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By CRIS LEYKAUF
AN INTENSE smell of cedar fills the air at a shake mill,
located out in Old Remo in Terrace.

It’s a rainy afternoon, but three workers stuffing kindling
into small 61b sacks are smiling all the same,

They're mentally handicapped adults, clients of the
Provincial Networking Group, Finding a job can be dif-
ficult for them, particularly one that pays more than mini-
mum wage.

‘It’s relaxing working oul here,”? says Mark Bain. He
and his two. co-workers enjoy being outdoors, doing physi-
cal work. They’re employed by JCJ Holdings, which mills
cedar shakes.

Owner Claire Lamber is delighted at the arrangement,
since it provides jobs and uses waste wood from her mill,

Tn the past the waste wood —- wood that wasn’t good
enough for shakes or. was left over from cutting — has
been burned. - ;

Lamber first had the idea three years ago, but at the lime
her partner wasn’t in favour of it. The mill was shut down
for a year and a half, and just re-opened in March, with
Lamber as the sole owner.

She’s already found a few local distributors for the kin-
dling, and hopes to expand into Alberta, California and the
Yukon, perhaps working with parks in those areas.

: “We've tried to make it easy for them,’’ she says of the
kindling job.

Her daughter chops the wood with an ax, then workers
from the Networking Group stuff kindling into mesh sacks,
and a slip a Jabel inside.

There were a few start up problems — Lamber learned
the label had to be printed in French and English and had

MEDRICK DUNCAN
gathers cedar kindling ta
put_into smalj. stuff stack,
He's employed part-time
by JCJ Haldings, which
has a cedar shake mill
out in Old Remo.

EES me OEE ESE EE EE EE"

to have a UPC bar code.

“But it’s finally up and running,’’ she says.

The workers get paid by the bag, and there’s no pressure
put on them. ,

“No one’s going to yell and scream at them and tell
them to perform,”’ she says.

‘All they’re trying to do is make a buck, same as any-
body else.”’

Marg Anderson from Provincial Networking is
enthusiastic about the jobs, and adds that her clients are
too.

‘The ones that have done it really enjoy it,’ says Ander-
son.

“I€ we can develop some good markets we could get
them off welfare,” she says. ‘‘And they have the potential
of making more than $7 an hour.”

Right now Lamber is selling the kindling bags to stores
for about $4 and the storcs in turn sell them for $5.99.
After paying the workers, her profit is about $1.33 a bag,
and that helps her pay for wood that docsn’t make the
grade for shakes,

“I’m just recovering my wood costs,’’ she says.

Unfortunately, the kindling business might have to shut
down for a while, although it’s just started up.

Lamber can’t find a steady supply of wood, She says
Repap has told her it doesn’t have any wood to sell her.
And other suppliers she’s lined up won’t have wood for a
few months,

“For this to make it, my mill has to make it”

You can buy the kindling at Misty River Tackle, Copper-
side 2, Home Hardware, Town Pantry and from the Cham-
ber of Commerce.

eee eel eee oneal

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 7, 1997 - C1

wood into jobs

GLAD TO

BE OUTDOORS — Reynold Starr rakes down extra kindling for his

co-workers Medrick Duncan and Mark Bain to wrap up. The men are clients of
Terrace's Provincial Networking Group. The kindling is a waste wood by-product
from a cedar shake mill. The men are happy about working in the forests indus-

try, and about getting a pay cheque.

Great ways to celebrate National Forest Week

livities.

By Forests Minister
Dave Zirnhelt

HELP CELEBRATE National Forest
Weck during the week of May 4 to
10 and encourage public awareness
of British Columbia’s forest
resources and activities.

The second largest forest district in
the Prince Rupert Forest Region, the
Kalum Forest District, covers some
3.7 million hectares. This district of-
fers a wide diversity of forest recrea-
tional. opportunities,  _~ forest
ecosystems and scenery.

The Kalum Forest District prides it-
self in its education, public aware-
ness and community involvement ac-

Each year, more than 450 grade
five students spend a full day at the
Red Sand Lake Demonstration
Forest, learning about everything
from harvesting to tree planting.

The adopt-a-trail program is con-
linuing to thrive, andthe Stewart
field office has embarked on a joint
promotion of recreation activities
with the US Forest Service office in
Hyder, Alaska.

An ouldoor classroom was installed
at the Red Sand Lake Demonstration
Forest last fall which will be used to
provide interpretative programs. for
students, tourists and other visitors,

The outdoor classroom and camping
facilities at the Demonstration Forest
are both wheelchair accessible. The
district was pleased to have more
than 12,000 visitors to the
Demonstration forest during the
1996 season.

I want to acknowledge the
numerous volunteer community
groups and individuals who contrib-
ute thousands of hours of time and
energy working on projects through-
out the district. These groups show
true dedication to the community and .
strive to maintain the beauty, enjoy-—
ment and accessibility of our natural

Dave Zirnhelt

Hard line statements won't get

us any closer to developing workable
solutions far British Columbia's forest-based
economy, To find the answer, we all need to
work together And be informed. At the
Forest Alliance of British Columbia,

FOREST ALLIANCE

Common sense. Common ground.

TO FIND AN ANSWER,

YOU MAY NEED TO. READ BETWEEN THE LINES.

ie. we believe it is possible to have
both economic stability and environmental

facing British Columbians today,
Call 1-800-576-TREE (8733).

Of BRITISH-COLUMBIA.

protection. But we need your Supperl. Join us.
And have a voice in the most important issue

www. lorestary

forest resources, for visitors and resi-
dents in their community.

British Columbia has adopted an
approach to sustainable forest man-
agement that recognizes the inter-
dependence of ecosystems and com-
munities — our goal is to promote
environmental, social and economic
health throughout the province.

I encourage you to join us in
celebrating National Forest Week to
learn more about our forests and
sustainable forest management, par-
ticularly in the Kalum Forest Dis-
trict. 7