TimberWest Magazine - July/August 2023

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July/August 2023 Vol. 48 No. 07-08

Pacific Logging Conference Show Guide

2023 PLC Show Guide

President’s Message................ Page 6 Sponsors................................... Page 7 Program and Agenda................ Page 8 Pro Logger Credits.................... Page 10 Registration Form..................... Page 10 Historic Vail Tree Farm............. Page 12 Reception Kicks Off Show........ Page 14 Dinner, Auctions Planned......... Page 16 Show to Draw Students............ Page 18 Workforce Development........... Page 20 Trail Teaches About Forests.... Page 22 Map............................................ Pages 24-25 Exhibitor List............................. Page 26

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Firewood Business a Boon

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Believers in New Technology

Pihl Logging

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Firewood production aids Pihl Logging when wet ground slows work; investment in Tajfun firewood processor pays off.

Nelson Brothers Timber Management

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Nelson Brothers Timber Management chooses a Tigercat LSX870D shovel for its stability in steep terrain.

DEPARTMENTS

Page 4..........................................................In the News Page 42..................................................Machinery Row Page 43........................................................ Safety Alert Page 44....................................................New Products Page 45............................................ Calendar of Events Page 45................................................ Advertiser Index Page 46................................................Guest Columnist

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FORESTNETJOBS.COM

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

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IN THE NEWS Forest Service Forms Northwest Advisory Panel

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has established and appointed members to a new Federal Advisory Committee to provide advice and recommendations on modernizing landscape management across national forests within the Northwest Forest Plan area in Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

Establishing this committee is in line with President Biden’s Executive Order 14072 and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s Memorandum on Climate Resilience.

“Establishing this committee is another way for us to embrace climate-smart science, ensure we hear from diverse voices and get a range of perspectives on how to best confront the wildfire crisis and climate change,” said Vilsack. “This committee will also be asked to help reshape ways we engage with communities and deepen our connections with tribes as we go through the Northwest Forest Plan amendment process.”

The committee will make recommendations focused on a climate-informed amendment of the Northwest Forest Plan to update management direction so that national forests are managed sustainably, adapted to climate change, and resilient to wildfire, insects, disease, and other disturbances, while meeting the needs of local communities.

The committee’s recommendations will incorporate traditional ecological knowledge, the latest science, and climate resilience into its recommendations for the 17 national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan area. The committee will also advise how these planning efforts can complement the Wildfire Crisis Strategy and help the Forest Service take more proactive measures to reduce wildfire risk, restore fire resilience, and enable long-term ecological integrity for people, communities and natural resources.

The national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan area have significant ecological values, including for water, wildlife, and carbon, and contain important old and mature forests. They are embedded in the people and communities of the area and are important for the social and economic sustainability of those communities. These lands are also culturally significant and the ancestral homelands for tribal nations.

According to a recent inventory conducted by federal researchers, the 17 national forests represented in the Northwest Forest

Plan contain one quarter of the remaining old-growth forest on national forests and grasslands in the lower 48 states.

The committee represents a diverse group from Tribes, local communities, environmental groups, industry, and academia across Northern California, Oregon and Washington.

Members appointed to the committee are: • Jerry Franklin, University of Washington professor emeritus • James Johnston, Oregon State University assistant professor • Meg Krawchuk, Oregon State University associate professor • Angela Sondenaa, Nez Perce Tribe ecologist • Elaine Harvey, Yakima Nation environmental coordinator • Ryan Haugo, The Nature Conservancy • Heidi Huber-Stearns, University of Oregon associate research professor • Daniel Sarna-Wojcicki, UC Berkeley postdoctoral researcher • Robert Brunoe, Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs CEO • Jarred Patton, California Conservation Corps • Lindsay Warness, Forest Resource Association; • Travis Joseph, American Forest Council CEO • Elizabeth Robblee, The Mountaineers • Jose Linares, Bureau of Land Management (retired) • Susan Brown, Silvix Resources • Mike Anderson, The Wilderness Society • Nicholas Goulette, Watershed Research and Training Center • Ryan Reed, Fire Generation Collaborative and wildland firefighter • Karen Hans, Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife • Lauren Osiadacz, Kittitas County Commissioner • Ann House, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe The Forest Service will be working with committee members to plan and conduct its first meeting later this year.

The Northwest Forest Plan was first implemented in 1994 and is a comprehensive plan for administering parts of federally managed lands in Oregon, Washington and California. The plan was designed to protect old-growth forests and critical habitat for the northern spotted owl, while also providing for forest products, water quality, recreation and other uses.

Editor: Tim Cox, tim@forestnet.com Contributing Editors: Mary Bullwinkel, Hannah Downey, Jan Jackson, Dawn Killough –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 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 CEO / Advertising Sales: Anthony Robinson – arobinson@forestnet.com Phone: (778) 991-3500 Associate Publisher/Advertising Sales: Hannah Robinson – hannah@forestnet.com Phone: (604) 990-9970 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Publisher & Production Manager: Sheila Ringdahl – sringdahl@forestnet.com Digital Marketing: Anthony Robinson arobinson@forestnet.com Social Media: Kaitlin Davidson Accounting Manager: Shelina Jessa – accounting@forestnet.com Corporate Office Information: Phone: (425) 778-3388 • Fax: (425) 771-3623 timberwest@forestnet.com • www.forestnet.com TImberWest Publications, LLC P.O. Box 610 (300 Admiral Way, Suite 105) Edmonds, WA 98020-0610 PUBLISHER’S EDITORIAL STATEMENT: TimberWest reports on the logging and lumber segment of the forest industry in the Western United States with emphasis on the states of AK, WA, OR, ID, MT and CA, providing current information on timber harvesting techniques, sawmill operations, news, legislation, events, people and products pertinent to this market.

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

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President Casey Black’s Welcome to the Pacific Logging Congress Live in The Woods Show

S

omewhere on Mount Rose,

headed to our summer meeting in Tahoe, the husband-wife team driving us was in a debate. As it happened, the wife was vindicated, and the husband let out a begrudging, “You’re right,” swiftly met with a phrase many board members adopted that week: “Say it louder!”

We, the timber industry, are a humble bunch. We go about our work agreeably and diligently, providing human shelter, extraordinary fish and wildlife habitat, vast green space, and rural economics. We tell our story where and when we can – sometimes falling on friendly ears, sometimes met with more hostility.

The Pacific Logging Congress Live in The Woods Show is about saying it louder.

We gather every four years somewhere in that vast green space to tell our story in the best way it can be told: tangibly. This showcase of our craft can be seen, heard, smelled.

It brings fresh eyes face-to-face with the wisdom of our logging experts, grizzled by decades of market cycles, policy changes, natural disasters, and plain old hard work.

On our Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm,

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

nestled visibly between Mount Rainier and the Chehalis Valley, we’re saying it louder by bringing thousands of students from throughout Washington state to actively experience what we do every day safely, innovatively, and effectively.

A short, mulched path will lead visitors through forestry operations featuring tethered assist machines, remote controls, virtual reality, drone technology, and more. Students will also note our industry’s sustainability: the light touch we take to the land, the critters that call our forests home, the clean air, the cold water.

I invite you to join us September 21-23 in Vail, Washington, for our ninth Live in The Woods Show. The world has been loud as of late, but we’ve been quietly maintaining our trade: providing high-quality forest products for a world developing rapidly around our forests. Visitors will help us tell our story more clearly. And if we say it loudly enough, we will have thousands more listening.

I hope to see you there!

Casey Black 2023 PLC President

2023 Sponsors

We want to give a giant ‘thank you’ to the incredible companies and individuals that have made this year’s Pacific Logging Congress Live in The Woods Show possible. We couldn’t have done it without you!

PLATINUM

GOLD Cascade Hardwoods Chilton Forest Management Grays Harbor Community Foundation Green Diamond Hampton Lumber Mike Pihl Logging Port Blakely Ritchie Bros Roseburg Forest Products S&W Lumber/Wyss Logging Sierra Pacific Foundation Superior Tire TFS Triad Trinity Lumber Co. WASIC Western Forest Products Westrock

SILVER

BRONZE Harrison Logging Manulife Investment Management Mefford & Sons Inc. Mountain Pacific Pacific Log Processing Thompson River Lumber

AgWest Alta Forest Products Bennet Lumber Products Bitco Boise Cascade Brett Kerr Campbell Global Cascade Timber Consulting Crane Mills Creekside Logging Erickson Logging Inc. FWS Forestry Hadaller Logging Hubster Logging Jeff Unger Logging L&L Inc. Manke Lumber Merrill & Ring Forest Products LP Morris Logging MVR Cutting North Fork Lumber co.

