TP 0923 digimag

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Timber Processing (ISSN 0885-906X, USPS 395-850) is published 11 times annually (monthly except Jan./Feb.) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—TP is free to qualified owners, operators, managers, purchasing agents, supervisors, foremen and other key personnel at sawmills, pallet plants, chip mills, treating plants, specialty plants, lumber finishing operations, corporate industrial woodlands officials and machinery manufacturers and distributors in the U.S. All non-qualified U.S. Subscriptions are $55 annually: $65 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: 800-6695613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberprocessing.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Processing 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 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 endorse nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Processing. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2023. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A.

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Other Hatton-Brown publications: Timber Harvesting • Southern Loggin’ Times Wood Bioenergy • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade

Jessica Johnson Senior Editor

LIGHTS, CAMERA NASHVILLE!

Unlike my dear old boss Rich Donnell, I did not grow up in Nashville. When the Southern Forest Products Assn. announced the move from my beloved hometown of Atlanta, Ga. for its Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO I was less than enthusiastic about hitting “Nashvegas” in August. But I get it. Atlanta is not a highly walkable city anymore and the Georgia World Congress Center could definitely use a coat of paint. Not everyone loves being outside surrounded by bricks in 200° summer weather because they have memories of Centennial Olympic Park as a kid. I get it. Still, forever, I love Atlanta.

See, going to college in the South means I had been on many a 21st birthday trip to Nashville, and most recently more than a few Bachelorette weekends as well. And my memories of the city are…fuzzy. There was “woo-ing” and “Roll Tide-ing” and generally loud screaming with girlfriends celebrating these milestones. The memories are no less happy than young me splashing in the fountain, and more so older me desperately looking for Advil at 7 a.m.

Ignoring that little sideline of thought—Nashville is a wonderful destination and I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities at Music City Center in 2023. Comparatively, delightful Atlanta is a little dirtier and dingier. But I don’t think you came here to read a review of the wonderful Haleigh Martin, whose musical stylings delighted me and TP Online Editor Jacqlyn Kirkland on our first night. She didn’t hold a candle to the industry’s own duo of Joey Nelson and Brad Michael with JoeScan or the “other” Nelsons with Nelson Bros. Engineering. Their musical stylings really added an extra pop to the EXPO floor.

One of the highlights of every show for me is catching up with all my industry friends, hugging the likes of Hunt FP’s Paul Williams and former TP Person of the Year Tommy Battle of Georgia’s Battle Lumber Co. Plus, the regular lineup of machinery and technology suppliers, guys like Travis McDonald at BID Group and Jesse Vigil with MDI. Another sidenote, if you want to talk baseball, Jesse is your man.

After a bit of an industry family reunion at the welcome reception, Timber Processing joined forces with the guys at Valutec to host one heck of a party in honor of our 2023 Persons of the Year, Chris and Jason Brochu. The popcorn machine drew a casual crowd as the brothers Brochu climbed on stage, said a quick thank you and encouraged everyone to enjoy Nashville, just as they planned to do that evening.

EXPO provided plenty of opportunities to learn and explore all the new machinery and technologies in place or coming soon, but in between those conversations Nashville provided the backdrop for lots and lots of fun. It was a breath of fresh air and a welcomed change from, dare-I-say-it, Atlanta. Woo, indeed.

Jessica Johnson along with Jason Brochu, left, and Chris Brochu at presentation ceremony

FORECAST CALLS FOR SLOW MOVEMENT

The sluggish North America lumber market finally started to improve in late June and into July. The one driver that seems to have triggered the market is the severe forest fire situation across Canada, according to Russ Taylor Global’s North American Lumber Market Outlook report. Buyers started to get concerned that this event will negatively impact Canadian lumber production in the short term from reduced supply, as well as later in the fall when log decks could run low. Hence, lumber prices are rising!

The underlying reason for poor lumber prices in most of the first half of 2023 has been too much domestic and imported supply in North America, as well as globally, which continued to chase flat demand, according to the report. Higher interest rates coupled with inflation, slumping consumer confidence and concerns about a potential recession later in the year have been some of the key factors negatively impacting homebuyers.

