TH 1022 digimag by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Editor-in-Chief

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, AL 36102-2419

for

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

WESTERN USA, WESTERN CANADA Tim Shaddick (604) 910-1826 • Fax: (604) 264-1367 E-mail: twshaddick@gmail.com Kevin Cook (604) 619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com

Managing Editor Dan

Ramsey Chief Operating Ofﬁcer Dianne

SOUTHERN USA Randy Reagor (904) 393-7968 • Fax: (334) 834-4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net

Member Veriﬁed Audit Circulation A Hatton-Brown Publication Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers Browse, subscribe or renew: www.timberharvesting.com Vol. 70, No. 5: Issue 694 September/October 2022

HATTON-BROWN PUBLISHERS, INC. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone (334) 834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525 H. C. Sullivan Rich Donnell Shell (DK) Director/Prod. Mgr. Cindy Segrest Production Patti Campbell Circulation Director Rhonda Thomas Online Content/Marketing Jacqlyn Kirkland

Publisher David

Coord

INTERNATIONAL Murray Brett +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Bridget DeVane bdevane7@hotmail.com334-699-7837

Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations (ISSN 2154-2333) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/ December issues are combined) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscriptions are free to U.S. logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; businesses involved in land grooming and/or land clearing, wood refuse grinding and right-of-way maintenance; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries—TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timber harvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations. Copyright ® 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.

Learn

Knight Art

Senior Editor David Abbott Senior Editor Jessica Johnson Publisher/Editor Emeritus David

12. (Jessica Johnson photo) My Take _________________________________________________ 6 NewsLines _______________________________________________ 8 Safety: Are We Learning? ________________________________ 10 Innovation Way 31 Select Cuts ____________________________________________ 32 THExchange 35 Ad Index _______________________________________________ 38 Other Hatton-Brown Publications: Southern Loggin’ Times • Wood Bioenergy Timber Processing • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade OurCover OurFeatures OurDepartments Felling & Skidding Technology Timber Harvesting Basics Productive Reforestation Mizell Goes the Extra Mile Investing In Safety Provides Broad Payback 30222616 Equipment World Ponsse Electric, Schwab Fights Fire CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

South Carolina’s Great Woods Companies and owner Bob Lussier is honored this issue as Timber Harvesting’s Logging Business of the Year, his commitment to the industry and building a business that operates with safety and integrity. more about this year’s Logging Business of the Year beginning on PAGE

MIDWEST USA, EASTERN CANADA John Simmons (905) 666-0258 • Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com

ne of the things I most look forward to each year, working on Timber Harvesting, is the Logging Business of the Year award. From reading all the nominations of worthy candidates, to being a member of the voting committee where we each present our case for our given candidate, to helping Managing Editor Dan Shell get the notification letter printed the right side up on TH letterhead (the Baby Boomer to Millennial joke writes itself here…)—I just love the process. Over the years, we’ve had big businesses and small ones, guys that contract cut and ones that serve as their own timber buyers. But one thing remains the same: They are all part of an aging workforce. There have been countless articles and analyses on this topic. The TikTok has even exploded talking about how my generation, the Millennials are just sort of done with the hustle harder, work harder mentality of pre vious generations. So, when I sat down with the 2022 Timber Harvesting Logging Business of the Year Award winner, Robert Lussier, Jr. of South Carolina, himself a grandfather of seven, we naturally dis cussed the future—for the in dustry, for his family, heck, we sort of touched on the future of the world there for a minute. And it struck me like a bolt of lightning. He’s not a dinosaur. And he is certainly not the cli che that some discuss when they use headlines like “Quit Quitting Is The New It Trend.” He’s just a guy that has a good work ethic. Sure, the 12-hour days, six and sometimes seven days a week, mean he has had to make tremendous personal sacrifices. But it also means he has pro vided a good life for his family. I mean, he provided a good enough life for his family that, when given an opportunity to do what most would be absolutely petrified to do—move their entire business, and life, 900 miles—he rose to the challenge and said why not?

Yep, when Lussier was facing down an impossibly slow winter after a really challenging few years in the Northeast, he was offered a chance to ﬂy South for the winter, just like the ducks he loves to hunt, and he jumped on it.

Lussier: Seeking to deﬁne a future for logging that’s unclear right now. We’re a trainwreck away from not having enough capacityloggingtokeep the mills going.

“But, it’s 10-15 years down the road before the next generation can start moving into the workforce. So we have to think about keeping us older guys healthy for the next 10-15 years, or the problem will just accelerate. We’re a trainwreck away from not having enough logging capacity to keep the mills going,” Lussier mused, before adding, “Who’s to say what happens then?” I don’t know what the future holds. My crystal ball shattered a few years back, but I do know that with guys like Bob Lussier asking tough ques tions, maybe we might ﬁgure it out together. JOHNSON MyTake Does Anyone Know?

Taking that chance is what he told me he was most proud of, after his family, over the span of his 40-year career. He told me, “I don’t know how I did that when I think back on it. Somebody had their hand on my shoulder.” For the Lussier family, success in South Carolina was proof positive God exists. Lussier spoke with two of his crew members, got them on board, and they all came down in August, exactly 13 years ago almost to the day that I, representing Timber Harvesting, was on the job site doing the interview that would crown him Logging Business of the Year. “We had nothing to lose and every thing to gain. Seeing the opportunity that was here then, I wish I had done it 20 years earlier,” he says, looking back. Nothing to lose and everything to gain. How many times has anyone ever taken that chance, heck, even been given that chance? When you don’t give your work everything you’ve got, you don’t have opportuni ties like that. So, yea, maybe Millenni als aren’t jumping at the chance to work themselves into the ground, but, as Lussier also told me, sometimes you don’t have to work the hardest to do the most production, you’ve just got to work the smartest. And Great Woods Co. certainly works smartly. But Lussier also isn’t afraid to say what we’re all thinking—How are we going to attract the next generation in this industry? Is there just simply going to be a skip between the Baby Boomers/ Gen Xers (those that over work) and Millennials (those that don’t want to over work)? Are Millennials not going to be involved in the business? Is every thing going to be on the backs of Gen Z, this next generation of kids that are see ing college isn’t the right path forForeveryone?Lussier, the key is the mills, recognizing that the log ging force isn’t just a supplier that is a dime a dozen. Instead, the mills, and loggers, need to realize the relationship is more of a partnership dynamic. Nei ther can survive without the other. Even though that’s not how it has historically been, since, um, ever.

6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

TH JESSICA

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

FS Ofﬁcials OK

Canfor Plans New Sawmill Near Mobile

Roadbuilding Site Authorities are still investigating an environmentally damaging and potentially disastrous fire in early August after a protester allegedly tossed a road flare under an excavator near an area in Humboldt County in northern California that has been the focal point of anti-logging demonstrations and protests.Aroadbuilding contractor working on an easement road across state land to a private tract scheduled for harvest by Humboldt Redwood Co. had an excavator destroyed by the flare incident. No one witnessed the act, but just prior to the fire individual protesters were spotted in the area, which had seen several protests and demonstrations over the years. The fire also resulted in the release of 80 gallons of diesel onto the site that now has to be remediated, not to mention the luck that responders were nearby and able to ensure the blaze didn’t spread into the surrounding forest. No group has taken responsibility for the act, and CalFire officials are treating it as an arson investigation.

Maine Levies Fines After Harvest Violations

SPI Creates ManagementWildﬁrePost

Pontes brings more than 30 years of experience in forest and wildﬁre management, ﬁre response and recovery, and public agency leadership. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry & Natural Resources Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Sierra Paciﬁc Industries is a third-generation, family-owned forest products company based in Anderson, Calif. SPI owns and manages more than 2.3 million acres of timberland in Cali fornia, Oregon and Washington and is one of the largest U.S. lumber manufac turers. The company also produces mill work, windows and renewable energy.

Sierra Pacific Industries has named Matt Pontes as its first Director of Wild fire and Fuels Management.

STP-Tolko Plan Ackerman Expansion Southeastern Timber Products LLC, an STP Holdings-Tolko Industries part nership, announced a $150 million U.S. investment in the STP sawmill in Ack erman, Miss. The investment is the next step in an expansion project that will up grade the mill from 120MMBF to 250MMBF annual capacity. The project will conclude in the ﬁrst quarter of 2024. The mill has already implemented some recent upgrades.

In Maine, The Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service has entered into administrative settlement agreements with a landowner, logging company and forester following violations of state rules governing timber harvesting activities in shoreline areas. According to state ofﬁcials, in 2019, logging operations on land owned by Ames Family Land Co. conducted by S.D.R. Logging under forester Seth Roope’s supervision, created cleared openings too close to a Great Pond and removed too many trees, both in violation of state shoreland harvesting regulations.Amesagreed to pay a $7,500 civil penalty to resolve the violations. SDR agreed to pay $15,000, and Roope agreed to pay $5,000. A portion of each penalty will be waived and discharged if the violators have no additional violations of any rule enforced by MFS within ﬁve years.

“We are excited to have Matt’s strategic leadership in this newly created position developed to protect our timberlands, ecosystems and rural communities,” says SPI CEO Mark Emmerson. Pontes will guide the company’s work in wildfire suppression and resiliency efforts, leveraging his experience in public and private organizations combined with his strong understanding of wildfire and natural resources management. “I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to join the leadership team, family culture and crew at SPI,” Pontes adds. “This new role aligns with my passion in wildfire, forestry and natural resources. With SPI’s proven track record of success in healthy forest management and sustainability, I look forward to partnering with agencies, land owners and communities to strategize on wildfire resiliency. Our future depends on long-term solutions that will better protect California’s forested landscape and vital natural resources.”

Canfor Corp. plans to invest $210 million USD to build a state-of-the-art sawmill at a greenﬁeld site in southern Alabama, north of Mobile. The sawmill will have an annual production capacity of 250MMBF on a two-shift basis and will provide a modern work environ ment for approximately 130 people who will be employed directly, in addition to supporting signiﬁcant indirect jobs. Startup of the facility is anticipated in the third quarter of 2024. The new sawmill will replace the ex isting operation in Mobile. Following the construction and startup of the new facility, an orderly wind down of the Mobile operation will be undertaken.

