IMPORTED HARDWOOD LUMBER SPEGIALISTS

Rough & Ready Gets Ready

Rough & Ready Lumber, Cave Junction, Or., reopened June 2 after a brief restructuring period.

Rough & Ready said it will now focus on "processing medium-to-large logs in a ratio evenly split between Doug Fir, ponderosa pine and sugar pine," according to a company statement.

In addition, the company plans to center its capabilities around "high quality cuttings and factory lumber processed from our large log sawmill."

During the shutdown, Rough & Ready trimmed its staff, but says that a core nucleus was retained.

Plum Creek Cut Public Trees

Plum Creek Timber Co. was found guilty last month of illegally cutting trees and building short segments of roads on sections of Idaho's Clearwater National Forest without permission.

The Seattle, Wa.-based firm appeared before a federal judge May 20 in Coeur d'Alene, Id., to answer nine citations for violations between 1999 and 2001.

"We are prepared to cooperate fully with the Forest Service and get all the citations resolved as quickly as possible," said Plum Creek's Bob Jersa.

Plum Creek owns more than 50 one-sq.-mile sections that form a checkerboard pattern with U.S. Forest Service land. According to the citations, Plum Creek loggers strayed over the property line in some places, cutting publicly owned trees.

Clearwater forest supervisor Larry Dawson said over-cutting "is something that we take very seriously."

In the past Plum Creek and the Forest Service have occasionally discussed trading or selling some Idaho land to eliminate the checkerboard land ownership. However, no such talks are currently under way.

This is not the first time that close proximity has caused the two parties difficulties. In 2000, two fires allegedly started by logging equipment on Plum Creek lands spread to Clearwater, burning more than 5,000 acres.

The Forest Service recently charged the company $ll million for its firefighting efforts. Plum Creek denied it was liable since the logging was done by independent contractors.

Analysts expect the dispute to end up in court.

Lanoga Acquires Dixieline

Lanoga Corp., Redmond, Wa., reached an agreement in principle to acquire the assets of l0-unit dealer Dixieline Lumber Co., San Diego, Ca.

Dixieline's management will remain in place, with Bill Cowling retaining his post as president and c.e.o.

"We are very excited about having Dixieline join our Lanoga team. Bill Cowling has developed and operated some of the finest lumberyards in the country for many years," said Lanoga c.e.o. Paul Hylbert.

Dixieline will become Lanoga's fifth division; it currently operates Lumbermen's Building Centers in the Pacific Northwest, Home Lumber in Colorado, Spenard Builders Supply in Alaska, and United Building Centers in the Midwest.

In addition to l0 lumberyards, 90year-old Dixieline also operates a truss plant/lumber DC, a remanufacturing facility, a door, bath and hardware showroom, and two door and window showrooms in the San Diego area and an 8-acre lumber dock facility on Oregon's Columbia River.

The transaction was expected to be finalized June 2.