Just like that, another summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Once again, I have enjoyed my summer working at Tolko and in the forest industry. I was able to do some familiar tasks from my previous summers as well as new ones! I am always grateful for the opportunity to be a summer student at Tolko. I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge and experiences with my blogs! I have always enjoyed telling my friends about the work I do at Tolko. This is what drove me to apply for the Green Dream Internship; I take any chance to tell people about the work I do!
To sum my summer up in a nutshell, my two main jobs were helping roll out the new Pay For Skills program and participate in trials to improve screening optimization. Part of my tasks with the Pay For Skills program was reviewing the assessment booklets and editing them. After going through the books, I have a new understanding of how much it takes to run the mill and the knowledge the workers need to have. I gained a better appreciation for the specialty knowledge and skills, it takes to make good board and for the hard work that’s put into it. I also was able to work with some of my favourite co workers and have had tons of laughs. I overcame one of my fears, which was talking on the radio; It turns out it is not as bad I thought.
My last blog of my Green Dream journey, I wanted to ask fellow coworkers why they think the forest industry is important and here were a few answers.
“The forest industry creates many jobs, not just from the mill itself but from the contractors, the loggers and the truckers.”
“OSB is a cost-effective product and vital component for both commercial and residential industry.”
“The construction business is never leaving, and the forest industry supplies a main product to build homes and buildings.”
“We play a big part in forest regrowth; yes, we take trees down and turn them into OSB. But we also do a huge amount of replanting.”
“It provides building materials with a truly renewable resource. As well as trees help to capture carbon. It is a source of direct and indirect employment for many people.”
These are just a few reasons why the forest industry is so important, and I am happy I got to experience working in this industry and learning more about it each summer. Thank you for reading!