“The Board approval of the expansion is a testament to the employees at

8 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

NewsLines CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Excavator Torched At Calif.

Twisp Restoration Forest health operations should begin next year following final approval in late July of the Twisp Restoration Project (TRP) on the Okanogan-Wenatchee Na tional Forest in north central Washing ton. The project seeks to improve forest health and wildfire resistance across 24,000 acres, focusing on the wild land-urban interface and ensuring a net work of safe and efficient roads for travel and evacuation. The TRP includes treatments on 550 acres of private land and 40 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands. The project size was reduced by more than half after fire activity during the planning stages. Project scope includes harvest of 5054MMBF across 8,100 acres, roughly 75% Douglas fir, followed by ponderosa pine. In addition, PCT operations on al most 14,000 acres will target stems under 10 in., leaving 50-75 trees per acre. Another 6,000 acres will receive brushclearing and mastication opera tions to reduce fuel loads. The TRP calls for traditional groundbased logging systems for about twothirds of the work. The TRP is expected to generate $2.28 million in revenue after subtracting costs of logging, haul ing and roadwork, which will help fund the restoration treatments, according to FS officials.

Ofﬁcials with CNW touted the ruling as a victory in part, noting that while they lost their claim that DNR’s man agement was “unconstitutional and arbi trary and capricious,” timber interests could no longer claim the management of DNR’s 2.4 million acres of state lands has to maximize timber revenue.

WA Court Issues Key Management Ruling

According to officials with the Amer ican Forest Resource Council (AFRC), the case had attempted to undermine the DNR’s fiduciary duty to manage state trust lands. “We appreciate the Wash ington State Supreme Court’s honoring of 134 years of precedent,” said AFRC President Travis Joseph. “We are pleased the Court has reaffirmed the DNR’s fiduciary responsibility to man age state trust lands on behalf of defined beneficiaries including counties, public schools, universities, fire districts and other community services.”

The Resolute management team will remain in place at the company’s headquarters.Resoluteowns or operates 40 facili ties, as well as power generation assets, in the U.S. and Canada in four business segments: market pulp, tissue, paper and wood products. It operates four pulp mills, four tissue facilities, seven paper mills and 22 wood products facil ities including 17 sawmills with 2.9 bil lion BF of capacity, two reman facili ties, two engineered wood products fa cilities and a wood pellet plant. It also has 13 power generation assets, includ ing seven hydroelectric facilities and six cogeneration facilities. In early 2020, Resolute acquired Conifex Timber Inc.’s three sawmills in the U.S. South with combined production capacity of 550MMBF, located in Cross City, Fla.; Glenwood and ElDorado, Ark.

Teal Jones Digs Into Louisiana Teal Jones Group marked the beginning of construction of an $110 million SYP sawmill near Plain Dealing, La. on July 11 with a groundbreaking ceremony.Canada-based Teal Jones Group had disclosed in December it was consider ing northwest Louisiana as the site of a sawmill. Site preparation of the 235 acre greenfield facility has begun and is expected to be completed by third quar ter 2023. Site work includes creating access to nearby railway infrastructure and timberlands, which the company cited as key factors in its decision to build its first plant in Louisiana. The company, which is headquartered in British Columbia, operates SYP mills in Antlers, Okla.; Martinsville and Kinsale, Va.; and Liberty, Miss.The facility will produce a range of dimension and specialty lumber products with a production capacity of 300MMBF per year. Tge company plans to sell residual fiber products, including chips and sawdust, to local pulp and pellet

Tom Jones, CEO of Teal Jones Group, comments,“We are excited to invest in this project, one that will bring long-term prosperity, jobs and other de velopment opportunities in rail and in frastructure to Plain Dealing, Louisiana.

Paper Excellence Buys Resolute Forest Products Richmond, BC-headquartered and privately held holding company, Paper Excellence Group, a manufacturer of pulp and paper products with seven fa cilities in Canada, through its whol ly-owned subsidiary Domtar Corp. is acquiring Montreal-based Resolute For est Products. The cash consideration represents an enterprise value of $2.7 billion, as reported by the companies. Resolute will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Domtar and continue to operate on a business-asusual basis under the Resolute name.

PalletOne Purchases Half Of Dempsey UFP Industries announced that its affiliate, PalletOne, Inc., has acquired a 50% equity in Dempsey Wood Products, LLC of Orangeburg, SC. The purchase agreement includes options for PalletOne to purchase the remaining 50% after three years. Founded in 1988 by Ronald Dempsey, Dempsey Wood Products produces kiln-dried lumber, pallet lumber, and other industrial wood products from the Orangeburg location. Dempsey had 2021 sales of $68.9 million, and its management team, including Ronald Dempsey and his son, Parker Dempsey, will continue in managementPalletOne’sroles.investment in Dempsey helps it secure and grow a critical long-term supply source. In 2021, five of Dempsey’s 10 largest customers were UFP affiliates, and nearly 40 other UFP locations could be served by Dempsey.

STP-Tolko in Ackerman,” says Billy Van Devender, CEO of Claw Forestry. “There have been signiﬁcant incremental gains in our production and performance, which sets us up to make this additional investment into our mill and our state. The expansion will also create jobs and bring value to Mississippi timberland owners, many being familyClawowned.”Forestry Services afﬁliates recently announced plans to build a new sawmill in Gloster, Miss., and recently totally upgraded a sawmill in Vicksburg, Miss.

Teal Jones is a family owned and oper ated forestry company with operations spreading throughout Canada and the United States. The Plain Dealing mill is an exciting and important step in our continued expansion.”

The Washington State Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that both forest industry groups and preservation ist interests are touting as a victory: In a case brought by the group Conservation Northwest (CNW) against Washing ton’s Commissioner of Public Lands, the court ruled unanimously in favor of the state and that the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) can continue to man age state trust lands—particularly forest lands—for the financial benefit of schools and other institutions, including county fire districts, libraries and hospi tals. At the same time, the ruling made clear that the DNR is not required to make maximizing revenue the priority over greater issues of land management.

According to a statement from Wash ington Public Land Commissioner Hilary Franz, the ruling “afﬁrms DNR’s position that it has discretion under the constitutional and legislative mandate to manage public lands on behalf of the communities we serve…I also recognize that in the face of a rapidly changing climate, we must do everything we can to safeguard public lands and protect our forests. This is why DNR has made climate resilience and long-term sustainable land use a core part of our work.”

NewsLines Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 9 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Louisiana? The most obvious answer is—chain saws, or rather the trend to ward a lack of chain saws in the log ging woods. Mechanized felling has largely replaced manual felling. Oper ators sit safely inside enclosed cabs that are built to rollover and designed to falling object protection standards (ROPS and FOPS). Essentially, the only time operators get hurt is when they are outside the cab—such as when doing maintenance. Mounting and dismounting used to be the major problem, with operators jumping off machines. Education can take the credit here. Talking and writing about 3-point mounting and dismount ing has been effective. OSHA inspec tors watched for it, getting the attention of truck drivers, and the drivers helped spread the word to other logging sites. Where do the problems remain? Maintenance and repairs remain an issue, but most of today’s accidents in Louisiana center around the trucking part of the logging industry. Even the trucking accidents have changed. In the 1980s and 1990s, most truck driver injuries occurred while the driver was outside the cab—throwing binder chains, walking on rough terrain and slipping while mounting or dis mounting. Replacing chains with cables or straps has helped a lot. Today, most truck driver injuries occur on the roads. Vehicle accidents remain a nagging problem. In fact, according to the BLS, one-third of all occupational accidents are actually transportation accidents. This holds true for logging, the mills and all industries combined. This says something about the importance of defensive driving education and other programs designed to reduce roadAlso,accidents.thenumbers I discussed do not include members of the public injured or killed in vehicle accidents with trucks. Those numbers are typically one to three per year in Louisiana. Most are not the fault of the truck driver, but dead is still dead, and it takes more than just a safe driver to preventBecauseaccidents.wehave to share the road with the public, we need to interact more with the public to prevent accidents. This means funding for better roads and educating the public to respectOnetrucks.ofthe most interesting ways of analyzing our progress is to look at which occupations now have the highest accident rates. I found the list of Highest Incident Rates of Total Nonfatal Occupational Injury Cases, 2020. Of the 25 top industries on this list, logging was not on it! In fact, No. 1 on that list was Skiing Facilities, followed by Nursing & Residential Care. While there are always unsafe conditions and unsafe acts to improve, it is nice to reﬂect on the progress the logging industry has made. Our accident rates have fallen to just above the industry-wide average of all industries (2.3 v 2.6) in recent years, and we still have the institutional memory to apply our lessons learned to the remaining problems and even to other industries.

L ogging is known as one of the most dangerous industries and occupations. Most years, loggers and ﬁshermen vie for the top spot in fatal accident rates (think of rates as being percentages of workers). Generally, ﬁshermen fall overboard and loggers get crushed by trees. When I worked in Canada in the late 1970s, I remember reading that the forest products industry (including mills) ranked in the top three industries for accidents, along with construction and mining. In the 1980s, there were about 200 fatal logging accidents nationwide per year. Louisiana alone had four to eight per year. These numbers declined over theSinceyears.2007, the nationwide number ranged 63-105 per year, and the Louisiana number was usually zero or one. Even the 1990s safety numbers were improvements when viewed over the decades. For example, in the 1930s, Oregon alone suffered 300-400 fatalitiesNon-fatalannually.accident rates also have made progress, dropping roughly sixfold since the late 1980s in both the U.S. and Louisiana. In fact, the logging accident rates in Louisiana have dropped so low that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has not reported a number since 2013. That doesn’t mean “no accidents.” It means that the numbers are so low that the statisticians worry about keeping the data anonymous. This is the reason that the Louisiana Logging Council maintains its own database of logging accidents in the state. This is the only effective source we have. So, when the Logging Council’s Gracee Texada contacts you each January for the previous year’s accident reports, please help out by sending in your responses. How does Louisiana stack up against other states? Our numbers are roughly equal to that of Alabama and Arkansas. Our accident rates are half the national average. By contrast, Oregon’s acci dent rates are dou ble the gingprovementattributebyginglotOregontainousrainofaverage.nationalThedifference,course,ister-—themoun-terrainofdemandsaofcablelog-accompaniedmanualfelling.Towhatcanwetheiminlogaccidentsin

