generation of forest machines and inventing new technology with his company, TimberMAX, and its traction winch attachments.
The TimberMAX traction winch attachments can be deployed on a number of carriers including feller bunchers, skidders, excavators, harvesters and forwarders. The company launched its HDX series of attachments last fall at the renowned DEMO International event held in Eastern Canada.
the carrier has been configured for the traction winch, it can still carry out its original function by simply switching the attachments.
According to Lavoie, it is possible to swap out the TimberMAX traction winch attachment with other attachments like an excavator bucket or power clam in about 15 minutes.
The concept behind the design of the TimberMAX traction winch is to allow loggers to use a piece of equipment that they already own as the carrier, such as a retired feller buncher or harvester, or to allow them to procure something less expensive for this function like a secondhand machine.
“We decided to package the attachment so that it would work well with a
feller buncher,” says Lavoie, the reason being that feller bunchers already typically have strong hydraulic power and are agile.
Fundamentally, regardless of which carrier is chosen, there is no need to add a counterweight or cut into the original frame and add extra structure to it.
“As long as there is a connection to the boom, there is nothing that needs to be changed on the structure of the carrier,” Lavoie adds, and to configure a unit so that it can accept the attachment only takes about a week.
Furthermore, because the traction winch can be swapped between different configured carriers, there is no need to move a large piece of equipment from one place to another, just the attachment.
“Its versatility, at the moment, is unmatched,” says Lavoie.
When deploying the traction winch, loggers can use either a one machine or two machine system.
With the one machine system, the TimberMAX traction winch is attached to the working machine and tethered, for example, to a large stump at the top of the hill while the machine attached to it works up and down the hill. Or it can function as a two machine system where the TimberMAX traction winch is attached to a dedicated piece of equipment at the top of the hill acting as an anchor, while the tethered working machine travels up
Canadiansuccessstory
from page 35
and down the hill below. In both instances, the control pad and monitoring system sits inside the working machine, next to the operator.
The question is what drove Lavoie, who comes from a family of Canadian loggers from Quebec and is a trained en-
gineer, to focus specifically on developing this traction winch product. It started with his excitement operating advanced forest equipment like harvesters and forwarders in his home province for his parents on weekends and in the summer, as a teenager.
“I wanted to participate in the development of the next generation of forest
machines and invent new technology,” he says.
Once he finished high school, Lavoie obtained an engineering degree from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec. Given his experience operating harvesters and forwarders, he was eager to work with European manufacturers who were among those developing this type of equipment. He spent some time interning in Europe and then later took a job with German forest equipment manufacturing company, HSM Forestry Machinery, developing forest machines, attachments like harvesting heads, transmissions and even traction winches. This helped him to build his technical and design skills, network with suppliers and sales people, and provided him with a strong education about the industry.
When he returned to Canada, he established InovForest Forestry Equipment to import HSM Forestry equipment, some with built-in traction winches, but discontinued that representation in 2018. He discovered that promoting advanced harvesting and processing equipment with built-in traction winches—which he helped to design—was a tough sell since the majority of logging, particularly in Western Canada, was occurring with feller bunchers, skidders, roadside processors and log loaders, with excavators for road building.
However, at the same time, he saw first-hand the pressure being put on loggers to gain access to merchantable timber on steep slopes closer to sawmills, and the challenges they were experiencing in trying to safely access that timber. As a trained engineer, it motivated him to want to develop a Canadian-made solution where loggers could deploy a traction winch system, but do it safely and costeffectively by using equipment that they already had in their fleet or something that they were familiar with.
So he put his engineering skills and manufacturing background to work and in 2018 began designing and engineering a traction winch attachment capable of working with a variety of carriers used in this type of logging environment. Commercial units became available in December of that same year.
“I decided that I wanted to develop the best winch technology on the market and offer it to all equipment suppliers,” he says.
TimberMAX recently launched its new HDX series lineup of traction winches and they are rated based on their pulling capacity. For example, the HDX 24 pictured can pull 24 tonnes.
Canadiansuccessstory
from page 36
Today, his ultimate dream to participate in developing advanced equipment for the forest industry has come true. His TimberMAX business is well-established with 12 employees working in their manufacturing facility in Quebec, and sales are happening in forestry hot spots around the world.
