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A Hatton-Brown Publication Co-Publisher David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan PUBLISHING OFFICE Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone (334) 834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525 Executive Editor David (DK) Knight Editor-in-Chief Rich Donnell Western Editor Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor David Abbott Associate Editor Jessica Johnson Associate Editor Jay Donnell Art Director/Prod. Mgr. Cindy Sparks Ad Production Coord Patti Campbell Circulation Director Rhonda Thomas CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Bridget DeVane 1-800-669-5613 ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES SOUTHERN USA Randy Reagor • P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 (904) 393-7968 • Fax: (904) 393-7979 E-mail: randy@hattonbrown.com MIDWEST USA, EASTERN CANADA John Simmons • 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 (905) 666-0258 • Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com WESTERN USA, WESTERN CANADA Tim Shaddick • 4056 West 10th Avenue Vancouver, BC, Canada V6L 1Z1 (778) 822-1826 • Fax: (604) 264-1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca INTERNATIONAL Murray Brett Aldea de las Cuevas 66, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain +34 96 640 4165 • Fax: +34 96 640 4022 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations (ISSN 01606433) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December issues are combined) by HattonBrown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscriptions are free to U.S. logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; businesses involved in land grooming and/or land clearing, wood refuse grinding and right-of-way maintenance; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberharvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations. Copyright ® 2014. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.
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Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers Browse, subscribe or renew: www.timberharvesting.com Vol. 62, No. 2: Issue 643
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OurCover John Khiel III, center, who founded Khiel Logging & Chipping in the 1980s, gets valuable management assistance these days from sons Travis, left, and Greg. The Denmark, Me.-based business, which handles its own trucking, last year added a fourth harvesting crew and may expand its excavation side. Story begins on PAGE 12. (Photos courtesy of Khiel family)
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MyTake DK KNIGHT
Survey Takeaways, Nasty Weather, Crad’s Watershed Meeting, Cancer Victim Updates Your attention is directed to page 36 of this issue, which presents the results of a snapshot logging pulse survey this magazine recently conducted. The short study went to a small sample of logger subscribers via e-mail in early February, and loggers from 26 states responded, providing a sense of their 2013 profitability, their outlook for 2014, and a list of what is most impacting the financial health of their businesses. While the sample is small, and while there are always exceptions to the rule, the survey results are worth noting, as they probably are a good indication of the logging industry’s overall pulse. It’s no surprise that steadily increasing operating costs, which are in stark contrast to the stagnant rates most loggers receive, rank high on their impact lists. Equipment costs continue to go up, and the wholesale switch to Tier 4 engines, and with it even higher attendant costs, has yet to come. Today’s gear is more sophisticated than ever, and it produces more and lasts longer, but when it does go lame, getting it going again often requires thousands, if not ten thousands, of dollars. Now that fuel costs have remained well above $3.50 per gallon for years, most log and fiber consumers brush off loggers’ appeal for higher rates or some type of fuel adjustment, saying such fuel prices are the new norm. Their position: accept high fuel costs and move on. But high fuel prices are only part of the big picture. They inflate the cost of so many other consumables—tires, tubes, batteries, motor oil, hydraulic fluid, grease, filters, coolant, parts, labor, and the cost of freight to get them from point A to point B. Also, insurance rates are on the rise, labor is an issue for many, and then there is the 800-pound gorilla of trucking and all its increasing regulatory weight. ❐ The burden of all this, and the fact that so many loggers are expected to manage with unrealistic pay, has thinned the logging/trucking ranks in recent years. With the challenging-to-crippling weather of January and February, it’s a wonder even more loggers have not opted out. Below normal temperatures, snow, ice, rain, mud and wind combined to hobble timber harvesting across the country in recent weeks, interrupting cash flow for loggers and snagging deliveries at consuming mills and facilities. From what I gather, brutal weather has probably caused more wood supply problems in the Northeast than anywhere. Some pulp mills have come dangerously close to running out of wood fiber—a few may do so yet if an early and prolonged mud season develops. Some would likely have run out had they not slowed operations to compensate for dwindling fiber supplies. According to February’s International Woodfiber Report (IWR), “every mill from Pennsylvania to Maine is suffering.” The newsletter reported incremental volumes were coming in from 100-450 miles distant, with hardwood delivered prices “over $90/green ton at some locations.” Severe weather has also increased the demand for electricity in the Northeast, causing wood-fired power plants to demand more biomass, the price for which reportedly spiked to $35 per green ton in some locations in early February. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out in the spring. ❐ Last year’s improved residential construction climate bucked up the demand for oriented strandboard, causing North American OSB mills to use about 32 million tons of pulpwood logs. According to IWR, this was a 12% increase over 2012 demand. About two-thirds of North America’s OSB output is produced in the U.S. IWR indicates OSB production and raw wood demand will increase steadily in 2014 and 2015. During the record production year of 2006, NA’s OSB mills consumed about 46 million tons of wood fiber. Two-thirds of NA’s OSB is produced in the U.S. Pellet plants and new/reworked wood-fired boiler installations also added to 4
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fiber demand in some locations, and sawmills, plywood plants and other wood products facilities consumed more tonnage. Log exports soared as well. Unfortunately, there was a decrease of about a million tons on the paper and paperboard manufacturing front. This downward trend continued with the permanent closing of IP’s mill at Courtland, Ala. in February, which took out another half million tons, according to published reports. For the years 2011-2013, paper and paperboard mill closings and/or machine shuts have reduced fiber demand by a combined 11 million tons, according to PPI Pulp & Paper Week research. ❐ Crad Jaynes, who directs the South Carolina Timber Producers Assn., always pours his soul into the group’s annual meeting, but he outdid himself this year with a standout program that attracted almost 400. Congrats Crad! Regarding meetings, I applaud the American Loggers Council’s plan to alter the format of its annual gathering, beginning in September. The logging tour will be a pre-meeting (Thursday) option, leaving Friday open for a program that will include technical, operational and/or business management presentations. In my view, this positive step is long overdue in that it will offer valuable takeaway opportunities. ❐ Three forest industry members, all friends of mine and friends to many subscribers of this magazine, continue to deal with lung cancer and need to be remembered. John Martin (404307-6264), who retired in 2010 after more than 40 years with Timberjack and John Deere in various sales roles, is pretty weak. Travis Taylor (318471-1166), well-known Louisiana logger and immediate past president of the American Loggers Council (ALC), is hanging in there as he takes additional radiation treatments. Jim Mooney (434-242-8609), also a former ALC president and current executive director of the Virginia Loggers Assn., is taking another type of treatment. Take time to give these guys an encouraging call. It’ll mean more than TH you’ll ever know.
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NewsLines West Fraser Purchases Travis Lumber Company West Fraser is acquiring Travis Lumber Co.’s sawmill operation in Mansfield, Ark. The mill produced more than 100MMBF in 2013. West Fraser plans to invest additional capital to expand annual production capacity to 150MMBF. The acquisition brings to 28 the number of sawmill locations for West Fraser, including 15 in the U.S. Last year, West Fraser sawmills produced 5.8 billion BF, with 2 billion BF of that in southern pine, and the remainder spruce-pine-fir. Gilbert Travis, a former HEMCO sales manager, purchased the vintage 1950s sawmill in 1988 from Kansas City Railroad, which was in the process of closing it. The sawmill has undergone periodic upgrades and expansions ever since, including an edger upgrade following a fire in 2010.
Groups Announce Fuel Depots Partnership A South Carolina fuel distribution partnership, which could save loggers thousands of dollars annually on diesel fuel bills, has been announced by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities; the Southern Loggers Cooperative (SLC); the South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. (SCTPA); and the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF). The SCTPA will become the first state loggers’ association in the nation to formally collaborate with SLC in a “quasi-franchise” approach to growing the number of depots across the state. While SLC will own each station on behalf of its membership, the SCTPA will aid in locating appropriate sites, work with its members to extend coop membership, and benefit from a portion of the revenue stream to support its broader work. SLC began in Pineville, La. as a small group of loggers who banded together in 2004 to try and address the fuel issue. Today it operates a system of 21 fuel centers across seven states. Members save an average of 10 cents a gallon on fuel purchases, then may receive a year-end dividend from the cooperative. SLC opened its first and only station in South Carolina in 2012 6
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in Georgetown. In addition to more stations in SC, SLC expects to open two more in Louisiana and two more in Alabama. “The Endowment and NCIF have partnered on a number of vehicles to extend direct finance and other support to rural businesses,” says Rick Larson, NCIF’s Senior Vice President. “When we learned about the SLC and their important work, we agreed to help the Endowment underwrite the cost of the Georgetown depot. Shortly thereafter Carlton Owen and I made the trek to Pineville to meet with the SLC team to see what we could do to help them extend their network to benefit more small businesses.” The South Carolina pilot is the first result of that collaboration. Priority locations for the stations reportedly include Eastover, Florence, Chester, Newberry and Allendale.
installed. Some of the road infrastructure around the proposed mill site is undergoing reconstruction. Austria-based Klausner has announced plans to build 700MMBF annual capacity sawmills in Florida and at Enfield, NC (Halifax County), the latter called Klausner Lumber Two LLC. The Klausner web site includes job applications for those two operations. Klausner officials also spoke recently at the Tri-County Forestry Assn. meeting and addressed a third sawmill possibly to be located north of Rowesville, SC, and again of 700MMBF annual capacity. An official with Klausner Holding USA commented that a number of agreements need to be executed and that ground could be broken by the end of 2014. Klausner has a state air quality permit for the project.
More Pellet Output For UK’s Drax?
New Farm Bill Includes BCAP Funding
UK-based Drax reports it is developing options to add 2 million tons of its own wood pellet production, focusing on North America and 250,000500,000 ton plants. The company is currently building pellet plants in Amite, Miss. and Morehouse, La. with a combined pellet production capacity of 900,000 tons, and is building a port facility at Baton Rouge with an export capacity of up to 3 million tons. The company is targeting commercial operation at Amite in the first quarter of 2015 and at Morehouse in the second quarter of 2015, with each plant requiring another six months to reach full capacity. The UK’s largest power station, Drax is set to become the UK’s largest single renewable electricity generator through the operation of the new biomass facilities currently being launched. The biomass conversion will ultimately see three of the six generating units at the power station converted to burn sustainable biomass in place of coal.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (also known as The Farm Bill) includes the Biomass Crop Assistance Program to support the establishment and production of eligible crops, including woody material, for conversion to bioenergy in selected BCAP project areas, and assist agricultural and forestland owners and operators with the collection, harvest, storage and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion facility. The USDA has budgeted $25 million for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 for BCAP, with not more than half of that amount paid per year for collection, harvest, storage and transportation matching payments. To be considered for selection as a BCAP project area, a project sponsor must submit to the USDA a proposal that includes a description of the land and crops, a letter of commitment from a biomass conversion facility that the facility will use the eligible crops; and evidence that the biomass conversion facility has sufficient equity available if the facility is not currently operational. In making the selection of BCAP project areas, the USDA shall consider the volume of the eligible crops and the probability that they will be used for the purposes of the BCAP;
Proposed Klausner Sawmills May Be Gaining Steam Klausner Lumber One LLC appears ready to begin construction of a sawmill in Suwannee County, Fla., with underground utilities apparently
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NewsLines anticipated economic impact in the proposed project area; the opportunity for producers and local investors to participate in the ownership of the biomass conversion facility in the proposed project area; and the variety in biomass production approaches including harvest and post-harvest practices. Once approved, the contract shall have a term of not more than five
years for annual and perennial crops or 15 years for woody biomass. USDA will make establishment and annual payments directly to producers to support the establishment and production of eligible crops on contract acreage, with a producer defined as an owner or operator of contract acreage that is physically located within the BCAP project area. Eligible crops are defined as renewable biomass harvested
directly from the land, including residue. Eligible land includes primarily non-industrial private forestland. Establishment payments shall not be more than 50% of the costs of establishing an eligible perennial crop, but not to exceed $500 per acre including, in the case of nonindustrial private forestland, the costs of site preparation and tree planting. The annual payment amount will determined by the USDA and can be reduced if the eligible crop is used for purposes other than the production of energy at the biomass conversion facility. Under the Assistance With Collection, Harvest, Storage and Transportation heading, the USDA shall make a payment for the delivery of eligible material to a biomass conversion facility to a producer of an eligible crop that is produced on BCAP contract acreage; or to a person with the right to collect or harvest eligible material. The USDA may provide matching payments at a rate of up to $1 for each $1 per ton provided by the biomass conversion facility, in an amount not to exceed $20 per dry ton for a period of two years.
Canfor Corp. Sells Daaquam Sawmill Canfor Corp. is selling the Daaquam sawmill in Saint-Just-deBretenières, Quebec to Groupe Lebel Inc. The Daaquam mill produced 120MMBF in 2013. Don Kayne, CEO of Canfor, says Daaquam was sold because it was not core to Canfor’s Western Canadian operations.
Tolleson Lumber Mills Sold To Canada’s Interfor Canada-based International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor) announced an agreement with Ilim Timber Continental, S.A. to acquire Tolleson Ilim Lumber Co., including sawmills at Perry and Preston, Ga. plus a remanufacturing facility in Perry. Cost of the acquisition is $180 million (U.S.). Interfor will now operate six sawmills in Georgia, having purchased mills at Thomaston, Eatonton and Baxley from Rayonier last year, and also purchasing Keadle Lumber in 8
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NewsLines Thomaston last year. Interfor’s annual lumber production capacity will increase by almost 20% to 2.6 billion BF, placing it in the top five lumber companies in North America. The company’s lumber production in the U.S. Southeast will total more than 900MMBF. Rusty Wood, Tolleson’s CEO, will remain with Interfor following the transaction in an advisory capacity.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.
