September 10, 2015 10:46 am Leave your thoughts
Hello friends,
This marks the last installment of my blog to you all. I have really enjoyed sharing with you my experience with Weyerhaeuser and my many outdoor adventures in the Peace Country. With the arrival of September, many are headed back to school but I am looking forward to another 4 months of learning in Grande Prairie before returning for my last four months of school in January.
August 31, 2015 2:31 pm Leave your thoughts
It’s hard to believe that my third summer at Tolko (and as a blogger at thegreenestworkforce.ca!) is coming to close. You can probably tell that I have been very enthusiastic about my time at Tolko, and have a lot of great things to say about my job, my team, my company, my hometown and my industry. I’ve been reflecting on what made my assignments at Tolko’s corporate office so awesome,
August 31, 2015 11:21 am Leave your thoughts
I can hardly believe it but in a few short weeks, my time here in Alberta will come to a close and I will be on my way back to Ontario! With all that I have learned this summer, one big project remains to be completed- aerial herbicide. As I mentioned in my previous blogs, West Fraser practices the judicious application of herbicide on cut blocks that meet certain quantitative criteria that suggests regeneration success will be low if intervention is not taken.
August 28, 2015 9:19 am Leave your thoughts
Hello Good People,
I have some terrible news. It’s my last week here at Weyerhaeuser Vancouver Parallam. I have become so familiar with the plant, the people and even its distinct smell; it will take some time to adjust back to a quiet student life.
Over the past few months, it has been quite a ride as an intern here.
August 24, 2015 2:03 pm Leave your thoughts
On a recent weekend daytrip to beautiful Merritt, British Columbia, I couldn’t resist the temptation to drive by Tolko’s Nicola Valley Division on the outskirts of town. After hearing so much about the operation over my three HR assignments at Tolko, I wanted to see the site for myself – I’ve included a picture of me in front of an old Tolko logging truck overlooking the Nicola Valley Division.
August 24, 2015 10:08 am Leave your thoughts
I can hardly believe it! August is just around the corner! With the closing of the month also comes the end of the tree planting season. Beginning in mid-May, the tree planters are close to finishing off the last of over 5 million seedlings planted on the forest management area this year and I have been busier than ever trying to keep up with their wild pace.
August 24, 2015 9:56 am Leave your thoughts
These past two weeks, we have begun to collect SP (site plan) data. This involves doing several plots in an area to get an idea of the plants and soil types present in the area. This data is then used to classify the area in a certain BEC zone and site series. This information is then used to minimize disturbance during logging and for the proper trees to be replanted.
August 21, 2015 9:45 am Leave your thoughts
If there’s one thing in this world that I love, it is the smell of freshly cut trees. Last week I got the opportunity to go on a bush tour and tag along with a harvesting supervisor for the Quesnel division. Our day started a little earlier than normal but it wasn’t anything coffee couldn’t help. We hopped in the truck and headed west out past Wells,
August 19, 2015 12:00 pm 1 Comment
Well my friends, summer is starting to wind down for me here at Slave Lake Plywood. I have one week of work left and then it’s back to Thunder Bay for school (actually for the first two weeks of September I’ll be in South Africa for school) but after that it’s TBay all the way. Needless to say, I am excited to get back home and see everyone again,
August 17, 2015 2:50 pm Leave your thoughts
I can’t believe I have been in camp for 5 weeks (coming up on the 6th), time is really flying by as I only have 3 weeks left in my summer work term. Life in camp is not bad, I would say the only downside is that there is no escape from the work, however, it is great work experience and a great opportunity for me to gain knowledge in road deactivation.
August 17, 2015 2:46 pm Leave your thoughts
I can’t believe it’s already August! A lot has happened in the past few weeks. Fawn and I have begun to put the finishing touches on some blocks. Now that the boundaries and roads have been laid out, our tasks have been to complete riparian assessments (meaning all water related features, such as wetlands and streams). Depending on the classification of the wetland and creek it needs a certain buffer zone.
August 17, 2015 1:33 pm Leave your thoughts
My fellow bloggers on The Greenest Workforce suggest that #lifesbetterhere because of the great outdoor opportunities available on the doorstep of forestry communities. I’ve reiterated that I’m not a huge fan of outdoor activities, but inspired by other Green Dream Interns, I decided to go for a walk on one of Vernon’s most spectacular trails.
