The Tree Talk Blog

Summer is already coming to an end. It's getting darker, beach days are becoming less frequent and the nights are getting cooler. There is no doubt that the start of the 2022 school year is approaching. Back to school means goodbye to the full-time internship and my experience with the Forest Products Association of Canada as a dream intern.

Transportation in the backcountry can be challenging even in the best circumstances. A sudden rainfall can make an easy drive in become a hard drive out.

I really can’t believe how fast the summer has flown by. With that in mind, I am sad to say that this will probably be the last blog post of my “Green Dream” summer; and what a summer it was! From tree plant to site-prep and everything in between, I am really lucky to have worked with some great people, learned some valuable lessons, stayed COVID-safe, and had a great time!

The forest sector is very important to the successful economy in many small towns like Whitecourt. Having an industry like this here has provided us with countless opportunities and helped us become the town we are today. Many of the infrastructure put in place may not have been possible without the support of these large corporations.

I was born here. I'm a guy who is rooted in my region, there was never any question of leaving it. I found the job I was looking for in my area. I applied to other factories, but I almost hoped I wouldn't be chosen because I didn't want to leave my part of the world.

Resolute Forest Products is a leading North American forest products company. Its products include market pulp, tissue, wood products and papers, which it markets in nearly 570 countries. The company owns or operates approximately 40 facilities and power generation assets in the United States and Canada. All of the forestlands under Resolute's management have been certified by independent experts to internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards. Resolute has received regional, North American and global recognition for its leadership in social responsibility and sustainability and for its business practices.

You really don’t know the full extent of what it’s like working in forestry until you do it.

A Via Ferrata is an Italian term meaning Iron Path. It is a permanently set cable through a climbing route to ensure safety and ease of use.

Now you might be thinking “Shane, what the fir does mycelium have to do with forestry?”. Well, other than the possibility that without mycelium there might not be any trees or life at all, 30% of the forest floor is made up of a neural network of mycelium that functions very much like a brain and, also just like the brain, it shares the same structure as the internet and the observable universe.

We are constantly replanting trees to revitalize the forest, thus allowing us to continue operating without damaging the environment.

Today I would like to take sometime to talk about the importance of Indigenous partnerships in the forestry sector. ANC is on Treaty 8 land, the original resting grounds of the Cree and Athapaskans (Dené) people. These Indigenous groups were spread out across the territory that ANC currently resides on and were the original inhabitants of the forests we use today.

There are many things I love about my summer job as a Silviculture student with West Fraser, the number one naturally being the fact that I am surrounded by nature nearly every day.