FORESTRY
TimberNorth Consulting has extensive expertise in providing forestry services. In the past 25 years, we have laid out thousands of harvest blocks using the latest GPS technology. We have field staff dedicated to forest measurements, establishing and re-measuring Permanent Sample Plots of all types in both government and industry. TimberNorth has staff dedicated to operation supervision including log haul, logging, road construction and reclamation. Planting quality checks and supervision are also included in our area of business.
We offer many different services within the environmental field including:
CARIBOU RECOVERY
Habitat alteration changes the landscape in a way that has an adverse effect on the ecosystem. These changes, either temporary or permanent, reduce the function of the boreal caribou habitat. These alterations can come in the form of loss (lands converted to agriculture, development of industrial facilities), degradation (reduction in the availability/quality of habitat through timber harvesting and seismic line development) and fragmentation (dissection of habitat from roads, seismic lines, harvest blocks and hydroelectric corridors). The need for continued presence of self-sustaining caribou populations is evident. TimberNorth is actively involved in caribou habitat recovery. Our foresters, forest technologists, biologists and reclamation personnel supervise and coordinate activities for the restoration of seismic lines by planting and felling of trees on the seismic lines denoted for recovery. The Aboriginal contractors are provided with safety training, training in the care of seedlings, as well as logistical support and equipment in the form of ATVs. Along with the field portion of these projects, our office staff also assist with recovery plans, producing map products and compiling reports.
FOREST SAMPLING (PSP, TSP)
TimberNorth has employees that have accumulated over 40 years of experience establishing and re-measuring sample plots. Permanent and temporary sample plots are established, measured and/or re-measured for our clients to provide information on growth and yield, stand dynamics, regeneration performance and pest and disease damage. We have experience in choosing sites to establish the plots, or follow a specific program outlined by the client. We can tailor the information collected to suit the needs of your organization.
HARVEST BLOCK LAYOUT
HARVEST PLANNING
TimberNorth has a full team of professionally trained technicians and technologists that carry out all aspects of assessing a targeted forest area. They use their knowledge of GPS units and map and aerial photo interpretation to
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delineate stand boundaries,
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identify water courses, wildlife habitats (e.g., dens and nests), historical resources, established sample plots and survey evidence
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and identify other sensitive areas (e.g., wetlands, steep slopes, unstable soils) to ensure a balance between operational and environmental concerns.
In order to access the harvest blocks, TimberNorth offers the accompanying service of temporary road layout - identifying the most ideal location for a road if no existing access is present. We design our roads with efficiency in mind; considering the lowest possible environmental impact while maintaining a cost effective hauling operation. Our office team of GIS professionals and planners compile this data to produce a high quality harvest plan.
Prior to commencing a forest harvest or timber clearing operation, a harvest plan must be created to outline specific stakeholder concerns, legislation, operating ground rules, wildlife and understorey protection and other ecosystem management guidelines. TimberNorth's professional harvest planners fluently integrate client needs to offer services including preliminary harvest block and temporary road plans, accumulation and compilation of GPS data for government approval and amendments to existing plans.
TimberNorth provides the utmost professionalism in supervising your logging activities. Our experienced supervisors ensure a seamless operation by seeing that ground rules and safety protocols are followed with regular quality control and log quality checks. Route based supervision for log hauls entails ensuring the most efficient routes without compromising safety or environmental integrity. We provide contractor consultation to guarantee open communication and error-proof operations, including load counts and estimations, maintaining efficient cycle times, and road maintenance supervision.
LOG HAUL AND LOGGING SUPERVISION
PRE-HARVEST ASSESSMENTS
TimberNorth’s Pre-Harvest Assessments (PHA) entail investigating site attributes and completing a corresponding form in which relative moisture/block position, landscape form, overstorey composition, vegetation, and stand health is assessed. These assessments are an important component of harvest and silviculture planning, and are used to maintain site productivity, reduce resource use conflict, mitigate potential negative impacts, make operations more efficient/effective, conserve biodiversity and contribute to sustainable forest management.
