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Getting Hired at J.D. Irving: What to Expect

J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) is the dominant private forestry employer across New Brunswick and into parts of Quebec and Maine, running under the Irving name since 1882. Here’s the hiring process’s own rhythm, worth knowing before you apply.

What kind of forestry roles JDI hires for

JDI’s woodlands division covers the full chain: tree planting and silviculture crews, harvesting (fallers, skidder and processor operators, feller buncher operators), logging truck driving, road building, and mill-side positions at its sawmills. The company markets itself around a “Replant. Reforest. Renew.” sustainability message, and its forestry operations feed its own sawmills and pulp facilities rather than selling primarily to outside buyers — which means hiring tends to track its own harvest and mill schedules more predictably than a contractor whose work depends on winning bids elsewhere.

Entry points differ by role. Tree planting and general labour crews are the easiest way in with no prior experience. Equipment operator roles (skidder, processor, feller buncher) usually want either direct experience or a willingness to start as a helper and train up. Certified faller positions require the training and supervised-hours path — see our chainsaw safety and faller certification guide for what that actually involves. Truck driving requires the appropriate commercial licence for the equipment.

How the application and hiring process runs

JDI directs applicants to its own careers portal rather than general job boards for most roles, and larger companies like this typically move through a standard sequence: online application, a phone or video screen, then an in-person or site interview for field roles. For seasonal crews (planting, some harvesting roles), hiring often happens in batches ahead of the season rather than one at a time, so timing your application for late winter or early spring matters more than it would for a year-round mill job.

Expect to be asked about physical readiness for field roles — the work is outdoors, in variable weather, and physically demanding regardless of which specific job you’re doing. Camps and crew schedules mean employers also screen for whether you can commit to a full rotation or season rather than leaving partway through, since replacing someone mid-season in a remote location is a real cost to the operation.

What to have ready before you apply

  • Certifications relevant to the role: chainsaw safety training, first aid, or a Class 1/3 licence if you’re going for a driving role. Don’t wait until an interview is scheduled to start these — some take weeks to book.
  • References who can speak to physical, outdoor, or crew-based work, not just any job history. A previous seasonal or labour-intensive job carries more weight for these roles than unrelated office experience.
  • Clarity on availability: which season, how long a commitment you can make, and whether you’re open to camp accommodation versus commuting from a nearby town.

Pay for these roles is a mix of hourly and day-rate depending on the position, and varies by role, experience, and season — roughly the ranges covered on our pay page apply broadly across Maritimes forestry employers, JDI included, but treat any specific number as an estimate until it’s confirmed in writing, since employer-specific rates aren’t published and change with the market.

Camp and crew life at JDI operations

Not every JDI role means camp living — mill jobs and some woodlands roles are commutable from towns like Miramichi, Bathurst, or Grand Falls. Remote harvesting blocks and some planting contracts do involve camp accommodation, which follows the same general pattern as other Canadian forestry camps: shared or private rooms depending on the camp’s age and size, a cookhouse, and increasingly Starlink-based internet at longer-running sites. Our camp life guide covers what to expect in more detail, and it applies to JDI operations as much as any other regional employer.

JDI’s operations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and what it says about pay

JDI’s own Sawmills Division site states plainly that “the company has sawmill and woodland operations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine, USA” (J.D. Irving Sawmills Division, accessed 2026-09-10) — so Nova Scotia postings for JDI Woodlands or Sawmills roles are a real, standing part of the company, not a one-off. The company doesn’t break out a location-by-location employee count on its public pages, so if you’re specifically job-hunting in Nova Scotia, check the current postings on JDI’s own careers portal for which sites are actively hiring rather than assuming every division’s Nova Scotia sites are staffing up at once.

On pay specifically: JDI’s own public pages don’t publish role-by-role or province-by-province wage figures, company-wide or for Nova Scotia specifically. What is publicly documented is scale — JDI describes “a team of over 20,000 (FTE)” across all of its businesses combined (agriculture, forestry, shipbuilding, transportation, and more), not forestry alone (J.D. Irving, About Us, accessed 2026-09-10). That figure tells you the company is large, not what a specific forestry role in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick pays — for that, treat any number you’re quoted as an estimate until it’s in writing from the employer, and use our pay page for the general range across comparable Maritimes forestry roles.