Nygaard Logging Peterson Timber Potlatch Deltic R L Smith Logging Rayonier Redwood Empire Sawmill Robinson Enterprises Schmidbauer Lumber Co. Scott Melcher Shasta Cascade Timberlands Shasta Sustainable Resource Management Stella-Jones Corporation Sun Mountain Timber T-Mar Tahoe Forest Products Tim Brown Logging Warrington Fiber Western Timber TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

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9TH LIVE IN-WOODS SHOW

PACIFIC LOGGING CONGRESS

TENTATIVE PROGRAM AND AGENDA TENTATIVE PROGRAM AND AGENDA WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 4:15p.m.

Pacific Logging Congress Board of Directors Meeting Great Wolf Lodge, Centralia, WA — Salon A PLC/FRA Reception- Great Wolf Lodge — Northwest Territory Room

5:15p.m.

DEMO SITE – EDUCATION TOUR, LOGGER SEMINARS & GENERAL ATTENDANCE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 7a.m.-4p.m.

8a.m.-4p.m.

8a.m.-3p.m.

9a.m.-2p.m.

Off-Site Parking and Shuttle Site In The Woods Show Open On-Site Registration Education Day School Tours Logger Education Seminars at Woods Show Site Must sign “Sign-In Sheet” At the End of Seminar in Order to Receive Credit for Attending.

11:30a.m.-12p.m.

1:00p.m.-1:30p.m.

4p.m

Seminar #1 - AgriSafe - Ticks & Lyme Disease, qualifies for Pro Logger Credits Seminar #2 - AgriSafe - Ergonomic safety, qualifies for Pro Logger Credits ACTIVE SHOW EXHIBITS CLOSE

DEMO SITE – EDUCATION TOUR, LOGGER SEMINARS & GENERAL ATTENDANCE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 8a.m.-4p.m.

8a.m.-4p.m.

8a.m.-3p.m.

9a.m.-2p.m.

Off-Site Parking and Shuttle Site In The Woods Show Open On-Site Registration Education Day School Tours – Career Day

Logger Education Seminars at Woods Show Site Loggers Must Sign “Sign-In Sheet” At the End of Seminar in Order to Receive Credit for Attending.

9:30a.m.-10:30a.m.

11:30a.m.-12p.m.

1:00p.m.-1:30p.m.

2:00p.m.-2:45p.m.

4p.m.

6:30p.m.

Seminar #1– Papé/John Deere - qualifies for 1 to 2 Pro Logger Credits Seminar #2 - AgriSafe - Ticks & Lyme Disease, qualifies for Pro Logger Credits Seminar #3 - AgriSafe - Ergonomic safety, qualifies for Pro Logger Credits Seminar #4 - Caterpillar & Hilltop Aerial, Various Drone Services, qualifies for Pro Logger Credits ACTIVE SHOW EXHIBITS CLOSE Hosted Beer & Wine and Entertainment Reception and Dinner at Great Wolf Lodge Pacific Forest Foundation Education Silent and Live Auction

DEMO SITE – OPEN FREE TO PUBLIC AND GENERAL ATTENDANCE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 8a.m.-1p.m.

1p.m.

8

All Exhibits Open FREE to the public ACTIVE SHOW EXHIBITS CLOSE TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

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Loggers Can Earn Professional 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 Pacific Logging Congress will provide attendees with the opportunity to earn professional credits. Credits are applicable toward Professional Logger Certification.

During the Live in The Woods Show there will be a variety of seminars presented

by AgriSafe, Hilltop Aerial, Caterpillar, and Papé Machinery as well as other industry

professionals. Loggers also can earn two extra credits just for attending the PLC Live in The Woods Show.

Planning Your Classes

For more information on the seminars, please visit the Pacific Logging Congress website (www.pacificloggingcongress.org), where courses will be posted as they are confirmed. There you will find the topic, instructions, and the maximum credits you will be able to earn during the show.

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

Registration

9th Live in The Woods Show – September 21-23, 2023 Pacific Logging Congress • P.O. Box 26 • Eatonville, WA 98382 • 235-777-8077 Each Person Must Have a Pass to Attend the Show ADDITIONAL SHOW PASSES — EACH PERSON MUST HAVE A PASS IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE SHOW ____________ Show Pass/Registration @ $20US each 1-day pass

$ _________

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

$ _________

President’s Reception & Dinner, PFF Auction ticket (s) ____ @ $100 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_____________________ You can also register online at www.pacificloggingcongress.org 10

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

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Historic Vail Tree Farm Good Match for Show Venue

Photos Courtesy of Weyerhaeuser

By Mary Bullwinkel

W

eyerhaeuser’s Vail Tree

Farm in Vail, Washington, will be the site of the Pacific Logging Congress ninth annual Live in The Woods Show to be held Sept. 21-23.

The event will showcase both the Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm as well as active and static industry equipment and technology displays. Visitors will see live demonstrations, the latest forest technology in operation, and have numerous educational opportunities.

Ben Flint has worked for Weyerhaeuser for eight years and is the area manager for the Vail operating area for the company.

“Weyerhaeuser and our team at the Vail tree farm are excited to host the PLC Live In- Woods Show in 2023,” said Flint.

“We believe this is a great opportunity to showcase sustainable forest management and new, cutting-edge technologies to the next generation of professionals and to the general public as a whole.”

To prepare the site for the show, the Vail crew has created safety buffers, constructed trails and roads, and prepared the ground for the exhibitor booth sites.

Volunteers from the Vail crew and from Weyerhaeuser as a whole will be helping to ensure a successful show.

Flint said, “At Weyerhaeuser, innovation and striving to improve the safety and productivity of our harvesting operations is foundational to how we manage the land on a day-to-day basis. As such, when we were approached about hosting the PLC Live in The Woods Show, which demonstrates and highlights current innovations 12

within the timber industry, we jumped at the opportunity.”

The Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm and surrounding timberland were part of the original purchase by Frederick Weyerhaeuser, which led to the establishment of the company in 1900. Activity began as the Skookumchuck operations, with Vail being Camp 1, in 1924. Logging in the area at that time utilized steam donkeys and a railroad system for transporting logs.

The Vail site originally was a town with homes, stores and a post office for Weyerhaeuser employees and their families.

Today Vail is a nearly 190,000-acre contiguous block of land, managed through the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to continuously produce timber for

the forest products industry.

The farm is also known for its power-generating wind turbines. In fact, visitors will be parking at a site for staging the turbines as they were installed. The 38 wind turbines of the Skookumchuck wind farm began spinning on the Vail tree farm a couple years ago.

It made history as the first commercial-scale wind farm west of the Cascades.

The Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm continues to be a leader in the adoption of new logging technologies. Company crews and contractors began implementing cable assist timber harvesting in 2015 and have adopted motorized grapple logging and drones for logging and silvicultural operations. It is the perfect site for the Live in The Woods Show.

Colby Williams, Fueled Photography

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

T

Reception to Kick Off In the Woods Show he Pacific Logging Congress Live

in The Woods Show starts off with a bang on Wednesday night, Sept. 20.

The PLC and the Forest Resource Association will hold a joint reception at the Great Wolf Lodge in the Northwest Territory Room starting at 5:15 p.m.

Enjoy hosted beer and wine and hearty appetizers with friends as the excitement builds for the ninth Live in The Woods Show. Over a dozen exhibitors will be demonstrating what their technology can do at the show the next day at the Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm, and thousands of students are expected to attend and learn about the forest industry.

The Forest Resources Association represents the interests of more than 320 organizations and businesses in the forest

14

products industry, including forest landowners, suppliers, consuming mills, associated businesses, and state forestry associations.

The association has member representation in 49 states and 377 Congressional Districts.

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

It will be a fun night as the Pacific Logging Congress gears up for what will be an amazing show. Make sure to put this evening on your calendar!

President’s Dinner, Fundraising Auctions Set

A

fter a busy two days of checking out the latest and greatest forestry equipment, it’s time to kick back and enjoy great food with great friends.

Dinner

The President’s reception and dinner will be held at the Great Wolf Lodge at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23. It will be immediately followed by the live and silent auctions, with all proceeds to benefit the Pacific Forest Foundation’s educational programs.

President Casey Black promises a fun-filled evening you will want to attend.

Auction

The auction will include all kinds of “must have” items — from trips to Tigercat bar stools. Ritchie Bros auctioneers will keep the auction lively and entertaining.

The proceeds fund the Pacific Forest Foundation’s education programs, such as Adopt a High School, student visits to the Live In-Woods shows, college scholarships ($34,000 was awarded in 2023), and support of other student forestry programs around the region.