There are a number of reasons why a traction winch system like the TimberMAX makes sense in a steep slope logging environment.
The first is safety. By having this type of traction winch system, loggers can provide a safer working environment for their operators and may even be able to tap into a larger pool of operators when this tethering system is used, although TimberMAX acknowledges that steep slope logging on its own is dangerous and human error can still lead to accidents.
That’s why the company provides extensive training in how to operate its system so that equipment operators understand how to safely deploy this technology and its limits. When operated in combination with the attachment’s in-cab iWinch control system, the forest machine operator is able to quickly identify dangerous work situations and respond accordingly when the TimberMAX traction winch system is in use.
Lavoie says that it is always important for loggers to consider their working environment and ground conditions when putting the traction winch to use. For example, the soil’s moisture content and nature should be strongly considered when deploying the system. The iWinch control system provides the operator with continuous feedback on the traction capacity of the soil.
The second attraction of this traction winch system is improved productivity. It
Edna Tainsh appointed Advertising Sales Manager at Logging & Sawmilling Journal, TimberWest
Anthony Robinson CEO/Owner
Anthony Robinson, Publisher of Logging and Sawmilling Journal, is pleased to announce the appointment of Edna Tainsh as Advertising Sales Manager of Logging and Sawmilling Journal and TimberWest publications, effective immediately.
Through her experience in publishing, Edna has a deep passion for advertising and marketing. She is committed to understanding the intricate dynamics of the market, and utilizing data to drive successful, results-oriented campaigns for clients.
With expertise in data analysis, publication marketing, digital advertising, social media advertising, and geofencing, Edna will be helping clients strategically reach their ideal audiences across various platforms, print and digital. She is dedicated to ensuring that each campaign is not just effective, but impactful, tailored to meet the unique needs of each client and delivering real, measurable results. Edna’s passion for success drives her to continually seek new ways to elevate brands, and push the boundaries of what's possible in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing—and she is looking forward to delivering results for advertising clients of Logging and Sawmilling Journal and TimberWest.
Welcome aboard, Edna!
provides loggers with access to merchantable timber on steep slopes beyond the limits of equipment operating without a tethering system, and in many instances, offers an alternative to the use of yarders.
The third attraction is reduced soil disturbance and the ability to continue working safely in wet environments without constantly having to wait for the ground to dry. Lavoie says that in some areas with wet ground conditions, skidders are often not allowed to operate because of ground disturbance, but with the assistance of a TimberMAX traction winch, loggers have managed to gain access to timber on steep slopes in these ground conditions because soil disturbance is reduced.
The fourth attraction is the ability to gain access to timber in areas affected by heavy snowfall.
The company’s four HDX TimberMAX traction winch heads are differentiated based on their maximum pulling capacity. For example, the smallest T10 unit has a pulling capacity of 10 tonnes and is recommended for 160 to 235 model carriers. The largest TimberMax traction unit, the T24 HDX has a maximum pulling capacity of 24 tonnes and is best matched with 340 to 400 model carriers.
The new HDX series has been improved in the areas of design, performance, advanced technologies, and safety.
On the design front, the HDX models are engineered to reduce maintenance costs with an overall weight reduction to enhance anchoring stability. Also, they feature better dirt management to ensure smoother operation and extended durability.
Regarding improved performance, the HDX series overall has increased power and enhanced drum capacity for improved performance in the field.
In terms of advanced technologies, the attachment comes with cutting edge control systems that provide more precise data, with a number of new options and standard features available.
And regarding safety, TimberMAX says that its winches uphold the safety factor of 3:1, working alongside advanced monitoring technologies.
All in, it makes for a very attractive traction winch head—and its tremendous success reflects that loggers know a great piece of equipment when they see it, that just happens to be proudly Canadian-made.
Edna can be reached at edna@forestnet.com or at 1-866-447-9334.
Edna Tainsh
Legacy research ready to pay dividends as new planning tools become part of standard forest management practices
BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI
As we stand on the precipice of the development of a new relationship between humanity and technology— with new tools that can answer questions by scouring information sources along the entire length and breadth of the worldwide web in minutes and with the ability to offer solutions—one caveat is clear. The quality of the answer is only going to be as good as the quality of the information sources tapped to obtain the answer.
