TimberWest - July/August 2018

THE STEEP SLOPE CHALLENGE

Galen Kuykendall Logging, Orofino, Idaho

BROTHERS TEAM UP Tom Mahon Logging, Council, Idaho

OFFICIAL

FIRE SALVAGE AND CLEANUP

Hall Wood Processing Potomac, Montana

SHOW GUIDE

ON THE COVER Photo of Ponsse machine taken by James Booth at the 2014 PLC Live In-Woods Show.

Montana Logger Finds His Niche in Fire Salvage and Cleanup

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Taking on the Steep Slope Challenge

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What to Know When Harvesting Burned Timber

Brothers Team Up

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July/August 2018 Vol. 43 No. 07-08

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Pacific Logging Congress Official Show Guide Information on the 8th Live In-Woods Show

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Firebreak Fire season arrives with a vengeance.

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Montana Logger Finds His Niche in Fire Salvage and Cleanup Hall Wood Processing specializes in salvage logging and fire cleanup, working for both the state and Forest Service and following up if necessary to restore forest lands.

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Taking on the Steep Slope Challenge Galen Kuykendall Logging decides to tackle winch-assisted steep slope logging for some of his timber contracts in north central Idaho’s Clearwater region.

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What to Know When Harvesting Burned Timber Several industry professionals discuss the challenges of harvesting burned timber.

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Brothers Team Up Joe and Mark Mahon, are a well-oiled machine, complementing each as they operated a long-established outfit.

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Oregon Mass Timber Summit Review Review of the one-day summit held at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon.

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Tech Review A look at the harvester and processor heads.

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Time for Another Look at Biochar?

Guest columnist, Jack Petree, looks at new research regarding biochar.

DEPARTMENTS Page 5 Page 68 Page 70 Page 70 Page 72 Page 73 |

TimberWest July/August 2018 www.forestnet.com

In the News Association News Machinery Row Calendar of Events New Products Subscription / Ad Index

Editor: Diane Mettler, diane@forestnet.com Copy Editor: Beth Szyperski Contributing Editors: Barbara Coyner, Lindsay Mohlere, Jack Petree, Andrea Watts ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Sales Mgr: James Booth – jbooth@forestnet.com Phone: (604) 506-8631 Director: Rob Stanhope – stanhope@forestnet.com Assoc. Publisher: Anthony Robinson –robinson@forestnet.com Sales Contact Information: Phone: (604) 990-9970 • Fax: (604) 990-9971 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Publisher & Production Manager: Sheila Ringdahl – sringdahl@forestnet.com Accounting Manager: Shelina Jessa – accounting@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: Subscriptions 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.

TIMBERWEST (USPS #024858) is published bi-monthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec) by TimberWest Publications, LLC, 300 Admiral Way, Suite 105, Edmonds, WA, 98020. Periodicals postage paid at Edmonds, WA and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. Subscription rates to qualified subscribers are Free and all non-qualified subscriptions in U.S. are $22 per year payable in advance. Canada $35 (U.S.). Other $40 (U.S.). Single copies paid in advance $4. Company affiliation, title, date and signature must appear on subscription forms.

Publisher reserves the right to refuse non-industry subscriptions and advertising. All other advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher. Publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement and all representations or warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher. Back issues, if available, $4 each. Directory and Calendar issue $10 each.

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Michelin Wants to Replace Oil with Wood in Tires

Motor Authority reported that Michelin believes wood in tires will be a reality in 2020. The company’s goal is to move away from oil.

Cyrille Roget, Michelin’s worldwide director of scientific and innovation communication, said the plan is to create more sustainable tires in the future, and experiments with wood waste have provided a solution. The tire maker will incorporate elastomers from wood chips to replace a tire’s oil content.

Today, 80 percent of the material found in tires comes from oil, and Michelin would like it be 20 percent by 2048.

“Trees grow everywhere,” said Roget.

“So you redistribute the opportunity for everyone to have local sourcing. And they are renewable.”

Groundbreaking Study Shows Trees Can Be Genetically Engineered to not Reproduce

The largest field-based study of genetically modified forest trees ever conducted has demonstrated that genetic engineering can prevent the growth of new seedlings.

The containment traits that Oregon State University (OSU) researchers engineered in the study are important because of societal concerns about gene flow — the spread of genetically engineered or exotic and invasive trees or their reproductive cells beyond the boundaries of plantations.

“There’s still more to know and more research to be done, but this looks really good,” said author Steve Strauss, distinguished professor of forest biotechnology at OSU. “It’s very exciting.”

Findings from the study, which looked at 3,300 poplar trees in a nine-acre tract over seven growing seasons, were published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.

In trees like poplars that have female and male individuals, female flowers produce the seeds while male flowers make the pollen needed for fertilization. Strauss and colleagues in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society assessed a variety of approaches for making both genders of trees sterile, focusing on 13 genes involved in the making of flowers or controlling the onset of reproduction.

Individually, and in combination, the genes had their protein function or RNA expression modified with the goal of obtaining sterile flowers or a lack of flowering.

The upshot: Scientists discovered modifications that prevented the trees from producing viable sexual propagules without affecting other traits, and they did so reliably year after

year. The study focused on a female, earlyflowering poplar that facilitates research, but the genes they targeted are known to affect both pollen and seed and thus should provide general approaches to containment. For more, go to http://bit.ly/2LNfhoF.

OSU Receives Grant for Crosslaminated Timber Research

OSU has been studying cross-laminated timber—an innovative product that is helping to advance wood as a construction material for tall buildings— and is currently building a university complex constructed with the material.

The university has now received a grant to do even more research. The $489,793 grant will fund a project that will characterize the effects of moisture accumulation in mass timber buildings on the structural building components and connections. The results of this research will lead to engineering design guidelines that account for the effects of moisture intrusion on panel and connection properties for cross-laminated timber structural systems.

Interim U.S. Forest Service Chief Discusses Making It Easier to Work with and on the Forest

The Spokesman-Review reported that the head of the U.S. Forest Service, USFS interim Chief Vicki Christiansen, promised at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region’s annual summit that the Forest Service will be doing business differently.

Specifically, Christiansen said the permitting process for guides, outfitters, and other recreational services is going to get easier on National Forest Lands, and cooperative agreements between industry and the Forest Service are going to be more common.

“We are working to reform our process to make it easier for all kinds of businesses to work with, and on, the forest,” she said.

Endangered Species Act Reform Republicans in the House and Senate recently rolled out ESA reform legislation.

On July 2, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) released draft legislation to expand states’ authority in setting recovery goals, objectives for habitat, and delisting/downlisting objectives for listed species.

The Barrasso legislation would also prevent lawsuits challenging decisions to delist a species for five years, after a monitoring period for a delisted species. “We must do more than just keep listed species on life support — we need to see them recovered,” Barrasso said in a statement.

“This draft legislation will increase state and local input and improve transparency in the listing process,” Barrasso added.

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President Jeff Wimer’s Welcome to the Pacific Logging Congress‘ 8th Live In-Woods Show President Jeff Wimer (back) with students.

W

here will our next generation

of loggers come from? How do we attract young workers to our industry? How do we get them to understand the outdoor lifestyle, where the view from our office is ever changing?

It is a resounding message that I hear throughout our industry both here and abroad. I have spent my lifetime in the woods and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

It is important that we show the next generation the opportunities that exist in our industry. That our industry provides great prospects to earn a decent living. That is why this year, the PLC will be working with OFRI to bring in high school students from throughout the state to show them the latest in technological advances within our industry.

Our industry is experiencing a tremendous movement in incorporating technological advancements into our daily operations.

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Tethered assist, remote control operations, virtual reality, and drone technology are being utilized to help create a much safer and productive work environment. At the show we will have on display many of these new innovations and more.

During our three-day event, visitors will have opportunities to gain a better understanding of new technologies and how they are applied throughout the forest products industry. Visitors will also witness these technologies in action, as a variety of forest management activities will be in progress.

Our goal is to provide a safe, fun, and educational experience for the thousands of children, teachers, logging contractors, and land managers in attendance. With the arena style format, visitors will be able to view multiple manufacturers from a single viewpoint.

The Pacific Logging Congress’ mandate of education will be on full display at this

event. Our tour guides will cover several aspects of forest management including the protection of water, air, wildlife habitat, and recreation enhancement. Logging contractors will also have an opportunity to earn professional logger credits by attending onsite seminars.

I invite you to get involved by attending the Pacific Logging Congress’ Live In-Woods Show September 13-15, 2018, and develop a better understanding of how a healthy forest is managed for a variety of products. The show site will be at a new location on the OSU College of Forestry Dunn research forest just north of Corvallis, Oregon. Make plans today to bring a friend and embrace this sustainable, renewable resource that our forests provide.

See you there!

Jeff Wimer 2018 PLC President

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2018 Live In-Woods Sponsors We want to thank the incredible companies and individuals that made this year’s Pacific Live In-Woods show possible.

Platinum

GOLD Joel Olson Trucking Mike Pihl Logging Peterson Pacific Ritchie Brothers Technical Forest Services TimberWest Magazine

SILVER Associated Oregon Loggers Inc. Bigsby Logging Starker Forests, Inc. Thompson Timber

BRONZE Oregon Department of Forestry Oregon OSHA

GEM Harvester Products: MAXIMIZE YOUR RUNTIME Advanced Technology - Precision

HARVESTER BARS REPLACEMENT TIPS HARVESTER SPROCKETS MEASURING WHEELS HARVESTER CHAIN BAR REPAIR

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Extensive Field Testing - Creating products that perform and last for the skilled worker in the field.

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Tentative Program and Agenda TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 11, 2018 6pm – Hilton Garden Inn, Corvallis, Oregon Pacific Logging Congress Board Meeting WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 Travel to Show THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 Demo Site – Logger Education Seminars and General Attendance Day Student Tours 7am - 4pm Off Site Parking and Shuttle to Site 8am - 4pm Live In-Woods Show Open 8am - 3pm Registration in Parking Area 9am - 2pm Education Day High School Tours Thursday Seminars–Each earns 1 Pro Logger Credit Seminar #1 9:00am - 9:30am Deadman and multi-stump anchoring, Sponsored by OSU Francisca Belart, PhD, assistant professor, extension specialist Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon Seminar #2 11am - 11:30am Tree, Stand & Management Considerations in Cut-ToLength Thinning Operations, Sponsored by OSU Stephen Fitzgerald, PhD, professor, extension silviculture specialist, Director, College of Forestry Research Forests Oregon State University Seminar #3 12pm - 12:30pm Protecting the Logging Workforce: Development of Innovative Logging Techniques for a Safer Working Environment, Sponsored by OSU John Garland, PhD, Emeritus Professor Oregon State University Seminar #4 1pm - 1:30 pm Drone applications, Sponsored by OSU Bogdan Strimbu, PhD, Assistant Professor Oregon State University 10

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4p.m ACTIVE SHOW EXHIBITS CLOSES (Last Van to Show Runs at 2:30pm) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 Demo Site – Logger Education Seminars and General Attendance Day Student Tours 8am - 4pm Off Site Parking and Shuttle to Site 8am - 4p.m. Live In-Woods Show Open 8am - 3pm Registration in Parking Area 9am - 2pm Education Day High School Tours Friday Seminars–Each earns 1 Pro Logger Credit Seminar #1 11am - 11:30am Winch-assist Harvesting: Why, How & Where?

Sponsored by PLC Hunter Harrill, PhD. University of Canterberry, NZ Seminar #2 12pm to 12:45 Machine Computer Systems, Sponsored by Ponsse Speaker: TBA Seminar #3 1pm – 1:30pm Equipment Trends, EPA Changes, and Current and Future Technology for Marketing Logging Gear, sponsored by Ritchie Bros.

Wayne Settle, Territory Manager, Ritchie Bros.

Jesse Evans, Territory Manager Ritchie Bros.

Ryan Roberts, Territory Manager Ritchie Bros.

4 p.m ACTIVE SHOW EXHIBITS CLOSES (Last Van to Show Runs at 2:30pm) 6:30pm

Hosted Beer & Wine and Entertainment Buffet Dinner at OSU Alumni Center Pacific Forest Foundation Education Silent and Live Auction

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2018 Demo Site – Open to the Public 8:00am - 1:00pm All exhibits open FREE to the public 1:00pm – Show closes

Nordic Traction Group, the parent company of Clark Tracks, Scotland and OFA, Finland, offers a full line of traction products. Nordic Traction has partnered with Wallingford's Inc., North America’s largest manufacturer and distributor of logging supplies, to market these tested and proven products throughout all of Canada.

www.nordictractiongroup.com

TRACTION SOLUTIONS for Harvesters, Forwarders, and Skidders.

Look for us at the Live In-Woods Show!

Paragon Soft

FX Heavy Duty Multi-Terrain

OFA specializes in the manufacturing of tire traction chains. At our state-of-the-art factory in Finland, special Boron alloy steel is converted into the highest quality tire chain. Prior to painting and packing, the chains are case-hardened which makes the products extremely durable with high surface hardness and provides excellent fatigue strength and a resilient core.

Clark Tracks specializes in developing and manufacturing forest machine tracks to suit both cut-to-length machines and skidders.

We supply tracks in various sizes and designs to suit virtually any terrain, the harshest climates and all machine types. From tracks for climbing to tracks with extreme flotation, Clark Tracks has something to suit your needs.

www.ofa.fi/en | www.ofa.fi/fr

www.clarktracks.com

Clark Tracks and OFA are marketed by Wallingford's Inc.

Call or visit Wallingford’s online to learn more.

800-323-3708 Find us on

www.wallingfords.com

Professional Logger Credits

H

ighly skilled professionals

are the backbone of the timber industry. They not only set the standard for excellence, but they are looked to for their knowledge of the most current rules, regulations and techniques.

The 2018 Pacific Logging Congress will provide attendees to earn up to 9 credits.

During the live wood show there will be over a half-dozen seminars presented by Oregon State University professors, as well as other industry professionals.

You can also earn two extra credits for just attending the PLC Live In-Woods Show.

Planning Your Classes

For more information on the seminars, please turn to page 11. There you will find the topic, instructions and the maximum credits you will be able to earn during the show.

These credits are applicable toward Professional Logger Certification and fulfillment requirements as outlined in the Sustainable Forest Initiative.

Please note, all individuals attending seminars much sign in at the end of each seminar.

