Atlantic Forestry Review Nov 2019

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Atlantic ForestryVolume26#2,November2019$3.95
Review

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NOVEmbER 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 1

PAGE 2 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW NOVEmbER 2019

Atlantic Forestry Review

November 2019

page 27

page 18 page 48

Editorial Comment (A word or two) Finding the sweet spot for Sugar maple........................ David Palmer 36
Better with age.............................................................David Lindsay 5 Canadian Woodlands Forum confronts hard questions about hardwoods

Letters..............................................................................................................8 taking on the world – axe in hand .............................Jennifer Gouchie 40
Tess Billings is blazing a trail for female lumberjack athletes in the Maritimes
out for Christmas (Poem) .......................................... D.C. Butterfield 8
100 percent Island wood ...............................................Nicole Kitchener 42
Chips ’n’ Slabs................................................................................. 10 Home construction business integrated with sustainable forest management

Your Neck of the Woods................................................................ 17 Better data, better management................................ Megan de Graaf 46
Woodlot owner organizations come together to build software
Great trees and good cheer .........................................George Fullerton 18
Lo-Hi U-cut offers families outdoor fun, Christmas spirit Well chiseled....................................................................George Fullerton 48
Wood carvers exhibit sculptures, share skills
road hazard ..................................................................... Mark Partington 20
Warmer winters, heavier rains – will your woods roads hold up? New products ................................................................................. 51

Down to the wire............................................................George Fullerton 24 Contact............................................................................................ 52
Getting vertically integrated in the Christmas wreath business
Classifieds....................................................................................... 61
Woods roads 101................................................................... Kyle Werner 27
In design, construction, and maintenance, it's all about drainage Directory of advertisers ................................................................. 62

"training the Hand".......................................................George Fullerton 30 CoVEr: Cover: Gaetan Pelletier (right), executive director with the Northern
Woodworking courses offer skills and solace for veterans
Hardwoods Research Institute (NHRI), leads a field session on the second
the time for adaptive management has come........................................
.....................................................................Gaetan Pelletier and Joey Volpé 32 day of the Canadian Woodlands Forum (CWF) fall meeting, held Oct. 2-3 in
What can we do now to ensure our forests thrive in a changing climate?
Campbellton, N.B. (NRHI photo)
NOVEmbER 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW
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PAGE 4 Atlantic Forestry Review

Volume 26 #2 November 2019

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ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

a word or two

Better with age

I have been reading about some interest- growth releases at multiple canopy positions forest development gradient.”
ing research at the University of Vermont, as forests age, experience gap dynamics, and The researchers acknowledge that the
pointing to a necessary shift in the way we interact with partial disturbances that free parameters examined in this study do not
think about old and mature forests. The up growing space and increase light avail- encompass the complexity of climate-
details were published recently in the peer- ability for mixtures of shade-tolerant and change impacts, which will be “influenced
reviewed journal Global Change Biology. shade-intolerant species.” They say there is by multiple interacting factors, including
As is often the case with scientific reports, some previous research pointing to renewed stressors such as drought frequency, spread
the title is a bit of a mouthful: “The climate growth and physiological function in mature of invasive pests and pathogens, altered
sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species and old forests, but the phenomenon war- disturbance dynamics, and airborne pollut-
richness covaries with forest age in boreal- rants further study. ants.”
temperate North America.” Older forests also performed well in They note that warmer temperatures are
The gist of it is that older forests – far terms carbon sequestration. “TEC (total generally associated with improvements in
from being decadent, or merely scenic – are ecosystem carbon) increased with forest timber growth, but reduced winter snow
actually top performers when it comes to age, due to carbon accumulation in all pack (resulting in increased soil freezing),
mitigating against the effects of climate pools, particularly in forests older than 130 for example, has been shown to have nega-
change. Lead author Dominik Thom, a years,” says the report. “SOC (soil organic tive effects on growth rates in Sugar maple.
postdoc at UVM’s Rubenstein School of carbon) and FFC (forest floor carbon) de- They say that various stress factors, along
Environment and Natural Resources and clined during the first 80-120 years, after with changes in tree species composition,
Gund Institute for Environment, says the which both pools increased.” “may neutralize the positive direct effects
findings are “a milestone in the debate on This is somewhat counterintuitive, of climate change on timber growth.”
how to prepare our forests for the uncertain especially if you envision an old forest as Amid all these uncertainties, they see
environmental conditions ahead.” a decaying, carbon-spewing trainwreck. merit in introducing longer rotations and
In a study area encompassing eastern Here’s how the researchers account for other management techniques aimed at
temperate and northern forests in the it: “As forests develop toward late-seral promoting the development of late-suc-
northeast U.S. and southeastern Canada stages, mortality of canopy trees increases cessional and older stand structures, which
(including the Maritime provinces), Thom through both density-dependent and densi- “could partly offset the negative effects of
and his fellow researchers examined 18,507 ty-independent processes, leading to dead climate change on carbon storage.”
pre-existing sample plots. They compiled tree recruitment and deadwood accumula- The authors recognize that this shift
data on timber growth rates (annual volume tion. However, our data suggest that the might curtail harvesting in the short term,
increment), biodiversity (including trees, increase in deadwood occurs concurrently until a larger proportion of forests achieve
vascular plants, and lichens), and the carbon with increases in ALC (aboveground living late-stage increases in growth rates. “This
pool (including forest floor carbon and soil carbon), which is a much larger carbon transition phase could be shortened,”
organic carbon, as well as carbon in live pool than deadwood in our study system they say, “through the use of silvicultural
trees, standing dead trees, and downed (e.g., up to an order of magnitude larger practices designed to increase rates of late-
deadwood). in 200-year-old forests).” successional forest development and struc-
Their objective was to analyze the as- They say increased ALC in older forests tural complexity in managed forests.”
sociations among these factors at various is likely due to increases in structural com- William Keeton, forestry professor in
stages of forest development, and examine plexity, as indicated in previous studies. As UVM, says the new research findings point
how these associations would beaffected by for the effects of rotting wood, they explain: to opportunities for making forest manage-
climate change. They posited temperature “Although decomposition gradually releas- ment more adaptive to climate change:
increases of 4 degrees C and annual precipi- es carbon to the atmosphere via respiration, “This could include enhancing older forest
tation increases of 200 millimetres, based the large accumulations of deadwood and conditions on landscapes within reserves,
on projections for this region by the end of litter in old forests also contribute to organic for example, and using extended cutting
the 21st century (under the RCP 6.0 emis- matter and free carbon incorporation into cycles and restorative forestry practices
sions scenario). The study did not include the humus layer and soil profile, thereby in working forests.”
forests more than 200 years old – due to the increasing belowground carbon pools.” It all fits in with broader discussions
small number of plots in old-growth sites, With respect to biodiversity, the study about the need to take a new approach to
and the difficulty of pinpointing forest age did not identify an overarching trend. Li- silviculture, with more emphasis on diver-
in uneven-aged old-growth forests. chen populations peaked between 90 and sity and resilience. This is encouraging, as
The researchers identified a peak in 100 years, while vascular plants declined a counterpoint to the argument for planta-
timber growth rates between years 40 and slightly in older forests. tions – which sequester far less carbon than
50, and another peak after age 170. The With all these factors taken into account, natural forests. Around the world, there is
report says the first peak is “consistent the researchers conclude: “The combined currently a bonanza of tree planting going
with previous models in which growth rate performance of multiple ecosystem indica- on, ostensibly to fight climate change. But if
was highest in relatively young and even- tors peaked in 200-year-old forests as a result those trees are harvested on short rotations,
aged, secondary forests.” The second peak, of simultaneously high levels of carbon the main effect will be a global glut of wood
however, was unexpected. The researchers storage and timber growth rate, coupled with chips and pulp, accompanied by relatively
suggest that it “might be explained by tree relatively stable species richness along the modest environmental benefits. DL

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 5

Urban wildlands protected

The Nova Scotia Nature Trust announced in October that it Robin Wilber, president and owner of Elmsdale Lumber Com-
had secured a deal to acquire a 232-hectare (575-acre) property pany, says he was happy to facilitate the protection of some land
in an area known as the Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes, a he co-owned in the Halifax area. (Nova Scotia Nature Trust photo)
vast expanse of undeveloped wildlands between Hammonds is a way to continue spreading this timeless message. In my
Plains, Timberlea, and Halifax – cherished by hikers and pad- opinion, the wisest use of this particular piece of land is to
dlers in these communities. The parcel was considered critical preserve it for public enjoyment and a protected piece of land
not only because of its scenic value and its ecological richness, for wildlife habit. Its proximity to urban living is icing on the
but because it provides connectivity between existing areas of cake. My dad would be proud.”
protected land, creating a contiguous 12-kilometre corridor that
is important for wildlife, including the endangered Mainland
moose.
The owners of the property, Robin Wilber and Bill Fenton,
agreed to sell it to the Nature Trust, and donated a sizable
portion of the land’s value as a charitable gift. Wilber, well
known in Nova Scotia’s forest industry, is an active outdoors-
man, and he liked the idea that protecting this urban wildland
would give more people a chance to connect with nature.
“As third-generation president and owner of Elmsdale
Lumber Company, I take the responsibility of managing our
forest resource very seriously,” he said. “Many years ago,
my father coined the phrase, ‘Wise use of woodlands means
sustained multiple use.’ Every piece of letterhead and every
envelope leaving Elmsdale Lumber is embossed with this
statement. Not only is this a way to honour his legacy, but it

PAGE 6 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 7

LEttErS to AFr (Amy Weston photo)

Yuletide tragedy
AFR: As an “old-timer,” I’d like to
submit a verse based on an old-time
folklore story I heard as a boy, about a
young feller who went to the woods and
suffered a fatal accident, and so didn’t
get home for Christmas. It possibly could
have happened in the woodlands in the
area of the Right Hand Leg of Trousers
Lake in the country east and north of
Plaster Rock, N.B., but I can’t be sure
about that location.
D.C. Butterfield
Kilburn, N.B.

About letters to AFR

Letters may be edited. Be sure they are
signed and include a complete return
address (especially when sent by email).
No press releases. Mail to Atlantic Forestry,
Box 1509, Liverpool, NS B0T 1K0 or email to
[email protected].

Out for Christmas

by D.C. Butterfield But Billy had the sureness that comes when one is young
Old-timers tell a story, say it happened way back when With a skill he put the undercut and then his chopping rung
Up in the mighty northland, among a crew of men That axe was double-bitted, and he well knew how to hew
There was a fine young logger, and Billy was his name Razor sharp he kept each edge, the chips so quickly flew
When to the woods that autumn, for the first time Billy came With a cheery cry of “Timber!” the tree came crashing down
Billy had a sweetheart, her name was Mary Lou He never saw the “spring-pole” thus bent unto the ground
And Billy loved his Mary, to her his heart was true That’s where the others found him, felled there in his tracks
He said, “I’ll come at Christmas, I could never wait ’til spring For as it sprang back upwards, that “spring-pole” caught the axe
Those woods could never hold me, and I shall buy a ring” No chance to see his sweetheart, he’d met a woodman’s fate
“I’ll go back ’til drivings over, before the grass grows green Just one more week to labour, forever now too late
Then make you Dear, my darling wife. Oh how my heart will sing Some say the axe was shattered, some say it was God’s plan
For we shall build a cabin near the river on a hill Some say his darling sweetheart never took another man
A cozy little country home that love will always fill” His lifeblood flowing from him, he just had time to say
So Billy left his Mary Lou, learned to be a lumberjack “Please give my love to Mary Lou, and to Mom my tuck and pay!”
And soon he was a faller, for he had a woodman’s knack For as long as stood that bunkhouse, sure as the ticking of a watch
Each night there in the bunkhouse, just before he went to bed Each night they heard a lonesome sound, as Billy cut another notch
He cut a notch into the log that lay behind his head If you hear a cheery cry of “Timber!” where there is no tree to fall
“Another day is done,” he said, “now one less day to do” Perhaps you hear our Billy, who makes his ageless call!
Then he’d add his tally up and dream of Mary Lou So that is Billy’s story, and the last words he did say
Came a time when it was blowing, and a fir both great and tall “Please give my love to Mary Lou, when you go out ...
Would test his every talent, which way now would it fall? on Christmas Day!”

