Holy Mountains, Batman! Life in the Rockies for the first time

29 mai 2015 9:53 Published by Joe Silva 1 commentaire

Hi, my name is Joe Silva. I’m originally from Cambridge, ON, and I’m working for the summer in Hinton, Alberta as a Silviculture Summer Student with West Fraser. I just finished my first year studying Natural Resources Management at Lakehead University. I was very fortunate to obtain a position with West Fraser for the summer to learn the ins and outs of the forest industry.

I began the journey flying from Thunder Bay, ON to Edmonton, AB and then finishing with a three hour drive to the town of Hinton, located in the central Alberta foothills. Once arriving in town, I was immediately struck by the natural beauty of the region. Being from Ontario, it was my first time seeing the Rocky Mountains and they did not disappoint! I was welcomed into the community with open arms by my co-workers, neighbours and everyone else I have met around town. Hinton has a small town vibe with all the amenities of a big city, and is an easy place to settle into.

A few days after arriving in Hinton, I spent the day exploring spectacular Jasper National Park, just a 20 minute drive west of town. For someone who loves the outdoors, Alberta’s foothills region is paradise, with endless trails for all abilities starting just steps from your doorstep. My first few days at West Fraser have been filled with lots of training to ensure that we will be working safely while in the Forest Management Area this summer. As a part of our training, we learned how to safely operate ATVs and how to deal with various wildlife encounters while on the job. We have spent a lot of time over the past two days cataloguing and printing maps from GIS software which will be used during tree planting and other silviculture activities throughout the summer.

The reason I chose to pursue a job in the forest industry is because I have a real passion for the environment and want to be a part of the responsible management of Canada’s forest resources. Forestry is such a diverse and enriching field. In the silviculture department at West Fraser, we like to say that we are flexible by nature- due to weather, workload and a myriad of other factors, adaptability is a virtue learned quickly in the forest industry. The entire Woodlands Office at West Fraser has been very helpful over my first week with the company, ensuring that I have the tools and support that I need to be safe and succeed. Through this position, I hope to improve my field work and decision-making skills. This position is very flexible and allows students to take on more responsibility to grow as individuals. There is so much opportunity and so much to learn in the forest industry, and I hope to gain as much as I can from this summer experience.

Before moving to Hinton for the summer, I read some of the Green Dream blogs to get an idea of what to expect and what kind of work I would be doing over the course of the summer. The Greenest Workforce is an excellent source of information for people interested in the forest industry and I would love to contribute to helping other unsure students like me discover the field of forestry.

Athabasca Glacier.

Exploring Jasper National Park.