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Registration

8th Live In-Woods Show – September 13-15, 2018 Pacific Logging Congress • P.O. Box 26 • Eatonville, WA 98382 360-832-1745 • 235-777-8077 ADDITIONAL SHOW PASSES — EACH PERSON MUST HAVE A PASS IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE SHOW ____________ Show Pass/Registration @ $15us each 1-day pass

$ _________

____________ Show Pass/Registration @ $30us for the 3-day pass

$ _________

Pacific Forest Foundation Auction and Loggers Dinner ticket (s) __ @ $60 each

$ _________

TOTAL DUE (FULL PAYMENT DUE IN US FUNDS) Payment by check is preferred.

$ _________

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO PACIFIC LOGGING CONGRESS, IN U.S. FUNDS Credit Card: Visa __ MC __ Card #__________________________________________________________ Exp. _____ Zip Code mailing address on credit card ___________________________________ Security Code ____________ Send Confirmation Attn: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Firm _________________________________________________ Telephone_______________________________________ Firm Address __________________________________________________ Fax_____________________________________ City_____________________________________________________________ State__________ Zip_____________________ ATTENDEE PASSES - You MUST have a pass to enter the show grounds.

You can also register online at www.pacificloggingcongress.com 12

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All New

XT-5 Series

This Changes Everything!

Redesigned from the Ground Up to Deliver More Productivity, Reliability & Durability.

New Komatsu XT-5 Series Feller Bunchers • Gull-Wing Style Engine Hood Folds Down to Serve as an Elevated Service Work Platform Providing Excellent Service Access.

• Komatsu’s Exclusive “KOMTRAX® Remote Equipment Monitoring & Management Telematics System” is Standard on Every Machine.

• Greater Lift Capacity at Full Reach vs. XT-3: +77% for XT430-5, XT435L-5 & XT445L-5; +15% for XT465L-5.

• New Tier 4 Final Engine Provides More Horsepower, Torque & Displacement and Lowers Fuel Consumption by Up To 10%. Lower Fuel Consumption is Achieved Through the Use of Advanced Engine • Relocated the State-of-the-Art Operator’s Cab to the Left Side of the & Hydraulic Control Systems. No SCR Cleaning is Required When Machine with Each Set of Tracks Now Visible Through Side Door the Machine is Being Operated According to Normal Duty Cycles. and Boom Side Windows.

• New Rear-Mounted Cooling System Has Larger: Radiator, Charge • New Komatsu Rugged Undercarriages Provide Significantly Longer Air Cooler (CAC) and Single Hydraulic Cooler.

Service Life Due to Improved Track Chain Links, Track Roller Bushings, Track Sliders, Idler & Cushion Assembly and Track Guards. • New Forestry-Specific Hydraulic Hose & Tube Guarding System © 2018 by Komatsu America Corp. All rights reserved. All comparisons and claims of improved performance are made with respect to the prior Komatsu XT-3 Series models unless otherwise specifically stated. Up to 10% lower fuel consumption results are based on using the XT445L-5 prototype vs. the XT445L-3 model - each operator’s results may vary. Trademarks and service marks used herein are the property of Komatsu Ltd., Komatsu America Corp., or their respective owners or licensees. Photos may include optional equipment.

www.modernmachinery.com

Kent, WA Rochester, WA Spokane, WA Portland, OR

800-669-2425 800-304-4421 800-541-0754 800-950-7779

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Missoula, MT Billings, MT

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The McDonald-Dunn Research Forest

By Mary Bullwinkel

T

he Dunn Research Forest,

where the 8th Annual Pacific Logging Congress Live In-Woods Show is taking place in September 2018, is located north of Corvallis, Oregon, on the western edge of the Willamette Valley.

It is a 6,200-acre piece of the McDonaldDunn Research Forest.

In 1947 Oregon State University (OSU) Dean Paul Dunn worked very hard, in spite of opposition from the college and school of forestry, to acquire 6,200 acres of forest and agricultural land that had been used for training by Camp Adair during World War II. The U.S. Government had originally acquired this parcel from nearly 40 different landowners through purchase and condemnation proceedings. At the time, OSU President A.L. Strand was somewhat opposed to the acquisition because $2,000 was needed to survey the land, which was valued at $250,000. Dean Dunn persuaded the college to pursue the acquisition, and the transfer came through the Wars Assets Administration. The following use mandates were stated in the deed: For 25 years, the property must be used in connection with the School of Agriculture and the School of Forestry as a “teaching laboratory,” to conduct useful research in all phases of the proper use of the lands, and for incidental purposes pertaining to the

management, but for no other uses.

For those 25 years, a semi-annual report showing these uses had to be filed with the War Assets Administration.

The land could not be sold for 25 years, but mature timber could be harvested in accordance with sound forestry practices and the proceeds used for research purposes by the School of Agriculture and the School of Forestry.

Wide publicity was required concerning the dangers inherent in the explosive contamination of the property.

The McDonald Forest was established in 1926 when OSU Dean George Peavy and T.J. Starker secured donations and began purchasing the land. The benefactress in this instance was Mary McDonald, a wealthy businesswoman whose late husband had built up large holdings of timberland in southern Oregon and northern California.

In 1927 she began donating land in southern Oregon, which OSU subsequently sold, and also donating money to finance the acquisition of McDonald Forest lands. McDonald wanted her donations to help young people learn about forestry and agriculture.

3,000 acres of the McDonald Forest had been acquired when Mary McDonald died in 1935. In her will, she left all of her Oregon property to the Oregon Agricultural College, stating specifically that she wanted it to be used for “research work.”

The McDonald-Dunn Research Forest consists of approximately 11,250 acres of predominantly forested land, west of U.S. Highway 99, just north of Corvallis. The forest occupies a ridge system that projects eastward into the Willamette Valley. The forest is somewhat isolated topographically from the rest of the Oregon Coast Range, residing in the rain shadow created by it.

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JohnDeere.com/ForestSight

OUTRUNª DOWNTIME. H E L P S H O U L D A R R I V E Q U I C K LY. I T S H O U L D A L S O C O M E P R E P A R E D. Wear and tear in the woods is inevitable — and so are repairs.

Ask your John Deere dealer how their trained technicians use JDLink™ telematics and exclusive remote diagnostics and programming to reduce downtime and repair costs. Only John Deere puts this advantage in your corner. And you, a few steps ahead.

HARVESTING

ON STEEP SLOPES

PONSSE TRACTION ASSISTANCE WINCH 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 soil from rutting and erosion, saves fuel and reduces stress in drive transmission components.

PONSSE SYNCHROWINCH allows effective logging in areas where previously only expensive and slow special logging methods have been used. The winch speed is automatically synchronized to machine driving speed so the operator doesn’t need to operate or adjust it during normal work.

Cable tension can be set and winch can be operated from a remote control unit, making it easy to hook the cable to e.g. a tree or a stump uphill. Optional tiltable loader makes loader working efficient and easy.

PONSSE Synchrowinch is available for PONSSE Ergo and Bear harvesters and Buffalo, Elephant and ElephantKing forwarders.

PONSSE NORTH AMERICA INC 90712 Huntley Ct. Coburg, OR 97408 Office: 541-343-6926

ROCKY MOUNTAIN, US S.W., AND ALASKA SALES Sean Vann 406-290-1717 sean.vann@ponsse.com

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALES Jouni Viitikka 541-359-2647 jouni.viitikka@ponsse.com

HARVESTER & PROCESSING HEAD SALES MANAGER Håkan Berg 715-318-6740 hakan.berg@ponsse.com

A logger’s best friend www.ponsse.com

Y

You Won’t Go Hungry ou won’t go hungry at this year’s PLC Live In-Woods Show. There will be three vendors to keep your stomachs from grumbling.

INFUSION

Need a snack or a blast of caffeine before the show? No worries! The Infusion coffee bus will be in the parking area, where you will be taking the shuttle up to the show. The family-owned coffee bus will be serving all varieties of espresso drinks, fun blended and iced drinks, as well as snacks.

Once you’re inside the show, two unique vendors will be offering food throughout the day.

Dough on the Go

If it’s pizza you want, this is your stop.

Dough on the Go cooking up on their pizzas on site in a wood-fired pizza oven. They will

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FUSION

be offering six different pizzas — Sicilian, traditional pepperoni, margarita, vegetarian, Hawaiian and Trash Ant Pizza (zesty sauce with mozzarella check, Italian sausage and more).

This family-owned food truck, will be serving up an eclectic array of delicious foods from the very Vietnamese to the very American. You will be able to choose from items like spring rolls, chicken bacon ranch salad wraps, chicken curry, sweet potato tots, brownies . . . and more. They also offer a wide selection of beverages.

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PLC Auction and Loggers‘ Dinner

By Mary Bullwinkel

A

busy day in the woods will surely produce hearty appetites, and the place to go will be the Loggers’ Buffet, followed by the live and silent auctions where all proceeds will benefit the Pacific Forest Foundation’s educational programs.

Dinner

Hosted beer and wine, along with entertainment, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center on the Oregon State University campus. Tickets are $60 per person for the buffet dinner, and Pacific Logging Congress President Jeff Wimer promises a fun-filled evening and the opportunity to visit with friends, while relaxing after a hard day’s work.

• Pair of Talkabout T631 H2O - waterproof, floating two-way radios, donated by DayWireless • Handmade cribbage board, donated by Todd Gordon • Double headed axe, donated by Log Max • Weyerhaeuser Recreational Access Permit, donated by Weyerhaeuser • Competition throwing axe, donated by Mike Pihl • Grease system install, donated by Groeneveld USA

Auction

The auction will include all kinds of “must haves’, and Ritchie Bros auctioneers will keep the auction lively and fun.

The proceeds fund the Pacific Forest Foundation’s education programs such as Adopt a High School, student visits to the In-Woods shows, college scholarships ($18,000 was awarded in 2018), It Takes a Tree curriculum, and distribution of the PLC’s video This Is My Office.

Here are just a few of the items that are included in the 2018 live and silent auctions: • NASCAR trip, donated by Caterpillar • Wooden bowl, handmade by PLC President, Jeff Wimer • Pickup chains, donated by White Mountain Chain • Selection of logging books, donated by Toby Murray • Antique mill scaler, donated by the PLC 20

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• Models and Tigercat gear, donated by Tigercat • Golf supplies, donated by TLA • Italian meals basket, donated by Mary Gordon • $500 Cabela’s gift card, donated by Green Diamond Resources • 4 gift baskets, donated by Sierra Pacific Industries • Guided Brewery tour and tasting for four, donated by Flat Tail Brewing Co. • Beer lovers gift bag, donated by Block 15 Brewing Co. • Gift basket, including hat and vest, donated by Triad Machinery • Wooden, heart-shaped bowl, donated by Triad Machinery • Gift basket (includes two fleece jackets), donated by Triad and Tigercat • Jacket, hat and golf balls, donated by Triad/Link-Belt • Wooden racoon artwork, donated by Willis Enterprises • OLC registration and logo hear, donated

by Oregon Logging Conference • Gift box (coffee and mug), donated by Allan’s Coffee & Tea • Gift basket, donated by Peterson Pacific • Custom fabricated outdoor fire ring, donated by Sierra Pacific Industries • Custom made sign, donated by Gem Chain Bar . . . and much more.

Supporting Ongoing Education

Handmade bowl by Jeff Wimer.

The auction proceeds help the PLC continue their ongoing education for both the public and the next generation. One of the PLC’s newer programs is the Adopt A High School program.

Some of the high school students who will visit the In-Woods Show this year have already experienced the program firsthand. Instead of employers waiting for high schoolers to approach them, employers are going into schools to attract and teach young people with vocational leanings about the careers that await them in the woods.

The Pacific Forest Foundation is the nonprofit educational arm of the Pacific Logging Congress, and all donations to its programs are tax deductible.

To order tickets for this evening of friends and fun, visit www.pacificloggingcongress.com or call PLC for more details at (360) 832-1745.

TW

The Pacific Logging Congress Makes an Impact Today and Tomorrow

By Mary Bullwinkel

T

he Pacific Logging Congress

isn’t just your ordinary association.

Members come from the forest management side of the forest industry in the Western United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Membership consists of managers, owners of logging companies, lumber mills or forest products companies, manufacturers, and forestry equipment dealers.

History

The first meeting of the Pacific Logging Congress (PLC) was held in Seattle, Washington, in July 1909. The three-day meeting covered sanitation, food supply, health care, use of electricity in logging, elimination of fire hazards, fire prevention, how to log on grades too steep for locomotives, and a tax increase (50 cents per thousand board feet) facing loggers in Mendocino County, California.

At the first meeting, PLC Secretary George Cornwall said something that still holds true today. He said, “Loggers should have frequent contact if they expect to keep pace with the changing times and benefit

from associated effort and a frank exchange of views…” Today, the Pacific Logging Congress is proud to call itself “the unified voice of the western logging industry.”

Historically, the PLC was a combined equipment show and convention where the newest logging equipment and supplies were exhibited. Meetings were held with educational and informational presentations about the logging industry from safety to logging techniques, and political activities were heard.

Today’s PLC

Today, the PLC and Pacific Forest Foundation have a strong priority of educating students, teachers, and the public about timber harvesting and forestry.

The PLC produced the video This Is My Office, distributed to address the shortage of forestry labor. This video targets careeroriented young people, taking viewers on location to various logging sites, where employees talk about what they do in the timber industry, highlighting job opportunities.

Through the PLC’s 501(c)(3) Pacific Forest Foundation, scholarships are awarded annually for advanced education in industry subjects such as forestry, forest or civil engineering, or a business degree. Scholarships

President Jeff Wimer introduces the OSU crew that has worked on the 8th PLC Live In-Woods Show site.

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are also awarded to students pursuing trade skills, such as welding, fluid power, electrical, or diesel technology.

This year $18,000 was awarded to deserving students pursuing a career in the forest industry.

Recently the PLC developed the Adopt a High School program, which is designed to help loggers recruit, develop, and retain local novice talent. Instead of a logging company or equipment manufacturer waiting for workers to come to them, they personally go to the high schools to connect with the students — their future employees. Since it began two years ago, the program continues to grow and reach students throughout the northwest.

Public education is very important for the future of our industry. Because of this, every four years the PLC hosts the Live In-Woods Show, where equipment manufacturers demonstrate their products in an actual logging operation format. This is an excellent opportunity for teachers, students, and the general public to get an up-closeand-personal look at the safest and most environmentally advanced logging methods that are now being used and meet those of us who make our living in the woods.

A hike during the PLC summer meeting.

Duane Doyle Jr. and Doug Mays

Checking out the valley in 2017.

Professional Development

The PLC isn’t just about educating the public. The association also works to assist its members with professional development, providing a variety of ways to support members throughout their careers.

• Continuing Career Education. Annual meetings allow members to learn about current issues, technology, and solutions from industry experts.

• Professional Logger Credits. Professional logger credits can be earned at both the annual meetings as well as the Live InWoods Show.

