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U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced he would withdraw the National Old Growth Amendment process.
The federal government proposed the national old growth amendment in December 2023. A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published in June 2024. The same month, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) co-sponsored legislation to nullify President Joe Biden’s executive order and prevent the Forest Service from finalizing the amendment plan’s draft EIS.
The proposed changes to the national old growth amendment would have amended all 128 national forest land management plans to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions and recruit future old-growth conditions.
“I have long advocated for responsible forest management decisions to be made at the local level by the people who know the land and how to best handle it,” said Newhouse. “I am pleased to see the Forest Service withdraw this top-down regulation that would have been a detrimental blow to proper and common-sense management.”
Associated Oregon Loggers and other forestry industry groups hailed Moore’s decision.
“The…withdrawal is a victory for science, common sense and Americans who understand that solutions to healthy national forests and communities come from modern forestry management and professionals,” said Rex Storm, executive vice president of Association of Oregon Loggers. “Solutions do not result from environmental politics that lose the forest for the trees.”
The organization called the proposed old growth amendment “deeply flawed” and said it “ignored realities of modern forest management and would have imposed disastrous consequences on Oregon’s rural communities, forestry sector and the national forest role in addressing carbon and climate.”
L.A. Fires Put Focus on Forest Management
The catastrophic, historic fires in Los Angeles County have once again put the focus on the need for forest management. The fires have blackened more than 60 square miles, killing at least 25 people and destroying more than 12,000 structures, including entire neighborhoods and communities.
House Natural Resources chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said he expects the House to act on a bill to step up forest management, confident that the wildfires are
bringing fresh attention to the issue.
“This is a moment to recognize that however well-intentioned they may be, environmentalist-inspired policies in California have created water and energy scarcity, which translates directly into having less capacity in our cities to deliver the resources needed to fight fires,” observed Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy at the California Policy Center.
“This same unbalanced and often extreme environmentalism has informed policies and regulations that denied us the opportunity to responsibly manage California’s forests and proactively clear the brush out of our urban canyons,” he added.
“The tragic wildfires in Los Angeles have reignited national discussions about forest management, wildland firefighting, smoke pollution, and water,” noted Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, a forestry industry advocate, in a statement. “Although these urban fires are not traditional forest fires, they underscore the critical need for effective vegetation management and robust water infrastructure and availability.”
Montana Agency OKs Forest Conservation Plan
The Montana Land Board approved a deal to protect a swath of private timberland between Kalispell and Libby, placing nearly 33,000 acres of working forest under a conservation easement. The measure preserves public access, precludes development, and maintains the parcel for timber production. Widely viewed as serving the long-term regional interests of corporate timber while also providing a boon to wildlife conservation and public recreation, the easement received support from a broad coalition of stakeholders.
The Montana Great Outdoors Project, the easement with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) was designed to preserve key fish and wildlife habitat while guaranteeing the timber company’s right to manage the land for production. The 3-1 vote cleared the way for the first phase of a two-phase project totaling 85,792 acres of timberland owned by Green Diamond Resource Company.
Julia Altemus, executive director of the Montana Wood Products Association, said the trade group supports the project because it assures the landowner will continue to manage the land for forest health, fire resilience and timber production. By her estimates, the easement can produce a sustained annual harvest of 20 million board feet of merchantable
timber, supporting 40 full-time workers and 100 seasonal workers. The timber would be processed regionally, generating $30 million per year in economic activity.
Federal Loan Program Will Aid Mill Improvements
The Biden Administration unveiled the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program to support wood processing facilities, improve forest health, and reduce wildfire risks.
It will provide $220 million in loan guarantees for projects that expand, reopen, or modernize facilities utilizing wood harvested from federal or Tribal lands. The program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The loan program targets the processing and utilization of wood products from up to 20 million acres of National Forest System lands. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the program's potential to support rural jobs and promote innovative timber industry solutions.
The program offers loans of up to $25 million. Applicants are encouraged to prioritize high-risk wildfire areas. Eligible
projects include establishing, retrofitting, or expanding wood processing facilities, such as sawmills and paper mills.
Washington Land Manager Pauses Timber Sales
Dave Upthegrove, Washington’s new public lands commissioner, announced he would pause logging sales in some older state-managed forests for about six months.
How much acreage the pause would cover was not immediately clear, but a Department of Natural Resources spokesperson said it would involve slightly more than 20 timber sales.
Upthegrove, who had promised to set aside nearly 80,000 acres of older trees, announced the pause on sales of “certain structurally complex mature forests” shortly after being sworn into office.
“During this pause, we’ll deploy cuttingedge technology to better identify and map the characteristics of the forests under our care,” Upthegrove said in remarks to staff. “We also will establish criteria for which structurally complex mature forests will help us meet our long-term habitat goals.”
The logging and forest products industry
is against removing the forestland from the state’s timber sale rotation and says it would hurt lumber mills, jobs, and government revenue and that it shifts the goalposts on past conservation plans. They also argue that certain specialty products — like utility poles and some engineered wood — require older trees to make.
“We’re curious to learn more about his announced plan to pause some timber sales, while still delivering essential revenues to our schools, hospitals, and other local services that depend on DNR’s success,” Travis Joseph, president of the American Forest Resource Council, an industry group, said in a statement.
Environmentalists Seek To Block Forest Roads
Wildlife advocates have asked the federal courts in Montana to require the Bitterroot National Forest to keep its limits on road building to preserve wildlife and bull trout habitat.
Four organizations filed a complaint in U.S. District Court against the U.S. Forest (continued on page 8)
(continued from page 7)
Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a 2023 change to the forest management plan that would allow the Forest Service to build more roads without considering how they’d affect endangered species. They’ve also asked that the judge put any road building on hold until the case is resolved.
The plaintiffs include Friends of the Bitterroot, Friends of the Clearwater, Native Ecosystems Council, and WildEarth Guardians and are represented by Earthjustice.
The forest adopted an amendment in 2023 that changed the elk habitat effectiveness plan. Part of the result was that limits on road densities were eliminated.
The plaintiffs argue that, even though the road density limits were intended to help elk, they had the added benefit of conserving grizzly bear and bull trout habitat. By approving the amendment with little analysis, the Forest Service approved the degradation of grizzly bear and bull trout habitat, the plaintiffs say.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing to release an environmental impact statement by this summer on grizzly bear recovery in the Bitterroot ecosystem.
Damage Is Expected To Hurt Timber Prices
The increased threat of wildfires and potential damage to timberlands from drought, fire and smoke are expected to reduce
timber prices in Oregon, Washington and California in the coming decades, according to Oregon’s 2025 climate assessment.
Wildfires and drought have caused $11.2 billion in damage to privately owned timberland in Oregon, Washington and California in the last 20 years, a 2023 Oregon State University study showed. The damages resulted in a 10 percent reduction in the value of private timberland in the three states.
The threat of future wildfire risks are expected to continue driving down values as timberland owners and buyers anticipate increased risks due to climate change, according to Oregon State University rural economics expert David Lewis.
“Risk of damage to forests from wildfire has increased in the past two decades, and that translates to buyers of timberland willing to pay less for timberland,” said Lewis. “When the risk of wildfire increases, then future timber harvest revenues become less certain for buyers and owners of forest land, and that’s why they’re willing to pay less and what explains the negative effect we find of wildfires on timberland prices.”
The 2025 Oregon Climate Assessment predicts that Oregon’s wildfire risks will dramatically increase in the coming decades as the state’s average temperatures are forecast to rise by at least 5 degrees by 2074 and 7.6 degrees by 2100. The changing climate is expected to bring more winter rain, severe ice storms, flooding, less mountain snow, less summer rain, drought, increased wildfire risk, crop failure and severe environmental impacts.
One-Third of U.S. Homes In High-Risk Fire Areas
According to the U.S. Forest Service, one-third of U.S. homes are in counties with high wildfire risk. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires, putting U.S. homes, roads, power lines, and other critical infrastructure at risk.
The West is seeing the most dramatic jump where wildfire seasons are becoming longer and more intense. Extended dry conditions, low humidity levels and our warming world are all contributing factors in this escalation of fire behavior.
Climate Central's analysis shows that 56 of California’s 58 counties have a high or very high risk of wildfires impacting people’s homes. That’s more than 38 million people or 97 percent of the state’s population.
In Florida, more than 21 million people, or 99 percent of the state’s population, lives in a high or very high risk of wildfires, putting homeowners at risk.
Some locations are now seeing as much as two more months of fire weather days compared to 50 years ago.
Long-reaching
President’s Message
Welcome to the 87th Annual Oregon Logging Conference!
Everything you see at the conference is the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and preparation. There are 10 acres of outside equipment displays and several acres of indoor displays. Please take advantage of the deals and competition happening at the conference. The vendors and attendees here represent 26 states and 6 countries, and 350 manufacturers.
Thank you for being here! The Oregon Logging Conference (OLC) is well aware of the work you have set aside to attend this collection of great industry events! Your attendance and generosity over the years is amazing!
Please thank the OLC staff, vendors, and
Many of the OLC staff take vacation time in order to work at the conference. Vendors and presenters often travel away from home to be here.
This year’s theme is: ‘Timber Builds Dreams.’
Dreams include homes, businesses, land ownership, forests, careers, and an endless list of useful, beautiful, and renewable products.
Our keynote speaker is Chris Evans from Timberlab, who will share information regarding mass timber construction projects and manufacturing. This is an area of wood products that has huge potential to add value to well managed forests. Mass timber is gaining popularity worldwide and is placing forest products into buildings that have traditionally been concrete and steel.
Sponsor: Wilcox + Flegel
Date: Wed., Feb 19
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Graduate by Hilton Eugene, main level Convention Center
Finally, thanks to OLC manager Rikki Wellman and the OLC volunteer board of
Oregon Logging
directors. Rikki has been working with OLC since 1973 and is key to this event's success!
The OLC board has put together a great program of seminars and presenters to cover current industry topics. Be sure to notice a couple new offerings this year in the form of a First Aid – CPR certification class and a Basic Fire School seminar.
A complete list of activities, seminars, and food choices can be found in the 2025 OLC Show Guide, included in the January/ February edition of TimberWest magazine.
Please enjoy the 87th Annual Oregon Logging Conference.
Pre-Registration
Meet
and Greet Social
The best way to kick off the 87th Annual Oregon Logging Conference is to attend the Wednesday night Pre-Registration Meet and Greet. Enjoy a beverage as you get together with old friends and make new ones.
If you are pre-registered for the Oregon Logging Conference, you will find it easy and quick to pick up your packet. If you are
not pre-registered, there is an opportunity to do so at this event. Friendly OLC staff will be on hand, ready to help with registration. Pre-Registration Meet and Greet takes place at the Graduate by Hilton Eugene in an area just outside where the Oregon Women in Timber Talk About Trees dinner and auction will be held.
Jayme Dumford President,
Conference
FRIENDS of the OLC
Earn Professional Logger Credits
Oregon Professional Logger –Continuing Education (OPL-CE) credit can be earned by those who attend the seminars and panel discussions at the Oregon Logging Conference.
Oregon Professional Logger is a voluntary professional standard that qualifies logging companies and individual loggers for continuing education in forest practices, safety, business, and sustainable forestry. It is the ‘Qualified Logging Professional’ train-
qualify. Continuing Education credits are required to retain qualifications. Continuing Education credits are available from many types of activities that benefit a company. (CORE OPL credits are only available through the Associated Oregon Loggers.)
The Oregon Logging Conference is one of several events where loggers can earn OPL-CE credits.
As in prior years, a punch card system will be used to document attendance for earning
to your state organization that manages the Professional Logger program to receive OPL-CE credits.
Sponsor: General Trailer Parts
Date: Fri., Feb 21 7:00 p.m. to midnight
Location: Playwrights Hall, Graduate by Hilton Eugene
Cost: $65 per person
Join us for the annual Oregon Logging Conference dinner-dance celebration! You’ll enjoy hosted beer and wine, a hearty buffet meal, and live music.
The social hour, dinner, and dancing to local music group Bump in the Road are how we party our way toward the end of another successful OLC gathering of friends,
For Oregon loggers, use the Associated Oregon Loggers proof of completion form, which can be found on the organization’s website.
family, and colleagues.
The buffet meal and social hour get underway at 7:00 p.m. The buffet meal can be enjoyed until 9:00 p.m., when the live music and dancing starts.
This Friday night OLC celebration is sponsored by General Trailer Parts.
Oregon Women in Timber Dinner and Auction Raises Money for Education
Date: Wed., Feb. 19
4:00 p.m.
Location: Playwrights Hall, Graduate by Hilton Eugene
Cost: $75 per person, $600 reserved table of 8
The 34th annual Oregon Women in Timber (OWIT) Talk About Trees dinner and auction on Feb. 19 is a not-to-be-missed event. Doors open and the silent auction gets underway at 4:00 p.m.
There will be so many delightful auction items to see and on which to consider bidding. The silent auction layout has been rearranged to open the venue for more seating, so there will be plenty of room for attendees at this sell-out event.
A hearty buffet dinner can be had at 6:30 p.m., and the live auction – also with many must-have items – begins at 8:00 p.m.