Two Biomass Facilities Come On In South Carolina EDF Renewable Energy and utility company Santee Cooper recently dedicated two new biomass generating facilities called the Pinelands Biomass project. The two 17.8 MW facilities
are located in Allendale and Dorchester counties in South Carolina. The Dorchester facility achieved commercial operation on November 1; Allendale followed on November 19. “Santee Cooper was the first utility in the state to deliver electricity to all our customers from new renewable resources 12 years ago,” says Lonnie Carter, Santee Cooper’s President and CEO. The produced energy is sold to Santee Cooper under a 30-year power purchase agreement. The woody biomass facilities, with a consistent wood demand, will bring significant economic benefits to both counties by contracting with the existing trucking and wood supply industry. Additionally, the two facilities have created more than 250 construction jobs and 38 full-time positions. The facilities use stoker boilers, supplied by Factory Sales Engineering, and a steam turbine generator supplied by General Electric. Bibb Engineers is the engineer of record and Summit Industrial Construction is the general contractor.
Sonoco Completes Boiler Conversion Sonoco dedicated its new biomass facility and boiler at its Hartsville, SC plant, part of a $100 million investment in the Darlington County compound. “We took more than two years to complete final engineering, fabricate the boiler, put together the infrastructure and complete construction of what we believe to be one of the nation’s most state-of-the-art biomass co-generation boiler systems,” says Sonoco President and CEO Jack Sanders. In 2011 Sonoco committed to a $75 million investment to replace two aging, coal-fired boilers and add the new biomass boiler. The new boiler is fueled primarily by woody biomass from regional logging activity, but can also run on natural gas. The boiler will produce about 16 MW that will be consumed by the manufacturing complex, as well as steam that is used in the paper making process. Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. 10
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Keeping It Rolling Two sons have stepped up to shoulder more of the load for family business in Maine.
J
JayDonnell
ohn Khiel III Logging & Chipping (JKLC) is a family business that has been in operation for more than 25 years. Based in the town of Denmark, Me., about 40 miles northwest of Portland in the state’s far southwestern corner, it began primarily as a logging company and was started and operated by John Khiel III. It has since grown to include chipping, trucking, excavation and firewood. The company is still owned by John Khiel III but sons Travis and Greg now respectively manage the forestry and excavation sides of the business. John Khiel III started logging when he was in high school and
once he graduated began logging full-time. His first logging company was a partnership with a good friend in a company called K&K Logging. They started out with a cable skidder and eventually bought a fellerbuncher, then a chipper, and later expanded to two crews. In the ’90s John and his partner separated. That was when JKLC was formed. Today the company employs 40 and operates four crews, producing and delivering 60-80 loads of roundwood and 1,500 tons of biomass per week. JKLC also hauls roundwood and biomass for three other logging companies. Travis had worked for the compa-
Travis Khiel, inset, manages the forestry side of the company, which owns/operates four Morbark whole tree chippers.
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Newest JKLC machine is this 2014 Komatsu XT445L-2 feller-buncher fitted with Quadco sawhead.
ny during his summer breaks as a teenager and always knew he would eventually work full-time for his dad’s business. He studied at Vermont Tech after high school, concentrating on civil engineering. “I wasn’t sure if I would be involved in the logging side of the company or the excavation side,
but I knew it would be one or the other and I was interested in both,” Travis says. After leaving Vermont Tech, he began fully immersing himself in the enterprise. Now 31, he started taking over the management side of the business in 2006. Still very much involved with
company, the elder Khiel usually operates a loader/slasher or drives a truck. He realized he couldn’t run an expanding and more regulated business from the seat of a loader or truck, so he welcomed Travis’ skills in management. “He’d much rather be in a piece of equipment or truck than managing and
John Deere feller-buncher is a fixture on Crew 3. MARCH/APRIL 2014
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Each crew’s knuckleboom loader is teamed with a CSI PTD-264 pull-through delimber and ProPac slasher.
dealing with the business side of things, but he is always thinking about how to make things run more smoothly and be more profitable,” Travis says.
Production When Timber Harvesting visited JKLC’s turf it was thinning on 5,000 acres owned and managed by the Maine Dept. of Inland Fish & Wildlife. The area was heavy to white pine and oak. “There’s a good mixture of white pine and hardwood in here. There’s also some hemlock, but our main objective is to leave the hemlock to create better deer wintering areas,” Khiel says. The company was awarded the harvesting contract through a state timber sale that went out to bid. It is part of a five-year contract now in its third year. “This is the first state sale that we’ve had and working with them is going really well,” Khiel says. All of the company’s harvesting jobs are selective cuts. Each crew produces around 15-20 loads a week of sawlogs and pulpwood. Most of the pine logs are hauled to Hancock Lumber in Casco, Me. Pulpwood goes to NewPage in Rumford, Me., recently purchased by Verso Paper; Verso Paper in Jay, Me.; and to SAPPI Fine Paper in Hinckley, Me. Some of the hardwood pulpwood also goes to a Verso Paper yard in New Hampshire. Biomass chips are routed to several mills, including SAPPI facilities in Westbrook and Hinckley, Me.; Pinetree Power in Tamworth, NH; DG Whitefield in Whitefield, NH; and Burgess BioPower’s new facility in 14
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Berlin, NH. Chips are a mixture of hardwoods and softwoods. JKLC got involved in the biomass business in 1998 when it bought its first chipper, a Morbark Model 20, and today each crew has a chipper that is used daily. The roundwood and chipping components of each crew are integrated, with chipping following the extraction of grade logs and pulpwood. Travis reports he’s happy with the level of production right now, but he knows any minor mistake can put everything behind schedule. “You have to have a high level of production to stay ahead of expenses and overhead these days. If you aren’t producing, then you can get behind very quickly,” he says. The company added a fourth crew last December when managers received several calls from foresters and landowners who had woodlots they needed cut. The plan for now is to only run the fourth crew during the winter months. “Winter is our busiest season as we are able to access more tracts while the ground is frozen with minimal impact on the integrity of the forests. We realized that we could increase our production during the key winter months by utilizing some of the employees and equipment from the excavation side of the business, during its slowest season, and by adding a couple pieces of logging equipment,” Khiel explains. While many loggers across the northern tier of the U.S. have encountered a very challenging winter, JKLC hasn’t had any problems meeting production goals. “We consider this to be one of the better winter seasons that we have had for several years,” Khiel
says. “In past winters, when the temperatures didn’t stay low enough to create a deep frost, we were unable to access a lot of the wood we had planned to harvest, but that hasn’t been the case this year.”
Equipment Needless to say, the company operates a large fleet of equipment. Its primary dealers are Anderson Equipment and Nortrax. Crew 1 operates a ’13 Cat 559 loader, ’13 John Deere 648H skidder and ’05 Morbark 30/36NCL drum chipper. Crew 2 runs a ’09 Prentice 2384 loader, ’12 TimberPro TL735 fellerbuncher, ’10 John Deere 748H skidder, ’05 John Deere 648 GIII skidder, and ’00 Morbark model 23NCL disc chipper. Crew 3 operates a ’08 Prentice 2384 loader, ’12 John Deere 753J fellerbuncher, ’10 John Deere 748H skidder and ’05 Morbark model 23NCL disc chipper. Crew 4 runs a ’08 Prentice 2384 loader, ’14 Komatsu XT445SL-2 feller-buncher, ’08 John Deere 748H skidder, ’07 John Deere 648GIII skidder and a Morbark model 30NCL disc chipper. A ’13 Tigercat 615C skidder, newest model offered by Tigercat, is rotated among crews for use when conditions are especially challenging: soft ground, steep slopes and/or long pull distances. It is a compact, sixwheel drive machine. “After demoing the 615C from Frank Martin Sons last June and see-
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ing firsthand how well it performed on soft ground, we decided it was the way to go for us,” Khiel says. “We have been extremely happy with our decision and it has enabled us to access timber that we would have been unable to get with a traditional four-wheel drive skidder.” Road building equipment includes two Volvo excavators and two John Deere dozers. As to tires, Firestone rules for forestry equipment, Michelin for trucks and trailers. Transportation is built around eight Peterbilts, three Kenworths and one Western Star. There are five Stairs and four Deloupe log trailers, most equipped with Rotobec center-mount loaders; and chip vans by Peerless, Dorsey and Trailmobile.
Trucking, Maintenance Travis views trucking as a necessary evil. “Expenses, regulations and the lack of qualified drivers make it very difficult, if not impossible, to profit on the trucking side of the business,” he says. The company operates a spacious, well-equipped maintenance shop and employs three full-time mechanics, two of them responsible for maintaining trucks and trailers. One truck technician has a service truck equipped with all the necessary tools for making road calls. The third mechanic is responsible for forestry and excavation equipment. He also has a similarly equipped service truck for making repairs on the job. All trucks and trailers receive regularly scheduled inspections and mainte-
nance attention. The regular services performed are “A” services, which consist of a thorough inspection, fluid level check, tire pressure check, brake adjustment and greasing; and “B” services, which consist of an oil and filter change and fuel filter change in addition to everything included in an “A” service. For trucks equipped with PTOs, the “A” service is performed every 4,000 miles and the “B” service every 8,000 miles. Non-PTO trucks receive the “A” service every 5,000 miles and “B” service every 10,000 miles. JKLC follows manufacturer-recommended scheduled maintenance for all forestry equipment, which includes daily greasing and 250, 500, and 1,000 hour services. The company uses primarily Mobil oils and lubricants. According to Khiel, “repairs are our third largest expense, after labor and fuel, and totaled about $750,000 in 2013.” The company generally replaces trucks at 500,000 miles and forestry equipment at between 8,000 to 12,000 hours. JKLC has a longstanding relationship with Farm Credit East for financing, but also considers the captive finance programs and incentives offered by manufacturers when considering equipment purchases.
Company Profile Most of the company’s employees have been on board a while. “You get some turnover when you have that many employees. We don’t like to constantly be hiring guys, so we look for the best guys available and try to keep them around,” Khiel says.
John Deere skidders, newer and older 748 and 648 models fitted with chains, carry the load.
Benefits provided by the company include health and dental insurance, an IRA-based retirement program, and paid vacation and holidays. Travis’s wife, Rebecca, runs the office and Greg, while looking after the excavation side, also helps out in the woods during winter months. And staying true to the family’s business values and work ethic, Travis and Rebecca’s infant son, Kaenon. “goes to work” at the office every day too. Khiel Excavation currently operates two full crews and has one fulltime estimator. The company specializes in residential site preparation and road building but also performs commercial site preparation and repair, housing development work, as well as bridge and culvert installation. The company prides itself on its solid reputation for producing top-notch results. Greg hints there might be some potential room for expansion on the excavation side of the business. Another small arm of the business is Khiel Firewood, which converts log length hardwood into split firewood, delivering green firewood in the spring and summer and seasoned firewood in the fall. As with any logging company, safety is extremely important. The business hires a safety consultant who conducts monthly training and inspections. The company is always looking for ways to keep its operating costs down. “We are constantly tweaking our operations to be as efficient and practical as possible in all areas of the business. We are always looking for ways to improve our productivity without increasing our operating costs, but never sacrifice the quality of our work or the safety of our employees,” Khiel explains. Travis reports that the recession of 2008-2011 was tough for his company, but it managed to get through it by “operating smarter, maximizing efficiency, utilizing the resources available to us and building relationships with other key people in our industry.” JKLC sends all of its equipment operators to become Certified Logging Professional under the Maine TREE Foundation. The program emphasizes safety, skills, stewardship and professionalism through various training and seminars. “We’re looking into the Master Logger Program as well,” Khiel says. That program is administered by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, an organization that JKLC supports as a member. TH
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OLC Reflects Better Markets 76th Oregon Logging Conference biggest since 2008.
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oggers from across the Pacific Northwest made the 76th Oregon Logging Conference at Eugene, Ore. the best show in six years, says OLC Show Coordinator Rikki Wellman. She estimated the two-and-ahalf day show’s attendance at more than 5,000. The event featured more than 200 exhibitors, an increase of 20 more than in 2013. In addition to the new equipment, a big draw at the OLC has always been educational opportunities and the chance to earn professional logging credits honored in several Northwest states. This year loggers in attendance were able to earn as many as 11 continuing education Professional Logger credits. With so many Washington and Ore-
Better weather boosted crowds on days two and three.
Rotochopper MP-2 horizontal grinder
Link-Belt 290 with Waratah HTH623C harvester/processor
Tigercat L870C with Tigercat 5702 sawhead 16
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Quadco 26, 28 in. sawheads
Ponsse ERGO harvester with 33 ft. C4 crane, H7 harvester/processor
Boman Z-900 motorized carriage
Trail King detachable gooseneck trailer
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gon loggers in attendance, the OLC holds seminars that address issues or recent updates to the two states’ forest and logging regulations. The Oregon Forest Practices Seminar looked primarily at road issues such as responsibilities and runoff, including key presenters Ed Hanscom of HM Inc. and Jaime Yraguen of Basco Logging. The Washington state rules seminar covered how to minimize sedimentation and assure allweather hauling, best practices for mechanized harvesting operations and potential changes related to water quality. Additional business management seminars available included the impacts of recent federal health care reform (Affordable Care Act); medical emergency procedures, preparations and pitfalls; power line safety; biomass opportunities; and ODOT hours of service and log book updates for truckers. Another seminar that drew plenty of interest was actually a 6-hour class session on how to complete a technical proposal for Forest Service stewardship project opportunities. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service and held the day before the equipment show at the downtown Eugene Hilton, OLC headquarters.
