Irving Woodlands celebrates the small businesses moving forestry forward

Across Irving Woodlands, hundreds of small businesses play an essential role in delivering safe, sustainable and efficient forestry operations.  

These are the approximately 120 harvesting and 180 trucking businesses, whose dedication and commitment to continuous improvement are valued contributions to the forestry sector and the communities where they live and operate. 

One of these harvesting businesses is A. Pickard Forestry. Founded by Alex Pickard in 2021, the company has grown to employ six operators and a mechanic, while continually investing in new equipment and technology to improve productivity and safety. 

By using GPS and detailed terrain slope maps to inform routes and integrating near real-time satellite connectivity in remote operations, crews can stay connected, reduce downtime and make more informed decisions in the field. 

 "Before integrating this newer tech, our operational data would backlog until the machines got somewhere with service to send the data," said Pickard. "Now, I get live updates every five minutes or so. I can hop on my phone and see all my production for the week in one place." 

A. Pickard Forestry is one example of the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit found throughout Irving Woodlands' contractor network. By investing in their small businesses, adopting new technologies and continually improving their operations, business owners are helping to build a strong and resilient future for forestry.