U.S. housing starts have been trending higher since the start of the year, but they are at much lower levels than the average of 1.6 and 1.55 million units over the last two years. After averaging 1.375 million starts in the first four months of the year, U.S. housing starts spiked to 1.63 million starts in May 2023. Whether this is a temporary spike or not will be tested over the next few months, but it’s expected that U.S. housing starts will grow at slower levels while housing completions will remain steady near 1.5 million units.

The first quarter 2023 results from

Home Depot and Lowe’s could be considered as further evidence of slowing consumption as both retailers reported negative quarterly same-store sales. Customers skipped big-ticket items like grills and opted for smaller, less expensive home projects. At the same time, colder and wetter weather in the Western U.S. coupled with falling lumber prices were also responsible for lower dollar sales. During COVID-19 there was a spree of pandemic-fueled home projects, but these have faded as consumers juggle other spending priorities such as summer vacations and

One report expects market softening for the remainder of the year.

restaurant meals. As a result, both companies indicate that their same-store sales over the next nine to 12 months will be lower by 2-5%. With repair and remodeling representing 40% of U.S. lumber consumption, this may not sound like good news. However, since the DIY stores measure their same store sales performances in dollars and not volume, a small reduction in sales volume means that there is lots of lumber volume being sold at price levels that are up to one-third less of what it cost during the pandemic.

The report’s lumber demand outlook for 2023 calls for a 4-6% reduction in North American consumption compared to 2022, mainly from lower housing demand. The one wildcard of concern is the pending credit crunch at U.S. banks. Despite no further bank failures, there is the potential for a more severe second round later in the year. This could be tied to a potential U.S. (and Canadian) economic recession with all the demand reduction and job losses associated with this event, not to mention mortgage foreclosures.

Commodity lumber prices have been below cost for BC Interior SPF sawmills

for most of the first half of 2023. The price for W-SPF 2x4 #2&Better random length lumber (FOB Mill, Prince George BC) averaged only US$370/Mbf (US$239/m3, net) in the first half of 2023. The estimated breakeven cost for BC mills during this time would have ranged 10-20% higher, hence the extensive number of BC sawmill curtailments.

The massive and unprecedented price premium held by southern yellow pine 2x4 #2&Better (SYP; FOB mill) to WSPF 2x4 (FOB mill) earlier in April 2023 has shrunk from US$180/Mbf to US$46/Mbf by the beginning of June, or close to the historic spread of US$5075/Mbf. However, this premium of SYP to W-SPF further eroded through to mid-July when W-SPF commanded a US$55/Mbf premium (not a discount) to SYP. A US$235+/Mbf swing in comparative pricing between products that can normally substitute for each other is remarkable. What this should mean going forward is the price variance between the two competing lumber products will need to move back to a more normal spread of US$50-$75/Mbf. This

means that one species’ price must move, so either W-SPF decreases, SYP increases, or there is a bit of both. My sense is that SYP will need to go up the most, as mid-July W-SPF prices of US$445/Mbf (US$271/m3, net – FOB mill; or about US$370/m3 delivered to the US East Coast; as of July 15) are still hovering close to the breakeven levels of many SPF sawmills. As a result, it appears that W-SPF prices could move higher and even up towards US$500/Mbf FOB mill (US$322/m3 FOB, or US$400/m3 delivered to the US East Coast), by the end of July or early August before prices cool.

A phenomenon of North American lumber prices is how producers with similar products in the same region (like SPF or SYP) seem to over-produce and drive prices for their products lower despite other competing species having much higher prices due to more balanced supply and demand. This can mean that price recoveries can be slow and unpredictable.

With flat to slightly increasing demand trends expected for the rest of 2023, lumber supplies will continue to

see some reductions in all regions of the U.S. and Canada, except for the lowcost U.S. South. BC production is expected to be lower in 2023, up to 10% for W-SPF in the Interior and around 5% on the Coast, where other North American regions should see smaller reductions.

Offshore U.S. imports were already trending lower in second quarter as U.S. prices became too low to attract any sus-

tained lumber volumes from Europe. However, the potential of rising lumber prices in third quarter should reverse this situation soon!

Export markets are also flat with Japan and China all seeing flat to lower demand as there are surplus supply volumes that are currently depressing wood products prices around the world.

E-mail: russtaylor@russtaylor global.com; www.russtaylorglobal.com

NEW DUTIES REVEALED ON LUMBER IMPORTS

U.S. Dept. of Commerce announced in late July the final determination of a combined anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duty rate of 7.99% in the fourth annual review of Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States. The review covers lumber imported in calendar year 2021.

