Forest machine driver in the rugged landscapes of Canada
In 2019, Arvo Taipale from Kangasala, Finland decided to leave his homeland and he headed to Canada to work as a forest machine driver. In July, he will mark four years of working in the rugged landscapes of Canada.
rvo’s first job was at JD Irving on the east coast in New Brunswick. A couple of years later, after receiving permanent residency in Canada, Arvo ended up working in Ontario for a while. In the end, however, he drove 5,500 kilometres across the country and started working in British Columbia with Freya Logging.
“I have worked at Freya Logging for about 1.5 years. The work sites are usually in the Prince George area, but now in the spring time, I’m working about 400 kilometers away from home in the Jasper area, in the west of the province of Alberta,” Arvo notes.
The current employer’s PONSSE fleet includes four Elephant King forwarders and Bear and Scorpion harvesters. The company also has machines from other manufacturers. For 24,000 hours, Freya Logging have also operated Buffalo King, which was the company’s first purchased machine.
Even in his free time, Arvo likes to tinker with machines.
“ In the summer, I ride an enduro bike and in the winter, I go snowmobiling. In Canada, there are many routes defined by the government, so it’s easy to move around in nature with different means both in summer and winter,” shares Arvo.
Many of Freya Logging´s forest machine operators, like Arvo, have European ancestry. British Columbia has a shortage of skilled harvester and forwarder operators who are proficient in the cut-to-length method of forestry. Valhalla Equipment Inc. is Ponsse´s authorised dealer for British Columbia, Canada.
FREYA LOGGING – A PIONEER IN CANADA IN COMMODITY-TYPE THINNING LOGGING
In addition to renewal felling, Freya Logging also does thinning. The company’s owners are familiar with the cut-to-length method due to their backgrounds in Europe, and the company has promoted the use of the commodity method in British Columbia, Canada.
FREYA LOGGING
- Location: Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
- Founded in 2016
- The company is owned by Sofia Parfit and her husband Liam, Mirko and Susanne Jansen and Sebastian Mayer
- Repairs approximately 350,000 cubic metres
- Wood species: cedar, hemlock, pine, spruce, noble fir, aspen and birch
- The company employs approximately 25 people and subcontracts another 30–35 truck drivers and mechanics
- During the spring planting season, the company employs up to 20 tree planters