TimberWest - March/April 2017

Multi-Tasking Makes the Difference

Henderson Logging Wallowa, Oregon

Keeping it in the Family

R & R King Logging Mapleton, Oregon

April 19-21, 2017

Small is Big Again

Small mills that specialize in sustainability

Tenacity Rules R & C Logging LLC Pendleton, Oregon

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ON THE COVER

March/April 2017 Vol. 42 No. 03-04

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Photo of this Link-Belt was taken by Lindsay R. Mohlere at the Henderson logging operation, based in Wallowa, Oregon.

Multi-Tasking Makes the Difference

Multi-Tasking Makes the Difference Henderson Logging, continually adapting to an ever-changing industry

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Small is Big Again Two small mills that specialize in sustainability and provide opportunities for the next generation

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Steep Slop Logging Conference

Small is Big Again

Show guide of the 2017 Steep Slope Logging Conference held in Kelso, Washington, April 19-21

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Tenacity Rules Rocky Britt takes on the many challenges of building a successful logging operation

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Keeping it in the Family R&R King Logging looks ahead to a bright future with a great succession plan

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Tenacity Rules the Day

Firebreak Column Gearing up for the season

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2017 OLC Pictorial Review Highlights of the 79th Annual Oregon Logging Conference

DEPARTMENTS

Page 6 .............................................................In the News Page 38 ..................................................... Machinery Row Page 44 ................................................. Association News Page 58 ........................................................ New Products Page 58 .................................................Advertiser’s Index Page 60 ............................................... Calendar of Events Page 61 ................................................. Classified Section Page 61 ............................Subscription/Reader Service Page 62 ........................................................Guest Column

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Keeping it in the Family

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Senate Passes Forest Restoration Bill

The Washington State Senate has unanimously approved SB 5546, which directs the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to treat one million acres of state land by 2033. Unfortunately, the money to fund this project, and others similar to it, may be hard to come by.

This particular bill comes with a broad range of stakeholders, including the Nature Conservancy and DNR staff.

“As most of us know, we suffered devastating back-to-back summers of the state’s largest wildfires in 2014 and 2015,” said SB 5546’s chief sponsor, Majority Assistant Floor Leader Sen. Brad Hawkins. “But there are fortunately some good things that come from that. We had a community conversation developed locally for ideas for how we can shift our thinking when it comes to wildfire.”

People Causing Most of the Wildfires

The Times Free Press reported that people have triggered five out of six wildfires in the U.S. over the last two decades, tripling the length of the wildfire season and making it start earlier in the East and last longer in the West.

Although climate change has worsened the nation’s fire season, researchers say human activities are having an even bigger impact.

Scientists analyzed fire data from 1992 to 2012 and found that 84 percent of all U.S. wildfires—but only 44 percent of the total acres burned—were started by people, either by accident or on purpose. And human-caused blazes have more than tripled the length of the wildfire season from 46 days to 154 days, according to a study in a recent journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“People are moving more and more into natural wild areas and essentially providing ignition for wildfires,” said Jennifer Balch, a fire ecologist at the University of Colorado.

Lumber Prices Rise

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported in its Eye on Housing blog that the price of lumber, from framing to structural panels, had increased in recent weeks with some prices rising more than 30 percent.

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Softwood lumber prices have been relatively steady since 2014, NAHB reported.

However, the trade agreement that has governed Canadian imports of softwood lumber since 2006 effectively expired at the end of 2016. The failure to reach a new agreement is the primary catalyst of market-wide price increases. The outlook of a new pact between the U.S. and Canada and thus, lumber prices, is highly uncertain at this point.

Rep. Stewart Named Vice Chair on House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, was named vice chair of the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee in early March.

This subcommittee is tasked with overseeing federal funds at the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and Forest Service.

“It’s an honor to be selected as the Vice Chair of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee,” Stewart said, “giving western states—and specifically Utah—a bigger voice.”

He added, “Among other things, I will be able to use the power of the purse to push for more local control of our public lands, to help bring certainty to locals, and help ensure true multiple use of our public lands.”

2017 Bark Beetle Forecast for California

California experienced extremely high levels of tree mortality in 2016 because of the combined effects of drought and bark beetles. The U.S. Forest Service estimated that 102 million trees have died in California since 2010.

To help land managers anticipate the risk of tree loss ahead of these surveys, Haiganoush Preisler from the Pacific Southwest Research Station, Sheri Smith and Zachary Heath from Forest Health Protection, and Nancy Grulke from the Western Threat Assessment Center created a forecast of the intensity and location of bark beetle-caused mortality, by analyzing historical aerial survey data and variables known to influence bark beetle success, such as precipitation and stand density.

The forecast is based on history of drought (amount of precipitation) and bark beetle attacks in each 6.5 square mile grid cell from 1993 to 2016. Cells with similar histories of bark beetle activity and precipitation were then grouped together into ten risk (color) groups. These risk groups forecast a range of the likely number of trees expected to die from bark beetles by the end of summer 2017.

To see the entire maps, graphs, and forecast, visit https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/home/ index.html.

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Editor: Diane Mettler, diane@forestnet.com Copy Editor: Beth Szyperski Contributing Editors: Lindsay R. Mohlere, Jack Petree ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Sales Mgr: James Booth – jbooth@forestnet.com Director: Rob Stanhope – stanhope@forestnet.com Sales Contact Information: Toll Free: 1-866-405-6462 Phone: (604) 990-9970 • Fax: (604) 990-9971 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Publisher & Production Manager: Sheila Ringdahl – sringdahl@forestnet.com Office Manager: Betty Rosales – brosales@forestnet.com Corporate Office Information: Phone: (425) 778-3388 Fax: (425) 771-3623 timberwest@forestnet.com www.forestnet.com Send all materials - Insertion Orders, Contracts, Copy, Photos, Disks to: TImberWest Publications, LLC P.O. Box 610 (300 Admiral Way, Suite 105) Edmonds, WA 98020-0610 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Send both OLD and NEW Circulation information to: TimberWest Magazine Attn: George Aldridge P.O. Box 610, Edmonds, WA 98020 Fax: (425) 771-3623 • subscribetw@forestnet.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Advertising created by TimberWest Publications, LLC is the sole property of TimberWest Publications, LLC and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher.

PUBLISHER’S EDITORIAL STATEMENT: TimberWest reports on the logging and lumber segment of the forest industry in the Western United States with emphasis on the states of AK, WA, OR, ID, MT and CA, providing current information on timber harvesting techniques, sawmill operations, news, legislation, events, people and products pertinent to this market.

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ContractorProfile

Multi-Tasking Makes the Difference

Henderson Logging Inc., Wallowa, Oregon

By Lindsay R. Mohlere

Logging Runs in the Family

W

ith more than 40 years under his belt working in eastern Oregon’s pine and conifer forests, Elwayne Henderson knows that surviving means being able to adapt to the ever-changing business and environmental landscape.

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Elwayne’s company, Henderson Logging Inc. out of Wallowa, Oregon, was originally started by his father in 1952 and has evolved into one of the largest diversified logging operations in eastern Oregon.

“My dad logged until 1960. He then went to work for the Bate Company as a logging superintendent for three years and back

again into logging after that,” Henderson says, noting that he had two brothers who were also involved in the business.

“I’ve got an older brother, Steve, who was in the partnership until 1976. He had an opportunity to go to Idaho and work for Potlatch, and he left the company. Another brother was in the corporation until 2010.

He ran the bulk fuel side and the farm side.

ContractorProfile

Bottom left: Waratah 623 processor is paired with a Link-Belt 240x2. Top left: Henderson owns two trucks and contracts with 15 drivers. Top: One of the company’s two John Deere skidders, which include an 848 and a 748.

I handled the logging side. Then in 2010, my wife and I became the sole owners of the corporation.”

Changing Challenges

According to Henderson, the challenges have changed since the early days of his operation. In the beginning, the biggest obstacle he faced was the lack of capital.

“Back then, loaning institutions looked down their nose a long ways at contract loggers. But those situations resolve themselves over time if you work at it,” he says.

Now the main challenge is finding a timber supply at the price one can afford.

“There’s a lot of cheap jobs out there, but you need the accounting behind you, so you know where your dollars are going and where they’re coming from,” he adds.

In the mid-90s, a slowdown in the timber business and several mill closures in eastern Oregon presented another opportunity for Henderson Logging to show its agility.

The company diversified in 1996, adding a road construction side, and began rebuilding most of Boise Cascade’s roads. The road building operations continued through the sales of land to Forest Capital and also included some Forest Service road contracts.

In 2000, the company took on a sewer system job for the city of Wallowa. “When you come to the edge of a cliff and jump off, you better hope you can swim before reaching the bottom,” Henderson says with a slight chuckle when asked how a logging company gets into the sewer business. “We did road construction along with our logging. Doing sewer jobs and water jobs fit in with what we were doing because we had the equipment and personnel who had the expertise to do those types of jobs.”

Henderson indicated that his biggest joy in running his own business has been the self-satisfaction of doing a good job.

“When you see log trucks running down the road, you think … yeah, that all worked. If you don’t see any trucks for a while, you get nervous.”

The Crew Keeps the Ship Running

Henderson emphasized that having a “real good crew” makes a huge difference in maintaining a successful operation. “The crew is the oil that keeps the ship running,” Henderson says, adding that being really good with people is a huge asset. “My dad was really good with people. One thing I learned from him was how to handle people.

I learned that if you pat people on the back it’s a whole lot easier than kicking them in the hind end. It’s a whole lot easier to lead than to drag.”

