Canada-BC/Alberta- forestry work

[Snedasawrus]

Hi everyone

 

I'm heading off to Canada with the misses at the end of April on a IEC work visa. Starting off in Vancouver island and plan to have a good travel around BC and Alberta. Could do with some advice from people who have travelled and worked there.

 

I am a qualified and competent forestry chainsaw operator. I have experience hand cutting for a harvester and with/for a tractor winch as part of a winch gang. I am fully competent and confident on working on steep slopes, carrying out 1st thinnings, mature thinnings, felling and processing of large trees and felling awkward edge trees.

 

Is there going to be any temporary work over there for someone in my position? As I know there will already be lots of skilled cutters out there. Should I take over my own PPE? Are the UK NPTC tickets compatible over there?

 

Any advice would be most appreciated

 

Cheers

[Brushcutter]

The falling course in BC costs about £15,000 and takes 30 days. Then there is 180 days of on site training before become a proper faller. Retests every year to keep standards high. Don't know if the UK stuff will skip you through the training.

 

I don't know if there is stuff for non certified forestry cutters or the BC fallers thing is like the UK FISA thing. Wowjob.ca would be a good place to look. search for logging.

[drinksloe]

I would imgine ur ppe might struggle to get throu customs unless spotlessly clean and even then i doubt they'd let it in.

Esp with all the tree diseases we have over here now.

[paddyvero]

Like brushcutter says, you need to be a BC faller to work falling trees. English certs are not recognised. You might get work in the forest but not falling. Your gear will be fine, just wash it first. You may have better luck in Alberta.

[the village idiot]

The agent for the wood I manage also looks after forest in BC. I could pass on your details if you wanted? I expect he knows everything there is to know.

[Snedasawrus]

Cheers for your comments. I did look into the BC faller training a while ago and did think that could be a bit of a problem, I wonder if the BC training would not be necessary if on a private site. Will only be taking boots and trousers but will clean off all the phytophthora good and propa. Thanks the village idiot that would be ideal I will message you my email.

[Stubby]

And get a longer bar !

[bilke_user]

One thing I know, to my cost, about Canada is that you need all the proper qualifications and permits to work as a feller in their forests.

 

I went over to BC in the late 1980's and got a felling job easily enough through a mill owner friend. Myself and four Kiwi's were working well together, but we caught the attention of some of the lazier Canadian boys and they called immigration and reported us for having no proper work permits.........upshot of all this was that we were put in a detention centre in Vancouver for three months, then after several hearings all five of us were sent home with a black mark on our passports.

 

Make sure that every i is dotted and t crossed before considering forest work there. Unlike this country, there are a lot of very patriotic Canadians who don't like seeing any foreigners doing work they can do

 

Cheers and all the best out there. Great country