Here are just a few of the items that are included in the live and silent auctions: • The ultimate elk hunt – one bull elk tag on 22,000 acres, donated by Shasta Cascade • Trip for two to the PLC 2023 conference in Hawaii, with registration included, donated by Peterson Cat • Wooden bowl, handmade by past PLC President Jeff Wimer • Cow elk tag, donated by Green Diamond

• Shelton Area Green Diamond Access Permit, donated by Green Diamond • Hopco hand blown fish, donated by Trinity River Lumber • Ax, donated by Mike Pihl Logging • Selection of logging books, donated by Toby Murray • Live edge cribbage board, made by past PLC President Todd Gordon • Husqvarna Electric Chainsaw model 120i, donated by Lyme Redwood • Hunting package, donated by Weiler • Seahawk tickets, donated by Toby Murray • Pair of live edge Charcuterie boards made by past PLC President Todd Gordon • Blackstone grill, donated by Caterpillar • Custom ax, donated by Ponsse • Bar stools and vintage cooler, donated by Tigercat • Bass fishing package, donated by Western States • And many more . . .

Supporting Ongoing Education

The auction proceeds help the PLC continue their ongoing education for both 16

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

the public and the next generation. One example is the Pacific Forest Foundation’s Adopt a High School program. The PLC is continuing to expand the program each year.

This year it brought more students out in the woods to see potential forestry careers firsthand and helped make the introductions between loggers looking for employees and the youths that may fill those openings.

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 the PLC website at www.pacificloggingcongress.org or call the PLC for more details at (253) 777-8077.

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Over 2,000 Students Expected for Show

By Mary Bullwinkel

W

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

hat better way to educate

the next generation workforce about the timber industry, than to take them to the woods for a firsthand look?

That is what will be taking place on both Thursday and Friday, Sept. 21-22, during the Pacific Logging Congress ninth annual In the Woods Show.

Approximately 2,000 elementary and high school students from more than two dozen schools are expected to attend, with school bus and driver costs covered by the Pacific Logging Congress’s Pacific Forest Foundation.

Students will spend about three hours in the woods, watching live logging operations, walking an interpretive forest trail, and talking with industry professionals.

There will also be booth exhibits where students can gather information about the industry and the variety of career opportunities available now and in the future.

State-of-the-art logging and forestry equipment will be on display, showcasing the technological advancements in the industry, including drone technology. These advancements are creating a much safer and productive work environment for the forestry industry.

Each student group will have a tour guide who will discuss many aspects of forest management, including timber harvesting, reforestation, wildlife habitat, water conservation, and multiple use.

The Pacific Logging Congress In the Woods Show offers students and also the public the opportunity to better understand new forestry technologies and how they are being implemented as well the industry itself and the lifestyle it provides for those who work in it.

With one aim of connecting industry with the next generation workforce, the Pacific Logging Congress In the Woods Show will provide a safe, fun, and educational experience for all who attend the event at the Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm in Washington state.

PLC Engages and Recruits Next Forestry Workforce

By Mary Bullwinkel

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

he Pacific Forest Foundation

is the educational arm of the Pacific Logging Congress, and one of its successful outreach initiatives is the Adopt A High School program.

This program pro-actively reaches out to high school students with an interest in careers in logging, forestry, and related fields.

“Instead of waiting for workers to come to you, Adopt A High School brings you and your company to the students and employees of tomorrow,” said Roger Smith of RL Logging, a member of the Pacific Logging Congress Executive Board and one of the forward thinkers who helped develop the program in 2016.

Under the Adopt a High School program, three groups of Oregon high school students took trips to the woods in May to see firsthand what careers in forestry look like. Peterson Cat partnered with logging firms and set up the field trips. “This was a team effort,” said Duane Doyle Jr., president of Peterson Cat. The three field trips took students to the woods from Sweet Home, Scio, and Neah-Kah-Nie High Schools, in partnership with Hart Custom Cutting, Siegmund Excavation & Construction, and Hopkes Logging. Oregon Future Natural Resource Leaders also helped coordinate the field trips.

Students were able to interact one-onone with industry professionals while observing active logging operations. “We had groups of interested students,” said Doyle, “and it is much more effective to do a field trip to the woods than give a PowerPoint presentation in the classroom.” Plus, he said, loggers are more comfortable talking about

their work on the job site rather than in the classroom.

The plan is to do similar high school field trips to the woods next spring, said Doyle, with the ultimate goal perhaps resulting in paid summer internships for some of the students with logging and other natural resource firms – bringing the next generation workforce into the industry.

“We feel the field trips this year were very successful in bringing high school students and loggers together,” said Doyle.

There three brief YouTube videos on this year’s field trips: https://youtu.be/_-lmSFSIWUY https://youtu.be/XCt_9SzWEgE https://youtu.be/1rZwxjN4W04 More information about the Adopt A High School program can be found at the Pacific Logging Congress website, www. pacificloggingcongress.org; click on Education on the home page. Classroom materials can be downloaded from the site.

Another successful educational program sponsored in part by the Pacific Forest Foundation is the Forestry Challenge, which is held in the fall at several California locations. The Forestry Challenge is an academic event featuring technical forestry and current forestry topics for high school students.

The 2022 Forestry Challenge was held in September, October, and November in Shasta, Santa Cruz, El Dorado, and two sessions in San Bernardino. Four hundred and thirty-seven students from 65 schools participated. The majority of students who participated were from urban areas.

“It was a successful and record-breaking event season,” said coordinator Diane Dealey Neill.

The top 25 percent of the student teams who participated were invited to the Forestry Challenge Championship, held in April in Tuolumne County, California.

A total of 23 teams from 14 schools participated, including one team from Collège La Cité from Ottawa, Ontario, making this the first international Forestry Challenge event.

The focus topic was Creating a Fire Resilient Landscape in the Stanislaus National Forest. Students analyzed existing stand conditions and compared them to historic conditions, became familiar with the treatment prescription of a new project called the Social and Ecological Resilience Across the Landscape (SERAL), created a sample “mark” on a 1/5-acre plot, then determined whether or not SERAL’s prescribed treatment would accomplish the goal of

creating a resilient forest.

The top five teams, from first place to fifth place, were: Foresthill High School in Placer County, Mira Loma High School in Sacramento County, Ross School in Marin County, Golden Sierra High School in El Dorado County, and Granada Hills High School in Los Angeles County.

Other high schools that participated in the

championship were Benicia in Contra Costa County, Bret Harte in Calaveras County, Charter Oak, Palisades, and Ulysses S. Grant in Los Angeles County, Oceanside in San Diego County, Oxford in Orange County, and Summerville in Tuolumne County.

Prior to the start of the event, several school groups toured the Sierra Pacific Industries mill in Sonora.

BATTLE AX LOW AND HIGH FLOW SKID STEERS & EXCAVATORS 10,000 LBS - 88,000 LBS

DON’T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW …OR LESS

EXCLUSIVE DEPTH GAUGE DESIGN The key to maximizing productivity from a mulching attachment is not to bite off too much – or too little – material at one time. That’s why we gave the new Battle Ax rotor unique depth gauges that optimize the material feed rate to always keep the machine operating at top efficiency.

Mulching Heads

TWO-STAGE CUTTING CHAMBER Thoroughly process material with the exclusive two-stage cutting chamber featuring an adjustable primary shear bar.

Flail Mowers

Mechanical Trimmer

LOFTNESS.COM TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

21

Interpretive Trail Teaches About Forests

By Mary Bullwinkel

T

aking a walk on the interpretive trail at the Pacific Logging Congress Live in The Woods Show will provide some interesting information on geology and forestry in Washington state.

Kevin Lyons, a West Lematta professor in forest engineering at Oregon State University, coordinated the design of the trail, which includes four interpretive sites.

The focus of site one is renewable forests.

This stand of trees is being managed for lumber production with a rotation of between 40 and 70 years. In forestry, a rotation

is the time between stand-replacing harvests.

The number of years of a rotation depends on tree species, site conditions and the management objectives.

Site two demonstrates how trees compete to dominate an area. This site will focus on how trees grow and the impacts on growth when trees compete with each other for light. Over time, some trees grow taller than others, and as competition intensifies, suppressed trees begin to die.

Site three is about gaps in a stand of trees.

Over time gaps form in a stand of trees; the gaps may be caused by a number of factors, including brush taking over the site, storm

Our exceptionally competitive rates

damage, and disease. Gaps provide diversity in the forest and habitat for different wildlife species.

Site four is about dendrochronology, the scientific method of dating tree rings to the year they were formed in a tree. This site will include information on tree growth and looking at tree rings.

The interpretive trail on the Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm is located on some of the first forestlands purchased in Washington state

by Weyerhaeuser in 1900.