Loader Contest The OLC’s fifth annual Log Loader Competition, sponsored by Triad Machinery and Link-Belt Corp., was held the second and third days of the event. The competition began with nine wood blocks scattered randomly on the ground. Operating a new Link-Belt log loader, contestants stacked the blocks end to end, matching numbers or colors within 7 minutes. The results are: ● First Place—Ross Cribbs, Van Well Timber Co., Dallas, Ore., time of 3.38. ● Second Place—Zane Byrant, Michael Bryant Logging, Beaver Creek, Ore., 3.49. ● Third Place—Trevor Rhea, Rose Logging Inc., Springfield, Ore., 4.02.
Guess The Load Scale Another contest event, now in its second year, invites show visitors to guess the net board feet scaled in a load of logs on display near the outdoor display entrance. The Guess the Load contest is sponsored by Swanson Brothers Lumber Co. More than 900 entries from states as widely scattered as Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Alaska were received, with some highly uneducated guesses
ranging from 48 to 20 million board feet included in the competition. This year’s winner was Alex Schryvers of Springfield, Ore. Schryvers, whose family formerly operated a logging company, is a fabricator at Peterson Pacific in Eugene. The correct scale from the load? 5,900 board feet. In fact, three contestants picked the same number, and Schryvers’ name was chosen in a drawing among the three. He took home a $250 Cabelas gift card.
New OLC Officers New officers who will serve from 2014-15 include President—David Nygaard, Warrenton Fiber, Warrenton, Ore.; First Vice President—Jeff Unger, Unger Logging, Reedsport, Ore.; Second Vice President—Jeff Wimer, Logger Training Program, Oregon State University; Treasurer—Mike Randall, Swanson Bros Lumber Co., Noti, Ore.; and Conference Manager—Rikki Wellman, OLC, Eugene, Ore.
2015 The 2015 OLC is February 19, 20 and 21 at the Lane County Events Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene. Visit oregonloggingconference .com or call 541-686-9191. TH
LogMax 10000 XT harvester/ processor
Cat 568 Forest Machine, Cat GLL60B grapple
Deere 2454D harvester with Waratah HTH623C harvester/processor
Satco harvester/processor available through Cat
Hitachi Z240F road builder package, 48" PSM II bucket
Waratah 625C harvester/processor, 38 in. capacity
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Taking On A Tall Order Young couple attempts to overcome stiff odds in New Jersey. BobWilliams
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hroughout America, many of public forestlands are in trouble. Whether it is a result of windstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfire or from the wide range outbreaks of insects or diseases, or plain benign neglect, many forests now need active management. It is true that at times forest ecosystems actually depend on some of these disturbance agents to regenerate and renew themselves. However, we must begin to decide what results we would like to see from these disturbances and take an active hand in managing them for desired outcomes. In the fall of 2012, Hurricane Sandy disturbed many forest ecosystems across the state of New Jersey. In the coastal plain swamps of southern New Jersey, Atlantic white cedar, a threatened forest ecosystem, had been in decline long before the further devastating impacts of the storm. Atlantic white cedar (AWC) contin18
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Harvesting Atlantic white cedar in New Jersey is a specialty of Colin and Deborah McLaughlin, inset.
ues its decline on “preserved� public lands. Flooding by beaver activity, rising sea levels, and the previously mentioned disturbance agents remove cedar from the landscape within its entire range, and these stands are not regenerating, thus there appears to be a net annual loss of this forest typej. New, young regenerated stands are only found
where loggers have worked with foresters and scientists to insure that cedar regeneration is successful and a more diverse age class structure is developed, building resilience in the cedar stands and insuring their perpetuity. The key is the need for a professional logger to be able to viably complete these projects economically.
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Up until the 1970s, southern New Jersey had a significant AWC industry and many cedar mills dotted the forest landscape. As in many areas of the country, the forest industry is long gone from this region, leaving it almost impossible for forest scientists or foresters to find the needed logging professionals required to successfully regenerate or restore stands of white cedar. Light, aromatic and durable, Atlantic white cedar is a high value wood, utilized for shake roofs, siding, decking, boat building, posts, and other important uses. Historical buildings such as Independence Hall in nearby Philadelphia are still roofed with Atlantic white cedar. Old Prentice 410E is reliable but is used sparingly.
Enter The McLaughlins In early 2007 a young man and his wife decided they wanted to develop a forestry business. That in itself is somewhat unusual in these days of technology and service jobs, but to try and do it in New Jersey, of all places, seemed a real stretch. But contrary to what many in our society think (particularly politicians), America is still a place where if you believe in your
heart you can make something happen, you can. Colin and Deborah McLaughlin couldn’t have picked a worse time to begin a business, on the cusp of a major economic meltdown, or a more challenging type than woodland management and logging. “I was making real good money but the commute to New York City (early starts and late returns) was getting old, and my kids were growing up. I was
itching for a change. Everybody thought I was out of my mind,” recalls McLaughlin. After buying an ASV skid-steer machine fitted with a Bradco mulching head to maintain their own small woodland around their home in Salem County, the couple decided to leave their careers—Colin an ironworker and Deborah a day care school manager—and start a woodland management compa-
To reduce rutting, Advanced Forestry Solutions keeps Clark tracks on its Timberjack forwarders. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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Species In Decline
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tlantic white cedar forests have been in decline since European settlement. This wetland forest type is found along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Georgia, with a separate population on the Gulf Coast from Florida to Mississippi. When settlers arrived in North American, there were an estimated 500,000 acres of this forest type. By the late 1990s it had dwindled to an estimated 50,000 acres across its entire range. This acreage remains in steep decline and without an active management program, white cedar will be lost to the environment in the future. The science of white cedar management was begun in 1931 by Korstian & Brush-Research USFS, then followed up by Dr. Silas Little in the 1950s (Yale University, School of Forestry), and continues today with Dr. George Zimmermann for the past 23 years at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Thus, the science on white cedar management is sound. Although at times white cedar can naturally regenerate, today,the losses exceed regeneration. A landscape level recovery plan is needed. This recovery plan will need to integrate a timber component. Restoration of the species is expensive and revenue from wood sales will provide the economic base to begin to increase and perpetuate it on our landscapes. We only need to look at the success of the longleaf pine restoration initiative that is successful because of the high value timber longleaf pine produces. Thinking that grants and/or government subsidies will save white cedar forests only will insure its demise. For more information visit atlantic-white-cedar.org. TH
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ny. Their initial approach was to provide a brush mowing service to help landowners manage their forests for wildlife habitat and wildfire fuel mitigation. They quickly realized they needed to diversify if they were to survive and continue working in the woods. Ventures into both firewood and pulpwood harvesting soon followed. The learning curve was sharp, and painful at times. Despite many obstacles, they not only persevered but also expanded along the way. Today their Advanced Forestry Solutions LLC (AFS) is a small company that specializes in Atlantic white cedar harvesting and restoration, based on the best available science for the species. AFS continues other forestry work, including harvesting pitch pine, but over the last 24 months it has become adept in harvesting white cedar species in swamp conditions, with ongoing advice from other professionals from New Jersey, the southeastern U.S., and as far away as the Pacific Northwest and Canada. With no background in logging, McLaughlin did it the hard way, learning as he went. In the swampy white cedar terrain, McLaughlin first tried lightweight skidders—old Timberjack 230s—but soon took another path. Seeking advice from loggers in both Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest as to what equipment and harvesting methods would work best, he switched to a modified cut-to-length system. In regeneration cuts, which are necessary to insure a good stand of AWC from dormant seeds, the company fells and processes at the stump and forwards logs out on corduroy roads padded with cedar slash and other low-grade material found on site. This cutting system is commonly found in the Northeast, Lake States and Pacific Northwest. A similar corduroy system is commonly found in southern swamps. The track-type machine is a natural for spongy, wet underfoot conditions. The young logger was struck with how helpful he found loggers and equipment companies to be in his quest for information and machines. He zoomed in on Timberjack 608 track-type machines—“they’re good, light machines and simple to fix”— buying two for himself and a third to fix up and sell. He says he chose Log Max felling-processing heads, a 5000 and a 7500, for their reliability and the fact that a dealer, Blondin, had established itself years ago in not-so-far-
away Indiana, Pa. “Rikard (Rikard Olofsson, the Blondin owner) and his people are the best. They have been so helpful to us. I don’t know what we’d do without them.” He also sought out Timberjack forwarders, buying an 810 and an 1110, both eight-wheel drive models. When working in white cedar swamps, he fits them with Clark tracks, which are typically removed when working in higher and dryer stands of pitch pine. He recently purchased a Caterpillar 574 forwarder, saying he is warming up quickly to the yellow machine. An old Prentice 410E is kept on hand for occasional use. His service truck is a Ford F250. The McLaughlins have a crew of five working cedar projects. Chris Hall, the field supervisor, had a background in cedar logging, having worked previously with a cedar mill. His skills and knowledge have made the difference. Even so, finding and keeping dependable employees is an ongoing challenge, according to McLaughlin. White cedar logs are trucked to a couple of small local markets, however, the primary market is a specialty sawmill in eastern North Carolina. Pine pulpwood is trucked to Glatfelter in Spring Grove, Pa. McLaughlin relies on two Pennsylvania-based contract truck outfits, saying he is well satisfied with both.
Salvage Effort After many years of trial and error and gaining the skills and equipment to successfully harvest AWC and insure its regeneration, along came Hurricane Sandy. The storm blew down patches of cedar, turning mature stands into piles of large “pick-up sticks.” The loss of cedar from the hurricane continues after many months. In addition to the blowdown damage, significant coastal stands are now dead or dying from the storm surge that flooded areas with salt water. As trees began to grow in the spring of 2013, the ingested residual salt left in the soil killed mature trees. Early in 2013, AFS shifted from harvesting standing timber to restoring blowdown damaged stands on the private Pine Island Cranberry Stewardship Forest in Woodland Township, Burlington County. The company has a long-term timber agreement to assist the sixth generation owner, Bill Haines, Jr., with the management and restoration of his cedar resource that also sustains a large watershed for the
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family’s primary business of growing high-quality cranberry crops. McLaughlin says Haines reached out to him early on, encouraging him, and even offering temporary assistance as he steadied himself financially. “I was blown away by what he did and will forever be grateful to him.” Haines owns more than 20,000 acres, about 3,000 of which are in white cedar. Pitch pine dominates a good chunk of the property. AFS harvests both white cedar and pine in helping Haines manage the forest. By the summer of 2013, the New Jersey State Forest Service had identified a 20-acre hurricane damaged stand of cedar that was in need of salvage and restoration. This area is in what’s known as Double Trouble State Park.This forest has a long history of being harvested since colonial times. Double Trouble was once a company town, producing both cranberries and milled wood products. The sawmill was restored in 1995 by the state government, but is little used. Double Trouble State Park is a blend of significant natural and cultural resources, however, the decline of the cedar forest resource has been ongoing in recent decades. Bill Zipse, an assistant regional state forester, had designed and planned other cedar restoration efforts for this forest but with the severity of the impact from the hurricane, action was needed. AFS met with Zipsi and he explained the need to begin to restore the cedar forest to insure both the important ecological and cultural values of the park will be sustained and perpetuated for future generations. After careful assessment and consideration, the state of New Jersey let a bid for the harvest and salvage of the cedar and AFS successfully received the approval of the bid in August of 2013. Their harvesting experience and track record of success was a major consideration in their being tabbed by the state. After many months of government paperwork, AFS was given to go ahead to begin the salvage harvest in January 2014. The company has a two-year window to complete the salvage but hopes to complete the work by fall of 2014, leaving the land in excellent condition for regeneration to occur naturally. Even with the success of its cedar work, AFS continues to work on diverse woodland management projects. The brush control work for fire hazard reduction and wildlife habitat 22
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Hurricane Sandy blew down white cedar on state property. A new stand of the species grows vigorously after regeneration harvest on private property.
enhancement remains a mainstay. Recently this work has opened the way for pine thinning. McLaughlin’s hope is that this small cedar salvage, the first in decades on state forests, will be the beginning of a much larger and more sustainable restoration of thousands of acres of cedar throughout New Jersey’s system of 600,000-plus acres of state forests. Restoration of the state’s cedar resource will require a private-public partnership that allows cedar ecosystems to be restored at little to no cost to New Jersey taxpayers. McLaughlin’s vision is to save the forest and provide forest products and jobs in perpetuity. It is time to move away from the past and maximize the use of our science and technology to insure the conservation of all of our forest ecosystems across America. AFS is just one great
example of the possibilities. We need more young loggers with this vision—a vision of a future in the forestry business, the business of caring for our forests. Taxes, limited markets, regulations, trucking issues, insurance and thin margins all make a forestry business difficult to succeed today. McLaughlin’s takeaway from all of this: “Perseverance, hard work, dedication and a land ethic can lead to good TH things in the forestry business.” A forest advocate locally and nationwide, Williams is a certified forester and owner of Pine Creek Forestry LLC, Laurel Springs, NJ. Editor’s Note: McLaughlin says he is indebted to Williams for his guidance, assistance, direction, and passionate forest advocacy. McLaughlin can be reached at 856-498-4969 or advancedforestry@comcast.net.
