Forestnet Magazine

10/14/2026

Getting the tool kit right is a critical element to a successful contracting business. Axcor Renewable Energy Inc., based in Buctouche, New Brunswick, provides biomass grinding, as well as chipping, to supply wood pellet producers, delivering to customers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Maine, and knows all about the right tool kit, with its carefully selected equipment line-up.

Axcor was founded by Denis Cormier in 2013. The business was essentially a continuation of a biomass production business established in 2005 by his father Delphis Cormier, founder of the Delco Forest Products sawmill in West Branch, New Brunswick.

Axcor grinds wood biomass on harvest sites and in mill yards, loading it into tractor trailers to deliver to biomass consumers, including the Twin River pulp mill in Edmundston, where the biomass is burned to generate electricity and process steam for operations. Axcor also chips hardwood harvest residue for delivery to the Shaw wood pellet plant in Belledune, New Brunswick.

Since its incorporation in 2015, Axcor has developed efficient systems for processing and transporting mill yard residues and roadside forestry fibre, but still required a machine to efficiently move fibre on forestry operations to the grinders without spill, and which would adapt to collecting harvest debris and slash from harvest trails.

Read more in the latest issue of Forestnet Magazine: https://forestnet.com/having-the-right-tools-in-the-tool-kit/

10/09/2026

What do sheep have to do with reforestation in British Columbia?

For Dennis Loxton, they've been part of a 50-year career in B.C.'s silviculture sector, including 26 years pioneering the use of sheep in vegetation management.

Sheep grazing offers an alternative to herbicide spraying by helping control competing vegetation around newly planted conifer seedlings. While the practice has faced resistance over the years, it's gaining renewed attention as a more environmentally friendly approach to vegetation management.

At one point, Loxton's operations involved up to 6,000 sheep each summer, working in remote areas of B.C. with the help of trained herding and guardian dogs.

“I believe sheep farming has a future all over B.C., including the use of sheep to graze plantations,” he declares.

Read the full story in the latest issue of Forestnet Magazine: https://forestnet.com/managing-vegetation-in-b-c-plantations-with-sheep/

10/08/2026

Throwback Thursday: Earlier this year at the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show in Moncton, we caught up with Maskinen Inc. to take a closer look at Eco Log forestry machines and SP Maskiner AB harvester heads.

Built for demanding forestry conditions, these machines and attachments are designed with reliability, efficiency and performance in mind.

10/01/2026

The NEW issue of Forestnet Magazine is available now!

Inside the August/September/October 2026 edition:

🌲 Managing vegetation in B.C. plantations with sheep
🏗️ Western Archrib’s new $80 million glulam operation
🪵 Junction Lumber’s latest expansion
⚙️ A New Brunswick-built approach to mechanized pre-commercial thinning
🌲 Axcor Renewable Energy’s custom Ponsse biomass forwarder

Plus, industry news, equipment and perspectives from across Canada’s forest sector.

Read the latest issue at www.forestnet.com

10/01/2026

How John Deere Builds 80,000 lb Forestry Machines

Hidden in plain sight, one facility in Langley, BC, is quietly building some of the most rugged tracked forestry machines in the world.

Join us for an exclusive insider's tour of the factory to see the high-stakes engineering and massive subassemblies that make these multi-ton giants possible.

You won't look at modern forestry equipment the same way again.

WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCeuQ6CaUts&t=88s

Hidden in plain sight, one facility in Langley, BC, is quietly buil...

09/30/2026

Nine months with the Woodland Mills HM136MAX, and it’s still getting put to work regularly.

What started with a few projects has turned into a long list of lumber milled right here on the property. Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir and Hemlock have gone from logs to material for a custom sauna, deck, fencing, garden projects and more.

After nine months of real-world use, one of the biggest benefits has been having the ability to mill what we need, when we need it. Instead of buying lumber for every new project, we can make use of the logs we already have and turn them into something useful.

The HM136MAX has definitely earned its place on the property, and there are still plenty more projects ahead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5CjoOJa3o

09/29/2026

From conventional logging to CTL operations.⁠
⁠
Jason Krueger of Krueger Resources talks about making the move to CTL four years ago and why Ponsse has been the right fit for their operations in the Prince George area of B.C..⁠
⁠
Valhalla Equipment Inc. / Ponsse Autorized Dealer - BC & AB
Hydromec Inc.
ReadyQuip
ALPA Equipment Ltd.
Ponsse Oyj
Ponsse North America

09/28/2026

First Nations forest stewardship is rooted in responsibility, community and a relationship with the land that has been carried forward through generations.

Lennard Joe, CEO of the BC First Nations Forestry Council, explains what that relationship means and why it matters.

What can the forest sector learn from this approach?

Watch the full conversation on the Forestnet YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/6VSdzXz9XyA

09/25/2026

Investing $1 today could save $4 in wildfire costs tomorrow.

Jason Fisher, Executive Director of Forest Enhancement Society of BC explains how investing in forest fuel mitigation can help change wildfire behaviour, create safer conditions for fire crews, and reduce the potential for catastrophic impacts over time.

Watch the full conversation on the Forestnet YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/LDw3KUddygA

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/