HewSaw Pays Tribute - Välkommen till Veisto Sverige AB!

Lappipaneli Sawmill Operates
in Extreme Conditions
Care for your Green Gold
A Sawmill Safari
Biofuel – A Hot Topic
HewSaw Pays Tribute
to its Loyal Customers
Long Terms Service
at HewSaw
MPB – The Killer Beetle

Editorial
Wood products industry is an interesting line of
business. An outsider may mistakenly think that
we are talking about an old fashioned industry that wastes
our natural resources. When in fact wood industry is trying
it's best to fight against the use of energy intensive products
such as plastic, aluminium and steel. And energy is one
important key in conserving our nature.
We at HewSaw see that there is a growing need for
products that are originated from renewable sources.
We have seen our customers responding to the changing
market by developing new products for their factories.
Inventive remanufactured components, engineered wood
and biofuel applications are a few examples of this.
Our share in this development has been to deliver sawing
systems that can process lower price raw materials like small
and middle size logs efficiently in to high quality products
for this changing market.
HewSaw has decades of experience in dealing with logs that
come from first and second thinnings. Our machines are
equipped with thin kerf curve sawing and profiling features
which have proved to be absolute necessities with this type
of raw material. And the job has to be done totally automatically,
at highest speeds and also in freezing winter conditions
below and above the arctic circle.
We claim that our Northern sawing methods can increase
competitiveness also at sawmills situated in more favourable
climates.
At your service.
Tuomo Kauppinen
HewSaw Germany
Photo: Sirpa Halttunen
Veisto Oy is a family owned business
which employes 190 people. It's main
products include high production Hew-
Saw sawing machines and sawing lines.
The exports count for 70% of the
business. Veisto’s location in the lake
district of Finland, provides excellent
conditions for the high quality of life.
PUBLISHER
Veisto Oy
Yrittäjäntie 1
FI-52700 MÄNTYHARJU
info@sales.com
www.hewsaw.com
© Veisto Group
CHIEF EDITOR
Taina Taskinen
EDITORIAL STAFF
Sirpa Halttunen
Taina Taskinen
2
LAY OUT
Päivi Veijalainen /
Mainostoimisto Huhtikuu
PRINTED BY
Teroprint Oy, Mikkeli
COVER PICTURE
PS-Studio Oy
Reproduction in part
or whole is forbidden
without permission.

HewSaw Team Magazine 2/2007
Lappipaneli
Editorial 2
Lappipaneli Operates in Extreme Conditions 4
Care for your Green Gold 8
Care for your
green Gold
Biofuel – A Hot Topic 12
Sawmill Safari 14
SCA Timber 18
Planks of Wood and Celebrations 19
HewSaw Pays Tribute to Vaagen Bros. Lumber 20
Trade Up Your HewSaw 21
Long Term Service at Veisto 22
Anything for Veisto 26
Sawmill Safari
Fishy Things 27
Mountain Pine Beetle 28
HewSaw Deliveries and New Projects 32
Trade Shows and Wood Safaris in 2008 32
Mountain
Pine Beetle
Veisto supplies innovative sawing
machines and services for improving
the operational performance
in the sawmilling industry.

An Arctic Success Story
Lappipaneli Oy is situated in Finnish Lapland, about 40 km
from Kuusamo towards Kemijrvi, only 50 km south from
the arctic circle. The northern location is a challenge but
family Tuovinen is up for it with years of sawmill experience,
entrepreneurship and hard working attitude.
The company has grown to become profitable and
well-established in its field of business.
4

Taina Taskinen
LAPPIPANELI
Operates in Extreme Conditions
of Pekka and Petri was running the business
while the brothers were still at
school. The very first log load was acquired
on credit. The table saw was driven
by a Leyland tractor. The log panels were
sold to a log house manufacturer. Lappipaneli
operated the circular saw the whole
of 80’s and the production capacity
was about 5 000 m 3 sawn timber. There
were three employees all together working
on the business.
At the beginning of 90’s the company
bought a Swedish made ARI Vislanda
band saw. Just when the business started
to roll, the sawmill was faced by another
fire. Everything was gone again. The insurance
cover was not sufficient so the
compensation was next to nothing.
Pekka and Petri Tuovinen
Through Fire and Ice
The grandfather of the Managing Director,
Pekka Tuovinen, was involved in
sawing business already in the 1950’s.
At the beginning of 70’s family set up a
sawmill in Posio, which is about 50 km
away from the current location of Lappipaneli.
The production capacity was
around 25 000 m 3 sawn timber at the
time. In 1978 the fire burnt down the
sawmill which brought the business to
standstill. Pekka Tuovinen was then 18
years old and his younger brother, Petri,
only 13. The brothers moved back to their
birth of residence and bought their parents’
farm on the auction. Lappipaneli
Tuovinen Ky (partnership company) was
established in 1980. In practice, the father
It was again time to start from scratch
with the Finnish determination and “we
don’t give in” attitude. In 1993, Lappipaneli
bought a second hand ARI sawing
line and started to export. In the same
year, the company changed its corporate
form to limited company and the ownership
was transferred to sons, Pekka and
Petri. In 1996, the company had 30 employees
and it operated in two shifts.
Steps to Success
Lappipaneli started a collaboration exports
project with a company called Ruukin
Puunjalostus Oy, situated in Ruukki,
South of Oulu. This partner was already
a significant company, exporting gluelam
board to UK markets. In 1998, the
new forest and nature protection laws
came into effect, which meant that a
third of the old Lapland pine forests
became protected. This had a very concrete
effect on sawmilling business in
Lapland. Lappipaneli started to plan a
new investment on the small log sawing
machine. In 1999, at Gothenburg trade
show, Pekka made a deal on second
hand HewSaw R200. At the same time,
Lappipaneli invested in new log sorting
The northern location is a challenge.
5

Small logs at log infeed.
ved, spiral-grained and resinous.
However, it also has its advantages;
it is close-grained
with small tight knots. These
characteristics of timber are
especially valued by the customers
who further process the
timber.
Upgrading R200
Lappipaneli’s HewSaw R200
has been updated with many
modernisations to meet the requirements
of arctic sawing
conditions and to boost the
productivity. The mechanical
log infeeder of the machine was
upgraded to automatic log rotator
HewSaw Log-In in fall of
2006. Log-In helps saw small
logs better and more accurate,
the quality of the timber has
improved and side curve has
disappeared. The optimal positioning
of the log has a positive
effect on recovery. In summer
2007, the edging unit was
installed. This modernisation
has increased the operational
reliability, the side board quality
has improved and the breaking
of knives happens now rarely.
6

Operator's cabin for R200
Alpo Arola in blade shop
The new universal chipper heads feature
the no-saw property, which increases the
volume of chips and decreases the
amount of saw dust. When the logs have
plenty of knots, the feed speed is slowed
down and part of the timber goes for
further planing. The motors of chipper
canter and rip saw have been changed
to bigger, the chipper canter has now
160kW and rip saw 132 kW motors. The
motor frequency converter, which is used
to alter the chip length, uses up some
of the power. Sawing in very cold conditions,
when the wood is rock hard, takes
up extra power as well.
Sawing in arctic winter conditions does
not always go smoothly. The wood is
hard and icy, is does not bend or give in
as the wood does in normal, summer
conditions. In order for a log to pass the
machine, the settings have to be adjusted
just right. Lappipaneli staff must have
learned especially well the technical details
of the machine and become more
self-sufficient with minor service the saw
machine requires particularly in winter.
Lappipaneli is not faced by the freezing
weather; they carry on sawing up to -40
celcius conditions. During the past 27
years, they have stopped sawing only 4
times due to a cold weather. Pekka Tuovinen
thinks highly of HewSaw after sales
mechanics who in his view are very capable
and knowledgeable. He specifically
mentions Tuomo Hiltunen, who in
Pekka’s opinion is professional with good
supervisory skills. The alignment of the
sawing line is checked once a month.
There are three people working on the
sawing line; operator, filer and stacker.
Approximately 7000 logs are sawn in
one shift.
Lappipaneli invests around 2 million
euros annually. Recently they have invested
in channel drying kilns, asphalt
pavement of the industrial area and energy
plant. Next on the plan is the modernisation
of the sorting lines. The target
is to increase the production capacity
up to 200 000 m 3 sawn timber annually.
How about the future?
Pekka Tuovinen thinks that the near
future of the saw industry is definitely a
challenge. The competitiveness of the
industry is strained by ever increasing
logistic costs. The distances are long
and the lorry loads have to meet the new,
lower weight regulations. The closure of
a nearby Kemijärvi pulp factory means
that Lappipaneli will transport the chips
200 km further than previously. The
forest road network condition is not as
good as it could be. Especially as the
global warming gradually make the winters
milder, the condition of the forest
roads is not good enough for heavy log
lorries. The price of raw material has
gone up, as well as the price of fuel. One
remarkable risk is the ownership of the
Finnish forest. The forest plots owned
by private people have been shattered
to smaller lots due to the inheritance of
forests. We have a lot of new forest owners
who are not dependent on forest
sales. In addition, thinning which speeds
up the forest growth is not financially
sound on these small plots of forest
land. One factor to add on this is the
sudden stop on raw material imports
from Russia due to high taxes.
On to jollier things. Lapland nature and
snowy winters offer great opportunities
for winter sports and other activities.
Also for Pekka Tuovinen. In his spare
time, Pekka fishes, hunts and rides motorcycle
in the summer and snow mobile
in the winter. No doubt, his foreign
guests also enjoy the snow mobile safaris.
Lapland with its four seasons is a
versatile and beautiful place to live in.
They carry on sawing up to -40 celcius conditions.
7

