Industry News Roundup

By Scott Dane

The American timber in dustry has not experienced a more challenging and difficult period. The current economic and inflationary period is having a more detrimental impact on American loggers and truckers than the housing collapse, Great Recession and the COVID pandemic. Multi-generational businesses are closing, companies are ceasing operations, liquidating, and going into different occupations. It is aggravating and frustrating when owners have invested blood, sweat and tears into building their business only to do the math and see that the numbers don’t add up to staying in business. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. Rightfully, the challenges to the industry need to be focused on, but when we step back and see the “big picture,” our chal-

INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP

As We See It: ALC Steps Up For Log-A-Load lenges and concerns come into perspective. Nothing guides our attention to what really matters more than seeing the most vulnerable suffering health challenges. When a child is sick or injured a family’s world is turned upside down.

Dane

Heaven forbid that anyone has a need for their children to go to the hospital, but we thank God that the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals are available when there is a need. That is why in 1988 Larry and

Carol Connelly, a logging family from South Carolina, played a key role in establishing the Log-A-Load for Kids campaign through the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Fundraising Telethon. The basic concept was for loggers and woodsupplying mills to donate the value of a load of logs to a local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

That has evolved into other fundr aising events to support the Log-A-

Load program, with 100% of the donations going directly to help children. This ensures that families can receive the needed medical services for their children without any out-of-pocket expense. Since that time, the Log-A-Load for Kids program has spread to more than 30 states and raised more than $46 million for 70+ member hospitals. Today, Log-A-Load for

Kids is a leader in the Children’s

Miracle Network Hospitals’ fund raising with more than $2 million annually through golf tournaments, fishing events, clay shoots, dinners, auctions, truckloads of log donations, and other events. For example: l Florida—Donated more than $2 million l Mississippi—Nearly $2 million l Arkansas—More than $9 million l Maine—Nearly $2 million l Mountain Loggers Group—$2 million

Many of the state logging association members of the American

Log gers Council sponsor Log-A-

Load for Kids events. That is why the American Loggers Council has accepted the opportunity to support the Log-A-Load for Kids program nationally by promoting it and supporting the state efforts. As a de mon stration of support, the American Loggers Council has donated six Loggers Limited Edition Henry

Rifles to state association auctions and raffles. These donations have contributed $35,000 to the state efforts.

For the American Loggers Council our purpose is to facilitate, en courage and enable the members— the state logging associations—in

all their endeavors. The American Loggers Council’s role in the Log-ALoad for Kids program nationally is focused on supporting the leaders of the program, the state logging associations, and contributing to their efforts as they provide for the children in need. Business and life are about more than the bottom line, it’s about helping when help is needed, it’s about giving back.

Because needs don’t only occur when it is convenient or when we are prosperous; we are called upon to support one another in good times and in bad times. Even during these economically challenging times, loggers have not lost perspective and have continued to donate generously and increasingly to the Log-A-Load for Kids program.

For more info visit: https://www. amloggers.com/log-a-load-for-kids

Scott Dane is Executive Director of the American Loggers Council. ALC is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests of timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses across the United States. For more information visit www.amloggers.com.

Alabama’s Ray Clark Championed Log-A-Load

After declining health for the last few years, Ray L. Clark (June 25, 1940 - May 11, 2022) passed away at the age of 81. A lifelong logger from Berry, Ala., he owned and operated Ray L. Clark Logging, Inc. and Clark Brothers Trucking, Inc. Ray was recognized as the 1989 Alabama Logger of the Year.

Outside the woods, Ray was active in the industry. He served on the first board of the Alabama Loggers Council and was the first Alabama Log-ALoad for Kids Chairman for the Alabama Forestry Assn. “Just as important, he pushed hard for the Alabama Forestry Assn. to embrace it at the outset,” adds Southern Loggin’ Times co-founder DK Knight. “Part of this was because he saw what Children’s Hospital in Alabama did for those who could not pay because he had a skidder operator whose son was a long-term patient there. Further, Ray was not bashful when it came to speaking out on industrial issues. He called it like he saw it.”

Ray was a member of Berry Baptist Church, where he served as a Sun day School teacher and dea con. He also served as Fayette County Commissioner for two terms. Ray is survived by his wife of 56 1/2 years Barbara Clark, son Stephen Clark (Amy), daughters Vicki Law rence (Jay) and Karen Moore (Todd), six grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.

Ray Clark

PotlatchDeltic Corp. is investing $131 million to expand and modernize its sawmill located in Waldo, Ark. The project will increase the mill’s annual production capacity from 190MMBF of southern yellow pine dimension lumber to 275MMBF. The company states that the investment will reduce the mill’s operating costs significantly.

“The Waldo investment is an exciting strategic growth opportunity and it will position the mill among the lowest cost producers in the U.S. South,” comments Eric Cremers, Pres ident and CEO. “The project re flects our belief that housing fundamentals will remain strong.”

The existing mill will continue to operate during the project. Work on site will begin in the third quarter of 2023 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

PotlatchDeltic owns three sawmills and nearly 950,000 acres of timberland in Arkansas.

