Pacific Northwest 7, March 26, 203

Oregon Logging Conference Hosts 85th Annual Event

well as panels and seminars where the latest topics of current interest were discussed for the

The 85th Annual Oregon Logging Conference was deemed a success as it boasted more registered attendees and exhibitors this year.

Overall, pre-registered attendance was up 18 percent and exhibitor participation was up 17 percent over last year. As the weather

improved during the OLC, so did attendance, especially on the final day of the conference, which was Family Day and also was open to the public with no admission charge.

The 85th Annual Oregon Logging Conference President Craig Olson said,

“Our theme ‘Green Trees Matter. Healthy Forests = Healthy Future’ reflected the importance of our industry. Our keynote speaker Travis Joseph and the many panels and seminars all touched on topics impacting our industry, the importance of forests and the products that are provided.”

Seminars, Panel Discussions

Topics of current interest were discussed at the 85th Annual Oregon Logging Conference, while many of those attending earned Professional Logger credits to stay certified and up to date on several issues.

see LOGGING page 10

Flickr file photo/Peterson Cat

The 85th Oregon Logging Conference featured numerous fun events for industry professionals, as

logging industry.

NessCampbell Transports 445,000-Lb. Seattle City Light

NessCampbell Crane + Rigging, an established crane and rigging company based in Portland and Seattle, was recently tasked with the transportation of a transformer for Seattle City Light. The customer couldn’t ship the transformer directly to Seattle by railroad. Instead, it was shipped via railroad to Vancouver, Wash., and NessCampbell took it from there.

The transformer weighed an enormous 445,000 lbs. and was 185 ft. in length, 16-ft. wide and 16ft., 8-in. tall, making it a complex and challenging transportation project.

NessCampbell used its custom Lane Loader dual lane trailer specially designed for hauls like this, along with two semi trucks on both ends.

The transportation project required extensive planning and coordination with various state and city entities, including Seattle Metro, to ensure the safety of the public and the successful delivery of the transformer. Due to height restrictions and other limitations, the transportation route took four days to complete.

The project involved a complex de-energizing plan to ensure there was no power in the trolley lines that the transformer passed under. Seattle Metro crews accompanied the convoy, pushing up trolley lines that the convoy was unable to pass under without coming in contact with them.

Moreover, the transportation team had to manage over 100 no-parking areas to safely maneuver the route. They had to implement a complete street closure around the clock to ensure that homeowners could access their homes safely while the team worked to deliver the transformer.

The team successfully completed the project within two days of direct impact on

the site, after nearly six months of planning. The transportation convoy consisted of a team of highly skilled professionals, including three SDOT troopers, two Metro service crews, two sign and signal crews, two Seattle City Light crews, six traffic control crews, four oversize pilots cars, four man support crews, one superintendent and one project manager. Coordination with five counties in Washington (Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Thurston and Pierce) and the city of

see SEATTLE page 6

The transportation convoy consisted of a team of highly skilled professionals, including three SDOT troopers, two Metro service crews, two sign and signal crews, two Seattle City Light crews, six traffic control crews, four oversize pilots cars, four man support crews, one superintendent and one project manager.

NessCampbell used its custom Lane Loader dual lane trailer specially designed for hauls like this along with two semi trucks on both ends.

The customer couldn’t ship the transformer directly to Seattle by railroad, so it was shipped via railroad to Vancouver, Wash., and NessCampbell took it from there.

In Cowlitz County, the transportation team had to locate and hire an outside engineer to complete an analysis of the transporter to cross the Lexington Bridge over the Cowlitz River in Kelso, Wash.

Northbank Civil, Marine Inc. to Make Seismic Repairs

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District (Corps) has awarded a construction contract for completing safety and seismic repairs at Willamette Falls Locks before the agency’s official transfer of the historic navigation lock system to the Willamette Falls Locks Authority, expected to take place in 2026.

The Corps has awarded the construction contract for completing the seismic retrofits to Vancouver-based Northbank Civil and Marine Inc.