8
We Finns call our forests the Green Gold and therefore
manage it according to its value and importance
for the whole nation. The forest management is
organized throughout the country, forest growth
and volume is exactly measured and tallied.
Almost 100 % of the commercial forest is certified.
More important than the name of the certificate
publisher, is the awareness that utilization is
based on sustainability. More than 200.000 hectares
(500.000 acres) forest land is being replanted
every year.

THE MAIN PURPOSE of our Green
Gold is being the source of high
quality raw material for the industry. The
local forest is not only a primary resource
for the mills but it is also treated to stand
the highest ecological perseverance tasks
and diversified use, taking into consideration
other economical utilization,
cultural, social and of course environmental
values.
In Finland there is the “everyman’s right”
which means anybody is entitled to pick
berries and mushrooms from the forest
and use it for recreation regardless the
ownership of the forest. These free roaming
rights are of great value to the whole
nation. Hunting, skiing, hiking and other
leisure activities are a pleasure to practise
in a well maintained forest, which is
disease free and where a forest fire more
than 1 ha (2,5 acres) is rarely seen.
A well managed use of the forest is not
a threat to flora or fauna. The eagle, the
bear, the wolf and of course the moose
are breeding well in our forests, some
even too well? The reserve parks are
huge in Finland with virgin nature and
rare fauna where silence and wilderness
prevails.
Building and living with
wood means welfare
Forest industry has the known great
value for our national economy. Industry
related machine manufacturing like sawing
machines, pulp and paper machi-
nes, harvesting machines, including related
automation and data processing
which are all well represented in Finland
with world-wide known brands create a
lot of employment. Many spin-off jobs
are connected to the timber industry
such as furniture, biomass, by-product
utilization, machine manufacturing etc.
From satellite navigation and data processing
in harvesting to laser and X-ray
scanning of the process we make the
optimum use of the resource. Every tenth
person is “living” from the forest and
the money flow of the forest cluster is
exceeding 14 billion euros.
Development of biotech means that the
forest is taking an ever increasing part
of being an important source for the
food industry, pharmaceutical industry
as well as the cosmetics. Especially valuable,
the health food industry is bringing
new products to the market every day.
Birch is the source for Xylitol sweetener,
pine oil and its derivatives are used in
low cholesterol fats. The lignin is proven
a multi source in pharmaceutical industry
and a strong antioxidant. Gene technology
for improving the properties of mostly
fast grown wood species has been
introduced. Intelligent labels are monitoring
the freshness of food in packages
and so forth. This side of the industry is
at its early stage but has huge potential.
The universities and industries are combining
their R&D efforts in this field,
which have already resulted in numerous
new products and success.
Care for your
GREEN GOLD
Kenneth Westermark
9

Crown or obverse side?
THE FOREST BEING of such great importance
for the total economy and nation,
almost everybody has understood
their role. We have a common goal where
education, people who care for the forest,
the forest owners, the industry, labour
organizations and the government take
a responsible role. Main target is to
achieve the pole position globally in both
developing new products as well as maintaining
the healthy and growing forest.
To maintain the welfare in a constant
changing environment we have to be
creative where education will remain the
key factor to success.
Another key factor is to secure the wood
supply to the industry. I’m not going
into global threats like global warming
or diminishing wood supply ex Russia.
The domestic hazard is the change in
ownership of the forest land. By inheritance,
forests get split into small lots and
change hands to people that are not
solely depending on the income of forest
sales, which may cause a temporary
shortage in wood supply. The same effect
is caused by the people who speculate
in sales of timer price. Both sales strategies
and changes of tax rules may end
up with shut down of mills causing unemployment
and unnecessary dramatic
fluctuation in local timber prices which
serves nobody’s interest. The cost of
thinning may also have its influence on
forest growth and wood supply.
The Spirit of Winter War has to be restored
into every dimension of the whole
wood sector in Finland to secure the
supply of timber on both short and long
term. The size of private forest estates
should be bigger (average 24 ha, 60
acres) to be able to maintain a profitable
and healthy growth of the forest and
wood supply in accordance with market
Forest Hall of Sibelius Hall. The constellation
on the ceiling is identical to the night Sibelius
was born. © Sibeliustalo, photo: Voitto Niemelä
fluctuations. It is time to focus more on
mechanical wood process than on pulp
in the future.
The Finnish forest industry has a goal
to be the leading global forest cluster by
2030. This, in my opinion should be
based on increased wood utilization from
domestic forests, not on wood import!
Bioenergy by caring for
your forest
The forest management is supported by
the law of Finland and EU. Planting,
thinning, collecting of biomass, pruning,
disease fighting, fertilizing, etc. are part
of the program for which subsidies are
available. To know who is entitled, to
manage the apply procedures may be
complex but the system is there to sup-
A well managed use of the forest is not a threat to fauna or nature.
10

A good way to battle climate change is to use more wood, not less.
port the individuals who maintain a healthy
and profitable forest in Finland. The
annual growth in commercial forest is
about 6,5 m 3 per hectare per annum.
This is remarkably high considering the
location of the forest with some territory
being north of the artic circle, compared
to more southern altitudes of EU. The
total of Finnish territory with its forests
is located above the 60 degrees north
altitude. The rotation is approximately
80 years with an annual total forest
growth of 98,5 million m3 per annum
which equals to 19 m3 per capita.
Boost your profit with
recycling and bioenergy
Not only the consumption but re-cycling
is a very important and interesting game
in today’s world. Wood residue is collected,
sorted and recycled or burned.
Harvesting residues such as branches
and stubs are partly gathered and used
for bio energy. Other processing residues
such as bark are burned for energy. Shavings
and sawdust are further processed
into pellets. By-products such as chips
and sawdust are used for the pulp and
paper industry or board manufacturing.
At recycling centres the demand is increasing
for old window and door frames
and other such materials.
More than 20 % of the total energy in
Finland is acquired from wood, which is
about the same as that produced by
nuclear power in 2006. Still , in our bio
energy euphoria we should not accept
the burning of all wood residue. The
main volume of it should be processed
further into high value products that
create 13 times more employment and
8 times more value compared to burning
(according to a study made by consultancy
company Jaakko Pöyry).
Use more wood
— make the difference!
Ecological perseverance is highly in balance,
the reserve parks exceed 15% of
the total forest land in Finland. The challenge
is to use more wood instead of
concrete and steel. Building more wooden
structures, bridges, landscaping,
furniture, poles or whatever that increases
the utilization of wood is for good.
Why not erect, say, wooden communication
towers, a potential combination
of high tech and wooden construction.
A versatile range of new high technology
wood products for advanced engineering
and demanding architectural solutions
are being developed and produced today
in Finland, such as the Sibelius Hall in
city of Lahti.
Although the soft wood sawn goods
consumption in Finland is about
1,1 m 3 /annum per capita, the highest
in the world, we have a long process
and a great challenge ahead in increasing
the utilization of wood. People who can
build with wood have thinned out during
the years of low utilization of the potential.
People have to be
retrained in wood design
and construction.
The target should be to
increase the overall usage
of wood by increasing the
total area of forest grown
land. This is again connected
to the welfare of the
nation. According to statistics
which indicate that
only in developed countries where the
GNP has reached a certain level the
forest land starts to increase. Examples
of these countr ies are USA andFinland.
Globally the problem is the developing
countries where harvesting is increasing
but the net forest grown land is decreasing.
There is a very important job out
there to support the developing countries
in reforestation!
Recently we have learned about the global
warming and how to battle the climate
change. Young, growing trees are
absorbing the carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere most efficiently. “A good
way to battle climate change is to use
more wood, not less” by Patrick Moore.
We can reduce devastating forest fires,
reduce carbon emissions releasing into
the atmosphere, create better animal
habitat, create thriving local economies
in smaller communities, and bring the
world back closer to its natural balanced
harmony by caring and making the optimum
use of the forest land. Plant more,
harvest more and process young trees
more cost-effectively (small logs / Hew
logs), and build more from the wood –
make the difference.
Woods inspire the Finns in many ways. Just look at this state of art
Porcini (Boletus edulis) pie.
11
Photos: Sirpa Halttunen

