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For daily life in a small town, it is easy to become accustomed to the relaxed pace and the easy commutes.

From a young age I was exposed to forestry and its impacts on a small town.

Many people don’t know what it is like to grow up in a rural community, so I would like to use this blog to show you what a forestry town looks like. Please enjoy this little glimpse into my childhood and what it is like growing up in Whitecourt.

My name is Emma Schlosser and throughout the duration of the summer I will be bringing some insight from the perspective of an Alberta girl living and working in forestry.

My role at Tolko has made me realize that there are opportunities for jobs that you might not have thought to exist but are very important jobs. I would like to share some of them with you.

This summer I get the privilege to learn about the different roles and responsibilities at our plant and how HR supports the operation in finding success.

I work at Alberta Newsprint Company as an Engineering intern where I work alongside a few other engineers completing small projects, assisting them in larger projects, and producing drawings with cad software.

I had always been fascinated with the large trees that surrounded me and had always been my place of comfort. I grew up playing in forests, catching frogs in ponds, and snakes in the bush. I had always had a connection to the forest and realised from an early age that being amongst the trees made me happy.

When I'm not spending my days learning how to plan for a harvest, helping to maintain roads, or assisting my supervisor Peggy with silviculture projects, I spend a lot of time working on my families' farm.

When you start your first job in forestry, there is a lot of preparation required: the first cardinal point of advice is to buy good work boots and wear them in before you start.