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22

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

FAE PT LINE GET USED TO BEST IN CLASS

See you on Sept 21st – 23rd Vail Washington

The FAE PT LINE is the ideal mulching equipment for your forestry management needs. Available in 3 sizes: PT-175 with CAT 173 HP engine, PT-300 with CAT 302 HP engine and PT-475 with CAT 475 HP engine.

Contact us to find a dealer in your area: info@faeusa.com - (770) 407 2014 - www.fae-group.com fae-group.com

September 21-23, 2023 Weyerhaeuser Vail Tree Farm 16506 Vail Loop SE, Rainier, WA

24

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

WELCO and PA

LIVE Demo Vail Cutoff Rd SE

Vail Loop Rd SE

OME BOOTH GENERAL ARKING

LIVE ACTIVE SITES FAE USA Cascade Trader Caterpillar Edison Motors Papé Machinery / John Deere Ponsse / PacWest Machinery Technical Forest Solutions Summit Tigercat Link-Belt

Gordon Rd SE

CHIPPER SITES

PARKING

(close to Reichel Lake)

DIRECTIONS TO PARKING: North From Hwy. 507 S., take Vail Road SE. Then take left over bridge on Vail Loop Rd. SE, then left on Gordon Rd. to parking lot.

South - from I-5/Great Wolf Lodge Take Old Hwy. 99 SW, travel through Tenino towards Rainier.

Turn right on the Vail Cutoff Rd SE (which turns into the Vail Loop Rd SE). Turn right onto Gordon Rd SE and follow to the parking lot.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE NO SHUTTLES FROM THE HOTELS AND LODGING SITES Passes, Trails and Concessions You will need to purchase a full show pass or single day ticket to attend this event.

Board the shuttle for the ride to the woods show site—approximately a 3-minute ride. Present your ticket at the PLC onsite registration tent or purchase your ticket at the show.

Concessions, rest areas, and restroom facilities are available at the site.

Wear comfortable walking shoes. This is a walking tour, and you’ll want to see it all.

For your safety, no open-toe shoes will be allowed on show grounds.

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

Bandit / PacWest Machinery Vermeer Mountain West

SMALL STATIC SITES 01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

06.

07.

08.

09.

10.

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12.

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TimberWest Magazine Healthy Forests Healthy Communities T-Mar Hatton Brown WCLA Advanced Drainage (ADS) Pacific Education Institute Husqvarna Group Grays Harbor College Alexander Gow Fire Equip.

Washington State L & I Sierra Pacific Industries Hilltop Aerial Oregon State University Weldco-Beales

LARGE STATIC SITES 01. First Aid 02. Food 03. Pacific Logging Congress 04. Superior Tire 05. Oregon Tool 06-07 Pierce Pacific 08. Modern Machinery 09. Vermeer Mountain West 10. FNLR 11. AgriSafe 12. Carco Ind. 13. Husqvarna 14. FAE 15. Quadco Group 16. Feenaughty 17. Weyerhaeuser 25

Exhibitor Listings HILLTOP AERIAL

13820 NW Main St Ste 100, Banks, OR 97106 www.hilltop-aerial.com

Static Site ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS 4640 Trueman Blvd., Hilliard, OH 43026 Jake.watkins@adspipe.com www.adspipe.com

Static Site

Advanced Drainage Systems leads the industry with a comprehensive and sustainable suite of products proven to work.

AGRISAFE

8342 NICC Drive, Peosta, IA 52068 thaskins@agrisafe.org www.agrisafe.org

Static Site

AgriSafe works to reduce health disparities in the agricultural community.

EDISON MOTORS

P.O. Box 2195, Merritt BC, Canada V1K1B8 www.edisonmotors.ca

Active Site

Edison Motors aims to produce Electric Hybrid Vocational Trucks and EV Conversion Kits that deliver fuel savings without compromise.

FAE USA INC.

5321 Rafe Banks Dr., Flowery Branch, GA 30542 www.faeusa.com

Active Site

FAE is the world leader in the design and production of heads for tractors, excavators, skid steers, special vehicles and tracked vehicles for forestry, agricultural, road and demining operations

ALLISON GOW FIRE EQUIPMENT COMPANY

FEENAUGHTY MACHINERY

Static Site

Static Site

Portland OR & Seattle, WA www.gowfire.com

Whether you need suppression system installations, inspections, repairs, or equipment: We can help.

CARCO INDUSTRIES INC.

20803 SW 105th Ave., Tualatin, OR 97062 503-612-6557 www.carcoindustries.com

Static Site

We’re manufacturers of expertly-engineered fieldtested lube trucks and mechanic truck bodies.

CASCADE TRADER

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

Active Site

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

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

Active Site

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.

26

4800 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland, OR 97218 www.feenaughty.com

Feenaughty Machinery Company has been supporting the construction and forestry industries in the Pacific Northwest for over 100 years.

GRAYS HARBOR COLLEGE

1620 Edward P Smith Dr., Aberdeen, WA 98520 www.ghc.edu

Static site

Grays Harbor College is to provide meaningful education and cultural enrichment through academic transfer, workforce preparation, basic skills, and service to community.

HATTON BROWN

225 Hanrick Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 www.hattonbrown.com

Static site

Publishes Timber Harvesting magazine, which highlights innovative and successful logging operations across the U.S.

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

Static Site

Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities is a nonprofit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for active forest management throughout the West.

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

Hilltop Aerial provides large scale drones and services to logging companies, forestry departments, tree planters, power line companies, land owners, fire departments, search and rescue operations, and so much more.

HUSQUVARNA

9335 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 500 Charlotte, NC 28269 (480) 579-4489 www.husqvarnagroup.com

Static Site

Shaping great experiences is what we do. With our passion for innovation, we create products and services for customers around the world.

LBX COMPANY

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

Live Site

LBX provides industry-leading excavator products, customer-first support, and innovative aftermarket options.

MODERN MACHINERY

4610 Cloudburst Way, Eugene, OR 97402 541-505-6473 www.modernmachinery.com

Static Site

Modern Machinery sells and rents high-quality heavy equipment and provides exceptional product support to the construction, mining, and forestry industries.

OREGON FNRL

20 E. Airport Rd. , Lebanon, OR 97355 www.oregonfnrl.org

Static Site

FNRL is a student leadership organization funded (partially) by the Oregon Department of Education.

We are a CTSO (Career Technical Student Organization). Similar to FFA, FBLA, DECA, etc.

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FORESTRY

8692 Peavy Arboretum Rd., Corvallis, OR www.forestry.oregonstate.edu

Static Site

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.

(continued on page 28)

Powerful performance for your toughest jobs

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• Quick power for productivity: Auto Power Max feature senses changes and reacts with seven-second horsepower bursts.

Learn more

• Refuel less: Additional fuel storage allows you to spend more time working.

• Powerful swing torque: Achieve exceptional reach � up to 29 feet.

• Rest assured: Machine includes KOMTRAX remote equipment monitoring and Komatsu Care maintenance.

ModernMachinery.com 800 332 1617

Idaho | Montana | Oregon | Washington

(continued from page 26) OREGON TOOL

4909 SE International Way Portland, OR 97222 www.oregontool.com

Static site

Oregon Tool manufactures saw chain and other equipment for the forestry, agriculture, and construction industries.

PACIFIC LOGGING CONGRESS P.O. Box 26, Eatonville, WA 98328 www.pacificloggingcongress.org

Static site

Founded in 1909, the Pacific Logging Congress has sought to educate politicians, educators, their students and the general public about the need for sound responsible forestry to supply global needs for wood fiber.

PACWEST MACHINERY

8207 S 216th St. Kent, WA 98032 www.PacWestMachinery.com

Live Site

PacWest Machinery offers high quality machines and aftersales support for Ponsse, Volvo and Bandit timber processing equipment. PacWest has service centers throughout the Pacific Northwest, plus a large fleet of mobile service units.

28

PAPÉ MACHINERY

3607 20th St E. Tacoma, WA 98424 253-922-8718 www.papemachinery.com

Live Site

As a leading supplier of heavy duty construction and forestry equipment, Pape can serve your forestry and logging needs on the West Coast from Washington, Oregon, and California.

PONSSE

4400 International Lane, Rhinelander, WI 54501 715-490-3825 www.ponsse.com

Live Site

Ponsse provides loggers with the best tools for all tree species and harvesting environments.

QUADO/SOUTHSTAR/LOG MAX

169 Industrial Drive, Lexington, SC 29072 http://www.quadco.com/

PEI

Static site

Static Site

SIERRA PACIFIC INDUSTRIES

724 Columbia St. NW, Suite 255 Olympia, WA. 98501 www.PacificEducationInstitute.org

PEI delivers high-quality professional development and consultation services for educators in equitable, locally relevant, career connected, outdoor STEM education.

