August 1, 2017 3:59 pm Leave your thoughts
My Jaw is Finally Healed – Never Eating Soup Again!
You read that correctly! After a 2 month journey, I finally had my second surgery on July 12th to remove the screws inside my mouth that anchored the wires holding my jaw shut (the picture below shows what I’m talking about, although there was another wire on the other side).
August 1, 2017 3:51 pm Leave your thoughts
After Living in the town of Meadow Lake for the past three months, I’ve decided to dedicate this blog to telling everyone about the history and community of Meadow Lake. Since arriving here, I have realized that there is lots to offer recreational wise within the small forestry centered town. Coming from both an agricultural and forestry background, the landscape around Meadow Lake suits it well,
August 1, 2017 3:22 pm Leave your thoughts
Currently, Chasm, 100 Mile House and parts of Williams Lake are all evacuated due to Forest fires. Over 39,000 people have been affected by the wildfires, and many of them are West Fraser friends and family. To all of the emergency personnel and wildland firefighters, your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you so much for all that you have and continue to do in fighting some of the worst blazes in British Columbia’s history.
August 1, 2017 2:57 pm Leave your thoughts
Since being offered my job with Canfor, I have tackled more things that scared me and taken advantage of more opportunities than I ever had in my life. Honestly, being offered this position was terrifying and, at the time, I couldn’t imagine leaving my friends and family. The thought of finishing my degree and graduating alone was something I never thought I would be capable of doing.
July 26, 2017 6:34 pm 2 Comments
The Big Project
This will probably be the cherry on the cake, as I don’t think this co-op term could get any cooler. For the next twelve days I am set on a mission to visit every one of the 24 Canadian West Fraser Divisions. That’s 24 different West Fraser Sites, 15 different towns, 12 days, 2 provinces and one very excited Co-Op student – Me.
July 26, 2017 6:25 pm Leave your thoughts
gillian-stauffer-sawmill-blog-In blog #2 I talked about how I pull sample boards from some of the machine centres in the saw mill, so I thought for this blog it would be a good idea to go over those machine centres while describing the flow of the mill.
The logs from the yard are brought into the mill by one of our four entry bins.
July 26, 2017 6:20 pm Leave your thoughts
These last couple weeks my girlfriend and I did some hiking and exploring around southern Alberta and, as fit for her first time out West, the Rocky Mountains put on an unbelievable show. The whole time we were in the mountains though, I couldn’t help but think “this is the reason being environmentally sustainable and aware is so important”. We,
July 26, 2017 6:08 pm 2 Comments
Just North of Hinton is a special management area called Pinto Creek Canyon. The canyon is a stunning landmark, featuring Pinto Creek slowly and gently curving its way through the landscape, leaving behind scattered cliff faces and hoodoos along its banks. This is an area that West Fraser has rights to harvest around, but in anticipation of future harvest plans,
July 18, 2017 2:07 pm Leave your thoughts
When I first accepted my job offer from Canfor, and realized I would be living in Prince George, I was a little apprehensive. I had only been here once in my life, when I was 10 years old, and this was only to drive through town. Thinking of town in Northern BC, I imagined people walking around in plaid shirts,
July 18, 2017 1:58 pm 2 Comments
A quality understanding of local plants is integral in any forestry program. My time at university has shown me a plethora of flora (say that ten times fast) from around BC, and my time at Weyerhaeuser in Alberta has helped to broaden my knowledge. The cutblocks I’ve been working on have become quite green in most areas, which has hampered my work somewhat;
July 17, 2017 1:58 pm Leave your thoughts
It is safe to say when you go out in the bush to do work, you never what you are going to expect. Especially when your working on the Crown Agricultural lands outside Meadow Lake. Within 400m of walking from the truck, I managed to pass through a cut block, into a swamp containing mixed softwoods of spruce, pine, and tamarack,
July 17, 2017 1:54 pm 3 Comments
Before starting this post, I would like to address the terrible forest fires that have broken out in central British Columbia. There are so many amazing individuals from across Canada who have relocated to help fight the fires and assist in evacuations and keeping people safe. This is a devastating time for those losing their homes and land but an amazing demonstration of how Canadians band together for support.
July 13, 2017 3:42 pm 1 Comment
One of the best things about working in the Forest Products Industry is where the job takes you. I don’t mean the actual work itself (which is also incredible), but the places that you live and play. Hinton, Alberta is one of those really special places to me – a gem that I would not have discovered if it wasn’t for the opportunity from West Fraser.