PAGE 8 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW NOVEmbER 2019

NOVEmbER 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 9

Chips ’n’ Slabs

Items of interest from the region and beyond

Music of the saws of the Husqvarna 50 Rancher – which older, having been a firearms manufac-
To some, the wail of a chainsaw is became popular with woodlot owners turer before establishing a reputation
just noise, but to enthusiasts of this in the North American market when it with its first sewing machine in 1872.
small technological marvel, it is mu- was introduced 1982. The B-side offers (A commemorative sewing machine
sic. That’s the premise of an inspired samples of six more models, covering model, the Tribute, was introduced in
marketing program rolled out this year innovations such as air injection and 2012 to mark the 140th anniversary.)
to commemorate the 60th anniversary X-Torq engine technology, culminat- Grande-Rivière mill approval
of Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna. ing with the new 550 XP Mark II. The The New Brunswick Department of
In the spirit of nostalgia, the company company has also published a limited- Environment and Local Government
has issued a vinyl record featuring the edition book featuring photos of some announced on Oct. 16 that it was issuing
sounds of a dozen historic chainsaw iconic models. Both items are being of- a new Class 1 air quality approval for
models. The first track, naturally, is the fered as prizes in a sweepstakes, entered the J.D. Irving, Limited, Grande-Rivière
growl of the Husqvarna 90 – noted for an by submitting a story about your first sawmill in Saint-Léonard, following
innovative muffler design and reduced Husqvarna saw (online entries until Nov. a public consultation that ran from
noise when it came out in 1959. The A- 10, 2019). Sixty years is a pretty good March 20 to Aug. 16. Built by JDI, and
side concludes with the sweet warbling run, but this company is actually much

Machines to get the big jobs done

Mark your calendars for the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show!

For more than three decades, the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Lots of opportunities to get up close and personal with big ma-
show has been bringing together Atlantic Canada’s forestry, chines at the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show, coming up April
roadbuilding, and heavy construction industries. Held in al- 2-3, 2020, in Moncton, N.B. (Master Promotions photo)
ternate years, this mammoth event returns to Moncton, N.B.,
bigger and better than ever, running April 2-3, 2020. L110H, plus the Sennebogen 825ME – an advanced mobile
For anyone contemplating an investment in new gear, this material handling machine. Log Max is premiering one of their
show is an opportunity to learn about innovative technology, bestselling product models, the 6000B harvesting head, as well
compare offerings from different manufacturers, talk face-to- as the new 6000V, with more than 20 updates. Rotobec will
face with knowledgeable sales reps, and get an up-close look display their latest models of grapples, loaders, and other mate-
at the latest models – by climbing in the cab, peeking under rial handling equipment, while A.L.P.A. Equipment is proud to
the hood, or crawling underneath. be bringing the newly redesigned Landrich LR 2.0 harvester.
Though it’s a few months until the equipment rolls into As April approaches, watch for updates at AHES.ca and on the
the Moncton Coliseum, the sprawling 300,000 square feet of Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show Facebook page.
exhibit space in the building is already 80 percent sold. High
demand has organizers anticipating a very successful show. ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019
The 2018 edition broke attendance records, with 14,800 visi-
tors coming through the gates.
“This is one of the largest trade events in the country, and
brings in the largest crowds for any trade event in the Maritimes.
Our last edition was quite literally elbow-to-elbow, with heavy
crowds throughout both days,” says Mark Cusack, national
show manager with Master Promotions Ltd. “With the way
things are coming together, 2020 is shaping up to be one of
the most successful editions in the show’s history.”
The show will welcome industry giants from multiple sec-
tors. Strongco is planning to bring the latest in their excavator
and wheel loader lineup, with the Volvo EC220E and Volvo

PAGE 10

operating since 1987, the mill produces PAGE 11
about 350 million board feet of dimen-
sional lumber per year, and employs
285 people. A biomass-fueled thermal
plant was added in 2010, burning about
47,000 tonnes of bark and wood chips
annually, to heat the six dry kilns and
the hot pond, and for space heating.
Supplemental heat is provided by four
oil-fired boilers, which consumed about
170,000 litres of #6 fuel oil last year. The
approval sets limits on stack emissions
of particulate matter and specific gases,
and outlines the mill’s ongoing testing
and reporting responsibilities.

Strathlorne still underutilized
In the July 2016 issue of Atlantic
Forestry Review, we reported that the
Nova Scotia government was undertak-
ing an assessment of potential economic
opportunities at the Strathlorne Forest
Nursery in Inverness County – an unde-
rutilized, money-losing provincial asset.
Lloyd Hines, then minister of Natural
Resources, made quite a show of tak-
ing the bull by the horns. “This facility
either has to be repurposed or closed,”
he said, at the time. Public consultations
were held, but no action was taken, and
a $30,000 report commissioned by the
province was only recently made public,
in response to a freedom-of-information
request by CBC News.
Established in 1978, largely in re-
sponse to that era’s Spruce budworm
outbreak, the facility has the capacity
to grow more than 10 million seedlings,
but it is currently only producing about
three million. The site comprises 500
acres, including 125 acres of fields, plus
a number of greenhouses and outbuild-
ings, an office building with an attached
garage and two drive-in freezers, and a
house where the superintendent used to
live. The report recommends that with
some investment, nursery operations
could be consolidated and surplus space
could be leased for other purposes, such as
producing sod or cannabis. This Septem-
ber, Julie Towers, deputy minister of the
Department of Lands and Forestry, told
CBC that the province is waiting to get a
clearer picture of the quantity and species
of seedlings required for implementation
of the Lahey report on forest practices.

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW

PAGE 12 New leadership at Fecon
Fecon, the Ohio-based manufac-
turer of the Bull Hog forestry mulcher,
recently announced the appointment
Bob Dieckman as CEO, following the
retirement of founder John Heekin, who
will remain active on the board of direc-
tors. Established in 1992, Fecon makes
tracked carriers and tractors, as well as
a full range of attachments and other
equipment for vegetation management,
sold through distributors worldwide. In
2018 the company partnered with LFM
Capital to continue its growth. Dieck-
man most recently held the position
of president with Rotex Global, LLC.
Prior to joining Rotex, he was the CFO
of Basco Manufacturing Company for
10 years. “His proven track record of
leading product development, interna-
tional sales and acquisitions will be an
asset, as will his management style that
engenders strong loyalty,” said Dieck-
man.

Women in Forestry

The Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute,
based in Kempt, N.S., got a strong turnout
for its 6th annual Women in Forestry
workshop, held Oct. 26 on Medway Com-
munity Forest Cooperative lands. Mary
Jane Rodger, general manager with the
co-op, was one of the workshop leaders,
along with Minga O’Brien, who is a Natu-
ral Resources Environmental Technology
instructor with the Nova Scotia Com-
munity College, and Donna Crossland, a
forest ecologist with Parks Canada. This
year’s special focus was ecological forestry,
including topics such as ecosystem classifi-
cation, invasive species, and management
options in the Acadian forest. These work-
shops have proven popular with women
who own woodland, or aspire to work in
the industry, or those who are just keen
to learn more about forestry.

(Jane Barker photo)

ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

Forests Worth Knowing

The Canadian Woodlands Forum presented its annual Forests Worth Knowing teachers’ tour Aug. 19-22, based out of Truro, N.S.
In addition to some classroom instruction, highlights included considerable time in the field at various woodlands operations, a visit
to a sugar camp, and a tour of Ledwidge Lumber in Elmsdale, N.S. (Anik Charbonneau photos)

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 13

PAGE 14 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 15

PAGE 16 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

Your Neck of the Woods Coming Events

Nov. 4-6: Industrialized Wood-Based Vancouver, Wash. In-depth analysis of Conference, Oregon Convention Center,
Construction Conference, The Wes- forest products market challenges, op- Portland, Ore. The largest gathering of
tin Boston Waterfront, Boston, MA. portunities, and threats for 2020. For more cross-laminated timber and other mass
Showcase bringing the world’s top inte- information visit westernforestry.org. timber experts in the world, with a special
grated, offsite, wood-based, automated Jan. 25: Canadian Intercollegiate Lum- focus on manufacturing and mid- to high-
construction innovators together with berjacking Association (CILA) Com- rise construction. Produced by Forest
developers, architects, engineers, and petition, Macdonald Campus, McGill Business Network in cooperation with
planners. Visit iwbcc.com. University, Montreal, Que. Visit www. the wood design experts at WoodWorks-
Nov. 4-8: N.S. Watercourse Alteration cilawoodsmen.ca for details. Wood Products Council. Visit www.
Certification for sizers (Nov. 4-6) and Feb. 3-6: PaperWeek, Fairmont Queen masstimberconference.com.
installers (Nov. 6-8), Best Western Glen- Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, Que. Annual Apr. 2-3: Atlantic Heavy Equipment
garry, Truro, N.S., offered by Maritime conference and tradeshow of the Ca- Show, Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, N.B.
College of Forest Technology. For details nadian pulp and paper industry, as well Atlantic Canada’s forestry, roadbuild-
phone 506-458-0649, email [email protected], as PAPTAC conference supporting the ing, and heavy construction industries
or visit ce.mcft.ca. deployment of the forest bioeconomy. converge for the region’s most com-
Nov. 13-14:  Atlantic Urban Forest Con- Visit www.paperweekcanada.ca. prehensive equipment tradeshow. Visit
ference, Best Western Plus Chocolate Feb. 8: Canadian Intercollegiate Lumber- www.ahes.ca.
Lake, Halifax, N.S. Presented by the At- jacking Association (CILA) Competition, Apr. 22: OptiSaw, Mill Optimization
lantic Urban Forest Collective. Phone Dal AC Campus, Truro, N.S. Visit www. and Automation Technology Forum,
506-432-7575 or email nairn@fundy- cilawoodsmen.ca for details. Hôtel Le Concorde, Québec, Que. Visit
modelforest.net. Feb. 10-14: N.S. Watercourse Alteration optisaw.com.
Nov. 19-21: Remotely Piloted Air Sys- Certification for sizers (Feb. 10-12) and Apr. 27-May 1: N.S. Watercourse Altera-
tems (RPAS) Training Ground School, installers (Feb. 12-14), Best Western tion Certification for sizers (Apr. 27-29)
Maritime College of Forest Technology, Glengarry, Truro, N.S., offered by Mari- and installers (Apr. 29-May 1), Best
Fredericton, N.B. For details phone time College of Forest Technology. For Western Glengarry, Truro, N.S., offered
506-458-0649, email [email protected], or details phone 506-458-0649, email ce@ by Maritime College of Forest Technol-
visit ce.mcft.ca. mcft.ca, or visit ce.mcft.ca. ogy. For details phone 506-458-0649,
Nov. 25-26: 2019 Wood Design Sym- Mar. 16-20: N.S. Watercourse Alteration email [email protected], or visit ce.mcft.ca.
posium and 2019 Atlantic Wood Design Certification for sizers (Mar. 16-18) and Jun. 1-5: N.S. Watercourse Alteration
Awards, Doubletree by Hilton, Dart- installers (Mar. 18-20), Best Western Certification for sizers (Jun. 1-3) and
mouth, N.S. Presented by WoodWorks! Glengarry, Truro, N.S., offered by Mari- installers (Jun. 3-5), Best Western Glen-
Atlantic. Exposition of the best wood time College of Forest Technology. For garry, Truro, N.S., offered by Maritime
architecture in Atlantic Canada followed details phone 506-458-0649, email ce@ College of Forest Technology. For details
by dinner and awards (Nov. 25); Full mcft.ca, or visit ce.mcft.ca. phone 506-458-0649, email [email protected],
morning symposium of wood education Mar. 24-26: Montreal Wood Convention, or visit ce.mcft.ca.
(Nov. 26). Visit wood-works.ca/atlantic/. Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Mon- Jun. 4: OptiSaw, Mill Optimization and
Jan. 21-23: International Builders’ Show, treal, Que. Presented by Quebec Wood Automation Technology Forum, Four
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Export Bureau, Québec Forest Industry Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airport,
Vegas, Nev. Presented by the National Council, Maritime Lumber Bureau (MLB), Kelowna, B.C. Visit optisaw.com.
Association of Home Builders. Visit www. and Ontario Forest Industries Associa-
buildersshow.com. tion. Visit www.montrealwoodconven- send your events
Jan. 23: Mapping the Course: Timber- tion.com/en/.
lands, Forest Products Processing, and Mar. 24-26: International Mass Timber Please send any forestry-related events and news
Fibre Issues 2020, Heathman Lodge, by visiting the “Events, Post Events” section
at www.RuralLife.ca.

advertise Here’s how!
with us today!
Phone: (902) 354-5411
Toll free: 1-877-354-3764 or email
[email protected]

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 17

Tracy and David Kirkpatrick, of Lo-Hi Christmas Tree Farm in Hoyt, N.B., with their daughter Daisy. They say business at their U-cut
operation has been increasing every year, with many customers coming from Saint John and Fredericton. (George Fullerton photos)

