has chosen a Morbark to do the grinding work. Cormier went with a new Morbark in early spring 2013 because of his previous experience with Morbark. He says he was familiar with the brand and had good reliable service with a nearby dealer, which also happened to have a Morbark in stock at a competitive price. Cormier chose the model 4600XL on tracks with a 1050 hp engine. “The majority of our work is for co-gen power plants, paper mill boilers, mulch and compost in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Maine,” Cormier says. “We grind mostly logging debris (treetops and branches) and residues from lumber mills and manufacturers.” Cormier has been grinding biomass since 2005, when he decided that it would be the best way to get a return for the byproducts from the family sawmill. At that point in time, the company had only one market for grindings, a paper mill that has since closed. “This forced us to find other markets and customers in a different part of the province,” Cormier says. “We did find other markets, which eventually led us to buy the Morbark 4600XL. It’s the ideal size of machine for the kind of work we do.” In terms of what lies ahead, Cormier observes, “By the look of it at this stage, co-gen seems to be getting more popular, which is a good thing for us. It provides a steady flow of work and hopefully we can expand in the near future.” It’s clear that in some areas of Canada, biomass grindings are in high demand, especially in regions with pulp mill and co-gen plants. But grindings are being used for other applications as well, and it’s this diversity of end products that will continue to provide current stability – as well as a foundation for future growth. For their part, grinder manufacturers are taking notice, providing more flexibility in their designs, as well as better durability and higher production levels than ever before. • For more on biomass harvesting, visit www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca 28 Canadian BIOMASS september/oCtober 2013
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