• Career Growth. Careers are enhanced through the exchange of thoughts and ideas with industry professionals at PLC functions.

If you aren’t already a PLC member, consider joining. Your efforts, combined with your fellow professionals, will have an impact on our industry today . . . and tomorrow!

TW

Unveiling a new

generation.

The revolutionary forestry tool that changed the industry is changing it again. Get ready, because the new Pierce GP Pro Series is more advanced than ever before.

The GP Pro Series represents the best of Pierce’s pioneering spirit, innovative engineering and state-of-the-art technology.

We’re not only in the business of improving our equipment, we’re in the business of improving your production. No other forestry tool makes a bigger impact on productivity than the GP Pro Series.

PROSERIES

Strong. Dependable. Innovative.

WWW.PIERCEPACIFIC.COM

TOLL FREE: 800.760.3270 PORTLAND, OREGON

VISIT OUR BOOTH SEPTEMBER 13-15 CORVALLIS, OREGON

Reaching Out to the Next Generation

By Mary Bullwinkel

A

s reflected in the theme of

the 8th Annual Pacific Logging Congress Live In-Woods Show — Reaching Out to the Next Generation — Thursday and Friday will focus on informing high school students about the logging industry and the employment opportunities it holds.

High school students will be hosted for two days in the woods on the Oregon State University McDonald-Dunn Research Forest, where the In-Woods show is taking place September 13-15, 2018.

The students will visit and learn about equipment used in the logging industry, as well as associated careers available.

Oregon State University will have a booth where students can ask questions and learn about educational opportunities at the college, including how to be a logger or forester, and which classes and skills are necessary to pursue these careers.

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One large timber company, Weyerhaeuser, will have a booth at the In-Woods show with information about company operations and careers.

Some of the students attending the In-Woods show have already been learning firsthand about the timber industry by participating in a program known as Adopt a High School, which began over two years ago.

The program is designed to help loggers recruit, develop, and retain employees. It attracts and teaches young people with vocational leanings and helps them develop the skills needed to start a career in the woods.

Logging and equipment companies can adopt a high school and personally educate

the students about the timber industry and employment opportunities. It is a means for companies to take proactive steps to engage the available workforce, while positioning themselves for the future.

With some high school students interested in going right to work when they graduate versus pursuing a two-year or four-year college, the Adopt a High School program lets the students know that there are jobs available now in the timber industry. Students learn how to turn their goal of pursuing a career in the timber industry into a reality.

The PLC hopes that this year’s conference will make real strides in connecting with that next generation.

TW

GROUND UP

PURPOSE-BUILT FROM THE

GET THE DETAILS ON WHY YOUR NEXT LOG HANDLING MACHINE SHOULD BE A SENNEBOGEN

Only SENNEBOGEN

log loaders are purpose-built one machine at a time to meet your goals.

Stack higher • Move faster • Work safer Think of the possibilities! See how SENNEBOGEN can purpose-build the right machine for you at

www.sennebogen-na.com/forestry www.sennebogen-na.com | +1-704-347-4910

• Diesel and electric-drive machines from 44,000 to 750,000 lbs.

• Full range of rubber tired, tracked and stationary models with customized boom & stick configurations.

Right, Mark Standley standing with his son Mark.

All the Buzz Drone technology in the forest

By Mary Bullwinkel

I

t is quite literally all the buzz in the

logging industry. The use of drones in logging is making the industry safer and more efficient.

Even though there are many who are still unsure of the use of drones in logging operations, there are growing numbers of people who are and who believe that the time has come.

There are many ways drone technology can enhance logging operations, such as pulling haywire and rope, reducing hazards

when falling danger trees, and taking aerial photographs and videos.

Drones, also known as UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), are radio-controlled. Most are either pre-programmed prior to flight or monitored during flight to do a specific set of tasks on a specific flight path.

Pacific UAV Technology LLC has designed a drone specifically for use in the logging industry, and at least three such drones are now being used. This technology will be demonstrated at the Pacific Logging Congress Live In-Woods Show.

The designer, Mark Standley, is a View from a drone.

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Drone in operation. fifth-generation logging safety professional with over 40 years of logging experience, and currently at least three logging companies are using his specially-designed drones in their operations. Standley says drones can increase profits and reduce unnecessary injuries and accidents.

Vice President of Big Horn Logging, and the drone creator’s son Mark Standley Jr. speaks highly of using drones in logging.

Big Horn Logging is one company using the drone for tasks such as pulling line and pulling rope to help make layouts.

“No more climbing through the draw.

The rope can be flown to the other side by drone!” says Standley Jr. He adds that the drone can do it faster than is humanly possible. “It can string a 3,000-foot road in nine minutes — it would normally take two guys two days to do that.”

With a capacity of 20 pounds, the drone can be used for flying other logging equipment, such as small power saws, across canyons. It also has a camera, which can be used for site silviculture mapping and surveying, aerial photography, and 3D imaging of landscapes. These drones have a flight time of up to 27 minutes and speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.

Come see for yourself. It’s just one of the new pieces of machinery getting some buzz at this year’s PLC Live In-Woods show.

TW

Exhibitor Listings ALBACH USA

Mancheser, NH 05400 hmseelmann@gmail.com www.albach-maschinenbau.de

Static Site

Albach manufactures a purpose-built, versatile mobile chipper with flexibility to work at capacity at landings.

CARCO INDUSTRIES INC. 20803 SW 105th Av Tualatin, Oregon 97062 503-612-6557 www.carcoindustries.com

Truck bodies, trailers and skids. Carco manufactures a wide range of fuel/lube bodies, mechanic crane and service vehicle bodies as well as crew carrier bodies.

CASCADE TRADER

1380 NW State Ave. Chehalis, WA. 98532 360-748-1182 www.cascadetrader.net

Static Site

Cascade Trader, Inc. offers parts, sales and service for the complete line of Doosan construction and forestry equipment, including wheel loaders, excavators, “purpose built” log loaders,

CATERPILLAR FOREST PRODUCTS 100 SL White Blvd LaGrange, Georgia 30241 706-888-4585 www.caterpillar.com

Live site - Tethered

Static Site

Since 1977, Eagle Carriage & Machine Inc. has been setting the standard for reliability, resilience and quality when it comes to manufacturing skyline carriage for the logging industry. Come see a live demonstration of their new carriage control system.

120 West Harvest Drive Lincoln, NE 68521 844-775-4448 www.forestrytrader.com

Static Site

Your go-to source for buying and selling new and used forestry equipment and attachments. You’ll find a wide range of equipment, including feller bunchers, processors/harvesters, delimbers, skidders, yarders, mulchers, grinders, log loaders, logging trucks and trailers, sawmills, and more, from Bandit, Barko, Cat, Deere, Link-Belt, Morbark, Peterson Pacific, Ponsse, Rayco, Tigercat, Timbco, Vermeer, and many other manufacturers.

GEM BAR CHAIN

P.O. Box 2608 Grangeville, ID. 83530 208-983-0213 www.gemchainbar.com

Static Site

Active Site: Full Tree Sponsors: Platinum

Watch a whole tree harvesting demo of the Cat. Peterson Cat representatives will be available to talk to you about financing, services and all the machines, attachments and parts you need for road construction, logging, millyard and forest management. Total support from one source.

DIAMOND MOWERS

350 E. 60Th. St. N. Sioux Falls, SD. 57104 605-977-3308 www.diamondmowers.com

GEM utilizes automation and robotics to continually increase production capacity, quality and consistency. GEM is focused on a future that employs technology, innovations and extensive field testing to manufacture “Made in the USA” products that lead the harvester industry.

HEALTHY FORESTS, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES 18376 SW Salmonberry Lane Sherwood, OR 97140 503-515-4206 www.healthyforests.org

Static Site

Static Site

Diamond Mowers is a company built from the ground up with American values and a Midwestern work ethic. Its first priority is to provid you with the toughest, smartest, most reiliable and safest equipment in the market. For over 40 years they have offered face-to-face, handshake guarantees on every product they construct.

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HUSQUVARNA

62500 Commerce Rd. La Grande, OR 97850 541-963-4646 www.eaglecarriage.com

FORESTRY TRADER

Static Site

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Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities is a nonprofit, 501(c)(4) organization. It is supported by individuals and businesses who are passionate about improving the health of our forests and the future of our rural, forested communities.

Originally founded in in 2013, it has grown and now advocates for active forest management through regional programs in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes States.

9335 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 500 Charlotte, NC 28269 480-579-4489 www.husqvarnagroup.com Husqvarna Group is a global leading producer of outdoor power products and innovative solutions. The Group’s products and solutions are sold under numerous brands to consumers and professionals in more than 100 countries.

INTEGRAL EQUIPMENT 75 Krick Rd. Salmon Arm, BC. V1E 3C6 250-804-8522 www.integralequipment.ca

Static Site

Integral Equipment’s Alpine products are highly versatile and efficient steep slope harvest management systems. They also offer a state-of-the-art remote controlled grapple and shovel yarders.

JEWELL ATTACHMENTS

18135 SW Boones Ferry Rd. Portland, OR 97224 503-352-8238 www.pattencat.com/allied/jewell-attachments

Static Site

Jewell boasts an array of products that are a perfect fit for all your needs. Offering attachments for booms, cabs, excavators, and grapples, Jewell has the missing piece to your equipment puzzle.

LBX COMPANY

2004 Buck Lane Lexington, KY 40511 859-245-3930 www.lbxco.com

Live Site: Tethered

Link-Belt Forestry machines are designed and built specifically for the work you do…whether it’s building access roads, harvesting timber in the woods or processing logs in the millyard. View the 4640 and 3740 forestry machines in action, along with other static machines.

MY LITTLE SALESMAN 1503 RR 620 N. S Lakeway, TX. 78734 www.mylittlesalesman.com

Publications at PLC tents

My Little Salesman reaches a monthly audience of more than 250,000 combined print and online buyers of trucks, trailers and heavy equipment.

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NO TIME TO WASTE.

SKID-STEER

ROTARY MOWER GEN II AVAILABLE NOW!

• Cuts up to 10” diameter trees or brush • Attaches simply and easily to your skid-steer • Configures with low-flow or high-flow hydraulics • Available in 60”, 72”, or 84” cutting width

Diamond Mowers builds heavy-duty equipment that is the toughest, safest, and most reliable in the business.

DEMAND BETTER. DEMAND DIAMOND.

CONTACT US :

800.658.5561

Info@DiamondMowers.com

www.DiamondMowers.com

MODERN MACHINERY/KOMATSU 461- Cloudburst Way Eugene, OR. 97402 541-689-5429 www.modernmachinery.com

Static Site

Static Site

A diverse product line gives Modern the capability to satisfy the equipment needs of its customers. Products include hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, crawler tractor dozers, backhoe loaders, skid-steer loaders, pavers, milling machines, graders, feller-bunchers, harvesters, forwarders, processors, log loaders, and more.

4909 SE International Way Portland, OR 97222 530-702-8240 www.oregonproducts.com

Static Site

Oregon is a global manufacturer and marketer of sawbars, sawchain, sprockets and sharpening equipment for chainsaws, processors and harvester heads. In addition Oregon manufactures replacement parts, equipment, and accessories for the forestry, lawn, garden; farm, ranch, agriculture; and concrete cutting markets. Oregon sells its products in more than 110 countries around the world.

OREGON WOMEN IN TIMBER P.O. Box 760 Dallas, OR. 97338

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Oregon Women in Timber is a state-wide, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating awareness of the importance of forests, trees and wood products in our daily lives.

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY College of Forestry 8692 Peavy Arboretum Rd. Corvallis, OR 541-737-3562 www.forestry.oregonstate.edu

Live Site: Tethered Static Site Sponsors: Platinum

OREGON

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503-917-9205 www.orwit.org

The OSU College of Forestry is an internationally recognized leader that is transforming education, research and policy for managing and sustaining working forest ecosystems in the 21st century.

The Student Logging Training Program will feature a standing skyline cable logging system with a motorized carriage. Visit http://sltp.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ for more info.

OREGON FOREST RESOURCES INSTITUTE 317 SW Sixty Ave. #400 Portland, OR 97204 971-673-2951 www.oregonforests.org

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Sponsors: Platinum

The Oregon Forest Resources Institute is dedicated to advancing public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products, and encouraging sound forestry through landowner education.

PACIFIC LOGGING CONGRESS P.O. Box 26 Eatonville, WA 98328 360-832-1745 www.pacificloggingcongress.com

Sponsors: Platinum Static Site

The Pacific Logging Congress is the unified voice of the western forest industry. Founded in 1909, the PLC has sought to educate politicians, educators, their students as well as the general public about the need for sound responsible forestry.

PACIFIC UAV TECHNOLOGY P.O. Box 1604 Clatskanie, OR. 97016 503-434-0148 www.pacificuavtech.com

Live Site: Whole Tree

Pacific UAV Technology helps you integrate drone technology into your business planes. See the drones in operation and the services they can provide.

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PAPÉ MACHINERY

PETERSON PACIFIC

Live Site: Cut to Length

Live Site: Whole Tree, Cut to Length, Chipping

Active Site: Chipping and Grinding Sponsor: Gold

QUADO/SOUTHSTAR/LOG MAX

355 Goodpasture Island Rd. #300 Eugene, OR. 97401 541-683-5073 www.papemachinery.com

Papé is your John Deere, Hitachi and Morbark dealer for Wash., Ore., Western Nevada and Northern Calif. Its exhibit in the chipping, cutto-length and whole tree area will feature Deere’s 909M, 2156G LL, 2154G, 1470G, 1910G. At the chipping area, see the Morbark 3200 grinder and the Hitachi ZX130-VI.

PETERSON CAT

4421 NE Columbia Blvd.

Portland, Oregon 97218 503-280-1540 • Fax: 503-280-1580 www.petersoncat.com

Active Site: Full Tree Sponsors: Platinum

Peterson Cat is Northern California, Oregon, and southwest Washington’s authorized Caterpillar dealer. We’re your source for Caterpillar machinery, portable and stationary diesel-powered generators, natural gas turbines, equipment guidance systems, and more. Visit us online at petersoncat. com!

P.O. Box 40490 Eugene, OR 97404 541-255-6376 www.piercepacific.com

Peterson Pacific Corp., a subsidiary of Astec Industries, Inc., is a premiere manufacturer of grinders, disc and drum chippers, flails, screens, stackers and blower trucks. Come see the 5710D horizontal grinder in operation.

PIERCE

P.O. Box 30509 Portland, OR. 97230 503-808-9110 piercepacific.com

Static Site

Since 1931, the professionals at Pierce have been designing, engineering, manufacturing, delivering and supporting customized products that meet the demands of heavy industry – and the equally demanding needs of our customers.

