Slope Logging - Truck Loggers Association

Transcription

ILA 56TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW REVIEW ]
www.tla.ca
[ INSIDE
Summer 2014
Steep
Slope Logging:
The Costs, Challenges
and Technology
PM # 40010419
Species At Risk Act:
How It Works and How It Could Be Improved
Forestry Partnerships:
First Nations, Contractors and Trust
Summer 2014 Truck LoggerBC 1
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2 Truck LoggerBC Summer 2014
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CONTENTS
SUMMER 2014 Volume 37 Number 2 www.tla.ca
20
28
36
40
Columns & Departments
7
8
TLA President’s Message
Telling Our Story: The Future is Forestry
Don Banasky
TLA Executive Director’s Message
Like Ripples in a Pond: Poor Rates Impact All Contractors
and Their Communities
Dwight Yochim
10 Legal Report
Overweight Trucks
John Drayton
12 Business Matters
Who Doesn’t Love New Equipment?
James Byrne
14 Safety Report
Transportation Safety Gets Boost from
New Trucking Advisory Group
Dustin Meierhofer
17 Market Report
An Underestimated Industry—British Columbia’s
Solid Wood Value-Added Remanufacturing
Gary Tattrie
46 MaryAnne Arcand Obituary
Cover
36 Steep Slope Logging:
The Costs, Challenges and Technology
Ian McNeill
Features
18 Species at Risk Act:
How It Works and How It Could Be Improved
Bryce Bancroft
19 Getting a Handle on Owner and
Prime Contractor Responsibilities
Bjarne Nielsen
20 Loggers Not Out of the Woods Yet:
ILA 56th Annual Conference Review
Sandra Bishop
28 Forestry Partnerships:
First Nations, Contractors and Trust
Hans Peter Meyer
32 Zero Hour is Now: Coastal Forestry Labour Strategy
Robin Brunet
40 Who, What, Where: Forestry Education in BC
Sandra Bishop
Cover photo: Moresby Consulting Ltd.
A&A TRADING LTD.
Forestry Management and Marketing
Interior Logging Association
2014 – 2015 Board of Directors
Chairman Reid Hedlund
Don Banasky
First Vice Chairman Randy Spence
Jacqui Beban
Bill Markvoort Second Vice Chairman Len Gudeit
Past Chairman Ed Smith
Dwight Yochim
Directors Terry Brown
Ted Beutler
Lee Callow
Dave McNaught
Mike Closs
Lukas Olsen
Dennis Cook
Clint Parcher
John Drayton
Mike Richardson
Randy Durante
Barry Simpson
Matt Edmondson
Doug Sladey
Frank Etchart
Matt Wealick
Scott Horovatin
Associate Directors George Lambert
Jeff Kineshanko
Tim Lloyd
Hedley Larson
Brian Mulvihill
Bill McDonald
Ed Petersen
Burns Thiessen
Editorial Board Don Banasky
Ron Volansky
Jacqui Beban
General Manager Wayne Lintott
James Byrne
Administration Nancy Hesketh
Graham Lasure
Wayne Lintott
Interior Logging Association
Bill Markvoort
3204 - 39th Avenue
Brenda Martin
Vernon, BC V1T 3C8
Brian Mulvihill
Tel: 250.503.2199 Fax: 250.503.2250
Bill Sauer
President
Vice President
Past President
Executive Director
Industrial Directors
Proven 25 year track record of maximizing timber values
9
Professional Foresters
Development capital at attractive rates
Strong customer base in domestic and export markets
Accurate market price forecasting
Detailed planning and budgeting process to
ensure performance
VANCOUVER
1210 - 1111 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V6
T: 604-684-2107 F: 604-689-0977
E: jmohammed@aatrading.com
The Truck Loggers Association
2014 Executive & Directors
SECHELT
5083 Bay Road, Sechelt, BC V0N 3A2
T: 604-740-0603 F: 604-689-0977
E: dmarquis@aatrading.com
E-mail: info@interiorlogging.org
Website: www.interiorlogging.org
CAMPBELL RIVER
207 - 1100 Island Highway, Campbell River, BC V9W 8C6
T: 250-287-0143
E: jpollock@aatrading.com
SUMMER 2014 / VOLUME 37 / NUMBER 2
Heading down an unhealthy path?
Editor Brenda Martin
Contributing Writers Don Banasky
Bryce Bancroft
Sandra Bishop
Robin Brunet
James Byrne
John Drayton
It’s not too late to change direction.
The road to better health
We care about
the health of your
employees. That’s
why we’ve introduced
a new health
resource site called
My Good Health.
Full of valuable
health information,
it will help your
employees get on the
road to better health.
For editorial information, please contact the Truck Loggers Association:
Tel: 604.684.4291
Email: trucklogger@tla.ca
For advertising, please contact Advertising In Print:
Tel: 604.681.1811
Email: info@advertisinginprint.com
Truck LoggerBC magazine is published four times a year by the Truck
Loggers Association, with content and support from the Interior
Logging Association, the Central Interior Logging Association and
the North West Loggers Association. Its editorial content seeks to
reflect issues facing the industry and to provide readers with current
information on B.C.’s forest industry. All rights reserved.
Advertising Sales & Design Layout office:
Advertising In Print
200 - 896 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2P6
Tel: 604.681.1811. Fax: 604.681.0456
Publication Mailing Agreement No. 40010419.
For subscriptions, contact office@tla.ca or 604.684.4291.
Send change of address notices
and covers of undeliverable copies to:
0385.007 03/11
CUPE 1816
Ian McNeill
Dustin Meierhofer
Hans Peter Meyer
Bjarne Nielsen
Gary Tattrie
Dwight Yochim
The Truck Loggers Association
Suite 725-815 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1B4 E-mail: contact@tla.ca
Tel: 604.684.4291
Fax: 604.684.7134
Website: www.tla.ca
from the Editorial Board DESK...
W
elcome to the summer issue of Truck LoggerBC which
means hopefully the sun is out and unfortunately so
are the bugs!
The recent negative media coverage regarding logging truck
incidents has led to two good articles in this issue and a discussion on Bill C-45. If you are involved in the decision making at any level for an operation or are aware of contraventions
to polices or regulations, turning a blind eye won’t cut it. In
our Safety Report Dustin Meierhofer also discusses the new
BC Forest Safety Council workshop, Anatomy of a Rollover,
and the new CVSE Overweight Pilot Program.
On a different safety front, the Interior cover feature discusses steep slope logging. Ian McNeill finds out what the current equipment complement is capable of and looks at new
opportunities for contractors to operate safely and effectively.
There also continues to be confusion on what it means to be a
prime contractor in the forest industry. WorkSafeBC’s Bjarne
Nielsen summarizes his presentation on owner and prime
contractor responsibilities into an informative article.
Have a read through “Zero Hour Is Now” which showcases
the newly developed British Columbia Coastal Forest Industry
Human Resource Strategy. This represents the very first time
industry leaders on the coast have collaborated to quantify
their problems and suggest solutions. From a different but related angle, the TLA has been supporting forestry education
in BC for years and Sandra Bishop gives us an overview of the
forestry training courses available in BC.
Focusing on business, James Byrne asks, “New or used?” is
his Business Matters report about when buying new equipment makes sense for your business and when it doesn’t. In his
Market Report, Gary Tattrie discusses BC’s value-added wood
products industry on the coast and the importance of maintaining the AAC to ensure these businesses can flourish.
In this issue, we also take a look at how the Species at Risk
Act (SARA) works, the challenges it faces and how it can be
improved. In the end, the entire forest industry needs to participate to ensure SARA can be efficient and effective.
We all know building partnerships are critical in forestry.
Hans Peter Meyer’s article shows how First Nations in the
Chilliwack Valley and TLA members are successfully working
together to harvest their AAC and providing stability to First
Nations communities and the forest industry.
The ILA had a successful conference in May and the three
Interior logging associations have decided to dedicate all their
editorial space to the conference review. I had the pleasure of
being on the Veteran Logging Contractors panel with Dennis
Cook, Dave Whitwell, Len Gudeit, Reid Hedlund and moderator Jim Girvan during the conference. Many issues discussed
are relevant to forest contractors operating across the province.
Hope everyone has a good summer and an opportunity to
enjoy some time with their families.
As always, we hope you enjoy our magazine and find it informative. If you have any feedback or comments, please contact
Brenda Martin, Director of Communications, at 604.684.4291
ext. 2 or brenda@tla.ca.
Jacqui Beban,
Nootka Sound Timber Co. Ltd
Editorial Board Chair
TLA Trades Scholarships
The TLA allocates $5,000 each year for trades scholarships. These scholarships are aimed at students taking
approved trades training with the intent of entering
BC’s coastal forest industry. Students must be sponsored by a TLA member who will provide the student
with a position to allow them to carry out their apprenticeship requirements.
For more information or to apply, visit www.tla.ca/
scholarships.
Correction
On page 39 of the Spring 2014 issue of Truck LoggerBC,
we incorrectly printed Roy Nagel’s name and title: “Bill
Nagel, Executive Director, Policy & Regulation for the
CILA”. In fact, Roy Nagel worked on special projects for
the CILA at the time the article was published. We apologize for the error and any inconvenience it caused.
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Don Banasky
TLA President’s MESSAGE
Telling Our Story:
The Future Is Forestry
I
f you are taking a few minutes to
read this magazine, you are likely
taking a break in what has become a
challenging time for many employers
in the forest industry. The challenge?
Workforce!
There really is no greater frustration
for a contractor than knowing you have
an abundance of work in front of you
and simply can’t find the qualified people
to get it done. The flood gates of opportunity are now open and everyone in
the coastal forest industry has a chance
to rebuild their business and community. Together we need to increase and
re-affirm our presence within the provincial arena of natural resource industries.
As TLA President, I know the hard
work that goes into programs such as the
labour market initiative (LMI) to ensure
we have systems to promote, attract,
inform and train potential employees of
all ethnicities and genders. Industry is
fed up with “the talk” and the many attempts of failed funding and inadequate
programs for new forestry workers over
the years. Your TLA is working diligently
with other industry leaders to move the
labour market initiative from talk to walk
in a short timeframe. This will ensure we
meet the demand for new workers to replace our aging workforce and will allow
us to manage the workload in front of us
in a safe and stable manner.
To have a future in this province, we
must remember our past. In 2004, after
a devastating amount of fatalities on the
coast, we were faced with the daunting
task of change. This change saw the inception of the BC Forest Safety Council.
Through education, new processes and a
real cultural shift, we have become leaders in safety in the forest industry and
beyond. After many site tours in other
countries, I can honestly say we are
world class leaders in risk management
and employee safety.
In 2009, we were faced with economic
turbulence that brought the industry to
its knees. Lack of global fibre demand,
an ailing economy and minimal opportunity saw the demise of many
contractors and the loss of many men
and women to other industries. As we
clawed and scratched our way out of the
rubble of the economic downturn, we
noticed a change. This change is abundant and widespread. Markets need and
want British Columbia fibre, licensees
need contractors and contractors need
employees. With the economic downturn in our rear view mirror (but not
forgotten), we should be celebrating
this past that is now the foundation of
our future.
The BC coastal forest industry (all of
us) needs to promote the good that has
come from our recovery. Good forestry
business men and women have become
great, safety is front and center and industry diversification is evolving into a
more stable opportunity for licensees,
contractors and workers. With other
industries on the recruitment horizon,
it is more important than ever to get our
messaging to the masses.
Our message is one of a safe work environment, technological advancement,
professionalism and opportunity within
a sustainable, renewable resource. Our
industry has safe, good paying, healthy
jobs out in fresh air in our backyards.
We live, work and play amongst this resource, which has fueled the economy of
many communities in this province for
decades and will continue to provide for
us long after the other industries have
come and gone.
Bill Markvoort, the immediate Past
President, discussed Western Forest
Products’ commitment to working with
contractors for “long-term viability” in
the Fall 2013 issue of Truck LoggerBC.
They are not alone in this discussion.
Other licensees have also expressed a
willingness to assist where possible,
when possible. Although the LMI is
coming, I would encourage you to put
together a factual, respectful presentation for the licensee you work for and
discuss the hurdles of training, the costs
and the risks involved. This is a team
problem and aligning yourself with your
customer may turn out results suitable
for your needs.
As contractors, we also need to take
the bull by the horns and reach out to
the neighbor’s son or daughter as well
as our own children and say, “There is
a future in forestry. Would you be interested in training toward an amazing
career?” Step up and be a part of the labour market initiative, invest in training
new workers for your organization and
help build the workforce we desperately
need. If we all wait for someone to come
to us with people, programs, funding
and the answers, we will likely fail. If
there are three things we learned from
our past, they are failure is not an option;
we are a force to be reckoned with; and
we are really good at making a silk purse
out of a sow’s ear.
We are the survivors and the TLA
needs your constant feedback. Please
stay in communication with TLA staff
and board. Ensure we are up to speed
with the issues you are facing. Please
get involved in the initiatives we are
working on. Without your input and
participation, they may not suit you as
well as they could. For information on
all things TLA, please contact Dwight
Yochim, TLA Executive Director, at
604.684.4291 ext. 1.