Ed Mayer
The latest hot topic in the wood industry
BIOFUEL
The utilization of woody mass to make energy is nothing
new, it has been going on since the turn of the century.
But with the increased demand for global energy, the
costs and political issues for oil, environmental pressures,
and availability of junk wood is fueling the craze of bioenergy
development.
The devastating phenomenon of
the Mountain Pine Beetle in western
Canada has redefined, and possibly
revolutionize the wood biomass
industry in B.C. and Alberta. The government
provided an initiative opening
a large scale logging area in hopes
to utilize the dead and dying forest
caused by the Beetle and create new
business opportunities for regions that
are primary lumber related economies
that has suffering during these down
lumber markets. It is believed that over
the next 10 years about 800 million
cubic meters of beetle-killed pine will
be available for use. A newly formed
company, BC Bioenergy Power Network
has proposed to build 15 individual
small scale power plants. These
plants will be scattered around the
interior of B.C. in the areas of the beetle
killed tress to reduce transportation
costs. Each plant would have a production
capacity of 10–20 megawatt
of power. The plants will use its own
power generated from a gasification
process converting wood fibre.
These smaller Bioenergy plants have
fire tube boilers which are water volume
boilers with good tolerance for
power fluctuations. Economizers are
used in the steam boilers for higher
efficiency.
Ethanol as fuel
Research suggests that the most efficient
and cost effective method to
produce large scale quantities of ethanol
is through cellulosic fiber derived
by isolating sugars from woody biomass.
Energy experts believe cellulosic
ethanol will outperform corn-based
ethanol in the marketplace within the
next 20 years, making it the best option
for a sustainable, renewable source of
fuel.
Using ethanol as fuel is hardly a new
concept. Henry Ford first began experimenting
with ethanol at the turn of
the 20th century, long before oil refineries
had proliferated. In 1948, the
president of International Paper anticipated
that sugar-laden wood pulp
would be used to supply the U.S. and
Canada with alcohol and chemical raw
materials.
So why has ethanol continually been
overshadowed as a fuel source? The
answer is simple: cost. Ethanol distilleries
are only just beginning to put a
Many sawmills are planning to build
power plants and using their residual
products as; bark, sawdust and chips
and convert them to energy. It is estimated
that a 10 MWe power plant
would need 60,000 bone dry tons of
wood waste a year to operate, or about
140,000 cubic meters of wood.
Flowchart of a wood-fired Wärtsilä BioEnergy 8 thermal power plant, source: Wärtsilä.
12

dip in the oil hegemony largely due to
the cost of extracting chemicals in
corn, soybeans and wood debris. According
to the International Energy
Agency (IEA), corn-based ethanol prices
finally fell below crude oil prices
during the middle of the decade. By
2004, oil averaged nearly $65 per barrel
while corn-based ethanol was roughly
$50 per barrel.
USA Secretary of Science for the Department
of Energy are seeking to accelerate
research breakthroughs that
contribute towards making biofuels a
cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels,
with a goal of replacing 30% of transportation
fuels with biofuels by 2030.
With money pouring in for research,
development and production, the ethanol
industry and market will continue
to grow. Nearly 9.6 billion gallons
(36 billion litres) of ethanol was produced
in 2006. In the same year, the
world consumed roughly 327 billion
gallons (1 236 billion litres) of gasoline.
Wood is Better for
Environment
With the ability of the agriculture industry
to supply enough corn for the
growing ethanol market coming into
question, experts are looking to wood
fiber, trees and wood waste material
to fill the gap. According to the estimates
and with genetically engineered
strains, corn is likely to yield a maximum
of 750 gallons (2 839 litres) of
ethanol per acre. Trees, on the other
hand, have the potential to generate
up to 2,700 gallons (10 220 litres) of
ethanol per acre (=2 535 litres/hectare)
by 2030.
Research suggested that corn-based
ethanol has limitations on its ability
to reduce greenhouse gases, reductions
of greenhouse gas emission top
out at only 18%. Cellulosic (wood fiber)
ethanol can reduce greenhouse emission
by 88%. Cellulosic ethanol production
promises to consume less pet-
roleum, produce fewer greenhouse gases,
and require less land compared
to corn ethanol. Weyerhaeuser recently
teamed with Chevron to assess the feasibility
of generating cellulosic ethanol
from Weyerhaeuser’s generous supply
of wood waste. Crops created for and
dedicated to fuel feedstocks offer the
opportunity to provide value creation
from their managed forest lands.
Even though the future looks bright
for timber in the ethanol business,
there are still some hurdles to overcome.
Switch grass is another leading
candidate for feedstock for cellulosic
ethanol; it can be harvested annually
with little detriment to the environment.
On the upside bio-refineries that
use wood fiber for raw material can
provide year-round employment, grasses
go dormant in the winter and
they’re difficult and expensive to store
in a year-round process. The other
benefit of trees is size, scientists can
extract more sugar from each cut tree.
Ethanol will make the best option for a sustainable, renewable source of fuel.
13

Industrial Fine Art
Above: Cheers my dears. The whole safari gang at Kannussauna
in Mänttä. Below: Early morning walkies in Mänttä.
Industrial fine art
200 million board feet
With Finnish precision
Fine residues, the bark;
Nothing wasted.
This world of wood and machines
Is vibrant as blue sky, crisp air,
And human dreams.
Steel wheels and hard teeth
Set into the fiber of our being.
There is a home here always
For our children.
Order out of chaos
The lunacy of men’s minds;
Who thought up that machine?
The ant inside imagination.
But this is ours to steer
Towards beauty
Not fear.
By Jim Doran
14