With that in mind, the Canadian forest industry is well-positioned to fully leverage the advantages of what new technology can offer as it relates to addressing the significant challenges posed by current and future forest management—such as adapting to a changing climate—because of the legacy research that often includes a chronology of outcomes on a network of sites established and managed by the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) and Canadian Forest Service (CFS) with its partners over the past 50 years.
"This legacy research will really help us direct traffic as we move forward," says Derek Sidders, Program Manager, Technology Development and Regional Liaison at CWFC. "It's going to help us with our business and forest regulation partners, with climate change issues, other issues related to sustainable fibre and habitat, and additional values such as renewable green energy."
He adds that the quality and quantity of applied science and practical applications gathered over the past 50 years is really a testament to the collaboration that has occurred throughout the forest com-
munity that has allowed for a continuity of acquired knowledge that in many instances is publicly accessible.
"That continuity comes from CFS being a consistent group of practical and focused researchers who have not only developed the biological know-how of our national species, but have also developed ways of monitoring, tracking, and evaluating them, while refining the management practices so that we can maximize the value as it relates to the leading issues of the day," says Sidders.
Among their primary goals has been to develop practical applications that maintain and enhance sustainable volumes of specific valuable species within the 234 million hectares of Canada's commercial forest. Noteworthy among the research teams working within CWFC/CFS are the forest practices technical development group, the technology development unit, and the silviculture and afforestation innovative practices group.
"Applying various applications on the ground in conjunction with our stakeholders and partners has been key," says Sidders. "The establishment of infrastructure distributed across numerous eco-zones and forest sites in Canada has demonstrated opportunities to maintain and enhance our forest volumes."
Demonstration and field technical development sites established by CWFC/CFS present the forest community with various forest management options.
From a harvesting perspective, sites typically provide a chronological record of evolving outcomes related to such practices as variable retention partial and select harvesting, commercial thinning, and pre-commercial thinning to manipulate
stand densities and vegetation competition resulting in higher volumes over time and more resilient natural forests.
From a site preparation perspective, CWFC/CFS have established a significant number of sites to demonstrate to local forest managers options and opportunities that are available to them, while comparing current practices with more advanced practices for their consideration. This includes developing new technologies and adopting existing technologies for use in forest regeneration.
These advanced techniques can also be used to reforest sites which may have been traditionally forested, but have found an alternative end use over time and are now available to once again be returned to a managed forest stand, in some cases closer to end users or urban areas. Reforesting or regeneration of these sites also provides the potential to maintain and enhance the quality of our air, waterways and soils and reduce GHG emissions.
From an information dissemination perspective, the foundation has been laid.
"The legacy sites demonstrate good, sound, and alternative practices that can be evaluated because they are tracked and geo-referenced with compendiums," says Sidders. "As we move into an age of artificial intelligence, hopefully the information it generates is based on precedence that has evolved from this work and others working in this field of forest practices research and development."
For more information about accessing the past and continuing work of CWFC/ CFS, contact derek.sidders@nrcanrncan.gc.ca.
Legacy Site Establishment and Result Sampler
TECHUPDATE
By Tony Kryzanowski
Log Scanning and Optimization
USNR
USNR’s continuous evolution of sawmill technology brings mills the new MillIntelligence platform that advances the integration of dynamic quality control tools with smart analytics products.
MillIntelligence quality control helps mills track short term trends to identify and correct problem areas as they happen. The system offers faster feedback when products are out of spec, allowing immediate corrections instead of relying on Quality Control staff to identify issues later. This enhances production efficiency and increases safety, says the company.
The MIServer collects real time information from optimizers, control systems, and sensors to produce up-to-the-second reporting and long-term trending. Examples include enhanced downtime alarming and analytics. Alarms are generated in real time to predict and identify emergent issues. Long-term data is used to highlight areas that need further improvement.
