Green Dream Blog

Matthew daSilva

Quesnel, BC
Sawmill Co-Op Student
West Fraser

Farewell

September 13, 2018 2:34 pm Published by

Wow, time really flies! I can’t believe this is my last blog. It’s been an amazing experience and although I am back home in the hustle and bustle of the lower mainland, I will never forget the small town experience I had in Quesnel. I gave myself some time to really reflect on my experiences of this term. From the amazing people I met,


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Last Adventure

September 13, 2018 2:34 pm Published by

On the last weekend of my internship, most of the West Fraser interns went out to one of their cabins on Quesnel lake. Quesnel lake is one of the deepest lakes in BC with a depth of 2000 feet. After following the convoy of cars after work on Friday down a dirt and gravel road that likely took a few years off my little Subaru’s life,


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The Modern Sawmill

September 4, 2018 3:33 pm Published by

As you may know, over my internship I was primarily working on the finishing steps of production in the planer. Although I was pretty tied up working on projects there, I did get a chance to look at the rough products in the sawmill more than a few times throughout my internship

The sawmill is one of the oldest manufacturing facilities in human civilization.


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BC Wildfires

August 24, 2018 1:19 pm Published by

BC is on fire if you haven’t noticed. Over 500 fires are raging across the province and it is only getting worse. The area in which I live, West Quesnel, was recently on evacuation alert. This means we had to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. The fire that was threatening the evacuation was the Narcosli creek fire.


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Blog 4 – Matthew daSilva

August 7, 2018 10:17 am Published by

For you avid readers out there, you may have noticed that I still haven’t covered the last remaining stage in production: the sawmill. I’m sorry to say that this is not the blog you are looking for. I have greatly underestimated the time it would take to give a comprehensive summary of how a sawmill works, especially since the sawmill I’m working at is the largest in North America.


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Sightseeing in the Cariboo Area

July 17, 2018 9:14 am Published by

In my last blog, I said this blog would cover the final stage of the manufacturing process. However, to give myself and my readers a break I decided to write about some of the recreational opportunities the Cariboo has to offer.

Quesnel, British Columbia was once the trade capital of the Cariboo Gold Rush. As gold became less and less abundant,


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Heating Things Up

July 3, 2018 2:26 pm Published by

Last blog I touched on what happens in the planer. Since I started at the end of the process it only makes sense to go backwards. Before the wood goes through the planer, it must be dried in the kilns. The drying process of wood is crucial to every application of the finished product. It prevents premature decay, increases strength,


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Blog #1 – A Little Background Information

June 19, 2018 10:21 am Published by

I have been working with West Fraser, Quesnel for the past month and a half. Last summer I was working in their Edson, AB division. My specialization in both internships was in the planer mill.

The planer is the last stage of manufacturing in the modern sawmill. After being cut and dried, the planer is responsible for giving each piece a smooth finish,


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