Taina Taskinen
Sunday 6 May
I Arrive at the hotel in Helsinki around
4 pm. I haven’t yet seen a sight of the
safari participants. I feel slightly nervous
while sitting in my comfortable hotel
bed. Just before 5 pm I go to suite on 8 th
floor where the welcoming party is held.
Do I want a drink – yes, please – I think
I could do with a one now. The guests
start to flow in and we are introducing
ourselves. It is taking me a while to get
used to the Canadian and American accents.
I spend quite a bit time talking to
Carla Mayer, Tammy Quantz and Lorna
Mjolsness. I also meet Kim and Real
Arseneault for the very first time. They
are to become part of my “safari management
team” which we later on jokingly
refer to when speaking about the people
who sit in the front of the bus with me.
Later on in the evening, we go to have a
meal in a traditional, log interior designed
restaurant, Savotta. People are getting
to know each other and seem to be having
fun. A good start for the week to
come.
Monday 7 May
8.10 am and everybody is in the bus, not
bad. We are heading to Havesa Timber
in Hamina. The guys are visiting the
Havesa sawmill and seeing HewSaw
SL250 Duo SE. In the meanwhile ladies
are having a guided “time travel” walk
in the historic 1800 century Hamina.
Our guide is waiting for us dressed up
as an upper-class lady, known by name
Gus-tava Langenstierna. She is quite
posh but funny at the same time, flashing
us her wonderful petticoat. In addition
– what a sawmill?
I had a great pleasure to host the North American
sawmill safari together with my colleague Kenneth
Westermark. This was my very first safari
and certainly immemorial with lovely bunch of
people. This is my diary from female perspective.
to alking around the town and listening
to her fascinating stories, we pop into
the local handicraft shop where a patchwork
exhibition is displayed. Our tour
ends to the historical lunching place,
Haminan varuskuntakerho, a former
officer’s club where we meet up the guys
for lunch.
The guys are visiting another sawmill,
Tiaisen saha, at Heituinlahti where they
saw with the HewSaw SL250 ripsaw. In
the meanwhile, the ladies visit a local
horse farm, LauKan ratsutila. We are
greeted by the owner Karoliina Laurila
and her stable girl. They are showing us
around the stables and the newly built
arena. At the end, we have an opportunity
to ride a horse. We have some experienced
riders amongst us including Carla
Mayer and Tammy Quantz. Our horses
Selma and Hippo are very calm and well
behaved so I am brave enough to try out
riding myself. I like it, in fact would not
mind learning some more in the future.
Many of our guests are still a bit tired,
suffering from a jet lag but some fresh
air is doing us all some good.
We drive to Mäntyharju, to Veisto’s
summer cottage Humina. We have some
real entertainment; two men band called
La Sega del Canto is playing. Mr J.J. Calo
is playing a frame saw, a very unusual
instrument I should think. Mr Pulp is
taking turns playing the guitar and the
pump organ and singing as well. The
performance is a combination of music
and comic act. They are absolutely hilarious,
very talented and very unique. This
has to be the funniest thing I have seen
for ages.
It is time for sauna. A few of the ladies
join me for the sauna experience. It is
nice to relax and have a woman to woman
chat. The guys go to a sauna after
us and some of them have a swim in a
lake which is still very cold.
The first day has been good and everybody
is ready to hit the pillow by the
end of the long day.
Safari diary from female perspective...
Tammy Quantz in action.
15

So the Finns need poles to walk with?
Up we go...
Tuesday 8 May
Wakey, wakey, rise and shine. The guys
visit the Misawa Homes of Finland, a
Japanese owned sawmill in Mikkeli. We,
ladies visit the Kenkävero manor, an old
vicarage and their shop which is selling
some Finnish souvenirs and designer
items.
Then we drive to Veisto’s head office
in Mäntyharju. MD Markku Rautio is
making a company presentation and we
are having a little tribute to our long term
customer, Vaagen Bros Ltd. The men are
also listening to the brief presentation
on x-ray scanners by Janne Kovanen from
Mikropuu Oy. While the guys visit
Veisto’s factory, the place of birth of the
HewSaws, the ladies visit the local sights
including the Mäntyharju Wooden
Church and the local shops.
After the lunch at Veisto’s canteen,
we drive to Vierumäki. The guys get the
see the recent installation of SL250 Duo
line at Versowood, Vierumäki mill. We,
ladies are having a curling class in Vierumäki.
There seem to be some curling
experts in our group, including Kim Arseneault.
No wonder that there are as
the Canadians are the world champions
at it.
It is quite handy as Kim is kindly
teaching our team while the instructor
is occupied with the other team. First I
don’t seem to have any idea of what I
am doing but soon I will start to get the
hang of it. Not that I really understand
the rules but the more I learn the better
it gets. The class is unfortunately over
just when we have made a good start.
It is time to get in the bus again to
drive to our evening destination, Mänttä.
We arrive at Mäntän Klubi around 6 pm
and are warmly welcomed by the hostess
Soili Huttunen. The main building is old
and impressive. Later on we learn that
the guest house where some of us are
staying is something very special (lucky
guys who are sleeping there). We are
quickly dropping off our luggage to the
rooms and soon head to Kannussauna
which is a few kilometres away.
We arrive at Kannussauna and it
looks very inviting and exciting. A group
of guys are welcoming us and telling us
what is on the plan for tonight. We divide
ourselves into small groups and are
given tasks to solve. Tasks involve for
example axe throwing, “harvesting”,
rubber boot throwing and fire
making. Everybody is really enjoying
themselves. The food is superb,
flame grilled salmon with
trimmings. We are loving it there.
Mr Jim Doran is reading us some
poems he has written himself. Absolutely
one of our best nights of the
week.
Jennifer Alborano showing us how.
... axe throwing,
harvesting,
rubber boot
throwing and
fire making...
16

Is it morning already… still it is lovely
and sunny today. We are a bit tired from
last night but never mind, some more
fun ahead. The guys are visiting the Vilppula
sawmill to see HewSaw R200 in
action. The same guys who organised
the games last night are taking us ladies
to the nearby woods to learn some Nordic
walking. What is Nordic Walking
then? It is just like an ordinary walking
but with some poles which give the walking
some rhythm and makes it more
effective, more of an exercise. The instructor
is teaching us the basics and
leading us to the woods. We are in the
nature reserve area; very beautiful and
peaceful. While walking along the path,
we get to see a “Woods Church” and
climb up to a belvedere, where we can
see the Mänttä town. After a nice walk,
in the fresh air, we are taken back to
Mäntän Klubi where we wait for the bus
to pick us up. We have quite a long drive
in ahead of us. During the transfers some
of us take a little nap, some read, many
have a chat. I sit in front of bus, next to
the driver and enjoy the fun company of
Kim and Real Arseneault and Lorna and
Barry Mjolsness as well as Tammy and
Jason Quantz. It is nice to exchange
information on Canada and Finland as
well tell stories and jokes. I really think
this is an excellent and fun group of
people to be part of.
We check into a hotel in Vaasa, have
a little break and then jump into the bus
again which takes us to Vaasa archipelago
and a place called Kalle’s Inn. What
a great complex by a sea. It is run by a
Finnish-Welch family. After welcoming
drinks, we are trying out the smoked
sauna. Carla, Tammy, Dawn, Monica and
Betty are joining me. It is nice and relaxing,
as the opposite to my prejudice, I
am not covered with soot. In fact, it is
not very much different to an ordinary
sauna, just a scent of smoke, I mean in
a nice way. I know that it takes hours to
prepare the smoked sauna so we are
appreciating the end result. When it gets
too hot, we step outside and sit in the
hot tub which I really enjoy. Many of the
men are dipping into the cold sea. After
this experience we have a lovely dinner
in the kota, a traditionally built Lapphouse
commonly found in the northern
parts of Finland. There is a gorgeous
view from the window to the sea. You
can feel the summer coming with the
nightless nights, endless hours of day
light.
Thursday 10 May
We are driving to Kaskinen, the smallest
town in Finland by population with
around 1550 inhabitants. We are visiting
the Finnforest Kaskinen upgrading factory,
which Jari Johansson is showing us
around. After the tour we have lunch at
a historical place called Noormarkun
kerho, originally built in 1907 for the local
fire department’s use but nowadays owned
by a company called A. Ahlström
and is a venu for parties and other events.
The magnificent head office of A. Ahlström
is situated nearby.
Now it is time for the Rolls Royce of
the Finnish sawmills;
the United Sawmills
Ltd. Seikku in Pori
where they have the
HewSaw SL250
Quartet sawing line.
The ladies join the
visit as well which I
think most of us
find interesting.
One of Jim Doran’s
poem’s “Industrial
Fine Art” was inspired
by Seikku
sawmill.
Piece of cake – task solved!
Now we drive to Hämeenlinna where
we are going to stay for the night. It is
unfortunately our last night together as
a whole group so we are having a fairwell
dinner at the Vanajanlinna Castle. In the
basement, partly underground, is the
skilfully vaulted wine tavern decorated
with murals. A secret stair used to lead
there from the dining room. This is where
we are dining tonight. People are dressed
up very nicely for the occasion. A few
people are making some nice speeches
and it feels a bit emonational actually. I
am handing out some little presents and
have a chance to give a hug to everybody.
It is amazing how quickly you get to
know each other when you spend five
days travelling together.
Friday 11 May
In the morning while the guys are visiting
the very last sawmill of the week, the
Renko with HewSaw R250 processor, the
ladies have a guided tour around the
Häme Castle. We hear some quite interesting
stories about the history. The
dungeon was horrible; would not like to
be locked up in there with almost no day
light at all.
After the sawmill and Häme Castle
tour we drive to Lohja to visit debarker
manufacturer, VK Nicholson head office.
We are hosted by MD Jukka Reipas who
is making a presentation while we are
having lunch. After this, we are guided
through the factory.
Sadly, the next stop is the last one of
the HewSaw tour. Our guests are going
on a cruise to Stockholm. It is time for
good byes. Still, I know I will meet some
of the guys at Hannover Ligna show next
week. I hope everyone had as nice time
as I did. Roll on next North American
safari…..
17