Great trees and good cheer

Lo-Hi U-cut offers families outdoor fun, Christmas spirit

by George Fullerton old-fashioned way.
Lo-Hi Christmas Tree Farm, in Hoyt, N.B., generates a lot The tree operation was started by David’s father, Wayne,
of big smiles. David Kirkpatrick and his wife, Tracy, open and his grandfather Ross, on family land that also supported
their U-cut operation on the first weekend after Remembrance logging, dairy, and beef farming. Initially, they grew Christmas
Day, and in the lead-up to the holidays they welcome many trees to supply the local market around Hoyt. David and Tracy
families who enjoy the outdoor experience of visiting the lot have expanded production to nearly 80 acres, and they now
and choosing their own tree. market trees to sales lots in Oromocto, Saint John, and other
“It seems to double about every year,” says David. “We communities across southwestern New Brunswick. They also
have customers come from Saint John, Fredericton, and even send truckloads to buyers in the western provinces and in New
Nackawic – and lots of points in between.” England.
During those weekends in the pre-Christmas season, David The Kirkpatricks were encouraged to start a U-cut after a
keeps busy with his compact tractor and trailer, transporting local grower died and his operation eventually closed. They
trees to the parking lot for excited kids and parents. He offers have found that they gain many new customers through word-
to cut the chosen trees with his chainsaw, but bow saws are of-mouth, when people tell their friends how enjoyable the
made available for customers who want to harvest theirs the experience was. The only advertising done by Lo-Hi is their

PAGE 18 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

Facebook page, which features lots of photos and video of Shearing is also done with an eye to variety rather than
Christmas trees, from planting through to harvest. The page uniformity. Some trees are allowed to grow wide and bushy,
also promotes produce from the Kirkpatrick farm, including and some are kept tighter. “It seems that a lot of people are
fresh eggs and vegetables, beef, chicken, and pork. moving toward narrower trees, which may be because their
“With a good social media presence, we can reach 10,000 living rooms are containing more furniture,” remarks David.
potential customers very easily, and it generates a good deal “Taste in Christmas trees is funny. A hundred people will walk
of traffic to our operations,” says David. by a particular tree which I might consider not very attractive,
In addition to Christmas trees, the U-cut operation has a and then the 101st person comes along, and it is the best tree
wide variety of seasonal decorations for sale, displayed in the they have ever seen, and away it goes.”
heated garage. There are various sizes of wreaths, supplied by He has found that talking to other people in the industry is a
a greenery operation based in St. George, plus various items great way to pick up tips and innovative management practices.
made by David and Tracy. “Hosting or attending Christmas tree producer field days is al-
“We saw decorated snowshoes somewhere, and figured ways a positive experience for me,” he says. “Other producers
we would try and see if there was a market for them,” David are always willing to share their knowledge and experience.”
says. “They became pretty popular, so we bought a bunch of Lo-Hi hires local labourers to help out with shearing, butt
snowshoes online, and we sell quite a few.” pruning, and other tending tasks in the summer, as well for
Also on offer are “mini-trees” – a project attributed to the harvesting, baling, and shipping work in the fall. David has an
Kirkpatricks’ young daughter, Daisy. These comprise a small off-farm job with NB Power, so it’s a lot to juggle. He credits
shoot of Balsam fir or pine, mounted in a disc sawn from a his wife for being a good boss, and for having exceptional
small-diameter tree, with a decoration added. They have be- time-management skills.
come popular “secret Santa” gifts, since they fit nicely on a “Tracy works at all aspects of our Christmas tree operation,
desk or table, adding some festive ambiance to the workplace. including the U-cut,” he says. “In the summer she works with
Occasionally, Daisy and one of her parents will go on the road the trees and, in particular, handles a lot of the grass mowing.”
with her mini-tree display, selling her wares at Christmas craft It’s not surprising that, as Christmas approaches, many repeat
sales and other community events. customers come to the Lo-Hi U-cut lot, where – in addition
At the U-cut lot, which is close to their home on the Boyne to getting a high-quality tree – they have the opportunity to

Among the sideline offerings at Lo-Hi Christmas Tree Farm, Christmas decorations offered for sale in the heated garage,
“mini-trees” – comprising a small shoot of Balsam fir or pine, including wreaths of various sizes, and snowshoes festooned
mounted in a disc sawn from a small-diameter tree – have been with red bows.
popular, often purchased as “secret Santa” gifts.
see this close-knit family in action, enjoying their work and
Road, the Kirkpatricks’ management approach is aimed at making other families happy.
offering customers lots of choice. “We ensure that the trees (Freelance writer George Fullerton lives in Long Reach, N.B.,
are diverse in age and size,” says David. “When we see a tree and is a frequent contributor to Rural Delivery, Atlantic Beef
approaching market size within three years or so, we plant a & Sheep, Atlantic Horse & Pony, Atlantic Forestry Review,
seedling on either side of it, so that when it is cut there are a and your Local
couple of small trees well established and ready to take up the
space of the harvested tree.” PAGE 19

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW

Road hazard

Warmer winters, heavier rains – will your woods roads hold up?

by Mark Partington unblocking culverts – are easy wins. Higher-impact hard strate-
Forest roads are a critical component of Atlantic Canada’s gies – such as implementing winter haul premiums or upgrading
road foundations – require more capital and long-term invest-
asset network, supporting industry, communities, recreational ment.
activities, and tourism. The changes in climate that we have
been experiencing in recent years are forecast to continue, with As we move ahead with upgrading our forest road infrastruc-
an increase in the intensity, duration, and frequency of severe ture and implementing adaptation practices, we position our
weather events. In other words, we can expect that damaging roads to become more resilient, thereby creating the capacity
storms, exceeding what our roads can handle, will occur more to withstand disruption and disturbance. The objective here is
often, will be stronger, and will last longer – not to mention not to create infrastructure that is resistant to all hazards, but to
the more gradual changes that will also occur, such as warmer create infrastructure that has the capacity to respond and adapt
winters and drier summers. These changes are expected to have to climate change, while reducing the severity of damage.
significant impacts on forest road management, such as restric-
tions on seasonal transportation schedules, increased demands VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
on water crossing infrastructure, and decreased ability to utilize Before we implement any adaptation practices, we need to
winter (frozen) roads. think about four main questions:
1) Are new problems or challenges occurring, as compared to
Adapting our forest roads to these changes provides an op- historical practices?
portunity to minimize negative impacts and reduce the vulner- 2) What types of infrastructure do we have in our road network?
ability of the infrastructure. Structural changes (direct, physical 3) What types of weather events are occurring, or are forecast
changes to infrastructure) can occur in the short to near term, to occur, that may cause problems?
while operational changes (policies and procedures) typically 4) What practices or tools are available that will be effective in
take longer to implement. creating resilient forest roads?
An important initial step in this process is performing a
Adaptation practices do not necessarily require significant vulnerability assessment, to identify the probability of certain
changes or costs in order to be successful. Soft strategies – such
as upgrading rip-rap at water crossings, cleaning ditches, and ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW NOVEmbER 2019

PAGE 20

weather events occurring, and the potential consequences for infrastructure. Many road management plans do not even in-
forest road infrastructure. We can then build a risk and vulner- dicate where various infrastructure exists in the road network,
ability profile, highlighting the specific weather events that let alone the condition and performance of the infrastructure.
generate risks to specific types of infrastructure. This will allow Having an asset management plan can significantly improve
us to focus appropriate resources and attention, so we can get the ability to achieve resiliency for a road network.
the best bang for our buck – which is critical, given the limited Rainstorm events
time and financial resources available for road upgrades. As may be expected, precipitation, in the form of rain, is the
Differentframeworksareavailableforperformingvulnerabil- most critical climatic factor presenting risks to infrastructure.
ity assessments, but a common approach in Canada is the PIEVC In Atlantic Canada, annual precipitation is forecast to increase
(Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee) by five percent by the 2040s, relative to the 1986-2005 aver-
protocol (www.pievc.ca), which provides a step-by-step process age. It is not the total annual precipitation that is anticipated to
and recommendations on the appropriate information, resources, have a significant impact on forest road management, but how
and reporting factors. FPInnovations has used this protocol in the precipitation occurs – in shorter-duration, higher-intensity
three case studies in British Columbia, and our researchers are events, i.e., storms.
currently working on a report to provide recommendations on The average amount of 24-hour extreme precipitation that
how to apply this approach to forest roads throughout Canada. occurs as 1-in-50-year events (two percent chance of occurring
in any given year) in Atlantic Canada is projected to increase
CHALLENGES AND DEFICIENCIES by as much as 14 percent by the 2040s. These storm events can
The case studies highlighted some common challenges and have significant impacts on the ability of culverts, bridges, and
deficiencies with respect to the management of forest roads: ditches to handle water flows. Predictable outcomes include
Inventory and performance of infrastructure washouts and road prism erosion. Today’s infrastructure, de-
Unfortunately, the old adage “You cannot manage what you signed on the basis of historical climate data, will not be able to
cannot measure” reflects the general state of forest road infra- withstand the flows and debris generated by forecast increases
structure inventories, performance conditions, and historical in storm intensity and duration.
maintenance in much of Canada. The lack of accurate inventory Transportation planning
of common road assets – such as water crossings (culverts and Warming temperatures in winter and spring may play havoc
bridges), cross drains, and signage – is often a serious barrier with the ability to use forest roads, as well as municipal and
to understanding the risks that climate change might pose to

Roads lacking aggregate, or with fine-grained soils, may not be trafficable in wet, non-frozen conditions. Additional aggregate or the
use of geosynthetics may be required, to ensure access as warmer, wetter weather becomes more common. (FPInnovations photos)

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 21

With more extreme rainfall events expected in years to come, short-span bridges may ges can be expected to bring important
be preferable to culverts, to ensure the resiliency of road networks. changes to forest operational planning. It
will be necessary to adapt our planning,
highway infrastructure. The warming spring road closures or load restriction construction, and maintenance practices;
temperatures forecast for all seasons, periods may occur 14 days earlier by the the status quo will not be compatible
especially winter, are expected to signifi- 2050s. If this prediction holds true, and with productive, sustainable forest oper-
cantly limit our ability to use the forest if it is an indication of trends in other ations management. Regardless of the
road network – if these roads continue regions, transportation and harvesting extent of climate change, implementing
to be constructed and maintained only operations planning will be significantly adaptation measures will create better-
to meet current needs. Roads constructed impacted. performing road networks.
under the assumption that haul operations The effects of a changing climate – On a positive note, many of the
will occur in frozen conditions will need warming temperatures, and changes in necessary actions (ditch and culvert
to be upgraded, to provide for reliable precipitation patterns – can be expected maintenance, effective erosion con-
transportation in the years to come. to be significant for forest road manage- trol, etc.) are already considered best
Based on FPInnovations’ case studies ment. In addition to presenting critical practices for forest road management.
in British Columbia, it is estimated that risks to road infrastructure, these chan- However, we need to ensure that they
are applied effectively and efficiently.
Once this is done, we can focus on the
long-term, proactive strategies that are
key to developing a reliable, resilient
forest road network.
(Mark Partington is a senior researcher
in transportation and infrastructure with
FPInnovations, based in Pointe-Claire,
Québec.)

PAGE 22 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 23

Down to the wire

Getting vertically integrated in the Christmas wreath business

by George Fullerton Scott Bell, a UNB forest engineering gradu- decision to stay at home with their new-
Scott and Martha Bell got into the ate, worked in the logging business for the born son, Scott encouraged her to hire a
metal business by way of the Christmas first part of his career, before joining his few workers and establish a small wreath
wreath business. At Bell Wire Products wife, Martha, in the operation of Bell Wire business.
Ltd., their 18,000-square-foot facility in Products Ltd. (George Fullerton photos) In the first year, Martha employed half
Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., they produce were married, Martha was introduced to a dozen local people, and produced about
wreath frames destined for customers wreath-making at a workshop delivered 7,000 wreaths – enough for a tractor-
across the country. By the end of Septem- by the provincial forest extension service. trailer load. The following year, she took
ber they typically have about 1.2 million She started out making about 100 wreaths on a few more helpers, and produced
units in stock, and by mid-November the for family and friends each year, plus a 27,000 wreaths. In the third year, her 14
entire inventory will have been shipped. few to sell locally. When she made the workers made 47,000 wreaths.
Martha grew up on a small farm at
Summerfield, just north of Centreville, EXPANSION
in the heart of New Brunswick’s potato Initially, production took place in
belt. After graduating from high school the basement of the couple’s home. “It
in 1975, she took a job in the office at the was not a very efficient facility,” recalls
Flemming-Gibson sawmill in Stickney. Martha. “We had to carry all the tips
While working there she met her future down into the basement, and then carry
husband, Scott Bell, grandson of S.W. the finished wreaths back up out of the
Bell (founder of the mill and other busi- basement to outside storage. It was very
nesses around Carleton County). Scott labour intensive.”
had completed his forest engineering de- Eventually, the operation moved into
gree at the University of New Brunswick, the garage, and then the garage was ex-
and was working for Fraser in logging panded to five bays, to accommodate a
supervision and road construction oper- growing vintage car collection as well as
ations in the northwest of the province. the seasonal wreath business. The Bells
Some 10 years later, after the couple began buying Christmas trees from grow-

At the 18,000-square-foot facility in Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., some 1.2 million wreath wires are in stock by the end of September,
and by mid-November the entire inventory will have been shipped.

