FERIC irons out partnerships.

Brad Sutherland knows he has his work cut out for him.

Getting forestry companies and their contractors on the same page, agreeing to share costs and adopt new technologies and skills poses a challenge for the researcher with the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada (FERIC).

These are tough economic times for the forestry industry. It is being hammered by high energy costs, a rising Canadian dollar, dwindling wood supply and ongoing United States trade actions against Canadian softwood lumber.

The government and other watchdogs also pressure the industry to stay on the sustainable side of things.

And it is the harvesters at the bottom of the industry's supply chain that feel the economic squeeze.

It will be up to Sutherland to help negotiate the complex and sometimes acrimonous relationship that exists between big forestry giants and their woodland contractors.

FERIC is a forest industry R & D group with 25 years of experience in providing research on best practices and emerging technologies. Its goal is to improve the cost-competitiveness of Canadian forestry operations related to harvesting and the transportation of wood via means that respect the environment.

The organization received a $214,000 FedNor grant in January to launch a two-year pilot project called the Forest Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) initiative. The funds were also to help establish a regional presence beginning with its first Northern Ontario office at Sault Ste. Marie's Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC).

Funded by both government and big industry partners, Sutherland, a former Canadian Forest Service silviculture research lab technician, will serve as the project's liason.

Sutherland says there is a "disconnect" in today's industry. Major forestry companies have contracted out their harvesting operations to smaller outfits who have neither the time nor the capital outlay to adopt new technologies or practices to deliver greater effiencies in delivered wood costs.

"Often when we have workshops and conferences, you get the industry guys there but ... rarely do the contractors come because they're not paid to take a day off."

He wants to compile a list of logging contractors who are supplying mills and give presentations and training sessions to machine operators, logging supervisors and field engineers in small towns on what FERIC's products are.

FERIC will be hosting a Thunder Bay technology forum and seminar in mid-April focusing on energy efficiency issues in forestry trucking and practical methods to reduce ground disturbance during harvest.

Ground disturbance remains a big issue within the industry, says Sutherland. It can be a costly proposition for harvesters that have to shut down operations during certain weather conditions, using different equipment or going with wider tires.

"These may look like nice ideas but can they afford to do it? This gets back to the interaction between the company and the contractors. When I talk about soil disturbance and wide tires, the contractors gets mad," says Sutherland. "Who pays? Meanwhile the companies are looking out the window because these guys negotiate rates all the time.

"People are interested in reducing soil disturbance but they can't put it all on the backs of the contractor. There has to be an interplay of buy-in at different levels both at company planning and (with the) machine operators. We're the messenger (saying) it has to be worked out."

www.feric.ca

BY IAN ROSS

Northern Ontario Business