Highland Forge & Timber Ben Yager · Vancouver Island
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Greater Victoria · Saanich · Vancouver Island

Tree falling & on‑site sawmilling. Your trees, your lumber.

Insured falling and land clearing, portable milling, seasoned firewood and a working forge — one set of hands on southern Vancouver Island. Don't pay to haul your trees away; turn them into slabs, beams and firewood right where they stand.

Start the tour Get a quote

01 · Tree Falling — Victoria & South Island

Danger trees down safe. Good wood kept.

Lot clearing and land reclamation, danger and hazard tree falling, selective logging and storm damage cleanup for acreages, farms and rural properties across Greater Victoria, Saanich, the Highlands and the Peninsula. Personal and equipment liability insured — and if the tree's worth milling, it never has to leave your land: haul-away, excavating, fall-and-buck, and mobile milling all available.

[FILL: photo — a hazard/danger tree job]
[FILL: photo — bucked tree / cleared site]
Get a falling quote

02 · Portable Sawmilling — On Your Property

The mill comes to the log.

Custom milling into beams, flooring, lumber and siding — mobile on your property, or hauled to the yard to mill. Slabbing and Alaskan milling available. Primarily fir and cedar, with arbutus, maple and other species custom milled on request, cut on site anywhere on the South Island. A 2021 fully hydraulic LT35 mills logs up to 21 feet, no diameter limit. Air dried, or hauled to a recommended kiln.

Finished slab
Raw logs
Book the mill

03 · Highland Forge — Custom Tools

Coal fire, propane fire, hand-forged steel.

Custom-made blacksmith and farrier tools out of Highland Forge — hammers, tongs, punches, pritchels, fullers, flatters and custom axes. Some kept in stock, most forged to order. Shipped worldwide; payment before shipping, with a deposit on some custom items.

[FILL: photo — the Highland Forge hood / fire lit]
[FILL: photo — a finished forged tool]
Shop & commission tools

Highland Forge — the store

Buy off the rack, or commission your own.

Ready-made tools ship worldwide. Custom pieces are forged to order — you pay upfront and Ben starts the build, then ships when it's done.

In stock

Rounding Hammer

Call for quote

[FILL: weight, steel, finish. One or two lines.]

In stock

Custom Axe

Call for quote

[FILL: weight, steel, finish. One or two lines.]

Made to order

Custom Farrier Tongs

Call for quote

Tongs, punches, pritchels, fullers and flatters — made to your spec. [FILL: length, jaw, your brand stamp.]

⚒ [FILL: build time] · deposit required

Made to order

Bespoke Tool / Commission

Call for quote

Send your idea, Ben quotes it, you approve and pay, then he forges it. Payment is due before shipping; a deposit may apply on larger commissions.

⚒ quoted per project

Shipping: worldwide from Vancouver Island. Payment is due before shipping, with a deposit required on some custom pieces. Rates, duties and taxes are calculated at checkout.

Questions before you buy?

04 · Blacksmithing & Mentorship — CJF #5950

Certified Journeyman Farrier. Canadian Champion. Mentor.

Certified Journeyman Farrier #5950 — multiple-time Canadian team member and Canadian champion, seasoned competitor, and member of the WCFA, World Championship Blacksmiths and AFA. Now focused on custom-forged tools, private in-house clinics on blacksmithing and forging, one-on-one mentorship, coaching and consulting, and competition judging — willing to travel worldwide. [FILL: link to Ben's full competition bio]

[FILL: photo — forging or clinic in progress]
[FILL: photo — competition win / judging]
Book a clinic, mentorship or judging

05 · Firewood — Delivered, South Island

Seasoned, split, stacked.

Seasoned, air-dried firewood — primarily fir, spruce, maple, cedar and arbutus, with other species on request — ready to burn, available year-round. Delivered across Greater Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula, or pick up direct; call for pricing on half cords, multiple cords and kindling. On-property processing of your own firewood or logs is also available, plus mill slabs and lumber cutoffs.

[FILL: photo — stacked seasoned cordwood]
Order firewood

Recent work — the real thing

What comes off the mill and out of the fire.

A few jobs from around the Island. Swipe through — every one started as a standing tree or a bar of steel.

Live-edge fir slabMilled on site · [FILL: location]
Seasoned firewoodSplit & delivered · [FILL: area]
Hand-forged toolHighland Forge · [FILL: detail]
Hazard tree, down safeFalling & bucking · [FILL: location]
Custom cedar beamsBespoke cut · [FILL: detail]

← swipe for more →

Start your project

06 · Film & Media — TELUS Voices

The whole operation, from above.

A TELUS Voices–funded documentary on Ben's custom farrier work, coming to TELUS Optik — and a YouTube channel following the falling, the mill and the fire. [FILL: doc title, channel name, release timing]

Watch on YouTube The documentary

07 · Get in touch — Free estimates

Got a tree, a log pile, or a project?

Leave your number and Ben gets a text within minutes. Or reach out directly: [FILL: phone] · [FILL: email]

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to fall a tree?

Every tree is different — size, lean, hazards and what's underneath it. Pricing is by quote: send a photo and a rough location and you'll get a straight answer.

Can you turn my tree into usable lumber?

That's the whole point. If the log is sound, the portable mill comes to your property and cuts it into slabs, beams or dimensional lumber on the spot — nothing has to leave your land. Logs can also be hauled to the yard to mill if that's easier.

What areas do you serve?

Greater Victoria, Saanich and the Peninsula, the Westshore, the Highlands and up into the Cowichan Valley as standard. For larger jobs, service extends across Vancouver Island and into the Lower Mainland.

Are you insured and certified?

Ben carries personal and equipment liability insurance. [FILL: note once faller certification is complete — currently in progress.]

What species do you mill?

Primarily Douglas fir and western red cedar, with arbutus, maple and other Island species custom milled on request. The mill is a 2021 fully hydraulic LT35, handling logs up to 21 feet with no diameter limit — slabbing and Alaskan milling also available.

Do you sell firewood year-round?

Yes, year-round. Seasoned and air-dried — fir, spruce, maple, cedar and arbutus, with other species on request. Call for pricing on half cords, multiple cords and kindling; delivery or pickup available.

Do you still shoe horses?

No — Ben's Certified Journeyman Farrier background now goes into custom-forged tools, private clinics, mentorship and coaching, and competition judging (he'll travel worldwide for the last one). Reach out through the form above for any of these.

Can I order a custom forged tool?

Yes — hammers, tongs, punches, pritchels, fullers, flatters and custom axes, some in stock and most forged to order. Ships worldwide; payment is due before shipping, with a deposit on some custom pieces. Describe what you're after in the form.

Where can I watch the documentary?

The TELUS Voices documentary on Ben's custom farrier work is coming to TELUS Optik TV — the trailer and shop footage are on YouTube. [FILL: release date.]

Serving Victoria, Saanich, Sidney, Langford, Sooke, Metchosin, the Highlands & the Cowichan Valley — plus Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland for larger jobs.

Back to the forest ↺