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Up, Up & Away A overview of log loaders, attachments and accessories Note: More than 30 manufacturers were solicited (twice) for information about their log loaders, attachments and related accessories. All claims are those of the responding companies.
Caterpillar Forest Products: Cat/Prentice Loaders The C Series knuckleboom loaders feature fuel-efficient power systems, upgraded hydraulics and significantly more lift at full reach than previous models. The line includes the Cat 579C and 559C and the Prentice 2484C and 2384C. Powered by the 174 HP (129.5 kW) Cat C6.6 ACERT engine, the C Series is fast, smooth and more productive than previous models. For example, the 559C has been shown to be 22% more productive than the 559B, burning the same amount of fuel. Three operating modes give loggers the flexibility to manage engine horsepower and fuel consumption, depending on the application. Lift and swing torque is the same in all modes. The Economy Mode provides the most fuel economy, the Power Mode provides the most speed and the Run Mode is an intermediate mode. The 579C and 2484C loaders lift 35% more at full reach, and the 559C and 2384C lift 25% more at full reach, compared to the previous models. Lift capacity was already strong throughout the rest of the range of motion, so with the increase in lift at full reach, operators have more capability. Like the 559C and 2384C, the 579C and 2484C now have a right-side operator’s cab with a walk-up platform and enlarged doorway for safe access to the cab. Visit cat.com/forestry.
Caterpillar Forest Products: CTR Pull-Through Delimbers Sold and supported by Cat and Prentice dealers, CTR 426 and 320 delimbers feature a Vshaped throat with a wide, open entry for easy loading. The tapered throat bundles stems for clean delimbing and topping when paired with Cat or Prentice knuckleboom loaders. Only CTR delimbers have a hydraulically controlled chain tensioning system that automatically keeps the proper tension. No manual adjustment is needed and the chain, bar and sprocket last longer. The rollers under the cradle are adjusted easily at ground level. Lead screws in the delimber base control sliding wedges that raise and lower the rollers to maintain an even load. This patented innovation prolongs the life of the bearing and bearing bolts. Fabricated from heat-treated steel that is wear-resistant and holds its edge longer, the knives are double-edged for push/pull delimbing, resulting in cleaner stems. The knives move independently to conform to the shape of a tree or bundle of logs for more precise delimbing. Both the 320 and the 426 can delimb trees as small as 3½ in. diameter. Loggers whose delimber is mounted on a trailer with hydraulically operated landing gear can add bar oil while standing on the ground by lowering the trailer — much faster and safer than climbing up to reach the oil fill. Visit cat.com/forestry.
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Cutting Systems, Inc.: Multiple Attachments Cutting Systems, Inc., located in Union Grove, NC, manufactures a broad line of cutting, delimbing, and buckingto-length attachments designed to work with knuckleboom loaders. CSI products include: Pull-through delimbers to delimb and top both pine and hardwood; Chain and bar-type bucking saws to fit all applications; Circular-type bucking saws to fit all applications in severe conditions. Visit cuttingsys.com; youtube.com/cuttingsys; or call 877-844-1274.
Chambers DeLimbinator: Chain Flail Delimber The Chambers DeLimbinator is a self-contained, chain flail delimber designed for multi-stem processing in pine pulpwood applications. Delimbing is accomplished by 88 chains mounted on two drums inside the flail area. A belt drive system is used to transfer power to the flail drums rather than a gearbox. Without gearboxes or hydraulics, cost of operation and maintenance is greatly reduced, as is downtime. The DeLimbinator allows processing of a greater number of stems per cycle than alternate delimbing methods and these stems can be delimbed with a single pass through the machine. Customers typically produce two to four additional loads per day when using the DeLimbi-
nator. Our remote control system includes a cycle timer that idles the machine up to working speed for 20 seconds and then returns the engine to the low idle speed automatically, which means a substantial reduction in fuel consumption. Additionally, the loader operator has the capability to idle the engine up and down or shut it down via remote control. The DeLimbinator can make a positive difference on your bottom line. Visit chambersdelimbinator.com or phone 800-533-2385.
GEM Chain Bar Co.: Guide Bars/Sprockets/Repairs GEM Chain Bar Co. has introduced additions to its ¾” pitch double-end slasher/processors—high performance cutting systems for most makes of high-output harvesters and processors. The original manufacturer of ¾” pitch rim style drive sprockets, GEM now manufactures new 404 rim-style ¾” drive sprockets, available in 7, 8, 9 and 10 trademarked raised tooth design, all with more support area and longer wear life. Also new are GEM measuring wheels for dangle processors. We’re specialists in manufacturing and repairing 3⁄4” pitch guide bars, drive sprockets and sprocket tips. We can also fix twisted bars. Visit gemchainbar.com or call 800-455-8471.
John Deere: 437D Loader Options John Deere’s knuckleboom loaders are strong, fast and reliable, day after day, and with new machine configurations, including mobile hydraulics and circle saw options, the 437D is now more flexible than ever. These long-awaited features contribute to higher productivity and increased uptime and expand the capabilities of the 437D by allowing loggers to power a circle saw, self-propelled trailer, or both. Circle saw hydraulics enable loggers to run a circle saw attachment and quickly cut numerous stems to length. The mobile hydraulics option accommodates self-propelled trailers, allowing operators to easily move loaders around the site on their own. “At John Deere, our goal is to provide today’s loggers with the flexibility they need to keep their operations running. We added the mobile hydraulics and circle saw options so our customers can use loaders to their fullest potential, and keep their other machines productive,” according to Cliff Caudill, Manager, Product Marketing, John Deere Construction & Forestry. “These options make our 437D loaders, which are already known for their durability, extremely versatile forest machines.” Visit johndeere.com or a John Deere dealer. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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Komatsu Forest: PC390LL-10 Loader Komatsu’s powerful, versatile PC390LL-10 log loader has flywheel horsepower of 257 HP (192 kW). It is powered by a Komatsu SAA6D114E-5 engine and is EPA Tier 4 Interim and EU Stage 3B emission certified. Weighing 106,924 pounds (48,500 kg) in the log loader configuration, the PC390LL-10 has improved efficiency, 5% greater HP, 7% greater displacement, and lower fuel consumption. It also features a new Oregon OSHA ROPS/OPS/FOPS/TOPS/WBC certified forestry cab for improved operator comfort. The machine also has enhanced serviceability to help maximize productivity while lowering operating costs. The robust swing machine includes a new Komatsu-designed 42’ reach live heel logging boom with Komatsu designed hydraulic cylinders and guarding. Factory installed 58” and 60” opening forestry grapples are available. A full complement of Komatsu excavator booms, arms and buckets is also available for road building and land clearing. A special arrangement without bucket cylinder and linkage is available for processor head applications. The PC390LL-10 is equipped with the latest KOMTRAX® machine and fleet monitoring system and the exclusive Komatsu Equipment Management Monitoring System to provide enhanced diagnostic features that give the operator and technicians greater monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities. It comes with Komatsu CARE® providing scheduled maintenance for three years or 2,000 hours. Visit komatsuforest.us.
Madill Equipment: 2850C, 3800C Loaders Madill’s purpose-built 2850C represents the finest quality heavy duty forestry machine available today. This 89,000 lb. machine offers the best power-to-weight ratio in its class, which means outstanding performance in any environment or condition. With its Cummins 8.3L Tier III engine, the 2850C provides ample hydraulic flow, resulting in more lift power, swing torque and tractive effort than other machines in its class. Carbody, boom and stick gussets, combined with a 60” slewing bearing, ensure durability and long life. The 100,000 lb. 3800C represents the finest quality extreme duty forestry machine. With its 325 HP Tier III Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine, it provides unmatched hydraulic flow for more lift power, swing torque and tractive effort. Heavier side wings, bottom plate, carbody and boom and stick gussets, combined with a 67” slewing bearing, ensure Madill’s hallmark durability and long life. Both models outperform anything in their classes as a log loader, sorter, processor, and especially as a shovel logger. They move more wood, resulting in maximum productivity, increased profitability and a lower ownership cost. Various attachments are available. Visit madillequipment.com or call 250-654-2224.
Naarva S23: Lightweight, Simple Lightweight and simple to install on an agricultural tractor, the Naarva S23 from Pentin Paja is the only harvester in the world that can cut, delimb and even make firewood. Naarva S23 weighs only 230 kg and uses only four hydraulic cylinders. The required lifting capacity of the boom is only 25 kNm. Switching between a loading grapple and the harvester is simple and easy. Naarva S23 incorporates a new, simple guillotine—one grip arm and a blade. Shape of the blade ensures the cutting is done against a J-shaped counter piece. Cutting does not strain the body because the guillotine is attached to the head with a slide. Maximum cutting diameter is 23 cm. The guillotine can be equipped with firewood wedges (installed in the blade). This simple attachment cuts and splits half-meter firewood directly after felling. The stroke harvester is operated with grapple open/close buttons. Close-button closes the grips and after a pressure limit is reached stroke feeding starts. After the stroke has reached its maximum position, the stroke cylinder is reversed by pressing the grapple open-button. This cycle is repeated until the desireded length is reached. When the stroke cylinder has reached its maximum position and a pressure limit is reached, the oil flow is guided to the cutting cylinder and tree is cut. 26
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Precision Husky: 3 “Brute” Loaders The Husky XL-345, weighing 31,000 pounds, has a lift capacity of 17 tons at 10 ft. and nearly 6 tons at full extension of 30 ft. More “Brute!” We have made more changes this past year that make this heavyweight even stronger, cooler running, more stable and faster (boom swing speed increased by 25%). Weighing 21,000 pounds, the Husky XL-235 is designed for lighter duty but can lift nearly 11 tons at 10 ft. and over 3 tons at full reach of 27 ft. In the past year, similar “345 type” improvements have been included in the 245 series. A real brute for its size, the Husky XL-175 shares many of the same components as the larger 245. It has the same lower unit, turntable bearing, hydraulic components and control valves. Its gross weight is 16,000 pounds and it can lift almost 18,000 pounds at 10 ft. and over 5,000 pounds at maximum reach of 25 ft. For its size, the 175 outclasses all others. Visit precisionhusky.com or call 205-640-5181.
RMT Equipment: In-Motion Grapple Scales XW Series Grapple Scales from Intermercato provide incredibly accurate in-motion weighing solutions. For loading trucks or rail cars or for feeding mill equipment, these easy-to-install wireless weighing links save time and increase accuracy. Advanced load cell technology measures and records load weights with accuracy within 3% of truck scale weights. With no springs or hydraulic components, the scale maintains accurate readings through 180º swings without interrupting the load cycle. The wireless weighing link installs simply in place of the grapple’s original coupler. Loading data is transmitted wirelessly to the cab monitor and printer, and can be transferred remotely to the office or internet applications. Timber harvesters use the XW weighing link to get accurate green weights at roadside, to avoid waiting for delivery to the yard or mill to process orders and shipments. Loading data from the grapple scale also provides mills with valuable information for managing wood inventories and logistics. Information collected by the XW grapple scale’s compact receiver can be exported to standard business software and also helps operators learn to optimize the productivity of their cranes. XW Grapple Scales are represented in North America by RMT Equipment, which has dealers throughout North America that provide complete installation, field service and parts support. Visit rmtequip.com or call 800-648-8132.
Rotobec: C-Series Combo Grapples Rotobec C-Series Combo Grapples are ideal for forestry applications that require handling of multiple types of wood. Key features include heavy-duty rotators to match machine capacity and operational requirements, which results in maximum productivity and extended life. The grapples are structurally designed with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to attain optimal strength-to-weight ratio. Their cylinder configuration allows for superior closing force. Easy access greasing points mean easy maintenance. The jaw curvature and shape allows optimal rolling of logs. Replaceable round tips, on most models, are made of a special abrasive resistant material. Visit rotobec.com.
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Sennebogen: 10 Loader Models Sennebogen “green machines” stand tall in the world’s most demanding forestry regions with a wide range of purpose-built loaders for sawmills, wood yards and processors. A line-up of 10 basic models expands into more choices with a wide range of wheeled, tracked or stationary mounts, plus optional boom and stick configurations. Sennebogen’s modular design makes it easy to custom build loaders for any yard or application without the extra cost of custom building. The 830 M-T model was the first green machine specifically engineered for log loading in mill yards. The M-T is a versatile lift and load machine built on a heavy-duty undercarriage redesigned for extra towing stresses. With the highest drawbar pull in its class, the 830 M-T pulls trailer loads up to 100,000 lbs., even over difficult terrain. Visit sennebogen-na.com or call 704-347-4910.
Stripper Manufacturing: Pull-Through Delimber Starting at only $9,400, the Stripper Delimber has provided fast, affordable, dependable delimbing for more than 25 years. Speed, durability and simplicity make the Stripper a very popular alternative to hydraulic units costing up to four times more. Even loggers who have big loaders that are equipped for hydraulic units are choosing the Stripper for its performance and easy maintenance No hydraulics means less down time and maintenance, and the attachment can be put to work as soon as it arrives on the job. The Stripper comes with its own trailer, which has an extendable tongue for use with a truck- or track-mounted loader or with a short base and adapter plate for easy attachment to trailers, skids and slashers. The Stripper’s rugged yet lightweight construction (1,600 lbs.) means greater mobility and less stress on companion equipment. The unit works with skid steers, skidders and harvesters. Exclusive “E-Z SLIDE” bolt-in knives are easily replaced and bottom knives can be reversed for a double life. Call Sam at 207 890 6597 or watch the video at stripperdelimber.com.
