‘The first machine of its kind': Campbell River manufacturer creates first hybrid electric logging yarder
T-Mar Industries Ltd, a Campbell River based manufacturer that specializes in building machines for the forestry industry, has developed the first ever hybrid electric logging yarder.
'This is the first machine of it's kind anywhere,' says Tyson Lambert, VP of T-Mar Industries Ltd.
A logging yarder is a crane like machine that has been used in the industry more than a century.
'It's basically a zipline for logs,' adds Lambert. 'You put a log yard in a logging setting that's inaccessible to machinery.'
Called the 7280E Hybrid Electric Drive Yarder, it has taken T-Mar five years to develop and uses electric drives that share power back and forth like a hybrid vehicle.
'(It's) very different from a traditional machine where it's all mechanically linked and gears and clutches have to engage to make everything work,' says Philip Biebach, mechanical engineer for T-Mar Industries Ltd.
According to T-Mar, the 7280E is more powerful, easier to run, better on fuel, and requires less maintenance than a typical yarder. It will also reduce the carbon footprint in the forest by using less fuel and reducing emissions, the company says.
'The engine is going to be spending all of its time at the peak clean burning region,' says Biebach. 'And not blowing the big cloud of black smoke every time you accelerate.'
The first hybrid electric forest yarder is weeks away from being deployed into it's first logging operation, and the forestry industry will be watching closely.
'They really want to see this machine work because they're interested in using similar machines in their forestry operations,' adds Lambert.
T-Mar adds this first-of-its-kind machine will be operated by a local forestry company on the west coast.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
16 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trade top of mind as Canada's premiers are set to hold three-day meeting in Ontario
TORONTO – Tariffs and trade are top of the agenda as the country's premiers arrive in Ontario's cottage country for a three-day meeting that comes at a pivotal time for both Canada-U.S. and domestic relations. The premiers' summer gathering in Muskoka will also feature a Tuesday meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, as trade talks with the United States are expected to intensify. Most of what the premiers are likely to discuss stems from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs: trade negotiations, the direct impact on industries such as steel and aluminum, the increased pushes to remove interprovincial trade barriers and speed up major infrastructure and natural resource projects to counteract the effects of tariffs, as well as Indigenous communities' concerns about them. Day 1 of the premiers' meeting involves discussions with Indigenous leaders including the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and the Native Women's Association of Canada. Carney himself is fresh off a meeting with hundreds of First Nations chiefs, many of whom have expressed concerns about their rights being sidelined as the prime minister looks to accelerate projects in the 'national interest.' Some of the top priorities premiers are pushing include pipelines and mining in Ontario's Ring of Fire region, and chiefs have said that must not happen by governments skirting their duty to consult. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has served for the past year as head of the Council of the Federation, is host of the meeting and said in a statement that protecting national interests will be top of mind. 'This meeting will be an opportunity to work together on how to respond to President Trump's latest threat and how we can unleash the full potential of Canada's economy,' Ford wrote. Trump and Carney agreed in June at the G7 summit to try and reach a trade deal by July 21 but Trump recently moved that deadline to Aug. 1, while telling Carney he intends to impose 35 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canada that same day. Carney has said Canada is trying to get an agreement on softwood lumber exports included in the negotiations with the United States. British Columbia Premier David Eby said he intends to raise the issue and others of particular importance to B.C. at the meeting. '(We want to) get access to the same level of attention, for example, on the softwood lumber as Ontario gets on the auto parts sector, (and) that we get the same amount of attention on capital projects as Alberta is currently getting in relation to their proposals,' Eby said last week in Victoria. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been making a big push for new pipelines, but said during a press conference Friday that her focus would also be on premiers working together to address the tariff threat, including interprovincial trade. 'I was really pleased to sign (a memorandum of understanding) with Doug Ford during the time he was here in during Stampede, and other provinces are working on those same kind of collaborative agreements,' she said. 