The Corps has owned the locks, placed into operation in 1873 to move river traffic around the 40foot horseshoe-shaped falls between Oregon City and West Linn, since around 1915. In 2011, the agency closed the locks due to safety concerns and began a disposition study to determine the level of federal interest in retaining the structure.

In 2019, it made the final decision to transfer ownership of the lock system.

“We’re really excited to complete these seismic repairs so we

can transfer the locks to the Willamette Falls Locks Authority, and they can further develop them into the future,” said Col. Mike Helton, commander of the Corps’ Portland District. “We understand deeply how much this iconic and beloved piece of infrastructure means to our communities, and we want to give it back to them in the safest and most responsible way possible.”

The two-year seismic retrofit project will kick off this spring with geotechnical explorations, which will involve drilling a series of holes to investigate the lock system’s substructure and ensure that seismic anchors installed throughout the repairs have been properly designed.

Upon completion of the repairs, the Corps will officially transfer the locks to the Willamette Falls Locks Authority, an 11-member public corporation established by the Oregon Legislature in 2021 to assume ownership of the lock system and oversee additional refurbishments.

About Williamette Locks

Built in the early 1870s by the People’s Transportation Company, with aid from the State of Oregon,

the Willamette Falls Locks is a system of four navigation locks constructed to help river traffic move around Willamette Falls, which spills over a rocky, basaltic, horseshoe-shaped reef about 41 feet

high between Oregon City and West Linn.

The lock system opened on New Year’s Day in 1873. Ownership of the locks changed hands several times before the Corps purchased them around 1915 from Portland Railway Light and Power Company. The agency operated the locks for commercial and recreational vessel passage for nearly 100 years.

At one point, in the 1960s, the locks were passing more than 1 million tons of commerce per year, with an average of more than 8,500 lockages per year, many of which took place for tugboats towing rafted logs.

The Corps closed the locks in 2011 due to safety concerns and decided in 2019 to transfer the structure. The lock system is the oldest multi-lift bypass navigation lock in the nation that is currently in non-operational status. For more information, visit https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/ willamette/locks/. 

ODOT Proposes List of Upgrades to Transportation System

The Oregon Transportation Commission recently released the draft 2024-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), ODOT’s capital improvement plan, for formal public review. The draft list prioritizes accessibility; helping people safely walk, bike and take public transit; and system preservation.

Every three years, the commission puts together the STIP that lays out where ODOT will invest federal and state money in the transportation system — everything from bike paths and sidewalks to roads and bridges to public transportation.

The STIP will fund projects in 2024-2027. The commission started developing the STIP in 2020 by deciding how to allocate state and federal funding among different areas with input from our partners and the public.

With that guidance, along with input from a wide variety of participants including cities, counties, many other partners and the public, ODOT developed the STIP. ODOT officials have spent the last two years selecting the most critical projects and now have a draft list of proposed investments to present for public comment.

This draft STIP includes:

• A major investment in repairing and replacing deteriorating bridges;

• A significant increase for public and active transportation to help people get around;

• Increased funding for projects that improve safety

on state highways and local roads;

• More money for local governments to invest in their priorities;

• A major investment in ADA curb ramps to help people with disabilities get around safely.

ODOT now wants to hear from the people who will be directly impacted by these projects. In particular, it wants feedback on two primary issues:

• Which of the proposed projects do you support, and

which projects do you have concerns about?

• Would any of the proposed projects have possible impacts that we should work to address?

How to Provide Public Comment

This is your chance to see which project’s ODOT has chosen to invest money in on the transportation system, including everything from public transportation projects to new bike paths, sidewalks, repaved roads and bridge maintenance.

Locals can provide comment on the projects in the STIP in a variety of ways.

1. Visit https://odotopenhouse.org/or-draftstip to view the Oregon Draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. It will be available until April 28.

2. Attend one of the in-person public comment sessions. See the STIP website above for details.

3. Attend one of the virtual public comment sessions, either April 6, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. or on April 13, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Visit the STIP website for details.

4. Send an email to ODOT.STIP@odot.oregon.gov. Public comment will close on April 28. ODOT officials will use comments as it considers adjusting the projects in the STIP and as it begins designing projects. All comments will be included in the public comment record that goes to the commission before officials approve the final STIP in July. 