To be proud, smart, heard and proactive, is to be successful in today’s forest industry.
Don Banasky, President, TLA
Tel: 250-714-6670
Email: dbanasky@copcan.ca
TLA Executive Director’s MESSAGE
Photo: iStock
Dwight Yochim
Like Ripples in a Pond: Poor Rates Impact
All Contractors and Their Communities
S
ince the last edition of this magazine, two more logging contractors
have gone into receivership or bankruptcy. Since starting with the TLA, I know
of two others companies that have met
the same fate. While we did go through
difficult times, we are now coming out
the other side. With a brighter future
ahead of us, I can’t help but wonder why
this is happening now?
allowed them to be unsustainable. This
investment took money out of their
pockets and away from their companies
which put them at risk. But they had no
choice—it was either demand rates they
could survive on or go down fighting.
The ripple effect was also felt close to
home. These bankruptcies clearly affected the families of the owners as well as
the company employees and their fami-
We can’t continue on like this as an industry. It must
be a partnership between the licensee and
the contractor.
One could be hard-nosed and insist
it is just a couple of companies, no big
deal. Or take the attitude that these
companies set unsustainable rates and
so deserve what they get. However,
these aren’t faceless companies. There
are real people involved—employers, employees, suppliers and all their
families—whole communities.
The ripple effect from the loss of these
companies started months, sometimes
years, ago. These very companies were
held up as the “market rate”—the rate all
contractors should be able to meet—by
some licensees. Their rates were used
in rate models and held up as examples
during mediation. Had contractors
accepted these same rates and not
pushed back, the entire logging community would be in receivership now.
Most contractors were well aware that
the rates these contractors worked for
were unsustainable. Many contractors
spent thousands in mediation to defend
their own rates. Rates they believed were
not only fair market rates but rates that
lies. But it also impacted the broader
communities they lived and worked in.
Suppliers were left unpaid. In a recent
example, the unpaid debts are so large
a fuel supplier and a tire supplier in the
area may go out of business. Numerous
other suppliers will go unpaid. The remaining logging contractors may have
to find other suppliers. The loss of not
one but several companies will be felt
throughout the community.
The common theme in all this is everyone knew this was coming. People
knew these companies were in trouble.
They knew their rates were unsustainable. The suppliers also knew or should
have realized as bills went unpaid. If the
logging community knew, the licensees
must have known. And I have to wonder about the ethics of holding up these
companies’ rates as the “market rate” as
they fail. I have even heard of a bankrupt
company’s rates being used as a market
rate example long after the company has
closed its doors.
We can’t continue on like this as an
industry. It must be a partnership between the licensee, the company that
holds the rights to harvest BC’s forest,
and the contractor, the company hired
by the licensee to harvest the trees. It is
a delicate partnership and both have to
be financially strong for the industry to
thrive. Without contractors to get the
wood out, the industry is at risk.
Rather than this constant battle of
rates, we need to work together to promote BC’s forest products as the most
desirable in the world. We need to maximize the harvest of our AAC. We need
to stop the reduction of the harvest land
base. We need to attract people to our
industry and build our workforce. But
first, we need to work on rates that allow
all to prosper and thrive. Let’s hope this
is the end of logging companies going
out of business. However, I continue
to talk to contractors who are still in
mediation and some are now heading to
arbitration. This cycle needs to end.
Dwight Yochim, RPF, Executive Director, TLA
Tel: 604.684.4291 Ext 1.
Email: dwight@tla.com
Editor’s Note:
The ILA, CILA and NWLA graciously gave
up their reports in this summer issue to accommodate the extended coverage of the
Interior Logging Association’s 56th Annual
Conference and Trade Show. They felt the
topics covered at the convention were so
relevant to their members it was better to
have more pages dedicated to review of the
conference than three individual reports. All
three reports will return in the fall issue of
Truck LoggerBC.
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John Drayton
Legal REPORT
Overweight Trucks
There are laws, and there are laws. And there is
enforcement, and there is enforcement.
C
onsider driving offences. In theory, after some planning, someone
might deliberately aim their vehicle at a
person with the intention of killing. If
the victim dies, there could be a Criminal
Code charge of murder, likely a jury trial,
and on conviction a life sentence with no
eligibility for parole for many years.
As we slide down the scale of Criminal
Code driving offences, we come to charges like criminal negligence, and then
dangerous driving and impaired driving. We’re still in the area of the criminal law—the most serious of laws in our
country—but the offences become less
serious and the punishment less severe.
As we move further we leave the
criminal law and enter quasi-criminal
or regulatory law. Driving without due
care and attention, for example, is a Motor Vehicle Act offence that attracts six
points and a fine (and on rare occasions
jail). Speeding attracts three points and
a fine. And, of course, one may reach the
very bottom of the list, the proverbial
parking ticket.
The point is that there’s a sliding scale
to the law. The more blameworthy the
conduct, the greater the punishment.
The greater the punishment, the more
elaborate the legal process.
Let’s consider workplace safety. If
there’s a death in a workplace, or a serious injury, there is often a call to punish
the employer. Similar to driving offences,
the potential always exists for a criminal
charge under the Criminal Code and for
severe penalties upon conviction. How
blameworthy was the conduct? What was
the state of mind of the employer?
Ten years ago, following the Westray
mine disaster, the Criminal Code got
amended by Bill C-45. Now, a person
who directs the work of another can be
charged if the person fails to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to
that worker.
The federal government, on its website, points to eight charges under this
provision since it became the law. A
closer review shows that this is only half
the story. In each case there was a main
charge under the Criminal Code of
“criminal negligence causing death”—a
charge that existed long before Bill C-45
became law. The Bill C-45 charge was
added on top, but apparently didn’t add
much to the proceedings.
In BC, it seems that there have been
no Bill C-45 charges, in spite of the fact
that there have probably been about 1,300
workplace deaths since it became law.
Why is this? Rightly or wrongly, the
criminal law is reserved for only the
most egregious of conduct.
Where there is conduct that is less
than criminal, the Occupational Health
and Safety laws are invoked. In many
cases, an employer is “written up” for a
violation and may be made to stop operating until the violation is rectified. A
note is made on the employer’s record,
but that’s about it. Sometimes there is a
process before the court for violating the
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13-05-28 9:02 AM
Regulations. Sometimes administrative
penalties are imposed, within the confines of the WorkSafeBC bureaucracy
without any court involvement.
Recently I was asked about logging
trucks that chronically exceed their legal weight capacity. Obviously there is
a financial incentive to break the law.
Truckers are sometimes urged by the
logging contractors that they haul for,
and even the mills to where the timber
is delivered, to exceed the legal limit.
What is the effect of this?
Let’s look at the blameworthiness of
the offence. Is the vehicle 2 per cent overweight, or 20 per cent? Are overweight
loads carried occasionally or chronically? More importantly, what is the impact
of the overload upon vehicle safety? Is
the vehicle unable to stop safely, or is it a
rollover risk, by reason of being operated
overweight? At the low end of the scale,
punishment will be relatively minor. At
the high end, the flouting of the law can
result in some serious consequences, especially if severe injury or death results.
I encourage drivers to ask themselves
this: if I was involved in a serious accident and found myself in front of a
judge trying to explain my conduct, how
might my explanation sound?
Let me assure you that one explanation, that I needed to haul overweight
because I wasn’t getting paid enough to
haul legally, is not going to impress. Every operator is responsible for complying with the law. Every contract implies
that there will be legal compliance.
Almost invariably enforcement personnel look to the driver when laying charges.
It is possible, though, for enforcement
personnel to come after the contractor
or mill that encouraged the unlawful
activity. (That’s the “abetting” in the
phrase “aiding and abetting”.) And,
there’s even a specific provision of BC’s
Motor Vehicle Regulation which says
that a shipper or other person may not
require or allow someone to drive if that
would likely jeopardize the safety or
health of the public or the driver.
I’ve never seen such a charge. But, in
the right circumstances—the loss of an
innocent life, a perception that a company is putting profits before public safety, and a public outcry—such a charge
could be seen.
Quite separate from all of this is the
civil law. A party injured in an accident
caused by an overweight vehicle might
If you recognize this…
add, as a defendant, a party that failed
to prevent the accident. If a drinking establishment can be found liable
for failing to stop an inebriated patron
from driving, why shouldn’t a contractor or licensee be liable for encouraging
(and indeed paying for) the operation of
overweight vehicles?
One more note is this. There are cases
where enforcement personnel come to
a mill’s scale shack and gather together
load slips for months and with those are
able to issue a multitude of overweight
tickets. In my view no driver can legitimately complain that his constitutional
rights have been violated by this. Trucking is a regulated industry, and those
who participate in it know that there
are rules and regulations for them to
comply with, and records that need to
be kept. There is no right to privacy regarding those load slips.
For this type of offence, the peace
officer may go back six months. That
has the potential of being a real bite in
the pocketbook.
John Drayton is a Kamloops lawyer practicing in the areas of forestry and transportation law.
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Business MATTERS
Who doesn’t love new equipment?
Your accountant, if it doesn’t make sense
E
veryone loves new gear. Why
wouldn’t you want to have new
equipment working in your operations?
As an accountant, I sometimes have to
play the role of the wet blanket and ask
the question: “Is it the right thing to
do?” Sometimes it will be the right decision, sometimes it may not.
Undoubtedly, your equipment will begin to fail and productivity and cost effectiveness of using a previously reliable
machine will drop. Or a new situation
will pop up and you simply won’t have
the needed equipment configuration.
Determining when the time is right to
replace the aging equipment or to keep
repairing it is not so easy to assess. The
answer comes down to knowing your
costs, and knowing that you will be able
to recover your costs with a suitable
amount of work at a good rate for the
services you are providing.
A cost comparison
In order to determine when the time
is right to replace a piece of equipment,
one must consider the costs that go into
operating both the existing piece of
equipment and the potential new piece
of equipment. Some costs are very obvious, some are not so obvious and will require some thought and consideration.
The costs related to operating equipment are typically broken down into
four basic components. This is typically
done on some sort of unit basis to allow
for the easiest comparison. The most
common cost per unit is cost per hour
or an easier concept to wrap your head
around is annual cost basis.
Components of equipment cost:
1.Ownership: Depreciation, interest,
insurance
2.Maintenance: Major rebuilds,
ongoing service and repair, etc.
3.Consumables: Fuel, tires,
tracks, etc.
4.Operator: Operator wages
and benefits
Determining the operator cost per
hour is relatively straightforward. The
operator costs of running a new purchase or the existing piece can be considered to be the same and are not
considered in the cost comparison.
However, if you are considering whether
you should purchase an asset for a new
work type, consideration of the labour
cost is a must.
The focus following is on the other
three cost components and require
some work when comparing your existing piece of equipment to a potential
new piece.
Below is a sample calculation to demonstrate the costs discussed.
Figure 1: Sample Calculation Chart
Annual hours per year
Purchase price/market value
Salvage Value
Years of service remaining
Ownership
• Depreciation: To calculate your depreciation on an hourly basis one
needs to know the initial cost, the
ending salvage value or end value,
and the estimated life of the equipment, typically considered in hours.
When assessing an “old” piece of
equipment, the initial cost would be
the current market value and the estimated life would be the remaining
working life.
• Interest: The interest cost represents
the cost of tying up capital to purchase the asset, regardless of whether you borrow or not. If you buy
the asset directly you are still tying
New Loader
Existing Loader
1,500
1,500
600,000
175,000
85,000
85,000
6
2
85,833
45,000
Interest rate
6.00%
6.00%
Interest expense
20,550
7,800
Depreciation per year
Insurance
Total Ownership Costs
12,000
3,500
118,383
56,300
Major rebuild (Average cost per year)
20,833
42,500
Annual costs of R&M
30,000
50,000
Total Maintenance Costs
50,833
92,500
Fuel costs
52,500
60,000
6,000
7,500
Consumables
Supplies
Total Consumable Costs
Total Comparison Cost
Total Comparison Cost Per Hour
5% productivity improvement
5,000
5,000
63,500
72,500
232,717
221,300
155.14
147.53
2.25
-
10.13
-
Total Revenue Benefit
15,188
-
Total Comparison Cost
217,529
221,300
145.02
147.53
Rate (assume $4.50 / m3)
Total Comparison Cost Per Hour
up your capital and this represents
a cost to your operations. Interest
cost is calculated based on the average value of the asset over its life.
• Insurance: Insurance costs related
to the equipment.
to manage as it is. When a key piece of
equipment goes down unexpectedly for
a couple of days the whole flow of the
job is affected. Putting a cost to this disruption factor is something that must be
considered carefully.
Maintenance
• Major rebuilds: Over the life of the
asset what major rebuild costs will
be incurred? This overall cost is
then averaged to a yearly or hourly
basis depending on your unit of
comparison. When looking at your
existing piece of equipment, what
will your costs be just to get it to the
end of its service life?
• Ongoing service and repair: What
are the daily wear and tear maintenance costs and servicing? These
can be considered on an annual basis and adjusted to an hourly basis if
needed.
