A love of logging runs in the Thiessen family.
Kenton Thiessen started working in the bush when he was 16-years-old and eventually launched his own business. His son, Jediah, got going with that business, Thiessen Logging, when he was 14.
“It’s just always been in the blood,” he says. “When I was a kid, I was always visiting my dad in the bush and helping with things and sitting on his lap trying to operate the machines.”
Now he operates them for real.
As Operations Manager of Thiessen Logging, Jediah works with heavy forestry equipment to harvest trees from private timber quotas on crown land and private properties such as farms, gravel pits and acreages.
“We come into the land with a handful of machines, which are used to cut down, de-limb, and process the trees into a shippable material that can then be taken to sawmills or other mills where they’re made into a product,” he explains. “We’re actually utilizing those resources in a sustainable, productive way.”
Jediah acknowledges that logging can carry some stigma, but he explains that as the industry has matured over the years, so has our provincial forest management systems.
“Back in the day logging was a winter lifeline for many Manitoban communities, but it was done at such a small scale that the environmental impact was also small,” he says. “Now, although there’s few loggers left, the potential impact is bigger, and so that sense of responsibility has grown too.”
Jediah also explains that part of responsible logging is ensuring merchantable wood isn’t wasted.
“We’re using the trees for something that helps surrounding industries,” he says.
He points out that it also makes economic sense for large property owners such as farmers to hire companies such as Thiessen Logging.
“If you, for example, are just going to clear land, that’s a 100% cost to you – because you’re using fuel for your machines, there’s the wear and tear, and then you have to do something with the wood,” he says. “Are you going to burn it? Are you going to try to process and sell it as firewood yourself?”
Bringing in professional loggers removes those problems for the property owner, who also stands to earn something.
“We’re actually paying you to let us harvest the wood,” says Jediah. “If it’s good wood, like if the trees are tall and thick.”
Jediah recommends that a property owner considering land clearing calls Thiessen Logging to discuss a more productive option.
“We can even have a conversation, like maybe if you weren’t sure what the benefits are when compared to doing it yourself,” he says. “We do good work and we’re excited to work.”
Oftentimes, there’s enough work to bring even more Thiessens into the operation. Jediah says other family members often help out with Thiessen Logging, although, at the end of the day, it’s still him and his dad who anchor the business.
For anyone looking at a larger tree removal project, Jediah says Thiessen Logging can be reached by calling or texting (204) 905-2019.
They would be happy to swing by, walk through your property, and get a sense of what they can offer.
“Just give us a text, or phone call and give us a quick description of what your land looks like,” he says, adding, “We’re a fun group to work with.
