I have now been working at DMI for just over a month…
June 13, 2013 11:06 am Leave your thoughts
I have now been working at DMI for just over a month and the experience so far has been amazing to say the least.
I arrived in the beautiful town of Peace River in Northern Alberta on May 4th after 4 days of driving from Ontario. It was a long trip, but being able to see parts of Canada I had never seen before was definitely worth it.
My first couple of weeks at DMI consisted of a lot of training and just getting to know my co-workers. Thus far, I’ve taken part in first aid courses, an ATV riders training course and bear awareness training. All of the training was not only very thorough but also a lot of fun, with many hands on exercises.
The people here at DMI have been very welcoming and I have felt like part of the team here since day one. It has been nice getting to know everyone here while participating in meetings, doing training courses and even enjoying potlucks.
I have been out in the field quite a bit with a variety of people here at DMI. This is nice because each person has a wealth of knowledge about local wildlife, fauna, and the forestry industry in general, so I have been able to soak up a lot of information. A few of the things I have done so far in the field are set up road blocks on logging roads, spray hot spots to prevent forest fires, participate in road inspections and assist in the roadside cleanup of downed trees.
One of the biggest differences from Ontario is the amount of wildlife here. On my first day of work, I saw more deer then I have seen in my entire life. There are also a lot of bears, beavers, and coyotes to be seen in the bush which are pretty interesting to check out.
While spending time in the office I have been making an effort to broaden my knowledge of the forestry industry and about the environment by reading a lot but have also been helping out with some projects. One of which, has been drafting up a culvert inspection form for the woodlands department here at DMI. I have done this by using the culvert inspection form used by the government of Alberta and a variety of other sources and combining them while also including some areas of particular interest to DMI which include a strong emphasis on safety precautions. Soon I will be assisting in the inspection of DMI’s culverts with a seasoned forester with many years of experience in road construction. This man oversaw the initial construction of many of DMI’s primary roads and I am really looking forward to learning from him out in the field.
I recently participated in doing measurements at research sites for the Western Boreal Growth and Yield association, or simply WESBOGY. This study has been underway for 20 years and looks at the dynamics of mixedwood boreal forests. I found it very interesting to take part in this because I could see how these types of studies really aid in grasping a deeper understanding of the way forest ecosystems function. I can see how this information will help forestry companies, independent researchers, and people developing growth and yield models. I think it is great that DMI is a member of the WESBOGY association, and contributes workers to aid in the collection of data because it truly shows that DMI is a forward thinking company that values research and really believes in sustainable resource development. I am pleased to be working for this type of forestry company because of my background in environmental resource science, and look forward to learning and taking on more challenging tasks as the summer goes on.