Frequently Asked Questions

Why did All-Wood Fibre Ltd. seek opportunities in the portable chipping sector before the system was really proven effective?

The owners of All-Wood Fibre Ltd., Leonard and Wendy Legault had operated a very successful logging company prior to starting All-Wood. However, despite their success in logging, both were always looking for new opportunities and Leonard happened to hear about something new called "portable chipping." He attended a FERIC (Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada) seminar in Hinton, Alberta on portable chipping and came away convinced that this new system would provide pulp and paper manufacturers with a new option to improve efficiency and save on fibre costs. Leonard then heard about a portable chipper being tested by Celgar Pulp Ltd. in Castlegar, BC and went to see first-hand whether the system could work and concluded that it would not only work but could be very successful. All-Wood's track record of success over the past decade in becoming the "Largest Portable Chipping Company in the West" is the proof.

What is portable chipping?

Portable chipping is the process of harvesting logs in the forest and converting those logs to high-quality chips near the harvesting site and then trucking just the chips to the pulp mill versus the traditional method of harvesting logs then trucking the logs to the mill then converting the logs to chips at the mill. The traditional method presents several challenges to the mills including double-handling of the wood, disposal of the bark and other waste wood that cannot be used as chips, the need to manage a large log yard at the mill site and other issues. Studies have shown that portable chipping can produce up to 15% more fibre recovery from each log. More fibre recovery, less cost. Reduced handling of the wood, less cost. There is also an environmental bonus for portable chipping as the excess wood waste remains in the forest to degrade naturally, replenishing the soil with nutrients in preparation for the next generation of trees. New technology and machinery ensures that the chip quality requirements can also be achieved with portable chipping. Win, win, win.

How has All-Wood Fibre Ltd. built its excellent reputation in portable chipping?

Leonard and Wendy have developed excellent relationships with All-Wood customers and suppliers during the past decade and these excellent business relationships have led to All-Wood's great reputation. These relationships are also strengthened by All-Wood's innovative managers who are the "front line" of the company. In turn All-Wood's Managers support a well trained, reliable staff that keeps quality and safety in mind at all times. Its called "The All-Wood Advantage" and it's a formula that works. Its why companies such as Daishowa-Marubeni International in Peace River, Alberta and Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor) and other forest companies in British Columbia are longtime All-Wood customers.

Tell us more about "The All-Wood Advantage."

Over the past decade All-Wood has learned from its experiences with portable chipping in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. All-Wood has also learned a lot from providing a variety of portable wood chipping services and environmental reclamation of log yards and landfills. All this experience plus its ability to plan, build and maintain roads and coordinate chip hauling has enabled All-Wood to develop into a one-stop portable chipping contractor. Large pulp and paper companies are looking for full-service contractors versus having to coordinate the activities of many smaller single-service contractors. All-Wood has developed an excellent reputation as a full-service contractor with over a decade of proven delivery. This combined with excellent Managers and a well-trained, reliable staff that focuses on quality and safety is "The All-Wood Advantage."