New this year at the OWIT dinner and auction will be casino-style games.
Oregon Women in Timber and the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation are teamed as partners in education, and you will find opportunities at this event’s silent auction to support education of future
generations through the OLC Foundation scholarship fund.
Be sure to enjoy hosted beer and wine at the Oregon Logging Conference meet & greet, which takes place just outside Playwrights Hall, before you check in to the OWIT event.
Proceeds from the dinner and auction will benefit Talk About Trees, an award-winning program that has provided free, hands-on education to almost 4 million children, from preschool through 8th grade, since its inception in 1991. The silent and live auctions are OWIT’s biggest fundraisers for Talk About Trees and a key component for keeping this vital program free to schools. Last year a sellout crowd raised $143,000 for educational outreach.
Oregon Women in Timber not only holds their dinner and auction in conjunction with the Oregon Logging Conference,
but it also participates in the Future Forestry Workers Career Day. Together with Forests Today and Forever, OWIT also provides on-site tours for elementary school students, who get a first hand look at the logging industry.
For Family Day at the Oregon Logging Conference (Saturday, Feb. 22), OWIT joins in providing educational activities at the Wheeler Pavilion, and Coni-Fir is there, too.
Oregon Women in Timber has eight active chapters: Clatsop, Coos-Curry, Douglas, Landing (Polk, Marion, and Yamhill), Lane, Portland/Metro, Union, and Sweet Home. For up-to-date activities of each chapter, look for the Oregon Women in Timber newsletter.
Oregon Women in Timber is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; all donations, sponsorships, and purchases are tax-deductible.
Two Hearty Loggers Breakfasts
Sponsor: Tigercat
Date: Thurs., Feb 20
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Cost: Included in OLC registration
Thursday
Join us at the Oregon Logging Conference opening session breakfast and enjoy a delicious morning meal as the annual gathering gets underway. This event also includes OLC keynote speaker Chris Evans, president of Portland-based Timberlab, sponsored by Thompson Timber Company, day one of the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation auction, and the welcome address from 2025 president Jayme Dumford. This breakfast is sponsored by Tigercat.
Sponsor: Papé Machinery
Date: Fri., Feb 21
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Cost: Included in OLC registration
Be sure to visit Tigercat at Triad Machinery’s outside display to see the newest and most technologically advanced forestry equipment – along with knowledgeable staff who can answer any questions.
Friday
Enjoy the Friday morning breakfast before you spend the day learning about current issues presented during the day’s seminars and panel discussions. This gathering includes day two of the Oregon Logging Conference
college scholarships.
Papé Machinery is the sponsor of this breakfast. Get up close and personal with its equipment on display at the outdoor location and see how Papé Machinery has earned its reputation of excellence with more than 85 years of meeting the needs of the forestry and construction industries in Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, and Nevada.
Foundation auction. Proceeds from this auction go toward
Guess the Net Scale
Can you look at a truckload of logs and accurately guess the net scale of those logs? Bring those skills to the Oregon Logging Conference and submit your guesses on two loads of logs: a regular load of saw logs and a load of chip-and-saw logs.
Swanson Brothers Lumber Co. in Noti, Oregon, has donated the regular load of logs and has done so since the first Guess the Net Scale contest was held at the Oregon Logging Conference. The log truck for this load of logs is again provided by Leonard Masser Trucking out of Springfield, Oregon.
The load of chip-and-saw logs was donated by Southport Lumber Co. in Coos Bay, Oregon, with trucking provided by Bracelin Trucking, also out of Coos Bay, Oregon.
Both loads will be scaled in advance by a third-party independent scaler using the official log scaling guidelines of the Northwest
Sponsors: Swanson Brothers Lumber Co. and Southport Lumber Co.
Date: Thurs., Feb. 20 –Sat., Feb 22
Location: Outside display area
Cost: Free
Log Rules Advisory Group. Net board feet will be determined using a Scribner, westside scale.
Each participant in the Guess the Net Scale can make only one guess. Climbing on the truck or load of logs is not allowed. The person closest to the official scaled board feet volume of each load will win a $250 Cabela’s gift card. In the case of a tie winners will be selected from a pool of tied entries.
Winners will be determined on Saturday, Feb. 22 and will be notified on Monday, Feb. 24.
This is the 11th annual Guess the Net Scale contest at the Oregon Logging Conference.
Timberlab President Keynote Speaker for Conference
Sponsor: Thompson Timber
Date: Thurs., Feb. 20
9:30 a.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Cost: Included in OLC registration
Chris Evans, president of Timberlab, a Portland, Oregon-based company dedicated to engineering, manufacturing, and constructing mass timber buildings, is the keynote speaker for this year’s Oregon Logging Conference.
Evans holds a Master of Science in internal construction management from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Oregon.
With nearly two decades of hands-on experience, Evans specializes in overseeing complex projects from conception to completion, ensuring seamless integration of design, engineering, and logistics. He has
successfully managed high-profile projects, including the largest cross-laminated timber (CLT) office building in the U.S.
Recognized by Engineering NewsRecord as one of the nation’s top construction professionals under 40, Evans is dedicated to advancing sustainable practices and optimizing the mass timber supply chain, bridging the gap between traditional construction methods and innovative timber solutions.
Timberlab’s Portland fabrication facility is a state-of-the-art hub for mass timber innovation and custom mass timber fabrication. Custom glulam and CLT components are fabricated at the plant and used for commercial, residential, and industrial projects nationwide. The facility, launched in 2021, contributes to Timberlab’s mission of advancing sustainable construction.
Timberlab also operates glulam manufacturing facilities in Swisshome and Drain, Oregon; Timberlab acquired these former American Laminator facilities in 2024. In Philomath, Oregon, the firm is reopening a sawmill and planer mill on approximately 80 acres. Timberlab will break ground on a
cross-laminated timber manufacturing plant in February 2025.
Some of Timberlab’s Oregon mass timber projects are the Portland International Airport terminal roof, which included 3.4 million board feet of locally sourced mass timber, the Multnomah East County library, and the Rogue Credit Union complex.
Sawdust Bowl Socialize and Unwind
Sponsor: Rotobec, Inc.
Date: Thurs., Feb. 20
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Hall
Cost: Included in OLC registration
Sponsor: TimberWest Magazine
Date: Fri., Feb. 21
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Hall
Cost: Included in OLC registration
Wet your whistle and socialize with friends and colleagues at the sawdust bowl, an Oregon Logging Conference tradition for many, many years.
This happy hour-and-a-half gathering takes place both Thursday and Friday after noons and offers hosted beverages for reg istered OLC participants. Enjoy beer, wine, hard cider, and non-alcoholic drinks while you re-establish and make new friendships
and talk about what’s going on in the logging and related industries. And be sure to share with others some of what you learned from the seminars and panel discussions from earlier in the day.
The sawdust bowl takes place in the Performance Hall at the Lane Events Center.
Chris Evans
Scholarships Auction Supports Industry
On Thursday and Friday mornings of the conference, the OLC Foundation will hold a benefit auction with 100 percent of the proceeds supporting scholarships awarded through the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
The OLC Foundation scholarships help pay tuition for deserving students who go on to play vital roles in our industry’s future.
The auction will be held at the 2025 Oregon Logging Conference, February 20 and 21, following each morning’s breakfast in the Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds. Visit our website for updated auction donations. Here are a few of the items donated:
Thursday, Feb. 20
• $1,000 gift card toward purchase of pickup tires, donated by Superior Tire Service
• Stihl MS 362 power chainsaw, donated by First Strike Environmental
• Tigercat wooden model, donated by Skyline Models
• Radiator Supply House Icebox drum smoker, donated by Radiator Supply House
• Oregon Women in Timber Champion Table for 10 for February 18, 2026 Auction/Dinner, donated by OWIT
• Seats Inc. Legacy Series leather truck seat, donated by TEC Equipment Inc.
• Wood carving, donated by Jay Peppard, Chainsaw Buzz
• National Seating CORSAIR truck seat, donated by Papé Kenworth
• Wood carving, donated by Wayne Lyon, Bears, Bears, Bears
• T800 Kenworth log truck & trailer wooden model with one-of-a-kind 87th OLC logo, donated by Skyline Models
• Tigercat ‘retro’ cooler, donated by Triad Machinery
Friday, Feb. 21
• $2,000 gift certificate towards purchase of commercial tires and wheels, donated by O&M Point S Tire and Auto Service
• Roy’s Tired, framed limited edition print by Olie Olin, donated by Oregon Logging Conference Foundation
• ILIWA Safari Picture & Hunt Safari, donated by Iliwa Safari & Radiator Supply House
• AR 15, donated by Radiator Supply House
• Spill kit, donated by First Strike Environmental
• Solo Stove Ranger 2.0 fire pit bundle, donated by Western Trailer Co.
• Handmade basket with 24 cans of Albacore tuna caught in Newport, OR, and other great goodies, donated by NW Welding
• Artwork by Claudia Lima
• Steel fire pit, donated by NW Welding
• Wood carving, donated by Nick Myers, Little Bear Sculptures
• American flag saw blade, donated by Triad Machinery
• Husqvarna 372 XP – 32-inch with full wrap, donated by Pacific Tractor & Equipment.
If you are interested in donating an auction item, please contact the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation office, 541.686.9191, or email events@oregonloggingconference.com.
Thank You for Supporting the OLC Foundation Scholarship Program!
Chainsaw Carvers Create Wooden Works of Art
Sponsor: Oregon Logging Conference
Date: Thurs., Feb 20 –Sat., Feb 22
Location: Outside demonstration area, Fairgrounds
Three familiar faces will be returning to the Oregon Logging Conference this year, using their chainsaw carving skills to create beautiful wooden sculptures and other works of art.
You will be able to watch as the masters of these creations use chainsaws to hand carve bears, eagles, fish, trees, welcome signs, benches, and more.
Jay Peppard – Chainsaw Buzz
Jay Peppard brings more than eight years of experience and semi-pro wood carving skills. He lives in Ocean City, Washington, and has been carving at the Oregon Logging Conference for many years. He participates in the McKenzie River Chainsaw Art Festival, where he sometimes carves with his father, Mark Peppard. His art can also be found at stores in the McKenzie/Vida area.
Wayne Lyon – Bears Bears Bears Wood Carving
Wayne Lyon has more than two decades of chainsaw carving experience, and his specialties are – as you might have guessed from the name of his company – bears and trees. He’s also known for his water fountain benches. Lyon lives in Ocean City, Washington, and studied his craft under another well-known chainsaw carving artist, Mark Colp.
Nick Myers – Little Bear Sculptures
Nick Myers is known by many for creating some of the cutest bear sculptures in Oregon. He learned wood carving from his father, Chris Myers, while growing up in Newport, Oregon. Myers has been carving as a semi-pro for more than seven years and currently calls Eugene, Oregon his home.
Each of these three artists will donate a piece of artwork to the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation auction, which takes place during the Thursday and Friday morning breakfasts. Be the winning bidder and you will not only own a beautiful and unique wood carving, but you will also be supporting the awarding of college scholarships and recruiting the next generation workforce in the logging industry.
Food Truck Vendors and Food Locations
There will be new and delicious, as well as some returning favorite food choices from last year at the 87th Annual Oregon Logging Conference. New this year will be LEC Grill, with two concession locations at the Lane Events Convention Center, Flame Crave
Smok’N Gingers BBQ
which will be serving up smash burgers, and Most Wanted Espresso, serving breakfast, lunch, and coffee outside the main entrance to the convention center. Returning this year will be food truck vendors Smok’N Gingers and The Great Philly Steak Sandwich.
Location: Outside, in front of Expo Hall with seating available inside.
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Offering: Tri-tip sandwich, macaroni & cheese, pulled pork macaroni & cheese, loaded nachos, and more.
Most Wanted Espresso
The Great Philly Steak Sandwich
Enjoy mouth-watering menu items such as smash burgers, pulled pork macaroni and cheese, brisket, loaded nachos, brats, and steak, chicken and veggie Philly sandwiches.
See below for locations of this year’s new and returning food vendors at the OLC.
Location: Head west down the main outside traffic lane, close to General Trailer’s outside exhibit area.
Hours: Wednesday – Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Offering: Great steak, chicken, and veggie Philly sandwiches.
Location: Outside the Main doors of the Lane Event Center Exhibit Hall
Hours: Tuesday – Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Offering: Breakfast and lunch, hot and cold coffee and coffee drinks
LEC Grill and Concessions
Location: Lane Event Center Exhibit Hall and Performance Hall
Offering: Wieners that are steamed before being grilled so they are full of flavor and maintain the rich, 100% beef flavor of a classic American hot dog, hot link and polish sausage, bratwurst and more.
Flame Crave - Smash Burgers
Location: Outside demonstration area.
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. And Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Offering: Breakfast items until 10 a.m. and smash burgers and all the fixings.
Atrium Seating - (inside convention center - no food service)
Pick up your order and then head to the Atrium for plenty of available seating. No food will be served this year in the Atrium.
Beverage and Bar service will be available in the Atrium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Alcohol will not be allowed outside the Atrium.
