Industry News Roundup

American Loggers Council recently completed the 2021 Loggers Survey. One of the glaring findings, although not a surprise, that was identified was the fact that 50% of the companies that responded were 25 years old or older (the survey did not break down the age of companies beyond the 25 years). This, along with the average age of the logging and trucking workforce being in the upper 50s, is an issue that must be acknowledged. What does it mean? It means that half of the logging and trucking infrastructure and workforce will potentially exit the industry in the next 10-15 years. How does the U.S. forest products industry survive with a major loss of infrastructure and workforce?

If a company does not have a succession plan in place, someone to take over the company (which is less and less the case in what has historically been a generation transfer), then

As We See It: The Next Generation the common “retirement plan” is to sell-off the equipment and shut down the business. There are some young guns that have come into the industry who are carrying on the family business and taking a seat at the table of organizations representing the timber industry. But the numbers are disproportionate; there are far greater numbers of old loggers and truckers compared to Dane young loggers and truckers. Look around the industry. It is these “old” loggers and truckers that have built today’s timber industry upon the foundation that generations before them laid. It is said that: “The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life. A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall not sit.” Today young loggers and truckers are enjoying the shade because of the trees their fathers, grandfathers and others planted over the generations before them. Their jobs are easier today because of the hard work and heavy lifting done by the previous men and women. America’s “Conservation” President and founder of the U.S. Forest Service, Teddy Roosevelt, gave a speech entitled “The Man In The Arena” where he said; It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. The “old” loggers and truckers are the men that have been in the arena, whose faces are marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strived valiantly; who came up short but continued daring greatly; who spent themselves in a worthy cause. Ronald Reagan gave his famous Freedom speech which stated: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought

for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

I say:

The logging industry is never more than one generation away from extinction. There may be sawdust in your bloodstream, passed on from generation to generation, but if you don’t fight for it, protect it, and hand it on to them as the generation before you did, you will spend your sunset years telling your children and your children’s children what it was once like in the woods where men worked hard and proud to keep the forest healthy.

These “old men” planted the trees in whose shade you sit and whose trees you will harvest. Who fought for it, protected it, and handed it on to you, as the generation before them did. But it would not have happened had they not come out of the woods, attended meetings, formed organizations, lobbied, and fought to protect and defend the timber industry.

The 20-, 30-, and 40-year-olds today must replant so the generation after them can also enjoy the shade and trees.

I want to challenge the next generation to step up. To be the man in the arena. To quell the storm and ride the thunder that challenges the timber industry. To be the strong man that stumbles and not the cold and timid soul who neither knows victory or defeat.

So you don’t have to tell your children and children’s children what it was once like to work in the woods...

Scott Dane is Executive Director of the American Loggers Council. ALC is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests of timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses across the United States. For more in formation visit www.amloggers.com.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Origin Materials, a

carbon-negative materials company committed to the global transition to sustainable materials, announced that the company plans an investment of at least $750 million to develop a biomass manufacturing facility in Ascension Parish that will result in 1,057 new direct and indirect jobs.

The plant in Geismar will utilize sustainable wood residue sourced partly from Louisiana’s timber mills and managed forests to produce plant-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used in packaging, textiles, apparel and other applications. Hydrothermal carbon, which can be used in fuel pellets, also will be produced at the site.

The project will create 200 direct jobs with an average annual salary of more than $90,000 plus benefits. Loui siana Economic Development estimates an additional 857 indirect jobs will result in Louisiana’s Capital Region. The company estimates 500 construction jobs will result at the peak of development for the new facility.

The plant will be located on an LED Certified Site—the 150 acre Parks Geismar site in Ascension Parish—signifying that it has been deemed development-ready after an extensive review. The company

Regarding the January 2022 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times, we at Tigercat were sad and disappointed to read a short piece in the Bulletin Board section of the publication entitled, “Hide the Necklace.” The incident described and alleged to have taken place in St. Cloud, Minn. is based on various social media posts that have been floating around the internet at least since 2015. The story is a complete fabrication and has been widely debunked by multiple sources, including the local St. Cloud newspaper (SC Times) twice—once in 2015 and again in 2019. Key facts have changed over time. The location (Wal-Mart or Shields) and the gender of the unknown shopper are inconsistent.