PETERSON PACIFIC

4424 NE 158th Ave. Portland, OR 97230 www.piercepacific.com

Static site

A technologically advanced manufacturing plant, cutting-edge machine tooling and professionals who adhere to the strictest quality standards to meet your needs with precision and efficiency.

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

Browse our selection of forestry cutting tools, saw discs, and attachments.

421 S. Front St., Shelton, WA 98584 www.spi-ind.com

Static Site

The forest products company is based in Anderson, California. SPI owns and manages more than 2.4 million acres of timberland in California, Oregon and Washington and is one of the largest U.S. lumber manufacturers.

SUMMIT ATTACHMENTS & MACHINERY 2401-D Talley Way, Kelso, WA 98626 www.summitattachments.com

Live Site

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

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.

T-MAR IND.

5791 Duncan Bay Rd. Campbell River, BC, Canada V9H 1N6 360-490-1215 www.tmarequipment.com

Static Site

T-MAR’s team includes skilled fabricators, machinists, heavy duty mechanics, millwrights, mechanical engineers, and support staff.

TECHNICAL FOREST SOLUTIONS 2207 Talley Way Kelso, WA 98626 www.technicalforestsolutions.com

Live Site

Technical Forest Solutions LLc (TFS) is the exclusive North American distributor for Electrical & Machinery Services LTD (EMS) located in Rotorua New Zealand.

TIGERCAT INDUSTRIES

St. Morton Ave., Brantford, ON, Canada N3T 5P9 www.tigercat.com

WCLA CREDIT UNION

Live Site

2419 Pacific Ave SE Olympia, WA 98501 www.loggerscu.com

TIMBERWEST MAGAZINE

Established in 1984, WCLA Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit, financial cooperative, whose purpose is to serve the forest products industry.

Tigercat offers a range of feller bunchers, skidders, loaders, loggers, harvesters, forwarders and felling and processing attachments.

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

Static Site

Since 1975, each issue of TimberWest has been packed with valuable job stories about successful mechanized harvesting, wood processing techniques and equipment.

VERMEER MOUNTAIN WEST

17019 S. Weber Dr. , Chandler, AZ 85226 www.vermeermw.com

Live & Static Site

Static Site

WELDCO-BEALES

5770 Production Way Langley, BC, Canada V3A 4N4 www.weldco-beales.com

Static Site

Weldco-Beales Mfg. engineers and manufacturers a variety of attachments specialized to the forestry, construction, road maintenance, mining and resource industries while continuously improving those designs.

Vermeer Mountain West carries a full line of Vermeer industrial equipment and has been a Vermeer dealer since 1989.

WEYERHAEUSER CO

WASHINGTON STATE L&I

Static Site

7273 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501 www.LNI.WA.GOV

Static site

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries is a department of the Washington state government that regulates and enforces labor standards.

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

16821 SE McGillivray Blvd, Ste 210 Vancouver, WA 98683 www.weyerhaeuser.com

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.

29

ContractorProfile

FIREWOOD BUSINESS a Boon to Oregon Logger When Wet Ground Slows Work Pihl Logging’s Investment in Tajfun Firewood Processor Pays Off

By Dawn Killough

V

ERNONIA, OREGON

– Logger Mike Pihl credits his Tajfun RCA firewood processor with helping to keep his company alive during a recent wetter than normal winter.

When logging was slow, he could count on the processor to make enough firewood to keep the company afloat.

“It’s an amazing machine,” said Pihl. “I used to cut firewood by hand all the time just because I’m a typical logger and can’t sit still.

But as you get older, you start thinking that you can only do this stuff for so long. And that firewood processor has been a game changer.”

The RCA firewood processor, manufactured by Tajfun, has a live deck infeed that takes the log into the machine, cuts it to firewood length, splits the round, and loads the pieces into a trailer via an attached conveyor.

A single joystick controls the live deck, bar saw, splitter and conveyor, which makes it easy to use.

Pihl uses the firewood processor – which he purchased about two years ago – to help clean up logging jobs, leaving no trace behind and getting the most out of the land.

The low-grade logs are hauled to a company yard where the machine is set up under a roof. It doesn’t matter what species it is; it goes through the processor. He sells the firewood, green or dried, to distributors and direct to homeowners and uses this portion of his business for fill-in work. He sells an average of about 500 cords per year. He recently built a shed to store and dry about 10 percent of the firewood. The rest sits outside, weathered by the elements.

The Tajfun RCA machine is Pihl’s first firewood processing machine. He used to do all the work by hand. He sold so much firewood he finally realized he needed to find another way to keep up with the demand. A fellow logger with a Tajfun RCA machine came to help him one day, and Pihl was sold.

The RCA firewood processor is manufactured by Tajfun RCA. A single joystick controls the live deck, bar saw, splitter, and conveyor, which makes it easy to use.

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

(continued on page 32)

ContractorProfile (continued from page 30)

Kubota mini-excavator is used to load logs onto the infeed deck of the RCA firewood processor at Pihl Logging’s firewood yard.

32

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

He purchased the next bigger size machine and hasn’t looked back. The processor can cut and split two and a half cords in a little less than an hour.

Tajfun manufactures RCA firewood processors in Slovenia. The machines are distributed in America by Tajfun USA, which is represented by a number of dealers in the Northwest U.S. Tajfun RCA firewood processors are powered by tractor PTO; Tajfun also offers a Kohler 35 hp gasoline engine to power the machines.

(For more information about Tajfun USA and the Tajfun RCA line of firewood processors or to find a dealer, visit www.tajfunusa.com.)

Pihl’s Tajfun RCA firewood processor is powered by a separate engine. He appreciates the speed and the durability of the machine.

“It’s extremely dependable, and when we’ve had breakdowns (very few) we have a great rep to work with, and the parts are shipped immediately.”

Pihl Logging is a well-respected fixture in Vernonia in northwest Oregon, not quite 50 miles northwest of Portland. The company employs 15 people, a number that Pihl is comfortable with. He likes the small size

so he can have a personal relationship with each employee, some of whom have been with him for over 35 years. His daughter, Lindsay, runs the office and his son, Daniel, is a timber cutter.

Pihl started working in farming and paid cash for his first tractor when he was 15. The son of a circuit court judge and a school nurse, he logged or farmed neighboring properties but dreamed of being a full-time logger. He quit farming and went up to southeast Alaska to work in logging.

He saved money while working there, came back to Oregon at age 22, and paid cash for his first yarder. He still loves the work all these years later. “I dream about logs,” he said.

Pihl Logging fells timber by hand and with a Cat 522 feller buncher. The company is equipped with three Denharco stroke boom delimbers (two mounted on Thunderbird carriers and one on a John Deere) and a Doosan 225 with a Log Max attachment for processing logs. There are two skidders (a Cat 545 and a Mountain Logger 250) and seven loaders: three Cat machines, three Doosans, and one Prentice.

The company also has a couple of Kubota mini-excavators with grapples and three Kenworth log trucks. The newest machine

is a Doosan 225 loader, purchased from Feenaughty in Portland to replace a loader that was burned in a fire in May. Pihl usually contracts to harvest timber but buys stumpage on occasion. The company operates about five jobs at one time, each crew averaging about eight loads per day. The company contracts for some hauling.

Pihl checks on progress at job sites and helps out with the firewood part of the business. At the time he talked with TimberWest, his company was working on a 40-acre job just outside of North Plains, which is just outside of Portland.

Pihl spends most of his time scouting timber and bidding on jobs. He doesn’t advertise his business, yet he manages to keep about 20 active jobs on the books year-round.

The company works mainly on private land, jobs that may range from 2 to 80 acres. A crew of three or four works on each job. Pihl Logging performs clear-cuts as well as thinning.

Pihl Logging supplies logs to various mills in the region, including Zip-O

Contact us on

360 306 2367 E: tajfunusa@tajfun.com W: tajfunusa.com

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(continued on page 34)

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World renowned cutting-edge technology and solutions...

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

33

ContractorProfile (continued from page 33)

Pihl Logging has three of these Denharco stroke boom delimbers – two mounted on Thunderbird carriers and one on a John Deere carrier.

34

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

Log in Eugene, RSG Forest Products in Mist, Hampton Lumber in Banks, and two mills in Washington, Columbia Vista in Vancouver and Gram Lumber in Kalama.

Business has remained steady, even during the pandemic, because of the quality of the work they do and Pihl’s strong relationships with the mills.

The dominant species in the region are Douglas Fir, cedar, and alder. Northwest Oregon is known for its world-class Douglas Fir. The Tajfun RCA firewood processor helps ensure that nothing goes to waste. Any logs that can’t be sold to a mill are processed into firewood. Using the material for firewood eliminates the need to burn residual waste and leaves a clean site, something that Pihl Logging customers appreciate.