Log Loader Competition a Conference Favorite
Always a crowd favorite, this year will be the 15th Annual Log Loader Competition at the Oregon Logging Conference.
It certainly is not as easy as the talented equipment operators make it look, and you will want to watch and cheer for each competitor. This is a two-day event, and you will likely see some veteran log loader operators who compete every year. This is a test of speed, skill, and efficiency while operating a Link-Belt log loader.
Competitors must be precise when they start stacking the nine log sections that are scattered randomly on the pavement in the competition area. Contestants have seven minutes to make three end-to-end stacks of three log sections each, matching the color and number to corresponding marks on the pavement. When completed, each of the three stacks must be properly matched and remain standing for five seconds, after the heel boom rack of the log loaders is lowered to the starting point.
It is amazing to watch as some of the skilled log loader operators complete this competition in just over three minutes.
The fastest time on record belongs to Zane Bryant of Bryant Logging (the 2024 winner also), who in 2020 completed the competition in 2:35:56. Bryant has won the competition five times and consistently places in the top three.
The other contestant who has won the competition four times and almost always
Sponsor: Triad Machinery and Link-Belt
Date: Fri, Feb 21, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (times may vary) Sat, Feb 22, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (times may vary)
Location: Outside Display Area
Cost: Free
places in the top three is Bryan Chipps with Green Diamond Resource Company in northern California.
2024 Competition Winners:
• 1st place – Zane Bryant, Bryant Logging. Time: 3:09:98
• 2nd place – Jeremy Staats, Bryant Logging. Time: 3:12:25
• 3rd place – Chuck Walker, Elk Hill Logging. Time: 3:32:94
Every Child Lane County
All proceeds from this delicious fundraiser will benefit the non-profit organization Every Child Lane County, the charity selected by this year’s OLC First Lady Maria Dumford.
“I wanted to support a charity that I could be confident was bettering people’s lives, something that blesses families,” said Dumford, who has served the organization as a volunteer for more than a year. “I have seen firsthand what a positive impact it is making for these kids. I think everyone can help in some way.”
One of those ways to help is to participate in a special activity being held at the luncheon this year. A sock drive is planned, with all socks to be donated to the charity’s Brighter Side Giving Store. Donate a pair of socks at the event and receive a ticket for an opportunity to win a prize.
Of the 5,000 children in foster care in the state of Oregon, nearly 700 of those are in Lane County. Every Child Lane County was established in 2016 to support and meet the needs of children in foster care.
Dumford volunteers at the Brighter Side Giving Store, which offers youth in crisis a dignified and free “shopping” experience. Each child is empowered to make choices and can select up to four outfits of clothing
as well as backpacks, books, toys, and more. Since the Brighter Side Giving Store was launched in 2021, more than 300 school age children have visited the store.
This is the 21st annual Desserts for Dreams. It is supported each year by local restaurants and bakeries that donate salads, a variety of desserts, and more. Attendees can also enjoy a glass of wine, sparkling wine, or a non-alcoholic beverage.
Some of the many local businesses that have donated this year are Campbell House, Gordon’s Tavern, the Graduate by Hilton Eugene, Nothing Bundt Cakes, 6th Street Restaurant & Grill, Hot Mama’s Wings, Market of Choice, The Point Restaurant, Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, Red Robin
Date: Fri., Feb. 21
12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Composers Hall, Graduate by Hilton Eugene
Cost: $35 per person
Restaurant, Oakway Catering, and Angela Tack Food Services.
Since the first Desserts for Dreams event was held in 2004, more than $120,000 has been raised for various non-profit organizations, including the Susan B. Komen Foundation, Hospice Care, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), In Our Backyard – Human Trafficking Prevention, and many other worthwhile causes.
If you have not purchased pre-sale tickets, they may be purchased at the OLC registration desk at the Lane Events Center or at the door of the event.
OLC Foundation Awarded Scholarships Totaling $83,000
The Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF) awarded 28 scholarships to college and trade school students totaling $83,000 for the 2024-25 academic year.
Four-year scholarships were awarded to students attending Oregon State University, Southern Oregon University, George Fox University, University of Idaho, Montana State University, and Grays Harbor College.
Two-year community college and technical school scholarships were awarded to students attending WyoTech, and Linn-Benton, Portland, Klamath, Lane, and Umpqua Community Colleges.
These OLCF scholarship recipients are the next generation of workers who have decided to pursue careers in the logging and forestry-related industries.
Attending Oregon State University
- Luke Donaldson, studying natural resource management and pursuing a GIS certification
- Lily Hull, studying forest operations management and minoring in business
- Ben Gittins, studying forestry and forest management
- Jamie Gassner, studying forest management
- Isaac Cherry, studying forest management with an option in fire restoration
- Victoria Diederichs has a bachelor’s degree in forest management from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and now is pursuing a master’s degree in sustainable forest management and wood science.
- Olivia Cooper, studying forestry and minoring in business
- James Harvey, studying forest management
- Jacob Mitchell has an associate degree in forest management with a restoration and fire option from Southwestern Oregon Community College and now is studying wildland fire management
- David Hamilton has a master’s degree in geomatics and a bachelor’s degree in forest resource management from the University of British Columbia and now is pursuing a PhD in sustainable forest management
- Miranda Coy, studying forest engineering
- Savannah White, studying forest engineering, and taking part in restoration, policy, and research.
Attending University of Idaho
- Caleb Hill, studying agricultural economics
- Silas Turner, studying forestry
- Ryann Harrington, studying forestry
- John Nicholson, studying forest management and minoring in forest operations and business
Attending George Fox University
- Ryland Howard, studying business and marketing
- Lilly Pittman, seeking to become an ASE certified diesel technician
Attending Montana State University
- Faith Marshall, studying pre-law with a focus on forestry and finance
Attending Grays Harbor College
- Hunter Hinners, studying forest engineering
Attending Utah State University
- Julianne Jones, studying aviation and minoring in forest ecology/management
Attending Lane Community College
- Matthew Richards, studying diesel technology
Attending Umpqua Community College
- Analise Miller, studying forestry and business
- Timothy Mickelson has a CDL from the Umpqua Community College Truck Driving School and is studying forest management
Attending Linn-Benton Community College
- Jonathan Dion, studying heavy equipment and diesel technology
Attending Portland Community College
Thank you for your Generous Donation to the 2024-2025 Oregon Logging Conference Foundation Scholarship Fund!
Advanced Mechanical
Bell Pole & Lumber
Carl Welle Memorial Scholarship
Dave & Rikki Wellman
Douglas County Forest Products Duman Inc.
Giustina Resources
Hap & Lory Huffman
Hart Custom Cutting
Jack T. Makinson Memorial Scholarship
Jeremy Norby Memorial Scholarship
John Hadaller Memorial Scholarship
Olin & Olin Memorial Scholarship Award
Oregon State Implementation Committee
Oregon Women In Timber Papé Machinery
Paul & Robert Wampler Inc.
Rikki Wellman Scholarship Award
RiverRidge Excavating
ShaneCo Logging
Stuntzner Engineering
Sundance Lumber
Swanson Group
Teevin Bros.
Thompson Foundation
Washington Foundation
Western Forest Products Weyerhaeuser Co.
- Jaydon Barth, studying welding technology
Attending Klamath Community College
- Matthew Ward, studying diesel mechanics
Attending Wyotech
- Jayden Walker, studying diesel mechanics
Since 1968 the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation has awarded more than 560 scholarships totaling $1.5 million.
Interactive Forestry Career Event Engages High School Students
students to logging and related careers, will focus on engaging the much-needed next generation workforce.
Since this event was first held in 2018, thousands of students from Oregon and Washington have learned about – and many have pursued – careers in logging, forestry, diesel mechanics, and firefighting, to name but a few.
This hands-on career event includes personal interaction with industry professionals and details of both current and future job opportunities in natural resource related fields.
The Livestock Arena on the Lane County Fairgrounds is the ideal location for this event as students rotate to different stations, all under one roof, and learn about logging,
forestry, trucking, construction, and heavy equipment. Other stations include reforestation, road building, firefighting, and a chance to learn how to operate a small excavator.
The Future Forestry Workers Career Day also includes an opportunity for students to take turns using a timber harvesting simulator. The simulators are provided through Oregon State University’s Mechanized Harvesting Laboratory and combine stateof-the-art computer-based forest harvesting simulation, mechanical analysis, operations research, and field-based research to increase the knowledge of modern forest harvesting systems.
Several informational booths also will be set up with college, trade school, and industry-related materials available.
At the end of the event students enjoy a
PRIVATE EVENT
Sponsor: Oregon Logging Conference Foundation
Nygaard Logging/ Warrenton Fibre
Date: Fri., Feb 21
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: Livestock Arena, Lane County Fairgrounds
complimentary pizza lunch and can take a self-guided tour of the equipment on display and other booths at the Oregon Logging Conference.
This career day event has proven to be successful in engaging a younger workforce by highlighting some of the current and future job opportunities in the forest products industry. After attending this event, many students have reached out to local businesses and secured employment or have pursued additional education to garner the skills needed for future employment.
Relay Tests Students’ Forestry Skills
Loggers of today and yesterday have and had a need for many skills to carry out their trade. At this event, which is included as one of the stations at the Future Forestry Workers Career Day, high school students from multiple schools will demonstrate many of those skills.
This action-packed activity is coordinated by Oregon Future Natural Resource
Leaders (FNRL). The skills relay consists of four events: hose lay, choker setting, chainsaw use, and crosscut sawing. Last year 17 five-member teams from 10 Oregon schools competed. The relay was conducted as a round robin with times that seeded the teams into a single elimination bracket, allowing each team to go twice.
Two teams from Waldport High School
took first and second place, and third place was won by a team from Philomath High School.
Nygaard Logging and Warrenton Fiber have sponsored the high school forestry skills relay at the Oregon Logging Conference since it was established in 2011 and were also supporters of this activity before it was included with the OLC.
Family Day Features Forest-Related Activities
Sponsor: KEZI-TV News 9
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Cost: Free
Family fun and educational activities will be held at the Oregon Logging Conference on Saturday, Feb. 22, centered at the Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds.
Activities will include building wooden birdhouses, face painting, art projects, wildlife displays, and learning about the many products that are made from wood. Coni-Fir and Smokey Bear will more than likely be on the premises, and don’t forget to enjoy some
free popcorn.
There will also be a free seedling giveaway with seedlings donated by the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe.
This family-oriented tradition has been part of the Oregon Logging Conference for more than 30 years. The free and fun activities offer an opportunity to learn more about Oregon forests, forestry, and logging.
After you enjoy the activities in and around the Wheeler Pavilion, take a walk
around, see some of the state-of-the-art equipment on display, and meet some of the folks who work in logging, construction, trucking, and heavy equipment.
Be sure to watch the chainsaw carving artists create their trees, bears, birds, and other works of art, and catch the final day of the Log Loader Competition at the Oregon Logging Conference.
Hosted Coffee Stations for Meetings, Seminars
Sponsor: Wilcox + Flegel
Date: Thurs., Feb. 20 & Fri., Feb. 21
Location: Wheeler Pavilion and Exhibit Hall South Meeting Rooms
Cost: Hosted
Again, this year sponsor Wilcox + Flegel will make sure that a hot cup of coffee will be available to get your morning started and maintain your focus throughout the day during the conference seminars. The coffee station will be in the Wheeler Pavilion for the Thursday and Friday morning breakfasts. On Friday it will be in the south meeting rooms of the Exhibit Hall, where some of the seminars will take place. This coffee service will only be available during both breakfasts, the seminars and meetings.
ODF Selects 2024 Operators of the Year
Three logging companies with combined experience of more than 160 years have been named 2024 Operators of the Year by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).
Eight other companies were recognized with Operator of the Year Merit Awards from ODF.
To view videos of the 2024 Operators of the Year and Merit award winners, visit the Oregon Department of Forestry YouTube channel.
• Northwest Oregon – R.D. Reeves Construction, Rainier, OR
• Southwest Oregon – D & H Logging, Coos Bay, OR
2024 Merit Awards
• Eastern Oregon – Arrowhead Logging, Prineville, OR
• Eastern Oregon – Green Diamond Resource Company, Klamath Falls, OR
• Northwest Oregon – Card Logging Company, Eugene, OR
• Northwest Oregon – Chilton Logging, Inc., Woodland, WA
• Northwest Oregon – Haley Construction Company, Lebanon, OR
• Northwest Oregon – Mt. St. Helens Reforestation, Chehalis, WA
• Northwest Oregon – Weyerhaeuser Springfield Tree Farm
• Southwest Oregon – Brothers Excavation and Construction, Central Point, OR
All were recognized for outstanding timber harvest operations, especially in light of new Oregon Forest Practices Act regulations that went into effect.
“There were so many great nominees to pick from this year it made the work of the selection committee very hard,” said ODF Forest Resources Division Chief Josh Barnard.
BTO Forestry Solutions – Eastern Oregon 2024 Operator of the Year
Company owner Mike Wiederman was recognized for his timber harvest operations on steep slopes leading down to a fish-bearing stream in the canyonlands in Wallowa County. The operations used long span skyline logging techniques to lift the logs and reduce ground disturbance.
