Born and raised in Winnipeg, MB, I spent my summers at my family cottage in the Whiteshell Provincial Park where I first discovered my love of nature. Eventually I decided (with a nudge from my brother) to go treeplanting in BC. It was during that first summer, and the following fall when I visited Vancouver Island for the first time, that I fell in love with this place and knew that one day I would call it home.
In 2017 I packed up my belongings and drove to BC for another treeplanting season - I was determined to find employment afterwards and again my brother, Ben, got me in touch with HAF Forest Services, Inc. in Holberg, BC who I have worked for ever since. In 2019 I started the Forest Resources Technology program at Vancouver Island University, which I completed in April 2021. After completion of that program I enrolled with the ABCFP, and became a Trainee Forest Technologist (TFT) in June 2021.
Over my 6 years of treeplanting I have planted nearly half a million trees, mostly in the interior of BC, with a few in Alberta and on Vancouver Island. I have learned a lot about the forestry industry in the 5 years I have worked in Holberg; the technical roads and rugged terrain combined with experienced mentors and my eagerness to learn has allowed me to excel in the short amount of time I have been working.
Skills and Experience
Forestry Layout
Since I began working in Holberg in 2017, I gained experience in block and road layout in difficult terrain that requires careful planning for road locations in different logging settings (ground based or cable yarding), while balancing resources & values from a variety of stakeholders.
Education & Work Experience
Since 2017 I have been increasingly involved in various forestry consultant work for BCTS and WFP (based mainly in Holberg, BC, but working all over Vancouver Island and the Mainland Coast) working for HAF Forest Services Inc. I have been able to work directly with senior engineers laying out harvest units and roads in steep terrain with tight control variables. Other work has included road reactivation and deactivation surveys, silviculture surveys, and assisting in project safety related tasks (construction of helipads, trail cutting/marking).
I have quickly gained knowledge about GIS software since I began working with it in 2017. I have become the GIS department head at the company I work for, and am responsible for gathering, creating, and managing the GIS data and templates for our ongoing and new projects. I completed the Forest Resource Technology program at Vancouver Island University in April 2021, and am now enrolled with the ABCFP as a TFT. I will be continuing my eduction at VIU with the Advanced Diploma in GIS Applications program.
Wide Range of Ecosystems
From growing up on the prairies and Canadian Shield in Manitoba to planting nearly 500,000 trees from Peace River, AB to Tahsis, BC, and working for HAF Forest Services in Holberg, I have lived, worked, and played in many different types of ecosystems and forests across Canada.
GIS & Computer Skills
I’ve had a love of technology and computers from childhood, and have learned to proficiently use various GIS software (ArcMap, QGIS, currently learning R) for mapping and LIDAR analysis, as well as RoadEng software for LAS to TIN conversion and road designs. I am an advocate for Free Open Source Software (FOSS) and enjoy working with various FOSS operating systems, programs, and databases. I have a general understanding of various programming languages (Python, SQL, HTML/CSS) and always love continuing to learn more.
Using this website, and other self-hosted services, I am continually improving my knowledge of open-source tools and software, such as databases, geospatial tools & servers, web hosting tools & servers, and remote desktop solutions.