MillIntelligence modules can be assembled in a variety of configurations to address the requirements of a single machine centre or a full sawmill.
www.usnr.com
ScanMeg
ScanMeg’s Type P Photocell has become the industry standard to replace stacked photocells or finicky photo eyes in log decks, primary and secondary infeeds, lumber transfer decks and more,
says the company. It can boost productivity, accuracy, and reliability, while reducing machine downtime and alignment time and offers both ease of use and unparalleled accuracy, according to ScanMeg.
Known for its durability, the Type P Photocell is designed for hostile environments and is resistant to severe vibration, shock
loading, water infiltration, temperature variations, sunlight and contamination from dirt, grease and sawdust. The three-position snap-in mounting bracket enables quick swapping of photocells in under five seconds without disrupting productivity.
The SIM module transforms the Type P Photocell into a programmable scanner with a serial RS232/RS422 output and two analog 4-20 mA outputs.
www.scanmeg.com
Comact
Comact says that its innovative hybrid sawline redefines sawmilling with unmatched speed, flexibility, and efficiency.
This state-of-the-art system integrates circular saws and bandsaws for optimal performance, seamlessly handling logs of varying sizes. Circular saws process logs up to 20” in diameter
with precision and speed, while bandsaws extend the capability to handle larger logs, ensuring maximum recovery.
Equipped with multiple cutting modes, the hybrid sawline adapts to diverse market demands, enabling sawmills to produce a wide range of lumber products without additional specialized equipment. Its modular design enhances scalability and reduces maintenance complexity.
Advanced technologies, including the Smart Vision system and closed-loop automation, optimize production by dynamically adjusting operations for precision and efficiency. These features reduce waste, lower costs, and improve profitability.
Comact adds that its hybrid sawline is a sustainable, futureready solution, setting new standards for productivity and adaptability in the sawmilling industry.
www.comact.com
Carbotech
By acquiring Autolog in 2021, Carbotech positioned itself as a new supplier of complete log processing solutions to the industry.
With Autolog and its 38 years of experience in automation and optimization, Carbotech now has the capacity to offer turnkey solutions. Carbotech offers a log optimizer which is now in
its third generation of development and was introduced in 2019. This log optimizer, the GEN3, can be used on a log merchandizer, for log sorting or on a sawline.
Also, since 2024, Carbotech is the authorized agent of Woodtech from Chile in the U.S. and Canada for their innovative product, the LogMeter. Carbotech says that the LogMeter is an impressive scanner that can scan a complete truck load of logs.
In addition, Carbotech is also the authorized agent for Finnos from Finland who developed the most-sold X-ray log scanner in the world, it says. The X-ray provides more information about the logs than traditional scanners.
www.carbotech.com
MiCROTEC
Maxicut is MiCROTEC’s cutting optimizer for logs. It relies on the data from MiCROTEC’s Logeye and/or CT Log devices. Taking into account geometry, quality and resale value of final products, and customer-specific product quality requirements, Maxicut provides the best cutting solution for each individual log. Using CT Log data, the Maxicut Pro optimizes the real value of the final boards and provides the data for the tracking to the MiCROTEC Connect solution.
Customer benefits include cutting pattern optimization for volume or quality maximization based on final product value, integration with all breakdown machinery such as bandsaws, profiling lines or carriage lines, and mastering of all breakdown techniques, including single or multi-cant patterns, live sawing, straight or curve sawing and three-sided cutting. It includes an intuitive and user friendly interface.
www.microtec.eu
Halco Software Systems
For sawmills that cut a wide range of products to order, getting the right product to the right customer in a timely manner is
critical. Determining which logs to process with which sawing patterns is difficult. Add to this the need to consider different log purchase options, market opportunities, and production constraints, and it becomes obvious that making truly optimum operating decisions with conventional planning methods is impossible, says the company.
The Halco Systems SAWSIM-LP linear programming opti-
mization system was developed to help sawmilling operations determine “sawing pattern recipes”—the optimum mix of sawing patterns to convert a known input log mix to a specified production mix. In addition to assisting with these shorter term production planning decisions, the system can also be used to evaluate longer term marketing and log procurement questions.
www.halcosoftware.com
SUPPLIERNEWSLINE
Tigercat releases second model on new sloped tail platform
Tigercat’s new LX877 feller buncher is the second model to be built on its new sloped tail platform.
