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What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite aspect of my job is working with the people and equipment associated with our industry, and seeing the job through to a positive outcome. The machinery that is used in a typical modern day harvesting operation is very specialized and has evolved immensely even during the time that I have worked in the industry. In our harvesting and road construction practices we are always striving for improvement and that gives me a great deal of satisfaction as well.<\/p>\n

What is the coolest thing you\u2019ve been able to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is difficult to think of a single event that I\u2019d call the \u201ccoolest\u201d. Almost daily I get to experience the wonders of nature, especially in the Rocky Mountains of Southwestern Alberta. Often we get to see wildlife in their natural habitat, exhibiting natural behavior, something not everyone gets to experience in person. During my career, I have also been witness to several natural disasters including forest fires and floods and experienced firsthand the awesome power of nature.<\/p>\n

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What are some of the challenges you have faced?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my job there are many challenges, but I think they can mainly be categorized into three main themes:<\/p>\n

Technical challenges: Things like road locations, stream crossings, steep slopes, quality\/quantity of the timber resource, management of expenditures, rock, snow, adverse weather, or moisture conditions<\/p>\n

Personnel challenges: Maintaining a skilled, conscientious, and motivated group of workers in sufficient numbers to accomplish our goals<\/p>\n

Political challenges: Working with the government, non-government organizations, and the public under increasing scrutiny and still maintaining operational efficiency<\/p>\n

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Can you give an example of a time when your work significantly impacted your organization?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forestry is both an art and a science rolled into one. My job is to continually watch for better or more efficient ways to move timber to the sawmill. One of the biggest impacts of my work is to design or locate haul roads that shorten cycle times and increase our efficiency. I have several examples where I have accomplished this and saved the company a substantial amount of money.<\/p>\n

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What qualities make up an ideal candidate for a position like yours?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ideal candidate for a position like mine has a strong desire to be in a forest setting almost continually. A strong understanding of the capabilities and limitations of heavy equipment is also necessary. Operations Supervisors also need good communication and people skills to understand and motivate the people they work with, but also the other people that they liaise with. The person needs to be prepared to work flexible hours and sometimes very long hours as the job often dictates the hours that are necessary to be put in. The other aspect of a supervisor that is likely more important than anything else is the ability to remain calm and focused even under extreme circumstances. The Operations Supervisor is often the person who is expected to directly manage response to unexpected incidents that may range from a natural disaster (flood or fire), to mechanical malfunctions (fluid spills, equipment fires), serious incidents involving heavy equipment or log trucks, and possibly medical emergencies.<\/p>\n

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What are some of your favourite aspects of the forest industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite aspect of the forest industry is both the physical and organizational environment in which we work. I enjoy the independent nature of the work. We work as a team in the big picture, but each person has a specific role to fill and often we are given free rein to fulfill that role in a manner that we feel is best. I also enjoy the close knit community of people that are involved in the forest industry, generally speaking the circle of people in the industry is fairly small and there is a high level of cooperation to help each other out.<\/p>\n

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What do you like about living in a forest community?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I absolutely love living in a forestry community. It gives me unequaled access to pursue my favorite recreational activities like hunting, fishing, mountain biking, photography, snowmobiling, etc. I enjoy interacting with like-minded people who live here as well. The history that the forest industry has in my community is also fascinating to me.<\/p>\n