PAGE 24 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

ers in the region, adding trees to their loads into receivership in 1998, the Bells pur- 45 was reduced to 10 employees.
of wreaths, and they also started growing chased the building and equipment from Running Bell Wire Products Ltd., in
their own Christmas trees, developing a the receiver. “It was kind of outside of addition to the wreath making operation,
30-acre operation. our type of business,” says Martha, “but Martha decided she needed additional
As the wreath business expanded, management talent, so she proposed
Martha set up several satellite production Martha Bell oversees a workshop where that Scott make a career change. He had
shops, mainly in Carleton and Victoria 33 employees produced more than 35,000 been downsized from Fraser in 1997, and
counties – each sourcing Balsam fir tips Christmas wreaths last year, during a was employed with a large-scale harvest
from local harvesters, and employing lo- season that runs from Oct. 23 to around contractor.
cal wreath makers on a piece-work basis. Dec. 7. “Eventually Scotty agreed to come
By 1995, she had as many as 70 people we submitted a bid, and it was accepted, to work, but he stated he had certain
working at six locations, producing some and then we were suddenly in the wreath conditions for employment,” Martha
100,000 wreaths annually. frame business.” says, with a smile. “First, he was not
“Managing those shops required me As they assumed management of the involved in sales; second, he would not
to be on the road a lot,” she says. “It gets wire shop, the Bells scaled back produc- attend meetings; and third, he required
very busy, controlling the quality of the tion, and the former staff complement of homemade donuts every day. I agreed
tips and making payments, and I also to his conditions, and he has been an
had to watch the quality of the wreaths, exceptional worker.”
and make payments to individual wreath Currently,BellWirehasthreefull-time
makers.” workers. One of the important players is
Martha also had to coordinate the sizes Chris Martin, a longtime employee who
of wreaths being made, and the loading of has the key attributes of versatility and
trailers at the various locations, to ensure flexibility. “He helps in the wire plant,
customers were receiving what they had as well as receiving and shipping prod-
ordered. Looking to simplify the business, ucts,” says Martha. “He also helps Scott
the couple purchased a six-acre property with Christmas tree work, harvesting
in Stickney, where they constructed a fuelwood and other wood products from
building specifically for wreath making. our woodlots. Chris also helps out at the
wreath shop and in the yard when it gets
MAKING FRAMES busy.”
When Canada East Manufacturing While Bell Wire’s main focus is pro-
Inc., a local wreath frame operation, went ducing Christmas wreath rings – ranging

Welding wire segments on a jig for a large wreath frame. Bell Wire Products makes wreath rings in sizes ranging from 10-inch to
84-inch, and also produces a variety of wire baskets and frames for garden, floral, and horticulture markets, as well as freezer baskets
and other wire products.

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 25

from 10-inch to 84-inch – the operation Scott Bell at work in the wire shop, where says Martha. “Last year, my highest-
also produces a variety of wire baskets he also rebuilds wreath-making machines. production wreath maker grossed over
and frames for garden, floral, and but they have kids to get on and off the $5,000, which is pretty good income for
horticulture markets, as well as freezer school bus. I say to them, ‘Put your kids a short season.”
baskets and other products. Scott also on the bus and come in to work, and The Bells hire wreath makers from
uses the shop to rebuild and market leave at 3 to meet the kids off the bus.’ all over Carleton and Victoria counties,
wreath-making machines. Part-time works fine for wreath making,” from Woodstock to Perth-Andover.
As for the wreath shop, last year Martha tries to make the shop a pleas-
it employed 33 workers – including ant workplace, and will even bring a
six full-timers – and produced more casserole to serve as a midday meal for
than 35,000 wreaths. Martha says the the crew.
centralized production facility makes “It means the wreath makers don’t
it easier to manage the purchase of tips have to go get lunch, and we have some
from independent harvesters. For the social time,” she says. “We also play
sake of quality control – with respect radio bingo on Wednesday nights, which
to purchased foliage as well as finished gives the workers a break and some fun.
products – she considers it important to The best wreath makers can work on
be present in the shop. their wreaths and their bingo cards at
Christmas wreaths are a fresh prod- the same time.”
uct, and the production season is brief (Freelance writer George Fullerton lives
– beginning Oct. 23 and ending around in Long Reach, N.B., and is a frequent
Dec. 7 – but for many local people, it’s contributor to Rural Delivery, Atlantic
a good job. Beef & Sheep, Atlantic Horse & Pony,
“It is not unusual that I will talk with Atlantic Forestry Review, and your
someone about coming to work for us, Local.)
and they will say they would like to work

Martha and Scott Bell began buying Christmas trees from local growers, to add to their wreath shipments, and later they developed
their own 30-acre tree lot.

PAGE 26 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

Choosing a good route for a forestry access road – avoiding slopes and wet ground – is the first step.
(Marshall Bateman photo)

Woods roads 101

In design, construction, and maintenance, it’s all about drainage

by Kyle Werner maintenance requirements over the long term.
I have had the opportunity to build and maintain resource
roads all across New Brunswick, at locations with various soil CHOOSING A ROUTE
conditions. One of the first things I learned is that, regardless If you are building a new road from scratch (for example, to
of site conditions, roads and water do not mix. This may seem access standing timber), you have a great opportunity to choose
like common sense, but it is where most people fail. It is by an optimal route. Those of us who do road maintenance work
far the most important lesson in constructing a successful can probably think of a few roads that should never have been
road – a road that will stand the test of time. built in a certain location. These roads will end up needing
One of the critical variables is the type of aggregate used to annual maintenance until the appropriate high-cost upgrades
construct a road. In most forestry operations, in-situ materials are have been completed. Best of luck with this!
used, due to the high cost of bringing in high-quality aggregate. Whenever I am teaching courses on this topic, and talking
If you are in good rocky ground with well drained soils, then to others who work in the business, I feel better about my own
you are in luck! However, this isn’t always the case. maintenance problems, because I realize that most of us are in
Forest roads built with poor materials – i.e., rocks mixed the same situation; we have too many road problems to fix, and
with gravel and a certain amount of clay – will be susceptible not enough money or resources, which means our maintenance
to holding water, which will likely cause failure to the subgrade plans are merely reactive, based on managing risk. When we
and the surface. Such roads will give you plenty of problems have the opportunity to choose where a road will be located,
during the wet months, and when the frost rears its ugly head we have the ability to reduce the maintenance costs drastically.
in spring. To minimize damage, they should only be used in Obviously, the objective is to choose the shortest route to
the dry summer months. your destination, while avoiding problems along the way. Choos-
If you need an all-season, all-weather road, the only solution ing a longer route that avoids trouble will reduce construction
is to excavate all of the subgrade and start over with a good costs as well as maintenance costs. If you investigate, you can
base. Using suitable materials, and avoiding wet areas, will usually find information about your ground before any earth
go a long way in ensuring the road holds up, with minimal moving begins. I recommend water table maps, in conjunction

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 27

If the site does not offer good materials, you may have to choose
between spending more to bring in suitable aggregate, or living Sufficient and properly built cross culverts are essential, to allow
with a road that is only operable in dry conditions. water to pass from one side of the road to the other.
(Marshall Bateman photo) (Kyle Werner photo)

with good topographical maps – showing contours, existing regulatory requirements, design factors, and best practices.
roads, streams, etc. These will give you substantial and relevant The Department of Environment for each province certifies
knowledge about the site. participants to design and install various types of culverts and
While I was working for J.D. Irving, road placement was a bridges. The two biggest factors are the structure’s capacity to
very simple exercise. Aside from considerations such as avoiding pass water during extreme high-water events, and its suitability
property boundaries and protected areas, the objective was to for allowing fish to pass, throughout the structure’s lifespan.
find the shortest distance, while avoiding slopes and avoiding
water at or near the surface. SURFACE WATER
Here in Atlantic Canada, you can choose any point on a map, Once you have cut the right-of-way, removed the timber, and
and it will be apparent that you cannot move very far in any grubbed the stumps and organic soils, you are nearly ready to
direction without crossing a watercourse or wet area. When a start building your road – but there is more. First, you need to
crossing is necessary, keep it as close to perpendicular to the think about moving and controlling surface water. This is what
watercourse as possible, while trying to stay on high ground. I like to call your “surface water management plan,” or your
Once a route is mapped out, it needs to be confirmed on the “surface water transportation system.” Every successful road
ground. Today’s mapping technology is incredible; about 95 needs one.
percent of the time, my ground layouts end up being within a The objective is to allow water to move where it would natu-
metre of the route I mapped. Generally, I only consider chang- rally go if the road did not exist. You see, a road is essentially
ing the route if it becomes clear, after I have seen the site, that a dam – an elevated horizontal feature that acts as a barrier to
there is a better location to cross a watercourse. drainage. This means that water is going to collect at the edges
Iwillnotgettoodeepintothesubjectofwatercoursecrossings, of your road every time it rains. This is where your surface
because it is a highly technical and highly regulated activity. In water transportation plan comes into play. It will involve four
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, you can take a Watercourse basic mechanisms, built in conjunction with the road, to allow
Alteration Certification course (no prerequisite), which covers water to move down slopes:

Road maintenance tips

The grader is a vastly underutilized piece of heavy equipment on forestry operations. For gravel roads, regular grading
is the cornerstone of good maintenance. Some people grade their roads on a semi-regular basis, but do not do it properly.
Grading should maintain the horizontal profile and the crown of your road. It is all too common to see graders flatten out a
road over time, making it wider, and blocking off proper drainage. This is an absolute travesty, because it will end up keeping
water on your road surface, and then vehicles travelling the road will create deep potholes in the surface. If this worsens,
extensive repair and rebuilding will be required.
A good road requires vertical separation between the ditch and the driving surface, with a camber to direct runoff water
to the ditch. It is the grader’s job to maintain this. All gravel road surfaces are going to wear over time, due to traffic and
weather. If grading is done frequently and properly, it can make a significant difference in maintaining a high-quality road
surface for many years.
Finally, inspect your roads! Look for ways to conduct preventative maintenance. Oftentimes you can fix a problem – such
as culvert blockages or flooding due to beaver activity – before serious damage has been done, which is much better than
waiting until it is a large problem requiring expensive repairs.

