Turn-key contractor: from a humble start reforesting a few acres of abandoned farmland, Christian Vachon has come a long way. His commercial thinning and careful logging operation now runs two mini-harvesters and sub-contracts a couple more

Canadian Forest Industries, Jul/Aug 2002 by Vaillancourt, Pierre

For the past five years, a small contractor from northwestern Quebec has shown that even with the newest of concepts and toughest of business climates, perseverance can pay off. Christian Vachon, from the small town of Evain in the northwest corner of Abitibi, has successfully established Foresterie Vachon Jacob, a commercial thinning and careful logging business serving landowners and forestry companies alike. It is a story of careful equipment selection, painstaking working methods, and the kind of quality work that has customers asking for more. Like most successful business launches, it is also a story of friends and family.

[Graph Not Transcribed]

Modest Beginnings

Vachon started in the logging business in 1993, after leaving college and completing a silviculture worker course at a local employment centre. His first project that summer involved buying some unused farmland from his father-in-law, and obtaining a provincial grant to clear and reforest it. That same fall he bought a used skidder to take out a little wood as well.

[Graph Not Transcribed]

Over time he began doing forestry work for his neighbours, and converted his skidder to a cut-to-length harvester. Eventually local forestry companies interested in CT work or clean-up patches started awarding Vachon small contracts. With that the ball started rolling, and some 10 years later the contractor has realized his goal of becoming a CT contractor. His company also works as required doing final felling contracts under Quebec's harvesting with the protection of advanced regeneration and soils guidelines. His annual cut is now over 20 000 m[Symbol Not Transcribed]/yr of this specialty work.

Staffing has grown along side the harvest volume. Francois Jacob, a childhood friend, joined forces with Vachon last summer. Vachon had been after Jacob for years to start a company and partner up with his own, and Jacob eventually relented. He quit his job as a mechanic for local forestry equipment dealer Strongco and the rest is history.

It is an obvious fit, as neither forestry equipment nor logging operations are new to Jacob. He can operate, repair or modify equipment as required, and is comfortable with both the mechanical and electrical side of things. For his part, Vachon understands what needs to be done to fulfil and administer harvesting and silviculture contracts, and to keep the work coming in.

Built to Thin

Currently, the main harvesting duties are handled by the crew's two small-scale harvesters - a ProSilva 810 purpose-built wheeled harvester from Montreal-based distributor Hakmet; and a low-cost Takaeuchi TB070 mini tracked carrier with a Patu 405RH (roller head) and guarding package.

[Graph Not Transcribed]

The ProSilva is the more versatile of the two, well suited for CT work, but also beefy enough in this region to handle final felling with protection of advanced regen, as well as Quebec's emerging strategy of felling with protection of small merchantable stems. Despite having put over 1 700 hours on the dial from its purchase in September 2001 to CFI's visit this past winter, the machine still looked brand new. The ProSilva is equipped with a Logmer 990 boom and Keto's newly designed 100 LD4, a track-drive harvesting head with four floating knives, plus the top fixed knife.

According to Vachon, the ProSilva is designed to work in harmony with the forest environment, harvesting what's required and barely touching the rest. It is small, agile and yet very stable thanks to a low centre of gravity, allowing it to snake easily through thinnings. The articulated 155-hp harvester weighs just 9 000 kg and uses an hydraulic drive system, all of which reduces soil compaction or tearing even in the tightest of turns over the region's wet soils.

Though compact overall, the ProSilva cab is large, comfortable, and most importantly for Vachon's work, offers excellent visibility in all directions. A large sun-roof even offers an excellent view of the forest canopy for CT and selection cutting.

Jacob notes that service access is good, adding that while the electronics on the harvester are sophisticated, they are not overly complex. "Electronics - that's the fun part. As long as you're not afraid to push a few buttons, there's no black magic." As for the rest, he adds, good design and high-end components have meant few problems.

While only Vachon and Jacob get to pilot the ProSilva 810, the company also relies on the Takaeuchi/Patu harvester bought in 2000 for some volume. Vachon guarded the small landscaping-style excavator, added air conditioning, and modified the hydraulics to run a harvesting head.

Dedicated Team

Since its inception, the company has turned into a team of passionate forestry specialists. Another friend of Vachon's, Veronique Gauthier, joined two years back to help out in managing the business and in handling the forestry aspects of its contracts. Having graduated as a forestry technician, Gauthier does the inventory work and some of the ministry paperwork. As site supervisor, she also manages the operators, including the two partners. Another staff member and long-time friend is Alain Nadeau, who left his job as a truck mechanic two years back to work with Vachon.