“The softwood lumber trade cases help offset Canadian lumber subsidies and dumping, allowing U.S. lumber manufacturers to compete in a fair market, invest in their businesses, and supply more U.S. lumber milled by U.S. workers to build U.S. homes,” comments Andrew Miller, Chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition and CEO of Stimson Lumber.

The U.S. lumber industry established its right to the imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties in the face of unfair competition from Canada in 2017, and the industry continues to vigorously defend the existence and enforcement of those duties.

“Continued full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws by the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission is exactly what must happen for enduring expansion of U.S. lumber manufacturing and availability to meet demand to build more American homes,” Miller adds.

“Failure to fully enforce the trade laws would only undermine long-term confidence in expanding U.S. sawmilling capacity and jobs in the American softwood lumber industry, which could cause significant supply disruptions for the U.S. market.”

The U.S. industry remains open to a new U.S.-Canada softwood lumber trade agreement. Canada’s lumber industry to date has not been able to agree on a unified position to present to the Canadian federal government to request initiation of government-to-government negotiations with the United States, according to the U.S. coalition. Until this happens, the U.S. coalition fully supports the continued strong enforcement of the U.S. trade laws to address Canada’s softwood lumber trade practices.

The new duty rates include 9.51% on West Fraser, 7.92% on J.D. Irving, 6.61% on Canfor and 7.99% on all producers.

The Honourable Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Econom-

ic Development, comments:

“Canada is very disappointed that the United States continues to impose unwarranted and unfair duties on Canadian softwood lumber. The only fair outcome would be for the United States to cease applying these baseless duties. Canada will continue to vigorously defend its softwood lumber industry and the entrepreneurs, workers and communities it supports.

“Duties on Canadian softwood lumber

unjustifiably harm Canadian businesses and communities. They also amount to a punitive tax on U.S. businesses that need Canadian lumber, which hampers their ability to grow and to create U.S. jobs.

“Moreover, these unwarranted duties are detrimental to our highly integrated supply chains and economies. Rather than protecting U.S. jobs and businesses, the duties have instead led to a spike in imports from offshore suppliers to fill

the gap in demand.

“An immediate negotiated solution to this long-standing trade issue is in the best interests of both our countries. Canada is disappointed that the United States is not meaningfully engaging in discussions on a return to predictable cross-border trade in softwood lumber. At every opportunity, I continue to reiterate this message to my U.S. counterparts, U.S. administration officials and Congressional representatives on both sides of the aisle.

“Canada will always stand up for our softwood lumber industry, including through litigation under NAFTA Chapter 19, Chapter 10 of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, in U.S. courts and before the WTO. In the past, neutral third-party tribunals have repeatedly found U.S. claims to be without merit, and we firmly believe this will be the case again.”

MINNESOTA PASSES WIDER LOAD RULE

After two legislative sessions worth of lobbying and negotiation, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a provision allowing wider loads of timber. The provision came into effect August 1 for Minnesota loggers and log haulers with a raw forest products (6th axle) permit.

According to a report in the Timber Bulletin of the Minnesota Timber Producers Assn., the provision is designed to help those hauling 9 ft. wood to sawmills like PotlatchDeltic in Bemidji and Jake’s Sawmill in Baudette. Savanna Pallets also buys longer wood so they can make bigger pallets for their customers with less waste.

When hauled crosswise on a rail trailer, loads with this longer wood exceed the 102 in. maximum truck width. The new legislation adds the ability to haul up to 114 in. (9 ½ ft.) to the raw forest products permit.

The recently passed provision includes these conditions:

● Loads more than 106 in. wide will need to be flagged during daylight hours, or lighted during hours when headlights are required. State and federal regulations conflict on this; federal regs are more stringent, but the best rule of thumb will be to flag/light the load once it exceeds 106 in.

● Mirrors must be extended to the point that the driver is able to see behind the wider load.

● Wider loads are not allowed in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.

“This is a huge help for loggers bringing us this longer wood,” says Jake Hasbargen of Jake’s Sawmill. “There’s a demand for this wood and now our suppliers will be able to deliver it legally on their rail trailers. My thanks goes to everyone in St. Paul who helped improve things for loggers with this bill.”