PAGE 28 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

An off-take blocks the ditch and diverts drainage away from the road. The objective is to prevent water from gaining volume or
velocity. (Kyle Werner photo)

Road crowning – Allows surface water (precipitation) to drain with the Maritime College of Forest Technology, delivering the
perpendicular to the road, directly into the ditch, as opposed to Watercourse Alteration Certification Training course.)
running down the road. You never want water sitting on the road
surface. The more quickly it can drain into the ditch, the better. Top five culvert problems
Ditches – Keeps the approaching surface water away from the
road, while moving it down gradient to the nearest off-take or 1. Poor material
cross culvert. 2. Poor compaction
Off-takes – Most effective and cost-efficient way to direct water 3. Not enough cover
away from the road and the ditch as it moves down slope. These 4. Under-sized (diameter or length)
structures block the ditch, and divert water away at approximately 5. Improper placement
45 degrees, back into vegetation.
Cross culverts – Where sloping terrain makes it impossible to If the weight of a logging truck were placed directly on a
build an off-take on one side of the road, a cross culvert moves plastic (HDPE) or corrugated steel (CSP) culvert, the culvert
water to the other side. would be crushed immediately. However, if you use good
When building these structures, there are a couple of golden aggregate and proper compaction, you can drive over a
rules. First, remember that you cannot make water go uphill. culvert for 50 to 100 years with no issues. Many people
Don’t fight it, because you will lose. Instead, use gravity to your spend more on the culvert than they do on the aggregate.
advantage. Water wants to move downhill, and your strategy is They would be better off doing the opposite, because it
to move it away from your road as quickly as it arrives. After is the strength of the aggregate that keeps the culvert
a rain event, your road and ditches should be free of standing structurally sound and maintenance-free.
water. If slope is forcing water across or onto your road, then Cross culverts often need to be replaced after being
install a cross culvert. hooked by a grader blade, because there was little or no
Secondly, never allow water to gain volume or velocity. Do cover material. It costs money to bring in more aggregate
not let water run all of the way down your ditch, gaining de- to put the proper lift over a culvert and taper it off appro-
structive energy along the way. Reduce its volume and velocity priately – but it is better to make this investment up front,
by placing more off-takes or cross culverts on steeper grades. rather than paying for ongoing yearly maintenance or having
If you skimp on these structures, your road will show signs of to replace the structure prematurely.
damage, and it will ultimately fail. Many culverts fail because they are undersized – either
too small in diameter, or too short. On forest roads, I never
(After obtaining a forestry degree from the University of New use cross culverts less than 45 centimetres (18 inches) in
Brunswick in 2007, Kyle Werner was employed with J.D. Irving, diameter, and would always recommend at least 60 cen-
Limited, as a project supervisor, managing forestry roads and timetres (24 inches). Anything smaller increases the risk
maintenance. He then took a road maintenance position with of the culvert being plugged by debris, or not being able
the Department of National Defence, at Canadian Forces Base to drain fast enough during heavy rainfall – which can put
Gagetown, where he now holds the position of Ranges and water over the top of your road.
Training Area Senior Project Manager, looking after all mainte- Culvert inlets and outlets are often located too close to
nance activities. Since 2010, he has also worked as an instructor the road’s edge. This makes it extremely difficult to grade
the road, often resulting in good material leaving the road
and plugging the culvert. Short culverts also create an
unsafe road edge, because there is no foreslope. It costs
more money to use longer culverts, but it helps to prevent
premature failure.

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 29

“Training the Hand”

Woodworking courses offer skills and solace for veterans

by George Fullerton inner calm that can be achieved through many woodworking enthusiasts lacked
It is a wonderful experience to watch devotion to craftsmanship. certain skills in the use and sharpening
Rob Cosman measure, mark out, and “I am very comfortable communi- of tools. He started offering workshops,
then saw and fit a dovetail. cating with people about how to use and became a popular instructor. For a
It is similarly illuminating to open hand tools to transform wood into fine six-year period in the 2000s, he was on
and close a drawer in a piece of furniture products,” he says, as he shows off his the road about six months of the year,
built by Cosman, who contends there shop and classroom in Grand Bay, N.B. presenting courses in cities across North
is no need for rail or slide hardware if Cosman grew up in this commu- America. Later, he began producing
the wooden components are properly nity, then attended college in Utah, and marketing woodworking videos, on
constructed. The smooth motion of the and went on to establish himself in
drawer speaks of incredible precision. the woodworking business, producing
Yet Cosman appears relaxed when high-quality furniture and cabinetry.
he is at work – entirely in his element, This led to an association with a tool
and confident in his abilities. He has manufacturer, which required him to
made a name for himself not only as a attend major woodworking shows across
woodworker and a tool maker, but as a North America.
teacher – sharing his skills and knowl- Through his contact with attendees at
edge, and also the sense of focus and the these events, he came to understand that

Rob Cosman (back row, centre) with one of his woodworking classes. Under his Purple Heart Project, half the spots in each session are
made available to sponsored veterans, many of whom find that learning this craft helps them manage the symptoms of Post-traumatic
stress disorder. (Contributed photo)

PAGE 30 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

DVD and on the internet. Rob Cosman, of Grand Bay, N.B., has built up to support the project, as have some
Cosman parlayed his teaching career a reputation as a woodworking instructor, individuals who share a concern for
into a tool manufacturing business, op- producing instructional videos and even those living with PTSD. Contributions
erating mainly out of his shop in Grand marketing his own line of hand tools. can be made through the robcosman.
Bay. He produces a line of bench saws His work with veterans has added a new com website.
– with Japanese-made blades and custom dimension to his career. “My woodworking courses turn out
handles that are available in birds-eye (George Fullerton photo) to be a very emotional event for the ci-
maple or curly figured wood – and vari- A full scholarship, valued at $3,500, vilians, the vets, myself, and our staff,”
ous other “Cosmanized” tools. includes airfare, motel, and meals – and Cosman says. “I endeavour to have at-
Another offshoot of Cosman’s work- participating veterans also receive a tendees introduce themselves to the class
shops is the Purple Heart Project, which package of tools. Some businesses asso- and share something about themselves.
is directed at veterans suffering from ciated with woodworking have stepped Consistently, the civilians are the first
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). to introduce themselves. Eventually, the
The idea developed in 2015 when he met vets begin to open up, and it gets highly
a veteran who, after sustaining combat emotional to hear their stories, and it is
injuries from an improvised explosive not unusual for there to be tears right
device, reported that woodworking, across the room.”
using traditional hand tools, became a Cosman derives considerable sat-
valuable form of mental and physical isfaction from being able to share the
therapy. pleasures of his craft, while helping
Cosman began seeking sponsorship people who face personal struggles.
for vets to attend his courses. He cur- “Woodworking provides a set of skills
rently offers week-long “Training the that allows an injured vet to focus on an
Hand” workshops, and also two-week activity,” he says, “which removes them
courses, with half of the 14 spots in each somewhat from their injuries, and is a
session reserved for injured veterans. step toward recovery.”

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 31

An adaptive management framework requires that forest engineers interpret data and make the required adjustments to prescrip-
tions as the climate changes. Measuring results of past and current forest operations will be crucial in order to make the required
changes. (Northern Hardwoods Research Institute photos)

The time for adaptive management has come

What can we do now to ensure our forests thrive in a changing climate?

by Gaetan Pelletier and Joey Volpé additional growing-degree days, and how many freeze-thaw
The climate has always changed, but the changes that we days. These are all critical for tree production. These factors
are seeing today are largely driven by human activity. We are impact vegetative communities, and the incidence of wildfire,
experiencing increases in temperature, changes in precipitation disease, insect infestation, invasive species, etc. (It is already
levels, changes in drought periods, and also changes in the projected that some forest pests will migrate northwards because
frequency and duration of extreme weather events. Although of higher wintertime temperatures.)
climatologists predict the weather will be warmer and wetter According to the International Panel on Climate Change,
on average, it’s more complicated than that. We can witness under the more likely business-as-usual scenario, where
periods of heavy precipitation, and periods of drought, for humanity continues to emit greenhouse gases at the current
example. rate, we can expect a one-degree C increase in average annual
The difficulty in dealing with climate change is the degree temperature per decade. By the end of this century, we could
of resolution we need to make changes. Forest managers want be experiencing a climate like that of Virginia today. Great
to know how many days of drought there will be, how many news! We can contact the tree nurseries down there, order

PAGE 32 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

Sugar maple will be particularly affected by climate change, as its niche
is taken over by species such as American beech.

Although there is much uncertainty about the interactions among the
many factors influenced by climate change, species such as Black walnut
may eventually expand northward.

Black cherry, Black walnut, and Loblolly pine, and we’re all keep increasing. If we adapt right away, and improve our
set, right? Absolutely not – at least, not yet; the late spring frost practices, we may be able to minimize the negative impacts
would likely kill the new recruits. on our forests and on our society. The call for action is now,
It is certain, however, that we will witness a number of and the framework to use is adaptive silviculture and forest
impacts – both in the forest itself, and in the forestry sector – management.
resulting from climate change. A case in point is spruce, the
backbone of the industry today. According to Dr. Jean-Martin READJUST TARGETS
Lussier, a silviculture and forest productivity researcher at The main obstacle to adaptation is that humans are inclined
NRCan’s Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, it will likely be more to preserve what we have; we get comfortable with the status
difficult to produce spruce. quo. The first step is to recognize that changes are happening,
If the drought issues aren’t so bad – if we have more heat and and that it is imperative to make adjustments. The recom-
adequate water levels – we may have an interesting opportunity. mended approach is adaptive management. In the face of an
In the very short term, it is conceivable that forest productiv- uncertain future, it is necessary to act with the knowledge we
ity could increase. But there are unanswered questions about have, measure the outcomes, and readjust our targets frequently.
what types of management will allow our industries and our This approach also calls for revisiting the products we currently
biodiversity and our forest-dependent communities to adapt. generate, and determining whether shifts are required in the
Climate change could be beneficial up to a certain point – for short term, the mid-term, and the long term.
some species, in some stands – but the trajectory is not linear. Adaptive management involves four basic steps. First,
For most tree species, there might be a period of opportun- using the best available knowledge, decide on the change
ities followed by a period of threat, as average temperatures that is needed to mitigate negative effects that threaten your

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 33

management objectives. Secondly, implement the strategy, and current industrial infrastructure will not be sustainable.
decide on the performance indicators to be used in evaluating 2) Increase resistance to stress
the results. Third, measure attainment towards the objectives, Healthy and vigorous trees with good growth rates will
and evaluate effectiveness. Finally, adjust accordingly and withstand cumulative stress better than those already compet-
re-start the process. ing for resources. If we want to improve resistance to drought,
Adaptation measures in our forests must be undertaken at the the simplest method is to thin at different times in the lifecycle
local scale. Province-wide predictions of change are rarely use- of the stand, reducing competition for key resources. Crowns
ful for practitioners. For example, increases in temperature and develop more fully, enabling the tree to more effectively trans-
periods of drought can be beneficial on sites that are currently form CO2 into carbon through photosynthesis. Having fewer
wet, but detrimental on exposed sites with coarse-textured soils. trees on one micro-site also reduces competition for water.
Thinned stands will also reach economic maturity sooner,
Oaks are likely to become more prominent in the forests of Nova allowing for subsequent adaptation silviculture earlier in the
Scotia and south-central New Brunswick. rotation, to further reduce risk. This practice is well suited to
When it comes to adapting our forest management to reduce most tree species.
the negative impacts of climate change, we can consider four 3) Promote resilient stands
main approaches or pathways – apart from the “do nothing” Resilienceisthecapacityofanecosystemtoreturntoitsinitial
scenario. The first option is a rather passive approach, consisting state after being disturbed. For example, we can make a forest
of gradually shifting our focus from the current commercial resilient to Spruce budworm outbreaks by promoting healthy
species, and – through iterations and many cycles – favouring cohorts of softwood and mixed species. The insect primarily
species that adjust best to the new conditions. The second op- attacks mature trees, thus allowing the existing regeneration to
tion is to improve our forests’ resistance to negative impacts. grow back more quickly. The forest will therefore return to its
The third alternative is to improve our forests’ resilience, with mature state more quickly than without the younger cohort. We
respect to current and future changes. The final option consists can implement this approach by adopting silviculture regimes
of facilitating the transition of our forests to a new state. that encourage regeneration – such as shelterwood systems,
1) Passive adaptation irregular shelterwood systems, and uneven-aged management.
Passive adaptation – letting nature dictate what species assem- 4) Active transition
blage results from the effects of a changing climate – demands The fourth option – the most radical, costly, and risky – is
fewer resources than the other approaches, and is less prone to to transition the forest to a state that is much less prone to
failure. However, this is the strategy that may impact our current the negative impacts of climate change. What we are talking
society the most. Species such as hemlock and pines will likely about here is “assisted migration” – introducing new species
encroach on the niche currently occupied by fir and spruce. As that are better adapted to the new conditions. It requires the
for our hardwood species, Sugar maple and Yellow birch will knowledge of what tree species, or different genotypes of
be the clear losers, making way for species such as American those species, we should be moving northward to somewhat
beech and Red maple. These replacement species, although more warmer climates. This approach is best suited where artificial
resilient, are far less interesting economically, which means our regeneration is common practice, and where strong genetics
research programs are in place. It is less useful where regenera-
PAGE 34 tion is mainly assured through partial harvesting, to promote
offspring of the trees already on site.
It is undeniable that our climate is changing, and that this
will affect the way we grow and manage our forests. Adaptive
management offers a good framework for getting us started
right away. As knowledge improves, society will have to ac-
cept changes in the types of forests we grow, and in the types
of wood products we generate for consumption.
(Gaetan Pelletier and Joey Volpé are, respectively, director and
manager of knowledge mobilization at the Northern Hardwoods
Research Institute in Edmundston, N.B. This article was inspired
by discussions and interviews with Jean-Martin Lussier and
Anthony Taylor, of Natural Resources Canada; Tom Beckley,
Charles Bourque, and Loïc D’Orangeville, of UNB; and Chris
Hennigar and Chris Norfolk, at the New Brunswick Department
of Energy and Resource Development.)

ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 35

Finding the sweet spot for Sugar maple

Canadian Woodlands Forum confronts hard questions about hardwoods

by David Palmer Sugar maples brighten the border of a spruce plantation in JDI’s
All along the hardwood ridges of northern New Brunswick, Black Brook holdings.
the Sugar maple shine and glimmer like Halloween lanterns.
On the forest floor, millions of tiny seedlings vie for light Energy, Resources and Development (ERD) – were eager to
and space. Even along the fringes of the decades-old spruce share their latest results, as well as a new operational harvest
plantations of JDI’s Black Brook holdings, the Sugar maple prescription guide.
and Yellow birch pop up like spring dandelions. To a southern It’s not every day you get all the experts on one stage, but that
boy accustomed to poplar, Balsam fir, and Red maple, it seems was the case at this gathering, which marked CWF’s centenary.
like an embarrassment of riches – the kind of regen some of Chris Norfolk, ERD’s director of forest planning and steward-
us would give our eye teeth for. ship, acted as moderator for the six-person panel addressing the
Yet Sugar maple struggles to break free of competition from effect of climate change on the forest. The panel consisted of
Witch hazel, Striped maple, Mountain maple, and beech – not Jean-Martin Lussier, research scientist with the Canadian Wood
to mention hard browsing from moose. Compared to growing Fibre Centre; Anthony Taylor, forest ecologist at the Atlantic
softwoods, getting good quality hardwoods to merchantable size Forestry Centre; Charles Bourque, professor in UNB’s Faculty
is challenging. At best, it is an inexact science. The Northern of Forestry and Environmental Management; Louise Comeau,
Hardwoods Research Institute (NHRI), based in Edmundston, a UNB research associate; Chris Hennigar, a forester with ERD;
N.B., is trying to change that, and their work was the focus of and Greg Adams, advisor with JDI Tree Improvement.
the Canadian Woodlands Forum (CWF) fall meeting, held Oct. Nobody disputed that climate change is coming. The future,
2-3 in the rich, foliage-cloaked hardwood hills of Campbellton. which appears to have already arrived, will be warmer and wet-
Along with the pasta, roast beef, and salmon served at ter, with more extreme events. “The winter harvest window is
the conference, the main agenda items to digest were how to narrowing,” stated Adams, “and culvert sizes have increased 20
grow quality hardwoods, and the effects of climate change. percent over the past five years.” In the mill-dependent com-
Researchers with the NHRI – along with their hardwood-using munities of Nackawic, Doaktown, and St. Quentin, a household
members (Acadia Timber, AV Group, JDI, and Groupe Savoie) survey indicated that many people are worried, and a majority (65
and partners Forest NB and the New Brunswick Department of percent) believe forestry jobs will be affected, reported Comeau.
AccordingtoTaylor,whoisaclimateforestmodeller,northern-
Pamela Hurley-Poitras, of the Northern Hardwoods Research adapted tree species like Balsam fir and Black and White spruce
Institute, shares block cutting instructions with participants on are on the threatened list, while Red maple and oak will likely
a field trip, held on the second day of the Canadian Woodlands prosper.
Forum fall meeting in Campbellton, N.B. (David Palmer photos)
ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019
PAGE 36

Left: Stéphanie LeBel-Landry, with the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute, discusses her work on hardwood regeneration.
Looking on is Marie-Andrée Giroux, K.C. Irving Research Chair in Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development at
l’Université de Moncton. Middle: Greg Adams, a forest researcher with J.D. Irving, Limited, recommended improved tree genetics
and reduced rotations, as key strategies for adapting to climate change. Right: “Select for more adaptive species when thinning, and
employ genotype-assisted adaptation,” advised Anthony Taylor, forest ecologist at the Atlantic Forestry Centre.

Norfolk posed a final question to the panel: “If you had one IN THE FIELD
or two simple pieces of advice for the folks on the ground, On day two – in bright, crisp fall weather – about 75 delegates
what would it be?” took part in the field session, a four-stop hardwood ramble
“Weed out fir, bring in more oak, promote Red maple for through the rolling hills southwest of Arthurette and east of the
quality,” said Hennigar. Upsalquitch River. As we arrived at our first stop, a surviving
“Select for more adaptive species when thinning, and employ moose couple obligingly ambled out onto the road in front of
genotype-assisted adaptation,” advised Taylor. the bus – the bull looking wound up by the crisp air at the peak
“Usegenetictreeimprovementtestedacrossaclimategradient, of rutting season, and the cow blindly following her mate.
and reduce rotations so as to reduce risk period,” said Adams. Our attention was directed to a low-quality, low-volume, two-
“Challenge your status-quo biases, and consider rebels and aged tolerant hardwood stand where 85 percent of the trees were
challengers as your best friends,” suggested Comeau. Sugar maple. Our large group was divided into five teams, which
Allgreatadvice,nodoubt,butasJean-MartinLussierreminded were assigned to individual trees that had been pre-selected and
everyone in the room, “It’s almost overwhelming how much we numbered for this process. Participants were asked to use the
don’t understand about what’s going to happen.” NHRI form and risk keys, which take into account various attri-

Gaetan Pelletier, executive director with the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute, offered an assessment of how this Yellow birch
stacks up in terms of form.

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 37

butes (sweep, lean, rot, crown vigour, forks, branches, burls, and in what seemed like a highly successful operation; where 80
other defects) to arrive at a classification of the tree’s anticipated percent of the trees had been low-quality Mountain maple,
quality and longevity. Then, along with other stand information Striped maple, and beech, now 90 percent were Sugar maple
such as species composition, basal area, and regeneration, the and Yellow birch. It certainly looked good at this point, but will
stem quality data are plugged into the prescription key – a step- it still be good 20 years hence?
by-step procedure leading to a recommended harvest.
The other side of the road, which was dominated by Sugar
Along the way, some critical questions must be answered: maple – with a secondary component of beech, and Mountain
• Is there adequate, advanced regeneration to establish a new maple already dying off – hadn’t been treated yet. Gaetan Pel-
high-quality stand if the overstory is removed? letier, executive director with the NHRI, is recommending that
• If not, how and when should the stand be harvested? (Most instead of the traditional systematic thinning, a crop-tree variant
logging operations are now carried out by low-impact harvesters be used, with the goal of releasing the best available crop trees
that hardly scuff the ground, presenting limited opportunities regardless of spacing – but with a target of 400-500 crop trees
to prepare a seed bed during harvesting.) per hectare.
• What is the ideal amount of canopy cover to retain, to promote
regeneration of the desired species (Sugar maple and Yellow The best crop trees are often intermediate, or co-dominant,
birch) and suppress the undesirable regen like beech? (The sweet meaning that surrounding cohorts of equal or greater dominance
spot for Sugar maple is 40-60 percent, while Yellow birch prefers must be removed. Non-competing trees growing close to or
a more open stand. Red maple is happy everywhere. Beech is under the canopy of the crop tree are left to prevent epicormic
the king of small gap openings, and doesn’t like full exposure.) branching, which is particularly prevalent in Yellow birch. The
• Are there enough good-quality seed trees in the stand to foster other advantage of crop-tree release is the treatment costs half
regeneration? (At least 20 per hectare are required.) of a regular thinning, freeing up limited silviculture money for
• If regeneration is adequate, what is the best harvest method to other work.
protect it? (Ideally the regen should be above two metres in height.)
In this stand, beech was prevalent, often larger than the Sugar
NOT CONVENTIONAL THINNING maple, and in most cases relatively healthy – another novelty
It’s tough growing a good hardwood crop, but let’s say that, for a southern forester. For beech like these we would build
despite all the challenges, we get lucky; the desired crop is es- a shrine. Pelletier, who caught me glancing covetously at the
tablished, quality trees are at the right height, and there is good beech, admitted that this species is his nemesis. “Beech belongs
stocking density. So now it’s time for a conventional thinning – or in a casket, not your wood basket,” he proclaimed.
is it?
NHRI assessed 35 hardwood and mixed-wood sites that had FOLLOWING THE PRESCRIPTION
been pre-commercially thinned during the last 10 to 20 years. We were running late (for lunch!), so we skipped the planned
They found that more than 60 percent of the stands were under- third stop and headed over to where A.L.P.A. Equipment was
stocked, and that almost all stands had less than 50 percent target showcasing their new Landrich 2.0 processor – on a block man-
species and less than 60 percent good-quality trees. aged by licensee AV Group (mills in Nackawic and Atholville) for
The second stop on the tour was a young, even-aged tolerant sub-licensee Groupe Savoie (hardwood sawmill at St. Quentin),
hardwood stand. One side of the road had already been thinned, under a pilot project agreement with NHRI. After a great meal
of coleslaw and mouth-watering pulled pork slathered onto ham-
burger buns by A.L.P.A. employees, we watched the machine at

revising hardwood inventory

New Brunswick’s hardwood AAC (annual allowable cut), currently at 1.9 million cubic metres, was expected to be adjusted
downward in 2022. However, recent data on softwood has revealed higher-than-anticipated growth rates, and the same may
be true for the province’s deciduous forest.

Chris Ward, assistant deputy minister of ERD, was dinner speaker at the CWF event, and he was asked about the status
of the hardwood resource. “The forecast is good,” he replied. He said the province previously “underestimated the future
availability of hardwood.” Soon-to-be-completed management plans, based on updated inventory, will reflect a more robust
supply situation.

Ward gave an overview of wood supply in New Brunswick, noting future opportunities and challenges – the kind of stuff
he thinks about every day. He said the volume from plantations, which comprise nearly 25 percent of the working forest, will
grow quickly and double in the next five years, and continue to grow after that. Immature and mature hardwood, the primary
concern of the NHRI, comprise 21 percent of the working forest, and Ward stated that the main challenge for this segment
of the forest is how to increase the proportion of Sugar maple.

meanwhile, Dr. Thom Erdle, from UNb, will be bringing his prodigious forecasting talents to bear on New brunswick’s
hardwoods, partnering with NHRI to get a better handle on tree growth – a sorely lacking gap in our knowledge. Come what
may, the resource has never received this much well-deserved attention.

PAGE 38 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW NOVEmbER 2019

Snacking on the PAGE 39
wrong tree

Moose take a terrible toll on
Sugar maple, preferring it to the
two non-commercial maple spe-
cies – Striped (Moose) maple and
Mountain maple. It’s exasperating to
think that humankind went to all the
trouble of nicknaming a tree after the
big vegetation-consuming ungulate,
only to have the critter pass up the
Moose maple in favour of our coveted
Sugar maple. In a perfect world, the
lordly moose would chomp happily
on the prolific Mountain and Moose
maples, and leave the good stuff
alone. However, browse studies
conducted by NHRI found that Yellow
birch, Red maple, and Sugar maple
were most favoured by moose, with
as much as 80 percent of the Sugar
maple on a site being browsed.

work and inspected a block that had been
cut that morning.
The stand was high-volume tolerant
hardwood growth with moderate saw-log
quality, dominated by Sugar maple (85
percent) and Yellow birch (11 percent),
rounded out with a smattering of Red
maple, White birch, and Balsam fir.
The prescription key had been applied,
and the objective was clear: to promote
a two-aged stand by removing “finan-
cially mature” trees (we used to call them
“money trees”), tending small trees, and
establishing a new cohort.
The cutting instructions were straight-
forward: protect quality saplings (< 10
cm); cut one of four small trees (10-22
cm); cut one of two medium trees (22-38
cm); cut one of two large trees (38-48
cm); and cut all large trees.
How well was the operator doing?
Well, some adjustments would have to
be made, but not bad considering this was
his first day cutting with the new machine
under the new harvest system.
How well is NHRI doing? They con-
cede that this is a work in progress, and
that some fine-tuning will be necessary,
especially in determining what is and
isn’t adequate regeneration. What the
process achieves is an objective, science-
based system that is relatively simple to
implement, removing the guesswork from
harvesting.