Mike Lowe, logging side rod and Henderson’s son-in-law, also believes in the importance of fielding a good, hard-working crew. “The crew is everything,” Lowe says.

“Our crew does an amazing job. When they understand the whole picture of the job, they really start taking care of you. The better they do for us, the better we do for them.”

Currently, Henderson Logging Inc. employs more than 25 people and operates a ground based logging side, a road building side, a construction company, and a farming side. Most of the crew is cross-trained to run equipment on the various sides the company operates. “All our guys are good enough operators to jump from one machine to another,” Lowe says.

The logging side equipment roster features a Komatsu (Valmet) 445 equipped with

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ContractorProfile

Left: Komatsu (Valmet) 445 equipped with Quadco hot saw. Right: Cat 322C handling the log loading. a Quadco hot saw and a LX 830 Tigercat running a Tigercat hot saw. Waratah 623 processors are paired with a Link-Belt 240x2 and a John Deere 2954. Log loading duties are handled with a Link-Belt 210x2 and a CAT 322c. The company also fields two

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John Deere skidders, an 848 and a 748, along with a 2010 CAT 527 skidder.

“The back end service is very important to us,” Henderson says. “We’ve had very good luck with Triad Machinery and Rowand Machinery out of Pasco.”

In addition to running two of their own log trucks and two lowboy trucks, the company also utilizes the services of 15 independent log truck drivers. The trucks usually haul two loads a day.

Because of the climate in eastern Oregon,

ContractorProfile Henderson Logging normally shuts down from the end of February to May. “Our guys will lay-off for about a month, and then we bring them back on board,” Lowe says. “We’ve got so much iron, we run all our equipment through the shop. We fix what needs to be fixed and do it all inhouse. It saves us a bunch but it also keeps guys working. The mechanic and myself help them do what they need to get done.”

More than 90 percent of the timber harvested by Henderson comes from Hancock Forest Management land. The company also logs some Forest Service and private contracts. Annual output is around 27 MMBF.

Passing the Torch

Another step in the continuing evolution of Henderson Logging has been set in motion with the understanding that Lowe will one day take the reins of the company.

Having grown up in the logging business, Lowe has a keen understanding of what lies ahead.

“The biggest challenge is the uncertainty,” Lowe says. “In this business, you’ve got to keep growing, keep punching or you get left behind. You got to be on top of the curve.

It’s a matter of wanting to be a logger and change with the times.”

Lowe said he is encouraged that the company is bringing in younger people to work in the woods, noting that he has two equipment operators who are “very good at what they do” and are under 30. The older, more experienced crew will help show the younger members how to get the job done.

“It gives me hope for the future,” he said.

Lowe believes that to be successful you have to have a positive attitude. “To me, loggers have always had that engineering spirit that says if it can’t get done this way, let’s try something different and come up with a solution to the problem rather than throw our hands in the air.”

Lowe is quick to admit he has learned several important lessons from Henderson about running the business. “One of the things I’ve learned is you have to own at least 65 percent at all times. You can’t be overfinanced or one little hiccup will sink you.”

He also recognizes that just because he’s taking over an ongoing business, it doesn’t mean he can sit back and relax.

“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from Elwayne is that if you’re the guy owning and running a business, you’re not the guy going on vacation and sitting around enjoying life. You’ve got to be there doing it. Everyone’s got to pack their own weight.”

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SmallSawmilling

Small is Big Again Greenleaf Forest Products and Harts Lake Pioneer Lumber—small mills that specialize in sustainability

By Jack Petree

T

wo small Washington

State firms, Greenleaf Forest Products in Whatcom County and Harts Lake Pioneer Lumber in Pierce County, stand out as examples of the new directions innovative young business owners are exploring as they shape their part of the future forest products industry.

In Whatcom County, Simon Petree, the owner of Greenleaf Forest Products, mills specialty lumber, millwork, slabs, and other products from “waste” logs recovered from sources as diverse as city parks, construction sites, farmlands, and the “stump forests” left behind when the original forests of Western

Katie Wilcox’s tables, benches, and other products are showing up in corporate offices and boardrooms.

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Washington were logged more than 100 years ago.

In Pierce County, Katie Wilcox works with her dad, J. T. Wilcox, to further the family-owned Wilcox Family Farms’ commitment to sustainability in their own forest.

Wilcox takes blow downs, diseased trees, and trees removed to accommodate farm buildings and mills them into slabs and lumber for use on the farm, for sale, and to support Katie’s steadily growing business designing and building unique furniture, flooring, and specialty products.

A New Direction

One commonality of Greenleaf Forest Products and Harts Lake Pioneer Lumber is the focus each places on the recovery, use, and reuse, of wood that, in generations past, would have been left in the forest to rot, be turned into firewood, or even shipped off to the landfill to be buried.

A second commonality is that both businesses are made possible by the development (continued on page 14)

SmallSawmilling

Kathie Wilcox and father JT Wilcox working their Wood-Mizer LT 35 Hydraulic mill, adding a new demension to the familyowned Wilcox Farms.

Waste wood above turns into tables, benches and other products.

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SmallSawmilling

(continued from page 12) in recent decades of portable sawmills, mills designed to allow one or two people to manufacture significant quantities of quality lumber in a variety of specialty sizes each day.

These portable mills often cost less than the pickups used to tow the mills from site to site.

The relatively low cost of ownership has

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allowed thousands of entry-level entrepreneurs easy entrée into a rapidly expanding marketplace for locally produced specialty wood products manufactured with a minimal environmental footprint. Industry sources indicate as many as 100,000 portable sawmill businesses have been established in the United States in the last 20+ years. Even if operated at just 10 to 20 percent capacity,

those mills would account for about four to eight billion board feet of specialty lumber each year.

Wilcox Retools

Back in the early 90s, J. T. Wilcox was a young twenty-something beginning a career that would see him ultimately manage in excess of $200 million in annual revenues

SmallSawmilling The ability to mill specialty sizes on the fly is an important attribute of a small sawmill. Here, Simon Petree is milling a combination of beams and lumber on a LT-70 Wood-Mizer for a small building project.

(Far left) Simon Petree (at 6’6”) standing in from of one of his freshly milled slabs.

as CFO of the 100-year-old Wilcox Family Farms. Today J. T. is both the Republican Floor Leader in the Washington State House of Representatives and the owner/ operator of Harts Lake Pioneer Lumber located on the farm near Roy, Washington.

The shift in J. T.’s career track came about as the Wilcox operation responded to some of the same societal changes the forest

products industry has seen in recent years.

“Wilcox Farms decided about a decade ago to move towards value-added products and away from commodity products,” J. T. explains. “We sold a business and closed down several processing plants to redeploy capital towards organic and other value-added egg products. We wanted to do the same thing with our forest lands. Katie’s furniture

business is as far up the value chain as we could go. It takes a relatively small amount of wood, but that wood sells for around $15/ bf or about 20 times what it sells for even as export timber.”

Katie came into the business as a way to pay her way through school. “My dad bought his first sawmill when I was a freshman at Whitworth,” Katie says. “I would come home, and he would want some help. It wasn’t love at first sight!”

It wasn’t long before the equipment was upgraded to a Wood-Mizer LT 35 Hydraulic mill.

“After my dad upgraded, things got a

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SmallSawmilling bit more exciting because we could handle bigger logs,” says Katie. “At first, I was helping because I was getting paid, but it didn’t take long for me to discover I enjoyed the work. I love using equipment and making a product from start to finish. I enjoy hard work; it is so different than the type of work I do at school—it is refreshing.”

As to the furniture Katie creates, “Our product mix is determined by the trees we have available, which limits us to Douglas Fir, Maple, and a little bit of Cedar,” she says. “We want to stick with using timber

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from the farm because that’s our niche — local timber from a farm that has been in my family for over 100 years.”

Simon Finds His Niche

In Whatcom County, Simon has made his living with a portable sawmill for more than 15 years.

“Shortly after high school, I bought a truck and began hauling silage for local farmers,” he says. “Eventually I established a relationship hauling for a wood waste grinding company. Watching the grinder work I

was astonished at how much usable wood was going into the grinder. I found an old semi-portable circle sawmill an acquaintance had sitting out in the woods, traded some cutting time for the mill and, suddenly, I was in the lumber manufacturing industry.”

A move up to portable thin kerf sawmilling followed soon after and today he uses an LT – 70 Wood-Mizer as well as a Lucas chainsaw mill to create the slabs. Since the move up, Simon estimates he has produced more than six million board feet of lumber, sometimes milling next to a farmer’s log deck, sometimes cutting logs delivered directly to the mill itself.

“What I really like about this business is the constant variety,” he says. “When you start your day you never know what new and interesting challenge you’ll face. I’ve had artists bring in a whole tree to be sawn, limbs and all, and I’ve milled some of the highest quality, tight grain, old-growth lumber you can imagine; wood recovered from the stumps of trees cut down more than 100 years ago.

I’ve also sawn thousands of urban trees over the years, trees that would have been wasted or seriously underused without a sawmill like mine. Turning an ugly old log no one wants into a piece of beautiful wood is just about my favorite part of being a sawmill owner.”

Simon’s ability to use logs that might otherwise end up on the firewood pile fits perfectly with an ever increasing desire on the part of consumers to be environmentally conscious and to participate in a vigorous ‘buy local’ movement that’s grown up in recent years.

“Customers really like knowing where their wood came from,” he says. “I track where the logs I mill come from because I know it means a lot to people to say, for example, ‘The trim around these windows was recycled from a tree that fell down in a storm just three blocks from here.’ Architects, designers, and contractors love the ability my sawmill gives them to create special and unique design features using local woods.

