Gernot Zemanek sees the wood chipper as a way to help deal with the waste of the pine beetle trees.
Productively chipping away at pines
By Joan Silver - 100 Mile House Free Press
Published: June 18, 2008 7:00 PM
The trees killed by the mountain pine beetle are often dumped in the landfill or burned; but one South Cariboo resident has a much better way to deal with them.
Gernot Zemanek, owner of Roserim Nursery, said he was reluctant to light up a slash pile after he logged the nursery property.
He purchased a very special wood chipper in collaboration with McMass Industries and he couldn’t be happier with the results.
Zemanek said the Laimet HP chipper can make 30 cubic metres of chips in one hour.
One pass through the machine and debarked wood is suitable for pulp.
The machine Zemanek bought has only one moving part, a spiral blade, and that can be changed in half an hour to make different sized chips.
Zemanek said as far as he knows this is the only machine of this type in North America; it was imported from Europe.
There was a lot of interest in the machine when it was displayed at the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association Annual General Meeting in 100 Mile and at the Prince George Forest and Resource Show recently.
Zemanek is anxious to use his machine to its full potential.
“The government has to give access to mountain pine beetle (trees) to create value,” said Zemanek.
