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Fremont Forest Acquired

Fremont Forest Group Corp., Whittier, Ca., has been purchased by E.L.P. Transportation Inc., owned by Erica and Dennis Parker.

Fremont's dock facility at Berth T122 at the Port of Long Beach reportedly is Southern California's "last break bulk barge/ship facility specializing in handling lumber and plywood."

Later this year, Fremont plans to reopen its wholesale sales division at its Whittier corporate offices as well as open a new branch in the Inland Empire.

Fremont had been previously owned by Marubeni of America Corp. and Marubeni of Japan.

Allweather Wood Goes ESOP

Allweather Wood, Washougal, Wa., has formed an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and become an employee-owned company.

Under the ESOP, 170 employees will become shareholders of Allweather Wood.

Allweather had been a privately held enterprise since 1988 under the ownership of Thomas G. Babler and Alan Wade. It has since grown from a single manufacturing location to four manufacturing sites and an additional distribution facility, becoming one of the West's largest pressure treaters with annual sales exceeding $100 million.

"Our ESOP gives our employees a real ownership stake in the business," said Wade. "This is an additional fringe benefit for them, and an opportunity for Tom and I to share the success of Allweather with the people who have been critical to its success."

Unlike selling to an outside buyer, the ESOP will retain the current management team and structure. "This was the team that has guided us successfully to this point, and the ESOP enables us to have an ownership transition strategy that will continue seamlessly in our day-to-day business," Wade added.

Logging Needed In Sierras

Logging should be increased in California's Stanislaus National Forest, according to a U.S. Forest Service report ordered by Congress.

The study was conducted by a nine-member team of Forest Service specialists and managers who reviewed the forest's operations and interviewed community leaders. The consensus was that 20 to 50 million bd. ft. could be cut per year in Stanislaus, instead of the 10 million bd. ft. cut during the last two years.

"The conclusion is what a lot of us expected," said Congressman George Radanovich, whose district includes Stanislaus. "The harvest yields are just too low. For the basic health of the forest. we need more timber harvesting."

Unhappy sawmill owners in Tuolomne County had urged Radanovich to take action. Earlier this year, 7 5 employees at Sierra-Pacific Industries' Chinese Camp and Standard mills were laid off when the company ran out of logs.

"The Stanislaus does a lot of things very well," said Matt Mathes, spokesman for the Forest Service's Pacific Southwest region, "but they need to beef up fuel reduction and timber harvest management."

The Forest Service had planned to increase timber sales in Stanislaus to 2l million bd. ft. next year. The agency recommends that a third-party assessment be commissioned before any further changes are made.