Woodworking students at Mission Secondary School (MSS) will soon have access to a brand new portable sawmill, courtesy of the city.
Councillors unanimously voted to foot the $23,538 bill for a Norwood LumberMax HD38 (and accessories) on Feb. 7.
The purchase comes on the recommendation of the city’s forestry department, after an “extremely profitable year” left their reserves flush with cash, sitting at approximately $4.6 million.
“The more that we are sharing the wealth of our municipal forest with people of our community, the better,” said Mayor Paul Horn.
The forestry department has been looking for avenues to engage high schoolers and spread knowledge about the local forestry industry.
They were recently approached by MSS staff about organizing a field trip for the woodworking class, according to the forestry department report.
Subsequent discussions revealed the school district had been contemplating purchasing the sawmill, as students currently have to purchase their own wood for projects which come at a significant cost.
The forestry department decided to help out.
The sawmill would be a shared resource, with the city having official ownership and the students maintaining the machinery.
It’s a “win-win partnership,” said Mission’s forestry director, Chris Gruenwald.
It will allow the city to mill planks for recreational amenities for trails, forestry related projects, cedar blocks for First Nations-related cultural projects, donate logs for community products like benches and signage, and allow for more wildfire mitigation efforts.
The forestry department is also volunteering to supply alder, maple, birch, and a small amount of Douglas-fire and Western Red Cedar logs to MSS students – approximately 20 cubic metres per year.
RELATED: Mission’s forestry department launches new book on history of its trailblazing tree farm
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