Is J.D. Irving a good company to work for?

There’s no honest way to answer that with a single yes or no — “good company to work for” depends on the specific role, site, and manager, and JDI doesn’t publish employee satisfaction data, so anyone telling you it’s definitively good or bad is guessing. What is publicly documented:

  • Scale and longevity. JDI has operated under the Irving name since 1882 and describes a company-wide team of over 20,000 FTE across its businesses (J.D. Irving, About Us, accessed 2026-09-10) — a company of that size and history isn’t a fly-by-night operation, whatever you think of a specific site’s management.
  • Some sites are unionized, not all. JDI’s Sussex-area sawmill and woodlands workforce, for example, is represented by Unifor Local 1309 (Wood Business, accessed 2026-09-10). Union coverage varies by site and division rather than applying company-wide, so ask directly about the specific location you’re considering.
  • Documented training investment. In 2019, JDI partnered with the New Boots program to place ten women into skilled-trades apprenticeships across several JDI businesses, including twelve weeks of job-readiness training at New Brunswick Community College before on-the-job apprenticeship (J.D. Irving newsroom, accessed 2026-09-10). That’s one documented program, not proof of what training looks like in every division today — ask what specific training path applies to the role you’re applying for.

What to check yourself before deciding: read current, independent reviews on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed rather than taking any single source’s word for it, ask whether the specific site and role you’re applying to is unionized, and get pay, schedule, and camp-versus-commute details in writing rather than relying on a general impression of the company.

FAQ

Do I need experience to get hired at J.D. Irving’s forestry operations? Not for entry-level roles like tree planting, silviculture, or general labour crews — those routinely hire people with no forestry background. Equipment operator and certified faller roles are the ones that require prior experience or a formal training and certification path.

Is JDI hiring seasonal or year-round? Both, depending on the role. Planting and some harvesting crews are seasonal and hire in batches ahead of the season, while sawmill and pulp operations run closer to year-round. Confirm the specific posting’s timeline rather than assuming.

Does JDI pay more than other Maritimes forestry employers? There’s no published, verified comparison available — some workers report JDI and comparable employers like Twin Rivers paying similarly for equivalent roles, and contractors sometimes beat direct-hire rates for equipment operators. Treat any specific figure as roughly $X (estimate; confirm with current postings) until it’s confirmed in writing.

How much does J.D. Irving pay? JDI doesn’t publish role-by-role or company-wide wage figures on its public pages. Pay for forestry roles is a mix of hourly and day-rate depending on the position, region, and whether it’s direct-hire or contractor work — see our pay page for the general range, and treat any specific number you’re quoted as an estimate until it’s in writing from the employer.

How much does J.D. Irving Woodlands Division pay in Canada? JDI’s Woodlands Division doesn’t publish a division-specific wage figure either. What’s documented is the company’s overall scale (over 20,000 FTE company-wide) rather than role or division pay — confirm any specific rate directly with a current posting or the written terms you are given rather than a secondhand figure.

Is J.D. Irving a good company to work for? It depends on the site, role, and manager, and JDI doesn’t publish satisfaction data — what’s publicly documented is its scale (140-plus years in business, 20,000+ FTE company-wide), that some sites are unionized (Unifor Local 1309 represents its Sussex-area sawmill and woodlands workers) while others aren’t, and at least one documented skilled-trades apprenticeship partnership. Check current independent reviews and ask directly about the specific site before deciding.

Is J.D. Irving a good place to work? Same answer as above — it varies by site and role, and there’s no single documented rating to point to. Read current employee reviews from a site like Glassdoor or Indeed, and ask about unionization and training specifics for the exact location and role you’re considering.

Does J.D. Irving hire in Nova Scotia? Yes — JDI’s own Sawmills Division site confirms it runs sawmill and woodland operations in Nova Scotia alongside New Brunswick and Maine. Check JDI’s own careers portal for which Nova Scotia sites currently have openings, since not every site or division is hiring at once.