ALC-IDAHO ROLLS OUT MEDICAL PLAN

Responding to concerns form its members, officials with Associated Logging Contractors-Idaho presented the organization’s medical insurance plan with special discounts and coverages designed for ALC-Idaho members, says ALC-Idaho Executive Director Shawn Keough.

The plan is open to ALC Regular members and is tailored for small businesses like logging and log truck driving. For example, groups as small as two are eligible, as long as both work at least 20 hours a week in the business. Employers can offer one to three different plans.

“The prices are competitive and the coverage is great,” Keough says. “The more people we get enrolled, the stronger the plan will be.”

Since she began working with ALCIdaho in 2000, obtaining affordable health insurance has always been an issue for association members, Keough says. The group tried a self-funded plan 40 years ago but wasn’t able to sustain it. She adds that ALC-Idaho members have always wanted some sort of health plan but their voices have become louder more recently as costs have risen.

The association was able to put the plan together by working with its longtime affiliated insurance company Associated Insurance Service, which in turn has coordinated with PacificSource Health Plans.

Emily Koleno, director of operations for Associated Insurance, notes that the ALC-Idaho board has been tremendously supportive of the formal process as the plan was developed over roughly 16 months. She adds that officials with the Idaho Dept. of Insurance were very responsive and ALC-Idaho’s experienced staff were a big help. PacificSource also has some of its business roots in the forest products industry and their people were excited about helping make the plan work, she says.

The issue of health insurance being offered—or not—by logging contractors is increasingly being raised as a big obstacle to both recruiting employees and retaining the ones already on the payroll.

In addition to Idaho several other groups are also working on health plans. North Carolina Forestry Assn. (NCFA) is putting together a health care plan that the group hopes to begin offering the first of 2024, pending a board vote in September.

Other logging groups are taking a closer look: An item in the Timber Bulletin newsletter from the Minnesota Timber Producers Assn. (TPA) noted that the group’s annual meeting included presentations on the steps required to put together a plan.

TPA Executive Vice President Ray Higgins reports that the association has begun working with Choice Plans to begin research about a potential plan.

RANCHHAND

By Dan Shell

Built to support forest health activities, Blanca Forestry Products expands capabilities.

BLANCA, Colo.

Located in the remote San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, Blanca Forestry Products is truly a different kind of sawmill, built seven years ago to support wildfire mitigation efforts on the largest ranch in the state. But to do so most effectively, the mill has also grown to utilize additional log sources and increased production that makes the facility more readily available to handle the timber coming off the ranch, says General Manag-

er Rick Engebretsen, who joined the Blanca Forestry Products team in 2020. He has an extensive background in the industry, mostly on the hardwood side with stints at Northwest Hardwoods and Collins Companies’ Kane Hardwood operation. The mill was established to help boost the local economy and provide an outlet for thinning material coming off the Trinchera Blanca Ranch, the largest private holding in Colorado at 172,000 acres that includes more than 90,000 forested acres.

developing and implementing wildfire mitigation strategies on the ranch, which had suffered a 14,000 acre forest fire in 2006. But the environmentally significant ranch—a Rocky Mountains gem that includes several 14,000 ft. peaks in southern Colorado—had been suffering from forest health issues.

Overstocked forests created by wellmeaning fire suppression policies have been ripe for stress and pests as prolonged drought and insect infestation from spruce budworms and bark beetles have left Colorado timberlands extremely vulnerable to wildfire. The spruce budworm has been especially devastating, turning whole high elevation mountainsides into thousands of acres of standing dead timber.

Yet efforts to directly employ forest health improvements on the ranch were hampered by a lack of local timber processing outlets and facilities that limited annual harvests top around 500 acres annually, according to some reports. Ranch managers did as best they could, but the effort didn’t get a big push until

Microtec lumber grading system includes Ai capability and Mictotec QCAssist tool and Grade-Vu projector to enhance quality improvement.

In this application, Maxi-Mill overhead end-dogging primary breakdown operates best as

All material from the Maxi-Mill is routed through the TMT gang edger.

Ranch ownership formed Blanca Forestry Products, a strategic move to develop the ranch’s own processing capability to utilize timber from its forest health improvement activities.

sawmills have with their wood baskets: In this case, the sawmill was built to serve the forest, not the other way around. After groundbreaking and construction in 2016, the new mill received its first logs and started up in February 2017.

