Winter roads in reasonable condition say loggers

With winter fully upon us Ontario logging contractors are saying the weather has been fairly good for making roads. However, beyond improved markets and general economic recovery contractors are hoping for just one thing; more snow.

Dave Zeppa of Bruce Mines says that road building hasn’t been too bad this year. Plenty of cold weather has his roads hardened up nicely but the lack of significant snow lately has left them a little bumpy.

"The only problem with our roads is we can’t get them to smoothen up. The snow is what smooths them up traditionally and we aren’t getting any," Zeppa said. "Once it’s frozen it takes an awful mild spell to really screw it up so the warm weather isn’t really an issue. We’re not dealing with swamps and stuff that requires 20 below for weeks at a time. The lack of snow is making it a little tougher to smooth them and so it takes longer to go around our bush roads than it might otherwise."

Not one to sit and wait for the weather to change, Zeppa says he has been out with his grader gathering up what snow he can but it still isn’t the same as a good dump of snow.

"It doesn’t matter what you make them with whether a shovel or a dozer they just don’t smooth out until you get the snow to fill the humps and hollows," Zeppa said. "This year we are in some tougher parts of the forest because this is the fifth year of the five year plan. Some of the areas are harder to access so that means our roads are more twisty and hilly. So the snow would help."

As far as business goes Zeppa is working; just not as much as he would like. Reduced schedules at the Espanola mill have delivering wood three days a week where he would rather be dropping off wood every day.

"We could be getting 10 to 15 loads in every week, but at three days a week we are lucky to get 7 or 8. So we are at half production. There is so much wood, they are flooded with it," Zeppa said. "I’ve always had a fairly traditional firewood market and we’re going to try to sell a bit more firewood locally to add a bit to our production," Zeppa said. "Hopefully, that way we can keep our production level at what we are used to and what we need."

The downturn hasn’t hit Zeppa as hard as some but he says that one of the areas that it is really hitting hard is equipment renewal. He has equipment that he should upgrade but there is no money for it and things are wearing out. He also says that the decrease ratio of working mills to contractors is having an effect on business.

"We’ve been able to deliver wood but not as much as we want because there are so many other suppliers out there whose mills are gone. Our mill, even though its still there, is taking stuff from other places that is replacing wood that we would’ve supplied," Zeppa said. "We’re a little bit down in production because the mills are taking wood from afar. However, it is a benefit to everyone to keep as many of us alive as possible, because someday when it does turn around there may not be any of us left."

In the Pembroke area Tommy Clouthier of Hec Clouthier & Sons says that he has had similar difficulties with mill schedules. "It’s a big challenge out there to keep going. We are working and we are hauling product but it just depends on a weekly basis what mill we are hauling to," Clouthier said. "It’s difficult because you are counting on them to take wood, a certain product, and once they change their mind you can’t fill those landings with the wood that they want over night."

Clouthier says that they are trying to get whichever product to whatever mill wants it on any given day but it is a struggle. He says that they sometimes have to plow roads for a week or two while waiting for to deliver wood on the mill’s schedule. Right now Clouthier says his main focus is keeping his employees working as much as possible.

"We have two fellerbunchers and nine skidders going. All we are trying to do right now is keep our people working so we don’t lose them so they we have them for next year and in the future," Clouthier said.

"It was a real challenge making roads this fall. We had to stop for a while because it was just too wet and muddy. We were moving soup. Once we got the snow it really helped suck up some water and the next day you could come in and play with it again," Clouthier said. "Now we just need a little more frost to tighten them up. The warm weather right now isn’t helping though. We are cutting on those roads now, the landings are tight but the road itself has some soft spots."

"Once the cold weather comes and you get some snow you can build quite a bit of road in a hurry. You are up against a timeline with spring though. You don’t want to get caught in there," Clouthier said. "Hopefully we can get the wood on our winter road cleaned up before the end of February and move back onto our summer roads for March."

"We try to get done by March 15th at the latest, especially with our summer roads because we spend so much money building them. We don’t want to start rutting them and bringing up subsoils which get rid of the gravel that we hauled in," Clouthier said.

The company is trying to stay ‘tight on the haul’ according to Clouthier so that they don’t get caught running on their roads after the mid-March date.

"Getting behind is what we are dreading but, everybody is in the same boat right now with the mills. Its supply and demand; when they demand it you better bring it in," Clouthier said.◊