PONSSE

90712 Huntley Court Coburg, OR 97408 541-343-6926 www.ponsse.com

ScorpionKing and Bear with Ponsse Synchrowinch in operation, as well as the ElephantKing and BuffaloKing both with Ponsse Synchrowinch, the Buffalo, and the ElephantKing with clambunk.

169 Industrial Drive Lexington, SC. 29072 www.quadco.com

Static Site

Stop by and see a full range of forestry attachments, which includes Quadco felling heads, Southstar large harvester heads and the Log Max harvesting heads.

RAGANAR ORIGINAL INNOVATION (ROI) P.O. Box 348 Chester, NH. 03036 603-244-7000 www.roi-equipment.com

Static Site

ROI is a manufacturing company designed to address the varied and growing needs and opportunities of the material processing industries.

ROI has developed a robust, technology-enabled product line with application and appeal across multiple industry sectors.

SUMMIT ATTACHMENTS & MACHINERY

2401-D Talley Way Kelso, WA 98626 503-806-9323 www.summitattachments.com

Live Site: Tether

Established in 2004, in Kelso, Washington, Summit Attachments & Machinery designs and manufactures machinery and systems serving the logging industry. See their innovative machines in action.

SUPERIOR TIRE SERVICE

33960 Old Willamette Highway Eugene, OR. 97405 541-744-2000 www.superiortireservice.com

Static Site

Superior Tire Service delivers the lowest cost per mile by providing the safest, highest-performing, tire-related products to fit your unique transportation goals. It has four service hubs in Oregon and Washington State to provide additional offerings, including automotive repairs, on a regional level.

TIGERCAT INDUSTRIES St. Morton Ave. Brantford, Ontario N3T 5P9 250-979-8011 www.tigercat.com

Live Site - Tethered

The LX870D feller buncher and two LS855E shovel loggers will be demonstrating, and a 610E skidder on static display. Special guest, Hannah Dehoog aka “Logger Girl”, will be at the Tigercat stand throughout the show to meet and greet visitors!

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A WORKHORSE FROM DAWN TO DUSK. MANY MODELS, ENDLESS APPLICATIONS High volume wood waste recyclers know that when it comes to creating the highest volume products at the lowest cost per ton, Peterson horizontal grinders offer better fracturing, more accurate product sizing, and more throughput than any horizontal grinder on the market.

Since 1981, Peterson’s attention to detail and drive to build the highest quality, highest volume producing machines make a Peterson a sure investment.

Want to see what a Peterson Horizontal Grinder can do?

Give us a call at 800.269.6520 or visit us at www.petersoncorp.com

Blower Trucks

•

Chippers

•

Grinders

•

Screens

•

Stacking Conveyors

VALLEY TOOL

P.O. Box 220 Hughson, CA 95326 800-426-5615 www.valleytool.net

Static Site Static Site

T-MAR IND.

6228 139th Ct. SW Rochester, WA. 98579 360-490-1215 www.tmarequipment.com

Static Site

T-MAR’s team is 50 people strong including skilled fabricators, machinists, heavy duty mechanics, millwrights, mechanical engineers, and support staff. In addition to our successful remanufacture and repair business, T-Mar develops new products including hydraulic and cable grapples and its flagship LogChamp swing yarders.

TECHNICAL FOREST SOLUTIONS 2207 Talley Way, Kelso, WA. 98020 (360) 636-0300 www.technical forestsolutions.com

Static Site

Technical Forest Solutions LLC (TFS) has been named the exclusive dealer in western United States and western Canada for Electrical & Machinery Services LTD (EMS) located in Rotorua, New Zealand. Products include Tractionline, Harvestline and Hawkeye.

TIMBER HARVESTING MAGAZINE P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL. 36102 334-834-1170 www.timberharvesting.com

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Published 6 times a year, Timber Harvesting is known for its editorial integrity and depth, equipment and business information, commentary on U.S. wood fiber supply chain and a close alliance with the ALC - lending significance to its unique Logging Business of the Year recognition

TIMBERWEST MAGAZINE P.O. Box 610 Edmonds, WA 98020 425-778-3388 www.forestnet.com

Static Site Sponsor: Gold

Since 1975, each issue of TimberWest has been packed with valuable job stories about successful mechanized harvesting, wood processing techniques and equipment. Also inside you’ll find timely information on legislation, industry news, annual events, people profiles and products reviews.

U.S. PRIDE PRODUCTS 1516 110th Ave. Hammond, WI 54015 715-760-0907 www.usprideproducts.com

Live Site: Near Cut To Length

U.S. Pride Products offers a Hands Free Log Splitter, which attendees will have a chance to see at work at the show.

Valley Tool is the only tool distributor in the area that also provides manufacturing and resharpening services, allowing it to be your one-stop source for all your cutting needs.

WALLINGSFORD’S INC.

1010 Kennedy Memorial Drive Oakland, ME 04963 800-323-3708 www.wallingfords.com

Static Site

Wallingford’s Inc.® is an international wholesaler of tire chain, logging supplies, and industrial supplies; the largest of its kind in North America.

Due to recent growth and to better meet the demand of its customers, Wallingford’s is proud to announce the addition of two new distribution centers located in Fife, Washington and Montréal QC, Canada.

WEYERHAEUSER CO - WESTERN 16821 SE McGillivray Blvd ste 210 Vancouver, Washington 98683 360-891-3385 www.weyerhaeuser.com

Sponsors: Platinum

Weyerhaeuser is inspired by trees. Their strength, vitality and unlimited potential to be transformed into useful products have guided its approach to business for more than a century. Trees and human ingenuity are equally precious, sustainable resources, and Weyerhaeuser is committed to growing both.

TW

MEET AND GREET WITH LOGGER GIRL. Have a chat with forestry equipment operator Hannah Dehoog to learn about her experiences as a logger girl.

What:

Chat, get a photo taken, and take home a free signed poster.

Where: At the Tigercat stand: 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm.

When:

Pacific Logging Congress, Sept 13th –15th in Corvallis, Oregon.

www.triadmachinery.com

www.tigercat.com

FireColumn

Fire Season Arrives with a Vengeance

By Lindsay R. Mohlere

I

t seems like fire season just arrived at our doorstep, knocked quietly, looked up and down the block, and then proceeded to kick in the door and wreak havoc, torching thousands of acres throughout the Northwest.

At this writing, there are more than 50 significant fires raging from the Canadian border south, east, and west, down into Northern California.

Of the many, the Carr Fire burning outside of Redding, California, is the deadliest. Over 202,000 acres have been torched and at least seven people have been killed, with several more missing. Nearly 6,000 people have been evacuated. The fire has razed 1,073 homes and 506 other structures, damaging an additional 258 other structures. Currently, the fire is a shade over 60 percent contained, burning in heavy timber areas and steep drainages, which are challenging firefighting efforts.

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As reported August 12, the Mendocino Complex Fire has charred over 331,399 acres, about the size of New York City, and is the largest blaze in California’s history. It is not contained either.

Most of the fires across our region were started by lightning or human behavior. The Angel Fire near Davenport, Washington, was started when a combine caught fire in a wheat field. The wind did the rest.

Preparedness Level Hits Top Spot

On July 29, the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, announced that the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) moved the National Fire Preparedness Level (PL) to 5. This is only the fourth time in a decade that the nation’s top wildland fire managers have dialed up the gauge on the wildfire situation to its highest and most severe level.

According to NMAC, PL 5 opens the door for increased military assistance beyond

what is already in use, and agency personnel in other positions may be activated for fire duty. International assets may or may not be considered and requested.

Oregon, Washington, and California have called up their respective National Guard units, sending hundreds of soldiers and airmen to firefighting training and then to the fires. It is probably just a matter of time before Idaho does the same.

Last year, the Preparedness Level got ramped up and hung at 5 for 40 days. That was August. We started a month ahead of last year. And it doesn’t look good going forward.

According to the National Weather Service, the hot, dry, and wind-driven weather conditions are predicted to stay the same for some time.

So far this year, 36,689 wildfires have burned over 4,151,098 million acres of federal, tribal, state, and private land in the United States. In comparison, the number of wildfires to date is slightly below the

FireColumn ten-year average of 38,620 fires. However, the ten-year average for the number of acres burned is 3,645,013 million, which is lower than current acres burned to date this year.

With the drought conditions throughout the West, I’m thinking maybe the fire managers should have brought the PL to 5 a lot sooner. It might be our new normal.

Physical Therapy and the Art of the Ax

The Forest Service, in an effort to boost efficiency and safety, is producing a new training manual for tree-topping techniques using lessons learned from “tactical athlete” training techniques and physical therapy.

The term, “tactical athlete” is commonly used to identify personnel in law enforcement, military, firefighting, and rescue professions who require unique physical training strategies aimed at optimizing occupational

physical performance. Hot Shot crews and smokejumpers are considered tactical athletes.

The USFS personnel are developing the manual with the assistance of physical therapists who are watching the biomechanics of cutting to find ways to prepare the body and train to use a saw or ax. They’re also looking at how physical therapy can influence, not only the physical training, but also how to manage the mental state in the workplace, before an injury happens.

Over a year ago, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries offered a Safety and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) grant commissioning the study to research, test, and develop a manual to help

prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries, which account for the largest percentage of compensable occupational claims within the logging industry. The study used wearable technology similar to technology used in collegiate and professional athletics and looked to particular logging jobs where musculoskeletal issues were prevalent. Rigging men, timber cutters, and equipment operators had most of these issues.

I think we’ll see more of this kind of collaboration as these studies shed a helpful light on some of the old-fashioned techniques we use in the woods and on the fire line to make a very difficult job just a little bit safer.

TW

What’s Burning Now!

Currently, there are 19 fires burning in Oregon and Washington. You can bet that’s going to change overnight. Winds are predicted at 10 – 20 mph, and the temperature will be climbing to the high 90s and possibly into triple digits.

• Crescent Mountain - Okanogan/ Wenatchee NF. • Cougar Creek - Okanogan/Wenatchee NF. • Taylor Creek - Medford District, BLM. • South Umpqua Complex - (3 fires), Umpqua NF. • Sugar Pine - Rogue River/Siskiyou NF. • Round Top - Rogue River/Siskiyou NF. • Union - Rogue River/Siskiyou NF. • Angel Springs - Northeast Region, Washington DNR. • Klondike - Rogue River/Siskiyou NF. • Natchez - Rogue River/Siskiyou NF. • South Valley Road – The Dalles Unit, ODF. • Garner Complex - (3 fires), Grants Pass Unit, ODF. • Timber Crater 10 - Crater Lake National Park, NPS. • Sheep Creek - Northeast Region, Washington DNR. • Long Hollow 0806 RN - Prineville District, BLM. • Hendrix - Rogue River/Siskiyou NF. • Timber Crater 6 - Crater Lake National Park, NPS. • Miriam - Okanogan/Wenatchee NF. • Pole Creek - Vale District, BLM. That’s a wrap. Stay safe out there!

(Source: InciWeb, ODF, WA/DNR, NWCC, USFS, AP, NIFC, Missoulian, Strength and Conditioning Journal)

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ContractorProfile

Montana Logger Finds His Niche in Fire Salvage and Cleanup Hall Wood Processing Potomac, Montana

By Barbara Coyner

D

oug Hall, owner of Hall Wood Processing at Potomac, Montana, near Missoula, is in a lineup of loggers who specialize in salvage logging and fire cleanup. He has made a niche for himself with both the state and Forest Service, doing the follow-up

work necessary to help restore forest lands.

With contracts that began in late 2017 for the State of Montana and the federal government, Hall and his crews addressed charred lands near Thompson Falls, some of which burned two years ago. On the state sale, another logger was actually logging the area when fire swept through, torching a piece of equipment. That logger was

subsequently called to work on a different location, and Hall took over.

Quick Action

“Everyone was really surprised to see the Forest Service get a sale out that fast,” he says of the deadly Roaring Lion Fire that struck southwest of Hamilton in the Bitterroot Valley in 2016.

Armed with two Timbco feller bunchers, a stable of John Deere skidders, and a custom AFE mastication head mounted on a Volvo excavator, Hall has figured out the right toolbox for the dirty work.

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ContractorProfile “It’s best to work in winter on these projects,” Hall adds. “Last year we worked in a lot of boulders, which can be tough on crews and equipment. There was a lot of soot clogging the air cleaners, the guys were getting all dirty and were cranky. It was really hard on machines, and some of the tracks had to be rebuilt after the work we did. But I hate to see timber go to waste, and that’s why we bid on the jobs.”

Dirty Work

Armed with two Timbco feller bunchers, a stable of John Deere skidders, and a custom AFE mastication head mounted on a Volvo excavator, Hall has figured out the right toolbox for the dirty work. Deere 648 skidders remain traditional all-around favorites because they are quiet with lots of power.

And the mastication head adds the specializing touch for making the jobs look nice once the logs are cut, skidded, and hauled.

“It has a thumb on it to move things around,” he adds about the masticating equipment. “It really spruces up a job and makes things look nice.”

Chipping Residuals

When it comes to chipping up residuals, Hall is no Johnny-come-lately. He, his dad, and his brother all got into making hog fuel and chips back in 1982. Doing work at University of Montana’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest, the Hall team gained a reputation for making a clean product for the nearby pulp mill, after they acquired a portable chipper, a skidder, and other machinery needed for producing chips. But transportation of woody biomass, not to mention the cleanliness of the product, was a constant struggle.

When the debarker exploded in 1984, the Hall team turned to hauling small diameter logs to the mill and cleaning up messes left by big logging operations. Plum Creek hired them to come in behind larger contracting operations if further logging was advised in a certain area, but by 1994, Doug was ready to fly solo and branch out into cut-to-length.

Years of Firefighting

Before all the timber work, Doug had already built a resume in firefighting. In 1968, at the age of 12, he went out on his first fire with his father, Robert Hall. Doug’s older brother Phil, 15, also joined them in the firefighting work for the Blackfoot Forest Protection Association. A few years later, at age 18, Doug built his first fire engine. Then during 1975 to 1977, the state hired him for fire suppression as he rounded up crews and equipment. A seasoned firefighter and past (continue on page 42)

Doug and Jeanne Hall and their four grandchildren. Front Aspen and Lyza Zupan, back Ashbeigh, Doug and Bridget Hall.

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ContractorProfile (continued from page 41) fire chief at Potomac, he knows fire behavior, favoring the state’s method of initial attack of a fire over the experimental federal “let it burn” methods.

