Forests of Atlantis

A privately held Vancouver Island firm, Triton Logging Inc., is a pioneer in the emerging industry of underwater forestry. Hydro dams have submerged some 300 million trees in 45,000 forests worldwide, a hidden source for money- and eco-friendly wood (and perhaps pulp) products.

Triton CEO Chris Godsall began developing in 2000 a machine for underwater logging—the Sawfish. Equipped with cameras and sonar for remote navigation, the company says its 7,000-lb. submarine can cut 150 trees in eight hours. Once a tree is clamped in the Sawfish's jaws, an airbag is attached and inflated. A 55´´ saw then slices the tree free, sending it rocketing to the surface. Alternative systems for underwater logging use grapples or divers, but the Sawfish can cut and surface the wood in one fell swoop. According to Triton, the Sawfish can also go where no grapple or diver has gone before, to depths well below 80 feet, where 80% of submerged timber lies in wait.

The Sawfish runs “green” with an electric motor and vegetable oil-based hydraulic fluids in its eco-friendly task of harvesting already-dead trees. Says Godsall, “Every tree we cut underwater is one tree you don't have to cut on land.”

Underwater logging can be cheaper than its terrestrial counterpart, in part because submerged logs are often already stripped of foliage and bark. Peter Keyes, executive at International Forest Products Corp., estimates Triton's logging costs at about $1.15 per cubic foot of wood, compared to the industry average of $1.40.

So far a largely untapped resource, Godsall projects an underwater market in Canada of $2 billion, and $50 billion worldwide. www.tritonlogging.com