Members of the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) have published their first book, Timber Forever!
The new book commemorates the association's 75th anniversary and tells the story of how B.C. forestry contractors managed to survive for the past 75 years.
“I learned a lot about the history of forestry in B.C. as we wrote this book,” said David Elstone, executive director of TLA. “Early TLA members embraced the end of the steam-driven era of logging by rail in favour of trucks and rode the wave of mechanization in the woods."
The TLA was an influential voice in B.C.'s small business forestry interests and advocated against putting the public forest resources into the hands of a few.
The current coastal harvest levels of 16 million m3 have seen little changed, but according to Elstone, the industry has changed significantly.
“Technological advancements minimize the impact of harvesting on the land and create safer working conditions, while dramatically reducing the number of people working in the woods,” said Elstone.
While attempts to form the TLA started in the 1930's, the association wasn't officially formed until 1943. Its purpose was to give independent timber harvesting contractors a voice and focus on sustainable harvesting - especially for the B.C. coastal forest.
“What has stayed unchanged over the past 75 years is B.C. forest industry’s role as a major player in international markets and a vital driver of economic activity in communities throughout B.C., all of which wouldn’t occur today without timber harvesting contractors operating in this province,” said Elstone.
The TLA represents more than 400 member companies.
The celebratory event takes place at the TLA's 75th Annual Convention & Trade Show today through Friday at the Fairmont Empress Hotel and Victoria Conference Centre.