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW

Taking on the world – axe in hand

Tess Billings is blazing a trail for female lumberjack athletes in the Maritimes

by Jennifer Gouchie Tess Billings, from Fredericton, N.B., says what she enjoys most
Lumberjack athlete Tess Billings has been chipping away about lumberjack sports is the precision – which is mighty impor-
at the sport for the past several years, but she took it up a notch tant when you’re swinging a razor-sharp axe in close proximity
this August when she competed in her first international com- to your toes. (Contributed photos)
petition in Sweden, as a member of Team Canada and the sole
representative for New Brunswick. She credits him with fueling the fire, and pushing her to keep
It was a dream come true for the 25-year-old Fredericton going.
native, who placed 20th out of more than 150 competitors from Billingscurrentlytrainswithprofessional athletePaulWood-
more than 15 countries, while Team Canada finished an impres- land, who has taught her new techniques and helped to refine her
sive fourth in the Women’s Division at the World Double Bit skills. She trains on her own three to four times a week during
Axe Throwing Championships. the competitive season, and strives to get an axe in her hands
Billings was in her second year at the Maritime College of at least once or twice a month during the off-season.
Forest Technology (MCFT), in Fredericton, when she decided
to try out for the female woodsmen team. “I made the team, ADRENALINE RUSH
and fell in love with the sport,” she recalls. She competes in a huge range of events in the women’s div-
After graduating with a forest technologist diploma in 2015, ision, including axe throw, stock saw (chainsaw), bow saw, single
she went on to pursue a bachelor of science in forestry at the buck, underhand chop, double-buck, Jack and Jill, run-cut-split,
University of New Brunswick (UNB). “When I went to UNB, obstacle pole, kettle boil, relay race, and – most recently – the
I became captain of the women’s team, and from there the pas- standing block chop. Her favourites are the underhand chop
sion really grew.” and the axe throw.
Billings wanted to continue with the sport after completing “I love the adrenaline rush and racing aspect you get from the
her post-secondary education in 2017, so she joined the Maritime underhand chop, but I also appreciate the focus and accuracy
Lumberjack Association, and started competing in the local required for axe throw,” she says. “In college, the axe throw was
professional league. Her first coach was MCFT instructor Rod always my singles event and underhand chop my doubles event,
Cumberland, whose two sons are well-known world champions. so that’s where my background in the sport is the strongest.”
Before her debut on the international stage this summer,
From left – Professional lumberjack athlete Tess Billings, with Billings had competed throughout the Maritimes and in Maine,
fellow Team Canada members Suzy Atwood, Ashley Kelly, and always focusing on beating her own personal records and improv-
Cynthia Kennedy. The team took fourth place in the Women’s ing every year. She has worked hard, and has the accolades to
Division at the World Double Bit Axe Throwing Championships, prove it. She holds two Maritime records in stock saw, and
held in Sweden this August. (Contributed photo) in 2018 she was named Reserve Champion in the Women’s
Division at the Nova Scotia Lumberjack Championships.
PAGE 40 She also had a great showing at the 2018 Canadian National
Axe Throwing Championships, where she was pitted against
international competitors as well as athletes from across Canada. 
“I placed second overall, being beat out of the first position by
the amazing Anki Hedberg from Sweden,” she says. “But com-
ing second place to Anki earned me the Top Canadian Woman
title.”
What she enjoys most about the sport is its precision – the

ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

fact that one tiny weight adjustment or Tess Billings tried out for the female woodsmen team when she was in her second year at
body movement can make the difference the Maritime College of Forest Technology, and she continued competing while working
between winning and losing. “There’s so toward a forestry degree at the University of New Brunswick. “I became captain of the
much skill and technique involved,” she women’s team, and from there the passion really grew,” she says.
says. “It’s really about learning how to
do it right and building muscle memory.” she says. “At a local level, we are very future generations someday. I feel like
Despite her significant success over strongly supported, and get the same stage I owe it to the sport to promote it, and
the years, Billings still feels anxiety time as the men, and we compete for the keep the competition growing.”
about performing well. Although she has same prize money as the men’s division.” (Jennifer Gouchie is a freelance jour-
no qualms about standing on a block of At this point, she is motivated not only nalist in the Greater Moncton area.
wood and chopping with a razor-sharp by a desire to achieve her own goals in the Her journalism career dates back to the
axe just inches away from her toes, she sport, but also to encourage more women mid-1980s when she joined the editorial
admits that she has to work at overcoming to get involved. “I absolutely love what staff of her family-owned newspaper
her fear of failure.  I do,’’ says Billings. “I want to continue business Cumberland Publishing Ltd.
“I have failed on numerous occasions, to compete for many years to come, and in Amherst, N.S.)
but this sport has taught me to think of pass on my knowledge and passion to
these failures as learning experiences,”
she says. “As long as you are able to
take something away from every experi-
ence and use it to make you better, it is
never failure.”
Although lumberjack sports have
traditionally been dominated by male
athletes, this has been changing during
the past few years – a trend Billings finds
very encouraging. “I love seeing the list
of ladies growing longer and longer,”

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 41

100 percent Island wood

Home construction business integrated with sustainable forest management

by Nicole Kitchener and wholesale products made from 100 “But it’s fairly big for P.E.I., where 85
Walking with Bruce Craig through his percent Island wood. percent of the forest is privately owned
woodlot in the western Prince Edward The Craigs are committed to envi- and a lot of the woodlots are 50 to 100
Island community of Northam, you ronmental sustainability in the products acres.”
can’t help but be carried along by his they offer, in their day-to-day business All of the Craigs’ forested land was
enthusiasm. He’s on the hunt for a huge operations, and in the management of purchased from various family members,
hemlock,estimatedbyprovincialforestry their nearly 200 acres of woodland, including their stepfather Elmer Ram-
officials to be at least 300 years old. which includes property in Miscouche say. In 1997, needing more space than
“Here it is!” he calls, making a as well as Northam. their Summerside location provided,
beeline toward the green giant like he “We’re not a substantial woodlot the brothers set up shop on what was
is meeting up with an formerly Ramsay’s 85-
old friend. In a way, acre farm in Northam.
he is. Trees and wood The facility now boasts
products have been a 15,000 square feet of
big part of his life since office, manufacturing,
he was a little boy. He and storage space, and
fondly recalls the fam- two high-tech kilns.
ily sawmill business, In a separate building,
his early years roaming which is mainly Ver-
the area woodlands non’s domain, the self-
with his siblings, and taught sawyer mans the
his grandfather cutting electric Wood-Mizer
and selling firewood. Super Hydraulic saw-
“Forestry is so im- mill. The machine,
portant to me,” says bought in 2007, is regu-
Bruce, who took up larly updated to ensure
carpentry at age 13, and top performance.
launched Craig Con- Another of the prop-
struction and Cabinet erty’s features is a 45-
Making in 1989. With acre area of old-growth
his brothers Vernon Acadian forest – home
and William as part- to Bruce’s favourite
ners, the business soon giant hemlock. Most of
expanded to include a the remaining property,
plumbing and heating which was unproduc-
venture. They focused tive farmland, has been
on building affordable, reforested. Four planta-
energy-efficient custom tions were established
homes. every year from 2007 to
Early on, they in- 2010, and another about
stalled a kiln, because three years ago, under
they were having trou- the province’s Forest
ble finding good-qual- Enhancement Program
ity, dry wood for their (FEP), which provides
cabinetry. It proved technical advice, fund-
popular, as customers Bruce Craig and his brothers Vernon and William run a diversified company ing, and silviculture
kept coming to the in Northam, P.E.I., that includes managing the family woodlands, sawmill- treatments on private
Craigs for wood dried ing, building energy-efficient houses, and producing various specialty wood land. Applicants are
to about five percent products using 100 percent local lumber. (Nicole Kitchener photos) required to submit a

moisture. So in 2005 they opened Craig owner by any means,” says Bruce, who forest management plan that adheres to
Wood Products, which mills and kiln- is founding chair of the Prince Edward standards set out in the P.E.I. Ecosystem-
dries lumber, and manufactures retail Island Woodlot Owners Association. based Forest Management Manual.

PAGE 42 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

“I’m a firm believer that farms with Vernon Craig, a self-taught sawyer, uses the electric Wood-Mizer Super Hydraulic saw-
some areas that aren’t good-quality mill to produce lumber – much of it derived from the family’s 160 acres of woodlots in
farmland should be turned into forest,” Northam and nearby Miscouche, P.E.I.
says Bruce. “It does more (to mitigate)
greenhouse gasses, because you’re not The Craigs have some local lumber customers, but most of their structural lumber is
going with a Bush Hog chopping weeds used for the homebuilding side of the family business.
and bushes. If you’ve got a forest, there
may not be any income for 50 years, but PAGE 43
at least you can walk in it.”

SELECTION HARVESTING
Even while navigating his pickup
through their first plantation, Bruce is
closely observing the 12-year-old stand.
“It’s doing really well,” he remarks. “I’m
really impressed with it.”
The FEP crews planted softwoods
first, and inter-planted hardwoods a
year or two later. Although hardwoods
don’t seem to survive as well on former
farmland, he points out that there are
maples and birches, as well as spruce,
among the natural regeneration on this
site. The Craigs also planted some oaks
to increase the diversity.
Bruce says logging was done by horse
up until 2013, when the man who did
the work sold his animal and moved on.
Bruce wishes they could still harvest with
horses, as it is easier on the forest, and
about as environmentally sound as you
can get – but finding someone with an
equine partner to do the job these days
is nearly impossible. He says some new
young recruits, soon to join the current
staff of nine full-time employees, will
be trained to conduct harvesting during
the slower winter season. Still, no heavy
equipment will be used in the woods –
just chainsaws, four-wheelers, and sleds.
Bruce says he and his brothers are
“very adamant” about only using selec-
tion harvesting. “It was what our grand-
fathers did, and then we enveloped that
into our own program, and that’s what
we’ve done with all of our properties.
That way, you have an uneven-age for-
est. It produces a better-quality product.
You get nice, clear wood.”
The Craigs even pay a 12 percent
premium on selection-harvested wood
when they buy logs fromother producers.
Bruce is discouraged about the amount
of woodland being clearcut on the Island.
“So much young forest gets wasted,” he
says. “It almost makes me sick when I

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW

Keisha Clements shows off an example of the fine woodworking that is incorporated in see a piece of forest that’s been all cut
homes built by the Craigs. Solid wood interior finishings and kitchens are a particular off.”
source of pride for the company. He says the “secret” to selection
harvesting on P.E.I. is biomass heat-
Cost of the code ing, which ensures a ready market for
low-grade wood. The Island has been
The Craig brothers have been considering the implications of P.E.I. adopting an innovator in this area. Charlottetown
the National Building Code (NBC), effective Jan. 1, 2020 (the last province to do is home to Canada’s longest-running
so). According to the NBC, all buildings must be made from kiln-dried or air-dried privately-operated biomass-fired
structural lumber graded and stamped by an inspector – although the province district heating system, which uses
has said it will exempt agricultural, forestry, and fishery buildings not used for approximately 30 percent wood chips
human habitation. (62,000 tonnes a year), combined
The Craigs currently do not produce graded lumber. They have discussed with municipal solid waste and oil.
making their facility a grading and stamping site – a potentially lucrative endeav- In operation since the early 1980s, it
our – but the brothers, all in their late 50s or early 60s, are also contemplating serves more than 125 customers in
partial or full retirement in the not-too-distant future. the city. Tignish is a recent adopter of
“If someone was going to get into the stamping, it would make sense for us district heating, and across the province
to do it. We just don’t know if we want to go there,” says Bruce, outlining some there are about 30 provincially-owned
of the financial outlay involved in adding the necessary infrastructure. buildings using biomass heat, including
He is all for P.E.I. implementing the NBC, as it levels the playing field in terms schools and hospitals. P.E.I.’s Climate
of technical design and construction standards, but he is concerned about how Action Plan calls for installing 20 more
the associated costs might affect smaller sawmill businesses. biomass units at public facilities by
Currently, only one person on the Island is in possession of a stamp, and it is 2023. The province stipulates that all
expired, says Bruce. The P.E.I. Woodlot Owners Association is working toward wood fuel used in current and future
either developing a centralized inspection depot, or having an inspector go to each biomass applications must be locally
individual yard when necessary. Bruce points out that if neither plan comes to and sustainably harvested.
fruition by January, wood will have to be sent to the mainland to be sawn, dried, “People could have someone go into
and stamped, and then shipped back – or else off-Island lumber will have to be their forest that was cut off 30 or 40 years
imported. ago – or maybe had never had anything
done – and do a selective harvest, open
PAGE 44 up the canopy and let the light in,” says
Bruce. “The trees they leave will grow
and the young trees will come up – then
the slash can be shipped out and used
for biomass.”