Two Harbors Machine Shop: SERCO Loaders Two Harbors Machine Shop, Inc. (THMS) is the manufacturer of SERCO brand knuckleboom loaders. SERCO loaders have been built since 1977 and for years have been very popular in the forest industry and enjoy a reputation for supplying well-designed and dependable loaders and grapples. SERCO loaders are renowned for being of high quality with premium components, and built by highly skilled laborers, machinists and welders who pay close attention to every detail during the manufacturing process. Through years of listening and working closely with the people that operate our machines, we have developed an extensive line of loader models and attachments well suited for the forestry market, built right to deliver years of dependable service. SERCO loaders are available in a wide range of sizes from the smallest, Model 4500, to the large, high production Model 300. Lift capacities range from 4,500 lbs. to over 31,000 lbs. with boom lengths starting at 17’ and going up to 38’. Mounting configurations include truck, stationary electric, self-propelled rubber tire and trailer mounts. Customizing or special options may not be available through other manufacturers, but THMS gives serious consideration to customer requests for special options.
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Tigercat Industries: 3 Loader Models Tigercat builds three knuckleboom loader models, series 220, 234 and 250. While the 220D is a truck-mount loader mainly targeted to export markets, the 234 and 250C series track-mount and trailer-mount loaders are widely used in the U.S. for pull-through delimbing, slashing, sorting and treelength and log length loading. Tier 4 engine equipped with efficient, refined flow-on-demand hydraulics, Tigercat loaders are highly regarded for excellent fuel economy and high performance. Additional features like the automatic engine idle down also contribute to reduced fuel consumption. With Tigercat built quality and durability, extremely high machine uptime and extended service life contribute to lower overall operating costs and higher long-term productivity. The strength-to-weight optimized boom systems are designed to withstand the forces of high cycle and heavy duty pull-through delimbing. The F8 undercarriage is Tigercat built for full forest duty. The large diameter swing system provides powerful swing torque, with smooth starts and stops. Service access is excellent. All valves are top accessible from the main platform and daily maintenance points are within easy reach. Tigercat also builds the AC16 articulating carrier for mill yard applications. It can be mated to both the 234 and 250C. Tigercat offers two grapple options, the LG4053 and the new LG5057T, which has a new tapered tong profile for improved performance in sorting applications.
Wallingford’s: Debarker Chains In 1978 Wallingford’s Inc. introduced round link flail chain for Hydro-Ax delimbers and today continues development of this link design, which was the first chain ever produced specifically for flail applications. Over the last 30 years Wallingford’s has developed and delivered oval link design flail chains that have set the standards for long life and consistent quality. Their rigid quality control and exact steel and hardness specifications enable contractors to produce clean chips at an affordable price. Most recently Wallingford’s introduced a square link design that provides for even longer life, oftentimes upwards to 50% compared to other manufacturers. This unique design and larger diameter allows contractors to reduce flail RPMs, which results in longer chain life and less fuel consumption, while maintaining a low bark content. Another benefit of the design is there is no need to flip or rotate the square link chain, thus reducing downtime. Our research and development team continues its work, designing and testing flail rods, flail drums and curtain chains, all of which will soon be available. Visit wallingfords.com or call 1-800-323-3708. Other companies that make products in the loader/attachments/accessories category include Barko, Crane Equipment, Doosan, Hood, Jewell, LBX Co. Link-Belt, Terex, Custom Machined Specialties, Hahn, HanFab, Hultdins, Husqvarna, Pacific Trail, Pro Pac, Peerless Chain, Oregon, Ryan’s Equipment, 6K Products, Stihl, White Mountain Chain and Young. TH
MAY-JUNE SPOTLIGHT: Service Truck Bodies, Service Trailers, Tools and Accessories
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Swedish logger reports poor demand, looks to the U.S. to spur recovery. DavidAbbott iklas Savilahti, 42, is the owner of logging company Savilahti Skog AB, based in Varnamo, Sweden. In Swedish the word “skog” translates to “forest” in English, and AB is an abbreviation for businesses, akin to the Inc. often used in the U.S. Asked about the state of the forest products industry in his country, Savilahti pauses to consider. “It is very…I don’t know, but it is not good.” The paper industry he calls a big unknown, though with the language barrier he is not quite sure how to express what he really wants to say in English. “I think paper industry is going down in Sweden,” he says with some hesitation. “Pretty much we have a big issue.” The housing and lumber markets, likewise, he says are not so good. “We wait for America,” he smiles. “I saw stock exchange was pretty much better now,” referring to news he saw reporting on the state of the U.S. economy. “I hope.” Based on this logger’s perspective, the picture of Sweden’s forest industry
does not look so dissimilar to its counterpart in the U.S. Fuel costs, he says, is the big issue in Sweden. He considers the volume of fuel his harvester burns in an hour. “It’s not so bad because it’s a very productive machine.” He also notes that there is a decline in younger loggers joining the business. “There are fewer loggers, I believe, because these machines are so productive.” One of his employees is 23, but the other is in his 40s. He says he doesn’t think young workers are likely to go on and start companies of their own in the current climate.
Supply “This is not so big a tree,” he notes of the timber he was working when Timber Harvesting visited. “Normally I do bigger trees.” Five cubic meters is the biggest log he typically encounters. On a sample piece, the onboard computer in the harvester cab measures length at 489 cm and diameter at 276 cm.
Niklas Savilahti
Moves are frequent for Savilahti. Smaller tracts, which have become the norm in his area, are finished in four days or less. Private forest owners account for about half of the timber in the country, while the government and the church each own about a quarter of the country’s forested territory. While northern Sweden is dominated by the big companies like Stora Enso, this part of the country is dominated by
Savilahti’s 2010 Ponsse Bear harvester cost roughly $1 million U.S. 32
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mainly small private landowners. The biggest obstacles for Swedish loggers, according to Savilahti, is a shrinking timber supply. “There is a smaller area to cut, less timber available,” he says. “Value is down, of course, so landowners don’t want to sell.” A few years ago, standing timber was at its highest price level, and this caused what he calls a “gold rush in the forest.” A major storm in 2005 caused heavy timber damage, and was followed by a less severe storm in 2007. That is one of the reasons for high raw material costs, he says. From 2005 until 2009 mills had kept a surplus of supply under wet storage, but when the excess storm timber ran out, the forest owners didn’t have so much to sell any more. Supply and demand kicked in. Raw material cost went up, end product price went down.
Steady Market Savilahti is one of three primary suppliers for Ture Johansson’s Travaru AB in Skillingaryd, a family company formed in 1950. Roughly 70% of the mill’s supply is standing timber contracted to independent harvesters. The average distance from the mill to the stump is 30-40 km, quite a narrow range in the view of the mill’s owner, Lennart Johansson. “We are working hard to attract the forest owner in this area, to be a good buyer.” The company has 900 delivering forest owners in its database, with property size ranging generally from 20-60 hectares. The mid-sized Swedish sawmill produces about 90,000 cubic meters annually, a 50/50 mix of red pine and spruce. Most of that production is sold to the housing market in Sweden, plus some exports to Denmark, the Netherlands and north Africa. The mill features two sawing lines, one for larger logs (20-50 cm top diameter) and one for smaller (10-20 cm), but currently works only a single shift due to lack of material and lack of demand. “It is bad times,” Johansson says. When asked if he sees any signs of recovery on the horizon, he reiterates Savhilahti’s views: “We hope that will come in the U.S. first,” he laughs. “In Europe, it will come maybe two years later, in my view.” Savilahti’s weekly production averages 1,600 cubic meters, and he totals between 70-80,000 cubic meters each year. He works on private land and standing timber that the mill buys. He doesn’t have to worry about trucking,
Ponsse Buffalo forwarder operates 21 hours (two shifts) per day.
as the mill sends its trucks to pick up his production. All he has to do is stack it for the mill and it takes it from there, using three new trucks.
Machines He has been a dedicated Ponsse man for 18 years, currently running his two-machine operation with a Ponsse Bear harvester and a Ponsse Buffalo forwarder. He prefers Nokian tires. He has no other equipment other than a flat trailer to move equipment. Cost for a new Ponsse Bear is about 5.2 million Swedish crowns, or roughly 1 million U.S., not counting tax. Both machines are 2010 models bought directly from Ponsse. Savilahti says his philosophy has usually been to trade machines for newer models after every three years, but with the sluggish market, he is holding on to his current pair a bit longer. They are still in good shape. When he does trade, Ponsse will resell the machine to other loggers in Sweden. The forwarder runs 21 hours a day, divided into two shifts. In the summer it is only dark for about three hours a night in Sweden. During the winter months, the daylight hours are much shorter, meaning both shifts have to work in the dark. Lights mounted on the machine help, but Savilahti says drivers still have to be much more careful than in the daylight. His two employees take turns on the forwarder, while their boss keeps enough wood processed in a single shift to keep them busy. GPS is now standard in all Ponsse
machines to help guide operators and mark property boundaries. It shows topographical maps of the tract and displays the next several tracts already assigned by the mill. He handles all routine maintenance himself in terms of the sawhead blades and the bar, once a week, with chains requiring a change two or three times daily, depending on conditions. “This is good land,” he said of the stand he was working at the time. He tries to cut stumps as low as possible, and running that close to the ground of course brings with it the risk of hitting stones and damaging chains. Landowners like how he leaves stands, as they typically replant after he is finished.
Background Savilahti did not grow up around logging. His introduction to the industry came via his uncle, who drove log trucks for a local sawmill. He spent two years studying at a forestry school in the northern part of the country, where timber is smaller than in this southern area near the Baltic Sea. He began his career at 17 with a trucking company that hauled mainly for mining operations but also handled some timber. From there he established connections in the forestry world and soon bought his own forwarder, running it for other loggers for a few years. He worked for another contractor until 2005, when he added his first harvester and went on his own. He added the harvester primarily because TH the technology fascinated him.
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BuildingBlocks
Oil Sampling Can Curb Operating Costs CATERPILLAR FOREST PRODUCTS With the cost of major component overhaul and replacement, not to mention extended downtime, heavy equipment owners should do all they can to get as much value out of their investment as possible. Scheduled oil sampling (SOS) on a regular basis is the cheapest insurance you can buy. Many owners manage costs by purchasing extended warranties on new machines. It is in making that new equipment acquisition, along with the extended warranty, that machine owners often are first introduced to SOS. Many extended warranty plans require, or at least recommend, that owners take oil samples from all machine compartments at specific intervals. Obviously, this is done to limit the warranty company’s exposure to repair costs. But it is a great example to follow and a good time to get in the oil sampling habit to limit your own exposure to repair costs beyond the warranty period. SOS provides many benefits. It sets a baseline for what is normal wear for a specific component and what may be an indicator of a coming catastrophic failure or shorter wearout period. It may also provide indications of injection of contaminants or seal failure between components. With improvements in lubricants, it may also provide for allowed extended drain intervals, reducing maintenance costs. Many manufacturers approve increased engine, transmission and hydraulic oil change intervals in conjunction with SOS. Perhaps the most value provided by oil sampling is when it prevents a machine failure or significantly reduces the cost of a major repair. Many processing labs strive for same day turnaround, so the information can be shared with the dealer and owner for quick response to any changes in the sample content. For example, an engine oil sample that has higher silica content than the previous samples would be flagged for possible dirt ingestion. A differential sample with high iron content may indicate a need to at least drain the oil and re-sample before the next regular interval. Bronze or non-metallic material in a power shift transmission could indicate a failed seal. Increased iron in a hydraulic oil sample could be an indicator of a loose cylinder piston. High brass might be the beginning of a pump failure. Dealers can give numerous accounts of catastrophic component failures that occurred because there was no oil sampling and the unit was simply run until it stopped moving. However, they also can document many cases where oil sampling reduced repair costs.
Make Machine Safety Inspections Routine JOHN DEERE Safety inspections should be an essential part of every logging operation’s upkeep routine. They are necessary for the well being of your crew and are key to keeping your machines operating efficiently and issue-free. Good safety practices save lives, reduce injuries and improve your bottom line. 34
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The following tips will help ensure operator safety, prevent fires and keep your equipment working. These frequently overlooked practices are some of the easiest to perform and typically don’t require a mechanic or specialist. Many inspections can be conducted monthly but a few may be needed more often, depending on operating conditions. Gouges, cracks and deep scratches can compromise a window’s integrity and increase the likelihood of breaking or shattering upon impact. Regularly check polycarbonate windows for effective protection and good visibility and check screen guards over windows and cab openings to be sure they’re secure and in good condition. All polycarbonates are not the same, even on similar models from the same manufacturer, so reference your machine’s manual to ensure you’re using an approved cleaning solution that will not compromise the window’s integrity. Check handholds around the cab and service areas to make sure they’re secure. Check the steps on cabs and walkways and make sure non-skid surfaces are intact. If non-skid material is worn or missing, repair or replace it. Inspect seat belts and safety harnesses, and make sure operators are using them properly. Fire extinguishers and water tanks are the first defense against fire, so they should be routinely inspected. Make sure extinguishers are in working order, up to date and readily accessible. Check water tanks for proper water levels and pressure. Belly pans, side shields and access guards can collect leaves and other debris that can be a fire hazard. These components should be inspected at least monthly—more frequently if conditions warrant it. Regularly clean pans, shields and guards with compressed air or pressure washers. Remember, clean, debris-free equipment increases your odds of finding small problems before they become larger and more costly. Felling heads are prone to collecting sawdust and other debris, which can block or break fittings, force hydraulic hoses out of position and cause unnecessary wear on parts. Regular inspections help optimize working conditions for your crew, increase productivity, reduce downtime and lower operating costs.
