Canfor, Vanderhoof, BC
My co-op with Canfor, which is based out of Vanderhoof, has been filled with exciting moments of learning and progress. This is my first time indulging in field operations in the winter and it took me a while to find my comfort zone. My crew has been fantastic at keeping the morale up, whether that is a -15 degree Celsius day or a warm and mushy afternoon. Typically we go through a list of blocks that Canfor would like to harvest and then conduct a recce on a chosen block. The boundary layout comes next closely followed by the road layout. We leave stream layout for the summer when we are better able to examine the flow of water. During spring break up, I had the opportunity to join the silviculture team and make planting maps using ArcGIS that would be eventually used for aerial recces. My previous co-op work terms in Finland and Vancouver Island have provided me with an invaluable set of skills and a thirst to explore more, absorb more and contribute more to the forestry industry in this beautiful province. I am looking forward to finally putting my caulk boots on in the summer and interacting and learn from the new summer students that are going to be joining our crew.