Farmers like the fact that I can mill lumber from their own farms and forests for personal use on the farm. I get calls for cedar siding on a regular basis, and since I can mill specialty dimensions effortlessly, I’m often called on to put together a lumber package for a unique construction project.”

The ability to make a living while having a positive environmental impact, the creativity of the work, the opportunity for independence from the “rat race,” and the outdoorbased lifestyle are all things men and women like Katie, Simon, and J. T. point to as valued reasons to participate in one of the forest products industry’s fastest growing, yet least known, business sectors. In today’s industry “small” really has become big again.

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SteepSlopeSpotlight

April 19-21, 2017

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Find out what the world's leading steep slope logging experts are doing Learn how to access valuable fiber productively in difficult terrain

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ContractorProfile

Tenacity Rules the Day R & C Logging LLC, Pendleton, Oregon

By Lindsay R. Mohlere

W

hen Rocky Britt, owner

and operator of R & C Logging LLC of Pendleton, Oregon, decided he wanted to own a logging operation, he had a number of hurdles in his path.

Growing up, Britt had uncles and cousins who worked in the logging industry, and he joined them in the woods when he was 16.

Upon graduating from high school in 1980, Britt went to work for his dad building roads.

“My dad built logging roads. We built roads for eight years, and then my dad sold out about the time the Forest Service quit building roads,” Britt says.

At that point, Britt signed on with a cutting contractor, but he still harbored the desire to run his own logging operation.

“Every Spring, I’d go down to the Louisiana 26

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Pacific mill in Pilot Rock and talk to the guys there. I told them I wanted a logging job, but I didn’t have any equipment. I told them if I got a contract I’d get the equipment,” he says.

Hard Work Pays Off

After four years of falling timber, Britt’s tenacity finally paid off. “The mill had a bug kill that killed a bunch of timber in an area that had already been logged. None of the other loggers wanted to go back in where they had already been, so the guys at the mill came and talked to me. So I started salvage logging. I have been in business for 27 years,” Britt says.

Fielding a one-side operation in 1989— operating an SA8 International skidder and a rented 966 front-end loader—Britt immediately ran up against the economic turbulence of the timber industry. Fortunately,

his relationship with Louisiana Pacific (LP) helped weather the unpredictable twists and turns of doing business in the woods.

“When we first started out, we worked for LP. They had about 200,000 acres of their own ground, so whenever the market was down, we logged on their ground,” Britt says.

The relationship continued through the sale of the Pilot Rock mill to Kinzua and then, finally, to Boise Cascade.

Although R & C Logging currently logs quite a bit of private timber, Britt says, “Boise keeps us busy.”

Climate and Geographic Challenges

The geographic character and climate of eastern Washington and Oregon present several unique challenges to those working in the woods.

Most operations like R & C Logging shut down for three months during the early spring. “We usually work nine months a year,” Britt says, explaining that he normally

ContractorProfile R & C’s equipment roster includes this 2013 John Deere 2454D with a Warathan 623C processor, working alongside a Cat skidder.

shuts down around the end of February until June. “It’s too wet in the spring, so we don’t get started until a little bit later.”

However, the shutdown doesn’t mean that the work stops. “We don’t take much time off,” says Britt. “Maybe a couple of weeks, then it’s back to the shop. We take everything apart and clean it. Repair it. And

then we put it all back together.”

In addition to the challenge of working only nine months of the year, loggers on the eastside of the Cascades seldom get to work close to home.

Britt says that the present side they’re working on is only 50 miles from their home base in Pendleton. That’s not normally the

case. “We work within 100 air miles from home. Most of the time, we’re camped out through the week,” he says.

A recent project for the Oregon State Fish and Game department found the crew more than 80 miles from home, camped at a public campground near one of several sites set up to feed elk during the winter. “We do

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ContractorProfile specialized work,” Britt says. “The sale was only 300 acres, and we logged quite a ways around the hill. I think it was a buffer between Fish and Game ground and the Forest Service land.”

R & C’s equipment roster works well for Britt. It includes a 2011 Timbco buncher, a 2012 John Deere 2154 log loader, a 2013 John Deere 2454 with a Waratah 623C processor, a 2005 CAT skidder and a 1989 CAT D5H dozer.

The company does its own hauling using a 1990 Kenworth and a 1994 Western Star, along with other contracted haulers. The Western Star doubles as the lowboy rig when needed.

Finding the Right Crew

Currently, R & C runs one side and employs a crew of four — one employee has been with him for over 20 years, while the remainder have been on board for just a couple of years. Britt says his present crew is one of the best, but he admits turnover can be a real hassle. Like many other logging companies, big and small, finding someone to fill an opening is a tough prospect at best.

“There’s a shortage of people in the (continued on page 30)

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R & C has a variety of equipment on its roster, including this 2011 Timbco buncher.

ContractorProfile (continued from page 28) logging business,” Britt says. “Used to be, there was always someone just starting out.

You’d have someone on the landing bumping knots, and if they were any good, they’d get a chance at running a skidder or a CAT and work their way up. Now days, everything is specialized, we don’t have that kind of work.”

Because the equipment is so expensive, Britt explains, finding the right operator is highly important. “You don’t just hire anybody to run it. Training somebody is expensive. You really got to have somebody coming up. You need those younger guys.”

The Rewards of a Job Well Done

In today’s world, accepting the everyday challenges of working in the woods is no easy task. Logging is a tough business, but the accompanying rewards of the experience and doing a good job make the difference.

According to Britt, the biggest challenge is keeping up with the cost of manpower, machinery, and supplies and having something left at the end of the year.

“I’ve always enjoyed the work. Getting to see at the end of the day what you’ve done.

Seeing how many loads you’ve shipped to

R & C uses two Caterpillars on the site, including a 2005 Cat skidder and a 1989 Cat D5H dozer. the mill. I enjoy seeing a piece of ground we thinned and come back a few years later and see how it’s grown up and how it’s healed up.

“I like the challenges. It’s not like farming.

Every draw and every drainage is different, and you’ve got to figure out how to work it.”

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ContractorProfile

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Keeping It in the Family R & R King Logging, Mapleton, Oregon

By Lindsay R. Mohlere

E

ver since his dad passed him the reins to R & R King Logging Inc., Bob King’s main concern has been getting the next job.

Upon graduating from Oregon State University with a business degree in 1967, Bob went right to work in the woods with his father. Soon after, Bob was gladly handed the business duties of the company because his father enjoyed operating a log loader more than attending to management responsibilities. At that point, the company began to expand, moving to Mapleton, Oregon, and buying the logging operations of Erskine Lumber Company. With this new opportunity, the company went from one yarder side to three.

Knocked Down and Back Up

About the time Bob’s dad retired in 1980, the recession of the 80s landed and rattled the logging business to the core. “We logged for Davidson Industries then,” Bob says.

“The recession shut us down for a year, but

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we were able to make our interest payments and stay afloat. A lot of loggers lost their equipment. At the end of the year, another company from outside the valley…Swanson Brother’s out of Noti…came around. It was the first time we had logged outside the Florence/Mapleton area since moving to the area.”

Since then, Bob has carved out a diversified organization by utilizing his business skills, professionalism, and his ability to adapt to the challenges of the industry. The company holdings include King Land & Cattle, King Family LLC (tree farms/rentals), Crown Alaska Inc., and R & R King Logging Inc. Looking down the road, King sees the company thriving throughout the next ten years and beyond. “We have a great succession plan. We know we have grandkids coming along. We feel like we will be one of the last companies standing because a lot of people are getting out of the logging business. With our succession plan, knowledge, and experience, we’ll be here for the long haul.”

ContractorProfile

Left to right: Dan Waggoner and Jennifer Waggoner (Bob King’s son-in-law and daughter), Kay King, and Bob King.

Today, Bob’s daughter, Jennifer, and sonin-law, Dan Waggoner, are full partners in the company. “I’ll probably be logging until I can’t do it anymore,” Bob says. “The kids have taken over a lot. My job is less and less.

I still bid the jobs, but Danny gives me a lot of the input.”

The Unique Challenges of Business

The evolution of a business that originally started out more than a 100 years ago logging with horses and developed into a fully mechanized outfit employing over 75 people is a story of dedication and attention to detail.

“To be successful in the logging business today,” King says, “You’ve got to be a good businessman. It’s more than just getting the timber. It’s controlling costs.”

Equipment cost and financing, payroll, and health insurance, workers’ compensation, and liability are but a few costs factored into the bidding process for any company to be successful. In some cases, there’s no profit.

“Sometimes you just take jobs to keep your men busy,” he says.

Like many other logging companies, King’s workload is determined by winning bids on timber sales.

“Anytime you bid a job, you can be the (continued on page 34)

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33

ContractorProfile (continued from page 33) bridesmaid and come in second. Kind of the way it is today, we bid a lot of jobs, but you don’t always get them,” he says.

R & R King has been logging for Roseburg Forest Products and Seneca Jones Timber Company for several years; however, Bob is outspoken when it comes to the current bidding system. “About 95 percent of the work we do is on a bid basis. Today the mills require you to have state-of-the-art equipment. The big problem is they require you to have the equipment, but you’re never guaranteed a contract to make sure it gets paid for… It’s a lot of pressure on you. My number one conversation with the mills is that they need to give us long-term contracts so we know we can finance a five-year program on a piece of equipment without losing a lot of sleep.”

The Alaska Experience

Waggoner, a Linfield University graduate and sixth generation logger, serves as vice president of the company and is responsible for the day-to-day operation.