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Questions&Answers
U.S. Loggers On 2013 Profits, 2014 Outlook, Factors Impacting Business Financial Health To get an updated snapshot of the state of the U.S. logging industry, Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations contacted a small sample of coast-to-coast subscribers by e-mail in early February, asking them to answer three questions: 1.) Was your logging business profit margin in 2013 encouraging or a disappointment? 2.) What is your outlook for 2014? 3.) In their order of importance, what are three of the most significant factors that impact the financial health of your business? Forty-one logging company principals responded. Of these, 23 said they were encouraged by 2013 profits while 18 said they were disappointed. As for 2014, the prevailing attitude was generally positive. Here are the responses by state: Alabama—1. Encouraged 2. Not sure about pine pulpwood market 3. Haul distance, markets, increasing operating costs Alabama—1. Encouraged 2. Outlook for both pine and hardwood is good, and housing starts are forecasted to increase significantly. If ObamaCare doesn’t derail the economy, I think we will have a good year. Pulp mills are looking to reduce input costs, and pulp is softening worldwide. If our log markets don’t return, we may have a bad year. Arizona—1. Disappointed 2. Very good 3. Inconsistent plant performance, working capital, good qualified help Colorado—1. Disappointed 2. More of the same, worn out equipment, older and less productive work force. 3. Logging rates, distance between jobs, federal managers and regulations, repair costs. Connecticut—1. Encouraged 2. Positive other than fuel/insurance 3. Stumpage rates, regulations, fuel Florida—1. Encouraged 2. Better 3. Fuel, interest rates, insurance Florida—1. Encouraged 2. Expec36
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tations are not high but I don’t expect things to get any worse than they have been 3. Housing starts/economy, fuel, quality of available labor. There are plenty of applicants for our positions, but very few are qualified to operate our equipment or trucks. Georgia—1. Disappointed 2. Weather (determines cash flow), timber tract type (first thinnings are more expensive 3. Mill quota (impacts cash flow) Georgia—1. Encouraged 2. Good (I hope) 3. Weather (X100), fuel, trucking Georgia—1. Encouraged. 2. Positive 3. Dependable trucking is our main concern. The mills must come up with more money for us to be able to afford transportation costs. We’re using trucks that are paid for. After driver salaries and fuel, there’s not enough money left for payments on newer trucks. Idaho—1. Encouraged 2. Markets have improved but there is only one major log purchaser in our area. 3. Delivered log prices. Most of my work is done on private land, so when log prices are low, we are just cutting for maintenance. Qualified or experienced employees. Most are opting out for year round work with benefits, along with higher wages. Overhead. Idaho—1. Encouraged. 2. Expansion (hopefully) 3. Tech/mechanical and parts support, available work, financial support Kentucky—1. Encouraged 2. Same as last year, but hoping prices continue to increase 3. Log prices, unreliable equipment, fuel Louisiana—1. Disappointed 2. Bleak 3. Logging rates are about $5 a ton too low. Massachusetts—1. Disappointed. 2. Not great 3. Health insurance, work comp insurance, markets not great Massachusetts—1. Disappointed. 2. Same 3. Low construction starts Maine—1. Encouraged 2. Same as always (feast or famine) 3. Access to trained employees, fuel, lack of quality control in new parts and equipment purchased Michigan—1. Encouraged 2. Good 3. Stumpage availability, fuel
Minnesota—1. Disappointed 2. Survival mode once again 3. Poor quality timberstands that greatly reduce productivity, repair costs, poor pay rates Missouri—1. Encouraged 2. Same 3. Supply/demand, good prices and equipment, government intrusion Mississippi—1. Encouraged 2. Good 3. Good timber, good prices, getting unloaded quickly Mississippi—1. Encouraged. 2. Good 3. Insurance, regulations, fuel North Carolina—1. Encouraged 2. Positive 3. Equipment costs, logging rates, fuel North Carolina—1. Disappointed. 2. Not good. 3. Fuel, low logging rates, poor access to timber New Hampshire—1. Disappointed 2. Slightly better 3. Markets, fuel, weather. If weather is poor, mills are hungry for logs; if good markets become flooded, bringing on quota and depressed prices. New York—1. Disappointed. 2. Keeping my fingers crossed 3. (none given) Oregon—1. Encouraged 2. Not as busy as last year 3. Steady work. Downtime and keeping a crew busy just to keep them working are both expensive. Equipment costs. We trade in and update every 5,000 hours. If resale is poor, our hourly cost on that machine is much higher. Productive employees. It is getting harder to find qualified employees. Good operators are worth more than we can pay! Pennsylvania—1. Disappointed. 2. No longer logging. The business was not very rewarding anymore and with the price of diesel and all other fluids going up and no raise in pay, I closed this chapter in my life, sadly said. Pennsylvania—1. Encouraged. 2. More profitable. We will struggle to replace our standing timber base in light of what the lumber markets are doing. 3. Purchasing timber at the right prices. “What it takes to buy it” does not determine the true market value. Employees. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to find young, hard working folks to replace those we lost. This is due in part to previous log val-
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Questions&Answers ues, the natural gas industry and retirement. Not overproducing. All sawmills understand is production. There is a time when we have to band together as an industry “for the sake of the whole.” South Carolina—1. Disappointed. 2. Poor. 3. Fuel, low rates, high costs of equipment and parts South Carolina—1. Encouraged. 2. About the same 3. Up and down markets that don’t allow enough profit during good times to offset losses due to weather, bad tracts, breakdowns, etc.; trucking costs and regulations; high operating costs. Tennessee—1. Disappointed 2. Guarded 3. Fuel, timber prices, insurance Tennessee—1. Disappointed 2. Hopeful 3. If mills don’t remain competitive with our costs, we will go out. Debt service is pulling us down. Stumpage prices are good for landowners for challenging for us. Virginia—1. Disappointed 2. Same 3. Operating costs, availability of timber, environmental issues Virginia—1. Encouraged 2. Better (more markets) 3. Prior planning, tract selection, operating costs Vermont—1. Encouraged. 2. Increase in sawlog demand 3. State government restrictions on logging operations, trucking costs, skilled labor Washington—1. Encouraged 2. Better 3. Consistent work. Timber companies should develop relationships with loggers and negotiate prices rather than follow the low bid method. L&I rates. Washington State has a horrible mess with its high rates. It has mis-managed its program for so long it is completely out of control. Maintaining a quality work force. There are very few younger workers entering the industry for the rates loggers can pay for the kid of work they have to do. Wyoming—Disappointed. 2. Same 3. Low pay Unidentified State—1. Disappointed 2. Same 3. Fair price for our product, stable fuel cost, more favorable DOT to work with Unidentified State—1. Encouraged 2. Better 3. EquipTH ment upgrade economics, labor, insurance, markets The editors of Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations tip their hats to all those who participated. Thanks for your time and thanks for sharing. Good luck in 2014 and beyond.
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DownTime Grandpa The Shrewd Gambler The IRS decided to audit grandpa and summoned him to the regional IRS office. The IRS auditor was not surprised when grandpa showed up with his attorney. The auditor said, “Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, which you explain by saying that you win money by gambling. I’m not sure the IRS finds that believable.” “I’m a great gambler, and I can prove it,” declared grandpa. “How about a demonstration?” The auditor thought for a few seconds, then said, “Okay, go ahead.” Grandpa said, “I bet you one thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.” The auditor paused and said, “It’s a bet.” Grandpa removed his glass eye and bit it. The auditor’s jaw dropped. Grandpa said, “Now I’ll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.” The auditor could tell that Grandpa wasn’t blind, so he took the bet. Grandpa removed his dentures and bit his good eye. The stunned auditor now realized that he had wagered and lost three grand, with Grandpa’s attorney as a witness. He started to get nervous. “Want to go double or nothing?” Grandpa asked. “I’ll be you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk and pee into that wastebasket on the other side and never get a drop anywhere in between.” The auditor, twice burned, was cautious now, but he looked carefully and decided that there was no way this old guy could possibly manage that stunt, so he agreed again. Grandpa stood beside the desk, unzipped his pants and proceeded. But although he strained mightily, he couldn’t make the stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinated all over the auditor’s desk. The auditor leapt with joy, realizing that he had just turned a major loss into a huge win. But grandpa’s attorney moaned and put his head in his hands. “Are you okay?” the auditor asked. “Not really,” said the attorney. “This morning, when grandpa told me he’d been summoned for an audit, he bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come in here and pee all over your desk and that you’d be happy about it.”
Confessional Reaction A new priest, born and raised in Texas, reported to serve in a city parish and was nervous about hearing confessions, so he asked an older priest to sit in on his sessions for a while and coach him. The new priest heard several confessions before the old one asked him to step away from duty so he could offer a few suggestions, Old priest: “Cross your arms over your chest, rub your chin with one hand and say things like ‘yes, I see,’ and ‘yes, go on.’” The new priest followed the suggestions. Old priest: “Now, don’t you agree that’s is a little more appropriate than slapping your knee and exclaiming, ‘No way! What happened next?’”
Sign Language Assumptions A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him. He did the right thing and stopped at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious. She yelled at the driver ahead of her, called him vile names repeatedly and gave him the double finger. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up to see the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman 38
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approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk, where the arresting officer was waiting with her belongings. He said, “I’m so sorry for the mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate, the ‘Follow Me To Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.”
Larry The Cable Guy: “A day without sunshine is like night.” “On the other hand, you have different fingers.” “42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.” “99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.” “Remember, half the people you know are below average.” “He who laughs last, thinks slowest.” “Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.” “The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.”
Daylight Savings Time
A wise old Indian reflected on Daylight Savings Time: “Only white man would believe you could cut off top of blanket, sew it to bottom of blanket, and have longer blanket.”
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Dust&Rust Readers are encouraged to send historical items.
Sawmill Worker Recalled 1878 Yellow Fever Outbreak “In 1878 the yellow fever epidemic took 80% of the people in Lake. The Lowery (wagon) factory closed and nearly all of the Lowery family died. The mill where I worked closed, and everyone who could leave got away. “There were hardly enough people left to bury the dead. The Negroes were not so susceptible to the fever and only by their help were the dead buried. No doubt some were buried alive. One man was being placed in his coffin, but it was discovered that he was not entirely cold, so he was spared and lived for many years after.”—J.H. Miner, who worked for sawmill owner J.J. Armistead near Lake, Miss., writing in the July 15, 1940 issue of Southern Lumberman.
Early Tree Falling In Western Forests The skills and techniques that loggers brought (to British Columbia) from eastern Canada and the U.S. were not always successful in the coastal rain forests of the Pacific Northwest. Even the primary job of the logger, falling, had to be modified on the West Coast. The basic falling tool consisted of a single-bitted or pole ax. It was not until the 1870s that the longerheaded, double-bitted ax was developed by a Seattle company. Its finely tapered head bit deeper into western softwoods, and the more bluntly filed second bit was used for rougher work, saving the sharper falling bit for the task of cutting through six or eight feet of solid timber. Although crosscut saws had been in use since the middle of the 15th century, they were not used for felling in the west until about 1880. The earliest recorded use of saws in BC was at Lake Cowichan in 1883. These saws were made in various lengths, the standard models being 10 feet long, with a variety of shapes, thicknesses, widths and tooth designs. By 1904, for example, Atkins saw compa-
Short But Not Necessarily Small
Fifty or so years ago, short pulpwood ruled in the South and, while it was typically only 5 ft. 3 in. long, it was not necessarily small, as evidenced by this photo that appeared in the August 1961 issue of Pulpwood Production. K. B. Falker, wood scaling supervisor at Rome Kraft Co., Rome, Ga., took this snapshot and sent it to the magazine, explaining that such loads—only 33 sticks ranging from 5 to 38 inches in diameter and weighing 16, 230 lbs.—were not that unusual. “What is unusual is that all 33 sticks came from one tree,” he wrote. Pulpwood producer J. H. Jones cut the tree, which grew on a fence row and had been passed over numerous times by loggers and pulpwood producers. The smaller sticks came from the tree’s limbs. 40
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ny offered 14 models of two-man crosscuts, each in 13 different lengths. Fallers in the 1860s had no option but to tackle big firs with only a single-bitted ax. The first problem they encountered was the flared, pitchfilled butts of the trees. To get above the flared butts they used springboards—2x8 inch planks up to six feet long—inserted into a notch cut into the tree about four feet above the ground. Sometimes fallers went up two boards, or eight feet. On the end of the springboard was attached a horseshoe or, later, a special metal device to hold the board firmly in the notch, while allowing the faller to pivot as the felling progressed. Axmen usually worked in pairs, each with his own springboard. They began by cutting a deep notch, or undercut, facing the direction they wanted the tree to fall. The shaping of this undercut determined where the tree would fall. This was of more than passing interest. If fallers were going to spend three of four hours bringing down a fir, the last thing they wanted was for it to hang up in another tree. And if the tree hit a stump or rock and broke, the buckers had to make an extra cut to get rid of the broken end. Once the undercut was completed, the fallers cut new springboard notches on the backside of the tree and made the falling cut. Because it was not possible to fall against the lean with an ax, early fallers had to select their trees carefully. In most stands this meant that a lot, if not most, of the trees were left. As a result, fallers became adept at dropping selected trees through standing timber. The use of primitive tools required a higher level of skill on the part of the worker. By the 1890s, saws were used for making the falling cuts. Fallers carried a whisky bottle filled with kerosene, with a hook attached, to lubricate the saw when felling fir or spruce. Fallers soon learned that once the saw was well into the tree a steel wedge inserted in the kerf behind it prevented a backward leaning tree from tilting back and pinching the saw. Driving the wedge in with a sledge could even raise a tree against the lean, making it possible to fall a lot more timber. Source: Working In The Woods, Harbour Publishing, 1994
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EquipmentWorld Bandit Adds Seven Dealers Throughout U.S. Bandit Industries continues to expand its dealer network in North America, adding seven dealers to serve customers in the U.S. Bandit’s newest dealers will serve customers in northern Louisiana, central and southern Mississippi, central and southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, eastern Tennessee, central Virginia, western Kansas, South Dakota, and California. Equipment Inc. operates four locations in the Southern U.S.—Jackson, Miss., Hattiesburg, Miss., Shreveport, La., and Mobile, Ala.—carrying handfed chippers and stump grinders. Visit equipmentinc.com. A-Ok Power Equipment, based in Santa Barbara, Calif., serves four locations in southern California—Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Anaheim and Solvang—carrying and servicing hand-fed chippers and stump grinders. Visit aokpowerequipment.com. Fairbank Equipment Inc. serves western Kansas and South Dakota, carrying and servicing hand-fed chip-
pers and stump grinders. Visit fair banksequipment.com. Stowers Machinery serves eastern Tennessee and now sells and services Beast XP-Series horizontal grinders and forestry mowers. Visit stowerscat.com. Chipper Pro LLC and Forest Pro Inc., serving central Virginia, sells whole tree chippers, and provides parts and service. Visit forestproinc.com. Quality Equipment and Parts Inc. serving Lake City in central Florida, offers service, parts and large equipment sales, including Beast Horizontal grinders, whole tree chippers, and forestry mowers. Visit qamparts.com. Forestry 21 Equipment, serving Alabama’s whole tree chipper needs, offers sales, service and parts. Visit forestry21.com.