Boise Cascade Co. has reached an agreement to acquire Coastal Plywood Co., including a plywood mill in Havana, Fla. and a sawmill and plywood mill in Chapman, Ala., from Coastal Forest Resources Co. for $512 million. The combined facilities employ 750.

Nate Jorgensen, CEO, Boise Cascade, comments “Near term, it provides us the ability to optimize our existing engineered wood products (EWP) asset base. Longer term, we are excited to fully integrate this stra tegic venture and we intend to invest $50 million into our Southeast operations over a three-year period to further our EWP production capacity.”

Travis Bryant, CEO of Coastal Forest Resources Co., states, “Coastal has a long history of manufacturing quality products and a strong reputation in the markets we serve. This transaction represents an opportunity for our talented and dedicated em ployees to join a dynamic organization, offering them a secure future with great opportunities ahead.”

“These are well-invested and managed plants that fit nicely into our existing footprint of integrated facilities in the Southeast,” adds

Boise Cascade Executive Vice

Pres ident Mike Brown.

The scope of the transaction does not include Coastal’s parent company or timberlands assets.

In its May 2022 Investor Presentation, Boise reported eight plywood/veneer manufacturing facilities, five EWP facilities and two lumber facilities in addition to multiple building distribution locations.

Deere Announces New Forestry President

Deere & Co. elected Ryan Campbell as President, Construction & Forestry Div. and Power Systems. Campbell leads a team focused on the sustainable, profitable growth of the company’s construction and forestry equipment business around the globe as well as the continued success of the Wirtgen Group. He also has responsibility for the company’s engine and powertrain businesses.

Campbell brings 25 years of wide-ranging experience to his current position. Prior to assuming his current role, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, where he had overall responsibility for John Deere’s finance functions. In this job, he worked closely with other company leaders in launching John Deere’s Smart Industrial strategy. Under Campbell’s leadership, the company also introduced its Leap Ambitions, which align the company’s business and sustainability goals.

Throughout his career, Campbell has spearheaded strategic initiatives focused on enhancing the company’s profitability and strategic positioning, developing future leaders. He has been an unrelenting advocate for driving higher levels of com mitment to economic and environmental sustainability

through John Deere’s digitalization journey. Under Campbell’s leadership as CFO, the company achieved record levels of financial performance.

Campbell earned an accounting degree from Simpson College and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chi cago.

Tidewater Is Opening Store In Marianna

Tidewater Equipment Co. an nounc ed the development of a new location in Marianna, Fla., expecting to set up at the old Safari helicopter site in the Marianna Airport Commerce Park. It plans to be in operation toward the end of June.

The business plans to start its newest location with a crew of eight to 10 workers and continue to add personnel for a team of 20 after their first year in the roughly 16,500 sq. ft. building

Tidewater’s regional General Manager Jackie Fleetwood says the jobs will range from entry-level parts counter persons to skilled equipment technicians, and that area resident David Pollack will be the branch manager for Marianna. All other hires are expected to be local individuals that will receive on-the-job training in their positions.

The company has more than 20 locations across five states in the Southeastern U.S. Tidewater en tered into a three-year lease with the city of Marianna in January.

TEC Is Named Sennebogen’s Best

Sennebogen LLC announced its 2021 annual Dealer of the Year winners, including its Top Dealer— Tractor & Equipment Co. (TEC), based in Birmingham, Ala. Employee-owned TEC operates 20 machine sales and service branches.

Envimat, a recent addition to the Sennebogen network and the first from South America to win recognition in Sennebogen’s distributor awards, was second, and Tyler Equipment of East Longmeadow, Me., rounded out the top three.

Chairman of TEC, Dan Stracener, relishes the recognition for his company and his tight-knit team, which has seen changes at its top level in the past year. Chad Stracener is now CEO after many years of working his way up through the ranks. He is succeeded as President by DeVaughn Pettit.

Stracener is impressed by Sennebogen’s continual development of its product line. “They are totally dedicated to the product and that really shines through. They design that into their machines so you can diagnose problems on the spot; things that are simple enough that a customer can even troubleshoot it themselves.”

SLB Supports Wood Innovation Grants

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the awarding of more than $32 million to fund 2022 wood innovations and community wood grants to expand the use of wood products, strengthen emerging wood markets, and support active management to improve forest health and resilience, especially in light of the ongoing nationwide wildfire crisis.

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is supporting the Wood Innovation Grants (WIG) program with more than $272,000 in matching funds for six ambitious projects that will explore and elevate the use of mass timber and mass timber products in commercial and residential construction applications.

Among the recipients, Karagozian & Case, Inc. and SmartLam received a $50,000 match from the SLB to build upon a previous WIG grant to construct full-scale CLT panels with steel reinforcement. This year, the organizations will test the effectiveness of reinforced CLT panels under extreme conditions through blast testing and hygrothermal testing.

Georgia Forestry Foundation received a $22,500 match from the SLB to develop a mass timber demonstration project in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology. The project will seek to position mass timber as a solution for sustainable development while building awareness of Georgia’s working forests.

Sustainable Northwest received a $50,000 match from the SLB for its Building Projects with Positive Impact project, which will support intentional wood procurement for five pilot projects across multiple scales, ownerships, and construction types. It will also measure the positive impacts associated with wood sourcing.