When the company took on the challenge of expanding to Alaska in 2009 to log for Sealaska, a native corporation, Dan and

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Jennifer (who holds an MBA from Oregon State University) spearheaded the move and ran the Alaska business until 2014.

“You’re at the mercy of the ocean and the weather. You have to have backup for backup,” Dan says.

The expansion also meant immediate growth for the company. Crown Alaska Inc. employed 100 people in Alaska, and R & R King Inc. employed 100 people in Oregon.

“Alaska was a great experience and a good money maker. But it was very difficult being

ContractorProfile R & R’s equipment roster includes a fleet of Link-Belts, including six 290s, three 350 log loaders with three spares in reserve, as well as a new 240.

possible,” Jennifer Waggoner says. “We gained a lot of confidence.”

Continuity Is the Key

so spread out,” Bob says. “When it ended, Sealaska was almost out of wood, and we had one more year left. They wanted us to come back up, but we said ‘No,’ so we came home.

It was a big relief to have everything back here. Since then, we’ve downsized to 75.”

The incredible experience of introducing long-span skyline logging to Alaska and overcoming the many near-impossible obstacles of logging in the wilderness has given the company a new sense of direction.

“Alaska opened our eyes to what was

Assisted by side-rod Matt Simmons, Dan keeps the wheels turning on the six tower sides and two ground-based sides currently operating in Oregon.

Like most logging outfits, employee retention is an important factor. At R & R King, the longevity of the crew reflects the company’s commitment to keeping its workforce happy and productive. While many employees have been with the company 10 to 20 years, Dan says they are always searching for that “right” guy to fill out the ranks.

“We invest in the lives of our employees,” Dan says. “My biggest challenge is keeping the jobs going. I have the responsibility of keeping the guys working.”

The company offers a good family wage, 401k, major medical for employees, sick

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ContractorProfile New Link-Belt 240 with Pierce Delimber.

leave, and a bonus program. In addition, the company’s comprehensive safety regime includes CPR training and first aid.

To date, R & R King does its own hauling utilizing ten Kenworth log trucks. To keep up with their normal production, King

also contracts with Ireland Trucking of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, which can run up to 20 trucks a day for King.

The company’s main equipment roster features Link-Belt and includes six 290 and three 350 log loaders with three spares

in reserve. They also have a new Link-Belt 240 with a Pierce Delimber. Two of the 290s are outfitted with Waratah 623 processors, and one other 290 with a Waratah 622. All towers are Thunderbirds utilizing Boman skycars.

“Everything is pretty much the same on each side. A lot of the guys move from job site to job site but they find the same log loader, same processor, same Boman, the same yarder. Continuity is the key,” Dan says.

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The company’s lasting commitment to the industry and the environment was rewarded last year when R & R King Logging earned the 2015 Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southern Oregon Area Operator of the Year award for protecting the streamside buffer along Little Paradise Creek, a large fish-bearing stream with salmon, steelhead, and trout. Jennifer Waggoner was also named Associated Oregon Logger’s Woman of the Year, an award her mother, Kay King, received several years earlier.

“We like the idea of being a representative of the industry where high quality and our reputation is at stake,” King says. “We consider it our job to educate the public and to lobby for the timber industry.”

“We care about the land. We work here.

We play here. It’s our livelihood. We want to protect it. It might be an old-time saying, but it’s true. Why would we want to come in and damage the land that we live and play in? We pride ourselves on complying with the Oregon Forest Practices Act and going above and beyond, because we care.”

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Forest Operations Engineering Launches New Website

Forest Operations Engineering has a new website— ForestOperationsMT.com. At this site you’ll find information and examples of using forestry machines for wildfire, fuels reduction, and timber operations.

Learn about mechanized task forces, designed-in equipment safety, machine capabilities, and more. You will find shared tips, techniques, best practices, transport solutions, accident prevention measures, and forest industry events. When you need expert subject trainers and presentations, check out the consulting and field services.

Patrick Lumber Co. acquires a portion of Mary’s River Lumber Co.

Patrick Lumber Company has acquired a portion of Mary’s River Lumber Company in Philomath, Oregon. The eight-acre purchase encompasses five dry kilns and the reman plant.

McCool Millworks Inc., based in Sweet Home, Oregon, will head operations. The Philomath operation will begin by processing primarily high-grade Douglas fir and Hemlock lumber, creating an opportunity for a dozen employees, with plans for expansion.

Peterson Announces New Distributor in Utah, Nevada, and Southern Idaho

Peterson Pacific, a Eugene, Oregon-based manufacturer of horizontal grinders, drum and disc chippers, blower trucks, and screens is pleased to announce Goodfellow Corporation as their new distributor for their products in the states of Utah, Nevada, and southern Idaho. The official kickoff for Goodfellow Corporation as a Peterson dealer was February 1, 2017.

“Goodfellow Corporation and Peterson have been partners on Terra Select screen products for over three years, and because of the success of that partnership, we are very pleased to expand our relationship to include the entire Peterson product line,” said Brian Gray, Director of Sales.

Larsen New Company President for Barko Hydraulics

Joel Larsen has been named the new president of Barko Hydraulics LLC. In his new position, Larsen will oversee all company activities, from operations to strategic planning to commercial sales.

Prior to joining Barko, Larsen held various senior leadership roles in the industrial and manufacturing sector with Ford Motor Company, BP, and most recently with Navistar International.

Morbark Appoints Niziolek VP of Operations & Supply Chain

Morbark LLC has appointed Walt Niziolek as the new Vice President of Operations & Supply Chain.

Niziolek will handle supply chain and site operational requirements. This includes managing local, U.S., and overseas vendors and suppliers, all warehouse and distribution activities, quality initiatives, and liaising with business unit engineering support.

Wood-Mizer Announces TITAN Wideband Sawmill Equipment

Wood-Mizer has significantly broadened its reach into the industrial sawmilling market with the introduction of Wood-Mizer TITAN. This new product line is a result of a purchase agreement with Multisaw, a well-established manufacturer of wideband sawmill equipment since 1990.

The Wood-Mizer TITAN line includes wideband primary and secondary breakdown sawmills and resaws as well as circular saw edgers, multirips, optimizing edgers, manual board edgers, and material handling equipment.

Precision Husky Corporation Adds New Dealer

Precision Husky added Machinery Sales Company of Portland, Oregon, as a dealer that will be promoting sales of the Precision line of sawmill equipment in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California. The company is located at 9802 N. Vancouver Way, Portland, OR, 97217 and can be reached at (503) 285-6691.

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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. The new Hitachi Foresters were created to push the limits of productivity starting with a reliable, Final Tier 4 engine that doesn’t require a DPF. More legroom, less noise and better AC are standard comfort features of the larger cab. Safety also takes a front seat with improved visibility and cab access. The result? Productivity measured in truckloads.

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FireColumn

Gearing Up for the Season

By Lindsay R. Mohlere

P

rivate wildfire fighting

crews, unlike the U.S. Forest Service and BLM crews that were temporarily shortstopped by the federal 90-day hiring freeze, are beginning to ramp up their recruitment programs for seasonal workers. Despite record rainfall and snowfall throughout the Pacific Northwest, these crews aren’t gazing into the crystal ball wondering if it’s going to be another long, hot summer.

“We prepare for the worst and hope for the best. There’s fire somewhere, and we can’t afford to be unprepared,” says Kevin Donham, VP of Operations for PatRick Environmental Inc. (one of the largest private fire service companies headquartered in Oregon).

Most outfits actually begin training in January, offering refresher courses for returning members and full-time staff. The wildfire division of Miller Timber Inc. of Philomath, Oregon, like several other crews, includes leadership training and advanced

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coursework for supervisors.

Heidi Cleveland, Miller’s Fire Operations manager, further emphasized early preparedness. “We hire 125 to 150 people for seasonal work. We have to on-board all of those folks in a six-month time period. From January 1 until first fire dispatch of the season, you need to have everyone trained, certified, and ready for deployment 24/7.

Red Card Boot Camp

New-hire recruitment and training hit high gear around Spring Break when college students are looking for summer jobs, and the adrenalin blast of fighting fires comes knocking.

Wildland firefighting is a dangerous and physically demanding occupation. Being on the business end of a Pulaski is tough, dirty work. The terrain is rugged and usually steep.

It’s blistering hot, and the air is thick with smoke and embers.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) sets the standard for

wildland firefighter training. The same basic courses are given across all agencies involved in wildland firefighting and controlled burning.

Training usually starts with some sort of orientation to the fire service, physical requirements, and the training agenda.

The real nitty-gritty gets going with what is referred to as the pack test, a competitive three-mile hike, which a recruit must complete within 45 minutes while carrying a 45pound backpack. The test is required for all federal and most state and private agencies.

It takes place on level ground and is designed to test the muscular strength and aerobic endurance of the firefighter.

Because the physical demands of the job are so critical, many companies also have their own minimum requirements like multimile trail runs and a certain number of pushups and sit-ups completed in one minute.

Applicants who have passed the physical (continued on page 42)

FireColumn (continued from page 40) fitness test return to the classroom and begin the 40-hour training academy. The course work includes Firefighter Training (S-130) and Introduction to Fire Behavior (S-190).

Two other certifications, the L-180 Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service and I-100 Introduction to ICS (Incident Command System) are included within the standard course work.

Firefighters are also required by the NWCG PMS 310-1 to take the online

independent study exam FEMA IS-700, a National Incident Management System (NIMS) course administered by FEMA. The coursework will prepare recruits to qualify for the NWCG certifications necessary to become a wildland firefighter.