Adding a new or slightly used piece
of equipment to your fleet is never a
simple decision and will have noticeable
impacts to your financial position. Some
decisions will be easy and will be “must
have” purchases. However, other purchases and decisions will not be so ap-
Consumables
• Fuel: The hourly consumption per
litre or gallon, multiplied by the fuel
price.
• Tires/tracks: On an annual basis
how many tires or tracks will require replacing and at what cost?
• Supplies: These will be the smaller
items related to the operation of the
asset, but add up over time. Grease,
lube, chains, hoses, etc.
Now what?
If the calculated annual costs of the
new loader show that it has a decided
advantage over the existing loader, you
could be comfortable in selecting the
better alternative. However, it’s never
that easy. As in this example, the annual
costs of the old loader and the new loader are often not that different.
The factors to consider if the annual
costs are not that different; which option has the smaller investment and has
the shorter life? Or are you expecting a
significant change to the technology to
come about or become available in the
near future? Does the new engine have
lower fuel consumption, or new head attachment controls?
An important consideration is which
option has the greater output capacity,
safety and reliability. Reliability is one
of the largest influences on the profitability of many operations. The logistics of many remote jobs are difficult
parent. Ensuring that you are collecting
the necessary information and evaluating your decisions in a reasonable manner will help ensure that your operations
remain in good operating condition
both mechanically and financially.
James Byrne, BASC, MBA, CA, is MNP’s
Forestry Services Practice Leader for BC.
Tel: 250.753.8251
Email: james.byrne@mnp.ca
TALL ORDERS
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PORTLAND, OREGON EDMONTON, ALBERTA JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
Dustin Meierhofer
Safety REPORT
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY GETS BOOST
FROM NEW TRUCKING ADVISORY GROUP
I
ndustry has further increased its
attention on transportation safety
issues with the establishment of the
Trucking Advisory Group (TAG).
TAG was established in 2014 by the
forest industry in response to a cluster
of log trucking incidents that occurred
in the late summer/fall 2013.
In general, safety performance within
the industry has improved significantly
throughout British Columbia since
2005. In 2010, the reductions plateaued
and then in 2011 and 2012 the injury
and fatality rates increased. In late 2013,
we have seen a higher than normal
number of on-highway logging truck
incidents, as well as a high number of
trucks spilling their loads off highway.
TAG has been formed to facilitate the
efforts of industry to shift safety back to
an improving trend.
TAG members include senior representatives from Canfor, Gorman Bros.,
Interfor, Tolko, West Fraser, BCTS,
LoBar Contracting, Log Truck Technical Advisory Group and association
representatives from the Central Interior Loggers Association, Truck Loggers
Association, Interior Loggers Association and the BC Forest Safety Council
(BCFSC), which provides technical and
administrative support to TAG.
TAG is currently focusing on the
following issues:
• Safety data collection and analysis
• Log truck overweights
• Training of log haulers, loadermen
and supervisors
• Expanding and improving safety
education
• Mechanisms to improve driver behaviours and safety performance
Did you know?
When there is an injury at work, an employer must file that information with
WorkSafeBC within 3 days. Currently the forestry industry takes 21 days on
average. Prompt claim filing means the best outcomes for the injured
worker and the company, saving industry tens of millions of dollars in
costs. Safety is good business.
Learn more at www.bcforestsafe.org
• Improving communications within
and outside the industry
Further details are available on the BC
Forest Safety Council website: http://
www.bcforestsafe.org/TAG.
Anatomy of a Rollover
In concert with TAG’s focus on increased training of log haulers, loadermen and supervisors, BCFSC in
partnership with industry is hosting
numerous sessions of the rollover prevention seminar, Anatomy of a Rollover,
throughout BC.
This initiative is timely given the increase in rollovers across the province
particularly in late 2013. The presenter,
Grant Aune, of Advantage Fleet Services, has more than 25 years of commercial vehicle incident investigation
and accident reconstruction experience.
His three-hour presentations, designed
specifically for log truck drivers, loader
operators and forest supervisors, cover
the following topics:
• Dynamics of a rollover
• The five causes of rollover
• Specific case studies with supporting physical evidence
• Impact of load securement and
speed on load dynamics
• Tire and road surface considerations
• Incident examples
These sessions have been well received
by everyone in attendance. Grant really
hits home the point that each truck load
of logs is different and even small changes in height, weight or speed can affect
handling characteristics and the probability of a rollover.
By the end of June, a total of 15 sessions were held with approximately 500
haulers, loadermen and supervisors in
attendance. Specific locations and dates
are available on the BCFSC website:
www.bcforestsafe.org/rollover.
Another issue TAG is focusing on is
log truck overweights. The group is very
supportive of the data that the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement
(CVSE) is gathering in its overweight
pilot program as it provides meaningful data and insight for industry to better understand the issue and facilitate
meaningful changes that achieve everyone’s shared objectives for getting every
load delivered safely across the province.
CVSE Overweight Pilot Program
CVSE has previously collected log
truck weight data from various areas
within the province for the purpose
of determining if, and to what degree,
overweight log trucks are travelling on
provincial highways.
The data has consistently pointed to
moderate levels of noncompliance with
current regulations. As a result of the
initial findings, CVSE, in conjunction
with Quesnel area sawmills initiated a
pilot program in mid-2013 which consistently monitors for overweight logging trucks.
CVSE reviews this data monthly and
recent data analysis indicates overweights
are indeed a consistent and significant
compliance issue. According to CVSE, enforcement action will be based on observations and follow up action as determined
by the CVSE Manager. The program is
not intended for roadside enforcement
purposes at this time, but rather to raise
awareness and promote education.
However, continued non-compliance
will very likely see that position change
to one of strict enforcement. As the government irons out the kinks in the pilot
project their intent is to expand to other
areas of the province.
Overweights are a regulatory issue;
however, safety is also a significant concern. This is due to the fact that as the
load weight on the truck increases so
does the load’s center of gravity. Given
this, overweight loads create potential
trailer instability and as a result increase
the likelihood of rollover. Industry
leaders are aware of the potential issues
regarding overweight log trucks and as a
result the Trucking Advisory Group will
continue to work with log haulers and
provincial agencies to find an immediate and effective solution.
Dustin Meierhofer is the Director of Transportation and Northern Safety for the BC Forest
Safety Council.
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Phone 250 388 4416
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Gary Tattrie
Market REPORT
An Underestimated Industry –
British Columbia’s Solid Wood
Value-Added Remanufacturing
F
orests are harvested, logs are milled
and lumber is remanufactured.
Value is added at each step of the process.
In its simplest, most cost-efficient
form, adding value is done through the
process of sorting (aka grading). However, from standing trees to finished
products, after each step there is the
option to sell or go through an additional process (for additional cost), to
create additional value. The challenge is
always to have the value-added gain,
exceed the cost added expense.
Value-added wood remanufacturers are
companies who take on this challenge.
They purchase raw material (lumber of
various grades) and add value through further manufacturing (remanufacturing).
I recently researched and wrote a comprehensive report for Coast Forest Products Association (CFPA) about the valueadded wood remanufacturing industry
in BC and their use of the supply chain of
coastal species. The report summary is
on their public accessible website.
One hundred companies were
included in the report, which represent
the bulk of the value-added wood
remanufacturers in BC using coastal
species. These 100 companies had global
sales of $1.6 billion, employed 3,100
people and consumed 1.36 million cubic
meters of raw material in 2013.
We are blessed in British Columbia to
grow species in commercial quantities
that are outstanding for remanufacturing.
• Western Red Cedar (WRC) – exterior applications-sidings, fences,
decks.
• Douglas Fir (DF) – structural building/framing/log home applications,
plus doors and windows.
• Hemlock/Balsam (HB or HF) –
structural and joinery applications.
• Sitka Spruce (SS) – guitar tops,
piano sounding boards.
• Yellow Cedar (YC) – revered in
Japan for building temples and
shrines.
The products made from these species, by these BC companies, are many
and varied. A sampling of their product
lines include: barrels, cabinets, countertops, decking, doors and components,
edge glued panels, exterior sidings, fascia, fencing, finger-jointed specialty
products, flooring, furniture, garden
ties, gazebos, glue-lam beams, guitars
and components, lath and dunnage, lattice, log homes, mouldings, oil sands rig
mats, packaging, pallet and components, planters, prefab housing components, pressure treated wood, sheds,
stair components, truss components,
utility poles, veneer, wall panelling and
window components.
The report found BC’s value-added
wood remanufacturing industry was significant. While not as big as it was prior
to the meltdown of the US economy and
resultant housing decline in 2008 and
2009, it is still a very major segment.
The report also looked at what was
affecting this industry negatively. It found
that for most companies the biggest concern going forward was raw material supply. Without an assured supply of raw
material, value-added remanufacturers
have difficulty expanding their plants or
company capacity. Financial institutions
have serious concerns about lending capital to any company which does not have
an assured supply of raw material. So the
question is, “What can we do to increase
the supply of raw material to value-added
wood remanufacturers?”
In most of the western world, the
commercial forests are owned by private
companies. However in British Columbia it is different. The province owns the
bulk of the forest resource and manage
the harvesting policies.
In British Columbia a government
agency (the BC Forest Service) sets harvest quotas each year called the annual
allowable cut (AAC). This is the amount
of wood permitted to be harvested in
the province, within a one year period,
to ensure the sustainability and productivity of BC forests.
Over the last 20 years (1992 – 2012),
the AAC for coastal BC has declined, by
25 percent; from 23 million m3 to 17 million m3. To help visualize this, one cubic
metre is roughly equal to the amount of
wood in one telephone pole. This decline
is alarming considering that, unlike the
Interior, we have had no pine beetle epidemic sweep through coastal BC.
There is another issue to contemplate
as well. Every year there are millions of
cubic meters of AAC not harvested. This
is called ‘undercut’ and it happens for a
variety of reasons—political and practical. It can be quite dramatic. In 20092010 the undercut was 10 million m3!
To maximize the whole forest industry—the loggers, the primary manufacturers, and the value-added remanufacturers—we need to supply as much raw
material as possible.
I see two solutions.
(Continued to page 35)
The Market Report is brought to you by:
Stafford Lake
BenWest
LOGGING LTD.
LOGGING LTD.
Logging & Road Contractors
Campbell River
Tel: 250-287-7932
Email: benlog@telus.net
SPECIES AT RISK ACT: HOW IT WORKS
AND HOW IT COULD BE IMPROVED
By Bryce Bancroft
R
emember the old FRAM oil filter ad: Pay me now or pay me
later? Managing our forest resources effectively is like replacing your oil filter
when you should. Ignoring it can result
in costly repairs down the road. Just like
avoiding attention to population monitoring or community consultation until
a species is at risk (due to lack of reliable
data) or a community is in uproar upon
learning of possible impacts can invoke
a painful pay-me-later scenario that impacts jobs and communities.
The primary goals of the Species At
Risk Act (SARA) are to “prevent Canadian indigenous species, subspecies and
distinct populations of wildlife from
becoming extirpated or extinct, to provide for the recovery of endangered or
threatened species, to encourage the
management of other species to prevent
them from becoming at risk.” (SARA
2002, summary). But how does SARA
achieve those goals?
How SARA Works: The Process
In Canada the risk of extinction is determined by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
(COSEWIC).
To start the process, a species must be
nominated as potentially at risk. Anyone can put a nomination forward. If
it’s deemed reasonable, COSEWIC asks
for a status report to be created through
a competitive bid process. However, an
interested party can produce its own
status report and submit it to COSEWIC
for review. Regardless, the status report
must be compiled by a qualified professional who describes the present and
likely future status of the species along
with present and future threats.1
Next COSEWIC reviews the status
report and determines what status the
species in question fits under. Here is
the range of categories: extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, special
concern, not at risk and data deficient.
Then, if a species is found to be endangered, threatened or extirpated, a
federal recovery strategy is required.2
Recovery strategies can be complex and
difficult. A group of experts must understand the situation, identify threats
and provide direction based on that information. Within this step there is a requirement for constructive consultation
with affected parties which can be a time
consuming process.
While the recovery strategy provides
direction, it must be interpreted by the
provinces for implementation because
they have jurisdiction over most of the
area and resources in question. There are
two more steps once a recovery strategy
is in place: a management and an implementation plan. These plans are developed by the province and ideally take
the federal strategy and see how it can
be applied taking provincial concerns
and information into consideration.
How SARA Works: The Challenges
As it stands, the status report, written
after a species is successfully nominated,
is not a transparent process. It is done
by well-meaning people. But they are
working within a limited timeframe and
budget with little outside scrutiny. This
stage would benefit from a systematic
review. Right now, socio-economics are
purposefully left out at this stage to focus on the biology. However, socio-economics remain key in promoting solutions that will require the coordination
and cooperation of people active on the
landbase. The Coast Forest Products Association and BCTS have been promoting changes to the process to find winwin proactive solutions.
Right now, due to the number of species listed and the limited capacity of the
federal government, numerous recovery
strategies are late. This was highlighted
by the recent court case brought by
Ecojustice for Pacific humpback whale,
Nechako white sturgeon, marbled murrelet and southern mountain Caribou.