“Mike had to carefully place his yarder in order to get enough lift to suspend logs over long distances of close to a mile in some places,” said ODF Wallowa Unit Forester Tracy Brostrom. “This protected the soil and reduced the risk of erosion by avoiding gouging.”
Wiederman has nearly 60 years of logging experience and used his knowledge to overcome the challenge of a lack of stumps to use as tailholds. Instead, he used bulldozers for that purpose.
R.D. Reeves Construction –Northwest Oregon 2024 Operator of the Year
This timber harvest operation was on Weyerhaeuser property in Columbia County, WA. Weyerhaeuser Harvest Manager Eric DeWitt said, “They are consistently doing the right thing and preventing any negative impacts to the environment.”
ODF Stewardship Forester John Krause nominated R.D. Reeves Construction for the award. “In their decades of working in rainy northwest Oregon, they have always been on top of ensuring silt fences, hay bales, and other methods are employed to prevent even the slightest chance of sediment making its way into a stream,” said Krause. The company was diligent about learning and following the new Oregon Forest Practices Act rules, which provide greater protections for streams in the form of wider buffers and equipment limitation zones. “They went above and beyond the requirements,” added Krause.
D & H Logging – Southwest Oregon 2024 Operator of the Year
Company co-owner Brad Haga brings nearly 50 years of logging experience to his operations and was nominated for this award for a job that was being done on Roseburg Forest Products property. The landowner nominated D & H Logging for the award.
Roseburg Forest Products Contract Logging Supervisor Wyatt Dunlap said, “Brad and his crew did an exemplary job of protecting stream buffers and draws where there were new limits on equipment use. By careful placement of rigging corridors, he was able to pass logs over the buffer or through preexisting gaps in trees while also protecting soils.” Dunlap added, “They know what they’re doing, they do it efficiently, and there is never an issue.”
Mike Wiederman BTO Forestry Solutions
Marc Clarke R.D. Reeves Construction
Brad Haga D & H Logging
Steve Gillen Arrowhead Logging
Colt Ulam Card Logging Company
Josh Chilton Chilton Logging, Inc.
John Davis Green Diamond Resource Company
Two Merit awards were given to eastern Oregon companies, five were given to northwest Oregon companies, and one was given to a southwest Oregon company.
Eastern Oregon Merit Awards
Arrowhead Logging, based in Prineville, OR, for a thinning operation on private forestland that included removing encroaching juniper trees to improve habitat for deer and elk, increase fire resilience, and reduce drought stress among the remaining trees.
Green Diamond Resource Company in Klamath Falls, OR, for thinning work it did to reduce fire risk in Lake County forests and for helping the community reforest in the wake of the Bootleg Fire. The award was also in recognition of the company restoring fish habitat by placing logs in streams to provide shade after stream buffers had burned in the fire.
Northwest Oregon Merit Awards
Card Logging Company, Inc., in Eugene, OR, for harvesting a stand of timber damaged by an ice storm in the Siuslaw drainage of the Coast Range, approximately 10 miles west of Veneta, OR. The company used tethered logging and hand cutting to protect a stream buffer while minimizing disturbance to a neighboring retreat center.
Chilton Logging, Inc., for harvesting a steep mountainside wedged between the East Fork of the Hood River and Green Point Creek, near Hood River, OR. The log loader operator on this job spent many hours outside his regular duties cleaning ditches and culverts during an extremely wet and snowy winter and spring to ensure proper drainage and keep trucks moving.
Haley Construction Company, based in Lebanon, OR, for installing a 125-footlong concrete beam bridge that replaced an in-stream low-water crossing through fishbearing Elk Creek. This eliminated vehicles driving through the creek and potential negative impacts to the stream. This project in Lincoln County was completed over a two-year period, and sediment mitigation measures were in place during all work operations. Large cranes were used to place the bridge beams, which minimized stream crossings.
Mt. St. Helens Reforestation, Inc., for reforesting with millions of new seedlings on approximately 25,000 acres of Weyerhaeuser land in Clackamas County that had burned in the Labor Day 2020 Beachie and Riverside Fires. Tree planting crews planted these seedlings during a four-year period that was originally estimated to take five years to complete. This included replanting
approximately 300 streamside acres along fish bearing and/or domestic creeks during the first planting season.
Weyerhaeuser Springfield Tree Farm and its employee logging and road-building crews, for salvage logging after a January 2024 ice storm. They logged a steep hillside of immature trees just outside Springfield, OR, next to a busy county road and near homes and the McKenzie River in order to reduce fire risk and for future reforestation efforts.
Southwest Oregon Merit Award
Brothers Excavation and Construction, for protecting water quality near Jumpoff Joe Creek during upgrading of an old mining road with multiple large potholes that was needed to access timber harvest operations. Several surface drainage structures and a culvert were installed, and the road itself was improved to meet current standards and requirements.
These operators will be recognized at the Oregon Logging Conference on Friday, Feb. 21, at 10:45 a.m. in the Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane Events Center, Eugene, Oregon.
The Operators of the Year also were recognized at the January 2025 meeting of the Oregon Board of Forestry.
Western Trailers wood residual trailers use
Hugo Peregrino Mt. St. Helens Reforestation, Inc.
Weston Tilton Weyerhaeuser Springfield Tree Farm
John Park Brothers Excavation and Construction
Randy Haley Haley Construction Company
Oregon Logging Conference 2025 Resolutions
2025 OLC RESOLUTION: WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION ON FEDERAL FOREST LANDS
A resolution by the Oregon Logging Conference Regarding U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighting policies.
WHEREAS, the U.S. Forest Service was established to actively manage National Forest System (NFS) lands; provide valuable and sustainable timber supplies to meet the needs of the American public; remove excess forest growth before it can burn; and to sustain the health of these lands for current and future generations; and
WHEREAS, for decades following its establishment, the Forest Service successfully and aggressively suppressed wildfires to protect these NFS lands and resources that belong to the American public; and
WHEREAS, timber harvests on NFS lands declined more than 80 percent beginning in the early 1990's, and the Forest Service largely abandoned active forest management on NFS lands due to arbitrary political and regulatory decisions, singlespecies management and anti-forestry litigation and obstruction; and
WHEREAS, this absence of active forest management has contributed to unhealthy and overstocked conditions on NFS lands, resulting in wildfires, insect infestations and disease on these public forest lands, including decreased forest growth and increased tree mortality; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Service leadership has adopted a “full fire suppression” definition that includes letting fires burn for reasons including “restoration” strategies that rely on so-called “managed” or “beneficial” wildfires that burn much longer and hotter than necessary, resulting in large and severe wildfires at great expense to the American public; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, the Forest Service also adopted a "big-box strategy" that involves retreating firefighting resources away from fire ignitions, constructing fire lines, and then igniting fires from those lines as a means of corralling the fire; and
WHEREAS, "let burn" and "managed fire" policies have resulted in the Forest Service burning an estimated average of more than six million acres a year over the last decade across the nation; and
WHEREAS, the wholesale use of “managed fire” under the guise of forest health, and resilience and restoration, is scarring landscapes, devastating for-
ests, eliminating or restricting public access to public lands, and leaving vast lifeless ecosystems with few signs of recovery; and
WHEREAS, millions of acres of valuable National Forest lands have been burned in the West due to the escape of “managed fires" that can burn as high intensity fires; and many of these landscapes are not likely to return to their original forested state, but, rather as brush and grass fields that will later burn again; and
WHEREAS, wildfires are producing harmful toxic smoke that endangers children and vulnerable populations; contributes to thousands of deaths and chronic and acute illness every year; and increases costs to our economy and national health care system, and degrades the quality of life for millions of Americans; and
WHEREAS, decisions to "let fires burn" are not subject to federal environmental laws and regulations including the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act that require environmental analyses and public comment, nor do they ensure compensation to private landowners damaged by so-called "managed fire;" and
WHEREAS, these intentional fire growth policies have granted the Forest Service power over not just the fate of our public forests but also public and private property, wildlife and their habitats, and the lives of those residing within wildfire-prone areas, and this assumed authority has been exercised with no accountability; and
WHEREAS, current Forest Service wildland firefighting policies are inconsistent with the practices of state and local wildland firefighting agencies that work to quickly attack and suppress wildfires, especially to protect private forest lands as well as infrastructure and structures in areas that are often close to populated places; and
WHEREAS, over the last decade the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior have spent an average of $2.9 billion annually to suppress wildfires, funded by the American taxpayer, to implement its “managed fire” policy with projected wildfire spending to increase to $3.9 billion annually by 2050 under the status quo.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Oregon Logging Conference urges President Donald J Trump to adopt a new national wildfire suppression policy that prioritizes aggressive initial attack of all unplanned wildfires, with the goal of containing wildfires while small and suppressing them within 24 hours of initial detection. This policy should end the practice of monitoring wildfires, letting fires burn for resource
management objectives, and reduce wasteful federal spending.
The federal government should work with state and local agencies and diverse stakeholders including loggers and private forest landowners to develop new policies and mandate full utilization of all available firefighting resources, including aerial and night-capable aerial resources, smokejumpers, hotshots, as well as state and local resources.
In addition to ensuring aggressive initial attack on wildfires on NFS lands, the policy should promote, expand and accelerate proactive and sciencebased active forest management activities on federal lands that reduce the risks of severe wildfires before they ignite.
A policy of aggressively suppressing all wildfires during fire season and not allowing wildfires to burn will ensure America’s forests can be well-managed in balance with environmental, social and economic concerns, now and for the future.
Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be provided to President Donald J. Trump, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon’s congressional delegation.
Presenter, Resolution: Wildfire Suppression on Federal Forest Lands
Smith has worked in various capacities in the Oregon Legislature, including serving several members of leadership in the House of Representatives. He founded Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities in 2013 and has provided communications services to multiple industry associations, including American Loggers Council, Associated Oregon Loggers, and Associated California Loggers. He is an active member of the Oregon Society of Professionals Foresters and holds a B.A. in journalism from Chico State and a Master of Public Administration from Portland State.
Nick Smith, Public Affairs Director, American Forest Resource Council
WHEREAS, the Unites States designated nearly 3.4 million acres specifically "for the use of schools" as a basic condition of granting statehood to Oregon in 1859; and
WHEREAS, the Elliott State Forest ("the Elliott") was created in 1930 by exchanging US Forest Service (USFS) and USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands that had burned in 1868 and 1879 fires for Oregon School Trust Lands to create Oregon's first State Forest, dedicated entirely to generating funds for Oregon K-12 public schools and to demonstrate "good forest practices to all other owners"; and
WHEREAS, the Oregon Legislature in 1955 directed Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to begin active management of the Elliott and harvest of trees as they matured for the direct benefit of Oregon schools; and
WHEREAS, by the late 1980s, a formal management plan was adopted to continue forest roads, harvest schedules, and reforestation projects producing a harvest rate of 50 million board feet (mmbf)/year; and that today grows 70 mmbf of timber a year
WHEREAS, from 1960 until 1990 the Elliott harvest level of 50 mmbf/year was producing more than $300 million dollars for Oregon schools and more
FUEL SAVINGS
than 400 rural tax-paying jobs, when the listing of spotted owls in 1990 as an "endangered species" immediately changed management plans; and
WHEREAS, an ESA lawsuit in 2012 resulted in an immediate halt and an eventual end to Elliott timber sales, resulting in a complete loss of local jobs and a negative income for Oregon schools; and
WHEREAS, since the Department of State Lands (DSL) took over management of the Elliott from ODF in 2017, the Common School Fund has lost more than a million dollars a year with an ever-increasing likelihood of catastrophic wildfires due to the increasing amount of unmanaged annual growth of forest fuels; and
WHEREAS, when OSU College of Forestry and DSL signed a secret Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in February 2019, a primary component was to produce a research and management plan for the Elliott that would focus on "key conservation values," with the second "key value" being "a carbon sequestration program"; and
WHEREAS, in August 2022, OSU listed "several reasons" why it "has consistently resisted selling offset credits in the regulatory compliance market," including "serious financial risk"; the restrictive nature of 100-year agreements; the cost of project management; and the dynamic nature of the Elliott, making long-term compliance unlikely or even impossible; and
WHEREAS, in November 2023, OSU terminated its agreements with DSL regarding management on the Elliott, in large part due to "significant concerns" regarding DSL's "intent" to "move forward with a carbon project" on the Elliott; and
WHEREAS, DSL circulated a confidential report at that time, stating the Elliott "might qualify" for the carbon market, and even if it did, credits would likely generate less than $1 million per year; and
WHEREAS, in 2024 DSL committed to continuing seeking carbon credit payments at an operating loss to Oregon taxpayers, and a cost of hundreds of rural jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars to Oregon schools, and increased safety risk to local residents and native wildlife; and
WHEREAS, carbon offset schemes enrich special interests, allow faraway polluters to continue to pollute at the expense of Oregon’s schools and rural communities, while providing no benefit to the environment; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Oregon Logging Conference calls for the immediate suspension of all plans and expenditures regarding possible carbon credit sales on the Elliot State Forest; that all 550 miles of historic Elliott roads be maintained for public, recreational, research, educational, and forest management access; that Elliott forest management return immediately to 1989 harvest levels of a
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(continued from page 35)
minimum 50 mmbf in sales per year until updated plans can be developed, and that net proceeds go directly to Oregon public K-12 schools, as intended in 1859, in 1930, and continued until 2017.
Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be provided to the Oregon State Land Board and members of the Oregon Legislature.
Bob Zybach, PHD Wildfire History from OSU
Presenter, Resolution:
Elliott State Forest Jobs, Oregon Schools & Carbon Credits
Dr. Zybach is a sixth-generation Oregonian. Before returning to college, he owned and operated a successful reforestation business for 20 years on the Oregon coast. He currently works for his greatgrandchildren, Kendal and Tyler, in the family business. He is the author of The Elliott: An Anthology.
2025 OLC RESOLUTION: OPPOSITION TO THE OREGON DEQ’S ADVANCED CLEAN TRUCK RULES
A resolution by the Oregon Logging Conference Regarding the Oregon DEQ’s Advanced Clean Truck rules.
WHEREAS the Oregon DEQ's "Advanced Clean Truck" (ACT) rules requires medium- and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles, beginning with the 2025 model year.
WHEREAS the ACT rules mirror California's Advanced Clean Trucks regulations of mandating more zero electric vehicles (ZEV); and AVAILABILITY
WHEREAS the percentage of zero-emission vehicles Oregon dealers must take is set to increase over the next decade. The exact percentage varies by truck type next year: 7% for models, like tractor trucks, to 11% for rigid trucks, like box trucks. The percentage will go up until 2035, when 75% of the rigid trucks on the road are expected to be zero emission: 55% of pickups and 40% of tractor trucks; and
WHEREAS Oregon’s ACT rules will require Oregon businesses to sell Oregonians vehicles that don't exist or face expensive penalties; and
WHEREAS there are no plug-in electric vehicle options for the heavy-duty pickup like the F-250 or F-350; and
WHEREAS for the over-the-road heavy duty truck — the gross vehicle weight rating isn't achievable in currently available low-emission models. They can only haul up to 80,000 pounds, even though in Oregon, state law allows them to haul up to 105,500 pounds; and
WHEREAS the costs and penalties associated with these rules will be passed on to consumers, increasing Oregon’s already high cost of living; and
INFRASTRUCTURE
WHEREAS Oregon does not have the infrastructure in place to support electric trucks; and
WHEREAS there are no commercial superchargers south of Portland for a truck to plug in and a ZEV semi-truck would not be able to transport goods between Washington to California; and
EXPANSION TO DIESEL EMISSION RULES
WHEREAS Oregon DEQ is also considering developing new policies around diesel emissions; and
• Call on the DEQ to immediately suspend the ACT rules for at least 2 years.
• Call on Governor Kotek to assert her power over her executive branch to stop these damaging regulations.
• Reject unreasonable and unattainable government mandates that damage Oregon’s natural resource industries, like the ACT rules, and harm working class Oregonians who rely on diesel equipment to keep Oregon’s economy moving.
WHEREAS Diesel fuel powers most logging, freight, and delivery trucks, as well as some trains, buses, boats, farm equipment and generators used for backup power at hospitals; and
WHEREAS there isn't any technology or equipment on the market that can provide the same horsepower, power transfer, longevity that current diesel technology does. The economics associated with agriculture and logging activity make it difficult to access the capital necessary to retrofit or replace older equipment; and
WHEREAS the evolving clean diesel standards for fuel and engine technologies for on and off-road vehicles and marine vessels have reduced diesel’s harmful emissions by more than 90 percent and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Oregon Logging Conference members oppose these rules in the following ways:
CALENDAR
February 6-8
Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference, Anderson, CA 530-222-1290
www.sierracascadeexpo.com
February 11-12
Calif. Forestry Assoc. - Forest Strategies and Innovations, Sacramento, CA 916-444-6592 www.calforests.org
February 20-22
Oregon Logging Conference, Eugene, OR 541-686-9191 www.oregonloggingconference.com
Claire Lynn, Political and Communications Consultant
Presenter, Resolution: Opposition to the Oregon DEQ's Advanced Clean Truck Rules
Lynn has worked for various Oregon House legislative offices, coordinating their communications, and was the communications director for the Oregon House Republican office. She interned with Congressman Greg Walden and worked on Capitol Hill for Congressmen Cliff Bentz and Mike Garcia. Lynn is a graduate of Oregon State University and has completed the natural resource leadership program REAL Oregon. She is a strong and vocal advocate for Oregon's timber industry.
March 10-12
NAWLA New Executive Event, Dana Point, CA 800-527-8258, www.nawla.org
March 13-15
Redwood Region Annual Logging Conference & Show, Ukiah, CA 707-443-4091, www.rrlc.net
Int. Biomass Conf. & Expo, Atlanta, GA 701-746-8385, www.bbiinternational.com
TENTATIVE PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE OF ENTERTAINMENT
SAF CERTIFIED FORESTERS® PROGRAM AVAILABLE AT OLC
Continuing forestry education credits are available by attending Oregon Logging Conference seminars and other activities.
Credits can be applied for Certified Forester® certification, offered through the Society of American Foresters. This program provides a consistent, national credential for professional foresters.
By attending some of the sessions at the conference, up to 15 continuing education credits can be earned in two categories: Category 1 (Core Education) and Category 2 (Related Education). The credits can be earned Thursday and Friday, Feb. 20 and 21.
To receive credits for attending seminars and activities, sign up at the conference registration desk and receive a punch card. The punch card will be used to document attendance at the seminars and to receive SAF credits. Have the card punched at the end of each conference seminar and activity that you attend.
Scan your completed punch card and email it to certification@safnet.org or mail it to Certified Forester®, c/o Society of American Foresters, 2121 K Street NW, Suite 315, Washington, DC, 20037, no later than three weeks after the Oregon Logging Conference. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.
All those who register for the OLC are eligible for a free subscription to TimberWest Magazine. Be sure to stop by registration area and sign up.
OLC Panels & Seminars 2025
Hands-On Seminar 1 – Log Roll-Out
Topic: Logs to Lumber: The Impacts of Log Defect on Finished Products
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Near Log Loader Competition, Outside Display Area
Moderator: Matt Bliss, Roseburg Forest Products, Vaughn, OR
NEW THIS YEAR, the seminar will incorporate a demonstration of a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill into the presentation. This seminar will focus on log defects and how they impact finished lumber products. Those attending this seminar will be walked through a log roll-out and evaluate log defects from the standpoint of a scaler and lumber manufacturer. The Wood-Mizer portable sawmill will be utilized to break down the logs into lumber. As the logs are sawed, attendees can observe how the defect runs through the log and how it impacts the finished product.
Kyle Lemley, Operations Manager, Mountain Western Log Scaling and Grading Bureau, Roseburg, OR
Born and raised in Douglas County, Lemley has worked for the Mountain Western Log Scaling and Grading Bureau for more than 20 years. He began his career as a log taper in 2004 and not long after that entered the Mountain Western log scaler apprenticeship program.
Once his training was completed and his certifications were earned, Lemley spent time as a production log scaler in northern California, central and eastern Oregon, along the coast of Oregon, and up and down Oregon’s I-5 corridor.
Lemley was promoted to a check scaling position based in Roseburg in 2016 and in 2018 became an area manager, covering locations in Cottage Grove and north. He has served as the company’s operations manager for the past three years.
Business Seminar 1
Your
Voice – Your Vote Counts
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Moderator: Paul Hadaller, Pacific Fibre Products, Longview, WA
Topic: If Your Vote Didn’t Count, I Wouldn’t Be Here
David Loveall, Lane County Commissioner, District 2, Springfield Loveall was born and raised in Lane County. After serving six years in the
Navy, Loveall and his wife, Nita, returned to Springfield to put down roots and raise a family. The couple has three grown children and four grandchildren. Loveall was elected as a Lane County Commissioner in 2022. His presentation will include where the power of change lies in making sure the values of people make it to positions that support them.
Topic:
Association of O & C (Oregon & California railroad lands) Counties: Why This Association was Started and How it Helps Our Industry
Tim Freeman, Douglas County Commissioner, Roseburg
Freeman is president of the Association of O&C Counties board of directors, a member of Douglas Timber Operators, and numerous other groups. He served as the chair of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in 2022, 2019, and 2016. He was a state representative from 2009 to 2015 and a Roseburg City Council member from 2003 to 2008.
Topic: Continuation of the Work the Association of O&C Counties is Committed to Do to Protect and Properly Manage Forest Lands for Future Harvest, and the Impacts of Improper Management
Doug Robertson, Executive Director, Association of O&C Counties, Roseburg
Born and raised in Medford, Robertson now lives in the Roseburg area and has been deeply involved with the federal Bureau of Land Management and issues associated with O&C lands. He has played a key role in the passage of safety net legislation and continues to be a leader in finding options to the timber harvest dilemma.
Robertson was elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in 1980 and served for 33 years. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest serving commissioner in the state of Oregon. For 25 years prior to assuming the executive director’s position, Robertson was president of the AOCC.
Business Seminar 2 –Friday Morning Forestry Talks
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Moderator: Ethan Fielder, Century Forest Management, Monroe, OR
Topic: Oregon Timber Supply Update
Steve Courtney, The Beck Group
Courtney is vice president of operations of The Beck Group, a forest products consulting company, based in Portland, OR. Prior to joining The Beck Group, Courtney worked for forest products companies in Washington, Oregon, and California with a focus on raw materials procurement and team leadership. His career has given him a deep experiential understanding of mill operations, public policy, and the industry’s market drivers. Throughout his career Courtney has stepped forward as a public advocate for sustainable forest management.
expertise also includes budgeting, safety compliance, and the implementation of field projects.
Topic: State IRA Fire Contracts
James McCarter, Oregon Department of Forestry
McCarter has worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry for five years. His current position is compliance officer. He is a 25-year military veteran who “loves the state of Oregon.” His presentation will include a description of an Incident Resource Agreement and the simplification of the application process.
Topic: Oregon Fire Funding Update
Topic: Private Forest Accord, Stream Surveys
Matt Riggs, Sierra Pacific Industries
Riggs is a seasoned forest engineer with more than a decade of experience in forest management, project coordination, and road construction. In his role with Sierra Pacific Industries, he is responsible for engineering forest roads, planning harvest areas, and ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. His
Chad Washington, Oregon Forest Industries Council (OFIC)
Washington joined OFIC in 2024 after nearly a decade of experience in forest planning, stewardship, and sustainability. He has a breadth of leadership experience including involvement with tribal, cooperative, advisory, and
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economic development committees, and currently serves as chair of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Private Forest Accord Mitigation Advisory Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management from Oregon State University and a Master of Science degree in natural resources with a focus on forest economics from the University of Idaho.
Presentation:
2024 Oregon Operators of the Year
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 10:45 a.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Kirk Ausland, Oregon Dept. of Forestry, Forest Practices Act
Enforcement Coordinator
Ausland has been a forester for over 30 years, 17 of those years as a Stewardship Forester working out of the John Day unit. For the past 13 years he has served as a Type 1 Safety Officer on one of ODF’s Incident Management Teams. He is passionate about the Operator of the Year program and has nominated nine different operators for this award over the years.
For more information about the 2024 Operators of the Year, see article on page 32 & 33.
Date: Friday, Feb 21
McEntyre holds a bachelor’s degree in archeology and anthropology and a minor in geology from Central Speakers continued from page 45
Business Seminar 3 –Washington Forest Practices Act
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Location: Exhibit Hall, SW Meeting Room
Moderator: Riley Fogarty, Merrill & Ring, Port Angeles, WA
Topic: VIPR Program and EERA Contracting for Firefighting
Chris Melcher, Melcher Logging
Melcher is a 2020 graduate of Oregon State University and holds a degree in forest operation and management. He is a fourth-generation logger and currently works in the family business, Melcher Logging of Sweet Home, OR. Melcher will talk about his firefighting experience last season, both good and bad, and steps that can be taken to encourage loggers to sign up private logging equipment for use in firefighting efforts.
Topic: Tandem Carriage Yarder Systems
Jason Hadaller, Hadaller Logging Co.
Hadaller is president of Hadaller Logging Inc., which was established in 2004. He previously worked for various logging companies, learning the ups and downs of the industry. Hadaller Logging Inc. has grown into a major logging operation, including ground-based logging, tower logging, and road construction, in southwest Washington. The company works with a mindset of embracing steep slope logging and blending new technology with existing logging equipment, and embraces transformation and innovation.
Topic: Forest Practice Rules
J “Mack” McEntyre, Assistant Division Manager of Operations, Forest Practices Division, Washington Department of Natural Resources. John “Mack” McEntyre brings extensive leadership experience in forest practices, regulatory compliance, and operational management. In his current position, McEntyre oversees the science team of geologists, the engineering group, compliance monitoring, the region operations, outreach team, and training. He leads statewide initiatives to enhance forest regulation and streamline processes that support environmental stewardship and sustainable forestry. His diverse academic and professional background reflects a deep commitment to balancing ecological integrity with economic viability in the forestry sector.