After they pass the Work Capacity Test, they are eligible to be given the Red Card, which certifies that the recruit is trained and qualified to perform specific jobs on a wildland fire.

Many logging operations also have their crews become certified for Red Cards.

Be Smart. Be Firewise.

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is a big problem. If you haven’t heard the term, it refers to the space between unoccupied land and human development. Communities, housing developments, single-dwelling structures, and commercial buildings located in and surrounded by wildlands are at risk of fire.

About one-third of all homes in the continental U.S. are in the WUI. In 2015, wildfire devoured nearly 5,000 structures, of which more than half were homes.

Since humans cause more than 80 percent of wildfires, it’s easy to see where the growth of communities pushing farther out into wild lands and the increase of outdoor recreation opportunities doubles the risk factors. Add climate change, drought, and years of forest mismanagement to the mix, and the risks become explosive.

Across the nation, fire departments and fire services recognize the threat, but their main task is to protect lives, not property.

According the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), if you live in the UWI, there is something you can do to help protect your home or property from going up in smoke and becoming a heartbreaking statistic.

The NFPA’s specific program is called Firewise.

Supported by the U.S. Forest Service, Firewise was launched in 1997 to provide the best information about wildfire safety for homes to a national audience. Its basic goal is to educate homeowners about wildfires and how proactive steps can reduce the fuel loads in ignition areas. Simple tasks like keeping the area around a building free of any vegetation, trimming trees that would prevent them from falling onto the structure or road, and using non-flammable roofs are the big three for home protection.

With fire season on its way, checking out Firewise (www.firewise.org) or other such organizations, along with discussing your property in the UWI with local fire departments, is your first step to prevention and protection. It’s the smart thing to do.

NOTE: Wildland firefighting training starts soon. www.millertimber.com www.facebook.com/PatRickWildfire That’s a wrap. Stay safe out there.

(Source: InciWeb, National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), Wire Service Reports) TW

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RCRC Installs 2017 Officers and Presents Rural Leadership Awards

The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) installed its 2017 Officers and presented its Rural Leadership Awards at their annual reception in Sacramento.

Tehama County Supervisor Bob Williams was installed as Chair; Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Bohn was installed as First Vice Chair; and Tuolumne County Supervisor Randy Hanvelt was installed as Second Vice Chair. Glenn County Supervisor John Viegas remains an Officer as Immediate Past Chair.

The newly installed Officers will lead the organization in championing policies on behalf of California’s rural counties.

The Washington DNR February 2017 Revenue Forecast

Timber Sales Volume. Given current timber sales plans, the sales volume forecast for FY 17 has increased by 15 mmbf to 500 mmbf. Sales plans in outlying years have not changed, so absent a new sustainable harvest calculation, sales volumes in those years are forecast to remain at 500 mmbf.

Timber Sales Prices. Industry analysts

expect higher prices in CY 2017. FY 17 auction prices have averaged $335/mbf to date; while stronger than the bid prices through the same period last year, these results are a bit weaker than assumed in the November Forecast.

Timber Removal Volume and Prices.

Accounting for changes to purchaser plans and the timing of contract expirations, DNR is lowering FY 17 harvest volume expectations by 15 mmbf to 565 mmbf.

Timber Revenue. The above changes to timber sales prices, sales volumes, and harvest timing have shifted projected revenue down in all forecast years. Revenues for the 2015-2017 biennium are forecast to total $328 million, down three percent ($9 million) from November’s forecast. Forecast revenues for the 2017-2019 biennium are decreased by two percent ($10 million) to $393 million.

Softwood Lumber Agreement. In previous forecasts, it was noted that the expiration of the Softwood Lumber Agreement posed a major downside risk to the forecast: the expiration of tariffs might allow a flood of cheaper Canadian lumber into the U.S., suppressing domestic prices. This doesn’t seem to have happened. Current

Supply Problems??

expectations are that recent filings with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission will result in countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian lumber starting at the end of the first quarter of 2017.

The entire forecast is available at http:// www.dnr.wa.gov/about/f iscal-reports/ quarterly-economic-and-revenue-forecasts.

AFRC Welcomes Staff Attorney Sara Ghafouri

AFRC is pleased to announce that Sara Ghafouri has joined our team as Staff Attorney based out of the Portland office.

Sara will work closely with AFRC President Travis Joseph and AFRC General Counsel Lawson Fite to support AFRC’s legal and policy initiatives. Sara has a passion for

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natural resource issues and for helping rural communities thrive.

Sara joins AFRC after practicing for the past three years as an associate at the Portland firm Haglund Kelley LLP. During her time at Haglund Kelley, Sara focused her practice on complex civil litigation, environmental and natural resources law, and Indian law. She helped represent several timber companies and timber associations, including AFRC in the Westside Project and other cases. She also worked on amicus briefs submitted by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho on the East Reservoir Project on the Kootenai National Forest.

trucking contractors and private and public landowners. The attendees also come from both the private and public sectors. The conference offers a forum where people within the industry can network. Attendees can enjoy a variety of luncheons, dinners, as well as a golf tournament and tour—all hosted by the Olympic Logging Conference during the 3-day event.

There will be presentations on issues affecting the forest products industry. And, the conference offers credits toward the

Accredited Logging Professional certification.

The Olympic Logging Conference is one of many regional logging conferences and associations that meet annually within the United States and British Columbia.

Representatives from the Olympic Logging Conference also participate in the Pacific Logging Congress, which is an umbrella conference to the regional conferences.

To find out more about the conference, as well as registration information, visit http:// www.olympicloggingconference.com/ TW

FRA Recognizes Terry Conley as 2016 Outstanding Logger

The Forest Resources Association’s Western Region has recognized Terry Conley of TC Company, as the Region’s 2016 Outstanding Logger. The award was recognized at the New Mexico Forest Industry Association’s Board Meeting held in February. Terry now becomes a nominee for FRA’s National Outstanding Logger recognition.

Jose Varela Lopez with the NM Forest Industry Association nominated Terry for the Regional Award and said, “Terry’s resilience and ability to diversify are some of the reasons he has remained successful in a dwindling industry.”

(NM Forest Industry Association Director Jose Varela Lopez (at right) presents 2016 Regional Outstanding Logger Award to Terry Conley.)

72nd Annual - Olympic Logging Conference

The 72nd annual Olympic Logging Conference will be held April 26-18, 2017, at the Fairmount Empress Hotel in Victoria B.C. The conference brings together people involved throughout the forest products industry in Western Washington State.

Roughly 275 people attend the conference, all having various industry backgrounds: timber purchasers and sellers, log conversion representatives, logging and log

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OLCPictorialReview

2017 Oregon Logging Conference

Pictorial Review

M

ore than 6,000 industry

professionals from 37 U.S. states and ten countries attended the 79th Annual Oregon Logging Conference (OLC), held February 23 – 25, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. In addition, the OLC also hosted another 6,000 local school kids and folks from the general public!

“The 79th conference surpasses the successful event from 2016, with more than 250 exhibitors displaying in over 90,000 sq. ft. of inside exhibit space and millions of dollars of logging, trucking, construction, and heavy equipment displayed on over 14 acres of outside exhibit area,” said OLC Conference Manager Rikki Wellman.

Jeff Wimer, president of the 79th Annual OLC event was also pleased with the conference, saying it demonstrates that the logging and related industries are thriving. “Quality speakers spoke to packed rooms during the keynote address, panel sessions, and seminars, presenting timely information on hot topics in the industry today.”

“Equipment exhibitors were happy with the interactions they had with those attending the conference, and the overall attitude was positive,” he added.

Keynote speaker Merv George Jr., forest supervisor of the Six Rivers National Forest in northern California told a capacity crowd

that collaboration is a key to moving forward. “If I have a gift, it’s getting people to work together,” he said. “We can do anything when people decide to come together.”

Events

Wellman was also pleased with the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation Live Auction held during the Thursday and Friday morning breakfasts, which brought in more than $24,000 for college scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year.

“We have an extremely supportive industry,” says Wellman proudly.

The Desserts for Dreams Charity Event was also a success, bringing in over $5,000, 100 percent of which will be donated to SafeHaven Humane Society.

Contests

There were a number of guessers when it came to the “Guess the Board Feet of the Loaded Log Truck” contest. In fact, four people were tied for the closest weight— all guessing 6,500 board feet — the actual number was 6,490.

Twenty-five operators competed in the 8th Annual Log Loader Competition. This year’s winners were: • First Place – 3:14.75, Bryan Chipps, Green Diamond Resource Co. • Second Place – 3:20.25, Ross Cribbs, Van Well Timber Co. • Third Place – 3:23.31, Zane Bryant, Bryant Logging Co. (continued on page 48)

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OLCPictorialReview (continued from page 46)

New and Noted at the Oregon Logging Conference

Each year, many companies debut new equipment at the OLC. This year was no different. The following were some of the highlights: KETO 873 PROCESSOR. The 7,400 lb. processor features 360 degrees of continuous rotation, has a capacity of 50,000 pounds, and is controlled from the head, so no boom lines are needed. It has a maximum opening of 34” knife tip to tip and 40” track link to surface. It features a self-cleaning butt-end find sensor, a new ‘MAX power’ saw system, and a pivoting track system and dual length measuring.

QUADCO 27C. Quadco introduced the largest of its C-Series felling heads—the 27C. It has a 27” cutting capacity and, like the others in the series, features a four-armup design with one cylinder and heavy-duty timing bar per set of arms. Optional 40° or 360° lateral tilt available for boom mount applications. Patented 360º wrist system using Quadco’s field proven double reduction gear box and two motors for maximum feller buncher versatility.