So, take heart that logging has become much safer, but be cautious of ski slope work. TH C.F. “Niels” de Hoop is an associate professor at the Louisiana Forest Prod ucts Development Center, School of Re newable Natural Resources, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, LSU AgCenter

10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

Logging Safety: Are We Learning?NIELS de Hoop

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

BENNETTSVILLE, SC G

rit is defined as a person with courage and resolve, having a strength of character that others might not. It’s that trait a person has to keep pushing, take chances and not stay silent. It’s something Robert (Bob) Lussier, Jr. has by the bucketload. How else can you explain someone who steps out on faith to move their business 900 miles? Puts themselves out front on industry hot topics, serving organizations looking to influence policies to make things better for himself and other loggers? Someone who’s not afraid to say the culture of the forest products industry needs to change, and in a big way, before it becomes filled with insurmountable problems? Someone who takes a near fatal accident, and invites anyone and everyone into that day via video and countless words to hope that it will reach even one other logger and possibly save someone else the pain his family went through after he almost lost his arm? That’s all grit. That grit, those reasons, are why Lussier’s company, Great Woods Companies, has been named the 2022 Timber Harvesting Logging Business of the Year. Lussier is the third winner from his adopted home state of South Carolina, and the 25th winner overall.Lussier says that often when he talks with other loggers he feels like he’s preaching to the choir. But every choir needs a preacher, and for South Carolina, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one. His personal story is not un like others, having been raised in a rural community in the Northeast, starting his company, procuring timber for his crew, running a machine him self every day, and getting the wood marketed. Fast forward 20 years, and things started slowly turning down ward. Having been the first person to run a rubber-tire Tigercat fell er-buncher in southern New England, Lussier had relationships with folks in the Carolinas and Virginia. His Tiger cat dealer was Tidewater. That’s when the opportunity to work for a timber buyer in South Carolina presented itself to Lussier. They came down in June and talked about it. After they returned he talked to his workers about the proposition. Then, after some deliberation and number crunching, Lussier and his busi ness drove 900 miles south. Now he says, he wishes he had done it earlier. The move south was the best thing he could have done for the business, he believes, and the success he’s had since in a new area is, again, a testament to hisButgrit.success over the last 39 years doesn’t

JESSICAJohnson

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Guts & Glory &

Robert (Bob) Lussier, Jr.

The third winner from South Carolina, Robert Lussier, Jr.’s Great Woods Companies, is the 2022 Timber Harvesting Logging Business of the Year.

Business Awareness A Board Member for the South Carolina Timber Producers, active in the Forestry Assn. of South Carolina and the current President of Team Safe Trucking, Lussier has a very full plate indeed. “People need to get involved, that’s been the problem. Us Baby Boomers, we became loggers because we didn’t like other people,” he says. “Most of us are not people persons. We want to be in the woods where nobody bothers us,” Lussier says. “We’ve been our own worst enemies, because we’ve done a disservice to the younger generation because we didn’t speak up. Our timber industry in the South has a 60-year-old system and it’sNow,broken.”Lussier has the chance to help fix the system of working 12+ hour days, seven days a week, for pennies on the dollar just to ride the rollercoaster of his mills’ needs. He got a hard lesson on how the system worked when he moved from New England to South Carolina, and he’s been fighting against the system ever since. At first it was against the timber dealers that controlled the wood baskets, but now, Lussier’s got his eye on what the mills are, and most importantly aren’t, doing for their suppliers. “The only way I make money is if I take control of the system. I don’t like the system but if I take control of the system, I can make the system work for me. It used to be you had to watch your quarters and dollars. Now, you have to watch your pennies and nickels,” he adds. Lussier’s wife, Cindy, handles all office work for the company and is trained to run some equipment and drive set-out trucks. She’s in every sense of the word Lussier’s right hand (wo)man. In order to help watch the pennies and the nickels, every weekend the pair sit down and she brings a box with the bills and reports out, going through everything so Lussier knows what has been taken out and what has gone in that week. Cindy explains this helps him know where he is finan-

The Great Woods Companies employees, from left, Bob Lussier, Garrison Horton, Bryan Horton, Brian Shoemaker, Russ Cracraft, Terry Hannan and Schuyler Whitney

mean success has been easy or is guar anteed for the next 39—though Lussier is quick to say he doesn’t want to work that long! Lussier believes there are a lot of changes coming to the industry in the next 12-18 months, and his personal plan for the future is to bring on an op erationsLussiermanager.saysthis hire means he can force himself to slow down. It makes sense, given his place in life, grandkids and his desire to desire to turkey hunt, now that his Grand Slam has been done, to complete the NWTF 49 state challenge. “I have to learn how to slow down. Hiring an operations manager is going to take a year. How do we ﬁnd somebody outside of our industry and give them the knowledge? There’s no training class they can take, basic business management, sure, but there’s so much that’s so different. It’s going to take a unique individual,” he says. And he’s right, while operator schools are cropping up around the country, there’s no Logging Business 101 to teach someone how to do the books, plan tracts and all the things logging owners handle. For most loggers, those ﬁnancial and operational skills are learned by doing, and for Lussier, he wants to ensure his company and crew are in a positive position. So bringing on just anyone isn’t going to cut it. While the plan might be a forced slowdown with the end of the tunnel being retirement, Lussier, 57, isn’t gone just yet and he’s got plenty still on his proverbial plate—and mind.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Grit

TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

cially, and exactly what everything is costingLussierhim.admits that the pair started the practice, but for a while he quit because it was just easier to let Cindy handle it. But then he realized he had no idea why more money than he thought was being spent from the account. After reviewing cost increases he found where the money was going, and the ritual resumed. “I don’t go to the office much,” he says like the true logger he is. “She prints my reports, I look at them. We keep track of a lot of little things. How much we pay for everything—from tires to shop rags. And we pay essential bills every week. Help is paid everyThisweek.”levelof cost control allowed Lussier to know that his single crew with just three machines, moving be tween 75 and 80 loads per week, couldn’t keep up with the volume he was able to purchase and consistently haul to his main chip market. So, Great Woods was able to add Goodnow Tim ber as a contract chipping crew a few years ago—to great success. In doing so, Lussier was able to help another New England family, Chris and Jenni fer Goodnow, drive south and restart their business 900 miles away. Lussier says both his contract crew and his own are great assets. The cur rent 75-80 loads range could be higher, but like every logging opera tion Great Woods struggles finding truck drivers. “It’s very discouraging right now because you can’t find truck drivers. You can be the best logger in the world, but until that load gets to the mill and you get the ticket, you aren’t getting paid,” he empha sizes. Always willing to try some thing different, Lussier has even taken out billboards and radio com mercials in surrounding areas solicit ing drivers and offering sign-on bo nuses for those who are able to begin hauling for him. With inflation, he adds it has made the trucking compo nent of his business even more of a challenge. Not only does he have two new trucks sitting without drivers, he’s also struggling to match up what he’s been offered for fuel surcharge pricing with what he is actually pay ing at the pump. With three in the woods full-time, and four drivers cross-trained enough to load themselves if needed, Lussier is satisfied. The crew has been together for a long while, and Lussier’s two pile system—everything with leaves goes in one and everything with needles goes in the other—keeps things simple and quick. Lussier, who runs the loader, takes out logs, and chips mostly everything else for his main market, Enviva. While the crew is mostly older, one new member represents the younger generation. “It is hard to find guys to work in the woods. But the crew I have is amazing. Without them I am not who I am. I am just the director, and the guy who signs the checks,” Lussier says emphatically. He works hard to create a culture within Great Woods that isn’t just a family—it is a family with pride. Making sure employees know they are a part of something, they are involved in decisions and they are able to make decisions for themselves. Gone are the days where you could tell an operator or driver to do the job the way you want or they can forget about it.

And the Great Woods crew really stepped up when in July 2021, Lussier suffered what could have been a fatal injury. During a routine chipper knife change, he was cut in multiple places, and in some instances down to the 14

Pursuing Quality

Great Woods Co. main market is chips, and after Lussier suffered a near-fatal accident during a knife change, he made the incident a “teachable” moment to warn other loggers. CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT IN!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Company owned, ﬁlled with American pride, trucks handle between 75 and 80 weekly loads.

ALREADY OPTED

Recently, he and Cindy completed a cost of business study, taking each of them about 40 hours to complete their portions, and through that study, they learned that the only way you can combat inﬂation is to work closer to the mill, and to produce more tons with less equipment. Now he knows when he can say no. “Our analysis was very different from what we’ve seen in the industry, our analysis was essentially cost per hour,” he explains. Frustratingly, he had markets that weren’t interested in even meeting with him to look at the numbers he had, to discuss why he needed the rates he had asked for.

