SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our leadership team is responsible for making decisions as a group that impact the employees in the company. The team ensures that employees are provided with a safe work environment, exemplary benefits and a means to provide input into various aspects of the company.
Pat Gallupe, RPFT
General Manager
Pat has been a working professional in the natural resource industry for over 20 years throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Pat graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Forest Technology program in the early 90's and launched his career as an initial attack crew member and leader for the provincial government. Post-government work, Pat entered the consulting industry as a field technician and carried out field-based work for timber harvesting and sampling programs. He began to escalate his responsibilities as a field crew member advancing to crew leader, followed by joining the office team as a harvest planner then planning coordinator. Having experienced all levels of forestry operations, Pat acquired skills and expertise needed to manage a consulting company in the forestry sector. Currently, Pat serves as TimberNorth's general manager and oversees company operations. He is a project manager for the forestry clients and specializes in operational and strategic planning.
Cary Gulka, RPFT
GPS/GIS Services Coordinator
Cary began his career 20+ years ago in the natural resources industry at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), studying Forest Technology. He primarily consulted in the forestry sector participating in harvest block and road layout and sample plot measurements. Cary was eventually propelled into supervisory positions overseeing harvest operations and logging activities for private clients and industry. He currently works for TimberNorth providing both office and field expertise in operational planning and provides GPS services for various private clients.
Mike Pozniak, RPFT
Field Services Consultant
Mike has a varied background in forestry, land use, fire, oil and gas, and sand and gravel dating back to 1968. His considerable field experience encompasses firefighting as a sector boss on over 400 fires, silviculture (planting supervision, site prep), timber cruising, permanent sample plot establishment (PSP) and re-measurement, temporary sample plot measurements, logging and road building foreman, land-use specialist in sand and gravel (Surface Material Exploration -SME, Surface Material Lease -SML, Conservation and Reclamation Business Plan - CRBP, Site Information Form - SIF, Environmental Field Report - EFR), reclamation, cut block layout, road engineering, trapper (nuisance wildlife removal) and ice bridge construction.
Mike is currently co-owner of TimberNorth and has been a consultant to the forestry and energy sector industry for the past 40 years. Recently Mike has been consulting to the sand and gravel industry as well as government PSP re-measurement contracts.
Mike Elfstedt, BSc, RPF
Operational Services Coordinator
Mike has a Forest Technology Diploma from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management from the University of Alberta. With over 23 years as a forestry consultant, his background includes harvest block and road layout, traditional landuse surveys, silviculture supervision and surveys, forest protection (fire suppression and mapping), ecosystem management, government and public relations, quality control, forest and insect and disease surveys and Annual Operating Plan development.
Mike has spent time in the last 15 years gaining extensive knowledge and experience on the use and support of various GPS systems for field survey work. More recently he has been involved with multiple clients in regard to the FP Innovations FPSuite data collection. Using this analysis tool, Mike helps companies track and understand how they can improve efficiency in their operational field equipment.
Christine Onysty, RPFT
Planning Services Coordinator
Christine holds a Forest Technology Diploma from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).
She has over 20 years of consulting experience. Since being with TimberNorth, her attention to detail has propelled her up the ranks to overseeing TimberNorth’s Planning Division. She has experience with Forest Harvest Plans (FHP), As-builts (post harvest reporting), Annual Operating Plans (AOP), business development, report writing, process development, government and public relations as well as working with GIS, ArcMap, ArcView and GPS Mapping.
Christine has also been involved in projects encompassing urban forest management, research inventory and Heritage Tree Inventory.
Laressa Gauthier, RPFT
Senior Harvest Planner / Safety Lead
Brandon Wentzell, RPFT
Field Services Coordinator
Brandon is the Field Services Coordinator for TimberNorth. His duties include the quality control and coordination of the field crew, workload and supplies needed to carry out our field services.
Brandon graduated from the Maritime College of Forest Technology in 2008 where he received his Forest Technology Diploma.
After graduation, Brandon launched his career in northern Alberta working in the natural resource sector and has since gained a wealth of knowledge. His skills include project management, supervision, quality control and data collection. Brandon is a registered member of the College of Alberta Professional Forest Technologists where he holds an excellent standing in continuing education and professional enhancement. He has attended a wide variety of courses during his tenure with TimberNorth to further his skills including safety courses and environmental training courses. Brandon is an active member of TimberNorth's safety committee and works hard to promote and maintain a safe workplace.
Laressa has a Technician Diploma in Forestry and Biological Science (Renewable Resources) from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. She has over 10 years of experience in the natural resource sector working for both private consulting firms and provincial government agencies. Her field-based accomplishments include Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) establishment and re-measurements, Temporary Sample Plot (TSP) measurements, understorey plot re-measurements, Alberta regeneration surveys transitioning to PSPs (ATP) establishment/measurements, and quality control of each of these. Laressa has also gained extensive skills in ecosite classification, vegetation surveys, and electofishing surveys.
Currently Laressa is a senior harvest planner at TimberNorth and her technological experience comprises a spectrum of areas including map development using ArcMap, data management for sample plots, harvest planning preparation and reporting and understorey block protection development. As an active member of the safety committee, she also has background in safety incident investigation and is a WHMIS instructor.