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For years, Canadian Northern Timber Group has always delivered. At Canadian Northern Timber Group, we complete projects safely, on time and on budget; no matter how large or small.

Great Western Forestry



We are committed to our clients to use the standards, practices and techniques essential to promoting sustainable forestry management and productivity.

With our head office in Grande Prairie Alberta we are able to provide diversified services required for Forestry and Environmental Management planning. Our capabilities, employee training and following of certification guidelines enable us to deliver quality while monitoring and maintaining proposal initiatives and objectives.

As one of the largest forestry companies in Western Canada, our resources provide core competencies in harvesting, silviculture, precommercial thinning, planting, boundary line maintenance, block layout, data col lect ion and computer sof tware development.

With our experience and current partnerships, we are offering clients the most up-to-date services available, recognized by Forestry Management program while providing long-term employment for many individuals in British Columbia & Alberta.. 		Our Approach
We offer our clients the flexibility of utilizing different crew sizes depending on the project requirements; therefore, we undertake large and small initiatives.

Building and maintaining a positive and effective working relationship with our clients, their communities and the crown licensees is a priority. Our commitment to our employees and their communities is very important to Great Western Forestry Ltd. We recognize our sustainability is not only based on our company's achievements, but our employees’ perspectives and needs as well. Therefore, we provide them training for quality assurance and certification purposes.

Future Goals
Our mandate at Great Western Forestry Ltd. is to become paramount in the forest
industry by providing high quality services to both private and public clients in the Western Provinces. Our vision is to be recognized as an industry leader that stays abreast of the current developments in forest management practices and technology.

Great Western Forestry Ltd is:
  • One of the largest silviculture companies in Western Canada.
  • Experienced in providing diversified services to private and public businesses.
  • A Leader in the forestry industry with expertise in current technology and past methods.
  • Committed to our clients to provide quality assurance while following up-to-date standards, practices and certification protocol.
  • Able to use small or large crew sizes.
  • Ensuring employees are effectively trained.
  • Building and maintaining strong working relationships with various companies.

Our Services

We provide diversified services that help establish and maintain programs enabling our clients to implement proper management techniques and practices on their land.

Harvesting

Consisting of selective harvesting, clear cutting or patch cutting. We have a variety of harvesting equipment available to meet any companies harvesting needs.

Pre-Commercial Thinning

Pre-Commercial Thinning is a silvicultural treatment used to reduce the number of trees in young hardwood, softwood or mixed stands. It is often carried out before the trees removed are large enough to be used or sold as a forest product. Pre-commercial thinning prevents stagnation and improves growing conditions for the remaining crop 5trees so that at final harvest the end-product quality and value is increased.

Map Development

Creation of multi-layered maps through the process of digitization.

Software Development & Consulting

Foliar Spraying

  • Stump treating with brush saws using the R-jet application process provides excellent control of unwanted vegetation. Using this treatment the limiting distance on streams, buffers and right of ways is reduced.
  • Back tank spraying is useful on small isolated areas.
  • Radi-Arc Spraying from a skidder is a quick and effective vegetation control method for large areas.

Boundary Line Maintenance

This service includes the establishment of new property boundary lines and the maintaining of existing boundary lines on forested land. We use the latest in GPS technology which allows us to locate boundary lines which have become unrecognizable. The boundaries are necessary to clearly define division between property owners or licensees.

Block Layout

Block Layout entails measuring and marking a specific perimeter for road construction, harvesting, and silviculture purposes.
Our GPS technology allows us to eliminate the chance of trespassing on other properties. Depending upon the type of block layout, certain constraints must be followed.

Woodlot Management

Woodlot Management is a means of realizing many benefits from a small forested area. It is a planning and decision making process that maximizes long term sustainable benefits while recognizing and minimizing conflicts. A management plan is designed based on the desired objectives of the landowner.

Planting

Poor regeneration dictates that planting is needed. Planting entails the restocking of softwood species to fill areas that are understocked.

Plantation Pruning

Using specialized saw, trees can be pruned from the base to a specified height. This is done to increase the end-product quality as well as for aesthetic reasons.

Mechanical Site Preparation

Implements Available:

  • Marden Roller
  • Donuts & Chains
  • Disc Trencher

Software Development & Consulting

Using a variety of languages we are able to develop additional software components to blend with current operating systems or design a unique operating system based on our client’s needs. Our staff of programmers and foresters work closely together to create the most technically advanced software possible.

PCT-Q and PLT-Q: Used in a PDA device, Pre-Commercial Thinning Quality assessment and Planting Quality assessment are software packages developed to collect information on pre-commercial thinning and planting operations. They allow the used to easily view and print reports for pre-density surveys, post treatment quality surveys, and planting surveys.

Data Collection

We perform:

  • Forest Development Surveys
  • Deer Wintering Area Surveys
  • Operational Inventories
  • Plantation Assessments
  • Regeneration Surveys
  • Permanent Sample Plots

Great Western Forestry has been very active in both British Columbia and Alberta over the past five years, and has provided many services to the Government of Alberta, in particular. In 2008, Great Western Forestry was awarded the #1 Protector of Alberta Forests by the provincial government. Great Western Forestry has worked with the Alberta Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development to help them implement their Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan method of addressing the Mountain Pine Beetle. 60% of the company’s focus has been their work on the Mountain Pine Beetle in Alberta. Their control measures have been successful in stopping the spread of the beetle in the southern half of the province, while the northern portions maintain a status quo.