The region's forest industry professionals marked up big wins at the annual B.C. Interior Lumber Graders Championships held this week in Kamloops. Prince George's Canfor staff did especially well in the team event.
Almost 40 of the province's best in the lumber grading trade gathered to compete, according to organizers from the Council of Forest Industries (COFI).
"We are extremely proud of our industry for once again supporting this very worthwhile
event as it's just the second year for us after taking five years off during the critical downturn we survived since 2007," said Gary Desrosier, quality control manager for COFI. "Our numbers increased by almost 30 per cent this year and the level of energy and fierce competition was right back where it used to be."
Dave Munro of West Fraser Mills in Quesnel had the top overall mark of 95.2 per cent and was crowned B.C.'s "Champion of Champions" for 2013.
"After winning the senior division last year he was competing in the very tough past champions division and has the bragging rights of the highest overall mark two years in a row," said Desrosier.
Surjit Parmar of Canfor-Prince George captured the senior division with a mark of 91.1 per cent. Brian Marsh of Comact, a Prince George-based company, was a close second at 88.7 per cent and Rachhpal Sahota of Tolko Industries-Lakeview Division was third.
In the first-year division, Naresh Parmar of Canfor-Prince George finished in first place with a mark of 87.8 per cent and Caleb Lister of West Fraser-Chasm Division was second.
Canfor-Prince George also won the 2013 corporate team challenge as Sajjan Mihas, Naresh Parmar and Surjit Parmar had a combined mark of 91 per cent to take home top honours.
According to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, a lumber grader is a wood processing inspector. They check the quality and conformity of various wood products - everything from home-building wood to shingles, veneer, waferboard, and so on.
Their work is done "to identify defects, ensure conformance to company specifications and classify products according to industry standards. They are employed by sawmills, planing mills, wood treatment plants, waferboard plants and other wood processing companies."
