John Swaan

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — A more progressive attitude toward the forest land base itself began a hesitant step forward in the region. …Harvesting and processing prime quality timber created growing volumes of wood waste. Dealing with the expanding mountains of the stuff became an increasingly urgent challenge. … John Swaan had a question: could pelletizing wood for fuel be made as feasible as pelletizing livestock food? It could but not easily. The quest took over the next 30 years or so for Swaan. Along the way, the journey took more twists and turns than an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. One of the early assists in the development came from a deal offered by Carrier Lumber in Prince George to build a standalone wood pellet mill. …This past October, John Swaan’s contributions were officially recognized by his peers at the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. He received a lifetime achievement award and was dubbed the “Godfather” of the Canadian wood pellet industry.