With the combined background in fire behavior and logging, Hall has been fashioning a strong resume for the kind of work being done in today’s logging world. Yet he shuns moving into line machines and steep slope logging. At age 61, he just isn’t ready to turn that far in a different direction when he already has a niche. “At my age, I am not going to do it, and if I can’t do it, I don’t want to ask others in my crew to do it.”

Staying Diversified

This Volvo excavator is a vital piece of Hall’s equipment lineup. any logging. But with the constant threat of wildfires, he also meets more people willing to work toward defensible space on their properties. That procedure now often includes selective thinning, chipping to give

the property a clean look, and some careful thought as to when to log to maximize value at the mill.

“Logging is becoming the sideline,” Hall notes of the approach. “On private land, it’s

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In truth, Hall sees the favorable road extending out before him, and yes, that does include plenty of road building. With solid contracts for Idaho Forest Group out of St. Regis, and Pyramid Lumber at Seeley Lake, the work is already lined up. State jobs and federal salvage jobs continue, but along with those jobs is another strong niche in working for private landowners.

As more people relocate from big cities to the remote forests of Montana, Hall sees his share of idealists who remain opposed to

ContractorProfile no longer about how to log, but instead, what do you want it to look like? If I hear somebody say it’s only about logging, that’s a red flag to me, and that’s not the way I want to work. I look at other people’s property as if it was my own, and I advise them the same way.”

Odd Requests

Pointing out the quirkiness of some newcomers to forest management, Hall has his stories about the unusual requests from landowners. Once he came out to a consultation, noting that there were several trees flagged, giving him the automatic thought that this was one landowner who knew which trees needed to be cut. The marked trees were crooked and spindly, but surprisingly those were the trees the landowner wanted left, instead asking Hall to cut the nice straight older trees because “they had less personality.”

Hall walked away from the job, appreciating the fact that he’s had many more landowners willing to trust him with the cutting.

Once those people wary of logging see what a good logging job looks like, they sign on, allowing Hall to keep his business going mostly by word of mouth.

Hall says that new stewardship projects allow for pre-selection of contractors with specialties that are site specific to the needs of an area.

Stewardship Projects

In the bigger picture of forest management, Hall returns to the overall danger in letting federal forests continue to be a battleground between idealistic groups and those living where wildfire remains a very real threat. There’s a bit of hope in new projects being advanced by the Forest Service, however. New stewardship projects allow for pre-selection of contractors with specialties that are site specific to the needs of an area, and within the select pool of candidates, contractors can bid on their specialty and get to work.

“It’s a neat project and it’s now going region wide,” Hall says, explaining a similar concept he worked on near Hungry Horse.

In that instance, he and his crew logged out the small stuff, then put them in a deck for another contractor to come in and deal with.

Using the mastication head, Hall’s crew did the final cleanup, completing the entire project under the fuels reduction model now being more accepted by the general population. Other little contracts allow for cleanup and fuels reduction in campgrounds, along with placement of culverts and other mitigation approaches. It’s a start on the bigger projects that many logging contractors feel are long overdue: thinning the overstocked western forests in the face of continuing wildfire danger.

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ContractorProfile

Taking on the Steep Slope C Galen Kuykendall Logging, Orofino, Idaho

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ContractorProfile

Challenge Owner Galen Kuykendall next to his TimberPro TL 745C.

By Barbara Coyner

G

alen Kuykendall chased

a dream of playing college football, but he ultimately opted to move back to his hometown, where for 20 years he has coached the football team at Orofino High School, his alma mater. The guy loves a challenge, competition, and strategy. So, it’s no surprise that Kuykendall decided to tackle winch-assisted steep slope logging for some of his timber contracts in north central Idaho’s Clearwater region.

More than a year into the game, he’s still polishing his technique, but seeing definite progress. This is a game he likes.

Learning from the Best

There are several reasons we moved this way, but the biggest reason was safety,” says the 53-year-old Orofino, Idaho, native of the new winch-assisted system. “That’s the whole reason this method was designed.

They’ve been doing it in New Zealand for quite a while. Potlatch Corporation, who we work for, put it out there for us to consider.”

Taking the first step toward transitioning to the new ways was critical. Kuykendall met up with Frank Chandler of Technical Forest Solutions (TFS). Chandler, owner of C & C Logging, has become fluent in steep slope techniques, equipment, and outcomes, so he worked closely with Kuykendall to devise the best system for dealing with steep slopes.

“I learned a lot from Frank,” says Kuykendall of Chandler, whose company is based in Kelso, Washington. Chandler got into winch-assisted steep slope concepts after visiting New Zealand in 2013.

“Every day is a learning curve,” Kuykendall Kuykendall selected the 855 Tigercat in part because of its sturdiness and stability on hillsides.

(continue on page 46)

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ContractorProfile

Working with the 855 Tigercat is a 330B Cat as the tether for the twin-line traction winch system — the innovative Tractionline. Kuykendall says the winch system is “well-built and it’s definitely built for safety.” (continued from page 45) continues. “I’m kind of excited about where we’re going with this. We went over to the coast with the Potlatch people, and they sent people over here, so we’ve really seen good support from everyone.”

Sturdiness and Reliability

As for equipment, Kuykendall placed his bets on a grapple saw approach. The choice was important, and also still somewhat unusual for the region, according to Chandler.

“There aren’t a lot of these in our area,” Kuykendall agrees.

“We researched really hard,and the grapple saw had more applications we could use.

It enables us to cut strips for the yarder, and it just gives us more options. It’s easier to cut

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going downhill. The grapple just allows us to cut the stump closer to the ground.”

With a variety of good base machines on the market, Kuykendall selected the 855 Tigercat, citing its sturdiness and stability on hillsides. The Tigercat and its Tigercat grapple have been paired with a 330B Cat as the tether for the twin-line traction winch system, the innovative Tractionline. He says the winch system is “well-built and it’s definitely built for safety. It’s a good product.”

Once all the equipment was rounded up, Kuykendall and operator Bart Walker went to work with traction lines and radio controls, experimenting with what worked best in terms of getting production up to speed.

Kuykendall has high praise for Walker and his abilities, and notes that production is going up.

New, Different, and Safer

“We’ve tried out a lot of ideas to see what works,” says Kuykendall. “We’ve bunched for the yarders, shovel logged, and tried having the Tigercat bring the logs to the landing.

We have to see what works for us and for Potlatch. But this whole system keeps our people safer, and that is what was intended when they developed the system.”

Kuykendall clearly is sold on the new way of doing things. “This technology is fast and amazing. It gets expensive to keep up with the changes, but you’ve got to try new things and you’ve got to keep up.”

Frank Chandler echoes Kuykendall in his evaluation of the emerging way of doing things. “The 855 with the grapple saw is relatively new, and it’s definitely different from a hot saw. The 855 is a light machine

ContractorProfile

Kuykendall employees 34 and is proud that many of them are long-term.

In addition to this Link-Belt 3740 operated by Rod Corder, Kuykendeall utilizes five Link Belt 240XZ stroke delimbers.

with good swing power, so there are quite a few of these machines in use. Winch-assist is the safest, most productive system on the market. The 855 has a very stable platform, it’s comfortable and very smooth and wellengineered. And the grapple saw gets the guys off the ground. It can totally eliminate choker logging, which is one of the most

dangerous jobs out there. The younger guys are really liking this way of doing things, and it’s a whole lot easier on the body.”

Researching for the Future

With a loyal crew of 34 employees, many of them long-term, Kuykendall values the safety of his workers. For now, he’s doing one

application with winch-assisted, still setting up a tower yarder and relying on a couple of choker setters to get logs to the landing.

He also keeps five stroke delimbers busy, harvesting timber mostly around the remote Headquarters area, two hours out of Orofino. (continue on page 48)

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ContractorProfile (continued from page 47) The terrain is steep, densely wooded, and has historically stayed in the hands of Potlatch Corporation, which began its tenure in the Idaho woods around 1900 under the Weyerhaeuser timber syndicate. Kuykendall has three yarder sides and a shovel logging side, and his five Link Belt 240XZ stroke delimbers have kept good production numbers. But as the machines age, Kuykendall is eyeing new dangle-heads.

“I’m researching that now,” he says, expressing an interest in a Komatsu 290 with a quad Southstar dangle-head. He’s had a Komatsu 390 in the past and likes some of the features. “The stroke delimber was king in its day, but now I am looking ahead. I will start with one and see what we think.”

Always alluding to his goal to satisfy Potlatch Corporation and nearby sawmills at Lewiston, Grangeville, and Weippe, Kuykendall often confers with company foresters on the latest and the greatest. But knowing the high cost of changing into new equipment, he does his homework thoroughly, as wife Mary keeps an eye on the books.

Riding the Roller Coaster

Coaching the local football team as he sees the last of his three children graduate

Posing with the Tigercat 855 is Bart Walker.

from high school this year, Kuykendall and his wife have watched the ups and downs of logging as a profession, but he seems to hang on well with the roller coaster ride.

Maybe it’s his coaching savvy. And maybe

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logging is just in his genes. Kuykendall’s dad worked in a sawmill, so his son gravitated toward woods work after college. “It got in my blood,” says Kuykendall, who attended Columbia Basin College and Lewis-Clark State College, where he majored in business, but liked football more. “I liked the competitive nature of working in the woods.”

Setting chokers for Richard Morgan in his early twenties, Kuykendall got a good break when he signed on with Medley Logging. “I worked hard for Dick,” says Kuykendall, referring to owner Dick Medley.

“He was looking to get out, so he set me up and mentored me. It was a state-of-the-art company at that time, and he gave me an opportunity.”

That was 30 years ago. These days, Kuykendall’s company runs five logging trucks of its own and also works with 20 gypo truckers. The goal is to get 50 loads out a day when the crews are all up and running.

Innovative and reliable equipment, with good crew members in a safe environment, are key strategies.

“Logging is always changing technologically, and it’s really evolved, changing to much more mechanical,” says Kuykendall.

“I’m just one of those guys that it just gets into my blood to try new things. We have good people working for us, and I am proud of them. In all, it’s a great industry. Things are cutting edge all the time, and that’s important to our business. The timber industry is constantly changing, and we’re changing with it.”

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EducationSpotlight

What to Know When Harvesting Burned Timber

By Andrea Watts

F

ollowing an outbreak of a

wildfire, news coverage usually focuses on the number of acres burned, the number of firefighters on the line, how incident commanders are combating the fire, or the people who have been displaced. Missing from the news is the behind-the-scenes work that doesn’t revolve around fighting the fire.

When the wildfires break out on privately owned forestland in stands of merchantable timber, foresters are scrambling to fill out forest practices permits and contacting mills to find buyers for the burned timber.

Once the burned area is deemed safe, that’s the cue for salvage operations to commence.

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Although harvesting burned timber is similar to harvesting green timber, there are additional safety considerations and operational differences that contractors should be aware of when working a salvage operation.

Timeliness and Proper Sorting Are Critical

Every logging operation has productivity goals, but time is even more critical when salvaging burned timber because its value decreases the longer it’s exposed to insects. “Bark beetles create a blue stain in the Ponderosa pine so we have to get the timber out early to negate those impacts,” says J. D. Marshall, the region manager for Hancock Natural Resource Group. He oversaw the company’s salvage operations

EducationSpotlight A Van Dyke Logging operation.

The company is based in Ione, Washington.

salvage operations. “The big thing is being able to identify when and how those insects are showing up and being able to sort the wood correctly,” Grose explains, adding, “Being able to look at a log and identify whether it has a boring beetle as opposed to a bark beetle is key and just takes a little training.”

Improper sorting can also affect a mill’s operations. “Our company mill won’t accept burned wood because it will contaminate the residual stream, although another nearby mill purchased the burned timber, he says.

The mills that Marshall worked with in northeast Washington also purchased the burned timber, and he and the mill owners were in regular contact to ensure that the sorting was being done correctly.

Environmental Considerations

The wildfire’s severity will determine how much vegetation or debris remains on the landscape, which can affect the water runoff during precipitation events.

“Even in areas where we didn’t salvage log, we were preparing the roads for increased flow,” Marshall explains. “That meant armoring them up with rock or pulling culverts that were a potential for risk.

We did a lot of road rocking to facilitate the operation.”

The crew also took additional protection such as spreading out the slash on the slopes to intercept the waterflow, as well as (continue on page 52)

following the 2015 wildfire season in northeast Washington.

Jeremy Grose, a forester who specializes in log and sales purchasing for SDS Lumber Company, which is based in Bingen, Washington, says that during the summer, insects begin appearing within a week or two following a burn.

Regarding the aftermath of a wildfire that went through a stand of 400 acres of mixed plantation and mature Douglas-fir on SDS Lumber Company Land in July 2017, Grose says, “We knew insects were going to be an issue, because about 50 percent of the salvage volume was potentially export volume prior to the fire.” The export market in question, such as Japan or China, determines the level of insect damage that is acceptable to sell.

In this case, the SDS crew only had about five weeks of salvaging logs for the export market. After that time, the value was adversely affected. “When all the insects came to the party, we had to shift the logs to the domestic market because the export market wouldn’t buy the logs,” Grose says.

This means that properly sorting the logs takes on additional importance during Van Dyke says because of the dust, his crew cleaned equipment and air filters more often during the harvest.

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EducationSpotlight Van Dyke logging at work using a Deere 748G-III.

(continued from page 51) breaking up the soils to help control where the water would flow.

A certain level of dust is expected when harvesting green timber, but dust is even more noticeable during salvage operations.

“Dust was a big one even for our layout contractors,” Marshall says. “Just walking on the ground in areas that had a pretty intense fire go through, you were just kicking up dust all day.”

Jim Van Dyke, owner of Van Dyke Logging, which is based in Ione, Washington,

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was one of several contractors working on salvage operations undertaken by Hancock Natural Resource Group. “Because of the dust, my crew had to clean the equipment and air filters more often,” he says.

Potential Working Hazards

Although crews might have been given the “all clear” to enter a site, that doesn’t necessarily mean the wildfire is totally extinguished; flare ups can occur when the soil is disturbed. Hand cutters, should be aware of hot spots, which are not always obvious, Grose warns. “We had to go out and put the

flare ups out, which was not enjoyable at all.”

After the first flare up incident, their cutters were provided extra extinguishers because they were using several a day putting out hot spots.

Marshall echoes the warning of watching where you’re walking and being particularly aware of overhead hazards as well; if you see a tree with a green canopy, don’t assume it’s safe to work around.

“Be aware of the fact that in areas where ground fires burned intense, you could have a tree that looks alive based upon its green canopy, but if the roots and cambium were

EducationSpotlight burned out, the tree may have no structural integrity,” says Marshall.

