Continuous
Improvement
Program

If you run a harvesting or trucking operation in Nova Scotia, this program is about making your business work better.

We spent Phase One working alongside a group of contractors to find where time and money were leaking out of their operations, then built practical tools and training to fix it. Those are now ready to roll out to everyone else.

This September we are running three sessions across the province. Come and see what is on offer, pick what is useful to you, and sign up on the spot. There is no cost to take part.

What can you sign up for?

Mentorship training: This training is meant for anyone in your operations who has knowledge that should be shared and passed on to your other employees. The first group starts in late September in the Port Hawkesbury area.

HR services: Help with hiring, contracts, policies, and the day to day people problems most operations handle on their own.

Phase One improvement tools: The tools we built and tested with contractors – Sign Up Here or learn more below!

Phase One

The Continuous Improvement Project Phase 1 was initiated as a part of the Supply Chain Improvement Project and is funded by a portion of the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust (FITT). The project was developed as a collaborative effort between the Nova Scotia Forestry Contractor’s Association (NSFCA) & the Forestry Sector Council (FORSEC).

In Phase 1 we engaged with 11 Harvesting & Trucking contractors from across all regions of the province. We began by meeting with all the contractors as a group to identify issues that they faced as an industry. We also spend time with each contractor individually and got to know their employees & operations better through site visits to identify issues they faced as a business.

After identifying the problems, we worked with the contractors (and their employees) to generate solutions for their improvement plan. Over the course of the last 2 years we have been implementing these improvements with contractors and assessing their effectiveness.

Now that we have many tools and programs that have been tried and tested in the field, we are ready to show off what we have built and share with all harvesting & trucking contractors across the province!

Areas of Focus

  • Harvesting and Trucking: The initial focus, where many operational tools were developed.
  • Silviculture: A new pilot project was launched to tackle issues specific to silviculture contractors, such as employee onboarding, retention, and clarifying work criteria.
  • Landowner Engagement: The program recognizes the importance of private landowners in the supply chain and has created a working group to improve relationships and encourage more woodlot management.

Developed and
Implemented Tools

  • Block Reconciliation Tool: Shows you whether a block actually made money. Put in what you were paid and what it cost you to cut and move the wood, and it gives you your cost per hour and shows where the margin went.

  • Team Fuel Incentive Program: Rewards your crew for the fuel they save, using the data your machines already produce. Payouts are calculated quarterly.

  • Sales Brochure: A ready-made brochure you can put your own name, photos, and services on, built to help you win work directly from private woodlot owners.

  • Connecteam App: Puts scheduling, checklists, and hour and productivity reporting on your crew’s phones, so the paperwork gets done in the cab instead of at the kitchen table.

  • Block Assessment Tool: Helps you size up a block before you commit to it, so you can see whether the terrain, the wood, and the haul distance make the rate worth taking.

Phase Two

Following the successful completion and lessons learned from Phase One, the program is now preparing to roll out the proven improvements to a broader group of contractors across the province.

To support this, FORSEC is hosting sessions across the province to introduce contractors to new tools, training, and resources designed to make your operations more efficient.

At each session, we’ll share what’s available, and you’ll get to choose which opportunities interest you most. This includes access to efficiency and improvement training, along with tools already built and tested with a group of contractors.

Session Details

  • Port Hawkesbury – September 10
  • Truro – September 16
  • Bridgewater – September 17

All sessions run from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. We’ll kick things off with a light lunch and some time to network, since many of you know each other but don’t often get the chance to be in the same room.

You’re welcome to attend whichever session works best for your schedule, even if it’s not the one closest to your home base. Just note you can only attend one session.

Your only commitment is to honour the times you sign up for and stay in touch with us along the way.