After starting his business, Pihl Logging grew to 40-50 employees in about 15 years.

Although he always dreamed of having a business that big, Pihl says he felt disconnected from his workers. The company was forced to downsize in 2008, but Pihl is happy with the size of the business now.

Changes in technology and equipment have definitely affected how Pihl Logging operates. “We’re on a job right now that I logged 30 years ago with a Thunderbird yarder,” said Pihl. “Where we yarder logged 30 years ago, we’re shovel logging it now because the machines have improved so much. And we have some amazing operators, too.”

One of the biggest improvements in technology for loggers that he’s seen: the cell phone. “I used to spend a lot of time on the pay phone, often an hour or two. You’d pull up to a pay phone out in the middle of nowhere, and there’d already be some other logger making three or four phone calls.

Now we can change sorts or call the crew without sitting at a pay phone, trying to find enough quarters.”

Pihl has little time for hobbies; he prefers to be working. “I bought a boat two years ago, put it in my shop, and it’s never been out. I’m a workaholic who loves his job. I love the smell. I dream about logs.”

He does make time for a few other activities. He serves on the board of the Camp 18 Logging Museum in Seaside on the coast and is a member of Associated Oregon Loggers. Pihl also is a past president of the Pacific Logging Congress.

“I’m very appreciative of every day, and I always try to find something positive in every situation,” said Pihl. “That’s just the way I roll.”

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ContractorProfile Tigercat LSX870D shovel (right) working in tandem with a Tigercat 880D logger at the top of the landing. The company chose the Tigercat shovel ‘because it was exceptionally stable on steep ground,’ says Chad Nelson.

Idaho Brothers Are Believers

in New Technology, Equipment Nelson Brothers Select Tigercat LSX870D Shovel for Stability in Steep Terrain Photos by Ryer Becker

Members of the Nelson Brothers Timber Management team include, from left, Jason Mattson, Bo Anderson, Bret Nelson, Scott Boutillier, Reva Nelson, Chad Nelson, Bill Thomas, and Mike Yenney.

36

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

By Jan Jackson

S

AINT MARIES, IDAHO

– Brothers Chad and Bret Nelson found their way into the logging business even though they didn’t grow up in a logging family. Today, as Nelson Brothers Timber Management, they contract cut, stay on top of the latest equipment, hire contract truckers, and work alongside their two crews to produce 90 to100 loads per week.

St. Maries (pronounced St. Marys by the locals) is a timber basket town of about 2,500 people in northern Idaho’s St. Joe River Valley. Surrounded by stands of Grand fir, Doug fir, Western cedar, and larch, Nelson Brothers is an hour and one-half east of Spokane, Washington, and three hours northwest of Missoula, Montana.

When asked if they had any problems running the company as siblings, they answered a resounding no. Chad, the elder, oversees bunching and skidding operations, and Bret supervises processing, loading, and

ContractorProfile dealing with truckers. Chad’s wife, Reva, does the bookkeeping. They are proud of being able to listen to each other’s point of view, take it into consideration, and then go with the best idea for the company.

Chad and Bret are believers in making use of the newest and latest technology.

When they are making a decision about buying new equipment, they also get input from their experienced employees.

“We hire guys who are very good loggers and have been in the industry a long time,” said Chad, “so when we go to buy a new piece of equipment, we get their opinion on what they want.”

The company’s newest machine is a Tigercat LSX870D shovel with a Tigercat BG13 grapple. They went with the Tigercat “because it was exceptionally stable on steep ground,” said Chad. Bret, Chad, and the employee who operates it, were all in agreement on the decision.

“We want to be on the cutting edge, and it makes a double win for us and our crew,” said Chad. “Our employees work their tails off for us, and we understand that’s why we’re making it. “We also rely heavily on Tigercat and Papé Machinery dealers in Spokane and Torgerson out of Missoula,” said Chad.

Carl Duer, a Papé territory manager, recently arranged for a demo of a John Deere skidder when the company briefly needed one. “Carl has been with us from the beginning, and even knowing that we probably weren’t ready to buy it, he wanted us to run it and see its capabilities,” said Chad. “He knows it’s not going to be an instant sell, but it helped us out, and he’s in it for the long run. We are lucky to work with so many people who have so much more experience running equipment than we do.”

The company does felling with a TimberPro 755D with a Quadco 24B hot saw and a Tigercat LS855E with a Tigercat 5195 directional felling head. Skidding and shoveling are done with a John Deere 748L2 skidder, a Tigercat 880D logger, and the new Tigercat LSX870D shovel.

Processing the trees is done by a John Deere 2656G with a Waratah 623C head and a Link-Belt 290 with a Waratah 623C. For loading the company has a Doosan DX300LL with a Pierce grapple. A subcontractor, Tony Appel, also does loading with his John Deere 2656G loader. Nelson Bros. also has a Falcon winch assist and a John Deere 772D motor grader.

Chad normally operates the TimberPro, and Bret usually runs the Tigercat 880D. Six other employees operate equipment.

Chad, 42, began working in a logging company shop when he was a high school sophomore. In more than 20 years with the

company he learned to drive trucks and then logging equipment. He has operated a buncher or harvester for the last 15 years, and now it’s his niche.

Bret, 36, began working in the same logging company shop but shortly changed direction and went to work for a tire company.

After a work injury, he went back to the logging company.

“I worked with Chad for another five years or so, then went to work for a gentleman who was phasing his way out of logging, and that’s where I had the opportunity

to start buying his equipment,” said Bret.

“When I was a kid,” said Bret, “I always told myself I wanted to own my own business and thought someday I would. Actually, Chad was working on going into business for himself, too, I just beat him to the punch.

It was like, I want to bring my brother on board because I can’t do this without him. So I asked Chad if he’d be interested in starting a logging company with me and he was like, ‘Yeah, for sure. Let’s do it.’ We are extra (continued on page 38)

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

37

ContractorProfile (continued from page 37)

The newest machine for Nelson Brothers Timber Management is a Tigercat LSX870D shovel with a Tigercat BG13 grapple, shown working on the slope below the landing. Working at the landing are, from left, a Falcon winch assist (tethered to the shovel), a Tigercat 880D logger, and a John Deere 2656G with a Waratah 623C head processing logs.

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TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

lucky, too, because Dad works with us as one of our contract truckers.”

The Nelsons have had no employee turnover since they started their business. They attribute the success in retaining employees to the fact that they work as part of the crew rather than just supervise from the inside of an office or pickup truck. In addition, they do their best to treat employees how they would want to be treated. Employee benefits include health insurance, a retirement plan with a 3 percent match, and a company pickup truck.

“We used to be able to work close to town,” said Bret. “We logged it all close to St. Maries 10, 15 to 20 years, and now we’re working deeper into the forest. The trees close to us now are either on state or U.S. Forest Service land or on a Potlatch second growth plantation that won’t be ready to long for another 15 or 20 years.”

Nelson Brothers supplies logs to PotlatchDeltic, Idaho Forest Group, ALTA, Idaho Cedar, Stella Jones, Stimson, and Clearwater Fiber.

Chad and Bret are both active in several trade organizations. They are members of the (continued on page 40)

ContractorProfile (continued from page 38) American Loggers Council, Chad is a board member for the Intermountain Logging Conference, and Bret is a board member of the Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho and also serves on the safety committee.

Tigercat LS855E with Tigercat 5195 directional felling head operating on steep terrain. The machine is tethered to the company’s Falcon winch assist.

40

They also work closely with the University of Idaho-Moscow associate program and the St. Maries High School biennial career day.

“We believe the future of the industry is in the hands of the youth,” said Reva. “We bring in our own equipment and let the kids get hands-on time to see what running equipment is all about.”

“It takes all hands-on deck to keep the industry alive and sustainable,” added Reva.

“We want to do our part to show that the industry can be a good career choice. We share a lot of photos and videos on social media as part of this mission.”

Nelson Brothers loggers participate in an annual safety class that’s mandatory for every Idaho logger. The company has a written safety plan, and it provides map coordinates for every job to the Idaho Safety Commission in order to arrange a helicopter transport in case of an injured worker.

Chad and Bret want to keep the size of their business as it is now, continue to help with their trade associations and the University of Idaho, and try to set aside more free time for family.

Bret said, “We get a lot of people who ask, ‘With so few people, how are you doing that much volume?’ It comes down to using the latest technology and having really good employees. We want to control and manage

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

what we have, and with two owners, I think we’re at that point now.”

“The hard part is to manage the work so we have time for the family,” added Bret.

“Before we started this business, I would say we were all about hunting and fishing, but we don’t have much time for that anymore.

