Chris Ryan

First Name: Chris
Last Name: Ryan
Email: ryanc1@algonquincollege.com
Phone: 613-735-4700
Extension: 2807
Room: 311
Title: Professor, Equipment Technician and Loggersports Head Coach
Campus: Pembroke

Chris Ryan began Algonquin College’s two-year format Forest Technician diploma program in Pembroke in 1993. After graduating in 1995, he joined the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in the Pembroke District and when an opportunity arose at Algonquin College, Chris began working as both a technician and professor in the Forestry Technician program. Chris also maintains a Forestry Consulting Company where, working with the public and a variety of industry partners, he obtained a variety of managerial, supervision and hands-on experience. He has been involved in projects or activities with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Algonquin Forestry Authority, Renfrew County and local woodlot owners, including woodlot management, forest products, tree removal, timber cruising, tree planting, audits, scaling, property appraisals, stand tending, and regeneration surveys. At Algonquin College, Chris teaches courses in Dendrology, Pesticides, Wood Measurement, Math, Occupational Health and Safety, WHMIS and professional certifications. Much of his time is also spent as a technician for the program organizing field trips, maintaining forestry tools and equipment, and liaising with the public. Over the years, Chris has obtained certifications and licenses in Provincial Pesticides and Exterminator; Provincial Wood Measurement; Fish and Wildlife Guardian; Lands Technician; S-102 Industry Fire; Provincial Chainsaw; and many more. He is a member of the Renfrew County Woodlot Conference Committee with the OMNR. Presently, Chris is enrolled in Royal Rhodes University where he is working on his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Management.

In 1998, he took on the role of Loggersports coach, an intercollegiate varsity sport where students compete with other colleges and universities in some of the skills used by old-time lumberjacks. They learn individual and team skills to compete in a variety of events including pole climb, up down chainsaw, axe throw, vertical chop and crosscut saw. Much of Chris’s spare time entails recruiting and training team members and supervising at practices. At competitions, there are men’s team events, women’s team events and Jack and Jill (men and women combined) team events and, under Chris’s supervision, students practice their skills after class and on weekends throughout the school year. The sport culminates when they take a road trip to the Echo Loggersports Competitions in Lindsay and Montreal. At Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley waterfront campus, the Loggersports team has a great new outdoor area designated just for them and their practices. The Algonquin Loggersports team recently entered into a partnership with the Ottawa RedBlacks professional football team whose mascot is Big Joe, a lumberjack. Whenever the RedBlacks score a touchdown, Algonquin’s Loggersports team saws a “cookie” from a log which is then autographed by a player and presented to a fan. Read more about Algonquin’s Loggersports activities here. To find out more about the Canadian Intercollegiate Lumberjacking Association (CILA) see website: www.cilawoodsmen.ca/