The LX877 is equipped with Tigercat’s closed loop drive system. Equipped with a 350 hp engine, it is best suited to high production, steep slopes, and mature timber clear fell applications.
Optimized weight distribution and low centre of mass, along with Tigercat’s patented super duty leveling undercarriage, provide the operator with comfort, stability and confidence on sloped terrain, says the company.
One of the most important LX877 design features is the sloped tail profile. It provides increased leveling capability to 26 degrees, and better cable clearance in winch-assisted applications.
Along with the improved leveling angles, Tigercat redesigned the ER boom system to provide a larger envelope with tighter tuck and increased below grade capability.
Other enhancements include further improvements to service access, and in-tank hydraulic filtration for extended service intervals.
The LX877 is said to be best matched to the Tigercat 5702 and 5702-26 felling saws.
www.tigercat.com
New strategic direction for Carbotech Group
The Carbotech Group has announced a major strategic step: the unification of Carbotech and Autolog, acquired in 2021, under a single operational entity, Carbotech.
This initiative is said to strengthen the company’s identity, consolidates its market position and optimizes its operations.
By simplifying its structure and pooling its strengths, Carbotech aims to maximize synergies between its teams and offer its customers a smoother, more consistent experience.
This evolution is accompanied by a restructuring of the management team to prepare the succession and support the company’s strategic vision. Among these changes, the company highlighted the appointment of Luc Houde to the position of Chief Executive Officer, having previously held the position of Executive Vice President. Patrick Leblanc, who held the position of Vice President of Optimization and Automation until recently, will succeed Houde as Executive Vice President and will take on the responsibility for the group’s overall operational strategy.
“We are convinced that this unification reflects our dynamism and our commitment to anticipating and responding to emerging market needs,” says Houde.
With this new, unified entity, Carbotech reaffirms its ambition to innovate, progress and excel in its field of expertise, while maintaining the standards of quality and excellence for which it is renowned, says the company.
This transition, designed to be seamless, guarantees its customers, partners and employees continued access to current products and services, now grouped under the single Carbotech banner, says the company.
www.carbotech.ca
Norwood Sawmills opens interactive showroom
Norwood Sawmills, a manufacturer of portable sawmills, has opened a new showroom in Barrie, Ontario.
The company says that the showroom offers woodworking enthusiasts, professional sawyers, and hobbyist millers with the opportunity to explore and experience the latest advancements in portable sawmilling technology.
The showroom showcases Norwood’s full range of Norwood Sawmills and Frontier Sawmills products, complete with attachments and accessories. Visitors can explore everything from high capacity hydraulic portable sawmills designed for cutting oversized boards and beams in high volume operations, to compact entry level portable sawmills that can be wheeled into a garage for
By Tony Kryzanowski
easy storage. They can also see the Sabretooth band sawmill blade lineup, which includes the Classic series and specialty alloy-tipped blades like the StelliCut and Apex Carbide. Additionally, the showroom features log harvesting and forestry management essentials such as log harvesting tools, log handling equipment, and the heavy duty DH8 wood chipper.
www.norwoodsawmills.com
USNR marks 70 years of Cambio debarkers with launch of 800AD model
After being in trial operation last year with what USNR describes as very good results, the Cambio 800AD debarker is now being launched. It is USNR’s largest machine, now equipped with high speed bearings for increased feed speed and with the same capability as the Cambio 600 to open the rotor during operation.
This year marks 70 years since the first mass produced Cambio debarker was delivered. Since the beginning, nearly 7,000 machines have been built and the name Cambio has become synonymous with rotary debarkers in many parts of the world.
Cambio revolutionized debarking, which until that point was mostly done manually out in the forest. The new machine was efficient while being gentle on the wood, characteristics that also define the modern machines and which made Cambio appreciated worldwide.
In 1951, Söderhamns Verkstäder, now known as USNR AB, acquired the rights to manufacture and sell debarking machines according to the patent from 1948. The machine represented a major technological breakthrough. But it was heavy and complicated and required perfect synchronization of log length and feed rate.
The first Cambio was delivered to a customer in 1954 and already by 1956, annual manufacturing production was up to 200 machines.
