How Tamarack Valley Energy Digitized 400,000 Land Files in 6 Weeks

Contents

Tamarack initially hesitated to digitize 20+ years of records due to cost and business disruption concerns but saw immediate efficiency gains by partnering with Stack. Tamarack s 400,000 land files were indexed as quickly as they could be scanned, dramatically enhancing operational efficiency and team productivity while cutting the digitization bill in half.

About

Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd

Tamarack is a Canadian oil and gas company with a longterm strategic focus on responsible, value-driven energy development. Their high-quality asset portfolio is comprised of oil plays in Alberta, including the Clearwater, Charlie Lake, and several enhanced oil recovery (EOR) opportunities.

Website: tamarackvalley.ca
Employees: 100+
Revenue: $1.8B (2024)
Avg. Production: 62,000 BOE/D

“As we went forward with Stack, the people that were most hesitant about file digitization became the biggest champions.”

Ryan Thompson

Land Director | Tamarack Valley Energy

Challenge

Mitigating disruption during file digitization

Ryan Thompson, Land Director at Tamarack, knew the importance of getting file digitization done right, the first time. He’d spoken to dozens of other O&G companies who had tried unsuccessfully to digitize their land and well files, only to wind up in ‘file digitization limbo.’

“There was a lot of hesitation internally. We heard horror stories from other O&G companies that had tried and failed to implement a digital system,” Ryan says.

His main concern was taking 6–18 months to complete file digitization — or worse, getting halfway through the effort and then failing to complete it. “I didn’t want to run a 6–12 month process to get it all done,” he says.

Tamarack had accrued over 400,000 land files and 500,000 well files in its 20+ years. Manually indexing that much data might take six months or more, even with a team of six people dedicated to it. But taking that long comes with serious risk, including losing leases due to non-compliance.

But the risk of not digitizing was even higher. Staying reliant on costly, time-intensive manual processes would hamstring growth potential and expose Tamarack to other risks like data loss, operational inefficiency, and competitive lag. Ryan knew the potential benefits outweighed the risks — and that the time was ripe for commodity-based markets to finally modernize.

After vetting multiple potential companies, Tamarack partnered with Stack.

“I wrote down all of the pitfalls. Then I interviewed five or six companies, including Stack. I grilled them on potential issues,” he says. “Stack had the right answers. They acknowledged — yeah, there might be problems, but here’s how we solve them. Their process is dialed in.”

Solution

400,000 land files digitized in 6 weeks

To minimize disruption, Stack arranged for nightly data syncs with Tamarack’s scanning partner. The scanned images were tagged to a land file number that StackDX automatically connected to Tamarack’s land system as quickly as they could be scanned. Stack’s structured, efficient approach minimized downtime and maintained access to records throughout the transition.

Ryan says, “Our imaging partner and Stack were both integral to the process. They did exactly what they said they were going to do and we came in on time and under budget.”

Traditional indexing involves engaging costly consultants to name, categorize, and assign ID tags to files over many months. Meanwhile, Stack’s AI, ‘Edith,’ applies a standardized, O&G-specific naming convention in near real-time. This reduces friction around naming decisions and mitigates the inconsistencies that can creep in when teams rely on multiple human indexers.

All documents — land, well, pipe, facility, environmental, and more — are now connected to Tamarack’s system and associated public data. Stack puts everything in one place.

Ryan says, “The ability to search, find, and categorize data is extremely fast. You can see the well, what surface it’s linked to, and the agreement that surface is linked to. You can see if the rent has been paid or if there are any lawsuits on it. You can go to the contract to see which partners have the right chain of title. All of that pertinent information is listed on one screen.”

“Stack categorizes all the wells you have in your land software with all the public data that’s available and then instantly runs a report to show you what’s missing. That would have taken a long time before.”

Ryan Thompson

Supervisor of Surface Land Admin | Tourmaline Oil Corp

Results

Increased operational efficiency

Within six weeks, Tamarack completed the digitization of their 400,000 land files. Things went so well with land that Tamarack then engaged Stack to index their 500,000 well files too. Tamarack completed indexing for nearly 1 million documents in a fraction of the time over manual methods.

Today, Tamarack is fully committed to digitization. They’ve aligned internally on the need to improve operational efficiency — even going so far as to tape up and lock away the old physical files as each was scanned and indexed. And the Tamarack team isn’t looking back.

“The surface team raves about Stack. The way land and well files are catalogued is amazing. Our guys in the field also rave about Stack. They’ve got an app and can get the full picture of a well with one tap,” Ryan says. “And when I get asked a question, I can pull up an agreement and get an answer in under 30 seconds. It used to take me five minutes or more to go to storage, pull a file, and thumb through pages to find the answer. That feels so archaic now.”

Adopting a system that enables seamless data exchanges with external parties, like land brokers, engineers, and environmentalists, also offers Tamarack significant advantages. It enhances compliance by enabling faster responses to regulatory audits, improves document control, and maintains transparent audit trails. Financially, it reduces labor costs, accelerates deal closures (especially for A&D), and minimizes downtime by providing timely access to essential information.

Avoiding the usual 6–18 month ‘digitization limbo’ is also beneficial from a risk perspective — a lot of companies fail to meet compliance requirements and suffer operational mistakes during this time. But Tamarack came in under time and under budget — cutting the cost of manual indexing by an estimated 50%. And they were able to start using their data immediately to improve collaboration with stakeholders while mitigating risks tied to outdated or siloed data.

This modernization drives efficiency, cuts costs, and enhances overall operational resilience.

“We’ve been able to start using our records so much faster. In seconds, I can have the whole file in front of me and see how it all connects and what’s missing. To do that before would have taken a lot of time.”

Ryan Thompson

Supervisor of Surface Land Admin | Tourmaline Oil Corp