Washington University. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in environmental science with a specialization in forestry policy at Oregon State University.
Topic: Small Forest Landowner Update: New Riparian Easement Rules
Karen Zirkle, Washington Department of Natural Resources
Zirkle is the assistant division manager for policy and landowner services. As a 20-year employee of the state of Washington, she had held a variety of natural resource positions, including working with small forest landowners, policy related to forest practice rules, wildland fire, collaborating with fire districts, silvicultural burning, river and road network restoration, historic resource preservation and Tribal collaboration, and state Environmental Policy Act leadership, all within five agencies. Zirkle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Washington.
Topic: fpOnline Project Updates
Donelle
Mahan,
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Mahan is the fpOnline co-business sponsor and product owner.
applications. Mahan has worked at the agency since 1977. Over the years she has worked as a state lands forester, RMAP forester, forest practices (FP) forester, FP training manager, FP policy advisor for new rules and board manual, and FP operations assistant division manager. She has a master’s degree in environmental science.
Business Seminar 4 –First Aid/CPR/AED Certification
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
TIme: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Exhibit Hall, SW Meeting Room
Cost: $54.00
Instructor: Chet Casey, First Aid Safety Training, Inc.
This will be a 4-hour class, a course which meets OSHA requirements and will provide participants with essential skills to handle medical situations in the workplace. Attendance is limited to 50 people, and the course is open to paid registered members of the 2025 OLC. At the end of the class you will receive a two-year first aid certification card. Sign up in person on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the
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OLC registration desk, Lane Events Center.
Instructor Casey brings over 20 years of pre-hospital EMS and emergency room experience to his role as owner of First Aid Safety Training, Inc. He and his company are dedicated to equipping others with life-saving skills through safety education and training for both individuals and organizations
Business Seminar 5 –
Basic Fire School Certification
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Wheeler Pavilion
Moderator: Gary Mendenhall, Sierra Pacific Industries, Roseburg, OR
Instructor: Mike Jackson, Douglas Forest Protective Association
This will be a 2-hour basic fire school class, and attendance is limited to 200 people. This course is open to paid registered members of the 2025 OLC. At the end of the class, you will receive a basic fire certification card.
Instructor Jackson is an industrial
fire prevention forester and has worked with the Douglas Forest Protective Association for 40 years. During his career with the association his duties have included industrial fire inspections, waivers, smoke management, and industrial fire training. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forest engineering from Oregon State University.
Exhibitor Hands-On Seminar 2
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: General Trailers Outside Exhibit Area
Moderator: Jake Thompson, Thompson Tree Farm, Corvallis, OR
Topic: Truck Safety
Instructor: Sean Gilhousen, Compliance Specialist II, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) CCD Motor Carrier Safety Enforcement
This seminar will feature Gilhousen performing a walk-around truck and brake inspection and answering questions.
Gilhousen has been a safety investigator with ODOT since 2011. Prior to joining ODOT he worked in a law enforcement capacity as a truck inspector for eight years.
2025 OLC Exhibitor Listings
160 DRIVING ACADEMY
30 E 17th Ave
Eugene, Oregon 97401
503-208-9665 Auditorium 421
A & I DISTRIBUTORS
12350 SW Myslony St
Tualatin, Oregon 97062
503-905-2245 • Fax: 503-905-2248
Exhibit Hall 176-177
Outside
A-1 COUPLING & HOSE
PO Box 2295
Eugene, Oregon 97402
541-485-7133 • Fax: 541-485-3796
Performance Hall ..................................... SF5
Exhibit Hall ................................................ D
IBEX ROOF 104 NE 194 ST Ridgefield, Washington 98642 360-210-1052
Expo Hall Section 600 617
ILIWA SAFARI PO Box 299 Foster, Oregon 97345 27082-253-7696
Performance Hall 077
Sponsors ................. Friends of OLC Foundation
IMA FINANCIAL GROUP PO Box 784 Springfield, Oregon 97477 541-741-0550 • Fax: 541-741-1674
Performance Hall ..................................... 060
continued on page 54
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222 Roy Blvd. Unit 4 Brantford, Ontario N3R 7KI CAN 519-754-2190 • Fax: 519-757-1100 Performance Hall ................................ 036-37
OREGON CALIFORNIA SUPPLY INC 574 N.E. F st. Grants Pass, Oregon 97526 541-479-5990 • Fax: 541-479-5665 Outside
OREGON DEPT OF FORESTRY - SALEM 2600 State Street, Bldg. D Salem, Oregon 97310 503-945-7200 • Fax: 503-945-7490
Auditorium 408 Wheeler ....................................... Family Day
OREGON DEPT. OF FORESTRY - W LANE 87950 Territorial Hwy. Veneta, Oregon 97487
541-935-2283 • Fax: 541-935-0731 Outside
OREGON FUEL INJECTION INC. P O Box 21121 Eugene, Oregon 97402
541-485-1434 • Fax: 541-485-1464 Performance Hall 064
OREGON LOGGING CONFERENCE FOUNDATION
Box 10669
Eugene, Oregon 97440
541-686-9191 • Fax: 855-866-0572
Arena Building ........................... Private Event Sponsors Friends of OLC Foundation
OREGON LOGGING CONF. LOGO SHOP
Box 10669 Eugene, Oregon 97440 541-686-9191
Exhibit Hall Lobby
OREGON OSHA CONSULTATION 350 Winter St. NE Salem, Oregon 97301 503-378-3272
OREGON SMALL WOODLANDS ASSOC. 187 High St NE Suite 208 Salem, Oregon 97301 503-588-1813
Exhibit Hall ............................................. 259
OREGON TOOL LLC 4909 SE Intl Way Portland, Oregon 97222 608-444-0456
Exhibit Hall ...................................... 172, 173
OREGON WOMEN IN TIMBER P.O. Box 760 Dallas, Oregon 97338 503-917-9205 • Fax: 503-370-8565
Exhibit Hall ............................................. 262 Sponsors Friends of OLC Foundation Wheeler ....................................... Family Day
OVERLOOK FORGE
600 E Pinehurst Dr. Newberg, Oregon 97132 503-537-8503
258 Kappa Dr Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238 412-629-6890
Expo Hall 2 Section 600 622
ZENDER EQUIPMENT CO. PO Box 3184 Ferndale, Washington 98248 360-319-7973 • Fax: 360-933-2026
Outside
John Deere to Boost Output At Factory in British Columbia
John Deere announced the expansion of its forestry equipment production at its John Deere Specialty Products facility located in Langley, British Columbia.
Manufacturing of the 900-Series models will be followed by the 800-Series models in early spring of 2025.
The John Deere Specialty Products facility will serve as the center of excellence for manufacturing purpose-built tracked forestry equipment. This increase in production will enhance services provided by John Deere to both North American and global customers and strategically position tracked harvesters and feller bunchers in a key forestry region.
“All of us at John Deere Specialty Products are excited about this opportunity to grow at our location and provide customers with even more confidence through our commitment to the highest quality and durable products,” said Alan Tracey, factory manager at the Langley plant. “We have a long tenure of forestry design and manufacturing experience, and we are passionate about working with our customers.”
The factory currently employs 100 people and produces track processors, road builders, and track log loaders for the global market.
Rotochoopper Marks Manufacturing Month
Rotochopper celebrated Manufacturing Month recently by showcasing innovations and craftsmanship. Through events with
local schools and community outreach, the company highlighted career opportunities in manufacturing and emphasized the potential of this evolving industry.
A virtual tour by the Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association (CMMA) provided an inside look at the innovative work at Rotochopper’s manufacturing facility and the world-class
equipment built here. Several local student groups also toured the company’s plant.
Rotochopper also participated in EPIC (Exploring Potential Interest & Careers). Team members Keith Burg, Noah Ritter, Hayden Schliemann, Cory Olmscheid, Skylar Posusta-Chrast, and Vickie Zierden connected with students to explore careers in welding and manufacturing.
OTR Engineered Solutions Names King to Sales Post
OTR Engineered Solutions (OTR) has hired John King as its new vice president of aftermarket sales.
In this role he will help lead sales efforts for OTR’s line of tires, wheels, assemblies, and tracks to aftermarket customers within multiple industries, such as agriculture, construction, golf, lawn & garden, material handling, powersports, and specialty vehicles.
“OTR has been aggressively recruiting talent to help us achieve our strategic goals, and John is a great fit to grow our aftermarket business segment,” said Mitch Mittlestadt, general manager for aftermarket sales.
King brings nearly 30 years of sales and operations management experience. This includes more than 10 years of experience in the tire industry, where he consistently increased sales growth for a major manufacturer.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
First Aid, Safety Classes
Planned for Idaho Loggers
Registration is underway for Associated Logging Contractors-Idaho logger first aid and safety training classes, which will be available across the state.
The classes are scheduled between March 4-April 10.
OSHA and state regulations require workers in the woods to participate in the classes every year. The classes also are a required component of the Idaho ProLogger continuing education program.
To register contact the ALC office at (208) 667-6473 or email jolene@idahologgers.com or julie@idahologgers.com.
To find a class online and register, visit the ALC website at www.idahologgers.com.
WASHINGTON CONTRACTOR SUPPLIES Fallers to Perform Work on Fires
A timber faller for Swedberg Contracting works on taking down a tree. The company provides timber fallers who take down hazard trees on wildland fires and emergency incidents.
Adam Swedberg contracts to provide timber fallers for the U.S. Forest Service and other federal, state, or tribal land management agencies. Their work depends on the fire, but they normally are on the scene to fell hazard trees to make it safer for other crews.
By Tim Cox, Editor
NINE MILE FALLS, WASHINGTON –
A forest fire is rapidly spreading. Who are you going to call?
Adam Swedberg is one of those people you call. His business, Swedberg Contracting, provides timber fallers who fall hazard trees on wildland fires and emergency incidents.
In 2024 Swedberg’s company supplied timber fallers to work in Virginia on wildfires in early March, and throughout the fire season in New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon. “Then we sent guys to work on the hurricane recovery in North Carolina,” said Swedberg, after hurricane Helene struck portions of the state in late September.
Swedberg, 39, grew up in Loomis in north-central Washington, not far from Canada, and began working in logging when he was 20. He has a well-rounded education in logging. He started working for a logging business that was owned by the father of a friend. Swedberg operated a stroke boom delimber for a while, moved to a skidder, and then started cutting by hand. He continued working for the contractor until he started his own business.
He went into business for himself in 2008. He hired another man and they did pre-commercial thinning and fuels reduction cutting, using a chipper. He got his first contract to cut on fires in 2017. “Falling timber has been the most interesting to me out of all the jobs,” said Swedberg. “Of all the jobs I’ve done…it was what I enjoyed the most.”
“There’s not a lot of that in eastern Washington,” he added, “not a lot of consistent demand for timber fallers.” He seized on the opportunity to provide timber fallers
to work on fires – wherever they occurred.
His business is based in Nine Mile Falls, which is just northwest of Spokane. He has only three full-time employees, but during fire season he may staff up to 50.
The work his company does during fire season is nearly all falling timber by hand. “The guys that work for me during fires and emergencies are almost all working with saws,” said Swedberg. “They are timber fallers by trade.”
Swedberg’s company contracts to the U.S. Forest Service or other federal, state, or tribal land management agencies. “Though we have worked with almost all the federal land management agencies and a majority of the state agencies in the West, the majority of our work is for the Forest Service.” Those agencies pay his business a flat daily
rate – either for a single faller or two working together, called a module.
“It really depends on the fire,” said Swedberg, although the timber fallers normally are there to take down hazard trees to make it safer for other crews.
“Generally the fallers are cutting before or after the fire has passed, cutting snags and hazardous trees that can reach roads or fire lines or around other assets they want to protect. They cut the snags out and then do a back burn and have the fallers go back through and find any other trees that were weakened by the fire.”
Sometimes the lead fire agency has other work for the fallers to do. “I’ve worked on
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ContractorProfile
(continued from page 65)
fires that were more of a logging job. They had us cutting oversize trees and bucking them, or even bucking logs that were pushed over by the buncher, and the skidder couldn’t pull them.”
The fallers who went to North Carolina after hurricane Helene – they drove across the country from the Northwest – helped to open up roads with fallen trees, bucking them so they could be removed, and also felled damaged, hazard trees. “They even had days when there were no machines, so they were cutting them into small enough pieces to move them by hand.”
Once on the scene, Swedberg Contracting fallers are working for the management team that is assigned to the fire or that area of the fire.The agency managing the fire provides the fallers with meals, drinks, and usually a place to camp. If there is no place to camp, the fallers are paid a per diem for lodging and meals and travel expenses.
Because of the nature of his business, Swedberg may get a call any time, day or night, for an agency needing fallers. He has a network of contract fallers he can summon. “Generally I answer the phone and call whoever is closest and available.”
Accordingly, Swedberg spends a lot of time on the phone, especially during fire season – responding to calls, coordinating the deployment of contract fallers, etc. Even during the off-season he is busy. “I’m getting ready for the next fire season, recruiting, and doing paperwork. Since I talk to so many guys, many will call me and ask who’s working or if I have heard of any work.