What has characterized Cambio right from the start is the triangular feedworks. Cambio has undergone a series of
development stages over the years. From the beginning, the feed speed was modest, about 130 feet per minute as a maximum. Today’s modern machines have the capacity to run more than four times as fast.
In 2000, the first CamShift-type system was delivered. This means that the
debarking line is built up in separate modules with independent feed works and rotor units consisting of either debarking machines or butt end reducers. The name CamShift refers to the fact that the rotor units can be shifted out sideways to facilitate service and repair. The CamShift system provides, among other things, the possibility of high speeds and the debarking of short logs.
The Cambio 800D was presented in 2011, with the D standing for direct drive. This means that feed rollers have separate electric motors for operation, unlike previous models that have a motor connected to a chain that drives all the feed rollers. The direct drive system has many advantages; among other things it means a higher redundancy and simplifies maintenance. www.usnr.com
suppliernewsline
Nors appointed exclusive Volvo CE dealer in Manitoba
Nors Construction Equipment GW Ltd, a subsidiary of Portugal-based private company Nors Group and a Volvo CE dealer in Canada, has acquired certain Volvo CE-related assets of Westcon Equipment and has been appointed the exclusive Volvo CE dealer in Manitoba. The deal closed on January 1, 2025.
Westcon has sold and serviced Volvo CE equipment since 2004 in Winnipeg. A new Nors location in Winnipeg will offer the full Volvo CE product range, including compact, electric, general production, compaction, and rigid hauler products.
to page 44
suppliernewsline
Nors companies sell and service forestry, construction, infrastructure, mining, and agricultural equipment, trucks, buses, and marine and industrial engines in a total of 17 countries on four continents.
Nors acquired Strongco Corporation in March 2020 for its first entry into the Canadian market. Nors continued its growth in the Canadian market through its acquisition of Great West Equipment in March 2024.
www.volvoce.com
Canadian Mill Services Association acquires COFI’s quality control department
The Canadian Mill Services Association (CMSA) has completed a purchase agreement with the B.C. Council of Forest Industries (COFI) to acquire the COFI Quality Control (QC) operations and to merge them into CMSA.
This has involved the transfer of the rights and trademarks to use the COFI grade stamps and the Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ (ILMA) grade stamps, as well as the transfer of the quality control employees from COFI to CMSA.
As of December 31, 2024, COFI ceased to offer QC services and the former COFI customers who were using these services were encouraged to join CMSA as active members. With completion of the merger, CMSA says that it will now provide all the necessary quality control services including educational training and support to its active members. CMSA will continue to be members of the NLGA, CLSAB and ALSC and will continue to represent its members with the Canadian Wood Council.
COFI says that with the increasing challenges in the B.C. forest industry that has resulted in mill closures, curtailments and transfers of tenure, combined with diminishing available skilled inspectors and resources with which to manage the QC functions, it is becoming more difficult to provide high quality standards at a cost effective rate. To ensure that its members continue to receive the greatest value for services, it was determined by the Boards of both COFI and CMSA that a merger of QC operations would create the most sustainable structure as changes in the industry continues to unfold.
www.canserve.org
Nokian Tyres sets new standards in CTL logging with new size for Forest King F2
Nokian Tyres has launched a new tire size for its Forest King F2 tire family to meet the increasing demands of cut-tolength (CTL) forestry machines, particularly the larger, more powerful forwarders and harvesters now being deployed in the industry.
Nokian Tyres Forest King F2 is a tire designed for harvesters and forwarders. Featuring a protective tread design with strong shoulders, the company says that it provides excellent functionality on tracks and chains, with a strong diagonal structure and steel fortification ensuring excellent puncture protection.
The introduction of the new 30.5” tire size is an important advancement for the forestry industry, says the company.
Deere introduces skidder transmission assurance program on new models
John Deere now offers extended transmission coverage, at no additional cost, through its skidder transmission assurance program.
This new program provides coverage up to six years or 12,000 hours on all eligible skidder models, and helps to
“Demand for more productive equipment is pushing machine manufacturers to develop forwarders capable of trans porting more wood with fewer driving
cycles,” says Teemu Vainionpää, Product Manager at Nokian Heavy Tyres. “The new 30.5” size for our Forest King F2 tire family is a direct response to this demand, offering increased load capacity and improved performance to meet the needs of the latest generation of forwarders.”