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 15 Trucks & Trailers: ● 6 Western Star 4900 SF Gliders (2019 and 2020 models) ● 17 Trailers: 8 logs/poles, 6 chips, 2 lowboys, 1 ﬂatbed ● 2 Ford F-350 service trucks: Each fully equipped with tools and parts, air compressors and 100 gal. fuel tanks ● Shop trailer: Equipped with tools, parts, ﬂuids (hydraulic oil, DEF, etc), hydraulic hose machine,1000 gal. fuel tank Equipment: Feller-Bunchers: ● 2017 Tigercat 720G ● 2018 Tigercat 720G ● 2021 Caterpillar 538LL Grapple Skidders: ● 2017 Tigercat 620E ● 2016 John Deere 648L ● 2019 John Deere 748L II Log Loaders: ● 2015 Caterpillar 559C ● 2018 Tigercat 234B Chipper: ● 2017 Morbark 40/36 Miscellaneous: ● 2012 John Deere 670 Grader ● 2020 John Deere 700K Bulldozer ● 2012 Caterpillar 299DXHP Forestry Mulcher ● 2018 Caterpillar 320 Excavator

Three employees get it done in the woods for the 2022 Logging Business of the Year. CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

bone. He was helicoptered to a hospital where ultimately, he retained his arm. But the sound of steel-on-steel triggers Lussier. Being around chipper knives is emotionally taxing for him. “I still have post-traumatic stress disorder,” Lussier says. “I sold that chipper two months ago. The person that bought it came to our parts shop and I had to give him all the knives, for me to still go around chipper knives...” he adds, trailing off for a moment. “I can do it, and I try not to show a weakness, but inside I am still really nervous around them.” Lussier says that looking back, he’s frustrated with himself. He’s the one who does all of the company’s safety meetings. He’s been around this equipment for 30 years. “I should have paid better attention to what I was doing,” he says. But always in a hurry, isn’t that almost like a logger’s motto? He was off the plan he had initially set. And that’s when it all happened, in a blink of an eye. “The biggest thing I learned was don’t be in a hurry,” he adds. “Think about what you’re working with and how dangerous it is. We don’t have a lot of accidents in the woods anymore but when something happens its more catastrophic.” Lussier is very fortunate to live to tell the tale, and serve as a living reminder that safety always has to be everyone’s top priority no matter how veteran the operator. The chipper knife accident is not why he got involved with Team Safe Trucking, but the irony is not lost that his tenure as president began just after the accident. “I got involved in Team Safe because of an industry that’s been good to me. It’s just like my involve ment with the forestry association and being on the board with the timber pro ducers: I want to give back to an indus try that has been good to me and try to make a difference for the younger gen erations that are coming,” he says. His involvement and activism has garnered him acknowledgement and awards, but he hasn’t let that affect him and he’s remained independent. Just like he knows his fellow loggers are. For Lussier, one of the goals with his various involvements is help other log gers be aware of how critical the work of the associations are and how much they need to get involved. “Loggers need to learn the difference between ‘no’ and ‘know.’ A lot of loggers can’t say no because they don’t know. Some times working harder does not mean making more money,” he emphasizes.

An answer, in his mind, is thinking outside of the box: viewing markets and suppliers as a partnership. While Lussier admits there aren’t many guys out there like him left, there are some young loggers, and keeping the indus try that has given him so much going is what he’s dedicating some of his time to. It’s a worthy cause, because what happens if there’s none left? TH

The lack of willingness to even look at the analysis is why Lussier is wor ried about the sustainability of the in dustry. Sure, we all use forest products every day. At a regular rate there is new mill announcement after new mill announcement. But Lussier wonders if the mill doesn’t care how sustainable loggers are and timber dealers are and truckers are, will there not be an ability to remain sustainable as an industry?

“I have invested heavily in land as part of our retirement portfolio,” he adds. “We have all these mills around, but if Bob decides to retire and then we don’t have any of the logging crews that are capable of keeping our management goals met, what happens to the retirement?”

Great Woods Companies preferred vendors include Flint Equipment, Aynor, SC; Blanchard Machinery, Florence, SC; Tidewater Equipment, Polkton, NC; Schwab Brothers Hydraluics, Perry, Fla.; and Swamp Fox Agency, Moncks Corner, SC.

CALLAHAN, Fla. E very day, Adam Mizell and his crew at Mizell Development, Inc., plant the seeds for tomorrow’s timber harvest. After earning a forestry degree from Lake City Community College and building a business specializing in logging roads, Mizell found himself doing more and more site prep contracts. He discovered that he was drawn to the reforestation side of the timber industry. After a little over 10 years in the reforestation business, Mizell was named the Florida Forestry Assn. Silviculture Contractor of the Year for 2016. “I’m a farmer at heart,” says Mizell, who represents the ﬁfth generation of a poultry producing family. “I have no doubt if I lived somewhere else, I’d be growing corn or soybeans.”

Building Future Timber Supply

Top reforestation contractor Adam Mizell: replanting key to substainability.

Replanting uses similar equipment as logging but speciﬁc with applications related to ground preparation. STEVEWerblow CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

In The Field

On a fall day on a cut-over softwood site outside of Callahan, Fla., one of Mizell’s Tigercat 630E skidders was pulling a 20,000 lb. Marden

Industries drum chopper, preparing the ground for a stand of slash pine. Mizell’s skills in site preparation will put that land on the fast track to its next timber harvest, helping make the tract more sustainable than ever. In 15-20 years, the trees on this parcel will be ready for the pulp mill; in about 30 years, the landowner will have a nice stand of sawlogs. Site prep and replanting can account for as much as 20% of a timber harvest budget, so reforesting a site is a major investment for landowners—but

The reforestation process starts with a herbicide application soon after logging has ended. Mizell likes to let a clear-cut sit for about a year before site prep, giving some of the debris a chance to start breaking down, but he says he and his team are often chopping within a few months. Large stumps with a lot of heartwood can be sold to an explosives manufacturer, but the stumps are generally chopped to fertilize the next generation of trees.“Chopping softens the soil so that the new roots can grow vigorously throughout the bed,” Mizell says. “You want a chopper with good, long blades so it will get down there and break up the lateral roots on the residual stumps and split the residual stumps as much as possible so it encourages the breakdown of all those things. The pine needles, the palmettos, the gallberries, all that gets broken down and folded into the bed and serves as nutrient and organic matter to help the new seedlings get ahead.”

The ﬁnal step in land prep is pulling beds, which Mizell forms with Savannah Global Solutions bedding plows pulled by Deere or Tigercat skidders in the 250-300 HP range. “They have the strength to pull through without having to gear down,” he notes.

Operations

About half of the sites Mizell prepares for planting are on beds 12 ft. apart on center. The rest range from 11 Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 17 Studies show lands that are mechanically prepared and replanted are more productive.

Adam Mizell: “I’m a farmer at heart.”

Mizell follows chopping with a Fleco root rake, originally designed for wheel loaders and modiﬁed by Stokes Welding to ﬁt Deere or Tigercat feller-bunchers. On the Callahan project last fall, a Tigercat 720G piled debris too big for the drum chopper to break“Feller-bunchersup. make a fantastic raking tractor,” he explains. “We’ve used wheel loaders and dozers in the past, but the undercarriage cost is prohibitive. You have to guard them up with forestry packages, and sticks still get in there and break things. A feller buncher is made from the ground up to be protected from debris and logs and sticks stabbing up through the machine. They were en gineered for this application, and you can get bigger tires on them.”

Final Phase

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

it pays off. A University of Georgia study documented the beneﬁts of replanting: Slash and loblolly pine planted into prepared land had almost twice the growth rate—5.85 tons per acre per year vs. 3.0—and greater economic returns than naturally regenerated stands of the same species.

Mizell uses a variety of equipment, including both Tigercat and John Deere machines, and works with dealers Tidewater Equipment Co. in Brunswick, Ga., and Ring Power Corp. in Jacksonville, Fla.

to 16 ft. on center, depending on soils and the foresters’ plans for stand density. Drier sites can be bedded in a single pass. On wetter ground, Mizell prefers to build the beds higher— about two feet from the bottom of the furrow to the top of the bed—with a second pass. “It’s so ﬂat here we get ponded water,” Mizell says. “None of it is very deep, but it will stagnate the tree’s growth if it’s just sitting in sour water.” Mizell’s work in the 150-mile radius around Callahan falls mostly in the heavy soils of the Okefenokee Swamp region. In January or February, crews come through to plant seedlings. Mizell says 95% of the trees planted on the land he prepares are slash or loblolly pine, and the other 5% are longleaf pine. With a skilled crew and bareroot or containerized seedlings, Mizell says stand survival can be 98% or better.

For Mizell, transferring horsepower to the ground is critical to job success. HERE

18 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Gearing Up Mizell attributes successful site prep to simple factors. “Having good quality equipment with good tires and a good man running it—that’s the key,” he says. “What makes a good contractor is someone who does what he says he’s going to and follows through with it, who has good equip ment and good people on his team to make good on that.” Mizell points out that horsepower is critically important, but so is mak ing sure that all the horsepower reaches the ground. “Tires are extremely important to my business,” he notes. “Our tires aren’t as susceptible to torque or puncture as a logging tractor because we’re not car rying the weight of the trees. All we

CLICK

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 19 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Deep Treads Years of trial and error, and the evo lution of logging tire design, led Mizell to Primex Log Stomper Xtreme tires. The 82/32" depth and wide construction of the tires’ curved lugs had instant appeal, and the durable compound reaffirmed his choice. “They’ve got a thick, deep bar, which makes a lot of difference,” he says. “I try to stay on the new side— the first 50%—of a tire. I can have 3,000 hours on the Primex Xtreme and it will still have a bigger bar than other tires. In my business, if your tires start to get bald or worn down, they’re fine when you’re on dry ground, but we’ve got to work the whole field: the good, the bad or whatever. You’ve got to have what it takes to get through those wet areas. We don’t want to leave those acres out, because they’ll grow a tree.” Most of Mizell’s tires are standard 30.5 and 35.5 widths, but in some wetter ground, he has experimented with 73x44.00-32 Log Stomper Xtremes. He says the extra wide tires have provided both better traction—helping his operators work swampy areas that would otherwise have to be bypassed—and better flotation, which minimizes soil compaction to maintain a healthier root zone for seedlings. “A 300 horsepower skidder, whether it’s a John Deere or a Tigercat, is a heavy tractor,” he points out. “I needed more flotation and hoped to achieve a little more traction, and I think I got both things.”

have is the weight of the tractor and the tread of the tire—so if I don’t have good tires, I’m just spinning in place. “Most particularly, when you’re pulling beds and your tire spins, the tractor sinks down some,” Mizell continues. “That makes the disk sink down some, and it becomes a tougher pull on your tractor,” he explains. “So now the tractor’s dug itself into a hole it’s trying to climb out of, and that takes more fuel and horsepower—and if you don’t move on, you’re stuck.”

In the end, Mizell sees the results of his investments and his people in the tall stands of pines stretching through north Florida and south Georgia—to morrow’s timber growing straight, tall and fast. “I still have to be competitive,” he says, “but I always think ﬁrst, ‘this is what we need to do the job right.’” article submitted by Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc.

Thin Margins Mizell points out that, like every aspect of the logging business, reforestation is tougher than ever. “It’s all about efficiency nowadays,” he says. “You can be inefficient. But you just won’t be inefficient for very long.” The name of the game is working more acres at thinner margins, and keeping crews active all the time. “I look at labor as a fixed cost,” Mizell says. “If you’re going to have good people, you have to pay them consis tently. If you send them home, you can’t blame them for looking for some thing else. You’ve got to keep them working. And if they’re out working, they have to be able to do the job. If they’re stuck, just sitting there spinning in place, they might have to get on the lowboy and leave and then come back later. We don’t get paid to move back and forth—that’s counterproductive.”