US Army Corps photo

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District (Corps) will move forward this spring with a two-year safety and seismic repair project at Willamette Falls Locks ahead of the agency’s official transfer of the historic navigation lock system to the Willamette Falls Locks Authority, expected to take place in 2026.

Crews Take Four Days to Move Transformer Through City

Portland was necessary for the project to be successful.

The transportation team worked with the Washington State Highway Patrol to provide a trooper escort from the Pierce and King County line to the point where the transformer exited WSDOT right-of-way at I-5 and MLK Way.

In Cowlitz County, the transportation

team had to locate and hire an outside engineer to complete an analysis of the transporter to cross the Lexington Bridge over the Cowlitz River in Kelso, Wash. Time was crucial and they had less than a month and a half to the scheduled transport date.

The team reached out to several engineering firms, but most were not able to meet their deadline due to the short time frame and their current workload. They eventually

hired a fourth engineering firm from Corvallis, Ore., which completed the work within the specified timeframe and within budget. However, about two weeks into the analysis, they received a notice from Cowlitz County that they had re-rated the bridge and issued new load ratings.

The transportation team immediately reached out to the engineering firm they hired and the engineer worked with the county engineer to discuss the new ratings and their impact on the analysis. The analysis concluded that the lower ratings were not enough to cause the transport combination to fail.

The success of a large transportation proj-

ect like this one requires extensive planning, meticulous communication and coordination between all parties involved.

NessCampbell Crane + Rigging’s specialized haul team had to work with various state and city entities and hire outside engineers to complete the project successfully.

The team’s experience demonstrated that large transportation moves could not happen without the support and cooperation of city and county-level authorities. The successful transportation of the 445,000-lbs. transformer was a testament to the team’s dedication and hard work.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of NessCampbell.)

The transformer weighed an enormous 445,000 lbs. and was 185 ft. in length, 16-ft. wide and 16 ft. 8-in. tall, making it a complex and challenging transportation project.

The project involved a complex de-energizing plan to ensure there was no power in the trolley lines that the transformer passed under.

Due to height restrictions and other limitations, the transportation route took four days to complete.

SEATTLE from page 2

Event Organizers Deem Logging Conference Successful

LOGGING from page 1

Topics addressed included:

- Engaging the next generation workforce;

- Succession planning for logging companies

- The connected forest and new technology around the world;

- Your voice, Your Vote Counts and speakers Christine Drazan and Oregon Representative Shelly Boshart Davis;

- Electrification of equipment;

- Business advice for today’s logging companies;

- Oregon and Washington forest practices acts.

“The Oregon Logging Conference was packed with unique opportunities for forestry and natural resource professionals to network and learn more about their trades,” said OLC Manager Rikki Wellman.

Log Loader Competition

Just like last year and previous years, the winners of the Oregon Logging Conference Log Loader Competition are familiar names.

First place was Bryan Chipps of Green Diamond Resource Company in Humboldt County, Calif., with a

time of 4:05:00. Chipps was the third-place winner in 2022. Second place went the Zane Bryant of Bryant Logging in Beaver Creek, Ore., with a time of 4:15:37. Bryant was last year’s first place winner. Third place this year was Ross Cribbs of Black Rock Timber, with a time of 4:48:15.

This popular outdoor event tests the skills of log loader operators, as they demonstrate speed, skill and efficiency. Operating a Link-Belt log loader, contestants had seven minutes to stack log blocks end-to-end, matching numbers or colors on predetermined marks on the ground.

Event sponsors were Triad Machinery and Link-Belt; and wood chunks were provided by Cascade Timber Consulting and Burke Logging.

Registration Up

Conference Manager Rikki Wellman said registration was up this year and there were more displays, including several first-time exhibitors.

“The icy weather caused only minor challenges for those planning to attend the 85th OLC,” Wellman said. “Many still came out to review the latest technology in logging equipment.”