Chad and Reva, have an identical set of fiveyear old twins, and my wife, Kelci, and I have a 16-, 10-, and three-year-old. The older two are old enough so we do a lot of high school and middle school ball, horses and the state fair. Chad and I are also members of the Elks Benevolent Protection Orders, the St Joe River Boat Club, and the St. Joe Snow Riders. We all enjoy the great outdoors.

Weekends are full, noted Bret. “I get up super early on Saturdays and Sundays and weld this or that or go get the oils, and Chad and I meet and get our pricing for our next strip. We do that early in the mornings or late in the afternoons because during the day we are busy with our families.”

The brothers have an answer when people ask them how they make their success look so easy. “Well, there’s two of us to begin with,” said Chad. “That’s a big help, having two bosses. You take care of this, and I’ll take care of that, ready, go! But, it isn’t easy. We just work hard to make it look like it is.”

MACHINERY ROW Ponsse, PacWest Ink Deal for West Coast

The Ponsse Group has signed a retail agreement with PacWest Machinery. Ponsse also sold its service business operations in Coburg, Oregon, to PacWest. In the future, PacWest will be responsible for the sale and maintenance of Ponsse forest machines in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

The transaction includes the service center in Coburg owned by Ponsse. The Coburg employees will be offered jobs with PacWest as existing employees. Ponsse services will be transferred to the responsibility of PacWest starting Sept. 1.

The change will not interrupt local Ponsse services, which include machine sales, maintenance and spare part services, and training.

Juho Nummela, president and CEO of Ponsse, said PacWest’s extensive service business network will strengthen Ponsse’s offering of services.

“The collaboration agreement with PacWest expands our operational area on the West Coast of the United States and provides Ponsse with opportunities to grow its business in the United States,” he said.

“PacWest’s extensive network brings Ponsse services closer to our local customers. There

42

is a lot of potential for the cut-to-length logging technology on the West Coast.”

PacWest Machinery is part of the Joshua Green Corporation, a private company established in the 1890s. PacWest also operates as a dealer for Volvo and Metso in Oregon, Washington and North Idaho. The company has sales and service centers in Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Mount Vernon, Pasco and Eugene.

New Biochar Plant Ramps Up Production

A new biochar plant in John Day, Oregon, is ramping up production. The towering industrial plant is located on Malheur Lumber property.

The plant, which employs 18 people, started production of biochar in April. It generated 100 tons of finished product in June and was expected to produce 500 tons in July. The hope is to ramp up production to about 10,000 tons per year and begin marketing the product to customers in 2024.

Biochar is similar in appearance to charcoal used for cooking. It can be added to soil to make it highly fertile for agriculture and gardening. It can also be used as a carbon water filter to remove pollutants, such as

TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

chemicals and metals, from storm drains and old mines.

The plant’s operators have a long-term lease on about 5 acres on the property and a mission to utilize wood waste or wood that wouldn’t sell as well. The plant was built by Restoration Fuels, a subsidiary of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.

Plant operations manager Mark Allen said the plant’s supplier is currently Malheur Lumber. The raw material to make the biochar — low-merchantable wood — is delivered in the form of chips or sawdust and stored in giant piles at the plant.

“It’s really about giving the loggers and the Forest Service a way to clean up the forest,” Allen said. “Part of (the endowment’s) mission is to clean up the forest, to come up with a product that will use offgrade trees and give an incentive to clean up the forest and find a market for that stuff.”

The company also hopes to take advantage of the fact that biochar sequesters carbon from waste wood that might otherwise be released into the atmosphere. It aims to gain additional revenue by providing carbon credits to large corporations, which can use them to offset the carbon emissions they produce.

SAFETYALERT Motor Grader Operator Injured While Replacing Blades Background

On a winter day in the south-central U.S., a motor grader operator was parked in a hunt club parking lot, preparing to perform a cutting edge/blade exchange. Weather conditions were not a contributing factor to the accident. The operator had over 13 years of motor grader experience.

Unsafe Acts and Conditions

The operator did not de-energize the machine and relied on the equipment’s hydraulic system to keep the table and moldboard in place. The operator also placed himself in a dangerous position by stepping between the moldboard and the cab while performing maintenance on the motor grader.

was engaged. The moldboard was then positioned at the side of the grader to begin the blade removal process. The blades were removed without incident, and the operator began cleaning the moldboard before installing the new blades.

Next, the operator stepped around the moldboard to get a wire brush from the cab, placing himself between the moldboard and the grader cab. Suddenly, the table and moldboard fell, striking the operator in the back of his leg. The operator was able to call his supervisor for help, and EMT personnel were dispatched to the accident scene.

Accident

The operator began by disengaging the link pin to move the moldboard into position and then attempted to re-engage the link pin before starting his routine maintenance. He then shook the moldboard with the hydraulic system to ensure the link pin

The injured operator was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. A post-accident inspection revealed that the link pin was not properly engaged, and a proper zero-energy process was not employed.

Injury

The operator suffered fractures of both the tibia and fibula bones in his lower leg.

Recommendations for Correction

Always be aware of your surroundings and never place yourself in a position to be injured by stored energy during routine equipment maintenance and servicing.

Develop lock out/tag out procedures to de-energize equipment to a zero-energy state during equipment maintenance and repair.

(Source: Forest Resources Association. To access this and other Safety Alerts, visit www. forestresources.org and click on Resources.)

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NEW PRODUCTS John Deere Introduces 2956G Crawler Log Loader

John Deere has introduced the new 2956G crawler log loader for loggers looking for a machine that combines excellent engine horsepower and hydraulics capability while maintaining a machine weight of less than 90,000 lbs.

“The new 2956G crawler log loader machine not only provides optimal power and hydraulic capabilities, but is still easy to transport due to its excellent width and weight combination,” said Jarvis de Groot, global product marketing manager for forestry swing machines.

The John Deere 2956G crawler log loader features an overall shipping width of less than 11 feet, 6 inches; the design not only helps simplify transportability but also helps save on transportation costs. The new mounting of the log deflector adds additional strength to the right-front corner of the machine, and the new design of the hood profile helps to enhance debris shedding.

The John Deere 2956G crawler log loader features excellent engine power for a machine of this size. Engine power and hydraulic flow significantly boost loading capability, speed, and the capacity to run the Waratah 624. The combination of machine and attachment increases efficiency and production in roadside processing.

The design of the John Deere 2956G also improves operator visibility to avoid obstacles and impact, reducing potential damage and downtime. A rearview camera, light and JDLink antennas have been integrated into the counterweight for additional protection.

For more information contact a John Deere dealer or visit www.JohnDeere.com/ forestry.

Link-Belt Announces 40B Forestry Series Machines

Link-Belt Excavator Company has introduced the 40B Forestry Series machines.

The new 40B Series machines feature design improvements to increase cooling performance, debris management, and serviceability. The Link-Belt 3440B Processor, 4040B Timber Loader, and 4640B Timber Loader are now available in the U.S. and Canada.

The 40B Series machines feature a 44

270-degrees, birds-eye view with WAVES (Wide Angle Visual Enhancement System) and industry-leading fuel consumption and productivity. The spacious cab offers unprecedented ergonomics and comfort; a highback seat with air, tilt, and heat features is standard, and adjustable pivoting armrests, headrest, seat height, and lumbar support keep operators comfortable.

The 4040B TL has 21 percent more horsepower and is coupled with increased cooling and airflow management. The dust screen is easily removed from the ground or catwalk.

The all-new 3440B Processor features an Isuzu 177 hp Tier 4 Final engine and an upsized cooling package for superior performance and productivity.

“From increases in productivity to the enhancements in the safety and service of the machine, we’re very excited about what this means for the future of our forestry equipment,” said Adam Woods, general manager of innovation and product portfolio strategies at LBX. For more information contact a LinkBelt dealer or visit www..lbxco.com.

Planer Teeth Now Standard On Diamond Drum Mulchers

Diamond Mowers has made Twin Chisel® Planer Teeth a standard feature across all its depth control drum mulching attachments.

This high-performance cutting tool, which boasts industry-leading durability along with the ability to be sharpened and rotated right on the drum, is available exclusively to Diamond Mowers dealers and customers.

“The ability to sharpen and maintain teeth right on the drum is a major differentiator and time-saving convenience for our customers,” said Dan Stachel, executive vice president of Diamond Mowers.

Twin Chisel Planer Teeth are made of hardened steel for maximum strength and impact resistance and are suited for highproduction applications and intermittent ground contact. The tooth was recently enhanced through a joint development with Quadco, improving the cutting geometry and heat treating to increase durability and reduce fracturing. It also indexes better in the holder, which improves bolt retention and eases rotation for a long effective life.

Twin Chisel Planer Teeth are now standard on all Diamond Mowers depth control drum attachments for skid-steer, excavator, TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

and tractor platforms, including the SK Drum Mulcher DC Pro X, the EX Drum Mulcher DC Pro X, and the new TR Boom Drum Mulcher DC. For more information visit www.diamondmowers.com.