JOHN DEERE TIMBERNAVI. This

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innovative jobsite mapping platform is designed to optimise full scale logging operations. Available for L and M Series skidders, both wheeled and tracked feller bunchers, cabs are fitted with a 10’’ touch screen that provides operators an easy to use interface, simplifying operations, increasing visibility and reducing digital mapping time by up to 60%. No longer is a fleet manager, forester or harvest manager required to drive to site to hand an operator a cut-block map. Utilising JD linkTM a fully integrated machine monitoring and wireless data transfer system,

managers can send updated maps, terrain details and instructions to operators from their desktop. JD link was launched at the OLC 2017 and received a great reception from both long term and new John Deere customers.

HAWKEYE MOTORIZED GRAPPLE CARRIAGE. The 2,640-pound, 7.5 HP grapple carriage has a maximum opening of 52” and 360 degrees of rotation. The grapple has EMS, high tensile grapple tines and is mechanically opened and closed from (continued on page 50)

CLIMB WITH CONFIDENCE

EX™

Provides extreme traction in tough conditions such as deep snow, steep slopes and rocky terrain

There are no limits for operators with the right Tracks. Olofsfors offers a wide range of Track models and linkage systems for various machine configurations and ground conditions. Superior quality and performance for increased productivity.

Where the road ends, ECO-TRACKS take over.

No matter the conditions – WE HAVE THE TRACKS.

ECO-TRACKS, the name you can trust Olofsfors tracks carry your machine FORWARD, regardless of terrain.

UPWARDS, regardless of grade. ONWARDS, regardless of obstacles.

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD FOR PERFORMANCE & DURABILITY Visit www.eco-tracks.com to see our complete line of track models. All engineered to match your conditions.

Contact: Olofsfors Inc. Tel: (519) 754-2190 Fax: (519) 757-1100 Email: info@olofsfors.com

OLCPictorialReview (continued from page 48) a control screen. There are no rope clamps, but it does have integral lighting and an integrated camera system with infrared. It’s suitable for any yarding system.

KMC TRACTOR. The unique KMC High Speed Steel Track (HSST) Vehicle was introduced. It was designed for a variety of uses, including steep slopes, boggy areas, and environmentally sensitive sites. Its highspeed track and torsion suspension conforms to uneven ground and can complement winch assist directional felling on slopes up to 50 percent.

OLOFSFORS. Olofsfors introduced the Iggesund Forest BLUE LINE harvester bars. A unique alloy is used, in combination with improved tempering, to create a harvester bar that is stronger, more rigid and less prone to vibration. The BLUE LINE harvester bars also have enlarged lubrication holes for improved chain lube/grease flow to handle the toughest logging conditions CAT 538RB. The Cat 538RB was designed to assist with general forestry work, like road building. The 164 hp machine comes equipped with a Cat C7.1 ACERT engine. It weighs in at 66,640 lbs., has a ground clearance of 26”, a 180.2 track length, and a swing torque of 59,300 lb. ft.

WARATAH FL-95. This steep slope HD felling head weighs 5,732 lbs. and has a maximum grapple opening of 62” inches (over 5 feet). It features a heavy duty ¾ pitch main saw with 43” saw bar, has a maximum cut diameter of 39” when in felling mode, and a maximum cut diameter of 27” when in grapple mode, as well as a 360-degree continuous rotation rotator.

Education

The 2017 lineup of panels and seminars covered a range of topics, like tethered logging and fire prevention that drew big crowds on Friday.

In the morning, Matt Mattioda, CLT Manager of Miller Timber Services, kicked

off the session with a presentation on the new Ponsse/Hertzog tethering system. Other issues such as OSHA safety concerns on tethered operations, updates on the new ODF riparian rules, and industrial fire protection were also presented. In addition, a hands-on session covered the basics of log scaling.

The afternoon started with a fire prevention and suppression seminar presented by Link Smith, ODF Western Lane District forester. While Smith zeroed in on several new ODF fire rules, he cautioned that the rules will change once fire season starts. “The rules that we have today will be different in July,” he said.

Smith also explained that if the cause of a fire is determined to be a logging operation, the loggers face stiff penalties.

“We’re going to come investigate that fire, and if we find a violation that contributed to the start or spread of that fire, we are going to come after the logger for potentially the whole cost.”

After a short break, the subject turned

back again to tethered logging as the pavilion filled up for the afternoon business seminar.

Brandon Miller, district forester for Potlatch Corporation in St. Maries, Idaho, presented on the topic of Steep Slope Logging from a land manager’s perspective.

After reviewing the many tethered systems currently available, Miller turned his focus to steep slope logging in the inland forest and outlined the five major concerns his company has regarding the new technology, including safety regulations.

According to Miller, cable assisted safety regulations were developed by using different elements from different agencies that were pertinent to tethered logging. Rollover protection and wire rope restrictions and other specifics rely on manufacturers recommendations and specifications.

“We need to identify sensitive areas and come up with a plan. We should see where technology will take us, rather than jump in and write a bunch of rules we might not be able to work with,” Miller said.

A Look Ahead to 2018

The 79th Annual Oregon Logging Conference was by all standards a success.

Wellman says to be ready for an even better event in 2018.

“Not only will it be our 80th anniversary, but we already have exhibitors reserving spots,” says Wellman. “It looks like we may even have a bigger conference than this year.”

Make sure to mark your calendar for the OLC’s 80th anniversary, February 22 - 24, 2018. It should be quite an event.

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Cascade Trader Cascade Trader specializes in new and used logging and construction equipment. Over the past ten years, our business has expanded to include sales, parts as well as service for Doosan Construction and Forestry Equipment. For the past five years, Cascade Trader has been one of the top five machine dealers in the USA for Doosan Excavators, Wheel Loaders plus purpose Built Log Loaders. www.cascadetrader.net

Diamond Mowers SKID-STEER FORESTRY MULCHER The 60” Skid-Steer Forestry Mulcher from Diamond Mowers will mulch trees up to 6” and cut trees up to 14”. Throwing material away from the machine makes it safer for operators and easier on the gear. www.

DiamondMowers.com

Eagle Carriage & Machine Eagle Carriage & Machine has been building quality carriages since 1979, producing ten different carriages and grapples. The most recent to its line up is the Raptor. We also produce the hydrostatic, slack pulling Eagle VI, as well as the Super Eaglet carriages. Eagle Carriage takes pride in its service and customer satisfaction. Don’t let our geographical location get in your way, as we go out of our way to service our customers. www.eaglecarriage.com

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EROAD ELD

Feenaughty Machinery

Designed from the ground up with the driver in mind, EROAD’s highly intuitive in-vehicle device synchronizes with the engine to automatically record hours of service. The simple touchscreen lets drivers view, edit and add notes to their logs, and easily present their record of duty status during roadside inspections. Our ELD is part of our powerful suite of solutions, backed by EROAD’s exceptional customer care. http://www.eroad.com, 1-855-503-7623

Feenaughty Machinery Co. is excited to be growing its coverage for the Doosan, Kobelco and Takeuchi lines in the Eugene market. We look forward to providing better service to a market that we have been involved in for many years and growing with our customers. Stop by either store to see how we can help with your Doosan, Kobelco and Takeuchi needs. www.feenaughty.com

Hitachi

Gem Chain Bar

Hitachi chose the OLC to introduce two of the four new Hitachi Forester log loader models to Pacific Northwest loggers. These machines feature completely redesigned cabs, new FT4 Isuzu engines, larger cooling systems with reversing fan and many other improvements. The ZX 260F-6 was configured as a road builder and the ZX310F-6 with rear entry cab was configured as a log loader. www.hitachiconstruction.com

A global leader in manufacturing, GEM Chain Bar has over 25 years of experience proudly making harvester products in the USA. GEM’s full line of ¾ pitch and .404 harvester bars are precision cut and machined from premium grade material. GEM bar tips are replaceable, designed for longer wear life and field tested for improvements. GEM’s ¾ pitch and .404 sprockets have unique design features for improved cleaning and cooling, less chain stress and stretch and longer wear life. See GEM for a full product line and the quickest turn times. www.gemchainbar.com

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Jewell

John Deere

For over 25 years Jewell has been designing and building attachments and yarding packages to help loggers be productive and profitable. For 25 years, the Original Jewell Shovel Logger grapple design has stood the test of time so well that others have tried to copy it. New at the OLC 2017 we showcased the Allied AH250 Yarder Winch, a purpose built mobile yarder winch built with optimal performance, maximum productivity and increased versatility in mind. Look to us today for best in class grapples, winches and other extreme duty attachments. http:// www.paladinattachments.com

John Deere Construction & Forestry displayed a wide variety of its equipment at the Papé Machinery exhibit area. Included in the line-up were many models of Deere’s new G Series Forestry Swing Machines.

These can be configured as loaders, shovel loggers, processor carriers and road builders. Key features of the new G Series machines include a simplified electrical system, beefier structures and more robust cooling system with hydraulic reversing fan. Inside the Papé tent, loggers got a chance to better understand the benefits of TimberNavi, a fully integrated JDLink machine monitoring and jobsite solution. www.deere.com

Komatsu America

Log Max

Komatsu Forest is a pioneer in the area of mechanized logging, developing and manufacturing forest machines as well as attachments. We have an extensive service and after-sales network with global availability of spare parts and professional advice. With a passion for technology, and product development that merges productivity, ergonomics, plus environmental strong points into cutting edge advantages, we are continuously expanding the forest possibilities. www.KomatsuForest.us

Log Max engineers products that promote healthy forests, providing harvesting, as well as processing solutions, to its clients, big or small and in any type of forestry application. The 7000XT and 10000XT continue to be popular with the PNW loggers. However the demand for smaller heads has become apparent in the industry’s changing markets. Log Max has a wide variety of harvesting heads as well as processing heads for all applications, from the little 928 to the 10000XT, 12000XT and ProCut 2330. www.logmax.com

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Olofsfors

Pape Machinery

Olofsfors, a new exhibitor to the OLC this year, introduced Pacific NW loggers to the Iggesund Forest BLUE LINE harvester bars. A unique alloy is used, in combination with improved tempering, to create a harvester bar that is stronger, more rigid and less prone to vibration.