In the six years since the sawmill started up, the facility has expanded to more than 25MMBF of annual pro-

All production is kiln-dried, including an increasing amount of 1 in. pine boards from material coming off other forest projects.

spruce salvage timber. Other species sawn include Douglas fir, white fir and ponderosa pine. With more aspen coming off the ranch, mill managers are also in the early stages of developing an aspen program to take advantage of the resource.

One ongoing aspect of raw materials procurement working with so much salvage material is the in-

Mill Manager Rick Engebretsen, left, and Dalton Vega, operations superintendent

evitable culling and bucking to short lengths. The sawmill has responded with a firewood production program, using a Multitek firewood processor. The material is moved in wholesale bulk to distributors along Colorado’s Front Range, where demand has been phenomenal. “It’s been terrific for us to help take care of those logs that can’t go in the mill,” Engebretsen says, adding that the operation produces a truckload a day that’s shipped into the heavily

facility or large-scale pellet mill and relatively few high volume chip or hog fuel consuming businesses within viable distances.

The mill’s chip production is utilized on site in a new Hurst boiler, and is also marketed to a local agricultural pellet

smaller customers.

The mill’s primary lumber market is the stud market, 2x4-2x6, with 8-12 ft. dimension produced as well and everything is certified under WWPA. Engebretsen notes that the ranch’s high elevation timber, with its tight growth rings,

Blanca Forestry Products lumber is marketed heavily in Colorado and sold all over with WWPA certification.

makes a great stud product.

Though the mill isn’t considered a board manufacturer, an influx of lower elevation ponderosa pine this past spring led to some 1x4 and 1x6 pine board production. The mill will likely see more pine logs from a large Boy Scout Ranch fire mitigation project in New Mexico that has been seeking markets and will take several years.

“The ponderosa is a bit better for boards, with a better price than studs and it also helps us get logs to the mill,” Engebretsen says.

PERSONNEL

In addition to providing an outlet for logs and raw material produced during Trinchera Ranch’s forest health improvement activities, Blanca Forestry Products also has an objective to provide much-needed economic development to the east side of the Mystic San Luis Valley.

Home to 3,500 residents, Costilla County is one of the poorest in the state, and the mill immediately became one of the county’s largest private employers

Engebretsen says that mill ownership has made a commitment to paying a premium wage for the region, with a benefits package that includes medical-dental, 401-k and a safety bonus program—even a gym membership.

“We try to make it very attractive to work here,” Engebretsen says, noting the mill currently employs 80-90. Operations in mid July included two sawmill shifts, one planer mill shift and three shifts for the firewood program.

FLOW

The mill accepts logs from 7 in. diameter small end, minimum 16 ft. length. The ranch works with one major logging contractor that handles much of the timber salvage work with two-man crews operating Ponsse cut-to-length harvester and forwarding machines that can safely handle steep slope operations. The mill, however, works with roughly 10 separate logging contractors.

All incoming logs are bought by weight over an Everweigh scale system. A Caterpillar 980 wheel loader unloads trucks, and a Caterpillar 324 handles log decking. Sorts are by species only.

Logs are fed to the infeed deck by the Cat 980, and pass under a Progress Engineering scanning system with single bucking saw. Logs are processed through a Nicholson A5 26 in. debarker.

Primary breakdown is a Maxi-Mill overhead end-dogging carriage system that feeds through two chipping heads and a set of bandmills.

Engebretsen notes that the Maxi-Mill

Hurst boiler runs off residuals from the mill.

works best with 10-14 in. logs that can be single-passed with sideboards and a 6 in. cant dropping and keeping production moving.

All production flows to a TMT combination gang edger that features JoeScan heads on its scanning and optimization system and can handle up to 6 in cants. A tipple operator downstream from the gang edger sends boards to either a resaw or a green chain. The green chain feeds to a USNR stacker.

Lumber packs are fed to a set of 85 ft. USNR kilns, one single- and one doubletrack unit. Kilns are heated with a new Hurst boiler that’s fired with residuals produced on site.

The planer mill features a StetsonRoss planer. The facility received a major upgrade in August 2022 with the installation of a Lucidyne, now-Microtec grade scanning system. The unit comes standard with Microtec Ai capability that utilizes Microtec’s QCAssist tool to optimize communications during quality control activities.

