Cashing in their chippers: Hodgson's manager blames depleted forests for industry-wide squeeze

摘要

"That one's going to New York," says Vaughn Hodgson, indicating the Peterson 4310 chipper on a float trailer outside his shop. Nearby there's big grapple skidder being pressure-washed, and inside another forestry machine with the front wheels off is getting a coat of yellow paint. The maintenance is not being done in preparation for work, but for liquidation. After 23 years, Hodgson's Chipping Limited is shutting down, marking a major adjustment in Nova Scotia's contracting sector. Incorporated in 1989 and based on the Pictou Road just outside Truro, N.S., the company was led by Hodgson's father McKay. Hodgson took on the role of general manager, and his three brothers have been involved as well. With between 70 and 75 full-time employees, the company worked primarily for Northern Pulp, harvesting 275,000 to 300,000 tonnes a year, which amounted to a considerable portion of the mill's fiber supply. "Northern Pulp takes in roughly a million tonnes," Hodgson says.