Integrated Operations Group

10/12/2026

So much to be grateful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, from our crew to yours. 🍁

10/09/2026

10/06/2026

Another day, another successful first-entry thinning in the Cariboo! 💪 For this project we’ve got our Ponsse Scorpion, Cobra, Link Belt, custom ETV, and John Deere 1910E fleet on stack.

More to come on some positively impactful results we found in the field here from our thinning work in 2022. 🔥

📸 Quentin Stefani

09/30/2026

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

We pause to remember the children who never came home, and honour all Survivors, families, and communities affected by the residential school system.

We encourage everyone to take the time to reflect, learn, and honour Indigenous voices and histories.

Every Child Matters. 🧡

09/24/2026

British Columbia may be known for clearcuts when it comes to harvesting operations, but Integrated Operations Group (IOG) is now proving that commercial thinning is do-able—and can be financially feasible with careful planning and selecting the right stand—in B.C.

And the commercial thinning is delivering benefits, such as reduced wildfire risk and improved forest health, yield and wildlife habitat.

IOG, based in Campbell River, has operations both on the Coast and Interior of B.C., and was initially formed to fill a need for specialized full-phase heli-logging services in the forest industry. Since then, it has utilized the company’s combined production forestry skillsets to expand into a variety of services and sectors.

IOG says it has a drive for innovation, and seeks out niche opportunities—and those harvesting activities now include commercial thinning, exclusively using Ponsse harvesting and forwarding equipment from Prince George, B.C. Ponsse dealer, Valhalla Equipment (please see Valhalla sidebar story). They are clearly demonstrating that commercial thinning can be a very viable option in B.C.

Quentin Stefani, a Managing Partner at IOG, and Operations Manager of Commercial Thinning, recently hosted Forestnet Magazine at a commercial thinning operation in B.C.’s Southern Interior, near Summerland, for Gorman Bros, a family-owned forest company based in Kelowna, with sawmill facilities in the region.

“We’re definitely trying to advocate commercial thinning,” says Stefani. “I think there’s a big need for it in B.C. We just want to show what we do, show that there is a different path to it, and show that commercial thinning is going to be part of our future in British Columbia.

“And we’re proud of what we do,” he added.

Read More: https://forestnet.com/careful-commercial-thinning-do-able-in-b-c/

09/23/2026

Happy everyone! 🇨🇦🌲 This year’s theme is “Forest Pathways: Innovation and Sustainability,” highlighting technology and science in sustainable forestry.

Trees truly support everything for our country… our careers, communities, and our whole way of life. We’re grateful to make our living working with them- thinning for health and resilience, removing the hazards, and salvaging what’s left behind.

Here’s some sweet moments from our recent projects captured by Nash: 👉

09/23/2026

This , we’re proud to share “Listening to the Forest”- a new short film by BC Timber Sales and the Ministry of Forests, filmed on the Lower Sunshine Coast on Mount Elphinstone.

IOG was part of the intermediate cut developments featured in the film. The project explores how adaptive forest management and intermediate cutting can create new pathways for balancing environmental, cultural, social and economic objectives.

IOG’s Managing Partner Shawn Mandula was quoted in the Ministry of Forests news release, alongside Dr. Verna Griess of ETH Zurich:

“Intermediate cutting helps us balance environmental and social stewardship while maximizing value from our forests. Modern forestry is complex and requires new tools that allows us to meet our various objectives. I think this project shows what’s possible and that industry and government are willing to do things differently to meet today’s challenges.”

🎬 Watch the full 8:25 minute film through the link in our bio!

09/23/2026

This , we're proud to share "Listening to the Forest- a new short film by the Ministry of Forests and BC Timber Sales, filmed on the Lower Sunshine Coast on Mount Elphinstone.

IOG was part of the intermediate cut developments featured in the video. The project explores how adaptive forest management and intermediate cutting can create new pathways for balancing environmental, cultural, social and economic objectives.

IOG's Managing Partner Shawn Mandula was quoted in the Ministry of Forests news release alongside Dr. Verna Griess of ETH Zurich:

"Intermediate cutting helps us balance environmental and social stewardship while maximizing value from our forests. Modern forestry is complex and requires new tools that allow us to meet our various objectives. I think this project shows what's possible and that industry and government are willing to do things differently to meet today's challenges."

Watch the full film below:

What does it mean to listen to a forest? On the Lower Sunshine Co...

09/21/2026

“Another gorgeous day.  There are so many mountain slopes like this in British Columbia.  As gorgeous as it is, the forest actually hides how severe the terrain actually is. Some of these sites are almost impossible to walk through. These old growth forests will stand indefinitely.”

☀️🏔️🌲 - Siggi Kemmler

09/17/2026

Soup time Damian Tysick

📸 Jake