The ash on the ground, coupled with a lack of vegetation, can affect the stability of the equipment. On the sites that Van Dyke was working on, he found that the ash, coupled with a lack of vegetation, created slick conditions. “The skidders had a bit more trouble moving around,” he says.

As for the structural integrity of the timber, Grose says that “if you’re harvesting within the first year, you’re not going to have a lot of trouble with the structural integrity of the logs; [however] the logs may break down after a year or more.”

And with any logging operation, communication and trusting contractors is key.

“The same considerations occur in green timber as in salvage,” Marshall said. “Just working with your contractors and figuring out what you can do on the ground, and most importantly, focusing on ensuring that safety is the top priority.”

Van Dyke agrees with Marshall about the communication. And looking back on the salvage operations that spanned a year, he says that overall the work went pretty smoothly.

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Van Dyke and Marshall agree that good communication is key to a safe operation.

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ContractorProfile

Jesse Green skillfully taking down an oversized tree.

Brothers Team Up

By Barbara Coyner

A

ny logging contractor will

tell you that the term well-oiled machine applies to more than equipment. The crew, management, and the entire business have to function like a well-oiled machine to stay successful in today’s competitive timber industry.

Keith Heil at work hooking.

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In the case of Joe and Mark Mahon, the well-oiled machine includes a pair of brothers who can complement each other in terms of operating a long-established outfit. The Tom Mahon name has been around Council, Idaho, for years, and the two brothers work together to see that the company their parents started stays in the game.

“The neat thing is that we work well

Tom Mahon Logging Council, Idaho

together,” says Joe. “We each have our own expertise.”

Teamwork

In talking to the Mahon brothers, it’s clear Joe, 48, and Mark, 45, have developed separate responsibilities through the years, yet each can finish the other’s sentences as they talk about equipment purchases, hiring

ContractorProfile

TimberPro TL745C with a Quadco 2900 head. new crew members, and making critical management decisions. Take something as routine as hiring compatible crew members and assigning them to certain pieces of equipment. “That’s a constant battle, matching personalities,” Joe says in assessing personnel and pairing work skills to equipment.

Mark finishes Joe’s observation with the glib comment, “It’s a dance.”

Indeed, it is a dance for Joe and Mark, as well. Mark notes, “I’m the politician, and I go to D.C. to lobby for the industry. I go to the conferences, and in 2013, I was the youngest president of Intermountain Logging Conference. If ever they need someone on a board for industry, I’ll be on it.”

As Mark stays abreast of politics, Joe delves into the equipment and technology side of the business. “I like equipment, and it’s probably the engineer in me to be the equipment junkie,” he admits. These days Joe pilots a TimberPro 745C around the woods when he’s not helping his wife, Kim, with office and computer duties or serving

as the technology guru. It’s easy to get Joe talking about his buncher, which features a Quadco 2900 head. “The TimberPro is a better buncher for our application,” he says.

“It’s got a stable, comfortable cab, and it tilts so much further.”

Logging Operations

Mark, meanwhile, takes on the duties of the woods boss, laying out roads and overseeing the entire logging operation. Mahon’s operation works mostly state and federal sales, seeing more Forest Service stewardship contracts these days.

“We get excited at 10,000 board feet per acre, but over on the coast, that’s nothing,” Mark says, adding that most logs feed the nearby Evergreen mill at Tamarack, with some going two hours north to the IFG mill in Grangeville. A new mill debuting with a HewSaw at Emmett will also be hungry for logs as it gets up to speed.

Getting logs for the mill remains a team effort, and both Joe and Mark talk about

their company’s techniques for doing forestry work. Tong-throwing is the less-thanusual harvesting method they often use, and it’s considered something of an art form in the logging world.

Tong-Throwing

Joe explains the advantage of tongthrowing.

“The topography dictates the tools you have to have,” he says, noting that the company got its first tong-throwing jammer in 1994. “Our ground has ridges and draws at different angles, and it’s kind of scrambled up. It’s difficult for a yarder, but lends itself to a jammer. It really is tough skyline ground and oftentimes there are no trees to rig where you need them. It is not unusual to use machinery as guylines or tailholds. We’ve had units where we were guyed back to four machines with a D-8 for a tailhold. The jammer is just more flexible.” (continue on page 56) Caterpillar 525C skidder at work.

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ContractorProfile John Deere 2454D loading up a Mahon truck.

(continued from page 55) As the company got into tong-throwing, it was fortunate to get an experienced thrower in 1995 from another company that was quitting the logging game. “You don’t just go out and hire them,” Mark says of tong-throwers and their acquired skills. “You have to make them, and you invest a ton of money in them.”

The tong-throwing machinery is currently being upgraded with a 538 Cat log loader fitted with a winch by Jewell Equipment in Portland. Such equipment purchases are considered each year as the company assesses its needs. The Cat loader was added last year, and a new Cat 525D skidder will assist in skidding duties starting this spring.

Transitioning to a Logging Career “Young

smart

business

people

are

encouraged that if you don’t buy back into your business, you are just giving your money to the government,” Mark sums up regarding their equipment purchase strategy. Joe and Mark consult with their dad, Tom, who has gradually divested of the family logging business over the last few years, as he and his wife Judy slowly transition into retirement.

The turnover has been done in stages and these days, the Mahon sons run the show, with dad working in the shop and serving as a counselor to Joe and Mark.

Initially, Joe and Mark didn’t automatically sign on to the logging life. Joe opted to seek a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Idaho, and Mark started in athletic training at Boise State University, later transferring to the University of Idaho to earn a degree in forestry. Yet Mark had stayed around his dad and logging, “learning

Mahon’s Caterpillar 324D equipped with a Waratah head.

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how to work and how to cuss,” as he watched his dad struggle to endure the tough challenges of running a logging business, especially when the Boise Cascade mill went down in town. Joe also drifted back to logging after college, because he “wanted to enjoy seeing results and getting things done.”

Changing up some of the old ways of doing things, the family team adapted skyline logging to include intermediate supports, which was not commonly done in central Idaho. The approach was clearly more labor intensive with the rigging of the support tree and the burdensome tasks of getting things in place. Yet the technique had a strategy and provided a niche for the Mahon operations. (continue on page 58)

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ContractorProfile (continued from page 56) View from the Thunderbird TMY 50 yarder.

“It’s more costly. There’s a lot more footwork, and you have to have a plan,” says Mark of the technique that has since given way to more mechanization except where topography dictates it. “It was another tool to get work, and it eliminated a lot of ground disturbance. It requires a more technical approach versus big horsepower and ‘the rip and tear method.’ It takes time to rig it, but when you combine it with the desire to log with a lighter footprint and a tenacious work ethic, it provides good results.” Clearly the university training in forestry plays a part in Mahon’s approach to land management.

Ongoing Evolution

Line logging, tong-throwing, and now more mechanized equipment, have all been part of the ongoing evolution of Tom Mahon Logging.

Currently there is more emphasis on mechanized ground equipment and production, as Mark and Joe hustle for contracts. Joe’s 19-year-old son shows an aptitude for logging, while Mark’s oldest son currently exhibits his work ethic on the University of Idaho football field. Will there be a next generation of Mahon loggers? That remains to be seen. But for the time being, Joe and Mark Mahon are showing that passing on the family business has worked out well, in no small part due to two brothers willing and able to work together.

“We’ve learned to respect each other’s boundaries,” Joe says. “We’re not trying to do the same things, although we overlap on some things.

We just try to support each other and do what’s right for the company.”

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Built with a steel-belt construction and specialized rubber compounding, the Goodyear Logger Lug III tire was the answer for Justice’s sidewall issues. The lug angles permit easy cleaning and give the ideal balance between traction and cut resistance.

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ConferenceReview Mass timber products will be used to produce dynamic buildings in the near future.

Oregon Mass Timber Summit Review

By Barbara Coyner

W

ho would have thought

that climate change would give the timber industry a boost — and a new found respect? If building with wood is now considered more environmentally responsible than building with concrete and steel, then sourcing the raw products sustainably is basic to the national conversation on climate change. It’s all about carbon storage.

“Wood buildings are massive carbon storage units,” said Timm Locke of the Oregon Forest Resources Institute as he recently addressed a one-day mass timber summit at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon. One of Locke’s jobs is to educate the public, including loggers, architects, and urban planners, on the evolving mass timber products that are already used in Europe to reduce the carbon footprint.

“Wood buildings make us feel good,” he pointed out, citing that many new public buildings such as schools are again being built of wood, specifically laminated wood.

“These buildings are faster and cheaper to build,” he added, citing positive economic aspects.

Among mass timber products are crosslaminated timber, dowel and nail laminated timber, glue-laminated timber, and mass plywood panels. Some products such as the 60

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mass plywood panels are relatively new, with mills coming up to speed on production.

Most products will be custom made rather than mass-produced, making the design work critical to the manufacturing process.

Locke and other speakers showed off real-world projects now taking place in the Northwest and across the country, noting that considering mass timber construction usually means first educating the public about the benefits.

Lech Muszynski, a wood sciences professor at Oregon State University, reemphasized that mass timber is not a onesize-fits-all wood product pumped out in quantity. Because specialized products require the same species of wood for consistency, he sees a positive future for Oregon’s ponderosa pine, for example. “This is not about thinning versus harvesting, this is about quality,” he said. “It’s about what we can do with our local fiber. It’s a boutique size industry.”

Beyond targeting certain species for specific projects, the industry is now fine-tuning adhesives and manufacturing methods. It is also drawing people into the industry in an entirely different work force dynamic.

Because much of a specific building project is accomplished in the design process, computerization and design skills are key to producing the pre-constructed panels that frequently come with wiring and plumbing

already built in and ready to set up. No hammer and nails, but rather cranes setting panels in place with precision and energy efficiency. Already schools in Oregon and Washington are using mass timber construction, seeing more energy efficiency and cost effectiveness. Some taller buildings are now being built of wood, as well.

Interestingly, the Mass Timber Conference and the La Grande conference evolved from the Small Log Conference started in Idaho over a decade ago. The early conferences drew loggers, mill people, and foresters, while the recent spin-off conference in Portland drew 1,200 attendees, many working in architecture and city planning. The evolution is noteworthy as timber workers, urban designers, rural development specialists, and forestry professionals all gather under one roof to learn from each other.

“I’ve spent my entire career in the forest products sector, and mass timber is the biggest game changer I’ve seen in forty years,” said Craig Rawlings, founder and CEO of the Forest Business Network. “Besides the environmental benefits of using high-tech wood like mass timber in 21st century construction, it’s actually solving a societal issue, bridging the urban-rural divide. Loggers and mills in rural Oregon, collaborating with top design firms in cities like Portland and Seattle, have been unheard of up until now.”

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Harvester and Processor Heads AFM-Forest

AFM-Forest Ltd is a Finnish company manufacturing highquality single-grip harvester, processor, combi, and energy wood heads for demanding forest operations. Years of experience in the forest-machines market, combined with the high competence of their personnel, ensure the successful performance of AFM harvesting heads worldwide.

AFM harvesting heads have been developed in strong cooperation with both customers and base machine manufacturers. They range from the versatile 1,433-lb. AMF 35, with a 24-26” saw bar and a felling diameter of 15’7” to the AFM 1000 Stroke Harvester

base machines. It is designed for processing larger trees in the demanding conditions of North America.

One of the most interesting new functions of the Keto 873 is the Rotobec rotator, which spins 360 degrees and beyond. Functions of the Parker valve system are proportional and operate only on demand, which are key factors in optimizing the fuel consumption of the base machine and running the system at the lowest possible temperature.

The 500cc Danfoss track feed motors produce nearly 4kN of the true net pulling power, making sure that even the toughest trees can be pulled and delimbed quickly and efficiently.

Like any Keto head, the length measuring is accomplished by the two feeding tracks.

A larger front knife cylinder, together with the bottom arm cylinder, provide the needed holding power when pulling big trees from the deck. The geometries of the three moving and one fixed knives and arms have been optimized to handle a full range of diameters. www.quadco.com

Komatsu

Head, which is designed for felling, delimbing, and cross cutting operations. The AFM 1000 can be programmed for various preselected lengths, and any length can be chosen at any time. As optional equipment, the diameter of the log can also be measured. The head has an automatic stroke, and the tree can be delimbed with a one-button function. The stroke will stop at the preselected length for the log to be cut. The AFM 1000 Stroke head performs best on a 12-ton excavator.

AFM harvester heads are manufactured by a professional work force using modern technologies. AFM-Forest Ltd uses only highquality Scandinavian steel and well-tested components in the manufacturing process. The continuous development of the products and operations is a core part of their business. The AFM-Forest Ltd quality system has been built in accordance with the highest ISO quality standards. The standards cover everything from product design and development to after-sales support. www.afm-forest.com

The Komatsu 398 harvesting and processing head is built for selective harvesting and clear-cutting, or processing large-diameter timber at the landing. This heavy-duty head is designed for installation on track carriers 27 metric tons or larger and is available factory-installed on a Komatsu PC290LL-11 Log Loader. Its rugged and robust design allows it to handle timber averaging up to 24” in diameter. The powerful “carry style” feed system features four motors

Keto

The Keto 873 processor, weighing in at 7,000 lbs. was launched earlier this year, and can be installed on 33-ton and over tracked

(2 x 1048 cc and 2 x 630 cc) and three driven rollers that provide a firm 3-point grip while reducing friction for high feed power. A traction control system senses and controls roller spin for improved log quality. The rugged delimbing system includes one floating top knife, two programmable proportional pressure upper knives and a fixed bottom knife that delivers fast and effective delimbing results.

An optional third programmable proportional pressure bottom knife is available.

Cutting is handled by a well-protected 31-inch capacity, 0.75inch pitch bottom saw for high performance cutting, and an 18-inch 62

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TechReview capacity, 0.404-inch pitch integral top saw for high processing efficiency. A patented length-measuring system with constant measuring wheel contact and a find-end photocell sensor system provide exceptional measuring accuracy. Left and right high-resolution diameter encoders provide precise diameter measuring. Komatsu’s advanced MaxiXplorer smart control system with intuitive graphical interface and large color screen manages all aspects of head control and performance. All maintenance and service points are readily accessible for ease of service. www.KomatsuForest.us

Log Max

For over 30 years, Log Max has engineered reliable and productive harvesting and processing heads giving their customers a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Log Max products can be installed on smaller equipment allowing for decreased total package price and overall fuel savings without compromising performance or

uptime. There are many applications in the forestry market from first commercial thinning to final harvesting and processing.