TH This

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Felling&Skidding 22 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

BKT: Top Tire Performance Logging conditions can be extreme, and it is essential to use the best equipment and components that operate easily and safely. Tires play an essential role in such a difficult environment that requires safe and designed products with specific characteristics, such as load capacity, strength, resistance andBKT,stability.which has studied the real working conditions, offers specific forestry products that allow operators to deal with the most diverse felling and skidding applications, even under the toughest conditions. BKT proposes two resistant products, characterized by a long product life that means a lower number of replacements and less downtime, with environmental and economic benefits.

FS 216, perfect for loggers and skidders. It’s durable, has a great excellent cut and chip resistance and ensures maximum protection against possible damages. It has a robust log design with optimum angle and wider width to enhance traction performance. Other relevant product’s features are high puncture resistance, excellent traction, self-cleaning and high-load capacity. FS 216 is available in seven different sizes, both in steel-belted or standard versions.

The F 240 is designed for log skidders. Great traction, self-cleaning capacity, maneuverability and good steering are the main features of this excellent product. Thanks to the width of the tire print, the stability on the ground is better. Finally, the superior tread compound guarantees extraordinary cut-and-wear resistance resulting in a longer service life. It is available in two sizes. With these efﬁcient products which stand out for their speciﬁc features, BKT wants to contribute and provide a valid response to the demands of such a complex and demanding market to help daily working challenges and to respect the environment. Visit bkt-tires.com

Deere Bogie Skidder Tackles It All

Highly regarded by customers, all L-Series II models feature a spacious cab, including ample storage space, configurable controls, and an effective HVAC system. Armrest-mounted electrohydraulic controls offer accessible, hand-finger operation of all machine functions, and joystick steering provides smooth control of steer, direction, and ground speed. The industry-exclusive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) marries the efficiency of a direct-drive transmission with the smoothness of a hydrostatic drive. As a result, CVT provides more power to the ground by sensing the load, increasing torque and tractive effort as needed to maintain the desired speed. Visit deere.com

John Deere’s six-wheel 768L-II Bogie Skidder is a true woodland warrior designed to conquer wet conditions and steep slope terrain. Incorporating the proven, durable features found on the John Deere L-II Skidder lineup, the 768L-II maximizes productivity, performance, and comfort when carrying hefty loads over long distances in challenging conditions.

Thecalendar.newarch

Forest Chain Protection

The 768L-II retains the other customer-favorite features introduced on the L-II product lineup. Streamlined and redesigned electrical and hydraulic systems result in improved uptime and increase guarding and protection of key components. An increased grapple squeeze force and two-speed winch further increase productivity, while articulation steering sensors improve the operator experience.

Forest Chain’s wide range of ring skidder chains, are available in fixed ring, multi ring, and studded with 9/16", 5/8" or 3/4" tag chains to fit all popular tire sizes. Designed to give as much as 60% more traction to your skidder, Forest Chain Skidder Chains provide quicker skid times, more production and increased bottom line profits. Forest Chain premium Multi-Ring heavy duty chains offer superior traction putting steel in strate gic points providing protection from rocks, stumps and site debris, protecting your expensive rubber tires.and are available in 9/16, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8 and 1". The Double Diamond configured chains equipped with U-shaped studs are especially effective in the worst conditions like mud and snow, the deep biting lugs dig deeply into the terrain to keep production moving. All Forest Chains are manufactured with top quality materials and work manship and designed to provide puncture protection from rocks, stumps and debris. Repairs are easy using common welding techniques and materials for longer life. Call 800-288-0887; email forestchain@gmail.com

The 281 HP 768L-II features heavy-duty bogie axles, which incorporate large com ponents to maximize durability and stability for long axle and tire life. The heavy-duty axles are purpose-built for tough applications, effortlessly pulling heavy loads and ma neuvering tough terrain. The smooth, stable operation results in reduced machine vibra tion, ultimately minimizing operator fatigue. Another key feature is the excellent trac tive ability and ﬂoatation. When combined with the bogie axles, ground pressure is reduced, allowing the 768L-II to work in wet terrain not accessible with a four-wheel skidder. As a result, the harvesting window is extended, adding more working days to the design provides the operator with an expansive rearward view of the grapple and work area, providing excellent visibility. Improving maneuverability, the long wheelbase and boom-arch envelope boost reach and lift capability for the boom and grapple, increasing dexterity in the woods. The tight turning radius enhances agility at the landing.

NAF has created a durable lineup of our bogie axles with 12 different models varying in size/payload and wheelbase. Our bogies are all gear driven, can be equipped with our patented Permanent Balancing Bogie System (PBBS), oil immersed capsuled brakes and have multiple differential lock options.Optimized ground clearance allows our bogie axles to walk the timber with six or eight wheeled machines.The Skidder Bogie can be a portal type, or ﬁx planetary allowing for up to 36 tons of timber payload.These bogie options will allow for your machine to gain the speed and tractive effort needed to move the wood you need!

ECO-Wheel Tracks are available for tire sizes 23.1 x 26 to 35.5 x 32 and come standard with the 1" link system. ECO-Wheel Tracks are only available in one model which is based around the bestselling ECO- Track model. For the CTL machines, Olofsfors offers a wide range of bogie track models and linkage systems for various machine conﬁgurations and ground conditions. Most track models are now available in the next generation of curved cross members for increased ﬂotation, less ground disturbance and easier machine turning.

The track assortment ranges from traction only, ﬂotation only and all around. Along with ﬁve different link systems, Olofsfors has the most track options available on the market today.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Olofsfors is a Swedish based company founded in 1762 with North American operations in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Olofsfors is the market leader in bogie tracks for CTL machinery and wheel tracks for skidders and wheeled feller bunchers.

The completely upgraded Ponsse H8 harvester head features a powerful feed, ﬁrm grip and solid yet agile frame. Active Speed is available for the harvester head as a new feature, giving it a superior performance.With Active Speed, the harvester head’s operating speed can be adjusted based on the tree species and stem diameter. Equipped with this new function, working with the H8 harvester head is smooth and productive, no matter what the tree diameter is.

Felling&Skidding

Specific to skidders, Olofsfors offers ECO-Wheel Tracks to boost productivity and increase traction. ECO- Wheel Tracks are traction aids developed and designed to suit the most demanding terrain and machine sizes. ECO-Wheel Tracks provide numerous benefits over conventional chains including increased traction, less spin and grab, easier and less maintenance, and can fit on used tires.

Olofsfors Boosts Skidder Productivity

NAF AG has spent the last seven years supporting the North American market with its most recent location NAF North America, in Morris, Ill. Opening in 2015 as part the NAF AG Company, this wholly owned subsidiary has taken North America’s forests to the next step in the NAF family.Sales, support, parts, and just in time axle delivery are all available from this location.

NAF AG has been manufacturing axles and gearboxes for over 60 years! As one of the world’s leading drive train producers for self-propelled forestry machines, we bring our proven modular minded approach of rigid and bogie axles to the forests’ functional, economical, and logistical challenges.Cut-to-length, whole tree harvest ing, mulching, transporting, loading, and planning all have unique opportunities. NAF is proven in the forest and ready for your next challenge.

NAF additionally is helping North American forestry customers with a complete durable range of rigid axles for Skidder and Wheel Feller Buncher harvesting, right of way mulching, and whole tree skidding.NAF can help loggers quickly roll in and harvest trees with ease, using heavy-duty axles and gearboxes designed for each sustainable tree harvesting method.

NAF Axles Deliver Top Performance

The All Around tracks are ECO-Track and KovaX. Both of these models provide good traction along with good ﬂotation. The Traction tracks include EX, OF and EVO with EX providing the most traction. The Flotation tracks consist of Baltic, U andNewCoverX.for2022 is the continued development of the larger track cross members. Along with ECO HD, the next model is Kovax+. Kovax+ is thicker and stronger compared to standard Kovax and is a great option for the newer 29mm link system. Visit olofsfors.com

NAF AG and NAF North America are here for forestry, construction, agricultural and material handling needs of the world.To meet your next challenge, we will listen first to understand your situations, converse with our staff to define the modular approach, develop and support you with our engineering team’s technological solution to fit your needs. Our modular minded approach will balance proven methods and new technology against your technical requirements and economical needs. Prototyping all the way through serial production, our team will help produce a solution that everyone on the team supports and understands. Visit nafaxles.com

“We have developed our product range of harvester heads actively with our customers. Many of our customers work in challenging conditions, which is why their development ideas give us the best possible feedback for product development. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers 2022 23

Ponsse Head Offers Felling Speed, Accuracy

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Tigercat has recently added the 822E to its track buncher line-up. Based on the popular 822D, the 822E is designed for challenging thinning and ﬁnal felling applications.

The wear and tear on your cutters and skidders day-in and day-out is relentless. We’ve all been in the dreaded situation where we’ve had to stop production due to a hydraulic hose failure on a skidder or buncher. That is now a thing of the past with our in-woods hydraulic hose crimping unit! Our Compact Hose Assembly Devices are an asset to any logging operation no matter where you are or how many crews you have! These mobile hydraulic crimping units allow you to build your hydraulic hoses on the job site eliminating unnecessary trips to town. These downtime eliminators were designed to keeps loggers logging! Call today to learn more about our Compact Hose Assembly Devices, we look forward to serving you! Call 850-838-6487; visit schwabbrothershydraulics.com

The powerful lift capacity, tight-tuck ER boom geometry, and compact tail-swing make the 822E the perfect choice for selective felling where minimum site impact is important.

