Port Of Coos Bay Ships lts Final Logs

In mid-July, the last ship loaded with logs left the docks at Coos Bay, Or., bound for Japan. "It marks the end of an era," said Martin Callery, director of communication and freight mobility for the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay.

For more than 100 years, Coos Bay has been a major exporter of logs. During its peak in the 1980s, more than 300 million bd. ft. of logs were shipped annually to Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. "We were called the world's largest lumber shipping center," said Callery.

These days, foreign buyers can often get cheaper logs from other countries. When they do buy logs from the Northwest, they want them shipped from Longview, Wa. The concrete docks there can support the use of cranes and other equipment that cut shipping costs.

Built in the 1950s, the Coos Bay docks were specifically designed to handle logs. They are old and made of wood that can only support 400 lbs. per sq. ft. In contrast, concrete docks can support 1,500 lbs. per sq. ft.

Scott Starkey, president of

Menasha Forest Products, regrets the loss of the Japanese market, but says that "it's not going to change the amount or the way we do forestry."

He said that Menasha will sell to recently opened local sawmills: Southport Forest Products in North Bend, South Coast Lumber in Brookings, and Roseburg Forest Products in Dilliard.

"We think, in the future, there will be little opportunity to start up log exports again," said Starkey. "We are not planning on getting back into the log exporting business, and don't foresee it coming back."

Logs may no longer be shipped from Coos Bay, but supporters believe other products could be shipped from the port if it were modernized. "There is plenty of cargo out there," said Ingvar Doessing, manager of the company that hires longshoremen for the port at Coos Bay. He's had to turn away business that Coos Bay can't handle. As trade opens up with China, he said, "anyone on the West Coast who has the infrastructure will be busy."

Local officials say that a basic port terminal would cost $20 million. But the cost of doing nothing, they say, will be even higher. "This county cannot afford to lose things," said Doessing. "We are not doing well, and we are sitting on a gold mine."

ldaho Hardware Dealer Moving

This fall, Spokane Hardware Supply Inc. will move its Coeur d'Alene, Id., outlet to a larger space in a new building.

"We're just waiting to get the permit and then we'll get going," said Ron Toews. His company, Custom Carpentry Inc., Hayden, Id., will build and own the 12,600-sq. ft. building.

Spokane Hardware will lease 3,000 sq. ft. for its showroom and warehouse, said sales manager Dave Church. The company's present location measures just 1,500 sq. ft. "We're running out of space," said Church.

G-P Ads Target Consumers

Two new advertising campaigns from Georgia-Pacific are aimed at consumers, rather than building products businesses, and will run throughout the summer in five key markets in the East.

Aimed at raising consumer awareness of its latest products, the campaigns focus on Plytanium plywood and DensArmor Plus wallboard. "The consumer marketplace has changed dramatically over the last few years," said Chris Beyer, director of marketing for Georgia-Pacific building products. "Homeowners are suddenly very interested not only in the design elements of their home, but also how their home is built."

The first campaign, "Stop Feeding the Mold," focuses on what the Atlanta-based company says is the first paperless interior wallboard in North America: DensArmor Plus. Designed to help reduce the risk of mold growth in residential construction, the product became available in home centers and through building material distributors this summer.

The second campaign concentrates on the benefits of using Plytanium plywood-rather than OSB-in new home and remodeling building projects. The ads urge consumers to remember that "if plywood is tough enough to protect a home on the outside, imagine the strength it provides on the inside."

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