Live-edge wood product prove popular at Harrop-Procter

An employee at Harrop-Proctor Forest Products busy sorting freshly cut lumber.

It was warm spring day when I headed onto the Harrop-Procter ferry for a short ride across the Kootenay Lake channel. I was on my way to visit the Harrop-Procter Forest Products operations and to speak with manager Rami Rothtop. Pungent odor of freshly sawn lumber and timber was everywhere in the air, mixed with the scent of wild flowers and tree pollen.

I asked the manager what was new at the small sawmill operation. “We are seeing an increasing interest in live-edge timber products,” Rami Rothtop explained. “Live-edge products keep the original bark edge and maintain the contour of the wood on a milled plank, so owners can use them for tables, counter tops or decorative items in their home.”

The community forest co-operative sawmills also produces a variety of specialty timbers and lumber for private and commercial home builders.

The live-edge products keep the original bark edge and maintain the contour of the wood on a milled plank.

“Our timbers and specialty lumber is handpicked and allows builders to give real character of the projects. We primarily cut fir timbers but also mill birch, pine and cedar as needed,” he said.

The Harrop-Procter Community Forest is a local co-operative that manages 11,300 hectares of Crown Land and runs a small sawmill. They practice ecosystem-based forestry and sell lumber products directly from their mill in Harrop.

Their mandate is to practice socially and environmentally progressive forestry that protects local watersheds while creating sustainable jobs in their community. We are the only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certified community forest in BC. They are actively engaged in outreach activities with other community groups, forestry and environmental organizations, and researchers interested in our work.