Barry Equipment Receives Peterson Pacific Honor Peterson Pacific, a Eugene, Ore.based manufacturer of horizontal grinders, drum and disc chippers, blower trucks, and screens, named Barry Equipment, Co. of Webster, Mass. as its 2013 Dealer of the Year. This is the sec-
Barry Equipment is a repeat winner.
ond time in two years that Barry Equipment has won the award. “Barry Equipment, Co. has achieved this award twice due to their assembly of a world class sales and product support team. Their support after the sale is unsurpassed within our industry and Barry’s dedication, focus and vision to the Peterson product line, and the markets we serve, make them a tremendous partner and raises the bar for dealer performance,” says Brian Gray, Peterson Pacific Eastern Sales Manager. Barry Equipment Co., Inc. was established in 1985 and is a family owned and operated dealership located on Interstate 395 in Webster, servicing New England and New York State.
Thompson Machinery Digs In At Tupelo Thompson Machinery, a Caterpillar Inc. dealer, has begun construction on a facility to serve the Tupelo, Miss. area. The start of construction was commemorated at a groundbreaking ceremony held January 31 at the site, which is at 421 Wallace Drive in Belden, Miss. Thompson, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2014, says its facility will be designed to enhance Thompson’s full service commitment to the area and its development needs, especially through the expansion of its product support capabilities. “We are excited to build a new facility in a region where city and state officials are willing to invest in the city’s infrastructure,” states De Thompson V, Left to right: John Thompson, Thompson Machinery General Sales Manpresident of Thompson Machinery. “With the current ager; Mabel Murphree, representative of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker; momentum and strong economic outlook, we are Myles Russell, representative of U.S. Representative Alan Nunnelee; De confident to make this investment.” Thompson V, president of Thompson Machinery; Brad Fultz, Caterpillar The 42,000 square foot facility, located just off the Inc. Nashville District Manager Highway 9 South exit from Highway 78, represents an investment of more than $6 million. It will include a shop for construction, forestry, and agricultural equipment, onhighway trucks, and power generation, housed in 17 bays. Four 7.5 ton bridge cranes and four jib cranes will be deployed in an innovative quad design that allows more options for placing machines and engines in the shop for repair. Also planned is an undercarriage shop with full track press, which will allow Thompson to continue to provide quick turnaround on undercarriage repairs. An 8,000 square foot parts warehouse will be capable of cross docking to allow flexibility in scheduling Thompson Machinery’s overnight parts shuttle service. The facility will house 11,000 square feet of office space, including a meeting room, training room, and indoor machine display area, for both Thompson’s sales and rental operations. General contractor on the project is Century Construction of Tupelo.
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InnovationWay Morbark Slow-Speed Shredder Morbark, Inc. has partnered with its European dealer, OBMtec, to produce the Barracuda, a singlerotor, slow-speed shredder. The Barracuda, developed by OBMtec and manufactured at Morbark’s Winn, Mich., factory, offers a universal solution for industrial, C&D, wood and other waste streams, providing a high-quality end product with low operating, maintenance and fuel costs. “Adding the Barracuda shredder to our industrial product line allows our customers to easily expand their capabilities in C&D and industrial waste reduction,” says John Foote, Morbark VP of Sales and Marketing. “The machine was designed for versatility and ease of maintenance.” Features include: ● All daily maintenance, such as cleaning the air filter, and checking and changing fluids, can be done while standing at ground level. ● Ground-level adjustment door allows the operator to adjust grates in as little as 2 minutes, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. The counter knives can be repositioned to 5 different heights—higher for waste wood or lower for industrial waste. Available setup options include 20 to 40 hammers and counter knives. Single rotor and bolt-on hammer inserts reduce maintenance times. The internal rotor gearbox with high torque for greater fuel efficiency and large hydraulic reservoir for lower operating temperatures all play a part with the many other key features to reduce operating costs. Visit morbark.com. 1281
John Deere Machine Monitoring John Deere’s JDLink machine monitoring system is available for all makes of stationary and mobile forestry equipment with two new Universal Telematics subscription levels. JDLink Locate and JDLink Express boast value-priced hardware and subscription costs. “JDLink Locate and JDLink Express allow logging professionals to track and protect all pieces of equipment on their job sites with the same JDLink application they use for the rest of their John Deere machines,” says Tom Trone, director of global WorkSight Solutions, John Deere Construction & Forestry. “The hardware can be installed on both powered and non-powered assets and will keep companies informed on location, help protect jobsite assets, and boost profits.” 44
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JDLink Locate allows a logger to access asset location and set up a geofence around a machine, so they can be alerted if it travels outside the virtual boundary. The hardware features an internal battery, so it can be easily installed with screws or adhesive on anything that needs to be tracked. The only mounting requirement is a clear view of the sky. JDLink Express includes these same machine location and geofence features, and adds distance traveled and engine hours so loggers can track utilization and schedule periodic maintenance. JDLink Express also lets a logger “ping” the machine for real-time data updates. Both JDLink Locate and JDLink Express provide easy remote access to machines through a single, simple-to-use website. Alerts are sent via email or text message, and escalation logic enables additional contacts to be added to receive alerts in the event one is not acknowledged during a preset time period. 495 Visit johndeere.com.
Ponsse Harvester Heads Ponsse’s harvester head range has been extended with a new size class. The Ponsse 10 and the Ponsse H8 with a top saw are designed for demanding harvesting conditions in North America. The H10 is a heavy-duty processing and harvesting head for track-based machines weighing more than 25 tons. Its durable body structure, good grip and powerful feeding ensure good productivity and a long service life. Thanks to the Opti control system, the H10 is dimensionally very accurate. The product development work performed in cooperation with customers has focused on the easy controllability and maintenance of the head. The Ponsse H8 with a top saw is designed for harvesting and processing difficult deciduous and coniferous trees in North America. 2786 Visit ponsse.com.
Tigercat Mulcher Carrier Tigercat has added a model to its expanding line of mulcher carriers. The new 470 mulcher is equipped with the Tigercat FPT C87 Tier 4i 245 kW (328 HP) engine. It is TIMBER HARVESTING & WO OD FIBER OPERATIONS
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InnovationWay narrow and agile with extremely low ground pressure, rated at 20,9 kPa (3 psi). The 470 is best suited to tough terrain and sensitive site ROW, pipeline maintenance and oil and gas exploration projects. The 470 is equipped with an efficient, high capacity cooling system with a variable speed fan and automatic reversing cycle, a dedicated attachment pump and an efficient closed loop track drive system. Inside the cab, the operator has ergonomic electronic joystick steering with CRF (counter-rotate function) for turning on a dime at the touch of a button. The heavy-duty steel engine enclosure and pre-cleaner guard eliminates the requirement for a rear canopy. All structural components are designed for full time forest duty. Visit tigercat.com. 9756
Check us out online at timberharvesting.com
John Deere Long Boom With John Deere’s 903K and 909K tracked feller-bunchers new long boom option, more trees can be harvested with less travel. The long boom delivers increased productivity by stretching maximum reach to more than 32' (9.82 m), a 10.6% increase over the standard boom when used with John Deere’s FR21B disc saw felling head. Designed to maximize productivity, the long boom also provides a best in class cutting swath of 17' (5.18 m) to handle more trees from one location. “The new long boom option on tracked feller-bunchers is ideally suited in areas with specific restrictions to limit ground impact on the forest,” says Cliff Caudill, Manager, Product Marketing, John Deere Construction & Forestry. John Deere’s optional Rapid Cycle System (RCS) is also available with the new long boom. The RCS allows the operator to control the boom, stick and felling head trajectory with a single joystick. Visit johndeere.com. 495
Navman Fleet Tracking Navman Wireless USA offers a satellite communications option for its OnlineAVL2 fleet tracking platform, enabling continuous visibility of both heavy equipment and on-road vehicles even when assets are out of cellular Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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InnovationWay coverage. The new product includes the ability to minimize data charges by transmitting only the most critical event information via satellite. Satellite connectivity is provided via a small modem that plugs into the serial port on Navman Wireless’ Qube onhighway and/or ruggedized Qtanium off-highway GPS tracking devices. The system automatically switches between cellular and satellite transmission with intelligent least-cost routing, utilizing the highly reliable, global Iridium satellite network when fleet assets move out of cellular range. Visit navmanwireless.com. 1028
Caterpillar Site Prep Tractor The Cat 586C Site Prep Tractor is a multipurpose, heavy-duty machine with the muscle to run powerhungry mulchers and brushcutters. “The tractor
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runs cool and doesn’t collect debris, so you’ll spend less time cleaning and more time working,” says Matt McDonald, Caterpillar Forest Products product specialist. “Plus, you can tackle a variety of projects with one machine, lowering your owning and operating costs.” The 350 HP engine and oversized hydraulic system push more flow to the attachment for faster recovery without slowing other functions. A high capacity cooling system and on-demand reversing fan keep the machine running cool. HJM Forest Resource Management, LLC, DeKalb, Miss., ran a pilot machine to provide feedback for fine-tuning the tractor. One of the company principals, Jimmy Wayne McGowen, reports that the radiator and air filter stayed clean and the pressurized engine compartment kept debris out. “We have to blow out our older machines like crazy,” McGowen says. “We don’t have to with this machine. That’s a big thing for us, because we were spending a lot of downtime keeping our older tractors up.” Both Cat’s HM825 mulcher and BR624 brushcutter are available as attachments. HJM Forest Resource Management was equipped with the mulcher. McGowen says the tractor and attachment’s ability to handle big timber was an advantage when they were clearing standing timber to widen power line rights-of-way. “The attachment is equipped with a hydraulic push bar and that’s a big plus,” he says. Visit cat.com. 1351
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InnovationWay John Deere Fuel Economy Kit John Deere has improved fuel economy on its forestry swing machine with an updated pump/ management system and fuel economy kit for existing models. When operating in high-power mode, these upgraded machines showed a marked improvement in fuel economy without loss in productivity, which translates to gains for the logger’s bottom line. Swing machine enhancements will be implemented on all models, including the 2154D, 2454D, 2954D and 3754D. 495 Visit johndeere.com.
tomize grate configurations to produce a wide variety of finished materials. Grates are removed through an enlarged access door on the side wall. Another major innovation included is Peterson’s Impact Cushion System. Urethane cushions allow movement of the compression roll/anvil housing pivot shaft, cushioning impacts due to contaminants in the feed material. Shear pins above the cushion and a sensing circuit that stop the engine help protect the shaft from catastrophic damage in the event of a severe impact. 5086 Visit petersoncorp.com.