July 12, 2017 4:21 pm Leave your thoughts
I would like to start this post by acknowledging the incredible firefighters, first responders, and the other folks working hard on the BC forest fires right now. Your hard work is incredibly appreciated, thank you. For those that have been affected or evacuated, you are in mine and many others thoughts right now. I hope things start looking up for you,
July 10, 2017 4:20 pm 1 Comment
I have always loved learning, and will often jump at any opportunity to share in new experiences and learn from experts. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of doing just that. My boss often tries to break up the monotony of her summer students’ day to day responsibilities by inviting us to meetings and events where we can enhance our proficiency in the many different realms of forestry.
July 5, 2017 12:59 pm Leave your thoughts
West Fraser Timber Co.
West Fraser Timber has been around since 1955, which was 11 years after Canfor, 54 years after Weyerhaeuser, and 54 years before Conifex and Paper Excellence. Started in the quaint town of Quesnel, British Columbia, West Fraser Timber Co. consisted of a 12 person crew managed by three brothers. Sam, Bill, and Pete Ketcham kept up their legacy,
July 5, 2017 12:39 pm 2 Comments
I decided that for my second blog I would provide a bit of background on my hometown 100 Mile House B.C. which I have now moved back to in order to pursue a forestry career.
First of all, it is important to acknowledge that First Nations people came to this region very early and evidence has been found in nearby Soda Creek that has been carbon dated at approximately 2300 B.C.
July 5, 2017 12:34 pm 3 Comments
Welcome back to my blog! There is a lot I need to cover this week, so I’ll just jump right in. When I moved to Fort St. John, I planned on living completely alone all year and made the decision that it was important I have a companion. So, the first thing I did after getting somewhat settled in my new apartment was adopt a cat from the SPCA.
June 29, 2017 1:52 pm Leave your thoughts
So, these last few weeks I’ve been working like crazy picking up some extra shifts and working on my own crew (it almost feels like I’ve spent more time at the mill than at home), and I thought it would be a perfect time to do a little review of the positives and negatives of working a shiftwork schedule. Just for reference,
June 29, 2017 1:49 pm Leave your thoughts
Last Friday after work, there was two choices at hand. The first choice was to check out the Meadow Lake Stampede that was occurring that night. The second option was to take a 45-minute drive out of town towards Goodsoil to spend the evening on the water canoeing the Waterhen River. Knowing that the rodeo was happening Saturday night as well,
June 29, 2017 1:47 pm Leave your thoughts
When I tell my friends I am working Quality Control, a lot of them aren’t too sure what exactly the job entails. To be quite honest, I wasn’t even too sure what to expect. Essentially, my job is to ensure that the specifications which West Fraser has decided on for lumber standards are consistently being met. There are so many different variables that can affect the quality of the lumber,
June 23, 2017 7:34 pm 1 Comment
Today I have a special experience to share! In mid-May, I had the pleasure of participating in a Harlequin Duck capture program for three days. I have so much to share so I’m just going to dive in!
Harlequin Ducks (scientific name Histrionicus histrionicus)are a migratory species of duck that nest in the tributaries of high elevation streams and rivers.
June 16, 2017 2:34 pm 1 Comment
Hello, my name is Jeff White. I grew up in 100 Mile House B.C. and am working this summer back in my hometown with West Fraser as a Planning Summer Student. I have not taken a traditional path to picking a career in forestry so I thought it would be best to explain a bit about my background and what made me choose to pursue a career in the forest industry.
June 16, 2017 2:05 pm 2 Comments
Hello fellow forest enthusiasts! I’m really excited to be sharing my experiences with all of you this summer. The first month of work has been jam packed with all sorts of forestry fun, including everything from helicopter rides to bear encounters, but before I jump into that, I should take a moment to introduce myself.
My name is Adam Soames,
June 16, 2017 1:46 pm Leave your thoughts
I’d first like to quickly thank Millar Western Forest Products for having me back on crew for a third straight summer, and The Greenest Workforce for this awesome opportunity to showcase my adventures working in the forest products industry. So to quickly introduce myself, I was born and raised In Whitecourt where I quickly developed an understanding of how important the forestry industry is to hundreds of families in Northern Alberta.