New Grapple Processor From Pierce Pacific

Pierce Pacific has developed a new series of grapple processors, the GP ProSeries.

The company’s revolutionary forestry tool has undergone a number of improvements for increased efficiency and profitability in the GP ProSeries attachments. The improvements enhance productivity and reliability in several ways.

The Pierce GP ProSeries offers extreme durability, superior log quality and unmatched loading efficiency – all with one machine. It’s the only one of its kind that shovels, sorts, and loads like a grapple and also delimbs, measures and cuts like a processor.

The GP ProSeries features a new, state-of-theart control system, improved hardware and cable connections, and the latest measuring technology. The complete bucking system handles measurement, control, monitoring and management of the entire production process, all controlled by a user-friendly, color touch screen interface.

With the new Pierce Connect, remote access allows a Pierce technician to remotely troubleshoot, calibrate, diagnose, and adjust settings of the attachment.

“We’re not only in the business of improving our equipment, we’re in the business of improving your production,” said Pierce CEO Greg Hildebrandt. “The GP ProSeries represents the best of Pierce’s pioneering spirit, innovative engineering and state-ofthe-art technology.”

Pierce Pacific, which has long served the logging community with stroke delimbers, forestry cabs, booms, grapples and machine conversions, developed its first grapple processor 10 years ago.

“Our fundamental goal with all Pierce products is to improve our customer’s production, as well as reduce their operating costs,” said Hildebrandt. “There’s no other forestry tool in the last decade that has accomplished this like the GP.”

NEW PRODUCTS “The GP’s design is purposeful and intentional,” noted Hildebrandt, “with several features that maximize productivity and efficiency. From the ground up, it is multi-purpose, specifically made for handling both loading and processing – and shovel logging too.”

For more information, visit www.piercepacific.com or call (800) 760-3270.

Rottne Unveils E-Cabin

Rottne has developed a new E-Cabin that features extensive improvements.

The new E-Cabin has enhanced ergonomics and functionality. Integrated screens on the control panels and additional buttons on the joysticks make the work environment more flexible and efficient. Under the panels is a new control system that complies with all laws, standards, and regulations.

“We have devoted a lot of time to optimizing driver comfort, button placements, and functionality,” said David Selstam of Rottne’s development department. “All the buttons required to operate and work with the machine are now on the palettes, creating an optimal work environment.”

The spacious, comfortable cabin features a modern design that combines form and function. The large windows and low-placed instrument panel provide a clear view of the

Magazine Owners Are Wed

surroundings and work area. The cabin is equipped with intelligently placed storage compartments and a food warmer. Moreover, it is quieter than a car.

With the introduction of Rottne Crane Assistance and an upgraded version of the Comfort Line cabin suspension, Rottne is setting a new standard for its forwarders.

Whether it’s the compact Rottne F10E or the powerful Rottne F20E, the cabin remains the same. This simplifies matters for both the drivers and Rottne’s service department.

“We have implemented several updates to improve the overall work environment with the cabin,” said Selstam. They include upgraded lighting, new air conditioning system, redesigned control buttons, new screens, new steering wheel, and powerful speakers.

For more information, visit www. rottne.com or contact a Rottne dealer.

Wedding bells rang on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast this summer, as Anthony Robinson and Hannah Rayment, the owners of Logging and Sawmilling Journal and TimberWest, were married, on July 7.

Anthony and Hannah invited 85 friends and family from literally around the world to their Sunshine Coast property for the celebration. And the Sunshine Coast lived up to its name, with it being a beautiful day, for the beachside wedding!

Congratulations to Anthony and Hannah! Cheers, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson!

CALENDAR September 7-9 Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, Escanaba, MI 715-282-5828, www.gltpa.org September 21-23 Pacific Logging Congress - Live in The Woods Show, Vail, WA, 360-832-1745 www.pacificloggingcongress.org October 3-6 American Loggers Council Annual Meeting, Newry, Maine, ME 409-625-0206, www.amloggers.com

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GuestColumnist

Tackle the Wildfire Crisis with Proactive Efforts to Restore Our Forests

By Hannah Downey

W

hile trying to beat the heat

on the water with my family recently, the ominous thrum of a helicopter passed above our heads. A Chinook helicopter with a dangling water bucket flew over, followed closely by two scooper planes on an aerial firefighting mission. A telltale sign that wildfire season is igniting in Montana.

Wildfires are burning larger and more destructive than they did in previous decades, and it’s worth asking why so that forest managers can better address the growing wildfire risk. Fires have burned an area larger than the state of Arizona over the past decade. While the number of wildfires in the U.S. has not increased, the total acres burned has grown in recent years, and each fire burns more land on average than in 1985. Last year alone, federal agencies spent more than $3.5 billion trying to put out wildfires.

Beyond destroying thousands of homes and threatening human lives, wildfires have a terrible environmental impact. Wildfires jeopardize wildlife habitat and watersheds and have killed up to a fifth of the world’s remaining giant sequoia trees in recent years. Wildfire smoke is also the largest single source of PM2.5 emissions, yet the Environmental Protection Agency routinely treats wildfires as exceptional events and excludes them from air quality standards.

Fires release massive quantities of greenhouse gasses, including 112 million tons of carbon dioxide in California in 2020—the equivalent of adding more than 24 million cars to the state’s roads. The emissions from wildfire in just that one year was double the amount of carbon dioxide reductions achieved by the state since 2003.

As with any complex phenomenon, no single factor fully explains declining forest health or the wildfire crisis. A changing climate has increased the risk of drought and extended the West’s ‘wildfire season.’ A massive jump in the number of people living 46

near or recreating in forests has increased opportunities for human-caused ignitions.

However, the largest factor, according to a study by U.S. Forest Service scientists, is excessive forest density and the buildup of fuels due to decades of failed fire suppression policies. The study found that among the four factors driving fire severity in the Western U.S., live fuel accounted for an estimated 53.1 percent of average relative influence, fire weather accounted for 22.9 percent, climate accounted for 13.7 percent, and topography accounted for 10.3 percent.

According to the Forest Service, 40 percent of the acres in the national forest system are in need of restoration to address excess fuels, invasive species, disease and insect infestations, and other conservation challenges. When the Department of the Interior’s 54 million acre restoration backlog is added in, the total area needing urgent help is larger than the state of California.

The wildfire crisis is the most visible symptom of this problem, but it is not the only one. Due to the backlog, many Western forests are stocked full with overly dense, unhealthy, and dying stands that provide lower quality habitat, are more vulnerable to insects and disease, and are less resilient to climate change and drought.

Forest restoration can reverse these trends and promote healthier, more resilient forests. Restoration activities can involve mechanical thinning and prescribed burning to mitigate immediate wildfire risks by reducing forest density and removing overgrown brush. It can also involve replanting native trees, removing invasive plants, and addressing erosion risks to help forests recover from fire. Different forests in different locations under different conditions will require unique combinations of these management tools.

The effectiveness of mechanical treatments and prescribed burns was demonstrated in 2021 during Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, which ultimately burned more than 400,000 acres. Katie Sauerbrey, a fire manager for TimberWest Magazine — July/August 2023 — www.forestnet.com

The Nature Conservancy, told The New York Times that it was “the most extreme fire behavior I had ever seen in my career.”

But when the fire moved from the FremontWinema National Forest to The Nature Conservancy’s privately owned Sycan Marsh Preserve that had been thinned and burned, the fire’s behavior changed dramatically.

Firefighters reported that where both mechanical thinning and prescribed fire treatments had been applied, fire intensity was reduced, the crowns of trees were left intact, and the blaze became a more manageable ground fire.

These and other high-profile examples of forest restoration projects reducing the consequences of wildfires have sparked bipartisan interest in ramping up those projects.

Last year, the U.S. Forest Service announced a 10-year strategy to implement strategic restoration projects — including mechanical thinning and prescribed burns — on 50 million acres (over and above its normal restoration levels) of federal, state, and private land where fire risks and threats to communities are greatest. This ambitious plan relies on roughly $5 billion that Congress has appropriated for wildfire risk reduction, and it calls for spending a total of $50 billion over the next decade.

But carrying out the Forest Service’s ambitious plan in a mere decade will require more than increased funding. It will require Congress and the Forest Service to address policy obstacles that have sapped the agency’s ability to deliver forest restoration at scale and on time. And it will also require greater engagement with states, tribes, and private partners to capitalize on their local knowledge and capacity to perform restoration projects. With proactive efforts to restore our forests, we can begin to tackle the wildfire crisis.

(Hannah Downey is the policy director at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana.)

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