Forestnet Media Podcast

'Making forestry sexy again'

That’s the bold mission Bhavjit Thandi is on as the new face of Richmond Plywood.

Most CFOs stay in the boardroom, but 38-year old Bhavjit Thandi hit the mill floor on day one to understand the 70-year-old employee-owned co-op where workers take out mortgages just to get in.

We dive into how this "shareholders on the floor" co-op model powers a zero-waste juggernaut that invests millions in automation and hiring more workers while other mills go dark.

Expect hot takes on the dangerous "gray market" imports threatening Canadian construction and the brutal reality of battling the world's most expensive fiber costs.

Bhavjit pulls no punches on government red tape, the Trump factor, and why Richply refuses to shut down even when demand tanks.

This episode explains how wildfire risk in British Columbia is shaped by both climate trends and a century of fire suppression, and what that means for urban forests, hazard abatement and provincial policy.

In conversation with Bruce Blackwell, M.Sc., R.P.F., R.P.Bio., Principal of Blackwell Consulting Ltd., we cover frontline experience from the Stanley Park hemlock looper response to municipal wildfire mitigation and watershed risk work.

You’ll hear practical, sector‑relevant analysis on tools and constraints: when thinning or prescribed burning is appropriate, the economics and technology gaps for recovering small‑diameter biomass, how conservation reserves can still require active mitigation, and why provincial policy (stumpage, AAC assumptions and regulatory design) matters for competitiveness and long‑term resilience.

This episode explains the practical drivers behind BC’s current forestry downturn — rising permit costs, trade duties, changing land‑use governance, and the operational impacts those forces are having on mills, contractors and communities.

Peter Lister, MASc, PEng, ICD.D — Executive Director of the Truck Loggers Association with more than 35 years in the sector — outlines the immediate causes and possible responses. He details specific examples (Altmill, Crofton, 100 Mile House), quantifies key impacts (BC harvest ≈ 30 million m³; planning costs rising from $4/m³ to $14/m³ = roughly $300M additional industry cost), and explains how U.S. duties near 45% and higher operating costs make BC uncompetitive for investment.

You’ll hear technically grounded, sector‑focused analysis aimed at operators, mill managers, policy makers and contractors. The conversation covers: the Chief Forester’s role and why current harvests sit below the AAC; how permit complexity and rising planning costs are changing project economics; how lost pulp and chip markets can trigger cascading mill closures and broad indirect job losses (estimates of 700–1,000 workers affected by a single large closure); and practical mitigation ideas including mechanized thinning for wildfire risk reduction, engineered‑wood market opportunities, and targeted government supports that reach logging contractors.

Inside the Modern Forester’s Journey: Dan Marshall on RPF Training, Tech and Stewardship

In this conversation, Forestnet Media CEO Anthony Robinson speaks with Dan Marshall, Forester and Resource Lead at Strategic Natural Resource Consultants. Dan oversees a major coastal silviculture program — managing planting, treatments, and free‑to‑grow assessments — and supports First Nation land stewardship work. He’s nearing his Registered Professional Forester designation via the Allied Science Forester‑in‑Training (ASFIT) route and brings practical experience in silviculture, forest engineering and GIS. The discussion covers professional registration requirements, mentorship, LiDAR and drone use, single‑stem cedar harvesting by helicopter, and climate‑adapted planting strategies.

You’ll hear practical, sector‑relevant insights for foresters, engineers, managers and community partners: how FPBC registration and professional journals work in practice; how LiDAR and GIS change pre‑field engineering and layout; the costs and choices behind silviculture prescriptions and achieving free‑to‑grow; and how meaningful First Nations collaboration is being integrated into harvest and cultural cedar projects.

Learn how a Vancouver Island manufacturer redesigned steep-slope yarders to cut fuel use, reduce maintenance risk, and make operation simpler for shrinking operator pools.

In this episode Anthony Robinson sits down with Tyson Lambert (Vice President, design and product development) and Bree Wanner (Vice President, operations) at T-MAR Industries in Campbell River. They walk through the company’s evolution from a one-stop rebuild shop to a global builder of swing yarders and grapples, and explain why T-MAR engineered the 7280E hybrid yarder: to remove legacy wear items, use electric drives and regeneration, and reduce dependence on disappearing components such as legacy transmissions.

If you are planning for long term wood supply, wildfire risk, or sustainable harvest, this conversation explains how disturbance, insects, and climate are reshaping the forests you rely on.

In this episode, Forestnet Media CEO Anthony Robinson speaks with Dr. Allan Carroll, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and a leading expert on forest health and disturbance dynamics. They walk through the science behind large scale insect outbreaks, including the mountain pine beetle epidemic that transformed roughly 18 million hectares of forest in western Canada, and what that means for mills, communities, and future risk.

Join Anthony Robinson for a sit-down conversation with John Jennings and Eric Pagel from Nicholson Manufacturing in Sidney BC.

They share the company’s seventy five year history, what makes Nicholson debarkers run for decades, how their team approaches engineering and global customer support, and why debarking is one of the most overlooked parts of modern sawmill performance. The discussion covers technology, additive manufacturing, long term service, and the future of forestry as a renewable resource.

Anthony Robinson has spent over 15 years in forestry - from tree planting and mill work to becoming the driving force behind Forestnet Media.

In this first episode of the Forestnet Media Podcast, Anthony sits down with content creator Sam Noster to share his journey from the bush to the boardroom and how he’s connecting and inspiring the forestry community across North America.

They discuss the evolution of Logging & Sawmilling Journal and TimberWest, the role of innovation in modern mills, forestry’s unique sustainability story, and the challenges that keep the sector on its toes. R

ecorded in Anthony’s Sunshine Coast workshop, this conversation blends personal storytelling with industry insight - perfect for anyone passionate about forestry, leadership, and the future of resource-based industries.