The larger air volume of the new Forest King F2 tire size enables a step forward in load capacity, while the increased wheel diameter improves tire-wheel contact area, resulting in increased tolerance against rim slip. The design of the tire, with its strong shoulders and protective tread, ensures excellent performance with tracks in terms of grip and support to track paws, says the company.
www.nokiantyres.com
maximize the machine lifespan with warrantable transmission repairs and replacements. The assurance program applies to all qualified skidders built on or after January 1, 2020 and is transferrable to subsequent purchasers.
“We’re giving our customers added peace-of-mind knowing that their new machines are backed by a robust transmission assurance program,” says Mike Fulton, Service Marketing Manager, John Deere Construction & Forestry. “This is another way we’re helping our customers excel in the woods and in their businesses, no matter the challenge at hand.”
Eligible machines include qualified skidder models (640L-II, 648L-II, 748L-II, 768L-II, 848L-II, or 948L-II) built on or after January 1, 2020 and purchased prior to December 31, 2026.
www.johndeere.com
Venture capital fund invests in B.C. developer of breakthrough lumber upgrading
Chrysalix Venture Capital, an early stage fund that specializes in transformational industrial innovation, has invested in Deadwood Innovations, a developer of a solution to upgrade low grade lumber, waste and under-utilized species into high strength, durable and sustainable products in premium engineered wood markets.
“We chose to partner with Chrysalix because they are one of the rare venture capital firms that truly understand industrial innovation and the unique challenges and opportunities within the forestry sector,” says Owen Miller, CEO of Deadwood
Innovations. “As we enter the next phase of our journey, their expertise, extensive network, and commitment to our vision will be crucial in driving Deadwood’s growth across Canada and expansion into global markets.”
The investment will support the development of the first commercial scale facility in Fort St. James, B.C. in partnership with the Nak’azdli Development Corporation.
“Partnering with Deadwood Innovations and Chrysalix enables us to demonstrate how investment, innovation, and collaboration can deliver meaningful economic reconciliation, diversify the forestry sector, and promote responsible forest management practices,” says John-Paul Wenger, CEO of the Nak’azdli Development Corporation.
www.deadwoodinnovations.ca
Italian maker of wood drying systems prides itself on environmental sustainability
Incomac, an Italian company that is a leading player in the production of high
quality drying systems, has released its first Sustainability Report.
It is not only a document that celebrates the milestones achieved over almost 50 years of activity, but the company says that it also serves as evidence of Incomac’s constant commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
Incomac says that it has chosen to align its business model with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through the implementation of innovative technologies and low impact production processes, and are committed to minimizing its emissions and ensuring the quality and safety of its products.
The Sustainability Report offers a detailed overview of the initiatives undertaken; from plant reconditioning systems to the adoption of energy efficiency practices that save resources and reduce consumption.
“Sustainable innovation is not just a choice but a responsibility we take seriously. This represents our long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which we operate,” says Livio Torresan, CEO of Incomac. www.incomac.com
Barrage of issues facing the B.C. forest industry—including a Trump presidency, and Trump tariffs
By Jim Stirling
Arecord has fallen and a reputation crumbled. Canada with British Columbia leading the way is no longer North America’s leading producer of softwood lumber. The title has passed to the forest product companies operating in the southern pine regions of the U.S., according to Fastmarkets, a commodity pricing agency.
The news comes as no surprise. Despite holding the title for decades, Canada’s softwood lumber production has been in steady decline. In B.C., the country’s largest producer, softwood lumber manufacturers have faced a constant barrage of issues which collectively have taken their toll.
The U.S. has played consistent havoc with industry profitability with its insistence that the Canadian softwood lumber industry is unfairly subsidized. B.C.’s forests have been ravaged by insect infestations, wildfires of epic proportion and damage—and a steady chiselling away of the land base available to log harvesting companies.
Add in high operating and labour costs and increasing government bureaucracy and restrictions, and it’s surprising B.C. hasn’t slipped below Panama in lumber production.