At the time of writing, there were some
167 recovery strategies yet to be developed. Solutions are needed to make the
process functional.
Often, changing a species listing from
threatened or endangered to a lesser
risk category based on recovery and active management is met with alarm. It
becomes an emotional issue and once
a species is listed as threatened or endangered it is often difficult to change
the legal status. A recent example is the
humpback whale re-listing. The whale
has shown a large population increase
but there was public outcry with its
revised status as there are perceived
threats from increased potential tanker
traffic. One would hope the intent is for
species to be down listed when it is no
longer at risk—future threats need to be
addressed before they impact the species in question.
How SARA Works:
Two Coastal BC Examples
Marbled murrelet has been reassessed by the federal government as
threatened and the government has just
released a fast tracked recovery strategy as a result of the previously mentioned court action. In this instance,
constructive consultation as legislated
was bypassed due to time constraints.
The status report has pointed to nesting
habitat (old growth forests) destruction
as the key cause of concern. Yet population data are showing relatively stable
population across coastal BC while forest harvesting continues. For greater
certainty longer term population data
are needed. In the interim, the recovery strategy is calling for set asides that
may not provide additional security for
the species while negatively impacting
BC’s forest industry. More work on understanding populations and key threats
facing the Murrelet is needed.
Northern goshawk (laingi subspecies) is legally listed as threatened and
will soon have a federal recovery strategy. While the threatened status is specific to the laingi subspecies or commonly
referred to as the Queen Charlotte Goshawk, its other subspecies, atricapillus,
is not considered at risk. Recent genetic
GETTING A HANDLE ON OWNER AND
PRIME CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
By Bjarne Nielsen
T
o begin, all multi-employer
workplaces must have a prime
contractor assigned. A multi-employer
workplace means there are workers of
two or more employers working at the
same location.
A prime contractor may also be required in situations where two or more
employers are operating different phases
of work at the same location, concurrently. Although the employers aren’t
actually on site together, their work activities are close enough that one might
impact the other. In addition, if a workplace is left with hazards that might affect incoming workers of another employer, then a prime contractor may be
required to ensure appropriate information is coordinated and conveyed.
There can only be one prime contractor appointed for a workplace. If there
is more than one prime contractor appointed for one workplace, then the responsibilities revert to the owner.
If there is only one employer working
at a site, then prime contractor responsibilities do not apply. This is an often
misunderstood part of the process or
requirements. In this case, there is no
need for a prime contractor designation
or prime contractor agreement.
If there isn’t an appointed prime contractor, then the owner is the prime
contractor by default. This means that
if the owner does not appoint and have
a signed prime contractor contract or
agreement in place, the owner must fulfill the duties of the prime contractor.
Considerations for the prime contractor agreement
If it is clear that a prime contractor is
required, then the relationship must be
formalized in a written agreement. The
prime contractor agreement must include information regarding the workplace area of responsibility for the prime
contractor, the specific activities the
prime contractor is responsible for, and
the general start and end dates.
When outlining prime contractor
obligations for specific workplaces, the
following factors should be taken into
consideration:
• The degree to which the activities of
one employer will impact the health
and safety of workers of another
employer in a given area.
• The degree to which a given area
constitutes a single contiguous (adjoining) administrative unit.
• Exclusivity of control over the area.
It’s very important to clearly identify in the prime contractor agreement
exactly what the workplace area is.
Depending on the circumstances, the
multi-employer workplace may be a
single block, a cutting permit area or,
in certain situations, an entire licensed
area. Roads may or may not be included,
depending on factors such as who owns
the road, who uses it, etc. These points
should be clearly defined to make responsibilities as clear as possible.
Determining a prime contractor
The owner must make sure the prime
contractor is qualified to be the prime
contractor. The OH&S Regulation defines “qualified” as: “Being knowledgeable about the work, the hazards involved and the means to control the
hazards, through education, training,
experience or a combination thereof.”
Owners must ensure the prime contractor they designate have a significant
level of experience and training specific
to the types of operations the prime contractor will be overseeing.
In addition to being qualified, a prime
contractor must have control over the
workplace. This means the prime contractor must be given authority to enforce safety rules and policies and be
ready to exercise that authority. Representatives of the owners are also subject
to the prime contractor’s authority and
must follow his or her rules and policies
when they come on site.
The prime contractor must also have
the capacity—in other words, the necessary time and resources—to fulfill his or
her duties.
Prime contractor responsibilities
A prime contractor’s responsibilities
may include:
• Conducting a risk assessment for
the entire workplace to determine
appropriate measures to eliminate
or reduce hazards faced by all workers.
• Establishing a system or process to
ensure health and safety compliance. This may also involve establishing a safety program or amending one in order to account for the
entire workplace.
• Completing inspections of the
workplace.
• Conducting a risk assessment for
first aid and developing the Emergency Response Plan for the entire
work place and working proactively
with the other contractors on site to
ensure the best planning possible.
• Ensuring workers are provided with
initial safety meetings, and new and
young workers are provided with a
proper orientation.
• Monitoring and maintaining the
safety system for the workplace.
• Creating a Joint Health and Safety
Committee with representation
from all employers at the workplace.
A Joint Health and Safety Committee is only required when there are
20 or more workers on site.
Owner and employer responsibilities
All new employers entering a prime
contractor’s workplace must identify
themselves to the prime contractor so
that they can receive an orientation to
the workplace. New employers must
also provide to the prime contractor the
name of their designated supervisor so
that the prime contractor knows who to
contact and communicate with.
The owner must stay involved in the
process and monitor that the prime contractor system is working and effective.
If there are unsafe conditions or actions
observed in the workplace, the owner
LOGGERS NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET
By Sandra Bishop
At its 56th Annual Conference and Trade Show in Vernon in May the Interior Logging Association brought
together a panel of five veteran logging contractors to talk about critical challenges they face now that the
worst economic times are behind them. With demand for lumber increasing and prices rising, logs are once
again needed at local mills, but logging contractors are struggling to overcome the residue of the past in
order to meet that demand and at the same time ensure they are positioned for the future.
Veteran Logging Contractors Panel:
Dennis Cook has been logging for
more than 40 years and his motto is
‘Let’s skidder done!’ He owns and operates Dennis Cook Holdings of Princeton,
which harvests 200,000 cubic metres a
year.
Dave Whitwell is the corporate forester for the Clusko Group of Companies, based out of Williams Lake. The
company’s fully mechanized groundbased stump to dump logging operations run in areas around Kelowna,
Vernon, Vavenby and Williams Lake.
In business since 1988, the Clusko
Group has harvested in excess of 1-million cubic metres annually for the past
five years.
Jacqui Beban is a 20-year veteran of
the contract logging world and managed her family owned company, Frank
Beban Logging, for over 14 years. Three
years ago Beban Logging developed a
partnership with A & A Trading of Vancouver to form Nootka Sound Timber,
which logs approximately 300,000 cubic
metres on Vancouver Island’s rugged
West Coast—all from a camp setting.
Len Gudeit owns and operates Gudeit Bros. Contracting Ltd, a groundbased stump to dump mechanical logging company, based out of Lumby.
In operation since 1994, the company
currently logs 300,000 to 400,000 cubic
metres per season.
Reid Hedlund has been a logging
company owner for the last 32 years
and currently co-owns and operates
Mid-Boundary Contracting. The company works primarily for Interfor, but
has logged for a number of different
sawmills, woodlot owners and also bids
on BC Timber Sales, logging 100,000 to
250,000 cubic metres annually.
Panel Moderator Jim Girvan is recognized as an authority in timber supply, economic and statistical analysis,
and forecasting and finance for the forest industry.
Photo: Courtesy of Waratah
Lots of business took place on the trade show floor this year. Thanks to all the exhibitors for the great show.
Current Conditions
Girvan emphasizes, “Today, that period
of pain is past. In addition to improving
market conditions, which saw lumber
prices rise from record lows in 2009 of US
$190 to $400 per thousand board feet of
lumber, manufacturers have also benefitted from a weakening Canadian dollar.
The problem is company profits are not
trickling down to the logging contractors,
who not only deserve but desperately
All Photos: Kari Silbaugh
How We Got Here
After suffering more than a decade of
decline, the BC forest industry was decimated even further by the global financial crisis of 2009. During this period,
logging contractors and forestry companies throughout the province had to
tighten their belts as the global economic recession put unprecedented pressure
on the whole industry to survive and
maintain market share in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Everyone took a hit, but some say the
hardest hit were BC’s logging contractors,
the small to medium sized logging companies in our communities, who were
squeezed every which way to Sunday.
Sandwiched between their employers, the major BC forestry companies,
pressuring them to keep their rates low
through the downturn, these logging
contractors also faced financial challenges imposed by banks and equipment
financers, which were tightening their
lending criteria for an industry that
hadn’t been profitable for many years.
“During this period, we saw the deepest trough of the industry cycle ever,” recalls panel moderator Jim Girvan. “The
industry witnessed bankruptcies of both
major forest companies and logging
contractors, substantial consolidation of
manufacturing capacity in the Interior
and on the coast, and we weathered significant changes in the regulatory environment contractors operate in.”
As a result, logging contractors
limped along, postponing equipment
purchases and depleting their financial
reserves; employees left the industry,
their homes, and communities to find
work elsewhere; and some logging contractors simply did not make it through
this trying time. Through the recession,
logging contractors agreed to hold their
rates in check as contractors and forestry companies did what they needed to
do to survive.
The ILA Board of Directors hard at work during the conference.
Minister Thomson gave an excellent speech at his Lunch with the Loggers. We appreciate his
ongoing support of the ILA.
There were lots of chances to network and do business during the meals and breaks.
All Photos: Kari Silbaugh
Splinter the Woodpecker poses with Joanne Kineshanko at the Canadian Women in Timber booth.
need to share in these profits.”
Girvan notes, while BC’s major forestry companies are reporting record
quarterly profits: Interfor, $27.5 million;
Western Forest Products, $33 million;
Canfor, $45 million; and West Fraser,
$72 million, many logging contractors
are on the edge of or have entered into
bankruptcy protection.
All these logging contractors agree
fairness is lacking in the equation today,
but there is more at stake than rates: the
very sustainability of the BC logging
sector is threatened by today’s operating
conditions. It is the hope of these contractors that their honed insights from
years of experience will set the stage for
the future. In the end, they want to help
other logging contractors stabilize their
operations and be competitive, which
they believe relies on the local mills
working with them to meet the mutual
needs of an industry at risk.
“It simply requires recognition that we
need loggers to deliver the logs to the local mills so the companies can make the
lumber and sell our forest products to
our customers around the world,” states
Girvan. “If the situation doesn’t change,
there will be no more loggers because
they can’t profit under these conditions.”
Clearly, rates rank as one of the biggest challenges facing BC’s logging contractors, but the contractors’ long-term
focus is broader. You could say they’re
determined to see the forest through
the trees, which means being concerned
with improving the whole sector. “Rates
are a part of that, but so are attracting
new employees to the sector. Logging
companies must have the ability and financial resources to train new employees so people are working safely in the
woods,” emphasizes Girvan. “Today, this
is very difficult.”
The ILA is positioned to embrace a
sustainable brand new day in timber
harvesting and believes it starts with
logging contractors coming together to
discuss the predominant barriers facing
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their businesses and find viable solutions. These barriers include financing equipment, the limitations of lien
act protection, attracting and retaining skilled employees, ensuring safety
in the woods, all while meeting local
mills’ escalating demand for logs. The
solutions are more difficult, but their
goal is to return logging once again to a
sustainable, viable business model that
continues to support rural communities
throughout BC.
Lien Limitations
For the past seven years, all four provincial logging associations have been
lobbying for a lien act that would provide protection to contractors in the
event of default in payment for contractor services or the bankruptcy of a major
licence holder, such as Skeena Cellulose
in the northwest and Pope and Talbot in
central BC and on the Coast. Today, we
have the Forestry Services Providers Protection Act, an Act that fails to provide
the protection it set out to, because of
two major flaws:
• With most liens, new financial
lending to the company or debtor
cannot occur until the lien has been
cleared, but this is not the case with
the FSPP Act. In this case, new
lending to the debtor can continue
so the lien has virtually no impact
on operations of the company who
owes the contractor money;
• The compensation fund of $5 million which was set up to compensate contractors when a licensee
bankruptcy occurs is too small to
offer a real solution and there is no
mechanism to replenish the fund
when it is drawn down.
As a contractor for Pope & Talbot
when the forestry company collapsed in
2007, Reid Hedlund experienced firsthand how the bankruptcy of a major forestry company can impact a logging contractor’s business. Hedlund speaks from
experience about why an improved Forestry Services Providers Protection Act is
crucial, because even he couldn’t believe
a company with such deep roots as Pope
& Talbot could fold. “You’ve never lived
it,” he recounts. “You just can’t believe
it, so folks carry on, but as time goes on
and the process moves forward, the next
thing you know you’re not being paid.
