Kelowna, BC – The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) announced the winners of its 52nd Anniversary BC Lumber Grading Championship held in Kelowna where top lumber graders from around Western Canada gathered to demonstrate their skills in their craft.
This year’s winners include:
- Surjit Parmar of Canfor, Prince George, scored the highest practical mark in the entire event and won the Champion of Champions Division, the toughest competition which is open only to past winners. Dave Munro of West Fraser, Quesnel finished a very close second.
- The First Year Division, for lumber graders attending for their very first time, was won by Jiawen Huang of Delta Cedar Specialties, with John Dale of Terminal Forest Products in second place.
- BC’s Top Lumber Grader for 2024 was D’Arcy Cummings of Terminal Forest Products Ltd. Inderjit Bagri of Canfor, Prince George was a close second and there was a tie for third place with Jaswant Aujla and Scott Sherman of Terminal Forest Products Ltd.
- The 2024 Corporate Team Winners were the “Terminal Terminators” of Terminal Forest Products Ltd., with D’Arcy Cummings, Scott Sherman and John Dale winning with the top combined score.
A very special congratulations goes out to D’Arcy Cummings of Terminal Forest Products, as he is now the only person to have won both the BC Coast and the BC Interior Lumber Grading Championships – well done D’Arcy!
“This annual lumber grading competition is an opportunity for lumber graders to showcase their skills and the quality of their work,” said Gary Desrosier, Quality Control Manager for the Council of Forest Industries. COFI/CMSA will host next year’s BC Lumber Grading Championship in Prince George.
COFI is accredited by the Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation Board (CLSAB) and the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) among other organizations, to provide lumber inspection, certification and grade marking.
COFI represents the majority of lumber, pulp and paper, and manufactured wood producers across the province – an industry that remains a cornerstone of the economy, supporting good jobs and a better quality of life for British Columbians. All COFI members share a commitment to a future based on employee safety, sustainable forestry and manufacturing practices, and innovative product development.
For more information contact: Gary Desrosier desrosier@cofi.org 250-212-4344