The Millar Western Experience – Prologue

June 18, 2018 12:57 pm Published by Laurel Nikiforuk 1 Comment

Hello all and welcome to my summer! I would like to start off by thanking FPAC for the opportunity to share my experiences with you all and (hopefully) inspire some future foresters. In the prologue of my summer story, I thought I would introduce myself.

I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and am a soon to be Forestry graduate from the University of Alberta. So far, I have led a life based primarily in the city. Because of my upbringing, the choice to pursue a career in the forest industry may seem a little odd. However, both of my parents have backgrounds in natural resource management and I wanted to be involved in managing for some of the greatest resources that Canada and Alberta have to offer – forests!

Forestry field find #1

I began my time in forestry in the summer of 2015 by working for Blue Ridge Lumber, a division of West Fraser, as a silviculture summer student. With Blue Ridge Lumber, I aided in the completion of tree planting contracts and their annual herbicide application program. I continued to work with them for the two summers following before making a change to become a part of the Millar Western team in Whitecourt, Alberta.

Critter count #1

When I started my first term as a silviculture summer student, I had never driven a truck, operated an ATV, and had certainly never driven on a resource road. Needless to say, I was pretty nervous about what my summer had in store. However, I dove head first into the world of forestry and haven’t turned back since. I quickly learned how to get equipment stuck in the mud, how to pull it out, and how to keep moving with a smile on my face. The transition from city life to field life has been a steep learning curve and a bit of a culture shock. However, with excellent supervisors and my fellow students, I have been able to create lifelong memories from each summer. I’ve even met some of my best friends as a summer student (here’s to you, 2017 Green Dream Intern, Gillian Stauffer!).

Hey bear, yo bear!

This summer, I am Millar Western’s Roads and Log Haul Assistant. This position will present new challenges and opportunities to me as I leave the world of silviculture and gain exposure to operations and planning activities. My primary responsibilities include the completion of our annual road inspections, water crossing data collection, and overseeing our noxious weed control program. Essentially, I get to ATV down roads, explore, and see as much of Millar Western’s forest management area as possible. Although the weather can sometimes put a damper on a day of driving down backroads, there is nothing better than driving down a forest road on a sunny day with music playing and coffee in hand. As the saying goes, the worst day in the field still beats the best day in the office. I could not be more excited about the opportunity that Millar Western has offered me with this position!

Fox spotted in Fox Creek

So, thank you for joining me in my Millar Western Experience! I hope my stories here will inspire you to head outside wherever you may be, to go play in the mud, and to breathe in some fresh air. Some features to look forward to in my future blogs are my top five moments of the week, my weekly wildlife count, and an extensive amount of pictures of my coolest forestry field finds.

Have a safe week out there, friends!

Sunrise on site