You look around at your family and at
your employees and you realize that the
The heart of the ILA: Wayne Lintott, General Manager; Reid Hedlund, Chairman; and
Nancy Hesketh, Administrator
These two women came all the way from China to be part of the ILA trade show.
158-year-old company you logged for
went broke and I’m in trouble.”
Bankruptcy is a severe issue, so devastating that Hedlund’s company will
likely never fully recover. Seven years
ago there was no protection for contractors but the ILA and its counterparts
throughout BC have been working with
government to improve the Act, and
progress has been made. “At that time,
we fell on the sword for the rest of the
province and anyone who had an Evergreen Contract,” Hedlund points out.
“Under today’s Act we’d still retain our
renewable contracts in the face of a major’s bankruptcy.”
At the time Pope & Talbot went bankrupt $41 million was outstanding to log-
ging contractors, which the ILA believes
illustrates the need for a more realistic
compensation fund in the future, because the current $5 million is simply
just not enough to address the severity
of these devastating situations.
Creating Sustainable Solutions
With that said, these five logging contractors are poised to take on the challenges and opportunities ahead. They
have been diversifying and rightsizing
to ensure they don’t have all their eggs
in one basket, and are embarking on
new business models which offer opportunities to take a little more control of
their destinies. “These days we manage
a forest license and we’re responsible for
It was a lively trade show this year with some great exhibitors! Lots of business got done.
all the engineering, the road building,
the logging, and the marketing of those
logs,” says Jacqui Beban. “It’s given us
an opportunity to align our goals with
those of the licensee.”
Dave Whitwell and his brothers are
hoping to take on these challenges as
the next generation of Clusko builds a
succession plan to secure the future for
their company. This involved relocating
to the Okanagan, downsizing and refocusing. “Diversifying was key for us.”
Their passion for the industry is prevalent when these loggers talk about the
lifestyle it offers to young people who
can earn a good wage without leaving
their homes and communities, but they
also recognize there needs to be more
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change in this area. Len Gudeit recalls,
“When I started it was normal for a
truck driver to work 12-hour days, but
today they work 12 to 14 hour days and
that’s not realistic. From a safety perspective that’s an issue too.”
Logging is still a great business, but
the sector at times has been boom or
bust. Girvan adds, “You work full out for
a couple months then you get laid off so
when we’re talking about improving the
sector, continuity of employment is important. We’re competing for workers
with the oil and gas industry which can
pay workers more, but it often means
commuting to see their families. That’s a
hard life. We need to attract those workers back into the sector.”
Looking to the long-term, all of these
logging contractors identified great opportunities in the sector, despite substantial challenges. They remain determined to look ahead and prepare for
the next downturn, so their sector lasts.
That means rebuilding the coffers of all
the companies in BC’s forest industry—
which includes the logging contractors—who are defining sustainability in
an all new way.
“If our businesses can’t profit,” says
Hedlund, “there is no sustainability.
Logging needs to be sustainable on all
levels.”
Jim Girvan smiles. “Loggers have a
few things going for them. The nice
thing about forests is they all grow back.
Trees are a renewable resource and logging is a green resource.”
In closing, when the panel was asked
where they’d be in the next five years,
one logger hoped to retire, others were
looking to diversify into other resource
sectors and some were downsizing to
be able to operate within their means
with their current employee level. If this
panel is indicative of loggers across BC,
then the real issue facing the logging
sector is plainly more than just rates. It
is whether there will be enough loggers
to deliver wood to the mills as the super
cycle approaches and if this is the case,
the entire industry may be at risk.
The Rate Room
Len Gudeit explains the current logging contractors’
rate situation. “We realized to just get through the recession we’d have to work with the licensees to keep our rates
low,” he admits. “It was certainly not just in our best interest, but it was in the best interest of the industry too.
However, what I find today is that the licensees have determined that this is what the rate has become and we’re
working for it now so it’s hard to overcome that.”
Dennis Cook nods emphatically. “Yes, when I go in
there, it’s the same story,” he says. “They say, ‘you’re the
only one who’s complaining.’ Well I’ve been in this business for 43 years and after all that blood, sweat and tears,
I still have to borrow money to finance a pickup or do
repairs in break up to get through. Something’s wrong
with this picture.”
Dave Whitwell agrees. “We agreed to reduce our rates
by five to 10% which became the market rate or the in-
dustry standard rate. We cut our own throats. It was a matter of survival but now it has become the benchmark.”
Reid Hedlund concurred, and as Chairman of the ILA
represents all the contractors in the region. “The message is
loud and clear. We sacrificed through the downturn and it
made sense at the time to save a lot of jobs. But things have
changed. We’re working on a strategy to help contractors
cost their operations based on performance over the past
three to four years, financial information that’s auditable
by KPMG, to determine an acceptable margin of profit for
contractors.”
Jacqui Beban says the situation on the Coast is similar.
“Rates there aren’t even covering costs let alone giving contractors a means to reinvest in their business and, hopefully,
one day retire. Two more contractors went bankrupt last
month on the Coast.”
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Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural
Resource Operations Steve Thomson’s
Lunch with the Loggers
“It’s really an important part of the
job to be able to come out and attend
the Interior Logging Association’s AGM
to talk to the people who are taking the
risks, making the investments and helping support this really important sector,” said the Honourable Steve Thomson in his opening remarks at the ILA’s
annual conference.
Minister Thomson pointed to the logging sector’s long history in the province
and the provincial government’s role in
ensuring the forest industry continues
to deliver “those important revenues
that will provide revenue for education
and health care and social services to
benefit all British Columbians.”
The minister met with the ILA’s Board
of Directors and acknowledged the forest industry is recovering, but noted
there was still much work to be done together to ensure BC maintains a positive
business climate that keeps the industry
and province strong.
He said he understood a big area of
concern for the ILA is “the challenge we
see across the resource sector to ensure
we have the skilled labour force needed,
and to focus training programs to identify and target the gap in labour.”
The provincial government’s recently
announced BC’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint is intended to meet the longer
term need for skilled tradespeople by
focusing resources on secondary and
post-secondary trades training, but the
minister noted “one of the discussions
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we had this morning was that you also
have short-term needs, and we need to
determine within that new structure
how these immediate needs fit. We have
to figure out how we can provide support for ongoing education and training programs, and we will continue to
work with you on crafting a strategy
that will help address those immediate,
shorter-term needs.”
The minister congratulated the ILA
on its success in working to improve
logging truck safety with its support of
training programs and the association’s
work to gain a full exemption from the
ABS braking system for logging trucks.
The federal government has recognized
the safety issues caused by ABS braking systems malfunctioning and has
exempted the heavy-hauling (low bed)
trucking sector, which is also exempted
in the US.
Contractor rates were also addressed
by the minister in relation to the sustainability of the logging sector. “I also
heard some challenges this morning
around contractor rates and making
sure the contracting sector is a part of
the recovery in the industry. We need
to be able to provide the opportunity to
retool the iron in the industry, to retool
operations, to be able to provide the opportunity to bring youth into the industry. We’re committed to working with
you to achieve this.”
Lastly, the minister discussed the
area based tenure process underway in
British Columbia noting it offered “opportunities to increase timber supply
and improve forest management and
stewardship.” He closed his remarks by
saying, “We need to work collectively
because this industry has a great future.”
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FORESTRY PARTNERSHIPS:
FIRST NATIONS, CONTRACTORS AND TRUST
By Hans Peter Meyer
R
elations between First Nations
communities and the BC coastal forest industry haven’t always been
smooth. For coastal First Nations, the
forest has been a source of great cultural
and economic wealth for thousands
of years. Since contact, that wealth has
been contested by industrial interests—
particularly by a coastal forest industry
increasingly anxious about secure access
to timber supply.
When the provincial government introduced legislation (Bill 28) in 2003,
one of the intentions was to mitigate
this conflict. The Bill redistributed approximately 10 per cent of the allowable
annual cut (AAC) to First Nations communities as a step towards economic
integration and development. First Nations were to be engaged as active and
interested parties in the forest industry.
For years, however, this 10 per cent of
the AAC was deemed to have entered a
“black hole.” Most First Nations’ com-
munities were either not ready to act, or
were skeptical.
From skepticism to cautious
engagement
Lincoln Douglas was an elected Councilor with the Cheam Band at the time. When
government first proposed that the Cheam
should sign a Non-Replaceable Forest Licence (NRFL), he wasn’t in favour. “I didn’t
see any long-term benefit for the community in jobs and contracts.”
Douglas was no stranger to the forest
industry. His father had owned a small
logging operation, and he’d worked in
the industry before starting his business career outside the forest industry.
When government proposed the first
NRFL, Douglas didn’t see the Pilalts,
his community and tribe, having the
necessary capacity or the volume to get
involved in the forest industry. “64,000
cubic metres, spread out over five years
in a non-renewable license? It didn’t
look to me like a way to build stability and economic opportunity for our
community.” Nevertheless, after seeing some neighbouring First Nations
communities, like the Ts’elxweyeqw
(Ch-ihl-kway-uhk), move ahead with
NRFL’s, the Cheam did sign.
“The various bands decided that it was
better to be inside in the industry and
making the plans, rather than throwing
rocks at the logging trucks,” says Matt
Wealick. Wealick is a registered professional forester (RPF) and member of
the Ts’elxweyeqw. He’s also a TLA board
member. In 2005, Wealick was hired to
manage the Ts’elxweyeqw’s collective
forestry enterprise via Ts’elxweyeqw
Tribe Management Ltd. (TTML). This
includes Ts’elxweyeqw Forestry Limited
Partnership and TLA member company Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry Limited
Partnership. TTML also manages licenses for three Pilalt bands.
All Photos: Hans Peter Meyer
First Nations see opportunities in the forest industry, but often don’t have the expertise. TLA members are in a good position to develop partnerships
where both parties succeed. Left to right: Brian Donnelly, processor operator; Lincoln Douglas, partner in SSLP and owner of Link’s Contracting; and
Matt Wealick, TLA board member and Chief Operating Officer for TTML.
A young First Nation’s woman with a strong
desire to run heavy machinery, Kelsey
Pelegrin trained as HEO (heavy equipment
operator) through a First Nation’s training
program in the region.
Seizing opportunities by making
haste, slowly
Collectively holding 10 per cent of the
AAC, First Nations represents a significant opportunity for independent loggers, consultants, and log buyers says
John Iacoviello, Manager of Forestry &
Timber Development with Probyn Log
Ltd., another TLA member. “Our business is the financing and marketing of
timber and logs,” he says. “We’re able to
help smaller entities—like First Nations’
communities—capitalize on opportunities that the NRFLs represent.”
TTML and Cheam are among several First Nations bodies that Probyn
has been working with since 2005.
They’re making haste by moving slowly
and building trust. For example, prior
to negotiating the agreement with the
Ts’elxweyeqw, the company had to
show willingness to give up something
in the short-term: they relinquished
some chart areas in Ts’elxweyeqw traditional territory in exchange for area
elsewhere. “That may have cost us some
money,” Iacoviello says. “But it showed
that we were serious. We were willing to
make a concession even before we had
an agreement. I think that’s made a difference to how our long-term relationship has grown.”
On their side, Wealick says the TTML
see several positives in being involved
in the forest industry. One is having
greater (though not total) control over
traditional territories. Another is financial. As Lincoln Douglas has pointed
out, however, for individual bands, like
Cheam in the Pilalt Tribe, small volumes
and the non-renewable nature of the existing agreements offer limited financial opportunities. To make it work for
Cheam meant “ramming together” five
years of cut into a condensed project
over a few months.
A third positive that both acknowledge is the opportunity to build capacity in the work force and in the business
sector. Having an industry-ready workforce brings wages from the adjacent
forests back into First Nations communities. Building business capacity within
the community encourages longer-term
direct and indirect benefits. It’s one of
the areas where Wealick says Lincoln
Douglas is a leader and a role model.
Kelsey Pelegrin is an example. A young
First Nation’s woman with a strong desire to run heavy machinery, Pelegrin
trained as HEO (heavy equipment operator) through a First Nation’s training
program in the region.
Prior to the Cheam NRFL, Douglas was operating several businesses,
primarily in construction and gravel.
With the TTLM/Probyn partnership
on the horizon, he saw an opportunity
to launch a viable logging operation.
Smámelet Siyá:m (“Mountain Chief ”)
LP (SSLP) was formed as a limited
partnership between Douglas and the
Cheam Band to build roads and harvest
timber in the region. They will be completing the 64,000 m3 Cheam NRFL cut
in the summer of 2014.
Benefits to Cheam, other Pilalt bands,
and the Ts’elxweyeqw include income for
their communities as logs are brought to
market in the near-future. During the
term of work, it means jobs and incomes
for the crew of SSLP, approximately 60
per cent of whom are of First Nations
background and live in the Chilliwack
region. In the longer-term, it’s enabled
Douglas to create a new forest company.
He sees opportunities to grow in the
emerging First Nations forestry sector,
given his knowledge of cultural, political, and operational realities. With a
crew that’s knowledgeable about linelogging, he’s also seeing opportunities—
and competing (successfully)—for work
as demand grows for those services.