Modern Machinery’s team of (L-R): Ed James, territory manager; Dan Gau, territory manager; Jeff Bell, branch manager; Aaron Gruetter, territory manager; Robert Ridgway, forestry product sales; Mike Ambrosius, territory manager; Jim Sandercock, southern Idaho branch manager; Russ Smith, territory manager; Hayden Campbell, global business development manager of DC equipment, stand with the Komatsu mid-size excavator 290LC.

Petersen Caterpillar showcases equipment at the entrance of the outdoor exhibit area, always an impressive display.

The J Stout team is ready to talk about its heavy equipment auctions in the northwest. (L-R): Jed Stout, sales; Jake Stout, owner and president; and Chris Bright, marketing coordinator.

The Modern Machinery team responsible for the assembly and attachment of the Falcon attachments to the Komatsu 290LC excavator. (LR): Mark Hanshaw, Jeff Miller, Adam Wopodland and Josh Hanshaw.

Dustin Rider of SANY with the SANY SW305 wheel loader. He is followed by the NW Equipment team of (L-R): Andrey Volodko, sales; Peter Hostetler, owner; and Harley Brattain, general manager.

The team from RDO Equipment Co. and an assortment of Vermeer equipment and available attachments like the Fecon line of forestry management tools. The RDO team includes (L-R): Justin Henshaw, account manager; Ally Tueffs and Chris Stanley, regional sales manager.

With Registration, Attendance Up From Previous Year

2023 Keynote Speaker

Keynote speaker Travis Joseph said he and his organization need help telling the truth about logging and the wood products industry.

He referred to the concept of logger versus environmentalist a big lie, with loggers destroying the forest and only it for the money and environmentalists protecting the forests and saving the planet. Not only a lie, Joseph said, but a perception with “dangerous implications on communities, forests, the environment, and the future.”

“You are the people who provide all the products, materials and services we all depend on every day of our lives,” Joseph told the gathering, and added, “We have to stop letting ourselves be bullied about environmentalism.”

He asked everyone in the room to get involved.

“We’re in this together,” Joseph said, “no one can be sitting on the sidelines right now. Let’s keep fighting, let’s keep working together, let’s not give up, we can change this,” he said.

Future Forestry Workers Career Day

Nearly 300 high school students from 14 Oregon schools attended the 5th Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day. A

higher number of students and schools had signed up to attend but were forced to cancel due to bad weather.

The inclement weather caused the cancellation of elementary school tours and prevented some of the students from attending the Future Forestry Workers Career Day, but did not dampen the spirits of all those who came out to the Lane Event Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene, Ore.

The students interacted with industry professionals and learned about job opportunities and careers in sawmills, reforestation, truck driving, equipment operation, welding

and diesel mechanics. Students also had an opportunity to use virtual timber harvesting technology, provided by the Oregon State University Forestry Department.

Future Forestry Workers Career Day

Feb. 23, 2024, is the date planned for the 6th Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day, to take place at the livestock arena on the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, Ore.

A high school logging and forestry skills

competition was included as part of the Future Forestry Workers Career Day, which included students from five high school forestry clubs compete in activities including cable splicing, choker setting, crosscut and single buck sawing, compass and pacing, tool identification, log scaling and axe throwing. This skills competition has been part of the Oregon Logging Conference for more than 25 years.

Philomath High School took 1st place; 2nd place was Sweet Home High School; 3rd place was La Pine High School; and 4th place was Scio High School.

Desserts for Dreams Luncheon

More than $15,000 was raised at this event for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which provides support for families who have lost loved ones fighting wildland fires.

The Foundation was established after the loss of 14 firefighters in 1994 at Storm King Mountain in the South Canyon Fire in Colorado. Founder Vicki Minor and several family members of those fallen firefighters attended the luncheon. Minor told the gathering “These families helped create this Foundation, and it has helped these families learn how to live again.”

OLC Foundation Auction

A total of $27,000 was raised during the Thursday and Friday auction at the Oregon Logging Conference. This money will be deposited in the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship program. OLCF expressed its appreciation to all donors, winning bidders, auctioneer Jaime Yraguen of Basco Logging and Will Garrett and other volunteers of Radiator Supply House.

