June 26, 2015 10:46 am Leave your thoughts
It’s finally Happened! We got to fly into a fire! Many people would see this an odd thing to be excited about and I am in no way saying forest fires are a good thing however; it was a very exciting moment for my crew and I because we were finally able to use all our training on the real deal and see where our strengths and weaknesses are within the crew and how we can become better for next time.
June 26, 2015 10:17 am Leave your thoughts
Well another two weeks have flown by and here I am sitting at my computer trying to recall all that I have accomplished in what seems like a mere matter of days. As I noted in my last blog, this summer internship is passing by in a blink of an eye and I can hardly believe it’s nearly July. A part of me is enjoying the fact that working and being here in Saskatchewan means the days do not drag by,
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
After a long couple weeks of waiting for forest fires in Millar Western’s FMA near Whitecourt, Alberta we were given a much needed dose of rain which gave us the opportunity to try out new things. The task handed down to me and my crew was the setup of Millar Western’s Mountain Pine Beetle monitoring program. This program was established in order to monitor Mountain Pine Beetle populations in Millar Western’s various log yards and other areas within the FMA.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm 1 Comment
Hello everyone and welcome back. First off, I would like to thank Green Dream for the sponsorship and hope that I can do my part to do everyone proud. Your investments in my fellows and I are aiding us to become better people, and to help raise us up to be able to take the mantle in the near future.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
First and foremost, an immense thank you to FPAC and the Green Dream scholarship for providing me with this opportunity! And congratulations to all my fellow winners.
Now onto my newest internship adventures; originally there was truly nothing I disliked about Weyerhaeuser or my job in general for that matter… I think that has changed. THE BUGS. I’ve been given a project to replace a gigantic diesel engine that pumps all our “raw water” from the river up to the mill.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
Hello friends,
This week I thought I would share some of my adventures in Grande Prairie and the surrounding area where I have spent the past month experiencing the many events and activities the region has to offer.
To give you a bit of a background, Grande Prairie is located approximately 500 km north of Edmonton and has a population of 55,032 according to the 2011 census.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm 1 Comment
Well, the two and a half weeks of training are over and my partner Jonathan and I were issued our West Fraser company truck a few weeks ago. It feels really good to finally be able to go out into the Cariboo/Chilcotin wilderness and get to work. One of the most fascinating things has been the drives to our daily work locations,
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
This past week has been quite interesting. As most of you may already know Slave Lake has been very dry this year, and the wildfire hazard has reached extreme status for most of May and June. The Tolko Athabasca division was on high alert due to the Old Smith Highway fire only 10km away from the mill. As a result,
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
Prior to my arrival in Saskatchewan, I stereotypically pictured a completely flat terrain composed primarily of farmers’ fields with scattered small communities. When I initially told family members and friends that I would be working in Saskatchewan for the summer, the common response I received was “are there even trees in Saskatchewan?” As silly as this may sound now, at the time I wasn’t sure myself of that particular answer.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
Hi everyone!
I realized after re-reading my first blog that I didn’t give much of a personal background of myself so I’ll start with that. I was born and raised in Ottawa, ON. I went to Carleton University and graduated with a B.A. Honours in Environmental Studies. After having completed university and being an avid snowboarder I decided to save up some money and spend a winter snowboarding out west so I moved to Golden,
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
My first few weeks here at West Fraser have been filled with lots of detailed training, which continued in to my second week. The biggest danger that we face during our day-to-day work is driving. In a single day the conditions can vary considerably- dust, traffic and rough roads are all things to look out for. As such, West Fraser made a concerted effort to ensure that summer students were comfortable and competent driving the logging roads for work.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
Hello people,
Here are some notes regarding two notable projects I helped out with at the Weyerhaeuser Vancouver Parallam Plant this week.
As part of the Quality Assurance (QA) department, our team is responsible for ensuring the strength properties and the appearance of products so that we can stand proudly behind (and under) it.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
Nothing makes you crave fresh air and sunshine than sitting behind a desk staring at a computer all day. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it but it does help me appreciate the time I get to explore. A childhood friend actually lives in Quesnel and this past week he was my tour guide to some of the hidden jewels this town has to offer.