My time on the Grey Canal Trail was well rewarded – high above the valley on a stunningly clear Okanagan day,
August 10, 2015 11:37 am Leave your thoughts
Hello friends,
Before I came up here to Grande Prairie I had a lot of preconceived ideas about the forest products industry. People I talked to had said that the industry was in decline, the methods used were outdated, and there was little innovation occurring. What an eye opening experience it has been to find that the industry is anything but declining.
August 6, 2015 4:05 pm 1 Comment
The last two weeks have been quite eventful in/around 100 mile house yet again! These days we are dealing with very hot/dry conditions and high fire hazards. As a layout crew we are deemed low risk but we still have to be careful out there. I’ve been sure to pack lots of water as the hot days can make you dehydrated very quickly.
August 6, 2015 11:33 am Leave your thoughts
So I decided to write this post about my experience with field gear and equipment in the field for those who may be looking to get a new set of boots or tent or whatever. Or for those who are just entering the work force and looking to get some equipment for your new forestry or environmental-esque job. Again, this is from my own experience and may not be the same as others,
August 6, 2015 11:31 am Leave your thoughts
In my last few summers at Tolko, I have definitely learned that #lifesbetterhere at work. However, as graduation sneaks up on me, I am beginning to realize how much I really want a job after I am finished with my undergrad degree.
I sat down with two members of Tolko’s HR team to find out what jobs are available to new university graduates right out of school.
August 6, 2015 11:27 am Leave your thoughts
I have consistently bragged about my commute (or lack thereof) here in Vernon, but I do more than go to work and home in the summer! I thought that I should share a few of the awesome places I can visit that are 30 minutes or less from Tolko’s Vernon Office.
You can be on the beach on world-famous Okanagan Lake or award-winning Kalamalka Lake in just ten minutes.
August 5, 2015 10:52 am Leave your thoughts
These 3 months have flown by and August is going to be even quicker, judging by how busy it’ll be. In a somewhat masochistic fashion, I have scheduled my river diesel replacement, steam reduction, and fire suppression repair jobs all within a two week period in August. It’s going to be a busy couple weeks to say the least. I’ll have multiple contractors working each job,
August 4, 2015 1:45 pm Leave your thoughts
There is fulfillment in walking the pathless woods, listening to the trees sway in the wind and the birds call out above your head. Walking through the forest, which often has been left undisturbed from human activity aside from the odd hunter or trapper, is my absolute favourite part of working within the forestry industry. I have had the luxury of finding wild berries as I weave my way through the forest.
July 29, 2015 2:08 pm Leave your thoughts
I am sure everyone has heard about the relentless wildfires in western Canada this summer, and Hinton has not been exempt. Due to sustained hot, dry conditions, fires have flared up everywhere, including a few fires on the forest management area and one in nearby Jasper National Park. This has made for some hazy, smoky conditions to complement the sweltering heat Hinton has been experiencing over the past few weeks.
July 29, 2015 10:54 am Leave your thoughts
This is what an average day of a quality assurance technician looks like:
6:00 – Leave Home, get a coffee, and enjoy a quiet Vancouver.
6:25 – Get to work in one piece without being hit by bad drivers and change into work gear.
6:30 – Check last night’s test results,
July 29, 2015 10:51 am Leave your thoughts
When it comes down to it, a lot of my job is exploring, given that I have to travel to all these roads to inspect them. Sure, I have maps and a GPS and everything, but I never really know what to expect when I get to my destination. Some areas I am already familiar with, from having worked for Millar Western last year,
July 29, 2015 10:48 am Leave your thoughts
This past week has been quite chaotic. Being tasked with road, bridge and culvert inspections presented two major challenges; uncooperative weather and altercations with insects.
By uncooperative weather I mean that one day we got absolutely drenched and had to use the quad exhaust pipes to keep our hands warm. In the same week it was hot enough to go for a dip in the Willow River (see photos and video).
July 29, 2015 10:42 am 1 Comment
I have been telling you in my last couple blogs about the planters and planting but I haven’t told you how the trees are planted or even what they look like. Here are a few tips I have learned over the summer from checking trees.
My job entails going out to the cut-blocks that the tree planters have planted or are planting to ensure that there are no holes (a place that didn’t get planted because it got missed),
July 23, 2015 1:58 pm Leave your thoughts
Hello friends,
This week I will share with you another chapter of my exploration of the countryside around Grande Prairie. I hope that these trips will give you readers some ideas for places to go and things to see when you are next in the Grande Prairie area.
This past weekend I went to Dawson Creek in British Columbia which is approximately 150 km northwest of Grande Prairie.