Challenges
The initial NRFLs involving the
Ts’elxweyeqw and Cheam are almost
complete. The parties involved say that
things have generally gone smoothly with
the current TTLM/SSLP/Probyn relationship but all acknowledge growing pains.
One of these is fitting Ministry of
Forests’ volume-based tenures with the
First Nations’ area-based perspectives
on forest land. Another is the length of
time it takes to move things forward.
“That’s just a fact of life with working
through these first NRFL’s after Bill 28,”
John Iacoviello thinks being willing to make a concession even before they had an agreement
made a difference to how Probyn’s long-term relationship with TTML has grown.
Photo: Hans Peter Meyer
Having an industry-ready workforce brings wages from the adjacent forests back into First
Nations communities.
says Iacoviello. For example, the TTLM/
Probyn joint venture agreement was
signed in 2005. One of the first orders of
business was hiring Matt Wealick as forester. Building trust to move ahead was
a big focus and that takes time. Bringing
Douglas’ new logging company, Link’s
Contracting, into the mix as an untested
“new kid on the block” has also involved
patience and trust. If the forest industry
hopes to benefit from the 10 per cent of
AAC volume allocated to First Nations
communities, patience, diplomacy, and
transparency will become part of the
logger’s toolkit.
What needs to change?
The news so far is good, but there is
no shortage of suggestions for making
the situation better.
For Douglas the problem of long-term
benefit persists. “There’s not enough
work or contract opportunities on the
operations side from the NRLP to sustain Link’s Contracting and the partnership with Cheam,” he says. This means
he’ll be competing with established forest operations that have deeper wells
of experience and proven track records
with licensees.
For the TTLM and Cheam, Douglas
and Wealick both agree that the organizations need to look at how to strengthen their position in the forest industry.
“In particular, we need to find better
alternatives to these non-renewable licenses,” says Wealick.
First Nations communities have a lot
of issues to deal with and leaders are
spread very thin. “They’re swamped,”
says Wealick, citing this as an opportunity for TLA members, like Probyn and
TTML. “They see opportunities in the
forest industry, but don’t have the expertise. We’re in a good position to help
First Nations’ forest companies get their
feet wet—successfully.”
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(Continued from page 18)
testing has shown a more limited extent of laingi than is being used in the
recovery strategy process. This could
mean setting aside land unnecessarily
that impacts jobs but does not focus on
areas where the bird truly exists. While
the genetics has been factored into the
status, it was not used in bounding the
species and is worth revisiting.
How SARA Works: Helping It Improve
While SARA is doing good work, it
could use some help. Looking back again
at the old FRAM ad, if we were to just
change our oil filter without doing any
other car maintenance, would we meet
the owner’s expectations? Oil filters are
critical but so are brakes, tire pressure
and maintaining your transmission. We
need to look after the whole car as we do
with our forest ecosystems. It is important to remember that when a species is
listed at risk all types of ownership can
be impacted, from private land to woodlots and on up the tenure scale. In the
case of SARA, it is key that the government biologists, the professionals working with forest companies and the public
work together to find effective solutions
to maintain our rich biological heritage
as well as our social and economic wellbeing to promote both into the future.
For the sake of our future, SARA needs
to evolve and learn from success and its
challenges.
In the short-term, remember it is best
to follow the ad and avoid problems.
But if for whatever reason that has not
worked and a species has become listed,
it is important to focus on what can be
done NOW moving forward. So please
become an advocate for cooperative
management and provide your input on
the recovery strategies as they are posted at http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/sar/
recovery/recovery_e.cfm.
Log Purchasing and Sales
CLAYTON NEUWIRTH
8392 South Island Hwy. • Fanny Bay, BC • V0R 1W0
Phone: (250) 335-2969 • Cell: (250) 898-7036 • Fax: (250) 335-1425
Email: deepvalley@live.ca
1
Steps to create a Status Report:
http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/htmldocuments/
Instructions_e.htm
2
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/sar/recovery/
recovery2_e.cfm
Bryce Bancroft RPBio, Symmetree Consulting
Group Ltd. Bryce is presently working with
the CFPA on effective SARA implementation.
Tel: (250) 652-6509
Email: BryceB@symmetree.ca
ZERO HOUR IS NOW :
BC Coastal Forest Industry’s Labour Strategy
By Robin Brunet
Could a new report herald an end to the labour crunch?
T
he stories of logging firms approaching First Nations to replenish their ranks, or visiting high
schools to promote forestry careers, are
nothing new. Indeed, they’ve become familiar even to the general public.
Hardly a week goes by without hearing about the latest training program
aimed at correcting the impending labour shortage. Even more frequent are
calls for ways to make logging more attractive to newcomers.
West, notes that “prior to the preparation of this material, there were information gaps surrounding the attributes
of the sector and the skills required.
When the figures started coming in, we
felt compelled to address the existing
and anticipated labour market needs at
a sectoral level as well as within each of
our companies.”
Released on June 11 of this year, the
30-page document kicks off with a breakdown of coastal activity. Manufacturers
Demand for workers is projected highest for logging
machinery operators, logging truck drivers, hand
fallers and logging workers.
Why, then, despite all this high-profile effort, does it still feel like the industry is spinning its wheels—at least
on the coast?
It’s partly because the efforts were fractured, and partly because the numbers
needed to fill the ranks are staggering—
as illustrated by an analysis of labour
requirements outlined in the British Columbia Coastal Forest Industry Human
Resource Strategy, a report prepared for
the British Columbia Coastal Forest Industry Labour Workforce Initiative.
Jan Marston, Vice President, Human
Resources and Corporate for Timber-
of primary and secondary wood products accounted for the largest share of
industry workers (49 per cent) in 2012,
followed by paper manufacturers (23
per cent), forestry and logging (16 per
cent) and support activities for forestry
(12 per cent). About 830 logging truck
drivers and 1,500 logging road builders
were also working in the coastal forest
region in 2012, and non-wage spending
by companies is estimated to generate
an additional 23 per cent of indirect employment in rural communities.
The report then relies on survey research to predict over 4,650 coastal for-
Photo: Brenda Martin
Brian Gosbjorn, a young log truck driver working for Goat Lake Forest Products, loves working
in the forest industry.
estry and logging job openings on the
2022 horizon, including 3,570 in ten
priority occupations (those identified as
either experiencing skill shortages now
or expected in the near term).
Demand for workers is projected
highest for logging machinery operators, logging truck drivers, hand fallers
and logging workers. The vast majority (95 per cent) of job openings on the
coast are attributed to pending retirements and other attrition; current vacancy rates in priority logging occupations range from 6.9 per cent for logging
machinery operators to 17.2 per cent for
hand fallers.
Noteworthy is the fact that these rates
are significantly higher than provincial industry averages, which range between two
and four per cent for the private sector.
The report goes on to discuss the various hurdles in replenishing the coastal
labour force, i.e.: small independent
businesses that can’t afford the time or
cost of developing skilled workers; declining enrolments in education programs related to harvesting and engineering; and the increasingly complex
skill requirements of forest workers.
Marston, who prior to joining TimberWest was a consultant in the energy
sector, says the workforce shortages
facing the coastal industry are hardly
unique. “The mining, construction and
oil and gas sectors are all facing similar
shortages. However, these sectors are
ahead of us in developing comprehensive strategies to address the problem.”
Solutions being pursued by petroleum
leaders include selective foreign worker
recruitment and even recruitment of
people who are finishing terms in minimum-security prisons (the theory being
that they are eager to re-enter the working world and build a decent resume).
As for aboriginal partnerships, in-depth
strategies have been developed that include hiring in groups and retaining
on-site elders and mentors in order to
further the chances of retention.
The petroleum industry is also actively seeking students with high teachability indexes, because the willingness
to learn is crucial in developing a mean-
ingful workforce as opposed to just putting people on site. This particular initiative is of special interest to Marston.
“In a similar vein, companies like Western Forest Products (WFP) test for competency in their pilot training program.
Overall, testing for skills is absolutely
essential in replenishing our ranks.”
Recommendations in the report address everything from entry-level workers to professional foresters and technologists. For example, because hand fallers
must be certified under WorkSafeBC
regulations, one recommendation is that
the BCFSC’s New Hand Faller Training
Program be expanded and improved.
This HR strategy represents the very first time
industry leaders on the coast have collaborated to
quantify their problems and suggest solutions.
The report also recommends that the
ITA’s heavy equipment operator program be expanded to formally include
logging machinery (e.g., skidder, processor, loader and feller buncher).
Other recommendations:
• Seek recognition for the “Professional Log Truck Operator Standard” and establish a forestry endorsement training program.
• Develop an industry-wide recruitment strategy for heavy-duty me-
Photo: Hans Peter Meyer
Marston is referring to WFP’s Logging Fundamentals, which is supported
by WorkSafeBC and the United Steel
Workers Union. “WFP enjoyed a 100
per cent graduate success rate because
they screened for competencies,” she
says. “Unfortunately, even with this success, it’s just a small drop in the bucket
in terms of closing the labour gap.”
Still, Marston is hopeful that the gap
will be closed, and she views the Human
Resource Strategy report as a landmark
step in achieving that goal: “It represents
the very first time industry leaders on
the coast have collaborated to quantify
their problems and suggest solutions.”
The report’s author, Patrick McDonough, agrees. “This is the first time
the big four licensees and larger contractors are actively exploring the idea
of putting money on the table in a cohesive and united way. Industry is finally
realizing it can’t rely exclusively on government to fix its problems and is taking ownership of the challenges that lie
directly ahead.”
As part of the TLA-led Coastal Forest
Industry Workforce Initiative (CFIWI),
the report presents a series of long-term
strategic goals. They include promoting
the forest industry as safe and sustainable, as well as creating new skills, training, education and placement programs
that are innovative, flexibly delivered,
appropriately funded and timed, and
can be readily accessed by forest industry employers and new entrants.
The report outlines principles that will
guide the development and implementation of the strategy, including the recognition that industry must demonstrate
and sustain tangible commitments to
training and development; a true partnership approach with First Nations;
and a commitment to making initiatives
adaptable to changing market needs.
chanics focusing on local candidates inclined to remain within
their forest community.
• Raise awareness and increase training opportunities for scalers/cruisers and waste assessors.
Perhaps most importantly, the report
stresses that these initiatives must be
governed by a tangible, recognizable
united front. “For the longest time the
mantra in industry circles has been ‘industry led’, yet this has never truly come
to pass,” says McDonough. “The fact that
private companies have come together to
issue this report is the best evidence yet
that they will pool their resources and
form a cohesive body—which in turn
will facilitate government interaction.”
The report was recently submitted to
the provincial government for review;
the next step for the Coastal Forest Industry Labour Market Partnership Project Steering Group is to prioritize its
recommendations and apply for enough
government funding to begin acting
upon them. “I’m optimistic that this
Jack Thorne, a young feller buncher, processor and hoe chucker operator with Copcan Contracting
Ltd., is the way of the future.
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time there will be opportunities for private funding,” says Marston.
McDonough believes the coastal industry is in a slightly better position
than other regions to address its labour
shortages effectively. “We have all the inclement weather conditions and hazards
that are found in the Interior, but by and
large there’s not the sense of isolation
working on the coast that you find in the
oil sands, for example,” he says. “Advantages like this must be marketed for all
they’re worth.”
And they must be marketed quickly.
“We’ve quantified the critical skill shortages with the report but we have to keep
the momentum going,” says Marston. “If
all goes well, by the end of this year we’ll
have an application for government
funding and clarity on industry funding
needed to address and sustain the workforce challenges over the forecast period. That will be the time for industry to
consider how best to match the funding
and get to work.”
To which McDonough says by way of
conclusion: “Industry can speak with
one voice yet deliver different messages in order to equally represent its
diverse members. One thing is certain:
workforce planning and development
requires coordination, and fragmentation has impeded our ability to promote
forestry as a viable career, broaden relationships with First Nations, and communicate with the public and government. If 2014 is the year we finally come
together as an industry, then it’ll truly
be cause for celebration amongst the
forest communities.”
must address and correct any safety system failures with the prime contractor.
The owner should be formally inspecting their worksite to ensure that the
prime contractor system is functioning
as it should.
Summary
The prime contractor system works
the best when the owner retains prime
contractor duties. If prime contractor
duties are to be assigned, the system is
most effective when the owner:
• Clearly educates the prime contractor on his or her responsibilities.
• Provides a checklist to the prime
contractor outlining those responsibilities.
• Provides regular oversight of the
prime contractor.
• Ensures the safety management system is documented.
• Applies the test of due diligence.
There is a lot to coordinate on a forestry worksite, but being clear on safety
obligations is critical. If you would like
more information or have questions
pertaining to your prime contractor assignments or agreements, WorkSafeBC
officers are here to help. Please feel free
to contact your local Prevention Officer
or the WorkSafeBC Prevention Information Line toll-free at 1.888.621.7233.
More information can also be found in
the Occupational Health & Safety Regulation as well as the Prime Contractor
Guidelines.
Bjarne Nielsen, Senior Regional Officer,
WorkSafeBC.
Email: bjarne.nielsen@worksafe.bc
1)Protect the working forest and stop
reducing the AAC.
