A new chip plant is up and running in Beaver Cove, about 20 minutes southeast of Port McNeill. The plant is part of the new Atli Chip Limited Partnership, made up of Atli Resources LP, Paper Excellence, and Wahkash Contracting.
Paper Excellence’s Chief Forester, Quinton Hayward, is pleased with the new operation. “These chips were made from logging waste, including treetops, broken logs, and chunks”, Hayward told Alberni Valley News. “Turning this material into chips is reducing the amount of usable fibre left behind.”
Making chips out of logging’s waste means better use of the forest. It’s also more climate-friendly than turning fresh logs into chips.
The Atli Chip Limited Partnership is majority owned by Atli Resources LP, the forestry arm of the ‘Namgis First Nation. Wahkash Contracting Ltd. is a stump-to-dump logging contractor, and Paper Excellence will get all the chip and hog production from the plant.
Warren Roberts, General Manager of the plant, told Alberni Valley News that the team is really excited to reach this milestone. “We’ve been working hard at the chip plant since this partnership was announced last month.” Between 7 and 10 people work at the plant, and they’re from Beaver Cove or nearby.
Doug Mosher, the CEO of Atli Chip, says the “goal now is to increase the [use] and volumes of wood waste and pulp logs to grow the chip plant business for the benefit of the ‘Namgis First Nation and the surrounding communities.”