Claes Backlund and
Stig Ekholm.
In September 2007 Veisto paid
tribute to one of its biggest
and remarkable customers
in Europe and in a whole world,
SCA Timber AB from Sweden.
SCA Timber AB
Our loyal customer from Sweden
The company’s two sawmills; Holmsund and
Munksund have supported Veisto in the path
of product development and success. As an example,
the mechanical infeeder of HewSaw R200 as it stands
today was developed for the Holmsund’s requirements.
In addition, at the same time, HewSawSL200
sawing line was invented and was also later on installed
in Holmsund sawmill. The two HewSaw SL250
sawing lines which Munksund purchased were again
a big step forward in Veisto’s product development.
Veisto greatly appreciates the work Stig Ekholm in
Holmsund and Sven-Erik Pääjärvi in Munksund have
done for Veisto. Stig had the honour to attach his
company plate on HewSaw “Wall of Fame” at the
head office in Mäntyharju. The plates were given to
both Stig and Sven-Erik to recognise both of the sawmills
concerned.
SCA Timber has the total of eight sawmills with the
total production of about 1.760.000 m 3 sawn timber.
Veisto’s saw machine or line is in 5 of them. R200
SE and SL250 Duo in Tunadal, R115 in Graninge,
SL200 in Jämtlamell, SL200 in Holmsund and two
SL250 Trio sawing lines in Munksund. R115 was
delivered to Graninge in 1989 and the first sawing
line SL250 Duo to Tunadal in 1994. SCA Timber is
certainly our loyal and respected customer and a big
scale sawmilling company in Europe.
Claes Backlund
Markku Rautio and Stig Ekholm.
18
Veisto pays tribute to it’s loyal customers.

Kenneth Westermark
Planks of Wood and
Celebrations!
Sefob sawmill is located in Normandy, France
and it stands out in the scenery. As they represent
a sawmill company, the buildings have been made
of wood. As the years have gone past, the facades
have turned into beautiful, glistening greyish colour.
Normandy is not only known for its cost-efficient
sawing but is also famous for its fine Calvados apple
brandy. In the countryside it is easy to locate the
Calvados cellars by smell as about 15 % of the fine
spirit is evaporated during the aging process in oak
barrels.
Our co-operation with Sefob started in 1996 with the
delivery of HewSaw R200. After this, a NS200 ripsaw
was delivered at the beginning of 2000. The most
recent delivery, R250 PLUS/NS250 in 2006 represents
the latest HewSaw technology. Sefob is one of our
customers, who has brought new ideas and expertise
into our company and therefore contributed in the
improvement of HewSaw sawing processes and
From the left: Christian Lallia, HewSaw representative in France,
Kenneth Westermark, HewSaw sales manager, Jérôme Marie,
the production director and Noël Gastebois, the sawmill owner.
technology. You could describe their operation mode
with wording “sawing is bigger than life” and “we
never give in”. Their ability to make revenue even in
less favourable market situations is also based in
these unconditional principles. The keys of their
success lie on capable wood procurement, excellent
sawing process, the market knowledge and highly
motivated and capable employees.
Straight from the beginning, the co-operation between
the two companies was based on the idea of partnership.
Both companies have realised that the success
of the other is the success of both. This philosophy
results in successful reference visits, which have been
hosted with style. The guests have flown from Europe,
Australia and North and South America and not just
for the taste of Calvados.
To recognise the excellent co-operation and loyal
customer relationship, Veisto and our agent, Christian
Lallia presented Sefob with the HewSaw “Wall of
Fame” placard at Ligna Show in Hannover.
Veisto pays tribute to it’s loyal customers.
19

Ed Mayer
WITH GREAT PLEASURE
HewSaw pays tribute
to Vaagen Bros. Lumber
Duane and Russell Vaagen
20
Veisto pays tribute to it’s loyal customers.

Ed Mayer
The HewSaw products have a very good operating longevity, in fact the first ones made
are still working today. Older vintage machines are very much desired for the less
demanding applications. Higher end sawmills that need to stay with leading-edge equipment
have to upgrade their machines every so often to be competitive. Newer equipment
features and more efficient designs are constantly evolving like in any other industry.
Trade-up your HewSaw
HewSaw provides a great opportunity to their
customers, at any time HewSaw will offer an
attractive exchange value for older machines to tradeup
on a newer or different machine lines. HewSaw
can do this since the used machines hold their value
and there is a strong demand for less expensive but
good operating machines.
HewSaw Machine Inc. receives back these used
machines and totally strips it down to the main frame.
The machine then is put back together with care. All
parts are inspected to be in good worker condition
or it will be replaced with new parts. Any new upgrade
parts or any newly developed features are immediately
incorporated. The machine is sold as used rebuilt
machine with an O.E.M warranty at a good price.
New machine contracts can include guaranteed
residual ‘trade-up’ value after certain time period.
This provides an option for future considerations
that can be very beneficial.
Depending on the application the latest high-tech.
machines may be over-kill for the need and not
justifiable. Still many sawmills need to improve their
operation efficiency; these used, quality rebuilt machines
fits the bill perfectly.
A testament to design and manufacturing
quality!
The HewSaw products have a very good operating longevity.
21

Many employees have worked for Veisto for tens of years.
Long term service
at Veisto
Photos: Sirpa Halttunen
Veisto is a successful family owned company
which has grown from a local wood processing
company to an international machine manufacturer.
As in any family business, the decision makers are
actively involved in day to day running of the
business. Veisto has looked after its workers
well. There are many employees who have
worked for Veisto for tens of years. This year
we celebrate three employees with long service
history. Leo Hmlinen has worked for Veisto
for 40 years, his entire working life so far.
Both Esa Oranen and Tuomo Alanko have
reached their 30 year milestone. This is their
story of their career path at Veisto.
22

Taina Taskinen
Leo H m l inen has worked 40 years at Veisto
A little push from his mother
and Leo found himself
working for Veisto
Leo ”Lesu” Hämäläinen started his
career at Veisto at the age of 16.
Leo was born at Mäntyharju, Vanonen,
and was a neighbour to the Rautio brothers.
Leo recalls that his mother had
something to do with his recruitment to
Veisto. When Leo started at Veisto, the
initial contract was for two weeks but
there he is 40 years after still employed
by Veisto. Leo remembers that his first
manager was Jouko Rautio, one of the
brothers who set up the company.
Manual work in the old days
The times have certainly changed. Leo
can still picture the workshop which was
built at the corner of the animal shed.
His first work trip was to Taavetti which
is around 100 km from Mäntyharju. He
worked with the square timber hewing
machine together with three other men.
Leo remembers that he felt a bit achy
after his first day as the work was very
physical.
After having done his military service,
Leo was involved in the Veisto’s building
business, the hewing of cabin logs with
the recently invented machine. Veisto
was building summer cottages at the
time. Then Leo worked at Veisto’s first
sawmill which was set up in Mäntyharju.
The log was fed in manually by hands;
just a little a bit different to today’s
operator’s job.
–I did not need to take any exercise after
work those days, Lesu smiles. Lesu feels
that as a young man, the physical job
was easily managed but he could not
handle it any more if he had to. At the
beginning of 90’s the sawmill was moved
Lesu at work at Kissakoski sawmill
to Kissakoski which is about 30 km from
Mäntyharju. Initially, Leo was covering
the existing operator but he is still there
working as an operator. Leo was a bit
hesitant about the longer trip to work
but he felt that wood is his element and
wanted to stick to the job he felt most
comfortable with.
The technology moves on and Leo feels
he is still learning. The staff of Kissakoski
sawmill has doubled from the beginning
and the sawmill has been modernised
to the top notch. Leo is planning to stay
at Veisto, “where else would I go”, he
laughs. Leo thinks Veisto is a good employer;
there is enough work and the wages
are paid on time.
Facts
Name:
Leo Hämäläinen
Started at Veisto:
11.04.1967
Age: 56 years
Place of residence:
Mäntyharju
Family:
Married with two children
Hobbies:
Cycling and cross country
skiing
Wood is my element
and I want to stick
to the job I feel most
comfortable with.
23