Tigercat FBs For All Felling Applications

All Ponsse harvester heads have been designed to withstand the toughest conditions. They are characterised by a simple and solid structure, which is why they can be used in various harvesting applications. All Ponsse harvester heads are manufactured and designed at the Ponsse factory in Vieremä, Finland. Comprehensive design applies to both mechanical components and the electronic control system, controls and software. The manufacturing process is highly automated, guaranteeing a high level of quality and measuring accuracy. Visit ponsse.com

With its completely new structure, the new H8 harvester head is ideal for processing large trees,” says Janne Loponen, product manager for har vester heads. The new harvester head can be mounted on Ponsse Ergo, Scorpion Giant and Bear, the strongest harvesters in our product range. The saw box area is even wider, making the harvester head an excellent choice for trees with a high butt diameter. The harvester head’s structure has been designed for easy maintenance, and the frame has been built to be even more durable. A powerful feed, combined with a geometry that ﬁrmly supports larger stems on feed rollers, guarantees high productivity and fuel economy. The automatic features of the Opti control system, developed and built by Ponsse, control the feed speed and saw movement, according to the tree diameter, and ensure fast and precise sawing.

Cutting Downtime With Schwab Brothers Hydraulics

A redesigned engine enclosure provides improved roof access for cleaning debris. A boom slider also reduces debris build-up in hard to reach areas. The clamshell style enclosure and drop-down side platform allow easy access to all sides of the engine. The updated cab on the 822E includes a durable, roomy, air ride seat with heating and cooling. The fulllength front window and narrow side posts give the operator an excellent view of the tracks and surrounding area. Visit tigercat.com 24 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Tigercat builds drive-to-tree feller bunchers for the full range of thin ning and ﬁnal felling duties. The 720G and 724G are designed for thin ning and clear fell applications and the large capacity 726G fells large di ameter timber in tough terrain.

The G-series machines cabs are designed for productivity and oper ator comfort. Visibility is enhanced with a larger front window and larger rear quarter windows. The view over the back tires is the best in the industry—an asset in thinning applications. Only Tigercat offers WideRange, the inﬁnitely variable transmission for drive-to-tree feller bunchers. WideRange allows the operator to travel more quickly than conventional two-speed transmission equipped feller bunchers. Quicker travel boosts productivity and reduces cost per ton in high production thinning and ﬁnal fell applications. Tigercat’s unique WideRange drive system is standard on all G-series feller bunchers. A two-speed transmission is optional on the 720G and 724G.

TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS Felling&Skidding CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Loggers in deep mud and standing water were immediately interested in the added flotation and traction from the 45-inch-wide version of the popular Log Stomper Xtreme, said Terry Goodwin, National Product Manager—Forestry for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. He added that the 78" diameter and 26 ply rating of the tire efficiently turns the machine’s torque into pulling power without excessive strain on the beads, lugs and we’ve“Thesidewalls.feedbackbeengetting has been nothing but positive on the showhe78x45.00-32newXtreme,”said.“Thetiresalmostnosigns of stress where you would expect to see strain from continuous high torque and heavy pulls. Loggers are working harder than ever with bigger machines than ever, and our job is to make sure to keep them going.” Goodwin pointed out that the extra-wide Xtreme is also gaining a growing following in less-saturated soils because it creates significantly less soil compaction. Compacted soil does not have as much space between soil particles for air and water that sustain roots, and is often too dense to allow good root growth. Goodwin predicts that landowners and regulators will push for less compaction in the years to come.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 25 Felling&Skidding CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Wallingfords, Pewag Combine For Quality

Since 1975, recognizing industry needs has been a core strength of Wallingford’s Inc. Wallingford’s Inc. announced its acquisition by pewag group this past April, and has positioned itself as an industry leader for the sales of forestry tracks for both the cut-to-length and full-tree length harvesting markets. pewag bogie tracks for cut-to length machines offer case hardened C-links to extend longevity, and is an innovation that only pewag offers. pewag tracks come in multiple styles for different applications, and we aim to maintain good inventory and assembly capabilities in the USA to reduce lead times for our customers. pewag also offers single wheel tracks for skidders, and we are working to increase the diversity of tire sizes offered with 28L26 being a welcomed addition to our offering for 30.5 and 35.5 tire sizes. In addition to pewag tracks, we will also be offering pewag skidder chains with a new double diamond design for this coming season. This will complement our offering of both studded diamond and ring chains from BABAC. Please contact us for any track or skidder chain needs, we specialize in the design and fabrication of difﬁcult to ﬁnd tire sizes. Call 800-323-3708; visit wallingfords.com

Yokohama Expands Primex Log Stomper Line

Yokohama Off-Highway Tires has expanded its rugged Primex Log Stomper Xtreme skidder tire to include an extra-wide 78x45.00-32 size for added ﬂotation and a greater ability to handle the high torque of today’s powerful skidders.

The 78x45.00-32 features the unique, variable angle Log Stomper Xtreme lug design, with its distinctive wide nose and tapered design that offers greater durability and a stable ride. The tire’s heavy, reinforced sidewall and chunking resistant forestry compound deliver exceptional tire life in the toughest conditions. The Xtreme also features a reinforced dual bead to deliver more torque and greater durability. And the tubeless design of the 78x45.00-32 Log Stomper Xtreme reduce hassles during mounting or repair. The Primex Log Stomper Xtreme is also available in DH73x50.00-32, 73x44.00-32, 67x34.00-26, 66x43.0026, 67x34.00-25 and 66x43.00-25 sizes. Call 800-7779926; visit yokohama-oht.com. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

Promising to “walk the talk” of its commitment to environmental sustain ability, Finnish forestry equipment manufacturer Ponsse hosted an online event on August 17 announcing the in troduction of a new forestry machine concept, the electric Ponsse EV1. Ponsse has been developing the con cept for the last three years with Epec, a Finnish technology company, owned by the Ponsse Group, that specializes in advanced electronics. Juho Nummela, Ponsse’s President and CEO, and Jyri Kylä-Kaila, Epec’s Managing Director, took the opportunity to discuss the emerging technologies. A recording of the online event is available to watch on Ponsse’s YouTube channel.

Accordingcategory.torepresentatives of Epec’s engineering team during the online event, the machine is designed to charge while it works, running half the time on the battery alone and half the time with the onboard diesel engine serving as a generator to charge the

Ponsse Announces Electric Forwarder

Ponsse has been studying and developing such new technological solutions for several years.The EV1 concept took its ﬁrst steps in 2019 when Ponsse and Epec started to investigate responsible power source solutions in line with sustainable development. While Epec’s technology can already be used in electric or hybrid-electric commercial vehicles and non-road mo bile machines, the EV1 forest machine is still in testing and a few years away from serial production for commercial availability. The prototype machine will be presented at FinnMETKO 2022, a heavy machinery expo held in Fin land in early September. The EV1 concept has been developed for forwarders with a 15-tonne (16.5-ton) load-carrying capacity, the most popular Ponsse forwarder size category. The machine features a fully electric powertrain, as well as Epec’s power distribution unit and hybrid control unit. The machine’s powertrain operates fully with battery energy. Batteries are charged using a Range Extender, which is a combustion engine at this stage of development. This technology provides significant improvements in fuel economy in this size

EquipmentWorld 26 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS It charges while it works, and what logger doesn’t dream of bypassing

“Technological development is fast and offers us excellent opportunities to develop our solutions further, even in unexpected directions,” Nummela says. “We have worked hard with our technology company Epec to enable this concept. At the same time, both companies have developed their capabilities, and we have gained signiﬁcant new knowledge during this project. This launch of a new technology concept is a peek into the future and one of the solutions offered by electric powertrains. Sustainable development is a signiﬁcant future success factor for Ponsse. We want to strongly develop our solutions with Epec. Our strategy reform has been successful at Epec, and we’re very happy with Epec’s excellent development.” Aiming to lead the way in developing machine technologies for sustainable forestry, Ponsse seeks carbon neutrality in its operations and solutions. This launch of a new technology concept is part of the company’s strategy and represents a tangible step toward the goal of carbon neutrality.

fuel pump these days? CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Deere Debuts Tracked F-B Boom Control Deere ofﬁcials hosted a live event in mid summer at Brandt Tractor’s Kamloops, BC branch that debuted the company’s Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) technology in its 800/900 MH-Series Harvesters. Customers, trade press and others on site were able to watch and even operate the equipment in Brandt’s yard, while an international Zoom audience watched. Afterward, a panel of experts answeredDeere’squestions.IBCtechnology was introduced on forwarders in 2014 as an operator assistance feature. Adapting it to other models is the result of collaboration between the company’s CTL team in Finland and conventional forestry group in Iowa, said Deere’s Jim O’Halloran, Product Marketing Manager, Tracked Feller Bunchers and Harvesters, DSFH. The IBC brings “intuitive control” to both boom and swing functions that creates straight line boom motion with adaptive swing functionality and also develops uniform and consistent boom velocity. The IBC has proved so popular it’s rapidly becoming a standard feature on Deere boom-equipped machines, O’Halloran added.

EquipmentWorld Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 27 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

the battery while in operation (it does not require external charging). It reportedly affords equivalent power but with greater fuel efficiency compared with conventional, fully diesel models. The concept features a 700v DC power system, potentially enabling compatibility with other (non-diesel) power sources in the future, such as hydrogen or biogas. The EV1 features Epec Flow, Epec’s electromobility system solution. The solution is based on the Epec Flow Power Distribution Unit (PDU), to which electric motors, batteries and var ious devices can be connected. The PDU’s integrated safety solutions en able effective manufacturing and main tenance of the machines, as well as their operations in demanding conditions. Ponsse seeks to provide sustainable harvesting solutions by listening closely to customer needs, and as such invited several customers from Uruguay, Sweden and Finland to witness the EV1 in action firsthand. They seemed both surprised and impressed by how advanced and work-ready the concept is. As one customer, Paulo Mancinelli of Suzano, put it, “I think the future is coming shorter and faster than we thought it would be.” Visitponsse.com or epec.fi/ ponsse-ev1/ for more information.