2)Ensure all of the AAC is harvested
each year. Or, if that isn’t possible,
carry over the undercut and add to
the AAC in the following year.
Gary Tattrie, BScF, Owner/Principal
G.W.Tree, Inc.
Email: gary.tattrie@shaw.ca
To read the full summary of
“Re-manufacturers – Supply Chain Project
Report,” visit the CFPA website.
http://www.coastforest.org/industry-info/
re-manufacturers-supply-chain-study/
STEEP SLOPE LOGGING:
THE COSTS, CHALLENGES AND TECHNOLOGY
By Ian McNeill
W
hen it comes to harvesting
trees in the BC Interior, steepslope logging is just part of the territory.
Debates about how to do it are coming
increasingly to the forefront as the lowhanging fruit gets plucked and contractors find themselves harvesting trees on
increasingly challenging cut blocks.
“It’s definitely been a hot topic in the
last couple of years,” says Brian Boswell
of FPInnovations, the industry/government-sponsored forest industry research group that is working on a variety
of steep slope projects. “Everybody recognizes that in terms of supporting the
mid-term timber supply, and considering the impact of the whole mountain
pine beetle, we’re going to be logging
more, not less, on steep slopes,” he says.
“While FPInnovations has always done
steep slope related projects, with recent
heightened interest in this area, we are
introducing a new multi-year initiative within our Harvest Operations Research Program to address steep-slope
related issues. The initiative’s goals are
to increase the economically available
timber supply and margins on steep terrain with focus on technology and innovation for maximum worker safety and
minimal environmental impact.”
Photos: FPInnovations
The challenge of course is doing it
not only profitably, but safely. According to Reynold Hert, CEO of the BC
Forest Safety Council (BCFSC), while
there is no direct data for operating
on steep slopes versus flat ground, the
available data does allow you to draw
certain conclusions. If you compare
cable high lead (steep-slope) logging
to skidding—which by regulation can
only take place on slopes of less than
35 degrees, you get injury rates of 9.1
and 4.9 respectively in 2012 per 100
people per year who required medical
treatment by a doctor or nurse. It includes all minor and serious injuries as
well as fatalities. “You can also compare
manual tree falling, which takes place
on mostly steep ground or involving
lution is to develop mechanical harvesting tools that work on steeper slopes and
that’s exactly what is happening. In fact
there is a kind of arm’s race going between equipment manufacturers working to develop, or in some cases modify
existing, equipment to do the job. And
while some imaginative solutions have
emerged, it’s a story with more questions than answers and nobody has
found the magic-bullet yet, says George
Lambert of Campbell River-based TMAR Industries, which specializes in
steep-slope equipment such as the LogChamp swing yarder.
“Getting a guy into a cab is obviously
safer than having him stand under a
tree with a hard hat, but it’s also hard on
equipment,” says Lambert. “We need to
Getting a guy into a cab is obviously safer than having
him stand under a tree with a hard hat, but it’s also
hard on equipment.
large trees, to mechanical falling (flatter ground, smaller trees) with 2012
injury rates of 28 and 2.4 respectively.”
You can infer from this that getting
the fallers off the steep slopes would lead
to a safer working environment. One so-
address that reality and develop systems
that make it affordable.”
What that best system or systems will
look like is the million-dollar question.
Some are experimenting with tethered
machinery, either machine-based, or
running down from an anchor at the
top—bulldozers are an option—which
makes a lot of sense, “provided you
can get a bulldozer up there in the first
place,” says Lambert.
Robotics is another avenue, and a very
realistic one given the current technology. A robotic harvesting machine with
no operator on board working on slopes
in excess of 40 per cent would go a long
way toward solving the riddle, but such
means do not exist, yet. Also getting a
look are robotic saws that fallers could
set up at the base of trees and then operate remotely. “But there are so many
questions,” says Lambert. “Would it
work, would it work reliably, and what
would happen if it jammed? You’d find
yourself with a larger situation/problem
than the one you were trying to avoid.”
Manufacturers in BC aren’t the only
ones working on a solution. Developers in New Zealand have come up with
something called the ClimbMAX, a
winch-assisted feller/buncher that can
operate on slopes up to 45 degrees (100
per cent), which is being billed as “a
turnkey solution to steep-slope logging.” One is currently being tested here
in BC by Tolko.
According to forestry journalist
John Ellegard, the machine is as much
a thrill ride as a working machine; instead of a lap belt, the operator straps
into a four-point harness! In terms of
design innovation, the machine has a
winch and cable. Interestingly, the purpose of the cable is not to hold the machine at all times, but to serve more as
a traction aid. “Mostly, there is little, if
any, weight exerted on the cable when
it’s working,” he writes. “In fact, measurements taken by Associate Professor
Rien Visser of the University of Canterbury proved that it only ever spiked to
the upper limit once during prolonged
testing on ClimbMAX 1. During our
test, the rope was slack for much of the
time and little more than three or four
tons was exerted when it did require
traction assistance.”
As for how steep a slope the ClimbMAX could safely operate on, Ellegard
says that in theory it could manage up
to 50 degrees (about 120 per cent), but
the manufacturer is recommending a 45
degree (100 per cent) limit. As anybody
in the business knows, these limits exceed the regulatory ones we have here
in BC, which are 35 per cent for rubbertired equipment, 40 per cent for tracked
equipment, and 50 per cent for “recognized specifically designed forestry
equipment”—begging the question as
to how machines like ClimbMAX can
even operate here. The answer, says
WorkSafeBC, is that “the ClimbMAX
was designed, fabricated and tested in
New Zealand prior to it coming to BC
and the manufacturer has specifically
engineered and designed this equipment with a known maximum slope
operating stability limit. Therefore, if
the ClimbMAX is operated within its
known maximum slope operating stability limit, then such operation is in
compliance with OHSR section 26.16.
The manufacturer and the companies
involved went through a rigorous process to ensure the ClimbMAX met occupational health and safety require-
ments prior to operating in BC.”
However, in addition to the new technology still being in the developmental
stage, not every contractor can afford to
pull out their check book and invest in
expensive new machinery.
“The new technology is going to
have to prove itself before we’re going
to implement it,” says Reid Hedlund, a
contractor and chairman of the Interior
The regulations need to catch up to the technology
and techniques we have developed to do the job
safely and affordably.
JACQUI BEBAN VP Logging
C 250.951.1410
T 778.441.1190
F 778.441.1191
E jacqui@beban.bc.ca
#204 – 321 Wallace Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 5B6
“These regulations are written in blood,”
he says. “Everyone who operated in the
Productive, injury-free steep slope mechanical harvesting operations repast did so expecting that nothing bad
quire an integrated approach that draws on the skills of all forestry team
would happen, but bad things did hapmembers. BC Forest Safety Council has put together a Steep Slope Repen, and it was those things that led to
source Package to help contractors develop their plans. You can find out
the formulation of these regulations.”
more here: www.bcforestsafe.org/steep_slope.html.
In addition, he says, the regulations
were developed by an industry working
lations is having an especially severe
team that included contractors. They
Logging Association, adding that until
impact in the Interior, he adds. “Conwere necessary in order to allow Workthat day comes he and his colleagues in
tractors are getting squeezed,” he says
SafeBC to get comfortable with operathe woods already have a way of doing
because licensees won’t pay rates that
tions on steep slopes. The problem of
the job with the equipment they already
take into account the contractor’s indifferent field officers offering varying
have. The problem, he says, is the regucreased costs. “There are no blocks of
interpretations of the regulations is also
lations requiring operators to develop
any great size left that are not going
being addressed. “WorkSafeBC recently
“site-specific” plans for operations on
to be impacted by the added and ofcompleted a number of sessions training
slopes between 40-50 per cent grade.
ten unnecessary task of implementing
officers on how to be more consistent in
Developing these plans takes time and
steep-slope regulations on micro areas
terms of application,” he says.
money many contractors can ill afford.
where they are required.” Further conObviously steep slope harvesting
He adds that the regulations we have
fusion and frustrations result from the
is a work in progress on a number of
today were designed for equipment that
fronts, the world of steep slope logging
uneven application of the rules that are
was designed in the 1970s. “Today’s
is clearly undergoing rapid changes. The
in place. “They all have the same rule
modern feller/bunchers are leaps and
challenge will be to keep the regulators,
book, but different field officers have
bounds ahead on the stability side,” he
the manufacturers and the contractors
different standards.”
says. “The regulations need to catch up
working together to ensure the benefits
Reynold Hert of the BCFSC says he
to the technology and techniques we
of those changes can best be realized
understands theCIBC
concerns
of
contrachave developed to do the job safely and
Wood Gundy 3/17/08 1:27 PM Page 1
and that ultimately the worker is safe.
tors, but the regulations calling for siteaffordably. So, why are we spending so
specific plans represent a fair and necmuch money enforcing regulations that
essary compromise between economic
are behind the times?”
The impact of adhering to the regunecessity and the need to promote safety.
BC Forest Safety Council: Steep Slope Resource Package
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in conservative
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Who, What, Where: Forestry Education in BC
By Sandra Bishop
T
he overriding challenge facing the
BC forest industry is replacing an
aging workforce in a sector that relies
heavily on skilled tradespeople to maintain and service equipment in forestry,
logging and manufacturing operations
and forest management professionals to
ensure our forests remain a sustainable
and thriving resource. These workers are
in high demand not only in forestry but
in mining, oil and gas, and across the resource sector.
COLLEGES & TRAINING
INSTITUTIONS
1.BCIT Sustainable Resource
Management Diploma
The Sustainable Resource Management program at BCIT is a fully-integrated two-year diploma program
with a focus on forestry, arboriculture and natural resource management supporting the growth of sustainable communities. Graduates
can choose to work in the rural or
Photo: Dwight Yochim
North Island College’s spring scaling program trained people new to the industry and people
coming back to forestry after time away.
According to a TLA study completed
last year, BC Coastal Forestry Industry
Labour Market Partnership Project: Labour Market & Training Needs Analysis,
close to 12,000 job openings are projected in the forest industry through 2022,
with about 60 per cent of these openings
in the Interior and 40 per cent on the
Coast. Sixty per cent of these jobs will
be in the harvesting sector.
An increased focus on forestry education and training is the solution, providing a great opportunity for people
living in BC’s rural communities to find
steady, good paying jobs without having
to leave home.
Here is a comprehensive listing of forestry education and training programs
currently underway in British Columbia.
urban environment in a variety of
positions. The program contains
the curriculum for graduates to be
eligible to receive Registered Forest
Technologist (RFT) status in British
Columbia along with the potential
pathways for other levels of certification and education.
www.bcit.ca/
studyprograms/7270diplt
2.College of New Caledonia
The College of New Caledonia’s
Natural Resources and Environmental Technology program serves
the broad natural resource sector
with its two-year diploma focusing on forest studies. The program
provides the curricular requirements for graduates to register as
Forest Technologists (RFT) or as
Registered Biology Technologists
(RBTec). Its satellite campuses offer a variety of training programs in
the Trades from Heavy Equipment
Operator Certification to Road
Building and Forest Industry Safety
Training.
www.cnc.bc.ca
3.College of the Rockies
College of the Rockies offers Forestry
Skills training in 15-21 day sessions
which can be customized to the
needs of industry. The College offers
this training to clients throughout
BC sending its mobile unit with safety gear and forestry training equipment for onsite delivery.
• Reforestation Skills
• Forestry Skills Boot Camp
For more information, please contact Tracey Whiting, ph. 250-4898235 or email whiting@cotr.bc.ca.
4. Nicola Valley Institute of
Technology
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology offers an Environmental Resources Technology program as
both a one-year certificate and a
two-year diploma. Graduates are
well rounded in natural resource
sectors including forestry, fishery
enhancement, environmental assessment, mining and grassland
ecology. This generalist approach
gives students various career paths
they can travel within the natural
resources sector. Forestry focused
courses include Silvics and Dendrology, Silviculture, Timber Development and Forest Ecology.
www.nvit.ca/programs/environmentalresourcestechnology.htm
5.North Island College
North Island College offers three
programs that relate directly to forestry in BC:
• A Coastal Log Scaling Certificate
program to help people learn the
skills needed for the Coastal Log
Scaling exam and gain hands-on
experience in the field with training
on the log sort.
• A Heavy Duty Mechanics program
structured to the guidelines laid out
by the ITA, providing the pathway
to the BC Trades Qualification and
Red Seal designation.
• A new Coastal Forest Resources
Certificate program that emphasizes the development of a wide array of essential skills necessary to
enter the world of forestry, which
includes an applied mentorship
with a local employer to complete
the program.
