2021 Recipient - Colby Mackintosh

A.F. Timber Co Ltd. is proud to announce Colby Mackintosh as the 2021 Kyle Levy Pride in Logging bursary recipient. Colby has been accepted into 4-year trade program to become a Heavy-Duty Mechanic which begins in the fall of 2021. 

Colby was born and raised in Nakusp BC.  He knew a career as a Heavy-Duty Mechanic was in his blood since he was a boy working along side his Dad and Poppa.  He enjoys spending time outdoors down hill skiing, snowmobiling and dirt biking; but his greatest passion is tinkering on anything mechanical. 

Colby knows forestry is a huge part of living here in Kootenays. It employs so many and is going to continue for years to come. He feels wood is always going to be in high demand so keeping machines operating and trucks driving is important. 

When Colby is not working or in school, he is an asset in his community both in sports and volunteering. He has been involved with many sports such as soccer, basketball, and track and field. One story that stands out is when he wanted to try hurdles. The high school did not have the supplies. Colby with the help of his dad, took it upon himself to make the school a set of hurdles which he practiced on and eventually was able to compete throughout the province.  Colby also worked with a crew installing two different sites with solar panels. Colby was a highlight to these jobs. His attitude and work ethic were top notch!  He is known for being on time and ready to do what needed to be done. He demonstrates being a quick learner and is always thinking of the next step. He works well with everyone and is willing to help if it was needed. Even when things were slow, he could be found making sure the site was clean. 

Colby is looking forward to starting his education and when finished he plans to return to Nakusp to join the family business.

We believe in Colby’s passion and enthusiasm to work hard. We are very proud to help support his education and are excited to follow his career!

A.F. Timber Co Ltd. is proud to announce Dylan Strelaeff as the 2020 Kyle Levy Pride in Logging bursary recipient. Dylan has been accepted into the Forest Technology Program at Selkirk College which begins in the fall of 2020. 

Dylan was born and raised in the Kootenays. He knew a job in the forest industry was right for him as he enjoys the lifestyle of being outdoors with his family. He has a rich history of forestry in his family, which has influenced his decision to pursue this career. He will graduate from Mount Sentinel Secondary in June 2020. He is currently working hard to keep his grades up during this final semester from home to ensure his acceptance into the program. He has been described by the people in our community as a task-oriented person and that when he puts his mind to something, he will accomplish his goal. Dylan wanted to make sure this career path was right for him and reached out to 2 local mills and BCTS to arrange a job shadow. This confirmed his passion and the connections he made will help his future and his work ethic will be a valuable skill in the forestry field. 

Dylan is proud to have secured summer employment to help pay for his education and when he is not in school or working, he enjoys camping, fishing, and being outdoors.  

Once he has completed his diploma, he plans to transfer to UBC to become a Registered Professional Forester.

We believe Dylan’s passion and willingness to work hard will excel him in his career path. We are very proud to help support Dylan’s education and are excited to follow his career!

This year we are proud to announce Daniel Burgel as the 2019 Kyle Levy Pride in Logging bursary recipient. Daniel has completed his first year at Selkirk College in the Forest Technology Program. 

Daniel grew up in Nelson, as a kid he knew he wanted to work outside and stay active. 

He graduated from L.V Rogers in 2018 with a passion to become part of the Forestry Program at Selkirk College. He worked hard to keep his grades up and gave 100% to be accepted into the program. He is an attentive listener and relaxed public speaker. He is known to be the student that is first to class and last to leave. This work ethic is a valuable skill in the forestry field. 

Outside of his career interests, Daniel is into health and fitness. Throughout high school he maintained his discipline by sticking to an impressive schedule in both track and field and boxing. He continues his endeavors to stay fit while at college. 

Another trait of Daniel’s is the value he places on volunteer work with the Selkirk College International Program. Even with his full schedule he takes time to welcome students to the college, Nelson area and Canada. 

This summer Daniel has secured employment with B.C. Timber Sales as a Forest Technician. After completing his diploma, he plans to continue working for BCTS to gain practical experience before pursuing his goal to become a Registered Professional Forester. 

We believe Daniel’s enthusiasm and willingness to work hard will excel him in his career path. We are very proud to help support Daniel’s education and are excited to follow his career!

This year we are proud to announce Allie Chown as the 2018 Kyle Levy Pride in Logging bursary recipient. Allie will be attending Selkirk College for Forest Technology Program this fall.