Schwab To Distribute Proteng Fire Suppression

MacDonald Takes Over As President Of Tigercat

Schwab Brothers Hydraulics has entered into a partnership with Proteng, a maker of automatic fire detection/suppression systems, to serve as a distributor for Proteng’s THIA system. Schwab Brothers will bring the product to market in the forest products industry, buying the units at wholesale and selling to the end users, as it does when manufacturing its CHAD mobile hose crimping device. Several THIA systems are already in use on logging machines operated by M.A. Rigoni, the affiliated logging company owned by the Schwab family. Fire prevention is always critical, but never more so than right now. Ryan Wood, director of sales and business development for Schwab Brothers Hydraulics, points out that if you have a catastrophic fire and lose a machine, you may not be able to replace it right away, given ongoing supply chain bottlenecks.This was the driving factor for the Schwab group to get involved with Proteng, he adds: they are constantly seeking solutions to alleviate downtime on todays loggingTHIAoperations.isanacronym used to describe the Proteng system; it stands for Tube + Heat = Instant Action. The system con sists of a polyamide tube that is filled with FM-200 fire retardant and sealed using hydraulically crimped brass ends. FM-200, or hepafluoropropane, is a state-of-the-art substance that elimi nates many of the drawbacks of other retardants. Unlike dry chemical or foam retardants, it leaves no residue, is non toxic, and is safe to use on equipment without causing any collateral damage. Automatic extinguishers that use aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) can be effective, but most are limited to engine compartments and can cause extensive damage. Proteng fire suppression devices are self-contained (require no power source), fully automatic, non-toxic, and non-corrosive. THIA is heat-activated and can even stop a fire before it starts if the temperature gets hot enough.

For more information, contact Ryan Wood at Ryan@schwabhydraulics. com or call 850-843-8615 (ofﬁce) or 850-838-6487 (cell).

“I wish to thank Grant for all of the contributions that he has made to our company during his entire 30 years with us,” MacDonald says. “I want to particularly recognize the leadership he provided during his presidency. Somerville will continue to serve the company as a director. In his new role, he will offer advice, and support vari ous engineering initiatives focused on the development of new products and the improvement of existing products.

EquipmentWorld 28 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Grant Somerville has stepped away from his role as president of Tigercat Industries. The timingis related to Somerville’s original intention to serve as president for a ﬁve-year term when he took on the role in 2017. Tigercat founder, Ken MacDonald, has assumed the role of president.

Doosan Infracore North America recently delivered the first Doosandozer, a DD100, to aBest Line Equipmentcustomer in Pennsylvania. The 9-metric-ton machine is among the first Doosan dozers to arrive in North America, and it’s the first DD100 to be delivered to a customer: Ratoskey and Trainor Inc. Owners Ray Trainor and Rob Ratoskey operate a grinding and mulching business in East Norriton near Philadelphia. The company sells topsoil, mulch and other products to customers in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Doosan Delivers First Dozer To Mulching Business

Best Line Equipment transported the ﬁrst Doosan DD100 dozer from its Allentown, Pa. location to Ratoskey and Trainor on August 4. Upon arrival, the machine quickly went to work in a large pile of dirt that will be turned into topsoil. Best Line Equipment is one of the top North American Doosan dealers and has nearly a dozen authorized Doosan dealerships in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Komatsu SilvicultureBuysFirm

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Komatsu is acquiring Bracke Forest AB, headquartered in Bräcke, Sweden, which develops, manufactures and sells application-speciﬁc attachments for silviculture. Since 2014, Bracke and Komatsu have engaged in joint development by sharing respective technologies and experience. Komatsu will continue to incorporate Bracke’s technologies and expertise in the ﬁeld of planting in order to accelerate the pace of mechanization. Doosan dozer arrives in Pennsylvania.

P ursuing safety during service or maintenance operations is just as important as any other facet of a logging operation. One of the vital cogs in any good logging company’s arsenal is its maintenance program. Modern-day logging equipment is made for the rough terrain and some times brutal weather here in northern Minnesota. Operators run hard during the winter season, which is when most logging companies make or break the majority of its ﬁnancial capital for the year. But even equipment sometimes valued at $500,000 or more breaks down and needs some TLC. Some logging companies have main tenance shops to work on such equip ment during the “spring break up” or when road restrictions in Minnesota re strict heavy-equipment hauling for six weeks or so. Others are forced to park it on their property and work on it in the elements of mother nature. During the relatively short season, when proﬁt margins are thin, a logger can’t afford to have a vital piece of equipment down for even a few days. Good heavy-equipment mechanics are hard to come by. They often travel into the woods to repair busted hydraulic hoses or maybe to repair a track-tensioner spring that breaks from hitting a stump, or snaps from the heavy build-up of snow/ice.

Rieger Logging, Inc., out of North ome, Minn., is a logging company with an excellent safety record. But even employers with clean histories, in terms of employee injuries, can have a hiccup.

John Saccoman is a loss control consultant for Choice Instance, based in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. This article originally appeared in The Timber Bulletin and is reprinted with permission of the Minnesota Timber Producers Assn. 30 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

One of Rieger’s mechanics was in jured last season when working on a piece of equipment in the woods. The mechanic was working to heat and pound out a pin on an equipment track when it shattered, and a piece of the pin embedded in his leg. A trip to the emer gency room and some medical care re sulted in a nearly $2,500 workers’ comp claim. After reviewing the acci dent, company ofﬁcials determined that the employee was acting within compa ny’s safe operating procedures. “It really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, it’s just something that could happen anytime or not ever again,” a company spokesperson said. “He had his safety glasses on and long pants. Sometimes those things just get you.” So what can owners do to en sure they’re prepared for the haz ards and the potential of having maintenance people injured while working on machinery?

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) says one of the biggest tools em ployers can use is to develop, im plement and enforce a comprehen sive written safety program that includes safe work procedures for all tasks performed. Designate an employee who is knowledgeable about equipment to conduct peri odic safety inspections. Try to en sure that workers are performing their assigned tasks according to established safe work procedures. And finally, immediately correct any identified hazards or improper workAccordingpractices.to an article pub lished in the Canadian Forest In dustries newsletter in September 2018, before beginning work, try to identify any hazards and implement appropriate controls.Operators should review pins and bushings, hoses and fittings and iden tify leaks. Hydraulic hoses and belts should also be checked for wear and tear and be replaced if damaged. Exam ining electrical components and electri cal connectors and wiring is also im portant, as damage to these parts can be costly. Monitoring for any cuts or scars, as well as signs of water damage on connectors is recommended. Keep an eye out for depleted areas and replace tires as necessary to get ahead of any surprise maintenance issues. Take the time to review chains and tracks while changing any damaged or loose areas along the way. Windshields as well as wipers must be in optimal shape for visibility purposes before starting the day. Battery fluid levels should be regularly checked to ensure the charge holding capacity is still up to par. Find opportunities to refresh the crew’s knowledge. Empowering the crew to learn new maintenance tips as well as the basic inner workings of the machines gives them ownership and ensures that machines are properly maintained.Firstand foremost, focus on safety. Use this time to listen to the crew and ensure they have all the necessary gear to keep them safe. Consider implementing a refresher course for employees. Create a few topics to discuss, including checklists for proper daily and weekly inspections, maintenance activities, and operating tips. The machinery that loggers depend on is extremely expensive and is cer tainly needed in order to be productive. Every piece of equipment needs to be working properly and operating effi ciently to turn a profit. But the folks who keep it running are even more im portant to keep safe and healthy. It’s up to every owner, and really all the employees, to make sure both man and machine are well cared for. TH

Maintenance, Safety Pay Big DividendsJOHNSaccoman Safety is a necessary investment, just like equipment.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Deere Upgrades Loader Cab John Deere offers the latest updates to its knuckleboom Loader lineup, including visibility enhancements. Aiming to increase operator safety and accuracy, the 2022 models of 437E and 337E knuckleboom Loaders feature a newly designed front window by removing the external mesh guard and replacing it with a clear, polycarbonate window for uninterrupted view. The 2022 model-year upgrades also feature a new hood proﬁle in the left-rear corner of the machine, which opens up the view behind the machine. The new design partners with the window updates to make for a safer, easier-to-operate machine. By offering enhanced visibility, these models enable the operator to be more precise, maximizing uptime.

The new-generation Waratah HTH618C Series-III is highlighted by a new valve that delivers more responsiveness and operating efﬁ ciency, plus a new twin diameter measuring system and improved hose routing, servicing and guard ing. The HTH618C Series-III fea tures twin lower delimbing arms and a high-performance valve to ensure superior delimbing with agile and responsive log control – tackling a wide range of harvesting jobs. The maximum delimb opening of 660 mm (26 in.) can handle larger stems. Improved cutting perfor mance and tilt control also contribute to increased productiv ity. Low-powered base carriers will have improved process ing output and productivity with improved feeding perfor mance and feed motor options. With a new valve that simpli ﬁes serviceability, the HTH618C Series-III features improved hose routing, enhanced valve cover assembly and easier ac cess to make quick work of servicing. Likewise, hose protec tion helps keep the head running and increases durability.

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 31

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Doosan Debuts Crawler Excavators

In addition to visibility enhancements, the latest models will offer optional satellite-ready radio, improving the operator experience in the cab. A new optional hydraulic vacuum pump can also be added to 2022 model-year machines, minimizing oil loss and spillage during times of hydraulic maintenance and repair. Visit johndeere.com.

InnovationWay

Tigercat reveals the 6900 grinder, the ﬁrst production grinder designed and built by Tigercat. The 6900 is a heavy-duty upswing grinder made for high throughput material reduction and mulch production.The6900 is designed for extreme duty and long life, utilizing only the highest quality components. The upswing rotor and large infeed opening with outward wing walls maximize processing capacity.

The grinder’s upper frame pivots on the undercarriage, allowing the operator to adjust the infeed angle or discharge height for different material lengths. The adjustable angle eliminates the need for outriggers. The pivoting upper frame allows transport on a trailer without the need to fold the discharge conveyor.

The machine has remote control functions for simple oper ation and mobility on site, along with an easy-to-use 10" dis play screen for machine monitoring and function adjustment. Maintenance is made easy with convenient service access. The split hog box opens over centre to fully access the rotor and screens. The anvil and screens are hydraulically retractable. The single discharge conveyor is open on the bottom for clean operation and easy servicing. A tool storage area is mounted on the side of the machine that hydraulically raises and lowers for added convenience. An optional large diameter magnetic head pulley is available to effectively remove metal from the end product. The machine is also prepared to accept over-band magnet systems. Visit tigercat.com.

Doosan Infracore North America has introduced its next-generation -7 Series crawler excavators in the United States and Canada. The initial launch includes four models, with more excavators to be announced in the coming months. The ﬁrst models are the Doosan DX140LCR-7, DX225LC-7, DX255LC-7 and DX350LC-7.

