Forest Engineer for the Forest Service of Newfoundland and Labrador, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

I am a Forest Engineer and this means I take part in Forest Operations. We make trees into lots of different forest products like lumber and paper. My goal is to protect the environment as much as possible and also support the forest industry – all while working to keep people safe.

“A bit more about me…”

Born in: Stephenville, Newfoundland in Canada

Training: I went to the University of New Brunswick and completed the forest engineering degree program! I also went to the Centre of Geographic Sciences which is part of the Nova Scotia Community College in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia.

“When I’m at work you’ll find me…”

I work with a team but also do lots of tasks on my own! Most of the time, I help build roads. When we build roads, we need to figure out where to build them and what structures (like bridges) we need. After we plan it out, we work with builders to build these roads.

What we also do is keep roads safe! Taking care of roads and structures can mean doing lots of things like fixing damage after a flood, fixing or replacing bridges, and making them smoother so they are drivable. We have built hundreds of bridges and inspect them and figure out if they are safe. We work our hardest to make sure roads are safe.

“How I affect people’s lives…”

Things made from forests are used by everyone every day. Like tissue for blowing your nose, paper for books, and the house you live in being made out of wood! A lot of people use the roads we build for lots of things like hunting, fishing, hiking, and berry picking.

“Why I do what I do...”  

From planting trees, to turning trees into different things like lumber and paper, protecting forests from wildfire and insects and teaching people about forest management. All of these things are done with teamwork! There are always new problems to solve and technology is rapidly changing - that’s exciting for engineers! I know what I do is helping people and that keeps me going!

“The path that brought me here…”

I started my engineering journey with mechanical engineering and worked at that for three years! I loved math, physics, and other general engineering courses but wasn’t doing so well with the mechanical engineering course because it didn’t seem like it was for me. I had lots of friends who were in the forestry program and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. It made me curious because I enjoyed being outdoors. I found out that there was a forest engineering program and that I could transfer to it. So that’s what I did. I don’t regret anything, I loved it!

“When I’m not working I…”

I have a wife, four young daughters, and two dogs. We spend a lot of time outside hiking and camping and going on adventures. I love spending time with my family!

“My advice to others…”  

I think the most important thing is to do what you like, do the things that make you curious. There’s a lot of information on the internet that can help you learn about lots of engineering jobs. Don’t give up! You can also reach out to working engineers and ask them about their jobs!