Mill operators also invested in a Microtec Grade-VU projector system that facilitates grading and continuous process improvement efforts. Engrebretsen notes the system has made a big difference in operating speed and uptime—and most importantly has provided a 7% improvement in grade uplift since it went in to go with a small drop in trim loss.

Lumber flows to a Newnes trimmer with recently added USNR paddle fence system—and on to a USNR sorter. A Signode hand-wrapping station prepares packages for shipping.

The mill employs more than 80 and recently added a firewood program.

In addition to its forest health mission, Blanca Forestry Products is a key private employer in Colorado's remote San Luis Valley, paying solid wages with good benefits.

NWH PURCHASES POST HARDWOODS

NWH, manufacturer and supplier of hardwood lumber to North America, Europe and Asia, has acquired Post Hardwoods, a long-standing hardwood supplier and manufacturer based in Hamilton, Mich.

Post Hardwoods, established in 1980

by brothers Bob and Junior Post, is renowned for delivering high-quality and diverse hardwood lumber and logs from the Glacial region to their customers. The company’s 13,500 sq. ft. sawmill facility is situated on 20 acres, approximately 35 miles south of Grand Rapids.

“The acquisition of Post Hardwoods marks an important milestone in NWH’s growth,” comments Nathan Jeppson, CEO of NWH. “Their impressive opera-

tions complement our customer commitment to reinforce and expand our position as a global leader in hardwood supply.”

Post Hardwoods’ extensive log sales business enhances NWH’s product range and flexibility, offering customers greater variety. The acquisition also gives NWH access to an array of sought-after Glacial species. Additionally, Post Hardwoods’ deep experience in sawing high-quality lumber and superior sourcing capabilities broadens NWH’s supply chain.

“We’re delighted to be joining the NWH family,” adds Bob Post, CEO of Post Hardwoods. “This move paves the way for exciting new opportunities for our team while allowing us to uphold our unwavering commitment to quality. Together, we can better serve our customers and lead the hardwood industry into the future.”

“As a long-term customer and partner of Post Hardwoods, we have first-hand experience with the exceptional quality their mill delivers,” Jeppson adds. “This acquisition underscores the strength of our long-standing relationship and mutual commitment to industry excellence.”

BID IS ACQUIRING SAWS/TOOLING FIRM

BID Group is acquiring Industrial Cutting Solutions, a supplier and service provider of high-quality saws and critical consumable products to the wood processing industry. Located in Buhl, Ala., Industrial Cutting Solutions is positioned to meet growing customer demand for wood processing saw supply and service.

“We are excited to partner with the Houston family and the Industrial Cutting Solutions team,” says Dustin Norris, Vice President, Smith Sawmill Service. “This marks another important step in growing with our valued customers demand for modern, high quality and innovative saw and tooling technology solutions. Together with Smith Sawmill Service and BID’s BLADE cutting tool solutions, we are pleased to continue incorporating saw and tooling technologies into our BID turnkey, wood process systems, and aftermarket support offerings.”

“We are pleased to join industry leaders BID and Smith Sawmill Services,” adds Keith Houston of Industrial Cutting Solutions. “I would like to thank our team for their dedication and hard work. We are confident this partnership will provide our employees, suppliers and

customers with exciting opportunities and benefits for years to come.”

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

BOISE CASCADE BUYS BROSCO

Boise Cascade is purchasing Brockway-Smith Co., a wholesale distributor specializing in doors and millwork, including two full-scale distribution centers, for $172 million.

BROSCO is a fifth-generation, familyowned company founded in 1890. It operates distribution centers in Hatfield, Mass. and Portland, Maine. In addition to interior and exterior doors, BROSCO’s offerings include moldings, railings, windows, stair parts, and composite products.

Boise Cascade currently operates 10 millwork locations in some of the nation’s fastest-growing markets, specializing in exterior and interior doors, frames, hardware, and pre-finishing options.

Closing of the transaction is expected to be completed in early fourth quarter.

JAPAN PAPER MILLS LOOK TO NANOFIBER

Major Japanese paper manufacturers are developing a new wood fiber material that could help promote decarbonization and reduce the use of plastics. With

demand for paper in the doldrums, the industry is looking to expand the use of wood, a renewable resource, beyond paper products.