Waratah HTH618C Series-III Upgrades

Tigercat Launches Grinder

Innovative Doosan -7 Series crawler excavators deliver the fuel efﬁciency and productivity that operators need to complete the work of today and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges with more comfort features, intelligent controls and smart machine functionality. Updates to the -7 Series excavators include a strengthened work group with reinforced castings and forged steel pivot points for withstanding high-impact work. A new Y-shaped seal at the end of the excavator arm provides better sealing to the bucket connection for more performance and durability. Doosan added material to the excavator’s mainframe for higher performance and jobsite versatility. The simple, smart key fob brings automotive convenience to construction equipment. Operators can easily unlock the cab and start the excavator’s engine with the push of a button. The multilingual Doosan Smart Touch screen, standard on all -7 Series crawler excavators, displays all important settings and information on one screen. From the easy-to-read touch screen, operators can monitor critical machine functions and control machine settings, rearview camera, heating and cooling, radio and Bluetooth wireless technology.

For Employees’ Children Scholarships

Spearheaded by Earl St. John, and 33 other logging leaders from across the country, the meeting was convened, and over the course of a few days the framework of the American Loggers Council was developed.

The Sierra Paciﬁc Foundation is awarding more than $519,000 in scholarships to 163 students as they attend colleges, universities and trade schools during the 2022-2023 school“Ouryear.family is honored to continue to support students as they further their education,” comments Carolyn Emmerson Dietz, Foundation President. “The commitment to helping tomorrow’s leaders remains strong. We are investing in the future and in the generations to come as we help these outstanding young people pursue their dreams.”

The Sierra Paciﬁc Foundation grants scholarships to qualWhere

As We (ALC) See It Missouri, Going Back To

It All Began Dane SelectCuts CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

SCOTT DANE

In 1994,loggers from across the country met in St. Louis, Mo. to discuss forming the American Loggers Council, hoping to provide a national voice for the logging sector of the forest products industry.The meeting was precipitated by the American Forests and Paper Assn. rolling out the Sustainable Forestry Initiative—a program which was initiated without any input from the logging sector, with disregard for the fact that the burden of implementation and compliance was going to lay primarily upon the loggers.

Today, the American Loggers Council is unquestionably the National Voice of the American Logger, representing more than 30 state and regional associations, nearly 100 Individual Logger Members (ILM), and all major primary industry vendors. You, as a stakeholder in the timber industry, are represented from coast to coast, north to south, from the landing to the halls of Congress.

It was a gutsy move, especially considering that loggers were expected to be seen and not heard within the industry. Though loggers had previously been silent and fragmented, these leaders stood up and said, “We are going to be heard. We are not going to be dismissed and ignored. We are going to be represented!” As we’ve recently celebrated Independence Day, it is good to recall that the founders of the American Loggers Council, like the founders of the United States, similarly risked personal ramiﬁcations, but still “pledged to each other our lives, our fortunes and our honor.” In retrospect the risk was worthwhile, as with our nation, so it has been for our organization. The battle belongs to the brave.

32 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

Scott Dane is the 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.

SP Foundation Awards More Than $500K

Virginia logging company Pittsylvania Forest Products and owner Nathan Harker received the Virginia Forestry Assn.’s Logger Merit Award earlier this year for “exemplify(ing) the highest professional standards” of the forestry industry.

VFA Award

Idaho Project Plants 600,000 Seedlings

The Sierra Paciﬁc Foundation is the philanthropic organization founded by the Emmerson family in 1979. Since the inception, SPF has awarded more than $9 million in scholarships. In addition to scholarships, the Foundation contributes to youth activities and other organizations in the communities where Sierra Paciﬁc Industries operates. In 2021, the Foundation contributed $2 million to organizations in the local communities.

A 2003 Virginia Tech graduate, Harker started out working for a small family-owned sawmill in Huddleston. In 2009, he started Pittsylvania Forest Products, which has grown to six employees aside from Harker. “Right now we’re focused on surviving this economic crunch,” he said. “I’m trying to keep my employees busy and employed. I have six employees that I’m concerned about, trying to make sure they can provide for their families. If we can do that, and we can do it in a God-honoring way, that would be a victory for us.”

Converting an all-but-dead timberland at risk of signiﬁcant wildﬁre into a strong future forest is a massive undertaking, but the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is one step closer to achieving that in the Packer John State Forest. This spring 610,300 seedlings were planted over nearly 2,000 acres. Now those baby trees are growing thanks to a nearly $300,000 grant from the Arbor Day Foundation.

“I have been able to really build some incredible friendships with some of the landowners in Pittsylvania County that we worked for from Java to Callands to Hurt—all over the county,” Harker said. “We made friends and have repeat business because of the way we do business. It’s very rewarding just to be recognized and it’s very humbling at the same time.” Harker helps smaller landowners manage the trees on their property. “We come in, do an evaluation, work out a price either up front or by-theunit, and take their timber crop to market,” Harker said. “For our particular case, we work with the landowner from beginning to end. We’ll even help them line up reforestation, if that’s requested.”

Spotsylvania FP Receives

A major Douglas-ﬁr tussock moth infestation peaked in Packer John in 2019 and was the ﬁnal blow to the forest’s health after several years

SelectCuts Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 33 ➤ 38 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

ified, dependent children of Sierra Pacific Industries’ employees. Recipients are eligible for the scholarship for four years, with some granted a fifth year based on their school and finalizing their undergraduate degree or trade school program.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 35 24 Hour Ad Placement Service: 1-800-669-5613 TH Exchange 5078 2687 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

24 Hour Ad Placement Service: 1-800-669-5613 36 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS TH Exchange EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA! OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE! We can save you money on Saw Teeth. Hundreds of satisﬁed customers. Rebuilt Exchange or New. We specialize in rebuilding Koehring 2000, Hurricana, Hydro Ax split teeth and all other brands. Call Jimmy or Niel Mitchell. Quantity Discounts! EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC. 4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185 ACCEPTINGNOWCREDITCARDS 7180 1926 2583 2687 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 37 24 Hour Ad Placement Service: 1-800-669-5613 TH Exchange 13666 CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America 7 800.343.3276

February 23-25, 2023—Oregon Logging Conference & Show, Lane County Convention Center, Eugene, Ore. Call 541-686-9191; visit oregonloggingconference.com. EventsMemo Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

SelectCuts 34 ➤ CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

Ponsse North America 3,4 715.369.4833

Schwab Brothers Hydraulics 29 850.584.7006

NAF Neunkirchener Achsenfabrik 18 +49 9134 702 0 Olofsfors 39 519.754.2190

38 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS

ADLINK is a free service for and The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions. American Loggers Council 37 202.627.6961 Astec 34 800.269.6520 BITCO Insurance 27 800.475.4477 BKT USA 32 888.660.0662 Cleanﬁx North America 28 855.738.3267 John Deere Forestry 1,2,20-21 800.503.3373 Firestone Agricultural Tire 19 515.242.2300 Forest Chain 26 800.288.0887

of drought and previous insect damage. This was also devastating for Idaho Public Schools, as these schools are the owners/beneficiaries of the land and the funding grown out of timber. The forest was made up mainly of Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, and grand fir, which are susceptible to tussock mothWithdamage.thatin mind, the IDL was quick to sell the damaged timber for wood products in what are called salvage sales. That made it possible to get as much value out of the trees as possible, as well as remove the significant wildfire risk. All trees within the salvage sale areas were harvested except for ponderosa pine and spruce trees which are not preferred by tussock moth. Those species make up a small percentage of trees within the harvest areas, leaving a mostly blank canvas for a new forest. The new trees will be more ponderosa pine and western larch. “What we are doing is very unique because the vulnerable trees are gone and will be replaced,” said Tyler Nelson, Idaho Department of Lands Forest Management Program Manager. “It will take time for these trees to grow, but as they do, they will hold strong against the insects and disease which are natural to these areas, but don’t feed off of the new trees.” A grant from the Arbor Day Foun dation totaling $296,600 covered the cost of the more than 600,000 trees. IDL was selected for the grant be cause of the unique nature of the project, which is to ensure that land impacted by the tussock moth out break can be restored to a healthy and functional forest by essentially starting over with tree species better adapted to the site.

Director of Messe München, notes that the event “struck a sociopolitical nerve with the topics of forest conversion, forest regeneration and climate protection. Forestry and forest technology are hugely important in combating the climate crisis.”

Precision-Husky 11 205.640.5181

Prolenc Manufacturing 33 877.563.8899

This issue of TIMBER HARVESTING is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. Easy Access to current advertisers! http://www.timberharvesting.com/advertiser-index/ AdLink

Wallingford’s 25 800.323.3708

September 28-30—Timber Processing & Energy Expo, Portland Expo Center, Portland, Ore. Call 334-834-1170; visit timberprocessingandenergyexpo.com.

Tigercat Industries 40 519.753.2000

readers.

Interforst 2022 Draws Big Crowds

September 22-24—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Branson Convention Center, Branson, Mo. Call 409-625-0206; visit amloggers.com.

October 5-7—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Paris Landing State Park Lodge, Buchanan, Tenn. Call 615883-3832; visit tnforestry.com.

October 7-9— Paul Bunyan Show, Guernsey County Fairgrounds, Cambridge, Ohio. Call 888-388-7337; visit ohioforest.org.

October 26-28—Texas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, College Station, Tex. Call 936-632-8733; visit texasforestry.org.

Combating climate change was a big topic at Interforst 2022, held at the exhibition grounds in Munich, Germany from July 17-20, and showed how forest technology and technologies can offer support. A total of 353 exhibitors from 21 countries and around 31,000 visitors from nearly 60 countries took part in this leading international trade fair for forestry and forest technology. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Managing

advertisers

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TH 1022 digimag

Articles inside

My Take ___6 NewsLines _8 Safety: Are We Learning?

Innovation Way

Select Cuts

TH 1022 digimag

Articles inside

My Take _________________________________________________6 NewsLines _______________________________________________8 Safety: Are We Learning?

Innovation Way

Select Cuts

My Take ___6 NewsLines _8 Safety: Are We Learning?