Riikka Mustonen
Esa Oranen has worked 30 years for Veisto
Esa at Aleksandria in Egypt in 1991
I have never
considered
leaving this job!
Facts
Name: Esa Antero Oranen
Started at Veisto: 11.05.1977
Age: 49 years
Place of residence: Mikkeli
Family: Married, has two kids
Hobbies: Motor cycling, golf
1977–1980 Office worker
1980–1983 Accountant
1983–1991 Office manager
1992–1995 Managing director
1995– Director of finance
Current duties:
• Sphere of responsibilities include financial
management of Veisto Group
and it’s subsidiaries.
• Member of the Board of Veisto Oy,
Vakiometalli Oy and Veisto Sverige
Ab. Also a member of the Management
Group of Veisto Oy and also
the Managing Director of Veisto
Sägemaschinen GmbH.
Esa Oranen started at Veisto as an
office worker thirty years ago. He
studied marketing at commercial college
and was selected to this assignment
straight from school.
–I was in the right place at the right time,
Esa says.
Only in his dreams he could imagine the
employment would last this long. He
started with general office duties like
typing and handling the switchboard.
–At that time the switchboard had only
nine extensions, it’s a bit different these
days, Esa laughs. Soon his talents were
noticed and he started handling the accounts.
In 1983 he was promoted; he
became the office manager.
Subsidiaries on the road
to success
In 1991 the former limited partnership
company Veisto changed it’s corporate
form to limited company. Therefore a
managing director was needed and Esa
Oranen was elected to the position. He
managed the same duties as before, but
with the promotion he also had to take
care of the customer meetings. Esa does
not feel this was an easy task for him.
–I could not offer sufficient information
to the customers due to my lack of technical
orientation, he explains. A few years
on I wanted to give up the managing
director’s position and was appointed
the director of finance. He has been in
that position ever since. At the same
time he was elected to become a member
of the board of Veisto Oy.
Veisto has subsidiaries in Canada, Sweden,
Germany and USA. Esa has perso-
sonally been involved in setting them
up. Nowadays almost half of his working
time is spent in the daily financial routines
of the companies. Practically this
means going through monthly reports,
checking the accounts and helping with
decision making. He keeps in contact
with them on the daily basis. Every company
was started up from scratch.
–It’s a joy to see how they are growing,
Esa says.
He visits every subsidiary twice a year.
Even though travelling has become a
routine to him, he still finds it fascinating.
–It’s interesting to learn about foreign
cultures and different ways of life.
Confidence and appreciation
have grown over the years
Esa has had many turning points in his
career. The work has stayed interesting
partly because of the changes he has
seen and been involved in.
–It feels like I’m working in a different
company than when I first started, he
laughs. I have never really considered
leaving this job; it suits me perfectly.
The work is far from routine. It’s hard to
say in the morning what the day brings.
Esa works independently; if everything
is done right and in time no questions
are asked. Esa exchanges opinions with
the managing director Markku Rautio
daily. Their offices are side by side, so
it’s easy to pop in.
–I say this on my behalf only but I’m
sure Markku agrees; we make a good
team! The mutual appreciation has only
grown over the years.
The mutual confidence has grown strong over the years.
24

Riikka Mustonen
Tuomo Alanko has worked 30 years for Veisto:
The development of sawing
machines has changed my duties
Tuomo Alanko has a 30-year-long
career at Eskola sawmill of Koneveisto
Rautio Oy, a subsidiary of Veisto.
He is clearly satisfied with his career and
colleagues. The times have changed a
lot in thirty years. They have still managed
to respond to upcoming challenges at
Eskola.
At first there were only three employees.
They took weekly turns at driving the
front end loader. The workers became
very experienced. The so called crank
handle man counted the logs fed in.
After each break, he would still remember
by heart the number of the logs processed.
Constant quality checking
Years went by and the sawing machines
were improved. Nowadays the work is
done by HewSaw R200 PLUS -machine.
Production is about 60 000 cubic metres
per year which of sqare beam count for
approximately 30 %. They work in one
shift and 8800 logs go through the machine
daily.
–Quality demand of the chip is a challenge
we have to meet, Tuomo explains.
We take several samples each day and
the RPM of the chipper heads is adjusted
according to each saw pattern.
The chipper head angles affect the
chip quality. There are also other things
that affect the quality, like weather conditions
and the dryness of the wood.
–It sometimes feels like this is some
form of art, Tuomo says.
The maintenance and repairing of the
machines has changed radically over the
years. At the beginning the machines
were repaired on the spot at the sawmill,
nowadays spare parts are changed before
anything gets broken.
–My strength at workplace is that I get
along with people, Tuomo says. I am also
open minded and flexible, which I
think are good qualities to have as well,
he continues.
Tuomo with a 4 kilo trout in summer
2007. After the weighing and photo
shot the fish was realeased.
Independent work brings
results
–The last 30 years with Veisto have been
rewarding, Tuomo appraises. Eskola is
almost four hundred kilometres from
Veisto’s head office in Mäntyharju, so
the employees have learned to work independently.
Tuomo keeps in contact with
the head office several times per day.
–I have developed many phone buddies
over the years, he laughs.
Tuomo thinks highly of Veisto as a working
environment. The work community
is excellent although there are employees
of many employers in the same big team.
Tuomo respects the company.
–I respect the owners very much and the
staff is very capable and professional,
he thinks.
Tuomo does not feel he is getting old,
he still wants to develop his skills and
do different things.
Facts
Name: Tuomo Alanko
Started at Veisto: 16.5.1977
Age: 52 years
Place of residence: Eskola
Family: has been married for 29 years,
two children and a grandchild
Hobbies: Has played volleyball seriously
for 20 years, nowadays just for fun.
He has enjoyed the walks outdoors
and hunting since he was a young boy.
Fishing is his passion. In winter cross
country skiing and downhill skiing take
a lot of his time. He has been involved
in municipal politics for several council
eras, has had confidential posts also
in the field of banking and insurance.
Duties: Started as a “hewing
operator”, now goes by the title of saw
operator.
It sometimes
feels like this is
some form of art,
Tuomo says.
25