RECLAMATION SUPERVISION
Our crew is well-versed in land reclamation, being a team comprised of foresters, biologists, and natural resource technicians with diverse experience. Our reclamation services include suggesting appropriate remedial techniques, data collection and analysis, direction of on-site equipment, ensuring compliance of safety protocols, and overseeing general reclamation operations.
ROAD DEVELOPMENT
TimberNorth Consulting provides professional road development specifically tailored to your operation and can assist your road operation through its entire life cycle. Development activitIes include:
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Road planning - long term access planning, access needs analysis, road designing, drainage structure designs, stakeholder consultation, field layout and GPS of road location, timber salvage plans and disposition applications.
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Road construction supervision - road right-of-way (ROW) clearing, stump grubbing, earthwork excavation, sub-grade profile, drainage structure installation, final grading, gravelling and erosion control measures.
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Road maintenance - ROW upkeep, maintenance grading, culvert cleaning, ditch grading, ditch reconstruction, drainage structure repairs and replacements, road re-surfacing, erosion control maintenance and road deactivation.
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Road monitoring - seasonal road monitoring, road inspections, drainage structure inspections, noxious weed assessment and noxious weed control.
ROAD ENGINEERING
TimberNorth has many staff with in-depth knowledge of road placement and cost effective route planning. Our services include route selection, field investigation and analysis to provide a site-specific road location and design. Our road design will provide watercourse crossing site information and location with regard to terrain information necessary for construction control. We have completed road projects in northern Ontario and many within Alberta.
SILVICULTURE SUPERVISION
Silviculture is the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, and quality of forest vegetation for a full range of forest resource objectives. TimberNorth offers our professional expertise on assisting you in developing and achieving clearly defined management objectives, including reforestation supervision, and understorEy assessments/detailed block plans. Our crew is equipped with the ability to make microsite and species selection judgments that increase forest value, while reducing client costs. We offer a high success rate through our quality control checks and our expert decision making skills.
TimberNorth boasts a specialized team of planners to assist in developing your Annual Operating Plan (AOP), General Development Plan (GDP), and Spatial Harvest Sequence (SHS). We produce AOPs in conjunction with our clients to meet stakeholder needs, ensuring operating ground rules are followed with tedious precision throughout the entire process. These plans guide operations by providing strategically appointed cut allowances and summarize both activities to date and projections of cuts all through the outlined period. TimberNorth has worked predominantly within the forestry industry providing professional planning services that will meet all your timber harvest needs.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
TIMBER CRUISING
Using measurement data collected from the establishment of sample locations, TimberNorth offers our team of expert forestry personnel to determine an estimate of the amount of standing timber that the forest contains. We have employees that have been conducting timber cruising for over four decades with experience that spans across British Columbia and Alberta. Our professional cruisers gather information on volume, species composition, and grade or value. This information assists foresters to plan harvesting and planting activities, and assists in determining stumpage fees for harvesting activities set out by the ministry as well as timber valuation for financial institutions.
TIMBER SALVAGE PLANS AND ASSESSMENTS
Salvage logging is the harvesting of trees in forest areas that have been damaged by natural disturbance in order to recover economic value that would otherwise be lost. TimberNorth has worked in areas including those struck by wildfire, flood, severe wind, disease, and insect infestation. Our forestry professionals effectively evaluate the value of damaged wood, and recognize the balance between harvesting salvageable timber, and leaving heavily damaged timber to remain and return to the ecosystem for nutrient cycling, habitat protection/production, and maintaining the forest’s natural ecosystem functions. Our staff can prepare and develop salvage plans for other areas as well including pipelines, mines, gravel pits or other major clearings. Using Alberta Vegetation Inventory (AVI) and cruising teams, we can start by evaluating the timber, estimating volumes all the way to conducting salvage operations.
UNDERSTOREY ASSESSMENTS AND DETAILED PLANS
TimberNorth performs understorey assessments and develops detailed plans that contain specifics on where, when, and how trees on Forest Management Agreement areas and Crown land are harvested and managed for sustainability. This is a dynamic process in which we incorporate knowledge from research, new policy and legislative changes and ongoing review of performance. TimberNorth assists in embracing the dynamic concepts of sustainable forest management practices. These services can be used in conjunction with our silviculture services.