The BLUE LINE harvester bars also have enlarged lubrication holes for improved chain lube/grease flow to handle the toughest logging conditions. Iggesund Forest is part of Olofsfors, the world leader in bogie tracks and wheel tracks. www.olofsfors.com

Papé Machinery was excited to unveil its Virtual Reality booth at this year’s OLC. Attendees wore a video headset that took them on a journey from a logging site, to the highway, to a lumber mill, to a warehouse… virtually! See you all next year. www.papemachinery.com.

Pewag Chain

Peterson

Pewag’s success is based on well-engineered, state-of-the-art quality traction chains, industrial chains as well as tire-protection-chains.

Pewag has a long and proud history, of innovation in chain technology.

In the past 40 years, Pewag has continued to establish itself as the innovator in the North American market. www.pewag.com

Peterson designs and builds state-of-the-art equipment, which makes it possible for our customers to supply their clients with industry leading results profitably. For our customers, we will continue to be the most innovative company in our industry offering the world’s most advanced, productive, durable and environmentally friendly products, coupled with training, education, service as well as support that is far beyond anything offered by the competition. www.peterson.com

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Pierce Pacific Manufacturing

Ponsse

What if you could combine the functionality of a log grapple and the versatility of a processor into one amazing work tool? And what if that tool costs less than a conventional processing head? The answer is more clear cut than ever with the Pierce Grapple Processor. The Pierce GP stands alone in its ability to sort, shovel, and load logs, as well as delimb, measure and cut. By doing the work of two machines, the Pierce GP saves you time, fuel, labor and maintenance costs.

Learn about additional cutting-edge features on the Pierce GP at www.piercepacific.com, or contact us directly at 800.760.3270.

Ponsse excels at diverse logging operations across North America.

PONSSE Synchrowinch helps achieving high productivity in steep ground operations. It allows operating the same machines in flat and steep work sites with no need for additional machinery or methods.

PONSSE Synchrowinch preserves soils from rutting and erosion, saves fuel and reduces stress in drive transmission components. www.ponsse.com

Precision Machinery

Quadco

Precision Machinery, a new exhibitor to the OLC, has built one of the best reputations in the area for dependable, fast service the past 6 years. This is the foundation of their business, with 5 service trucks, and factory trained mechanics that average of 20 years of experience each.

The 2017 OLC was a success with the display of the Rottne Harvester (H21 and H14) and Forwarder (F15) machines, along with the SP-LF (patented Low Friction) harvesting heads. For more information visit: http://precisionmachineryandmaint.com, http://www.rottne.com, and http://www.spmaskiner.com

QUADCO and Southstar have joined forces providing innovative technology with the largest selection of felling heads and processors to choose from in the forestry industry. QUADCO cutting tools are well known for its Proven Quality–Reliability–Performance. All the QUADCO products along with the Keto Harvesters were displayed at this Year’s OLC. Thank you for your Business. www.quadco.com

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Sennebogen Modern Machinery featured the Sennebogen 830M HDS single tire swing machine during the OLC. At home in mill yards, log export yards and in the bush, this versatile machine is equipped with a 164 kW Cummins engine and a proven hydraulic maX cab that can be raised and moved forward. Perfect as a trailer puller on uneven or muddy millyards, the 830M HDS generates up to 80 ton of pulling force and has over two feet of ground clearance.www.sennebogen-na.com

Southstar Equipment Southstar Equipment Ltd is a world-leading forestry attachment manufacturer. We come with a simple mission; to be industry leaders in forestry attachments by providing world-class products for global conditions. This is achieved through progressive design thinking, service and listening to our customer requirements as we create low maintenance heavy-duty machinery that displays efficient, high quality performance while remaining affordable. www.southstarequipment.com

Tajfun

Tigercat / Triad Machinery

Tajfun Firewood Processors, world renowned under the brand name RCA, are essential for log processing into firewood. Tajfun products are constantly developed towards optimal and simple operation. The processors excel in: energy efficiency, simple and fast set up and take down, high capacity, compact and rugged construction, simple controls.

Contact us at: (360)594-8877, www.tajfun.com

Tigercat specializes in the design and manufacture of tree harvesting systems plus specialized machines for severe duty, off road applications. Tigercat forestry systems deliver processed wood to roadside at the lowest cost per tonne. Learn more about innovative Tigercat harvesting systems and off road industrial products. Find out how you can improve your productivity, plus reduce your cost per tonne at www.tigercat.com.

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TimberPro

Tractionline

Modern Machinery brought a TimberPro TL765C, the largest of its 5 feller buncher models, to the OLC. The TL756C was configured as a directional feller—perfectly suited for winch-assist applications— with an integrated undercarriage tethering system and Southstar FD750 felling head. The TL765C offers best in class serviceability, a spacious cab designed for operator comfort, a powerful Cummins QSC8.3L engine and an advanced energy recovery hydraulic system. www.timberpro.com

Tractionline, from Technical Forest Solutions, is one of the leaders in the growing winch-assist business, with over 50 systems working worldwide. Tractionline’s two-cable, excavator-mounted system incorporates a unique, reversed bucket on the stick. This system helps to solidly anchor the machine in the soil or behind a stump, while keeping the tracks pointed down the road or skid trail, for easy movement when changing tethering positions. Automatic tension control keeps winch cables leading to the directional feller under constant tension. www.tractionline.co.nz

Triad Machinery / Link-Belt

Waratah

Triad Machinery, is your Pacific Northwest Leader in forestry equipment, construction equipment, material handling equipment, wheel loaders, rough terrain cranes as well as crawler cranes. Our equipment coverage spans Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We specialize in new and used equipment, equipment rentals, parts and service. Our major lines include: Link-Belt Construction and Forestry Equipment, Tigercat, Link-Belt Cranes, Kawasaki Wheel Loaders. www.triadmachinery.com

With its expanded line-up of heads, Waratah took a large, outdoor exhibit space this year. One of the main features at the exhibit area was the new 5,700-lb. FL-95 directional felling head. Purpose built for winch-assist logging on steep slopes, Waratah’s FL-95 felling head delivers a productivity boost in even the most extreme applications. The FL-95 features a steep slope-specific tilt design for increased chassis rotation, which allows effective felling on 65-degree slopes without hitting the attachment stops. A large 62-inch grapple opening, with a fully retractable saw box, maximizes capacity and increases productivwww.forestnet.com | March/April 2017 | TimberWest 57 ity when shovel logging large diameter timber. www.waratah.com

OLCPictorialReview

White Mountain Chain Let White Mountain Chain give you the safety that only a high quality chain can give. The quality and durability of a chain does not solely depend on the quality of the steel it is made from. It also depends on the production technology and the quality control procedures that are used on the way from raw material to finished chain. In this process TRYGG chains are the market leaders. www.whitemountainchain.com

AD INDEX COMPANY PG# BKT TIRES...........................................................45 CASCADE TRADER..............................................10 CBI.....................................................................30 DIAMOND MOWERS............................................44 EAGLE CARRIAGE & MACHINE.............................33 ECOFORST..........................................................19 EROAD................................................................15 FEENAUGHTY MACHINERY..................................28 GEM CHAIN BAR.................................................44 HITACHI..............................................................39 HSM...................................................................23 HYDRAULEX GLOBAL..........................................36 JEWELL ATTACHMENTS......................................48 JOHN DEERE.......................................................31 KETO HARVESTERS.............................................11 KOMATSU AMERICA............................................37 LBX/BEJAC/TRIAD...............................................17 LOG MAX............................................................29 OLOFSFORS IGGESUND.......................................13 OLOSFORS..........................................................49 PAPE MACHINERY.................................................7 PETERSON..........................................................41 PEWAG CHAIN.....................................................16 PIERCE PACIFIC...................................................27 PONSSE............................................................ 2-3 PRECISION MACHINERY - ROTTNE......................14 QUADCO...............................................................5 RITCHIE BROS.....................................................59 ROB (REMOTE BULLDOZER)................................25 SENNEBOGEN.....................................................47 SOUTHSTAR EQUIPMENT......................................5 TAJFUN USA.......................................................35 TIGERCAT/TRIAD.................................................43 TIMBERPRO........................................................64 TRACTIONLINE....................................................21 WARATAH...........................................................63 WAY MACHINE....................................................34 WHITE MOUNTAIN CHAIN....................................42 WPT POWER.......................................................38 58

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Change of Address & Renewal Subscriptions Please send BOTH old information and new changes to: TimberWest Magazine, P.O. Box 610, Edmonds, WA 98020 Fax: (425) 771-3623 • subscribetw@forestnet.com • www.forestnet.com ____________________________________________________________ signature date A signature and date is required on all renewals and new subscriptions.

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READER VERIFICATION The U.S. Postal Service requires readership verification at specified intervals. Please assist us by providing the information below.