Swedberg has developed and built up a solid network of timber fallers he can call on. One thing that sets him apart from similar businesses, he said, is recruiting timber fallers. “Most of the guys that work for us live in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. We have some others scattered around the country.”
Fire season usually begins in July and lasts for a few months. “But every year is different,” said Swedberg. Last year he got his first fire call in March. “I’ve had guys work all the way to the week before Christmas… The most days I’ve had anyone get in one year out on fires is 157, but I consider anything over 45 days a pretty good year.”
The land management agencies pay Swedberg, and he pays his fallers every two weeks. That distinguishes him from other similar contractors, he said. “Most other people don’t pay their fallers until they get paid,” he noted. “If you’re on a fire for 14 days, and typically the soonest the contractor is getting paid is 25 to 30 days, that can be a long time before they get paid. I’ve gone
as long as 124 days without getting paid for a fire. I don’t think it’s the employees’ responsibility to carry the business expense.”
Swedberg also pays workers compensation insurance for the fallers who work for him.
His full-time employees were still doing fuels reduction work until a few years ago. Now, when it’s not fire season, they do a mix of jobs – working for private landowners, masticating brush and small trees for the Forest Service or some other agency, and even contract cutting now and then.
The crew is equipped with two machines, a LinkBelt 145X with a new Quadco mulching head that he bought from Triad Machinery, and a Kobelco 210 with an AFE disc mulching head. The LinkBelt-Quadco combination replaced a TimberPro feller buncher with a Denis Cimaf mulching attachment that Swedberg recently sold. He was attracted to the Quadco drum-style
attachment because it has a lateral tilt to improve production and handling of ground material. “I think that was the biggest selling point for me.”
Swedberg also owns a small equipment rental business, Lake Spokane Rentals. The business rents skid steers, mini-excavators, and similar machines and attachments mainly for the homeowner market.
His business model is a good fit for his lifestyle. Swedberg is a single parent with full custody of his two children, ages 5 and 10. The fact that he can operate his business basically from a telephone and does not need to be in the woods doing forestry work enables him to be there for his children.
(Any loggers interested in contacting Swedberg can reach him through his company website, www.Swedbergcontracting. com, email admin@swedbergcontracting.com, or call (509) 601-0988.)
Photo illustrates some of the hazardous forest conditions faced by timber fallers for Swedberg Contracting.
Going Above and Beyond
D&H Logging Recognized As an Operator of the Year
Brad Haga invested in a new Tigercat LS855E shovel logger with a Tigercat 5195 felling grapple in 2022. ‘It’s amazing what that piece of equipment will do,’ says Haga. In above photo, cutter Randy Kralicek is attaching a line from the Tigercat to a tree to pull it when he fells it.
By Tim Cox, Editor
COOS BAY, OREGON
– Does it pay to go the extra mile when it comes to doing a good job and following best management practices and logging regulations?
Brad Haga is co-owner of D&H Logging. “My wife, Linda, says our company is known for diligence and integrity. When we tell someone we’ll do something, we get it done, even if it costs us more than we expected. Our word is good.”
Wyatt Dunlap is a contract logging supervisor for Roseburg Forest Products, which nominated D&H Logging for a state award last year. “Protecting (those) forest resources is important to Roseburg, which is one reason we turn to D and H for multiple harvests on our lands,” said Dunlap.
You could say: what goes around, comes around.
D&H Logging was chosen Operator of the Year for
the southwest Oregon region by the state Board of Forestry last fall. (See accompanying article on page 32 about other award winners.) The award recognizes forestry contractors who work to protect natural resources in a way that matches or exceeds the requirements of the state Forest Practices Act. Under the act, people are required to “manage forests responsibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat, and reduce landslide risks.” Landowners are also required to replant forests after harvesting.
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D&H Logging has 16 employees, including Haga and co-owner and sister, Leslie Anderson, and also a mechanic and a metal fabricator. The company is based in Coos Bay, where it has an office and shop, a little over 100 miles southwest of Eugene. Haga tries to keep the crews working within a 90-minute drive. Last summer he took a job to help Roseburg harvest some ice-damaged timber that took a drive of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Anderson is active in the business, handling all the bookkeeping chores, including accounting: payroll, accounts payable and receivable. She also keeps up with all permitting requirements and processes to keep the company in compliance with government regulations. They use an accountant to do taxes.
Haga scouts and lays out new jobs, but he also helps with mechanical work. “I’m a giant go-fer. Whatever the crew needs, I try to get it for them.” He usually gets to the office around 5 a.m. He does paperwork and makes plans for the shop crew for the day. Woods crew employees usually start at daylight.
Haga and Anderson own an affiliated trucking company, Youngs Trucking, which employs five truck drivers. The company normally only hauls wood for D&H but occasionally works for small logging contractors. They also have a small property business, having bought out his brother, who retired a few years ago.
The company has a yarder crew and a ground-based logging crew. The yarder crew has nine employees although it normally has seven or eight; the ground-based logging crew is made up of four workers. Production varies quite a bit. “Coastal timber…some of it can run six loads to the acre, some 12 to the acre,” said Haga. The yarder crew probably averages 1-2 acres a day. When Haga talked to TimberWest, the yarder crew was on a job that was producing about six loads of saw logs per day, plus pulp wood.
Haga, 65, grew up in a logging family. His father, Neil, bought into a business in 1959, and the two partners worked together for 27 years, splitting up in the mid-1980s. Haga began working for his father as a teenager – setting chokers and chasing – and began full-time after graduating from high school. His father did a lot of shop work or other
mechanic work. “Our dad was a pretty good teacher,” recalled Haga. Haga, Anderson, and their brother acquired the business from their father a few years later.
“Yarding is our main thing,” said Haga. The company has had yarding operations for many years. A lot of tracts have timber that can be harvested by ground-based equipment but also timber that must be yarded, he noted. “Guys with only ground-based crews don’t have the opportunity to log those. We can do both.”
D&H usually works for corporate clients – such as Swanson Group and Roseburg Forest Products – harvesting timber on their land or stumpage they have bought. “We usually work for a few small private landowners every year, too,” said Haga. In recent years Haga has bought some timber and marketed it himself, but that’s not the norm.
Smaller landowners are somewhat at a disadvantage, noted Haga, because there are fewer loggers. “Unfortunately for small landowners, there are not that many loggers, and the loggers aren’t very big…When the log market goes up, they’re tied up working for the big companies…Private landowners are stuck,” and they may have to harvest
Link-Belt loader at left is handling stacking and loading chores while Madill machine at right processes trees.
timber when a logger is available, although log prices may not be the best.
The region has some steep terrain, the steepest with slopes of 60-80 percent, according to Haga. The forests hold Doug fir, hemlock, red cedar, alder, maple, myrtle and – closer to the coast – abundant spruce. At the time Haga spoke with TimberWest, the crews were working on a 98-acre tract with steep ground; the timber was mainly Doug fir, hemlock, red cedar, alder, and maple. The crews pile up the slash at the landing. Haga hires other contractors to burn it later; D&H provides that service for small landowners.
Haga contracts a small crew of hand fellers – Kralicek Cutting and ZB Contract Cutting – to cut timber on steep ground. Randy Kralicek used to be a D&H employee. “The great thing about it is he knows how we like to log,” said Haga. “I don’t have to worry about it. He’s going to do it right. It’s a big advantage in that sense.”
“If we can cut it with the ground-based crew, we’ll do it and leave the yarding timber for him to cut.”
Haga has added a few new machines in recent years. He added a Link-Belt 4640 and a new Kenworth T880 semi-tractor in 2023. The previous year he “decided to get back into the game” and invested in a
new Tigercat LS855E shovel logger with a Tigercat 5195 felling grapple. “That was a real game changer,” said Haga. “It’s amazing what that piece of equipment will do.” He also added a Southstar QS630B processor attachment that is paired with a Madill 3800 to speed up processing.
Haga had high praise for the Tigercat LS855E and the Tigercat 5195 attachment.
‘We have a really good crew. I don’t know what the reason behind that is. Other logging contractors are impressed by them – how much ground they cover, how fast they work.’
Brad Haga, Co-Owner D&H Logging
“The thing that’s great about it is you can cut the tree – it’s got a bar saw – and you also log with the grapple.” Tigercat markets the 5195 directional felling saw for felling, prebunching and shovel logging oversize timber in steep terrain.
Haga usually buys equipment from Triad Machinery, dealing with the company’s
location in Coburg. Curt McClure, Triad’s Eugene branch manager and who oversees the Coburg location, “has been a friend for years,” said Haga, who works with sales representative Terry Haskin.
Haga has an assortment of equipment for yarding and ground-based logging. The company is equipped with three Thunderbird yarders, a trio of Boman carriages and two Acme carriages. Processing is done by two Link-Belts, the Madill, and a John Deere stroke boom delimber; they are paired with a couple of Southstar heads and Pierce-Pacific grapple processor. Loading is done with four Link-Belt machines. The company also has four Cat bulldozers for building tail holds and clearing landings, and a Cat skidder that is mainly used for pulling a lowboy or pushing trucks.
The company performs a lot of its own maintenance and small repairs. Haga’s sonin-law, Patrick Ybarra, a mechanic and welder, rents shop space from him and does any mechanical work that is over their collective head. “He’s really good at it,” he said.
Wood markets are “not great,” said Haga. “They haven’t been for most of the year. The market is flooded with timber. Log prices
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are down.” Lumber prices are starting to rise, but it’s the “wrong time of year,” he noted. “Mills have plenty of wood.”
average for price and demand. There are few pulp markets in the region, he noted. “That doesn’t help.”
He has reason to be optimistic, however.
There was storm damage in the region last summer, he noted. “When a storm knocks down a lot of timber…the mills know they’re going to get that wood. It’s an advantage for them. They don’t have to really raise prices to compete for wood. And there are fewer mills.”
Pulp markets “are about the same,”
“Mills have been investing a lot,” said Haga, a past president of the Associated Oregon Loggers. “That’s a good sign that things are going to get better.”
The job the company was recognized for was its first yarder job since new logging regulations came into effect in 2024 – over 100 new rules in an update of the state Forest Practices Act. A new type of buffer on
the tract – R-ELZ, a retention-equipment limitation zone – required minimizing disturbance from equipment and conserving trees less than 6 inches and shrubs. The area was not designated with ribbons, but D&H workers were able to identify it using a cell phone app.
D&H was required to protect the R-ELZ area, a draw. Roseburg wanted to harvest trees on a hill behind it but avoid dragging the timber through the draw to protect it. “That’s what the crew did,” said Haga. “It was time consuming.”
“You have to go slow,” he explained, with the carriage, “and wiggle the turn through the brush and small trees, then pick up your speed after you clear.”
“By careful placement of rigging corridors, he was able to pass logs over the buffer or through pre-existing gaps in trees, while also protecting soils,” said Dunlap.
D&H employee benefits include health insurance and a 401(k) savings retirement plan. “We try to treat them like family,” said Haga. “We try to help them out whenever we can.”
Many employees were hired in the early 2000s and some of the men are former employees who came back. “We have a really good crew,” said Haga, who enjoys hiking, snowboarding, motorcycle riding, and hunting elk and deer in his free time. “I don’t know what the reason behind that is. Other logging contractors are impressed by them –how much ground they cover, how fast they work.”
“If they ever go away, it might be time to retire. I don’t think I could replace these guys. They’re pretty loyal, too.”
D&H Logging was recognized for its first yarder job since new logging regulations came into effect under the state Forest Practices Act.
Ecoforst Offers New, Largest Remote-Assist Traction Winch
Ecoforst has introduced a new model of its T-WINCH, the 40.3. It is the world’s largest remote-assist traction winch, according to the company.
As demand has grown in North and South America to log steeper slopes with heavier equipment, Ecoforst developed the 40.3 T-WINCH to meet these demands. It is stronger and faster than earlier models and features other improvements.
With a completely redesigned winch drive, the Ecoforst 40.3 features 56,000 pound-force of constant pulling force, making it the most powerful traction winch on the market. A 441 hp engine provides 7.45 mph of line speed, and a newly designed winch drive greatly increases productivity.
The Ecoforst 40.3 T-WINCH also offers more versatility. It features larger final drives, bigger pulleys, larger butterfly fairlead, and a larger drum for a higher capacity of line compared to the smaller 30.2 model.Ecoforst Offers New, Largest Remote-Assist Traction Winch.
To protect operators, the Ecoforst 40.3 T-WINCH can be equipped with a chain winch to store and handle larger diameter chains. It also can be equipped with a straw line so operators can pull the large chains and the cable to the tethered machine.
Another new feature is the sliding protection on the side of the blade, which gives operators the opportunity to winch in narrow spaces where the machine cannot be set up in a straight line. This allows pulling at extreme angles in order to cut and skid wider tracts of timber. Customers that want larger cable diameter can choose between
Comact Develops New Hybrid Sawline System
Comact, a global leader in wood processing solutions, launched a new hybrid sawline, an innovation designed to address the evolving challenges of the sawmill industry.
The new hybrid system combines circular saws, bandsaws, and advanced smart technologies. It sets a new benchmark for speed, flexibility, and operational efficiency in handling a wide range of log diameters, according to Comact.