Growing up in Balfour, Allie has spent the majority of her life outdoors. This lifestyle led her to begin forest firefighting in the summers. She was so excited to find a job that most days doesn’t feel like work allowing her to work outside and constantly learn everyday about the forest. One of the favorite things she has been learning about recently is identifying tree species. This was very rewarding for her which sparked her interest in forestry and eventually to enroll in the Forest Tech Program.   

When Allie is not working or studying, she is passionate about the outdoors. She spends her free time camping and hiking in the summer, skiing and snowmobiling in the winter. She likes to work with her hands, doing woodworking and furniture design. She really loves animals and to spend time with family and friends, these relationships are important to her.

This summer will be Allie’s second year as a crew leader with her company. Her references in the community had nothing but praise for Allie. Her employer and peers describe her as “born leader”, “motivated”, “problem solver”, and the biggest one was “respectful” which made it so easy to award Allie this year.

Allie has shown herself to be a thoughtful & mature; she plans to continue to work in the forest industry in the Kootenays after she graduates.   

We are very proud to help support Allie’s education and are excited to follow her career!

This year the Kyle Levy Pride in Logging has made an exciting transition to include first year university students as well as high school graduates. We are proud to announce Micah May as the 2017 bursary recipient. Micah has completed his first year at University of Northern British Columbia.

Micah holds a high GPA with a passion for forest stewardship and environmental studies which has gained him recognition and awards within the community. To name a few, he was awarded the Council of Forest Industries Scholarship, as well as the Get High on Nature Scholarship. The latter of which is awarded to a student pursuing post-secondary education in an area related to environmental studies. He has a solid record of environmental activities as well.

He has demonstrated his continuing interest in the future of our region, including the importance of natural resource industries, particularly forestry, and the need for his generation to become involved and support creative innovation within our sector.  

Micah has been described as an innovative leader, who carefully considers situations. While he appreciates the positive, he senses key gaps and needs, and then identifies creative ideas to fill those spaces. During his first year at school he joined and became the treasurer for the UNBC Forestry Club, in his words “it gave me the opportunity to give back to the forest industry."  

When Micah is not studying, he is passionate about the outdoors. He has come to love simple ways of experiencing the backcountry: trail running, hiking, canoeing, hunting, and backcountry skiing. But to him it is about more than just being out there, rather he is interested in "learning about and connecting with the environment."

Micah will be working this summer at Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks and was offered a community
outreach position. He is very grateful for this opportunity. One of the tasks will be delivering public outreach programs and sharing information on forest ecology and fire management, which he is passionate about, with urban Canadians. He will also be developing an educational program about glaciers and the relationship between hydrology systems and forest ecology. This will build on his volunteer work as an assistant field researcher with the University of Northern BC's team that is studying glaciers in the Columbia Basin.

Micah has shown himself to be a thoughtful, mature young man who is committed to building his skills and knowledge so he can contribute to the future of forestry and land ethics.  

We are very proud to help support Micah’s education and are excited to follow his career!

It has been a pleasure to get to know Liam Patience. When we called his references the community had nothing but praise for Liam. Descriptions like “overall package”, “hard worker”, “having integrity”, “kind” and “solid young man” easily rolled off their tongue.

Liam is strong student maintaining a high grade point average. He is supportive by giving countless hours of his time to volunteer within his community such as the Kaslo Fire Department, coaching minor hockey, the Kaslo Jazzfest and is a huge asset in his school.  He received a number of awards at graduation one of which was the CBT Youth Community Service Award.

Outdoor life has always been a large part of Liam’s life, fishing, hiking, cross country and downhill skiing. In the summer of 2015 Liam was given the opportunity to work with the Kaslo & District Community Forest. This introduced him to the world of cutblocks, chainsaws, logging roads and the crummy. After that job he knew he was hooked and that forestry was calling his name.

During his graduating year he did a work experience placement with Timberland Forest Consultants. During the winter when he applied to them he was promptly accepted. He plans on working for Timberland Forest Consultants this upcoming summer after grad. Then, in the fall, attending Selkirk College for Forest Technology, a two year diploma program that will prepare him for a rewarding career in forest resource management. Liam looks forward to an exciting future in the Kootenays’ most prestigious industry.

Liam plans to continue his life in British Columbia’s Forest sector and to have a long and rewarding career as a Forest Tech. He clearly loves the outdoors and forestry, and believes it is an integral part of his life in the Kootenays.

We are so proud to help support Liam’s journey and excited to follow his career!