Circle your Primary Business (enter one number) 1A Logging firm or contractor 1B Trucking company 1C Cutting contractor 1D Road builder/materials producer 1E Combined logging/processing forestry 2A Forest mgmt/government 2B Broker/consultant 3A Sawmill/chip mill 3B Veneer/plywood/panel mills 3C Pulp/paper mill 3D Specialty wood products 3E Biomass/Wood Energy Plant 4A Equipment manufacturer 4B Equipment distributor/dealer 6A Associations 6B Ad agency 6C Other 7 Forestry consultants 8 Education/Student/Library 9 Tree farming

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Unreserved public equipment auctions Fast, flexible financing available – up to 100%, $0 down

2014 Madill 3800C | Chilliwack

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See full auction & equipment listings at rbauction.com

Maintainer Launches New Lube Truck

Maintainer Corporation has launching its new Lube Truck design, which focuses on overall owner profitability and operator safety.

Efficiency in the new design is a result of a new operator-friendly reel compartment layout. The operator can access most functions right from the reel box. Among other thigns, the extended step bumper has been removed and product moved lower to the ground, reducing the need to climb, and the center deck access to the tanks is wider, with an illuminated stairway.

The new design uses lighter, stronger materials in conjunction with more advanced finite element analysis (FEA), which allows full product tank capacity while still be road legal and in compliance with bridge laws. www.maintainer.com

Clutchless Option Now Available For Select Bandit Hand-Fed Chippers

Now available on select Bandit disc and drum-style hand-fed chippers, the clutchless drive option replaces a traditional friction plate clutch with a mechanical engagement of the drive belts.

The clutchless drive reduces maintenance (including greasing and adjustment) and downtime associated with maintaining friction plate clutches. This design significantly reduces chipper maintenance and downtime by eliminating drive belt adjustments, engine position adjustments, and grease points associated with the clutch.

Only the drive belt requires replacement when needed as per standard operation, and the clutchless drive will not decrease belt life under normal use. www.banditchippers.com

Peterson’s new 3310 Drum Chipper

Peterson Pacific Corp. debuted the new Peterson 3310 drum chipper at the 2017 CONEXPO-CON/AGG show. With a 540 hp Caterpillar engine, the 3310 has the power to handle up to 24inch diameter logs. The fully enclosed engine compartment keeps things clean but is easily serviced by large access doors on both sides of the machine.

The 3310 is the smallest model in Peterson’s lineup of drum chippers. Like the other larger Peterson drum chippers, the 3310 is equipped with sizing screens and an intelligent control system that provide superior fuel economy and consistent chip quality.

At just under 24 feet long, the 3310 utilizes a transverse-feed design allowing for a much smaller operations deck than typical drum chippers.

The rotatable end load or optional top load spout design allows for trailers to be loaded in a variety of positions. The compact size allows for easy maneuverability, and it can be transported in a 40-foot high cube container for overseas shipment. www.petersoncorp.com 60

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The Pierce PD5500M Delimber

The new PD5500M delimber represents the best of both worlds: the design integrity of industry leading Pierce and Denharco stroke delimbers, plus the new cutting edge processing technology.

Introducing wireless communication. Never replace a boom cable again! Instead of transmitting information through a cable that can easily be damaged, send it right to the head wirelessly.

The PD5500M also features a high-powered variable displacement cable drive system offering both speed and torque when you need it most. Curtain-style hose hangers minimize hose damage. A safe and simple cab-operated transport system. All of this, and more, powered by Pierce’s color touch screen Z5 control system — specifically designed for the stroke delimber application. www.piercepacific.com

New John Deere Knuckleboom Loaders

John Deere 437E and 337E Knuckleboom Loaders are now equipped with new grapples manufactured by John Deere to further improve productivity and machine durability.

The E-Series machines deliver five percent more swing torque and lift force over previous models, and the new grapple complements these features by improving rotator torque and response times, and enabling higher side loads and rotator lift capacity.

The new grapple, available with a 48- or 52-inch opening, is made with a more durable cast design and a larger, more robust rotator, providing loggers with a heavy-duty machine designed to withstand the toughest of jobs.

Built with high impact and wear-resistant custom steel, its key features include rotator lift capacity of 123,000 pounds and rotator torque of 36,200 pounds/inch. www.deere.com

The New WSM Pin Chipper

The new WSM Pin Chipper is a high capacity fiber preparation machine that converts lower value mill residuals (shavings and hogged wood) and alternate fiber supply sources into a high percentage of “pin chips” with long fiber length for use in the Pulp & Paper Industry.

The WSM Pin Chipper is available in rotor diameters of 42”, 48”, and 60” and rotor lengths from 36” to 88”, and it typically operates with 200 to 800 hp. Modular and adjustable tooling includes either rigid or swing hammers with replaceable tips, and combined with modular sizing screens, allows adjustment to product sizing.

Field proven performance at rates up to 75 tph, and when combined with a WSM pre-screen, the processing rate is confirmed at 150+ tph. http://westsalem.com TW

CALENDAR

Classified

April 18-20 American Forest Resource Council Annual Meeting, Stevenson, WA, 503-222-9505, www.amforest.org

ORDER ONLINE

April 19-21 Steep Slope Logging Conference, Kelso, WA 604-990-9970, steepslopelogging.events

www.HarvesterBars.com

April 21 West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau Annual Meeting.

Portland, OR, 503-639-0651, www.wclib.org APRIL 26-28 Olympic Logging Conference 72nd Annual Meeting, Victoria, BC, 360-202-7014, www.olympicloggingconference.com April 28-29 Associated Logging Contractors (Idaho) Annual Meeting, Orofino, ID, 208-667-6473, www.idahologgers.com

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guest columnist

Time for Certification Systems to Do their Job

By Jack Petree

W

ood, in the form of lumber, beams, and other products, has long been considered one of the world’s most important climate change reduction materials; almost unique in its sustainability, flexibility, and overall usefulness.

Despite wood’s unassailable position as an environmental superstar, it’s treated almost with disdain by many green building certification bodies; the number of “points” available to builders using “green” lumber measured against the considerably higher costs of “certified green” lumber makes the use of certified wood almost a negative to a builder. Worse, much of the wood available in the United States with the most potential significance in terms of environmental enhancement cannot be certified as “green.”

Give Wasted Wood Its Due

Tens of billions of board feet of recoverable wood, capable of being manufactured into construction products, are wasted each year with the carbon they sequester today going into the atmosphere tomorrow, while substitute products with a larger carbon footprint, notably steel and concrete, take the place of that lumber.

Wood lumber advocates need to put a larger value on working with “green” certification agencies to give wood that would otherwise be wasted—insect killed, removals from rights of way, partially burned, wind blown, urban removals, and so on—a place at the certification table.

Wood’s Environmental Benefits

About four years ago, the Forest Products Laboratory issued a report, Science Supporting the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Using Wood and Wood Products in Green Building Construction. The report, according to then Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “…confirms what many environmental scientists have been saying for years. Wood should be a major component of American building and energy design. The use of wood provides substantial environmental benefits, provides incentives for private landowners to 62

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TimberWest March/April 2017 www.forestnet.com

maintain forest land, and provides a critical source of jobs in rural America.”

David Cleaves, the U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Advisor at the time, expanded on Vilsack’s remarks saying, “The argument that somehow non-wood construction materials are ultimately better for carbon emissions than wood products is not supported by our research. Trees removed in

an environmentally responsible way allow forests to continue to sequester carbon through new forest growth. Wood products continue to benefit the environment by storing carbon long after the building has been constructed.”

If wood’s so wonderful, why do the various “green” building certification systems virtually assure the most environmentally significant lumber available cannot be used in buildings destined by their builders to achieve one or another certification company’s version of a “green-built” designation?

At least part of the answer to that question is money. The chain of custody required by certification firms means forest owners see significant costs in becoming certified, mills see cost increases, architects and other green construction professionals must achieve very expensive certifications to design and construct buildings and, in turn, all those extra costs are passed on to the end users. Big bucks often mean resistance to change.

But Spruce Budworms, silver thaws, pine beetles, typhoons, catastrophic wildfires, and hundreds of other events besetting forests seldom ask whether the afflicted forest is certified!

So what happens?

Dead and Dying Trees Are Still Green Millions of dead and dying trees, which

perfectly usable in providing billions of board feet of quality lumber to the construction and other marketplaces, cannot qualify for certification because they do not originate in a U.S. Green Building Council’s single acceptable certified lumber source, a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) forest.

Many, or most, of the other certification systems supposedly established to provide “green” or environmentally supportive lumber to that construction marketplace also ignore the resource and end up harvesting healthy forests to presumably enhance the environment, leaving dead and dying trees to rot or burn, releasing their tons of carbon into the atmosphere; all to satisfy the ironclad dictates of what often seems to be a whimsical lumber certification system.

It should be remembered the various certification entities purporting to assure the North American public is supplied with responsibly harvested, processed, and delivered lumber are businesses for the most part—big businesses with big dollars at stake. Each of those entities took the task of certification on themselves.

Because they are mostly tax-exempt nonprofits making claims regarding their support of the environment, they should have an obligation to achieve the service they claim to offer.

The Next Step

It is incumbent on those in the forest products industry, small businesses and large, to push associations or other groups they are active in to begin putting more pressure on certification entities to consider certifying tree stems that would otherwise be wasted, burned, or underutilized.

Associations should also be actively informing architects and builders about the environmental benefits of responsibly produced lumber. In addition, we need to participate locally—ask city and county councils and others to recognize the issues with certification systems and make provisions for the use of more environmentally suitable materials like insect-killed or stormdamaged wood products. The environment we profess to love demands all that of us.

Jack Petree is a writer, advertising consultant, and President of Tradeworld Communications.

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