Terex Horizontal Grinder, New Color
Bandit Card Breaker System
Terex Environmental Equipment launches the TBG 640 horizontal grinder and with it a new color scheme for the large biomass and recycling equipment. The TBG 640 is capable of working in the most demanding environments. Biomass and bioenergy industries will find this product an ideal fit. It features a hammermill of 65" wide and 34" diameter; infeed opening 41" high and 63" wide; engine with 700 HP, with 755 Tier 4 option. TBG 640 is capable of producing green waste between 300-400 yards and scrap wood at 400-500 yards per hour. Visit terex.com/environmental-equipment. 5700
Bandit Industries offers a Card Breaker System for handfed and whole tree drum-style chippers. The Card Breaker works similar to a screening system, restricting oversized material from exiting the machine. The system is optional for most Bandit drum-style chippers, creating a higher quality wood chip that is suited for use in expanding biomass energy markets. “Chips of relatively uniform size and shape are much preferred for use in biomass fuel wood applications,” says Jason Morey, Bandit Industries sales manager. “By creating a better chip, our customers can have a better product to sell on the biomass fuel market.” The Card Breaker doesn’t subtract from Bandit chippers’ throwing power; in fact, it benefits from it. Chips leave the drum at tremendous speed, with larger sized chips hitting the Card Breaker installed in the discharge. This breaks the chips down further, resulting in a more uniform chip ready for biofuel applications. The Card Breaker functions without the need for additional chip accelerating devices, and overall machine production is unaffected. Visit banditchippers.com. 7648
Peterson 5710D Horizontal Grinder The 5710D horizontal grinder is the latest design of high production grinders by Peterson. Powered by a Tier IVi Caterpillar C27 engine making 1050 HP (783 kW), the 5710D has the power to handle the toughest jobs. At 88,500 lbs. (40,150 kg), the 5710D was designed for operations that require frequent moves between jobs without a special permit. An optional transportation dolly allows the Peterson 5710D to be easily moved, and then set up for operation within minutes. With a feed opening of 60 x 40" (152 x 102 mm) combined with Peterson’s high lift feed roll, the 5710D can readily reduce a wide range of material, including stumps. The 5710D utilizes Peterson’s Impact Release System that can be set in the detent mode to provide consistent product sizing or switched to the floating anvil mode for a primary reduction where accurate sizing is less critical. The floating anvil mode provides a high production primary reduction with more protection from contaminated feedstocks and reduced fuel consumption. The 5710D features a large grate area that enables the 5710D to produce materials to exact specifications. The quick-change multiple grate system makes it easy to cus-
Wolf-Tek Land Management App Wolf-Tek’s land management app, Wolf-GIS, offers advanced mapping features on smart phones and tablets that were previously only available with mapping hardware. Utilizing GIS (geographic information systems) and patented Tract-Lock technology, the Wolf-GIS app enables users to quickly and accurately measure, upload and download detailed information about areas of land using their mobile devices. The app has the potential to increase efficiency and productivity across a variety of industries, from forestry to real estate to agriculture. Bud Flora, vice president of marketing for Wolf-Tek, comments, “It brings GIS technology that was previously only available on complicated equipment designed to be used by trained professionals and makes it portability and available on an affordable app with an intuitive interface that anyone can use.” Previously available on the web, Wolf-GIS is now launching as an app in both the iTunes and Google Play stores. The initial launch includes two versions: Wolf-GIS Basic and Wolf-GIS Pro. Visit wolf-tek.com. 5661 All product development news releases are provided by the manufacturer/supplier and all statements/claims are attributable to the manufacturer/supplier.
Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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TIDEWATER EQUIPMENT CO. KEN • 803-300-7837 Call or visit our website: www.tidewaterequip.com
SKIDDERS
2006 CTR 950 .................................$25,500 2001 Deere 648GIII .........................$40,625 2008 Deere 648H ............................$82,000 2008 Deere 648H ............................$85,500 2010 Deere 648H ..........................$100,000 2005 Dere 748GIII ...........................$57,000 2004 Franklin 170 .............................$7,500 2004 Franklin Q80...........................$21,500 2003 Tigercat 630C.........................$50,000 2004 Tigercat 630C.........................$61,000 2005 Tigercat 620C.........................$66,000 2006 Tigercat 620C.........................$60,000 2008 Tigercat 620C.........................$95,000 2004 Tigercat 630C.........................$61,000 2005 Tigercat 630C.........................$60,000 2005 Tigercat 630C.........................$75,000 2005 Timberjack 460D....................$57,500
FELLER BUNCHERS
2011 CAT 563 ................................$119,900 2009 Deere 643J .............................$85,000
2007 Prentice 2470 .........................$65,000 2008 Prentice 2470 .........................$87,775 2008 Prentice 2570 .........................$88,889 2008 Prentice 2570 .......................$100,000 2004 Tigercat 718 ...........................$46,500 2009 Tigercat 718E .......................$110,000 2007 Tigercat 720E .........................$95,000 2007 Tigercat 726E .........................$78,500 2005 Timberking TK340 .................$30,000 2004 Timberking TK360 .................$61,100
LOG LOADERS 2005 Deere 335C ............................$27,500 2009 Prentice 2384 .........................$85,000 2006 Prentice 280 ...........................$45,000 2004 Prentice 410 ...........................$24,500 1999 Tigercat 230B.........................$16,000 2004 Tigercat 230B.........................$37,500 2002 Tigercat 240B.........................$28,000 2002 Tigercat 240B.........................$34,121 2003 Tigercat 240B.........................$48,100 2005 Tigercat 240B.........................$68,900
INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
1997 MORBARK 22 ........................$69,000 2002 MORBARK 30NCL Chipper ...................................................$105,600 2007 MORBARK 3800 WOOD HOG ...................................................$212,500 2010 MORBARK 4600XL ..............$435,000 2005 Tigercat M726D ...................$169,598
MISCELLANEOUS
Assortment of tires and rims for Deere/Tigercat CTR 314 and 400 Delimbers ....................................$1,000 to $18,000 Tigercat Shears and Saws ........................................$2,500 to $20,000 Please come see us at our new parts locations: – Waycross, GA (912) 282-9284 – Statesboro, GA (912) 601-9924 – Elizabethtown, NC (910) 876-7058
View our web site for over 200 listings with newly reduced prices and pictures
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2005 Barko 395ML 1,696 hours; Cummins engine, Rotobec w/CTR delimber, mounted on Pitts $64,500 2010 Tigercat 724E 6167 hours, Cummins engine, NEW 28Lx26 tires, Tigercat felling saw, good condition $130,000
Caterpillar Franklin Clark Timberjack John Deere Tree Farmer Hydro-Ax
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2010 Prentice 2384B 7974 hours; CTR 426 delimber mounted on Evans trailer.....$129,500 ............$119,500
Night Equip. Sales: Allen Ward — 843-509-0005 Mat Ward — 843-312-1018 Night Used Parts: Robert Mullinax — 843-569-3513 Toll Free: 800-845-6648 www.wwtractor.com 1926
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SelectCuts As We (ALC) See It
On Logging Capacity, Profitability BRIAN NELSON Recently I read an analysis of the U.S. Wood Fiber Supply Chain and it got me to thinking about this column. The findings of that study were interesting, although not that surprising to anyone who has been in the timber industry for any length of time. A couple of points that stuck out to me from a logger’s viewpoint were: 1. Massive capital investments will be required to meet projected harvest demands. 2. Existing suppliers are the most likely to expand capacity, considering restrictive financing options, poor returns, and lack of new entries into the industry. In one of my previous columns I discussed logging capacity and how labor impacted it, but for this one I’d
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like to look at the issue of profitability and how it can impact logging capacity. Profitable is defined as yielding a financial profit. Increased harvest demand is a good thing, provided you can make a profit in the process. A logging sector that is not profitable doesn’t do any good to the wood supply chain as a whole. For years loggers have been told that they need to be more efficient in their operations when they brought up the issue of pay increases to their customers, the consuming mills. Over the years most loggers have become more efficient out of necessity in order to survive. The cost of doing business has risen substantially, while the return on that investment hasn’t kept pace. As an example I thought it would be interesting to compare some of the
major costs from 20 years ago to today’s costs, as well as the delivered prices from then and now: ● Fuel increased 400% ● Labor increased 67% before benefits ● Stumpage increased 200% on average ● Equipment increased 112% for similar machines ● Trucking increased 41% on average ● Delivered price increased 37.5% on average among species I didn’t include health insurance figures in this for a number of reasons. but we all know what premiums have been doing, and where they are likely to go. Now I realize these numbers will vary by company and by region, but I would suspect only slightly. After seeing these numbers I can’t help but question how much more efficient we can become, and how existing suppliers are expected to expand to meet projected harvest demands, when the cost of doing
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SelectCuts business is outweighing the return they are getting on their investment. Expanded markets are great, provided you can turn a profit. If not it spells disaster for the markets and those looking to fill those markets. It was brought to my attention a while back that our industry is one of a very few, if not the only one, where the customer sets the price for the product (service) that we supply to them. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go to our local Walmart or Home Depot and pay them what we felt was fair for the products they are supplying us with? Log Safe! Brian Nelson is the current President of the American Loggers Council and he and his brother David and father Marvin own and operate Marvin Nelson Forest Products, Inc. based out of Cornell, Michigan. The American Loggers Council is a non-profit 501(c) (6) corporation representing professional timber harvesters in 30 states across the US. For more information, visit their web site at www.americanloggers.org or contact their office at 409-625-0206.
Georgia Power Finally Nixes Biomass Plans Georgia Power plans to file a request with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to decertify Unit 3 at Plant Mitchell in Albany, Ga. and cancel a proposed conversion of the coal-fired unit to biomass. The company stated that after extensive review and analysis, the conversion would not be cost effective for its customers. If the request to decertify the 155 MW unit is approved, it will be retired by April 2015—the compliance date of the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule. Since proposing the conversion to biomass in 2008, Georgia Power has worked to assess the project in light of new EPA regulations, as well as changing market and economic conditions. In addition to increased capital costs and costs related to environmental compliance, multiple other factors, such as the recent economic downturn and lower natural gas
prices, have significantly reduced the project’s value and benefits for customers, according to Georgia Power. The company also considered switching the unit to Powder River Basin (PRB) coal or natural gas, neither of which proved viable.
Cool Planet Breaks Ground In Louisiana Cool Planet Energy Systems, a technology company producing green fuels and biochar products, broke ground on its first commercial facility in Alexandria, La., dubbed Project Genesis. The facility is designed to produce 10 million gallons per year of high-octane, renewable gasoline blendstocks, as well as biochar, all made from wood residues. The facility will be located at the Port of Alexandria on the Red River Waterway. “Cool Planet’s unique business model of building smaller, significantly less expensive facilities closer to the biomass feedstock, will allow it to
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SelectCuts expand rapidly, achieve lower scale-up risk, and continuously innovate and improve with each facility,” says Cool Planet Board Member Basil Horangic.
Stihl Announces Official Work Boot Georgia Boot, based in Nelsonville, Oh., is now presenting sponsor and the official work boot of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series beginning with the 2014 season. “Georgia Boot is excited to partner with Stihl to present the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series to lumberjack fans across the country,” says Jordan Gottke, Brand Manager for Georgia Boot. “We have a tremendous heritage with logger boots and aligning with Stihl is a perfect fit for both brands.” Established in 1985, the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series assembles the world’s top lumberjack athletes. The Series is seen by more tan 20 million viewers annually in more than 62 countries on networks like ABC, Eurosport, and the ESPN group. Athletes compete in a variety of disciplines including the Hot Saw, Single Buck, Springboard Chop, Standing Block Chop, Stock Saw and Underhand Chop. The series includes five collegiate qualifiers, three professional qualifiers, collegiate and professional championship
Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
April 2-4—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. April 2-4—Virginia Forestry Assn. Summit, Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, Va. Call 804-278-8733; visit vaforestry.org. April 3-5—Intermountain Logging Assn. Equipment Show & Conference, Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center, Spokane Valley, Wash. Call 208-245-3425; visit intermountainlogging.org. April 5—Massachusetts Forest Alliance, Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, Mass. Call 617-455-9918; visit massforestalliance.org. April 14-15— Great Lakes Timber Professionals Assn. Spring Celebration, Escanaba, Mich. Call 715-282-5828; visit timberpa.com. April 15—Associated Contract Loggers & Truckers of Minnesota annual meeting, Fortune Bay Resort, Tower, Minn. Call 218-780-5927. April 22-24—American Forest Resource Council annual meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wash. Call 503-2229505; visit amforest.org. MARCH/APRIL 2014
Arkansas Forest Industry Donates $500,000 To LAL Log-A-Load For Kids of Arkansas, a group of volunteers from the Arkansas Forestry Assn. and the Arkansas Timber Producers Assn., recently donated $500,000 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). The funds will benefit the hospital’s new Emergency Dept. (ED), which the forestry group pledged to support in 2008 and which opened in 2012. The ED is the only one in the state that provides comprehensive care for the sickest and most injured pediatric patients. “Children from every community in the state visit ACH and many of them come through the ED,” says logger Mike Pennington, a longtime LAL volunteer. “We all know patients and families who have been touched by this wonderful healthcare system.” The Log A Load program began in Arkansas in 1993, and since that time, has raised more than $6.75 million for ACH.
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events and a world championship. The 2014 schedule kicked off in March and the U.S. collegiate and professional championship is scheduled for June 20-22. Visit stihlusa.com/stihl-timbersports.
Easy Access to current advertisers! http://www.timberharvesting.com/advertiser-index/ This issue of TIMBER HARVESTING is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. Alucar American Logger’s Council Bituminous Insurance Cleanfix Reversible Fans John Deere Forestry Doosan Infracore Construction Equip. East Coast Sawmill Expo Forest Chain Gem Chain Bars Interforst 2014 Intermountain Logging Conference George Kahler Sales Laser Technology Log Max Manac Mid-South Forestry Equipment Morbark Northeastern Loggers Assn. Olofsfors Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Prolenc Manufacturing Rotobec USA Southstar Equipment Taimi Hydraulics Terex Environmental Equipment Tigercat Industries Waratah Forestry Attachments
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