Guess Net Scale

Along with the traditional guess the net scale load of logs, this year there was a load of chip and saw logs testing guesser’s scaling abilities. The two winners are:

Jay Messerle of Messerle & Sons Logging in Coos Bay was the winner with his guess of 2,920 ft. for the load of chip and saw logs. The actual scale was 2,910 ft. OLC thanked Jacob Steensen and Southport Lumber, Sierra Pacific Industries and Terry and Louis Mann, L & L Inc.

territory manager; Derrick Hough, territory manager; Brendan Green, general manager; Nick Husk, Portland branch manager; and Tony Nillson, territory manager.

Pape, a leading supplier of heavy-duty construction and forestry equipment, serving forestry and logging needs on the West Coast from Washington, Oregon and California, has an impressive display of its John Deere equipment.

Mike Edwards of the road building engineering department at Lone Rock Timber has the closest guess for the net scale of the chip and saw logs. The second load of logs had an actual scale of 8,040 ft. and Edwards guess was 8,050 ft. This was made possible due to Derek Lee and Swanson Brothers and Leonard Maser

Messerle and Edwards each received a $250 Cabela’s gift card.

see LOGGING page 12

Trucking.

James G Murphy, a commercial and industrial auctioneer in the northwest, is represented by Todd Meyers (L) and Bob Jones at the expo with an assortment of information about its upcoming equipment auctions.

Feenaughty had a large and busy display with its varied lines, including Kobelco and DEVELON. (L-R): Lamarc Schlosser,

Triad Machinery had an impressive display showcasing its extensive equipment inventory from Link-Belt, including cranes and excavators, as well as a display from TigerCat. (L-R): Andrew Lundren; Jay McKown; Bruce Caldwell; Ken Schirman; Curtis Beardmore, territory manager; Kevin Putnam; R.L. Smith of Roger Smith Logging; Curt McClure and Kris Hustwaite.

Dustin Powell (L), industrial sales territory manager of Bandit Industries Inc.; and Clint Henry, service tech of Bandit Industries Inc., with the Beast model 3680T horizontal grinder from Bandit.

OLC Features Family Day, Seminars, Panel Discussions

Radiator Supply House representatives (L-R): Jeremy Scott, marketing specialist; Vance Monroe, sales manager; and Tye Moore, media specialist; speak with customers about the services they can offer with their complete manufacturing facility for metal replacement radiators, steel tanks, all aluminum radiators, oil coolers and charge air coolers.

LOGGING from page 11

Family Day

There was a good turnout on the final day of OLC, with many taking advantage of Family Day activities and enjoying outdoor and indoor displays, including state-ofthe-art logging, construction and trucking machinery. The final day of the Oregon Logging Conference, Family Day activities

included bird house building, live wildlife, face painting and educational displays.

Oregon Women in Timber Dinner/Auction

The Talk About Trees dinner/auction was a huge success with a sellout crowd of 480 people in attendance. The dinner/auction’s gross proceeds of more than

$150,000 will help support OWIT’s Talk About Trees forest education program, which is offered free to pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade students.

86th Annual Oregon Logging Conference

The dates are set for the 86th Annual Oregon Logging Conference. It will take place on

Wilson Equipment represents DEVELON and Bobcat and has recently acquired Cascade Trader, located in Washington and Idaho. Wilson Equipment and Wilson Cascade now will serve all three states of the Pacific northwest. (L-R, front row): Breck Paschal, marketing coordinator; Deven Kephart, sales manager; Jason Thomas, DEVELON field rep.; and Larry McMurren, outside rental rep. (L-R, back row): Tyler Plebuch, sales rep.; Garrett Hayslett, Bobcat/DEVELON sales rep.

Feb. 22 to 24, 2024, at the Lane Event Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene, Ore.

For more information, contact Rikki Wellman, OLC manager, at 541/954-2477 or Mary

Bullwinkel, media/communications coordinator at 707/601-6533.

(All photos in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide 2023 All Rights Reserved.)

Markayla Whitehead (L) and Ty Whitehead, both of FMI Equipment. It is the northwest’s location for land management equipment, compact construction equipment and much more, now with a multi-state dealership network since merging with WTD.

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