It doesn’t seem to be an accident that the location is Minnesota, a state that has a very high proportion of Somali immigrants, who are themselves well over 90% Muslim. It seems plausible to me that someone fabricated and circulated the story to foment hate and to pit one religion against another. I cannot think of a single good reason for including this false anecdote in your publication.

We are disappointed by the poor standard of journalism. This kind of unvetted, emotionally charged rhetoric should have no place in any print publication, and certainly not in a respected forest industry journal. Perhaps this is a great time to acknowledge that all citizens and religions should be respected in free and democratic societies such as the Canada and the United States.

Here are the links to the aforementioned news coverage in the SC Times: https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/2019/06/24/fake-newsstory-cross-necklace-re-emerges-st-cloud-scheels/1550928001/ https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/immigration/ 2015/12/27/fact-check-wal-mart-cant-verify-facebookrumor/77842216/

Paul Iarocci Marketing Manager Tigercat Industries Inc.

The Idaho Timber Corp. southern yellow pine mill in Carthage, Ark. suffered significant losses from a fire that broke out on Sunday night, February 20. While the mill was not in operation, an explosion reportedly at an air compressor caught sawdust on fire. By the time the fire department arrived on the scene, roughly half the mill had burned, including the headrig and gang saw. “It didn’t burn it all to the ground, just the most important part of it,” according to Idaho Timber timber buyer Mack Smith.

“It dealt us and the entire south Arkansas area a rather big blow in trying to sell the bigger pine logs,” says Gregory Givens of Gene Givens Logging, one of the contractors who supplied the Idaho Timber.

“We are still buying some rough green lumber, stacking and drying it and running it through the planer, to keep our people working so we don’t lose everybody,” Smith says.

The mill estimated losses at around $25 million. It’s reportedly fully

Forest Resource Consultants, Inc. (FRC) announced the acquisition of Land Management Group, LLC (LMG). LMG is a forestry consulting, appraisal and brokerage services company based in Statesboro, Ga. Since 1974, LMG, previously known as Lanier-Brookins, Inc., has managed a client-owned land base located primarily in Georgia and Alabama.

David Foil, President of Forest Re source Consultants, states, “The location of Land Management Group’s client base complements FRC’s existing footprint and provides an opportunity for us to broaden our presence and better serve our existing clients in these regions.” As part of the acquisition, FRC will continue to operate LMG’s Statesboro office and will main tain the company’s existing staff. Scott Brookins, LMG Owner and Managing Partner, adds, “I’m excited to join the FRC team. I have complete confidence that FRC is the most qualified company to serve my clients.”

Drax Group is ramping up to full production at Leola—the first of three new satellite pellet plants it plans for Arkansas. Leola, in Grant County, is part of a $40 million in vestment by Drax in the state, creating approximately 30 new jobs across all three sites planned for Arkan sas as well as many more indirect jobs.

Including Leola, Drax operates six pellet plants in the U.S., which use biomass sourced from sustainably managed working forests in Loui siana, Arkansas and Mississippi. The pellets are used at Drax Power Station in England to generate renewable electricity for millions of UK homes and businesses.

Drax’s conversion of its UK power station to sustainable biomass from coal was Europe’s largest decarbonisation project, reducing emissions from Drax’s power generation by 90% since 2012. Sustainable biomass is enabling Drax’s plans to deploy bio energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)— a pioneering negative emissions technology which permanently removes millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The three satellite plants in Arkan sas are expected to produce a total of 120,000 tonnes of wood pellets per year from sawmill residues.

The satellite plants are located near sawmills, so they can use the sawdust and other byproducts. Construction of the second Arkansas satellite plant in Russellville, Pope County, is un derway with commission ing ex pected this year. Drax is continuing to develop plans for a third plant.

In 2020, around 43% of the material used to produce the pellets used to generate renewable power at Drax Power Station came from sawmill residues (sawdust and other byproducts). The rest came from low-grade material such as treetops, limbs and misshapen and diseased trees not suitable for other use and thinnings.

Meanwhile Drax announced that its Pinnacle Renewable Energy business and Drax Group’s U.S. pellet busi ness, Drax Biomass Inc., are re branding as Drax in a move that supports the Group’s growth strategy. Drax Group acquired Pinnacle last year. Drax plans to increase its annual pellet production capacity to 8 million tonnes by 2030 from around 4 million tonnes currently and is doubling global pellet sales to 4Mt by 2030 to meet an expected increase in global demand for the low-carbon fuel.