Log Max offers a wide range of products that fit these needs from the small 928A all the way up to the 12000XT. The Log Max 928A is a small and light head specifically designed for thinning. The compact format makes it the obvious choice for small-sized wheel and track-based harvesters in the 7 to 15-ton range. It features a hydraulically driven saw with pressure controlled sawing force and flow controlled chain speed. The high performance saw hydraulics provide full flow to the bottom saw resulting in fast cutting. This saw unit is able to fell trees up to 16.5 inches.

The Log Max 12000XT is the company’s most rugged head and is available in harvester or processor configurations. With over 5 tons of delimbing force, this head is able to handle the most severe wood with ease. Large rear cover with hydraulic assist opens for full service access. High production ¾” pitch bottom saw cuts up to 40” with ease. Special Log Max designed knives with compound curves and replaceable cutting edges produce clean delimbed wood at a low operating cost. www.logmax.com

Pierce

The Pierce Grapple Processor is designed to optimally grapple and process every bit as effectively as traditional processors. It dangles like a grapple, with 360-degree continuous rotation, 53” arm opening, and full measuring and processing, turning the work of the processor and loader into one dual purpose machine — and a perfect balance under a yarder.

The GP is a revolutionary way for loggers to gain utility and (continue on page 64)

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TechReview Quadco

(continued from page 63) productivity from one single machine, while saving valuable time, labor, maintenance, fuel, and transportation costs, not to mention radically improved equipment utilization. The patented GP is the only one of its kind that shovels, sorts, and loads like a grapple and delimbs, measures, and cuts like a processor — all without compromise.

Feeding allows you to reposition long logs without releasing or

rehandling. And long logs won’t crisscross when handling multiple stems with the innovative arm design, which makes handling bundles of short wood a breeze.

The GP represents the best of the company’s pioneering spirit, innovative engineering, and state-of-the-art technology. Whether your logging operation is large or small, the Pierce GP is a smart way to do more with less. www.piercepacific.com

Ponsse

The PONSSE H10 is a heavy-duty harvester head for processing hardwood and softwood in difficult conditions. It can also be used for felling. Strong grip, powerful feeding, and fast sawing are features packed in a robust and reliable package that can be installed

onto various tracked carriers. The strong frame and tilt arm provide the durability needed in tough operations. The geometry of the feed rollers and delimbing arms support larger stems centered in the head.

This allows using lower pressure on knives, improving fuel economy, and feeding speed as well as measuring accuracy. Optimal tilt pivot geometry minimizes the upward torque of the head, providing smoother feeding and a better grip of the tree.

The PONSSE OptiControl system is designed specifically for Ponsse harvester heads. All adjustments and settings work perfectly together with the head, offering easy but versatile functions to perfectly fit the base machine and work requirements. Ponsse systems offer mobile follow-up of production and working with either manual or automatic data transfer.

The PONSSE H10 is also available with a top saw for processing curvy trees with multiple branches and maximizing raw material use. Processing delimbing knives are longer than standard knives for picking up logs more easily from a pile.

H10 is easy to install on various brands of carriers over 25 tons. www.ponsse.com 64

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Quadco offers a variety of harvesting processing heads, including the Ultimate 5660, which is basically the same as the original 5600, but with a different saw base imported from our 6000 model. The saw has a 24” cutting capacity and develops 60 percent more power.

Thanks to its new High Speed Hydraulics and Quad Tooth, the saw’s fast cutting speed provides high production and quality cuts.

The circular saw is more forgiving than bar and chain and is practically trouble-free. Operating benefits also include the capability of cleaning unwanted underbrush to enhance visibility resulting in high production, long tooth life, and low stumps.

In comparison to other systems, the great durability of the teeth, low maintenance time required, and superior availability are the main factors that will reduce the after-investment costs. In normal conditions, maintenance is limited to changing the seven saw bearings annually or every 2000 hours. www.quadco.com

Satco

The SATCO 3 Series Large Capacity Harvesting & Processing Heads have been designed around the robust and successful SATCO 630 Felling Grapple.

The 3L2 is a fall and trim version with measuring. It has been designed to enable contractors to replace static delimbers, by utilizing one machine to both fall and delimb stems with the option to measure. This reduces machinery requirements and operating costs.

Measuring systems on the SATCO 3L2, 3L2SC, and 3L2T run a large 12” diameter length measuring wheel, the larger the wheel the better it runs over the stem. There are three levels of measuring control options available: SATCO Plus 1, which is designed and supported in house; the DASA5 PRIO; and the DASA5 Optimising.

The SATCO 3 Series large capacity processing head’s 360-degree continuous rotation allows felling in any possible direction in relation to the base machine.

A unique “hose-through-center” connection to the base machine allows the hoses to travel through the centerline of the attaching pins. This protects the hoses from damage and prevents over–bending of the hoses, which causes premature failure.

The SATCO 3 Series saw unit is supported by a large 12”-diameter slew bearing, and the saw unit uses a 43” bar with ¾” chain with SATCO auto chain tensioning.

The units weigh from 7,893 lbs. to 9,020 lbs. and can be pinned to any base machine in the range of approximately 26–44 ton. www. satco.co.nz (continue on page 66)

TechReview (continued from page 64)

SP Machinery

SP Machinery has developed a whole new harvesting unit, SP 661 LF. The unit has optimal characteristics for final harvesting, focusing on productivity, utilization rate, and timber value.

The SP 661 LF is a smooth, powerful, and efficient unit designed for SP Machine’s Low Friction principle for minimal friction and maximum production. The unit is an excellent choice for installations on wheeled base machines as well as on excavators and tracked forestry machines.

The unit is designed to provide the highest quality and production in all types of final felling. In coarse finishing, feed wheels and SP Machine’s patented LogHold system provide the highest capacity and production. In the finishing touches, the smooth construction is right and equipped with multi-tree handling. Thanks to an extremely well-protected and strong construction, SP 661 LF also ensures the minimum possible downtime and maximum utilization rate. www.usforestry.net

one of the most advanced control and measuring systems around while still being very operator friendly, with detailed production reports to GPS tagging of wood that can be emailed directly to your home computer from the machine.

Features unique to Southstar include hydraulic traction control for feeding large diameter trees, side stepping (allowing operator to independently feed one tree while holding the other when multi-stemming), hose through design (no exposed or hanging hoses from stick to head, extending the life of expensive hoses and less chance of snagging), and a wide frame design for multi-stemming capabilities while giving added strength to the head.

Southstar also features an extreme duty ¾ main saw with saw limiting option and a two-year structural warranty. www.southstarequipment.com

Tigercat

Tigercat harvesting heads are built to match the high performance capabilities of Tigercat track carriers and are well suited to a variety of jobs including at-the-stump harvesting, roadside processing, and debarking.

The 570 is a powerful Southstar two-wheel drive harvesting Southstar Equipment, a Canadian company based in Kamloops head best suited to in-stand B.C., offers a full line of 4-roller processors with the QS series — harvesting with an optimal QS500, QS600 and QS650. They also offer a line of grapple procesrange of 150-510 mm in sors — the 505, 605 and 635. diameter. With optional hyThe QS series, with their industry leading multi-stemming capadraulically timed processor bilities, is changing the game in the processing world. This head gives knives, the 570 can also be the contractor the best of both worlds. First, when processing in small used for roadside processing. diameter tree stands, contractors can see up to a 70 percent increase The 575 is a heavy duty in production without affecting length quality, and second, when put three-wheel drive harvesting head also best suited to in-stand harinto the large diameter tree stands, the robust design with its high vesting in the 175-560 mm diameter range. It is very effective in feed speeds can handle the toughest processing environments. tough applications like large limbed hardwood and crooked trees.

Southstar, by partnering with DASA Control systems, provides With optional mechanically timed processor knives for easier picking, the 575 is also an excellent roadside processing head.

The 575 features Tigercat’s unique threetwo drive system. When processing a tree, the head starts in three-wheel drive, maximizing feed force for faster acceleration and quickly At Stimson Lumber, we’re always looking for talented people to help powering through bigger trees. As the load take our mills to the next level. drops, it automatically shifts to two-wheel drive, improving efficiency and increasing Are you a skilled tradesperson looking for your next career move? feed speed up to 30 percent.

Be a part of something great and join one of our Oregon or Idaho teams!

Tigercat’s D5 control system comes Take a look at our current opportunities and apply at standard with all Tigercat harvesting heads. www.stimsonlumber.com/careers The system allows the operator to monitor Have the skills, but don’t see a job that is a fit for you? Let us know! lengths, diameters, and species in real time to talentmanagement@stimsonlumber.com ensure maximum productivity, with a simple and intuitive Tigercat-developed user interface. www.tigercat.com 66

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TechReview Waratah

Extensively developed and proven in global cut-to-length or full tree applications, Waratah’s TimberRite H-16 is the company’s latest generation control system. It integrates more advanced application configuration capabilities with productive control of the Waratah harvesting or processing head.

TimberRite H-16 brings technology to the jobsite with capabilities for everything from email, and work and repair statistics to remote display access and navigation.

The latest StanForD file structures are supported, ensuring that data can interchange with virtually any professional system in the forestry business. Additionally, this system makes diagnostic tests on inputs, outputs or sensors much simpler, and it can provide remote access via telematics.

TimberRite H-16 has the capability to optimize operational performance and productivity, while effectively linking the office to the forest. Configurable as either a pre-selection priority or the optional value-based optimization system, TimberRite H-16 can offer solutions to meet any market needs. www.waratah.com

Woodsman Pro

Woodsman Pro offers the WOODSMAN PRO 850 and 750. The 850 processing head weighs 5.2 tons and is suitable for 35+ ton base machines. It can be paired with the company’s OptiPlus or LOGGIC control system for superior performance and ease of operator use.

The 750 weighs approximately 4 tons and can be attached to a 27 to 35-ton base machine. It’s capable of delimbing stems up to 2’3” in diameter and has a maximum main saw cut of 2’8” in diameter.

This processing head features two sets of delimb arms (upper and lower) that are individually controlled for superior delimb knife coverage and improved stem value recovery. Replaceable delimb knife inserts are available for the delimb arms and the top-mounted floating delimb knife. The 750 can also be paired with the OptiPlus or LOGGIC control system. www.woodsmanpro.co.nz TW

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Northwest Forest Plan Science Synthesis

AFRC reported that on June 26, the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest Research Stations published a science synthesis (www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/gtr966) aimed at providing a scientific foundation for land management of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) area.

The NWFP covers 24 million acres spreading over 17 national forests. The report focused on relevant scientific information published since the inception of the NWFP and considered more than 2,000 peer-reviewed publications.

In June, the agency facilitated a forum to share the key findings of the synthesis with interested members of the public. The 2012

Planning Rule requires the use of the best available science to inform decisions. The synthesis was prepared as the first step to meeting this requirement and considered topics such as aquatic ecosystem management, wildlife management, and socio-economic well-being.

AFRC Completes Second Habitat for Humanity Home Near Olympia

The Ahmed-Townes Family, joined by representatives from the local forest products industry, South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, volunteers, and community leaders, was handed the keys to their new Habitat home in the Deyoe Vista neighborhood in Lacey, Washington, on Saturday, June 30.

AFRC members and staff contributed

locally manufactured lumber and wood products, generous financial contributions, and volunteer hours to build a home for the Ahmed-Townes Family.

“This project embodies what the forest products industry is all about,” said Travis Joseph, president of AFRC. “We work in the woods, help care for our public lands and forests, and make local, renewable wood products every Washingtonian depends on every day – including the lumber for our homes.

Our members – the family business owners, engineers, loggers, foresters, and millworkers – are passionate about the health and vitality of the communities in which they live, work, and play. This project is another example of that commitment. It’s a perfect fit. We are ecstatic to be using our members’ local products and expertise and tapping into their passion for and commitment to rural communities, to build a home for Sharaf, Kayleigh, and their three kids, including a newborn!”

OLC Awarded 14 Scholarships

Fourteen students who were selected to receive Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF) scholarships well represent the talent in the next generation of logging industry employees. These students will share $24,000 in scholarships to pursue acquiring the skills they need to keep the logging industry moving forward.

If you or someone you know would like to apply to receive an OLCF scholarship, applications are accepted each year beginning in January.

New Executive Director at OFRI

The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) board of directors has named seasoned marketing and communications professional Erin Isselmann to serve as the Institute’s new executive director. Isselmann, most recently the director of communications for the Portland Business Alliance, joined OFRI July 9. She has held communications and marketing leadership roles at several Fortune 500 companies, including Xerox, Tektronix, and Conduent and has more than two decades of experience in corporate communications, public relations, and digital marketing.

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Bandit Industries to Go 100 percent Employee-owned

Bandit Industries owners Mike Morey Sr., Dianne Morey, and Jerry Morey announced they would sell 100 percent of the company to their employees in an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Under the ESOP, Bandit will retain its current leadership, and key management personnel will remain in place. It will also allow Bandit to always remain Bandit.

The announcement comes after two previous attempts to sell Bandit Industries – once to another manufacturer and once to a private investment firm.

“We realized neither was a good fit for Bandit, so we made the decision to sell to our trusted employees,” said Dianne Morey.

“It will be fun to watch our crew take it to the next level,” said Mike Morey, who developed the very first Bandit chipper in 1983 and founded Bandit Industries.

Bandit is growing rapidly with 20 percent growth per year with two plant expansions currently underway and several new products being introduced later this year.

Waratah Announces New Leadership for North American Market

Waratah Forestry Equipment has appointed Elliott Little to the position of Manager of North American Waratah Distribution.

As part of his new role, Little will be responsible for managing the North American Waratah business and leading distribution teams in the United States and Canada.

Little started his career working for a Canadian forest products company with its woodlands division in northern Ontario and Quebec. From there he joined John Deere and moved through various forestry sales and customer support assignments in Eastern Canada. He then held the position of Product Marketing Manager for Forestry Products before broadening his skill base in

assignments as Manager of the Commercial Development for the western U.S. & Hitachi and Manager of Discount & Incentive Programs for John Deere Construction & Forestry. Little’s most recent role was Division Manager of Customer Support for John Deere Construction and Forestry’s southeastern U.S. division.

AF&PA Elects Two New Board of Directors Members

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced the election of Resolute Forest Products President and CEO Yves Laflamme and Sonoco Products Company President and CEO Robert Tiede to serve on its Board of Directors.

Laflamme fills the seat left by the retirement of Resolute President and CEO Richard Garneau and Tiede fills the seat left by the retirement of Sonoco President and CEO M. Jack Sanders. The AF&PA Board of Directors consists of 23 top industry leaders who represent a broad spectrum of companies in the paper and wood products manufacturing sector.

The AF&PA serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy.

Tigercat Adds New Factory Representative for Pacific Northwest

Tigercat is pleased to announce that Kusiah McCullough has been appointed to the position of factory representative for Washington and Oregon.