The hybrid sawline is particularly suited for southern U.S. mills, where a broad range of log diameters and highly flexible operations are critical to maximizing results.
The sawline’s ability to seamlessly integrate multiple cutting modes — including
1-⅛-inch or 1-¼-inch cable.
The Ecoforst T-WINCH has been on the market since 2014. The Austrian-based manufacturer has delivered over 400 remoteassist winches worldwide.
The T-WINCH was introduced in North America in 2016. Since then over 55 units have been sold in North America, including more than 20 last year.
Dealers in the Pacific Northwest include Feenaughty Machinery (serving western Washington and Oregon and northern California) and Western States Equipment
double profiling, quadruple circular cutting, and sideboard splitting — enables mills to produce diverse lumber products on a single line, optimizing recovery and reducing costs.
“We strongly believe that this new sawline design will be a game changer, especially for our southern USA customers,” said Simon Potvin, Comact president and CEO.
Mills in the southern U.S. typically require two sawlines because they process a wide range of log diameters, he noted. “The new hybrid sawline provides the flexibility to handle all log sizes on a single line while maximizing efficiency and results,” said Potvin.
The hybrid sawline is further strengthened by Comact’s Smart Vision system, powered by artificial intelligence. Complementary
(serving eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho, and Montana).
Ecoforst also is developing an autonomous skidder in a joint project with another Austrian manufacturer, Konrad Forsttechnik. The T-SKIDDER project started in 2020, and several prototypes have been tested. A machine currently is working in Chile. Ecoforst expects to offer production units to the U.S. market by the end of 2025.
features like the Primary Breakdown Closed Loop Smart Tool enhance precision and value recovery.
Tigercat Launches Chipper
Tigercat officially has introduced the 6500 chipper after more than a year of successful field operations involving multiple retailed units.
The Tigercat 6500 is a heavy-duty, down-swing drum chipper designed for high production and maximum flexibility.
Rotor speeds are adjustable based on infeed material density and desired chip length – ranging from 0.5-2 inch – to maximize throughput and product quality.
With a frame that pivots on the undercarriage, the operator is able to adjust the infeed angle for varying feedstock or raise and lower the discharge height to adjust the chip pile size or accommodate top load trailers. The pivoting upper frame also allows for transport on a lowboy trailer without the need to fold the discharge conveyor to meet transport height regulations.
Maintenance is easy with convenient service access. The split hog box opens over center to fully access the rotor and screens for simple knife changes. The grate frame is hydraulically retractable for inspection, service or impact detection. The single discharge conveyor is open on the bottom for clean operation and easy servicing. A tool storage area mounted on the side of the machine hydraulically raises and lowers for added convenience.
An optional large diameter magnetic head pulley is available to effectively remove metal from the end product. The machine is also prepared to accept over-band magnet systems.
Deere Offers Extended Coverage for Skidders
John Deere now offers extended transmission coverage, at no additional cost, through its skidder transmission assurance program.
This new program provides coverage up to six years or 12,000 hours on all eligible skidder models and helps to maximize the machine lifespan with warrantable transmission repairs and replacements. The assurance program applies to all qualified skidders built on or after Jan. 1, 2020 and is transferable to subsequent purchasers.
“We’re giving our customers added peace-of-mind knowing that their new machines are backed by a robust transmission assurance program,” said Mike Fulton, service marketing manager for John Deere Construction & Forestry. “This is another way we’re helping our customers excel in the woods and in their businesses, no matter the
challenge at hand.”
Eligible machines include qualified skidder models (640L-II, 648L-II, 748L-II, 768L-II, 848L-II, or 948L-II) built on or after Jan. 1, 2020 and purchased prior to Dec. 31, 2026.
To learn more about the new skidder transmission assurance program, visit www. JohnDeere.com or contact your local John Deere dealer.
Tigercat Launches LX877 Buncher
Tigercat has launched the LX877 feller buncher, the second model to be built on the new sloped tail platform. The LX877 is equipped with Tigercat’s well-proven closed loop drive system. Equipped with a 350 hp engine, it is best suited for high production, steep slope, mature timber and clearcut felling applications.
Optimized weight distribution and low center of mass, along with Tigercat’s patented super-duty leveling undercarriage, provide the operator with comfort, stability and confidence on sloped terrain.
One of the most important design features is the sloped tail profile. It provides increased leveling capability to 26 degrees and better cable clearance in winch assisted applications.
Along with the improved leveling angles, Tigercat redesigned the ER boom system to provide a larger envelope with tighter tuck and increased below-grade capability. Through-tip hose routing offers better protection of the boom hoses leading to the felling head. The boom has three operating modes – ER, semi-ER and conventional – and can be set based on operating conditions, tree size and operator preference.
Other enhancements include further improvements to service access, and an intank hydraulic filtration for extended service intervals. The side opening engine enclosure completely exposes the top and both sides of the engine and most hydraulic components. When open, the enclosure roof serves as a safe, spacious and convenient work platform.
The LX877 is best matched to the Tigercat 5702 and 5702-26 felling saws.
Opticom Tech Offers New Industrial Camera, Connector
Opticom Tech, a leader in industrial video monitoring solutions, announced the release of its new CC04 industrial camera with M12 connection. The new option is available through Opticom Tech and its distributors.
The new camera offers all the features of the CC04 — 3MP resolution, vibration resistance, ONVIF compatibility, IR infrared, IP67 waterproof and dustproof, and more — and the RJ45 connector is still available. This camera is ideal for harsh industrial environments that experience vibration, dust, debris, temperature changes, and other hazards.
The added M12 connection further improves the CC04’s durability.
“The M12 connection is another feature our customers have been requesting, and Opticom Tech was eager to deliver,” said Heidi Schmidt, Opticom Tech global sales manager. “The CC04 is built tough for the most challenging industrial environments, and an M12 connector extends reliability to the connected wiring and is more versatile for easier integration into existing M12 PoE Systems.”
For more information, visit www.opticomtech.com.
Brass Knuckle BK360 Gloves Made for Extreme Cold Temps
Extreme cold or chilly environments can slow workers down — or worse. Brass Knuckle® SmartFlex™ BK360 gloves are designed to keep hands warm and protected all day, no matter how low the temperature.
These gloves are the trifecta: full insulation to provide long-wearing protection from excessive cold, a soft and comfortable fit, and compliance inspiring black-on-black styling.
BK360 compliance-inspiring gloves are one of the most comfortable cold-weather work gloves on the market, rivalling gloves costing dozens of dollars a pair at a fraction of the cost. Sample requests welcomed.
A layered 13-gauge nylon shell is augmented with a 7-gauge napped acrylic lower liner, highly recommended for protection from the cold. Next, a seamless and stretchable full knit wrist helps prevent dirt, debris, and cold air from getting inside the glove. A foam latex coating on full fingers, palm, and 3/4 deep on the back remains soft in cold conditions. Its high elasticity and durability also improve puncture resistance to keep out moisture. The sponge-like foam coating also is an excellent dry gripping surface.
For more information, visit www. brassknuckleprotection.com.
Undercarriage Maintenance is Key to Maximizing Excavator Machines
By Chad Welborn
HEAVY EQUIPMENT is a big investment — especially if it’s an excavator you rely on for timber harvesting and processing. To maximize that investment and avoid a breakdown and downtime, regular inspections and maintenance are critical.
More specifically, taking good care of your excavator undercarriage is essential. The undercarriage not only supports the total weight of the machine, but it bears the brunt of rough conditions. It also happens to be the most expensive part of an excavator.
Cold winter temps make undercarriage inspection even more important because freezing temps can wreak havoc on weak components.
The expected life of an excavator’s undercarriage largely depends on how the machine is used. For example, excavators working on a slope tend to show more wear on one side than the other.
The technicians at your dealership are great resources for full undercarriage inspections, but your own technicians and operators can and should conduct a visual inspection at least once a week or every 40 operating hours.
Keep in mind that visual inspections
should not replace regularly scheduled management. Proper undercarriage management entails measuring, tracking wear, replacing worn components and swapping component positions to extend the total undercarriage life. You’ll need conversion charts for each brand you use to convert them to percent worn.
Here are five tips for taking care of your excavators’ undercarriage. Clean before inspecting
To properly inspect a machine, make sure it is somewhat clean for the sake of accuracy. Although it may take a little time, cleaning the undercarriage regularly will keep it in better condition, make it easier to spot issues earlier, and reduce wear on the components.
In cold temperatures, this step is even more important because frozen mud can be like concrete — difficult to chisel or pry out. Plus, any exposure to salt brine could increase the risk of corrosion. Hose down the tracks, undercarriage, driveline, articulation joints and steer cylinders before ending your day to make sure mud doesn’t freeze into place overnight.
1.
Document each inspection
Another thing that may sound a little
tedious but is very important is to document every inspection. This will prevent unanswerable questions down the line if someone needs to determine when an issue may have started, how much the tracks were adjusted or other helpful details.
Some OEMs offer checklists or worksheets that can make this easier and offer more detail on what to look for with each component.
If you’re going to hop in and get to work after your walk-around, start at the front of the cab. By the time you make the full loop, you’re right where you need to be. Examine everything thoroughly, looking up, down, left and right.
2. Check track tension
Be sure to measure the track tension and document the results. Adjust the tension if necessary and remember to document this, too. You can find the correct track tension for your particular machine in the operator manual.
Carefully examine the track chain and shoes, inspecting the track pads for damage or loose bolts and the chain for any frozen links.
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3. Check all components
For a telltale sign that an undercarriage is getting worn out, check the sprocket — the thinner the teeth get, the more worn it is. If they get to a point where it looks like you could shave with them, they’re shot. That’s usually an indicator that the rest of the link assembly needs to be replaced as well.
Carefully check the links for cracks, spalling, side wear, wear on the pin boss or waving. You can also count the links to see if any were removed in an effort to tighten the undercarriage. If someone made it too tight, that will cause problems down the road.
Measure the pins and bushings to see if they’re stretched out. Bushings are often under a considerable load at the sprocket’s six o’clock position, and that will distort them over time. If you run your hand over the bushings in between the links, you should be able to feel whether they are U-shaped (stretched out) versus circular (good to go). If you reach up past the bushings and can touch or see the pins in the center, they should be replaced.
Check for corrosion and pitting on all
components — over time, these issues will make the metal more brittle and prone to bigger problems.
4. Check wear distribution
The last step is to compare the two sides of the undercarriage assembly to each other. Does one side show more wear than the other?
If your checklist/worksheet doesn’t have one, it may be smart to add a section where you can document the wear on each track like this:
If one side is more worn down than the other, show this by marking that side further from the center but still relative to the wear on the better side.
Don’t forget: In slick winter conditions, tracks can get quite slippery. Keep them clean and well-maintained for maximum safety.
5. Protect Your Investment
If you’re ever unsure of what you’re
looking at or what might need to be done, your dealer can help.
Buying an excavator with warranty coverage for the undercarriage is another good way to ensure that the components stay in good working order. Some OEMs offer extended warranties that cover customer-purchased replacements and/or dealer-installed undercarriages.
A good machine walk-around should take about three to five minutes. That is not too much to ask when we’re talking about the most expensive elements of a machine that you rely on. Undercarriage inspections can greatly reduce the risk of an unexpected and costly breakdown, so don’t skip this important weekly task.
(Chad Welborn is a Certified Used Equipment Service Manager for Volvo Construction Equipment. He can be reached via email at chad.welborn@volvo.com.)
Tree Rolls on Skidder Operator on Steep Slope SAFETY ALERT
Background
A logging crew was working steep ground on a hot, sunny, late summer day in the Appalachian Mountains.
Personal Characteristics
The skidder operator had several years of experience running a skidder and understood the proper techniques for setting chokers. His experience included an awareness of the difficulty and risks of logging steep ground.
Unsafe Acts and Conditions
The timber cutter was trimming and
topping a tree he had just felled. At the same time, the skidder operator was pulling cable and attempting to set the choker on the downhill side of that same tree. The skidder operator let the cutter know he would be setting the choker on the tree.
Accident
The cutter started walking down the length of the tree to cut the top off. Before the skidder operator could finish setting the choker, the cutter topped the tree, causing it to roll downhill toward the operator. The operator tried to run away, but the tree rolled up his leg, pinning it against a small tree. Unable to free himself, the timber cutter had to cut the tree multiple times to release the injured skidder operator.
Injury
The skidder operator suffered deep bruising on one leg. He decided he did not need medical treatment and returned to work the next day.
Recommendations for Correction
• Never work on the downhill side of a tree that’s been topped.
• Communicate between crew members, ensuring everyone knows the risks of working together.
• Use weekly safety meetings and safety alerts to help remind crew members of the hazards on the logging job.
• Make sure crew members work at least two tree lengths apart.
• Gravity can be an unseen hazard.
• Be extra alert and cautious when working on steep ground.
• Always get checked out at a medical facility if a serious accident has occurred. An internal injury may not be apparent.
(Source: Forest Resources Association (FRA), a national advocacy organization representing the entire wood supply chain. Visit the FRA at www.forestresources.org.)
