Take a look at this picture. How many people do you think it took to make this house? For one, it took a great architect! But aside from that, it required a fair amount of wood to build. But getting wood to build a house isn’t just as simple as taking a trip to Home … Continued
What is the first step towards responsible resource management? Should we start with a plan, or get boots on the ground to suss out the situation? Should we first outline some rules of conduct, or initiate with research? What happens when a curve ball like the mountain pine beetle is thrown in? The question of … Continued
What is Alberta Envirothon? It’s an incredible opportunity for high school students to demonstrate their understanding of the environment. Teams consisting of six students compete head to head on matters of the environment. Topics include Soils/Land use/Agriculture, Forestry, Aquatic Ecology, and Wildlife, as well as an annual Current Environmental Issue. This year’s Current Environmental Issue … Continued
Meet Dylan, an Edmonton-area Grade 12 student who has recently decided that forestry is the career path he wants to pursue. Quick Facts about Dylan Three words that describe you: Adventurous, compassionate, and personable. Favourite subjects in school: Chemistry and woodshop; I spend most of my time in the woodshop. Favourite tunes: I enjoy most genres of … Continued
Our forest is important to everyone. If you like camping, hiking, or hunting, you use the forest. If you like reading books, magazines, or newspapers, you rely on forest products. If you live in a house, your home is probably built with a wood frame. And the forest is important to more than just people. Animals, … Continued
Are you the type of person who thinks about the future of our environment? Do you want to participate in making a plan that ensures that we will always have thriving forests in Alberta? Foresters do just this. There are different kinds of foresters who work together to ensure a balance between the needs of … Continued
This week, the winners of the 2015 Prairie Wood Design Awards were announced. The winning designers and engineers were recognized at a beautiful gala on Tuesday at the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton. The winning projects were thoughtfully selected from over forty entries by this esteemed jury panel: Larry McFarland, Architect AIBC, Fellow RAIC, Principal, McFarland … Continued
Prior to writing her blog entry, “Wood Design Awards: Ann’s picks”, Ann approached me and asked if I would also pick my favorites and write an article on them. The premise was that we were to each keep our selections and articles secret from each other and then publicly reveal and compare. What a fun … Continued
The 2015 Prairie Wood Design Awards Gala will be taking place on March 17, and I’m excited to see the winning projects. In anticipation of this marvelous event, I have reviewed the nominations and chosen my favourites. Category: Interior Wood Design Showcase Building: University College of the North Location: Thompson, Manitoba Designer: Architecture 49 … Continued
Hey all you woodsmen and woodswomen, My name is Andre, and I’m here to give you the latest and greatest from the back forty. For those of you wondering where the back forty actually is, look no further than your back yard. Or at least beyond the back yard, and beyond the next farm field. … Continued
The forest products industry makes products that people use every day, like lumber, facial tissue, and diapers. But did you know that we can make plastic from wood? Thanks to researchers, many alternative forest products have been developed. For this Forestry Job Profile, I interviewed Laura McIlveen, a chemical engineer with Alberta Innovates Technology Futures. … Continued
When I speak to students and teachers at career fairs, they are often surprised to learn that there are loads of job opportunities in the forest industry right now. Our Job Postings page is consistently full of jobs with companies all over Alberta looking for millwrights, engineers, foresters, truck drivers, equipment operators, labourers… the list … Continued
National Forest Week is approaching (September 21 – 27) and we want to get forestry into your classroom! Foresters and Forest Technologists have a wealth of knowledge to share about a variety of forestry topics, including: Forest Management Sustainability Wildfire Invasive Species Forestry Careers Tree Identification Forestry professionals all over Canada have volunteered to visit … Continued
Sustainability means maintaining ecological balance. Detailed research and planning are required to maintain ecological balance in our forests. Let’s examine some of the steps taken to ensure sustainable forestry practices in Alberta. We will start with tree age. How do you measure a tree’s age? By counting the rings. Each ring is worth one year. … Continued
Attention Science Geeks: The forest industry has loads of jobs for those of us who love science, but although the forest is full of life that must be cared for, this industry is not just about biology. If chemistry is more your thing, you may want to consider a career in chemical engineering. Meet Colleen … Continued
Last week I spent a day at Envirothon Alberta. Since 1997, this event has brought students in Grades 9-12 together to learn about and work toward finding solutions to current environmental issues. The winning team goes on to compete in the North American competition, which is located in a different province or state each year. Each year’s competition … Continued
Plants, animals, insects… these are all forms of life that reside in the forest. A forest wouldn’t be a forest without life, and forests are crawling with living things. We want our forest ecosystems to continue to thrive, so a very important field within forestry is the study of life, or biology. For this forestry … Continued
“Forest Fire Fighter” is a job that often comes to mind when people try to think of forestry careers, but fighting fires is only one part of a much larger process of wildfire management. Jobs range from Lookout Observers to Wildfire Dispatchers to Helitack Fire Fighters. Another area within fire management is Wildfire Technology. To … Continued
Last month, I had the honour of meeting Commander Chris Hadfield. I was at a conference in Grande Prairie—Growing the North, and he was the keynote speaker. His presentation was very inspiring and got me thinking about what it takes for a person to achieve his or her goals. You may be wondering what astronauts … Continued
When I talk to students about forestry careers, I usually start out by asking them, “What kinds of jobs come to mind when you think of forestry?” The response I hear the most is probably “lumberjack”, but students also list jobs like log truck driver, tree planter, and fish and wildlife officer. While lumberjacks aren’t … Continued