Based in Shelton, Washington, Kusiah has been involved in many aspects of the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest for his entire working career. His specialties include steep ground logging application with a lot of seat time in both the Tigercat LS855C shovel and the L870 series feller

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September 8-9 Montana Wood Products Association Annual Convention, Missoula, MT 406-241-7047, www.montanaforests.com

September 15-16 Orofino Lumberjack Days, Orofino, ID 208-476-3412 www.orofinolumberjackdays.org

September 6-8 Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, OshKosh, WI 715-282-5828, www.timberpa.com

October 3-5 Society of American Foresters National Convention, Portland, OR 301-897-8720, www.safnet.org

September 13-15 Pacific Logging Congress - In the Woods Show, Corvallis, OR 360-832-1745, www. pacificloggingcongress.org

October 11-13 American Loggers Council Annual Meeting, Seaside, OR 409- 625-0206 www.amloggers.com

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bunchers. Kusiah also has several years of experience managing field operations for various logging companies.

“I have operated almost every machine utilized in timber harvesting, and I find Tigercat far superior to any competitive brand. The customer service, quality, and safety of the machinery and the fact that Tigercat is at the forefront of modern logging techniques makes them the pinnacle of all timber harvesting machinery,” said Kusiah.

With a somewhat unique perspective stemming from his experience as a machine operator and field manager, Kusiah will be primarily involved with product support and operator training. “I want to enable customers to safely and efficiently realize the full potential of the equipment they have purchased and to teach new and innovative techniques especially as they pertain to steep ground logging.”

ASV Adds Dealer in Willamette Valley, Oregon

ASV Holdings Inc. an industry-leading manufacturer of all-purpose and all-season compact track loaders and skid steers, has added Linn Benton Tractor to its dealer network.

Based in Tangent, Oregon, the dealer will offer all ASV Posi-Track compact track loaders, which includes the new RT-40, an industry-leading small-frame CTL; the VT-70, ASV’s first mid-frame vertical lift model; and the RT-120 Forestry, a powerful CTL. The company will also carry ASV’s full line of skid-steer loaders.

“Linn Benton Tractor is a well-known name in the Willamette Valley agriculture industry,” said Bruce Jackson, ASV district sales manager. “Not only do they understand their customers’ needs, but they also have a deep knowledge of the ASV product line and its benefits.”

Linn Benton Tractor has been in business for almost 30 years and provides customers with implements and equipment, including compact utility and farm tractors, landscape rakes, chippers, compact track loaders, skid steers, riding lawn mowers, and more.

CBI & Ecotec Factory Forum

Logging and forestry professionals are invited to the 2018 CBI & Ecotec Factory Forum taking place in New Hampshire this Fall. Headlined by the all new 6800CT Horizontal Grinder, this year’s demo lineup features grinders, shredders, screens, material separators, flails, conveyors, and attachments.

Take in technical workshops, factory tours, industry presentations, awards, and an authentic New England dinner, historic tour of Portsmouth and more.

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Doosan Introduces New DL280-5 Wheel Loader

Doosan Infracore North America LLC has extended its wheel loader lineup with the new DL280-5 wheel loader. The DL280-5 is part of the popular category of 3- to 4-cubic-yard wheel loaders and is designed to provide operators with enhanced performance and comfort as well as increased uptime protection when working

all certified used skidders and wheeled feller bunchers now include an option to extend up to 12 months, in addition to the existing six-month offering.

“Our certified used program is designed to give customers a sense of security when purchasing used equipment,” said Kent Stickler, manager, Product Training and Information, John Deere. “Through this program, whether a machine has 5,000 hours or 8,000 hours, we are able to stand behind the quality of our equipment and provide our customers with the support they need to keep machines up and running.” www.JohnDeere.com

Wood-Mizer Introduces Vortex Dust-Removal DoubleHard Sawmill and Resaw Blades

The Wood-Mizer exclusive Vortex dust-removal blade profile is now available in DoubleHard high-alloy steel resulting in a more durable blade that delivers up to twice the toughness and sharp life compared to carbon steel blades. Introduced in 2016, Vortex dust-removal technology was previously an exclusive feature of SilverTip carbon steel material used primarily in highproduction resawing operations.

Solesbee’s Blade-Mounted Dozer Rakes

in general construction, scrap, and wastehandling applications.

The 172-horsepower DL280-5 is manufactured with a standard Z-bar lift-arm linkage and is ideal for scooping, loading, carrying, and general construction tasks.

Operators who require additional dumping capabilities into trucks and hoppers will benefit from the high-lift Z-bar configuration. The high-lift iteration provides an additional 18 inches of dump height, making it especially beneficial in construction, mining, and agriculture market segments.

The DL280-5 wheel loader can be equipped with an optional guarding package to protect critical wheel loader components when working in harsh conditions – such as scrap processing, waste transfer stations, recycling, and demolition – to help minimize machine downtime. DoosanEquipment.com

John Deere Announces Equipment, Warranty Additions to the Forestry Certified Used Program

John Deere is excited to announce new equipment and warranty additions to its forestry certified used program. The program, which ensures the value and reliability of

used forestry equipment, will now include L-Series skidders and wheeled feller bunchers. Additionally, the warranty choices for 72

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Solesbee’s, a KINSHOFER company and leading manufacturer of quality heavy equipment attachments, offers BladeMounted Dozer Rakes as an efficient solution for land clearing, raking brush, and piling trees and branches. The rakes’ C-curve design rolls brush and debris, making it easy to windrow material while minimizing the amount of dirt pushed with it. The rakes also feature an extended upright with multiple holes to easily mount on nearly any dozer

blade without customization.

“Our dozer rakes are the most costeffective and convenient solution available,” said David Jenkins, president of Solesbee’s Equipment & Attachments LLC. “Since we design each model of our rakes to fit multiple dozer blades, we have them in stock and ready to ship to customers the next day.

Most competitors take two to three weeks to specially design one rake to fit one dozer, and they don’t include the components needed to mount the rakes to the attachments.”

The rake is available with a full range of teeth for optimal debris clearing in a variety of applications. All rakes feature sturdy 2-inch-wide hardened steel teeth for lasting durability in harsh environments. Solesbee’s standard teeth are 20 inches long, and optional 14- to 24-inch lengths are also available. In addition, customers can choose from a variety of teeth quantities and spacing options. www.solesbees.com

The Vortex blade profile creates an extremely unique turbulence that removes sawdust from the cut. With a typical blade, sawdust can remain on the board by spilling out of the smaller gullet while sawing.

By reducing the amount of sawdust left on the board, the Vortex blade minimizes the need for additional sawdust removal after processing. In addition, Vortex blades can be sharpened by Wood-Mizer’s blade maintenance equipment or ReSharp blade sharpening service to extend the flex life of the blade and maintain cut quality.

“The Vortex blades leave 80 percent less sawdust than any other blades I have tried throughout the past 25 years,” said Mark Borneman of Timber Creek Resources in Antigo, Wisconsin. “We have eliminated the need for a deduster on a majority of our jobs.” www.woodmizer.com/blades

Komatsu XT-5 Series Track Feller Bunchers

Komatsu America Corp.’s new XT-5 Series of track feller bunchers, which include the XT430-5 (non-leveling), XT435L-5, XT445L-5 and XT465L-5, will replace the prior XT-3 Series machines.

The XT-5 Series ranges in operating weight from 66,359 lb. to 74,516 lb. and features a new, more powerful fuelefficient EPA Tier 4 Final engine, gull-wing style engine hood, increased lift capacity, heavy-duty undercarriage, redesigned and relocated cab, new hydraulic and cooling systems, forestry-specific guarding and KOMTRAX® telematics system technology.

EMS HarvestLine

“We have been systematically gathering and analyzing voice-of-the-customer input to define our next generation of feller bunchers,” said Mitsuhiro Utsumi, vice president, forestry product marketing, Komatsu America. “Shipments of the XT445L-5 model will start in the 4th quarter of 2018, with the other models to follow.”

The new 310 peak hp, Cummins QSL9 9-liter engine provides more horsepower, torque and displacement and lowers fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent, due to advanced designs. Lift capacities at full reach lift have been increased by 77 percent on the XT430-5, XT435L-5 and XT445L5, and by 15 percent on the XT465L-5.

The XT465L-5 now readily operates the Quadco 24-inch cutting capacity disc saw heads. www.komatsuforest.us

The versatile cable logging tool allows quick line shifts and efficient log extraction in difficult, short-to-medium distance cable extraction areas where the logistics of moving in a large yarder or tower are challenging. It is available in various configurations — a two-drum system running an optional carriage or a three-drum system with a grapple. The system is designed to be adapted and installed onto a 38.5-ton plus

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AD INDEX

excavator-based carrier. The fold down mast and the ability to utilize a grapple or bucket make it a versatile cable logging tool. It has a 1,500-foot rope capacity, a maximum hydraulic pressure of 5,000 psi, and a maximum line pull per drum of 43,210 lbs.

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COMPANY PG# AMERICAN LOGGERS COUNCIL.................. 67 CANNON BAR WORKS................................ 53 CASCADE TRADER .................................... 18 CATERPILLAR............................................. 57 CEC........................................................... 37 DIAMOND MOWERS................................... 29 EAGLE CARRIAGE & MACHINE.................... 32 FEENAUGHTY MACHINERY ........................ 30 GEM CHAIN.................................................. 9 HAMILTON ENGINE SALES.......................... 52 HYDRAULEX GLOBAL................................. 48 JEWELL..................................................... 34 JOHN DEERE.............................................. 15 JORAL....................................................... 53 KOMATSU AMERICA................................... 13 LBX/TRIAD/BEJAC...................................... 21 LOG MAX................................................... 19 MORBARK.................................................6-7 NELSON PAINT .......................................... 58 OLOFSFORS............................................... 47 OREGON LOGGING CONFERENCE............... 70 PAPÉ MACHINERY...................................... 27 PETERSON................................................. 33 PIERCE PACIFIC.......................................... 23 PONSSE................................................16-17 PRECISION HUSKY..................................... 61 QUADCO TEETH......................................... 46 QUADCO/SOUTHSTAR................................ 76 SELECT SAWMILL CO................................. 24 SENNEBOGEN............................................ 25 STIMSON LUMBER .................................... 66 SUMMIT MACHINERY................................. 65 TIGERCAT/TRIAD........................................ 35 TIMBERPRO .............................................. 49 TITAN TIRE................................................. 59 TP & EE..................................................... 69 TRACTIONLINE..........................................2-3 US FORESTRY............................................ 31 VPG........................................................... 42 WALLINGFORD’S........................................ 11 WAY MACHINE........................................... 63 WARATAH.................................................. 75 WARD INSURANCE..................................... 68 WHITE MOUNTAIN CHAIN........................... 43

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guest columnist

Time for Another Look at Biochar?

By Jack Petree

B

iochar is essentially a charcoal created when wood or other combustible organics are partially burned in an oxygen-starved environment. A decade or so ago many thought biochar might be a big part of the future of waste management for the forest products industry but interest seems to have waned in intervening years.

Today, however, new research points to a potentially bright future for the product, both as a way to manage wood waste and as an additional profit center for mills, landowners, and others sometimes challenged by razor-thin profit margins. It may be time for another look at biochar.

need has to be filled, a method for producing enough of the product to assure a stable and adequate supply must be assured, the economics must at least balance or be positive, and a market must exist or at least be seen as possible to create.

Regarding the forest products industry, the need for an economically viable way to handle massive quantities of wood “waste” is

Benefits of Biochar

Both the incineration and the natural decomposition of, forest biomass release huge amounts of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) to the atmosphere. In a 2008 study, for example, renowned forest scientist Thomas Bonnicksen estimated that emissions from just four forest fires in California in a single year meant, “50 percent of all cars in California would have to be locked in a garage for one year to make up for the global warming impact of those wildfires.” Biomass remaining after harvests and after milling have similar impacts if not utilized in some way.

Biochar represents a way to store carbon in the ground for potentially centuries even as it potentially enhances water quality, increases soil fertility, and increases productivity on crop lands. As biochar is produced it can also, depending on the method of production, allow for the recovery of valuable byproducts, including energy. Evidence exists that biochar may also actually absorb carbon dioxide during its lifetime, making the product a powerful anti-greenhouse gas tool.

Market for Wood Waste

Four things are necessary to make a relatively unknown product like biochar viable; a 74

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evident. The ability to manufacture biochar, either on-site or off has been well demonstrated. A potential market sizable enough to accommodate the very large quantities of biochar the forest products industry could provide and the potential for profit have been inhibiting factors in the recent past.

Recent work with some innovative farmers on Orcas Island, Washington in concert with Si Gao, a PhD student, originally at the University of Washington and presently at W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, demonstrates the potential value of biochar as a soil amendment in agriculture; agriculture represents a huge potential market if biochar is widely accepted by farmers.

Gao’s work was conducted on 10 small farm plots scattered throughout the San Juan Islands. One of those farms is owned by Kaj Enderlein, the owner of a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill, a community activist, and a timber farmer. Kaj produces biochar on his own farm using mill waste. His biochar was applied to a garden plot donated by Kaj to an organization he and three friends founded to

improve food security in a community setting on Orcas Island, the Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture (Orcas CPA) initiative.

According to Gao, regarding the work, “We applied wood biochar at a rate of 20 metric tons per hectare to the sandy, slightly acidic soils of ten small-scale organic farms.

Over the course of one growing season, we demonstrated that biochar with or without additional fertilizer increased soil carbon storage by 30 percent, plant available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) by almost 50 percent and 30 percent, respectively, while reducing N and P leaching across all ten farms. Biochar with fertilizer worked the best among all treatments.”

He adds, “These results demonstrated that biochar could serve as a good transition or soil amendment candidate in not only creating a closed loop system that recaptures the value of local logging biomass that would otherwise be pile burned and generate net loss of nutrients, but also leveraging the existing resources and community readiness to create sustainable forest restoration and agriculture practices.”

Brighter Future

Gao’s studies, as well as similar work done by others, helps show that optimism regarding the future of biochar’s use in agriculture expressed by analysists at Grand View Research, a U.S.-based market research and consulting company headquartered in San Francisco, is justified. Grand View expects the biochar market worldwide to grow at a 13.2% compound annual growth rate over the next few years — growth largely driven by agriculture. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-biochar-market Some believe the forest products industry is at a crossroad as the second decade of the century comes to an end. New equipment, new approaches, and new challenges are seen almost daily. Perhaps it truly is time for a second look at biochar.

Jack Petree is a writer, public policy researcher, and owner of Tradeworld Communications.

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