My First Month Working with Tolko

July 23, 2020 12:06 pm Published by Jordan Rock 1 Comment

Hello readers,

I would like to firstly re-affirm my gratitude to the Forest Products Association of Canada for providing me with the opportunity to be a 2020 Green Dream Blogger. It is an amazing opportunity that I am eager to take full advantage of. 

Riding UTVs on trails in the Nisbet Forest north of Prince Albert, SK

The first month has been nothing short of exciting and has been filled with formal and on the job training. The highlight of the first week was ATV and UTV training. Both days began with basic maintenance practices and driving through a controlled course, followed by an afternoon trail ride. It was a great experience for me as it was one of the first times I have driven a side by side. A big shout out to our instructor Andrea from Sixteen Safety Services for the fun and educational week of training. She was awesome to work with and made the week that much more enjoyable. 

We were told on our first day of work that we were going to be lucky enough to experience both the operations and the planning sides of the Tolko Woodlands unit this summer. I am extremely happy to be getting such diverse experience, as students are usually either on the operations side or the planning side only.

After week 1, most of our basic training was complete and we were ready to head out to the bush to learn what we would actually be doing on the job. Week 2 included things such as timber surveys, where we walk a potential or planned harvest block and determine an estimate of volume for that area. This is also an opportunity to take note of any breakage, blowdown or wet areas that could be troublesome when the heavy equipment begins operating. We were also trained on how to properly flag riparian buffers. This task, so far, has required a lot of walking, but the breathtaking riparian scenery makes it very enjoyable. The opportunity to complete drone training and practice what I’ve learned has been a highlight. I had no drone experience prior to this and seeing what they are able to do is unbelievable. I find it amazing how they keep such a steady image while flying, even in high winds! If you haven’t had the opportunity to witness a drone flight before, or better yet, the opportunity to fly one yourself, I highly recommend it!

Checking out a beaver dam on a creek flowing out of Bug Lake in west-central Saskatchewan.

During the last 2 weeks of June, we have been progressively being trained on other tasks, such as crossing assessments. We were given a list of tasks and have begun to slowly work away at them. Each day seems to bring something new and different and it’s this subtle unpredictability that has made my Tolko experience thrilling so far. 

Feel free to leave questions or comments about any of my blogs and I will be sure to respond to them!

Until next time,

Jordan