LUMBER SALES
The lumber side of the Craigs’ busi-
ness is closely tied with their construc-
tion and cabinetry operations. “When
we’re building a new home, everything
that’s wood comes from here,” says
Bruce. “The majority of our softwood
business, which would be construction
lumber, we sell to ourselves.”
Though they only occasionally sell
lumber to other contractors, they do
a steady trade among artisans, crafts-
people, furniture designers, and DIY
homebuilders who avail themselves
of the company’s inventory – which
includes at least 25 species of Island
wood, plus a few exotics.
In their own shop, the Craigs create a
wide range of specialty lumber products,
from cribbage boards to countertops,

ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

historic molding replications to hard- wood, and manufacture whatever the passion, both at work and on his own
wood flooring. They also serve the local client desires. For instance, they are 10-acre property. Here, he germinates
industrial market. For Vector Aerospace, currently making live-edge boardroom tree seedlings and coaxes them along in
they manufacture blocking that is bolted tables for the City of Charlottetown, his garden nursery, before planting them
onto aircraft engines for international using diseased Dutch elms that were out in a woodlot or at his home. He also
transport. Another project involves plank recently cut down. gets great pleasure from spending time
flooring for truck bodies. They are cur- Bruce says this type of “in-and- on his well-established woodland trails.
rently in the process of establishing an out” work has been keeping them “The aesthetics of walking in a forest
on-site facility where wood can be dipped particularly busy for the past couple of is unbelievable,” he enthuses. “Really
in a preservative solution, for use in ap- years, and they are in discussions with good for your health.”
plications where pressure-treated lumber a marketing specialist to develop an (Nicole Kitchener is a freelance journalist
is prohibited, such as for building fish online shop that would introduce their and photographer whose work mainly re-
ladders and wharves. specialty wood products to a wider, volves around animals and rural life. She
Other services include custom kiln possibly international, market. lives on a small farm in Prince Edward
drying for small sawmill operators. In the meantime, Bruce – who admits Island with her husband, seven horses, a
They will also pick up logs from to being hooked on trees more than his dog, and far too many cats.)
someone’s property, saw and dry the brothers – will continue to pursue his

Bruce Craig at a recent Craig Construction build site. PAGE 45

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW

Better data, better management

Woodlot owner organizations come together to build software

by Megan de Graaf “We have tons of data from the mar- flowing information back the other way to
Anewcollaborativeinitiativeisaimed keting boards in New Brunswick – in inform the development of new markets.
at providing better tools and services for some cases, 40 years of data – which Having access to centralized data
Maritime woodlot owners. The Nova we’ve never been able to use effectively will finally allow foresters to produce a
Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre or cohesively. And now we will have one landscape-level analysis of wood volume,
Producers Association (NSLFFPA), system that all data can be consistently and therefore an annual allowable cut.
based in Eastern Nova Scotia, has joined formatted to – and that means better, more And that will give government forestry
forces with the New Brunswick Federa- reliable services for landowners across staff improved, reliable data for provincial
tion of Woodlot Owners (NBFWO) to the province.” wood supply analyses, and data-driven
build a data management system (DMS) allocation of provincial silviculture bud-
tailored to this sector. With more than EFFICIENCY gets, targeting high-impact sites.
90,000 small private woodlots in the In the past, timber revenue was a “Market development is a really ex-
region, averaging a few hundred acres significant source of income for many citing piece of this system,” says Banks.
each, these groups recognized the need woodlot owners, but in recent years this “We’ll finally be able to analyze the private
to get a better handle on the resource, in has changed. Although individual land- woodlot landbase across the province and
order to provide more integrated services owners may not be realizing as much determine what products will be coming
to landowners. income from their land as they once did, online, and then we can more proactively
The intent is to develop a centralized the aggregation of these small woodlots search for markets that correspond to those
tool that collects all kinds of information, still represents a considerable quantity emerging resources. We’ll be proactive,
and processes or funnels it into usable of timber, as well as ecosystem services. rather than reactive. And then that means
products for forestry professionals and The challenge is to get a grasp on the full we’ll collectively be able to better manage
woodlot owners. For example, the DMS extent of that resource, at the scale of the at a landscape level.”
would be set up with provincial datasets entire Maritime region. InNovaScotia,theDMSalsoprovides
(like LiDAR and forest inventories) This integrated DMS is intended to the technological and administrative
as well as contractor information, and benefit landowners, forestry profes- structure for implementing many of the
market and wood-flow specifications. sionals, and the industry as a whole. Ef- recommendations from Dr. William
The user could feed in their own cruise ficiency is the key. With centralized data Lahey’s Independent Review of Forest
data, landowner information and priori- management and mapping, a landowner Practices, which was released in 2018. “If
ties, and past management plans, to pro- can get a management plan completed in we want to move forward, collectively,
duce a new management plan and direct a matter of a few hours, instead of days in the spirit of the Lahey report, then this
links to contractors and markets. Having or weeks. There is also more transpar- data management system is the vehicle to
landowner information flowing through ency, allowing the woodlot owner to help us all do that,” says Burchill. “This
a centralized system like this would give have goals and priorities registered, to system will service everyone effectively
the associations a more complete picture have access to reliable contractors who and efficiently, no matter their goals.”
of wood volume and ecosystem features have been vetted, to access silviculture
at the regional level – which could finally funding and other subsidies, and to have PROTOTYPE
make larger-scale management planning those management activities planned out The new DMS is based on a prototype
feasible. on a timeline that is most compatible created in-house by the NSLFFPA 10
“The biggest payoff that I see from with what the land needs and what the years ago, which has helped the group
this project is the engagement with management plan describes. Contractors write management plans, provide services
landowners with multiple values,” says and mills can likewise expect a boost from to woodlot owners, and manage an FSC
Peter Burchill, forest manager with the the system – with more reliable access to group certification. That system was not
NSLFFPA. “This data management jobs, increased security of wood supply designed to be scaled up to the regional
system will be a great resource for all in the short and long term, and detailed level, but it has been valuable in terms
landowners, including those who have product information. of testing the concept.
goals other than timber harvesting, and it For forest managers, this DMS means “Ourprototypesystemhasbeenwork-
will help us keep transaction costs down.” more reliable information about indi- ing really well for the last four years,” Bur-
Susannah Banks, general manager of vidual woodlots and the entire region, chill says. “We now have some metrics to
the NBFWO, says the DMS “will help facilitating landscape-level planning. show exactly how it has benefited us and
bring the marketing boards into the 21st This should translate into better planning our landowners. It’s 10 times faster now
century.” She believes woodlot owners for emerging markets, like carbon offsets to produce a management plan; wood flow
will benefit considerably. or wood certification schemes, as well as from participating woodlots has increased

PAGE 46 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019

three-and-a-half times; and we’ve seen a the DMS. A web application will also be We intend that this discovery project will
100 percent increase in woodlot owners developed, to be used by woodlot owners be done by December 31, with a hope that
participating in our programs.” and contractors to access information as- the software build would be complete in
The plan is to create a new not-for- sociated with their land or their business. October 2020 – understanding that not
profit cooperative to manage the DMS. Thesecondphasewillinvolvetraining all the funds have been secured yet to
The founding groups – NSLFFPA and and implementation, through the coop- complete that phase.”
NBFWO – will have equal ownership erative, with dedicated staff at both the Ultimately, the system will support
of the software, which will be licensed NBFWO and NSLFPPA offices. Those widespread and interconnected eco-
to any organization that wants to use staff will be responsible for overseeing nomic development in the region, which
it. These groups are currently working the management, licensing, and trouble- is something we often hear about but
on a customized consulting, training, shooting of the DMS in their respective don’t often see. Maritime woodlot owner
and coaching program for non-profit provinces. This phase is planned as a organizations, and their members, will
organizations, through the Co-operative five-year project, to ensure the uptake have a greater ability to locate, predict,
Enterprise Council of New Brunswick and success of the system. and secure supply for traditional forest
(CECNB), which will generate draft The third phase would look to export- products markets, and to build markets for
bylaws, and may assist with developing ing the DMS – once it has been proven value-added products and emerging prod-
a business plan. in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – to ucts. When you add to that the benefits
The project will be delivered in three other jurisdictions that have significant of secure and steady work for contractors
phases. The first, which will soon be small private woodlot owner sectors, and truckers, and a more reliable source
getting underway, is the development of such as Ontario, Quebec, and Maine. This of wood for mills, as well as all the spin-
the software. This will include building could contribute to the continued financial offs for small local businesses, it sounds
a centralized database and an associated sustainability of the system, and support like a recipe for increased prosperity in
desktop (or web) application to manage the co-op’s services for Nova Scotia and rural communities.
all data and provide tools for enter- New Brunswick. (Megan de Graaf is a farm and woodlot
ing, storing, and reporting on the data. “The RFPs for Phase 1 were issued in owner in southern New Brunswick,
Another component will be a GIS data the summer, and we’ve received a number employed as a forest ecologist with
set and associated tools for the system, of proposals,” says Banks. “Now the team Community Forests International. She
including tools for field capture of data is just about to embark on hiring a contrac- is also co-founder of the Fundy Fibre
and management of that process, and for tor for a short discovery project, which is Artisans.)
generating the mapping functionality of the precursor to software development.
PAGE 47
november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW

Walter Bidlake, who took up carving after retiring
from his career as a forest technician with NB Power,
was a member of the organizing committee for the 14th
annual New Brunswick Wood Carving Competition
and Sale, held August 9-11 in St. Andrews, N.B. “We
are becoming known as a high-quality show,” he says.
(George Fullerton photos)
chWiseellled
Wood carvers exhibit sculptures, share skills

The 14th annual New Brunswick Wood Carving Competi- ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019
tion and Sale, held August 9-11 in St. Andrews, N.B., attracted
visitors from across Eastern Canada and New England. Some
70 carvers took part, exhibiting a total of about 250 individual
pieces – including a number of strikingly realistic birds and
other scenes from nature, as well as some more whimsical
creations.
According to Walter Bidlake, one of the members of the
New Brunswick Woodcarving Association who served on the
organizing committee, the event has earned a great reputation.
“This year our judge came from Ohio, and he was pretty excited
to see our show because he had heard so much about it from
other carvers from down in the States – so we are becoming
known as a high-quality show,” Bidlake says.
“We are very grateful for the support we have had from
the Town of St. Andrews for helping us to host this event. It
is not a huge event, but it fits very well with the town and its

PAGE 48

november 2019 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW PAGE 49

Chainsaw carving demonstrations took place outside the show Bird carvings were popular at the show – including some incred-
venue. ibly lifelike wooden renderings.
award for a 60 percent scale carving of a loon and chick.
reputation for hospitality and support for the arts and crafts. Another major forest industry player, AV Group, offered a
As well as bringing carvers and their families for a period $1,500 purchase award for a 50 percent scale eagle, and also
of time, it also brings visitors who view and appreciate the contributed several oversize basswood logs that had been set
carver’s craft.” aside in the Nackawic mill yard. Also known as linden, bass-
Bidlake turned his hand to this art form after retiring from his wood is an uncommon species in New Brunswick, growing
career as a forest technician with NB Power. “I got started carv- best in deep alluvial soils along rivers and flood plains. It is
ing about five years ago, after my wife, Alma, told me I would “a very soft and porous wood, and it is definitely the preferred
enjoy her carving club,” he says. “She was correct – again!” wood for carving in our region,” Bidlake says.
Bidlake points out that the association welcomes carvers at all “We were pretty excited by the offer, and we thought pieces
levels of expertise and experience, and members are continually would make a great gift to participants in the St. Andrews show.
sharing their knowledge and skills. This summer’s show not The logs were about 15 feet long and had top-end diameter
only filled the gymnasium of the Sir James Dunn Academy, but ranging from 14 to 20 inches. The AV Group delivered 16
also spread to classrooms where seminars and workshops were logs to my shop, and we started processing the logs by cutting
presented. There were outdoor demos too, highlighting the use them in half so they would be easier to handle, and then I began
of hand-held power tools, as well as chainsaw carving. breaking them down on my Woodland portable sawmill. We
Beginners often start out by carving basic bird sculptures removed some of the bark, and then live-sawed the logs into
known as “comfort birds,” which are small enough to fit three-and-a-half to five-inch slabs, and then sawed out the
comfortably in an adult’s palm, providing therapeutic benefit pith, which is harder and subject to cracking.”
to people dealing with stress or illness. The lumber was stored in a drying shed during the winter,
“One of the projects our club undertook in the past year allowing the moisture content to drop from about 25 percent
was to produce and donate several dozen comfort birds to the to somewhere in the range of 16 to 18 percent. The next step
hospice, where they were gratefully received and provided was to cut the wood into two-foot sections, and then square
certain comfort for their patients,” says Bidlake. them up on the bandsaw.
While there is a cadre of volunteers who dedicate a lot of “The show participants were very appreciative of the wood
energy to the annual show, there are also a lot of expenses to they received,” says Bidlake, adding that a considerable portion
cover, so part of the organizational effort involves seeking out of the basswood was put into storage for next year’s event, which
sponsors. Again this year, J.D. Irving, Limited, stepped up as has already been penciled in for August 7-9, 2020. GF
a major partner, contributing $1,000 plus a $1,500 purchase

PAGE 50 ATLANTIC FORESTRY REVIEW november 2019