It has been said that feeling gratitude for one’s success contributes to further achievement, and if that’s the case then Eli Tindall has a brilliant future ahead of him. 

At 23, Tindall is a project manager in training for FraserWood Industries Ltd., whose manufacturing facility in Squamish produces everything from green and kiln-dried timbers to custom finishes and textures.  

Tindall is already looking forward to supervising projects for FraserWood in the foreseeable future, thanks to a resume that includes working for his father, Klay Tindall (who is general manager of forestry operations at (Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures), learning the ropes at a Bear Lake sawmill and a mass timber facility outside of Nelson, as well as studying wood products processing in university. 

Tindall has deliberately gained as much industry experience as possible, fully aware of the challenges in making forestry a career. “In the past, people who studied wood processing went on to work in mills and enjoyed a decent life, but these days job opportunities are up in the air,” he says. “I was extremely lucky to get hired by FraserWood.” 

Along the way he married and had three sons, Eli, Gage, and Darner, who influenced his career. “The majority of my work was in camp, and pretty soon I felt the disconnect from my wife and kids that so many foresters experience,” he says. “So, I hunted for a job that would allow me to come home every night. I wound up working for a consultancy in Golden and then as a silviculture supervisor for Tembec at TFL 14.”  

But why expend so much time and effort when so many contemporaries are forging careers in less volatile sectors? “Dad had a lot of different jobs in the industry, so my brother Gage and I lived in many rural areas, and we gained a deep love for the outdoors as a result,” Tindall says. “Loggers love the environment, and I’m fascinated by the intricacies of the profession as well as its importance to the greater economy. On a gut level I wanted to be a part of it.” 

Given that his father had fortified his career prospects decades ago by obtaining an undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) forestry department, in 2018 Tindall also enrolled in that institution—and augmented his studies with summer stints in the sawmill and mass timber plants. “The experience reinforced my interest in the engineering aspects of wood products, from how they’re made to the ways they’re used in construction,” he says. 

Shortly after graduating UBC in April, Tindall was snapped up by FraserWood, he believes partly because President Peter Dickson and six of his staff members had taken UBC’s Wood Products Processing program. “But I have my dad to thank for making me aware of the company to begin with,” he says. “He Googled ‘wood products jobs in Squamish’ and FraserWood was at the top of the search results. I messaged the owner on a Wednesday, was interviewed two days later, and soon after got hired.” 

Considering that FraserWood has supplied products and provided design services for high profile projects such as the Vancouver International Airport Pier D expansion and The Boathouse at Sanctuary by Westbank, Tindall is especially excited by the prospect of becoming a manager in a few years. “It seems daunting because I currently work in the finishing department putting the final touches on wood products,” he says. “But I hope to learn a lot over the next few years, and even though I ask a lot of questions everyone is willing to teach me.” 

Underscoring Tindall’s burgeoning career is an outlook on forestry inspired by Klay. “Dad approaches harvesting with the goal of ensuring that there will be plenty of healthy stands for future generations,” he says. “I wish more people understood that logging is not just about clear-cutting and exporting, it’s about conservation and regeneration. These are complex tasks, and the industry I’m lucky enough to have gotten a foothold in has lots of subtle shades, it’s not black and white.” 

Tindall also keenly appreciates that getting ahead in forestry means making sacrifices. “I often think of my mom Vanessa, who was always willing to move wherever forestry took our family,” he says. “It must have been hard on her, but she was always supportive—as she is today of my goals and those of my brother. I wouldn’t be in the position I am now without that support.” 

Thus armed, Tindall hurtles forward. “I live with my parents in Whistler, but hopefully in a few years I’ll move to Squamish,” he says. “Five or so years from now I see myself continuing to manage projects at FraserWood. I can’t see farther down the road because I’m too busy acquiring skills, but like dad I love the outdoors and solitude, so I’m sure that’ll influence my direction.”