Taina Taskinen
I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR VEISTO
— except row for 60 km
laugh about it afterwards, of course, it
was no fun at the time.
Veisto Team receiving the 1st prize
on the company race
We rowed a 4 km company race
on the night before and won it.
I think it gave us mental strength
for what was to come. Still, what
was ahead, as a novice, I could
not quite prepare myself to.
Iwas given plenty of good advice on
nutrition, fluids intake, the do’s and
dont’s from more experienced rowers.
I bought myself a very professional Camelbak,
hands-free hydration aid which
ables you to drink straight from a hose
during the race. As everybody else I had
raisins, energy bars, gherkins, chocolate
and peanuts in the little containers taped
on the side of the boat. I felt quite confident
and the weather was dry, overcast,
not too hot, really quite a perfect weather
for the occasion.
Thunder, lightning and
hailstorm
There were 54 boats at the start. As one
can imagine, the start is a bit of the
struggle and hassle. It is crowded with
boats, every boat trying to find it’s own
Pain or joy of team sport
space. A few kilometres after it gets a bit
better. What’s happening to the weather;
the sky looks black. We have rowed about
six kilometres and it starts to rain very
heavily and not only that. The thunder
and lightning is quite severe. Is it safe
to carry on rowing – not really, but everybody
else keeps going. Can it get any
worse? It can. The next moment we get
a hailstorm. We all get soaking wet, the
boat has about 200 litres of water floating
back and forth and the food is completely
wet. We try to pump some water out but
the pump does not work and we give
up. I feel very cold. When the rain stops,
I feel considerably better but the coldness
does not go away. The fluids intake is a
bit of the puzzle. As it is cold, I do not
sweat at all and if I drink it does not come
out as sweat; I think the readers can
figure out what I am getting at. I am not
going into detail about the problems
some of us had in the boat with drinking
too much fluid but we certainly had a
All in all, I thought the first 30 kilometres
was ok if you don’t take into account the
heavy rain and all the rest of it. After 30
km, my bottom started to ache, later on
the arms but I experienced no serious
problems like muscle cramps. I was missing
my food, all what was left eatable
after the rain, were the gherkins. A tall,
strong guy rowing behind me, Markku
Lamponen, kept encouraging me and
passing me pieces of chocolate. I thought
this was very thoughtful of him, bless
him. Our cox, Jarkko Ahvenainen, had
his very own style of motivating us: “Now
you are letting another boat to
overtake you” and a swearword
follows. Still, I quite liked his style.
If anybody, he must have felt cold.
Are we nearly there yet
Every five kilometres, Markku kept
shouting the time to the cox so I
was in track of how far it was to
go. The last 10 kilometres was
tough. I lost the strength on my
legs and felt like a puppet mainly
using my arms to row (I was not
supposed to tell this as you should not
row with your arms but with your legs).
I think that at the end, it is just very
important to keep it together, not try too
hard. There are always people on the
boat, who could push it a bit further, for
a last spurt but as it is a team sport,
have to consider everybody and not to
push it over one’s physical limits.
We crossed the finishing line and I was
quite surprised that we came 7 th with the
time 4:46:37.5. I understand the time
was quite average for the Veisto Team
but we have to remember that the struggle
with rain, the waves and the water in
the boat took it’s toll.
My legs felt a bit shaky and I was desperate
for the toilet (as everybody else, I
should imagine) but apart from that, it
was a great experience. Would I do it
again – I believe so.
Can it get any worse? It can.
26

Sirpa Halttunen
With its 187 888 lakes, Finland
is a fisherman's paradise.
Most of the lakes and rivers belong
to the “everyman’s right”, which means
that they are available for angling
and ice-fishing for free. And if you
happen to live or own a summer cottage
by a lake – as half a million Finns
do – you are allowed to use nets,
catches and lures to your heart's content
once you've paid a small annual
government tax plus a nominal yearly
fee towards the local fishing association,
who use these funds to replenish
the fish and care for the lake environment.
In addition to lakes, Finland
has 6 300 kilometers of coast
line, some 50 000 if you count the
archipelago, so sea fishing is a different
story again.
A visitor can’t avoid an encounter of
the “finned” kind if he eats as much
as a simple breakfast on Finnish soil.
Morning specialities including vinegar
marinated herring, gravlax (salmon
cured in sea salt) and salted
tiny vendace are proudly presented
in every cold buffet, hopefully not
destroying the visitor’s further culinary
expectations on Finnish fish!
Ninety-seven different species of fish
swim in Finnish waters and it is truly
amazing what a skilfull chef can create
from them. Still, the bulk of fish
we inlanders are raised on are perch,
pike and vendace. Simply rolled in
rye flour then fried crisply in butter,
a big spoonful of mashed potatoes
added and another of mushroom
cream sauce and you have a traditional,
grandmotherly Finnish dish that
beats – well – anything.
Each Finn consumes 15 kilos of fish
annually – only Spanish and Portugese
exceed this amount within EU
– but it is still surprisingly little considering
the quality, versatility and
health benefits of it. All lake fish is
high in omega-3 acids and low in fat,
and therefore excellent in your daily
diet, especially if you omit the fry-inbutter-part.
Fortunately there are numerous
inventive ways of preparing
fish delicacies. Vendace and the common
whitefish, both of salmon family,
Photos: Sirpa Halttunen
are especially tasty when smoked
golden yet juicy with alder chips.
Salmon and trout love curing or roasting
by an open fire. It may never
win a beauty pageant, but burbot
makes an excellent soup, which only
takes rye bread and a glass of sour
milk to perfect.
Even an amateur fisherman can keep
the family fed with fish when industrious
in his hobby, although it
doesn't hurt to have a back up supply
of locally hunted elk meat in his freezer,
to make good for a day when not
in favor of Ahti, the ancient God of
Waters and King of Sea.
Vendace (Coregonus albula).
The common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus)
and its roe are fine fresh water
delicacies. Markku Koivisto on the right.
Burbot (Lota lota)
27

Ed Mayer
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NORTH-AMERICAN FORESTS?
Mountain Pine Beetle
Dendroctonus ponderosae
The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is the
most destructive pest of mature lodgepole pine forests in North
America. It is a small bark beetle (4.0-7.5 mm in length) that
introduces blue-stain fungi when attacking the tree. Its larvae feed
in the phloem of the tree. The action of blue-stain fungi and larval
feeding can kill the tree within one month of the attack. Periodic
outbreaks of this insect destroy the pine trees in millions of
hectares of forest in British Columbia (BC) and western US.
Primary Hosts and
Distribution
The mountain pine beetle is a temperate
pine forest pest with a range extending
from Mexico to central BC; the eastern
edge of the beetle distribution lies along
the southern Rockies near the Alberta-
BC border where the effect of the maritime
climate ends. Thus, the majority of
lodgepole pine forests in BC and almost
the entire lodgepole pine forests in Alberta
are outside the normal range of
mountain pine beetle distribution. Mature,
large diameter pine stands along
the eastern slopes of the Rockies are
most vulnerable to mountain pine beetle
attack.
The beetle breed in lodgepole, ponderosa,
whitebark, limber, and white pines.
The beetles prefer mature (over 80 years
old), large trees. Beetles may attack younger
trees, but they are usually less successful.
Insects typically utilize trees for one of
two purposes: for consumption (a food
item for termites) or for habitat. The
subject of habitat is of interest in both
Red-coloured trees are
the most visible evidence
of mountain pine beetle attack.
28

British Columbia and Alberta where an
infestation of the mountain pine beetle
has persisted for some years and, more
recently, has undergone an epidemic of
growth. This attack represents a significant
volume of standing timber and
shows no sign of slowing. As the beetle’s
name would suggest, it prefers pine –
primarily mature lodgepole pine, but
other species, including western white
pine and limber pine, are also attacked
by the beetle. The beetle carries a specific
blue-stain fungus which it introduces into
the tree. The insect carries these spores
on its body and deposits them under
the protective bark, where they quickly
germinate. As the fungus grows into the
wood it clogs the water passages in the
tree, interrupting the sap flow. Death of
the tree follows and the needles turn red.
Impact on the value of timber
These red-coloured trees are the most
visible evidence of mountain pine beetle
attack. The fungus leaves a blue-coloured
stain in the sapwood of the tree. This
blue stain not only detracts from the
aesthetic value of the wood when it is
sawn, but may also diminish the commercial
value of the timber. The current
approach to stemming the extent of bluestain
damage to wood is to harvest the
affected trees as quickly as possible and
to process them into dried lumber with
a moisture content (MC) of 19 per cent
or less. This practice and the continued
maintenance of the lumber’s low moisture
level will virtually eliminate any further
staining. However, the bluish color
will persist in the products.
Although inaccurate, the consumer perceives
blue-stain to be a mould, particularly
as it appears bluish-black, and distinguishing
between blue-stain and
mould can be challenging. While some
may view the appearance of blue-stain
negatively, others have turned this phenomenon
into a marketing opportunity
utilizing this unique feature to market a
variety of blue-stained products such as
flooring, paneling and furniture.
It is important to note that the present
lodgepole pine forest ecosystem has
evolved without the presence of the
mountain pine beetle. Therefore, outbreaks
of the mountain pine beetle may
cause devastating impacts to the native
fauna and flora, as well as affecting watersheds,
soils and water quality.
Impact on the local economy
British Columbia is Canada’s largest
forest industry exporter. Beetle attacks
accelarated by the global warming effect
are thretened to destroy 80% of the commercial
forest in BC. For example, in the
Williams Lake area, the beetle has killed
off wood worth eight years of harvesting.
The most affected, lodgepole forests
form 45% of the province harvest. It
might be difficult to comprehend the
extent of the potential economic crisis
at the moment as the authorities have
increased the logging permits to utilize
the dead or dying woods. There is plenty
of work around at the sawmilling towns
and the prices and rents of the houses
have gone up remarkably. It is predicted
that this boom will last for four to five
years and after that the jobs disappear
and people move away. This will again
have a negative effect on the housing
market. The local wood industry will have
time to adjust to the future changes in
the market. The dying wood can be utilized
for years to come yet. The potential
recession of the wood industry can be
partly compensated by developing the
mining, agriculture, oil industry and tourism
in the area. The beetle outbreak po-
tentially affects the economic stability of
25,000 families.
Why are the mountain pine beetle
infestations becoming more
extensive?
Modern fire suppression has resulted in
large areas of pine forests with overmature
trees, which are more susceptible
to beetle attack. Not only are pine forests
aging, a recent warming trend in our
climate is also occurring. With the recent
milder winters, these beetles have been
extending their range of distribution
northwards in the last several decades.
If the current warming trend continues,
this invasive forest pest will flourish.
How are they naturally
controlled?
Healthy trees defend against beetle invasion
by producing resin. Resin, or
pitch, flushes the adult beetles out of
the tree. This is effective when only a few
beetles attack a tree, but if many insects
attack, or if the tree is stressed, resin
flow is reduced. Temperature is also an
important factor in determining beetle
survival. Mountain pine beetle larvae
must develop to a certain stage to tolerate
cold winter weather (-40°C inside
the bark). Late spring frosts and cool
summers may delay beetle flight and
subsequently slow brood development
and increase overwintering mortality.
Depletion of pine hosts also controls
beetle populations. Once the beetles kill
all the old, large pines in an area, they
must fly to find more hosts. While flying,
the beetles are susceptible to dehydration,
predation and the possibility of not
finding a suitable tree.
Beetle-killed forests pose severe risks
for devastating fires.
29