'We need to do more to trade with each other, and I hope that that's the spirit of the discussion.' Smith and Ford signed an MOU earlier this month to study new pipelines and rail lines between provinces, and both premiers also talked about wanting Carney to repeal a number of energy regulations like net-zero targets, the West Coast tanker ban and a proposed emissions cap. Ford has also taken a lead role on increasing interprovincial trade, signing MOUs with several provinces and enacting a law to remove all of Ontario's exceptions to free trade between the provinces and territories. Nova Scotia's Tim Houston is another premier banging the drum of interprovincial trade, saying the trade war is forcing action on it. 'We're seeing the benefit of working together to respond to economic threats from the U.S. by breaking down internal trade barriers and opportunities to expand in other international markets,' he wrote in a statement. Ford has said the premiers will also talk about emergency management, energy security, sovereignty and national security, health, and public safety. The premiers have also been pushing the federal government to reform bail laws and Carney said last week that legislation will be introduced in the fall and he expects to discuss the issue with the premiers on Tuesday. The premiers' summer meeting also signals a changing of the guard, with the role of chair of Council of the Federation moving between provinces annually. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. But after Ford is no longer chair, he's not expected to take too much of a back seat on all of the aforementioned issues. He is still premier of the most populous province, has built a strong relationship with Carney, often singing the prime minister's praises, and has done frequent American TV interviews making the case for increased trade over tariffs. Those network appearances, in part, earned him a nickname of 'Captain Canada' — a persona he used to massive political benefit. Ford made the fight against tariffs and Trump the central part of his re-election campaign and voters returned him to government with a third consecutive majority. — With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria, Keith Doucette in Halifax and Lisa Johnson in Edmonton This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2025.
CBC
16 minutes ago
- CBC
This Tlingit artist has taught 2,000 people to make bentwood boxes. She plans to keep going
Joanne Williams estimates she's taught 2,000 people how to make bentwood boxes. "I actually feel pretty complete, but I'm still going ahead to teach more," said Williams, a Tlingit artist, elder and bentwood knowledge-holder from Atlin, B.C. Bentwood boxes are watertight containers invented by coastal First Nations people. They're made by steaming a plank of wood, bending it into a square and fitting it with a lid and base. Williams was taught to make bentwood boxes as a child by her grandmother, elder Elizabeth Nyman, and has now taught bentwood box-making herself all over the west coast, including Haida Gwaii and Mount Currie. She also hosts weekly culture craft nights for Atlinites with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Williams says she's inspired to keep teaching by her grandmother, who asked her to pass the knowledge on to other people. "You're actually not supposed to hold secrets back when you're 60 years old, you're supposed to give everything away," Williams said. Bentwood boxes were traditionally used for all purposes, from carrying household items to storing important regalia. "It would have kept all their food and regalia dry," explained Maurice Ouimette, Williams' husband and business partner. "They're the only peoples in the world that developed this technology." The duo is now planning to launch a new home-based business this fall, selling bentwood box-making kits. They're going to mill the wood themselves to make the kits. They'll also sell supplies for beading, sewing and medicine bags. The duo says this business is not a money-making venture. Most of the profits will be donated. "We're trying to reach as many people in the world as possible," Ouimette said. Williams hopes teachers will use the kits to share with young people – but she says anyone can buy them and become teachers themselves.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Pride parade and classic car show closes many downtown roads today
Plan your route if you're heading to downtown London Sunday as the number of road closures may have you driving in circles. The annual Pride London parade will see Queens Avenue closed between the Western Fair Market to Victoria Park, with some side streets also blocked. Some 4,000 people are expected to attend, organizers say, with floats and performers leaving the fair grounds at noon, and roads remaining closed until approximately 4 p.m. Richmond Row will also be closed from the edge of Victoria Park at Central, north to Oxford Street for the fourth annual Rides on Richmond. It's a free classic car show with owners encouraged to bring their classic, custom, lowriders, muscle or exotic vehicles. That event will see the roads closed between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