Re-enter Donald Trump, still U.S. president elect at the time of writing. His opening salvo was notice of tariffs up to 25 per cent on a range of goods entering the U.S., including softwood lumber. It was an adroit move, intentionally or not. It had Canada and Mexico scuttling around tightening border security measures with the U.S. Trump ties immigration and security measures with trade issues. In the latter category, he gleefully admits “tariffs” to be his favourite word.
Instead of keeping their powder dry, some provinces chose to declare how they would react to Trump’s 25 per cent threat. But all agreed with B.C. Premier David Eby who declared such a tariff imposed on softwood lumber as “devastating”.
The U.S. Department of Commerce was set to examine the present duties the U.S. imposes on Canadian softwood lumber imports. They vary depending on the forest company but average around 14.5 per cent.
Where the threatened tariffs fit is unclear. The irony is, Trump’s cudgel approach to trade and international relations is counter-productive for most Americans. His brand of protectionism increases costs in the U.S. and risks re-igniting inflation. Organizations like the B.C. Council of Forest Industries have been hammering away on the issue for years.
Trump was sounding his 25 per cent war cry around the same time the B.C. forest industry received more by now familiar negative news. Tolko Industries announced it was temporarily curtailing production at six of its sawmill operations in the B.C. Interior. The December shutdowns are bad news for employees and the communities where they live.
The usual suspects were fingered for Tolko’s decision: high fibre costs and weak North American markets for lumber and plywood production. “The B.C. policy and regulatory burden causing high costs and limiting access to available economic fibre for our B.C. manufacturing facilities continues to impact our B.C. footprint,” added Tolko spokesman Chris Downey.
Ravi Parmar was sworn in this past November as B.C.’s new Forests Minister in Premier Eby’s NDP government. Parmar is the MLA for Langford-Highlands on southern Vancouver Island. He has worked briefly for the B.C. Ministry of Forests. The new minster was making some encouraging noises about his attitude toward his first portfolio. Now is the time to be bold, he told a questioner in December. He said the frameworks, vision statements and grandiose plans are in the past.
“For me it’s now (about) focusing on those clear objectives on what we need to accomplish to have a robust, sustainable industry for the next decades.”
The NDP has entered a cooperative agreement with the BC Green Party to help shore up its narrow majority in Victoria. Some forest industry observers were hopeful Parmar would use a public appearance scheduled for January to expand on his plans for the forest industry in B.C. But the opportunity appears limited. The B.C. Natural Resources Forum in Prince George at which Parmar was scheduled to attend has grown to become the largest event of its kind, attracting up to 1,400 delegates annually drawn from a wide geographic area. Twenty-two years ago, when the inaugural forum was held, forestry was the region’s dominant natural resource industry, a fact reflected in the forum’s agenda. In 2025, though, forestry was allotted 50 minutes in the threeday Natural Resources Forum program. Parmar was scheduled to appear at a breakfast event along with a clutch of his ministerial colleagues from Victoria.
It appears to be an unlikely opportunity to announce a major shift in B.C. forest industry policy.
In January, the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) announced another sign of the changing times. COFI’s quality control services, including the use of COFI and Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ Association (ILMA) grade stamps along with COFI’s quality control staff, will be transferred to the Canadian Mill Services Association (CMSA).
The transfer has been designed to be as seamless as possible. The two organizations explained in a statement: “To ensure that our members continue to receive the greatest value for service, it was determined by the boards of both COFI and CMSA that a merger of quality control operations would create the most sustainable structure as changes in the industry continue to unfold.”
Further details of the change and its implications are available through COFI (www.cofi.org) and the CMSA (www.canserve.org).
THE MOST POWERFUL TOP-HANDLE CHAINSAW IN STIHL’S PROFESSIONAL BATTERY SYSTEM
The STIHL MSA 220 T is the most powerful top-handle chainsaw in the STIHL battery-powered lineup, boasting power and performance similar to professional gas top-handle chainsaws. Featuring high chain speed and durable parts such as the magnesium motor housing and a brushless motor, the MSA 220 T is designed for a heavy workload. An LED operator display provides quick status updates to help keep pros moving. The MSA 220 T provides the power and dependability professional aborists trust from STIHL chainsaws.
Note: Top handle chainsaws should only be used by trained arborists.