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm Leave your thoughts
When people hear the term tree planters one could assume that they are dirty, smelly, hippies but honestly they are the hardest workers I know. (Well they may be a little dirty) In my own opinion tree planters are Olympians; actually, they may even be better. Sure Olympians are hard-core athletes and can run longer and faster than any average Joe,
June 22, 2015 12:00 pm 1 Comment
There is a common misconception that life in a smaller centre like Vernon means giving up the lively culture of the city. However, spending some time back in Vernon made me realize that this city has a plethora of its own unique cultural opportunities, steeped in over 100 years of rich history. On a sunny Okanagan weekend, I drove around town to explore just a few of the historical and cultural sites around Vernon.
June 1, 2015 10:44 am 1 Comment
Hi, my name is Taylor Tonsi and I am going in to my second year of school to become a Forest Technologist at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). I am a small town girl who was born and raised in Slave Lake, AB, so lucky for me I grew up surrounded by the forest community. This created a very amazing opportunity for me this summer as I was employed at Alberta Plywood in Slave Lake.
May 29, 2015 10:23 am 1 Comment
Hello Friends,
First off, I would like to say how grateful I am towards Weyerhaeuser and The GreenestWorkforce for giving me the opportunity to share my summer with you working in the forest products industry and living in Grande Prairie. This is my first time writing a blog, so to start off with I should introduce myself.
May 29, 2015 10:18 am Leave your thoughts
Hello, My name is Darryn Florkewich and I have just recently started my 4 month summer student position with Millar Western as the Helitack leader for Millar Western’s forest protection branch. The first week of my time with Millar Western consisted of an orientation period where other summer students and myself were instructed on Millar Western’s extensive history in the forest industry,
May 29, 2015 10:16 am 1 Comment
Hey Everyone. Right! So, my name is Ryan Wilkie and I’m currently attending Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, taking the Honours Conservation & Planning and Management program. I’ve just finished my third year at LU, Lakehead University and will be returning in the fall for my fourth and final year of my undergrad. Holy crap, where did the time go?
May 29, 2015 10:11 am Leave your thoughts
Hi Everyone! My name is Brandon and I’m currently on an 8 month Co-Op term, interning as a quality assurance technician at the Weyerhaeuser Vancouver Parallam Plant. This plant has been in operation since the mid 1980’s and is located on Annacis Island, a small industrial community 20 minutes away from the heart of Vancouver, B.C. As a major in the Wood Products Processing Program at UBC,
May 29, 2015 10:09 am 1 Comment
As the first week of May kicked off so did my much anticipated start date as a summer student working for West Fraser Mills at their Williams Lake Plywood mill Woods Division. I had only been to Williams Lake a few times before moving here, and after living here for 2 weeks I am thoroughly impressed with what the city has to offer,
May 29, 2015 10:07 am 1 Comment
Hi! My name is Jeremy Woo, and I’m a human resources student at Tolko’s corporate office in Vernon, British Columbia.
I’m not exactly who you might envision as someone who landed an awesome job in the forest products industry. I’m a 20-year old business student at the University of Calgary, in the heart of oil country.
May 29, 2015 10:05 am Leave your thoughts
I am thrilled to be back in Whitecourt to begin my second summer as a roads summer student with Millar Western Forest Products. Last year, my work consisted primarily of GPS mapping all of the roads that Millar Western owns under road lease agreements. Selected as a Green Dream Intern, I blogged about my work and travel experiences; for those who are interested,
May 29, 2015 10:04 am 2 Comments
The moment I found out about the Green Dream Scholarship I knew it was my time to show the world what the forest product sector is all about. Some of you will like that I almost titled this article ‘Know your f**king business’; However, it will please most of you that I did not go with that. Most wouldn’t be comfortable submitting a blog with such an honest title knowing their superiors would be reading it.
May 29, 2015 10:02 am 2 Comments
In October of 2014 I applied for a job with Weyerhaeuser, which had been brought to my attention through my school Lakehead University. After prepping, reconstructing and revising my resume I sent it off to Weyerhaeuser in hopes of landing an interview and hopefully a potential summer job. To my surprise, exactly one week later I received an email with regards to setting up a interviews with
representatives from the Drayton Valley and the Grand Prairie Alberta locations.