The action of blue-stain
fungi and larval feeding
can kill the tree within
one month of the attack.
A common sight when driving
through B.C. forests.
Wildfire also removes the over-mature
pine stands. A fire will damage and destroy
many pine trees. However, unless
the fire burns really hot, some beetles
may still survive in trees that are partially
burned. These beetles may then easily
attack nearby weakened trees.
How will an infestation be
controlled?
Since the beetles spend most of their
life in the bark, control will focus on
treating individual trees. Trees killed by
the beetle in the previous summer are
identified by aerial surveys. The locations
are then confirmed by ground checks.
The only effective way of managing beetles
is to remove the infested trees before
the beetles emerge and fly. Removal of
trees can involve cut and burning, cut
and peeling the bark or milling the wood.
If an infested tree cannot be treated
before the flight, chemical attractants
called pheromones are used. The pheromones
lure most of the newly emerged
beetles to a small area until the affected
trees are treated. The beetle outbreak
has been tried to control with logging
and burning the woods. Logging might
be an economical solution but not ecological.
The current outbreak is affecting
the short-term timber supply, and therefore
government and industry revenue.
Thinning and partial cutting strategies,
and re-establishing a mixed-species forest
that will be less-prone to outbreaks
and more resilient to future epidemics
could be considered as an alternative
method.
The federal government committed to
invest $200 million over three years in
the Canada – British Columbia Mountain
Pine Beetle Program to reduce the consequences
of the beetle infestation and
assist in efforts to slow the infestation’s
eastward spread.
One project already underway in BC is
the planting of over three million pine
seedlings in the Quesnel and Williams
Lake regions to begin repopulating the
devastated acreage of the pine forests.
It is estimated that eventually there will
be approximately 40 million pine seedlings
planted throughout the BC province,
as companies who engage in logging
are responsible for re-seeding under
Canadian law.
Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak is challenging
to manage and the extent of the
long term effects it will have on the timber
industry and the lives of the local
people is not so simple to predict.
Richmond Olympic Oval
built with MPB wood
The signature feature on the 2010
Olympic Richmond Speed Skating
Oval will be the five and a half-acre
(2.5 hectares) roof. Not only will it
be an impressive design, but it is
being crafted with a new engineered
composite wood panel made from
B.C. mountain pine beetle kill wood.
These “wave panels” are uniquely
designed, developed and tested for
use in the Olympic facility.
The unique wave panels, which are
curved, have been built using 13.1 metre
(43 foot) 2x4s mounted on a plywood
top and set in a deep, staggered arrangement
to a large V that is two feet
deep and four feet wide. (There are
three Vs per panel section). The V-
formation is not only for structural
integrity, but acoustics and visual impact.
When the various panels with
their V-formations are joined, they
will form what visually appears to be
rippling. The wave panels will cover
more than a quarter of a million square
feet of space. The arches are made up
of splayed beam sections joined together
at the bottom with a steel plate.
The exposed plate edge mimics a
skater’s blade. Each of the elongated
2x4s is the result of several eight foot
lengths that have been spliced together.
The 2x4s in the long lengths become
quite flexible, allowing for the 26 inch
curvature of the panels.
The roof will showcase B.C. forest products,
the province’s ability to work with
wood, engineering innovation and striking
architectural design.
The story of the roof’s design began
when the province was hoping to do
something with the mountain pine
beetle kill wood.
30

Kit-Sell
is an internationally well-known
supplier of sawmill equipment.
Kit-Sell offers process solutions
based on turn-key deliveries
for log handling and
wet and dry -lumber handling.
PL 35, FI-82501 KITEE
Tel. +358 (0)20 743 2370 ¥ www.kit-sell.fi
31

HewSaw Worldwide
(over 300 Deliveries)
Veisto Sverige AB
Sundsvall
Sweden
Head office and
Manufacturing Plant
Veisto Oy
Mäntyharju
Finland
HewSaw Machines Inc.
British Columbia
Canada
Veisto Sägemaschinen
Vertrieb GmbH
Leverkusen
Germany
Finnso Bois S.A.R.L.
Paris
HewSaw Machines Inc.
France
Quebec
Canada
Alar Kask
(Russia, Baltia)
Tallinn, Estonia
Veisto Offices
HewSaw Representatives
HewSaw Sawmills
Southwood Ltd.
Santiago
Chile
Inderfor S.A.
Santa Fe
Argentina
Woodma Engineering Ltd.
South Africa
Veisco South Pacific Ltd.
New Zealand,
Australia
HewSaw Deliveries and
New Projects 2007—2008
• Versowood Oy
Vierumäki, Finland
SL250 DUO
10–50 cm logs
60–150m/min
• Ab Karl Hedin
Krylbo, Sweden
R200 PLUS MSA
8–35 cm logs
70–200 m/min
• Lesozavod 23
Arkhangel, Russia
R250 SE
10–55 cm logs
• Safwood SpA
Syktyvkar, Russia
R200 SE
8–35 cm logs
• Myllyahon Saha Oy
Kurejoki, Finland
SL250 PLUS DUO
10–50 cm logs
60–150 m/min
• NWP Sik s
Hammerdal, Sweden
SL200 PLUS
8–35 cm logs
65–200 m/min
• H.J. Crabbe &
Sons Ltd.
Bristol, Canada
R200 PLUS MSA
8–35 cm logs
55–140 m/min
• Bogutchansky
Russia
R250 + NS250
10–50 cm logs
50–90 m/min
• Hit Torgau
Germany
R200 SE
8–35 cm logs
60–100 m/min
• Greentech Mills
New Mexico, USA
R200 PLUS MSA
8–35 cm logs
55–140 m/min
Trade Shows and Wood Safaris in 2008
• March 3–8
AUSTimber
Mt.Gambier, South Australia
• March 8–14
South African
Wood Safari
Finland
• March 12–14
Wood Technology
Clinic & Show
Portland, Oregon, USA
• March 12–15
Expobois,
The Wood Industry Exhibition
Paris, France
• April 30–May 2
TechniBois Show
Quebec City, Quebec,
Canada
• August 27–30
Trä&Teknik
Gothenburg, Sweden
• September 1–4
Lesdrevmash
Moscow, Russia
• September 25–27
Alberta Forest
Products Association
Conference
Jasper, Alberta, Canada
HewSaw Sales Team participating the Wood and BioEnergy Show
at Jyväskylä in September 2007.