• A unique Wildfire Training Program
encompassing certifications required to be a member of a fire team
in both BC and Alberta. Training is
delivered in partnership with Strategic Natural Resource Consultants.
www.nic.bc.ca
6.Northwest Community College
The College’s 12-day program includes two courses: Introduction
to Silviculture Surveying & Introduction to Timber Cruising. These
courses provide students with basic field skills and knowledge to be
employed as a Silviculture Surveyor
and Timber Cruiser.
www.nwcc.bc.ca/programs?page=3
7.Selkirk College
Selkirk’s two-year nationally accredited Forest Technology diploma
program bridges the environment
with people to ensure the balanced
use of forested landscapes, anticipating increased job opportunities
to augment a rapidly retiring workforce. It trains forestry professionals
to use an ecologically-responsible
approach in maintaining the integrity of the whole forest in the shortand long-term.
www.selkirk.ca/program/forest technology
UNIVERSITIES
1.Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University’s
Community U Department has
many forestry courses for both the
public and contract offerings. Its
Williams Lake campus offers a variety of courses that are designed for
the job seeker or for general interest purposes.
www.tru.ca/williamslake/cs/
forestry.html
2.University of British Columbia
Faculty of Forestry
The Faculty of Forestry at UBC
offers a range of programs related
to managing diverse ecosystems
and landscapes, and the products
and services that they generate.
Its programs are intended to meet
the growing demand for experts in
conservation, forest sciences, forest
management and wood sciences.
While UBC has a strong focus on
forests, its expertise extends well beyond forested landscapes to include
the management of many other
ecosystems—not only natural and
artificial ecosystems, but also many
different aspects of sustainability,
particularly as they related to the
products derived from forests.
www.forestry.ubc.ca
• Two-Year Forest Resources Technology Diploma:
Courses cover the full spectrum of
forestland values and provide students with the knowledge and skill
set required for a range of career
options in forestry. Much of the
coursework is hands-on and conducted in the VIU Forest, located
10 minutes from campus.
• Post Diploma Bridging Year to University Degrees:
Graduates of the technology program wishing to obtain a Bachelor
of Science in Forestry (BSF) degree
from UBC can take this one-year
bridging program providing direct
entry into third year forestry at
UBC.
• Upgrading Program for Diploma
Program Entry:
This option provides students with
the prerequisites for the diploma
program and includes some selected forestry courses.
www2.viu.ca/forestry/
3.University of Northern
British Columbia
The University of Northern BC’s
Forest Ecology
and Management degree
provides students with a
thorough understanding
of the science,
p h i l o s o p h y,
The S100A is an annual recurrence
and practice
of managing
training program required by
forested ecoWorksafeBC for workers whose
systems.
www.unbc.ca/
jobs may expose them to a wilddre.
forestry
Wildland Fireeghting
Annual Refresher Training
4.Vancouver Island University
Forestry
The Forestry
Department
at VIU offers
a range of programs to fit
every student’s
needs.
Completed online in under 2 hours,
at any time, from the convenience
of your own computer.
www.snrc.ca/s100a
INDUSTRY SUPPORTED
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1.BC Forest Safety Council
• New Faller Training
This 30-day program involves classroom training, interactive exercises,
reviews and evaluations, and closely
supervised field training then completion of up to 180 days of on-thejob training before applying for certification.
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/training/faller_certification/training.
html
• Basic Chainsaw Training
This two-day basic chainsaw operator training aims to meet the minimum requirements of chainsaw
operation under the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational
Health & Safety Regulation. It does
not qualify anyone to fall trees.
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/basic_
chainsaw
• Resource Road Operator
Training Offered in partnership with the
Western Silvicultural Contractors’
Association and aimed at new and
experienced forestry drivers, training covers the safe operation of light
trucks on public roads and more
specifically on resource roads in
British Columbia.
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/
node/2419
2.FIRST Logger
FIRST Logger is designed to assist
the forest harvesting industry fill
the large worker shortage, providing
training for driving a logging or chip
truck or operating heavy machinery, and assistance with job placement. Each course is three weeks
long, providing 100-150 hours of
training on machines and ticket certification. This program is based in
Prince George and takes place in the
Cariboo-Central Interior as well as
the north and northwestern regions
of British Columbia.
www.firstlogger.org
3.Garrett Log Service
Garrett Log Service offers log scaling
training throughout the province:
• Two-day course: Introduction to
BC scaling practices.
• Five-month training for BC Metric
log scaling license exam.
• Scribner Training—customized to
company needs.
www.garrettlog.com/index.html
4.Logging Fundamentals
Training Program
Western Forest Products is investing
in training to ensure the sustainable
growth of its business on the Coast
with its Logging Fundamentals
Training Program. The seven-week
comprehensive program teaches
students the fundamentals of logging, providing practical training
to work safely, productively and
sustainably in a harvesting environment. Training modules are based
on the WorkSafeBC handbooks and
form the foundation for theory and
practical learning. Students learn to
identify and assess hazards, communicate and move safely as they
set chokers on logs, rig stumps,
buck logs and work safely around
equipment. Program graduates be-
come strong candidates for employment in the logging industry.
www.westernforest.com/businessvalue/our-people-employment/
training-at-wfp/
5.Oceanside Industrial Skills
Oceanside Industrial Skills offers
Commercial Truck Driver Training and Heavy Equipment Operator
courses on Vancouver Island.
www.oceansideindustrial.ca
6.Wallis Environmental
Consultants Silviculture Training
John Wallis, RPF, provides specialized training in the delivery of
Silviculture Survey Training and
the Provincial Silviculture Survey
Accreditation. Courses and accreditation exams are offered on
a regular, on-going basis at the
Sorrento Training Facility, as well as
at remote locations throughout the
province upon request.
www.wallis-training.ca
Getting Them Early: Teaching
Forestry Skills in High School
The goal of the Alberni District
Secondary School (ADSS) and
Carihi Secondary school’s forestry
programs is to ensure the next generation of forestry workers is being
trained in the communities where
they will be needed.
To help ensure their survival
through a tough time for local
school districts financially, the TLA’s
Forestry Education Fund, generously founded and supported by TLA
members, has invested over $55,000
in the ADSS forestry program and
$15,000 in the newer Carihi program based in Campbell River. Donations have helped keep the forestry program running at ADSS and
helped create the program at Carihi.
Both programs make the learning
experience less classroom-based
and more hands-on, project-based
for lucky high school students.
Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy
Aboriginal Skills and Employment
Training Strategy (ASETS) is a program funded by Service Canada, designed to help Aboriginal people prepare for and find high-demand jobs
that will help address Canada’s labour
market challenges. This is good news
for the forest industry since we’re facing serious recruitment issues right
now and the TLA has a labour analysis
documenting the need on the coast.
Two services provided by ASET are
particularly relevant for forestry:
· Skills training: Training aimed
at potential employees who fit the
criteria for the training funding
and would broaden the Aboriginal work base.
· Wage subsidies: Pending budget availability ASET have the
ability to subsidize a portion of
an employee’s wages to provide
work experience that leads to
full time employment.
The Chilliwack-area ASET, Sto:lo
Aboriginal Skills & Employment
Training, recently ran three community based Forestry Certificate programs
in Sts’ailes, Cheam and Sto:lo Nation.
Each group had an intake of 15 participants who received certification in
First Aid Level 1, Transportation Endorsement, Chain Saw Certification,
Bear Aware, WHIMIS, Dangerous
Tree Assessment and S100. This training transfers readily into a number of
resource development projects but received a great response from the forest
industry in the Chilliwack area.
First Nations are still a largely untapped resource in BC’s forest industry. But they shouldn’t be. With a
young demographic and many people
wanting to stay in the rural communities they grew up in, First Nations
communities can play a big role in
meeting the forest industry’s labour
needs.
Get in Contact
To get in touch with the ASET program in your area, contact Brenda
Martin at brenda@tla.ca and she will
send you contact details for the ASET
nearest you.
Stump to dump
logging specialists
based on
Vancouver Island.
ALPINE
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PO BOX 634
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OFFICE: (250) 287-2220
FAX: (250) 287-2273
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At Your Service
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Office: 604-530-5758
Fax: 604-530-3554
Toll Free: 888-530-5444
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TEL: 250-969-4222
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At Your Service
Jardine Lloyd Thompson
Canada Inc.
As the primary equipment and liability insurance
provider to the TLA, JLT are the ones to call
for all your business and commercial
insurance questions and inquiries
Peter Pringle
Steve Hicks
Direct 250 413 2712
Direct 250 413 2723
www.jltcanada.com
KEEP YOUR COMPANY NAME
FRONT AND CENTRE IN TRUCK LOGGERBC
Call today to reserve
your space in the
Fall 2014
issue of TRUCK LOGGERBC
Issue close date: Aug 30th
Ad material deadline: Sep 6th
Fine Weather
Woman
ADVERTISING IN PRINT
200 - 896 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2P6
Tel: 604-681-1811
Fax: 604-681-0456
Email: info@advertisinginprint.com
Canadian west coast industrial art is captured here in a refreshing way, painted in a
unique driftwood style, by Kevin Finley. Original and limited edition prints like these
below are available for home and oﬃce. Open/custom edition prints and images
available for special occasions and special people.
Switchback - 24” x 12”
Check out our virtual gallery: newworldarts.ca
Sidewinder Sunset - 36” x 18”
A Story of British Columbia
A novel by A.B. Robinson, RPF (ret), about the
Queen Charlotte Islands as they were, and a logger
who becomes intimately linked to the Haida Indians.
It is also about the forest industry, forest policy,
foresters, and the Forest Service. Available only in
e-book format. Go to Kindle e-books and
search for the title. Price – about $5.00
For Inquiries, Contact us in Victoria, BC Canada
Tel: 250-208-8617 Email: info@newworldarts.ca
Photo: Courtesy of the CILA
MaryAnne Arcand
1955 - 2014
M
aryAnne Arcand died before
her time and left BC’s forest
industry bereft of one of its most determined advocates.
She was born in New Westminster
and lived in the Lower Mainland until
she moved to the Caribou in 1987 with
her husband and four children. But it
was in the Caribou and later Prince
George where MaryAnne found her
calling—advocating for BC’s Interior
logging industry.
From 2005-2009, MaryAnne worked
for the BC Forest Safety Council. Her
work was instrumental in the development of recommendations aimed at
reducing injury and death on resource
roads. During that time we saw the implementation of radio protocols, hours
of service, identification plates on trucks
for faster recognition of company vehicles, implementation of mile markers on
resource roads and improved resource
road construction safety.
In 2009, MaryAnne became one of the
first women in BC to lead a resourcebased industry association. As Executive Director of the Central Interior
Logging Association, she brought the
central Interior log harvesting industry together under one banner and led
Photo: Brian Dennehy Photography
MaryAnne Arcand waits to ask a question and advocate for her members at the 70th Annual Truck
Loggers Convention & Trade Show in Victoria.
initiatives to improve truck safety in the
logging industry. As a representative
of the CILA, MaryAnne sat on many
boards and committees always steadfast
in doing what was best for her members.
Her moniker as a bulldozer was reinforced in those meetings. If you were on
her side she was your biggest advocate,
if you weren’t—look out. Bulldozing
aside though, MaryAnne brought people together. Whoever was there when
she showed up became part of her team.
A committed Rotarian, MaryAnne
put in years of effort towards the Rotary
Youth Leadership Awards program and
each summer hosted a group of young
adults at Ness Lake for leadership training. Last year, she was president of the
Rotary Club of Prince George Downtown. Her extensive community service
earned her numerous local and provincial honours, most recently as Businessperson of the Year in 2012 from the
Prince George Chamber of Commerce.
Despite her business exterior, MaryAnne was devoted to her family and
an avid guitar player and singer. Hours
were spent around the campfire singing
song after song well into the wee hours.
Not only will her voice no longer ring
out in the forest industry, but the family
campfires will be a lot quieter as well.
MaryAnne is survived by her husband
George Arcand, parents Bill and Ditty
DeWitt, and children Harald Bartel,
Willy Bartel, Tina Neufeld and Melanie Lockington, their spouses and ten
grandchildren.
On behalf of BC’s forestry community, our condolences to MaryAnne’s
family, friends and colleagues. She was a
force to be reckoned with and made significant contributions to forestry both
in Prince George and provincially. She
will be greatly missed.
Mobile Refuelling
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make you more competitive, and that’s where your Petro-Canada
team can help.
Petro-Canada’s Mobile Refuelling service delivers diesel fuel direct to
your vehicles, generators, construction equipment or marine vessels
when it’s convenient for you. Wherever your equipment is parked.
Now you don’t have to handle, refill or track fuel storage on site.
Your drivers and operators don’t have to wait for refuelling to start their
days. From forklifts to fleets, when your team arrives at work, they’re
ready to go.
Our system tracks and records the amount of fuel for each vehicle
or piece of equipment via an on-board computer, so record-keeping is
simple and easy. Our program also provides fully itemized statements
and 24-hour online access to your account. Our equipment operating
data and easy-to-read reports help you make vital fuel management
decisions that impact your bottom line. Reports are available to you
to help you keep on track and on budget.
Need more than just fuel?
We can also deliver the lubricants you need to help
keep your operation running efficiently. In fact, we
are the only national service provider that offers
mobile refuelling, and produces and distributes a full
line of bulk and packaged lubricants and greases.
We’re there, with what you need, when and where
you need it.
Find out how Mobile Refuelling can deliver what you need,
when and where you need it.
Go to www.petro-canada.ca and click on Products and Services.
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Slope Logging - Truck Loggers Association

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