Domestic demand for paper and paperboard has been falling since its peak in 2000. In 2023, demand is expected to slump to 22.58 million tons, down 30% from 2000, as companies have digitalized more of their operations and encouraged remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Soaring prices of coal and wood chips have also weighed heavily on the bottom lines of major paper manufacturers.

To overcome the situation, the companies are developing cellulose nanofibers, or CNF, seeing them as a promising next-generation material.

CNF is a fine fiber with a diameter of nanometers, created by the loosening of wood fibers, or pulp, supplied from forests. It is light and strong, and has excellent elasticity. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.

The addition of CNF can create highstrength materials and reduce the use of plastics. They are expected to be used in vehicles, home electric appliances and building materials.

Nippon Paper Industries, in collaboration with Yamaha Motor, is developing reinforced resin mixed with CNF for use in engine parts for personal watercraft. The CNF reinforced resin, manufactured at Nippon Paper’s plant in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, will be used in parts for the 2024 model, marking its first application

in mass-produced vehicles in Japan.

Safety and strength are the top priorities for CNF use in vehicles. Working with a motor sports team, Daio Paper has since 2019 provided CNF parts for use in the bodies of electric vehicles competing in auto races in the United States, aiming to make the EVs more durable and lightweight. In 2022, they were used at the front and rear of vehicle bodies, contributing to a weight reduction of about 60 kilograms.

By verifying strength in the rigorous environment of auto racing, “we are exploring the possibility of shifting practical application from racing vehicle parts to general-purpose vehicle parts,” Daio Paper Senior Executive Officer Michihiko Tamaki says.

Although CNF has excellent environmental features, including raw materials procurement from sustainable forests, it has yet to be adopted widely in vehicles or home appliances.

One major obstacle to wide applications of CNF is its cost, which is higher by “orders of magnitude,” an industry official says. Manufacturers are speeding up efforts to develop CNF applications that can secure large shipment volumes, because “if shipment volume increases, the price could be lowered to a level that encourages wider use (of CNF),” in the words of the official.

Oji Holdings has developed highstrength resin pellets using cellulose materials that have not been refined to the level of CNF, using technology devel-

oped in its CNF research. Due to their excellent impact resistance, the company aims to put the pellets into practical use for automobile interior materials.

“If cellulose products (with lower costs than CNF) are accepted (by customers), views on CNF will also change,” adds Mitsuru Kobayashi, head of Oji Holdings’ CNF Research and Development Center. The company hopes to compete in the market on the basis of the high quality of its products, without offering discounts.

According to a survey by Yano Research Institute, the production capacity of domestic CNF facilities stands at about 1,070 tons per year. “The next few years are expected to be a crucial period to secure future demand,” the institute says.

(Article as appeared in the Japan Times.)

AEP PURCHASES TRUSS PRODUCER

Atlas Engineered Products (AEP) has completed the acquisition of Léon Chouinard et Fils Co. Ltd (LCF), a man-

ufacturer of roof trusses, floor systems, and wall panels and a supplier of engineered wood products, located in New Brunswick, Can.

“We are excited to announce the acquisition of our eighth manufacturing facility. Now is the time to move forward with a strategic acquisition that expands

our reach into a new location as we continue to grow our national footprint,” comments Hadi Abassi, CEO, President and founder of AEP.

AEP is a growth company that is acquiring and operating established operations in Canada’s truss and engineered products industry.

COMING IN OCTOBER: GLOBAL MACHINERY

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed elsewhere in this issue. Please refer to those advertisements for web site and contact information. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.

BID GROUP

BID Group’s groundbreaking Trimmer SmartTool is set to transform lumber production by swiftly and accurately detecting sawing anomalies through the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This innovative solution eliminates the need for manual quality checks, ensuring product excellence and increased production.

Powered by BID’s cutting-edge AI vision technology, the Trimmer SmartTool identifies board origins, assesses quality, and pinpoints defective or misaligned cutting tools. This innovation is a key part of the SmartTool Quality Control Suite, elevating operational intelligence within your production lines.

Leveraging BID’s industry-leading AI, the Trimmer SmartTool achieves the remarkable feat of automatically identifying the specific cutting tool responsible for processing a board’s face (patent pending). This capability simplifies the detection of cutting accuracy issues, empowering users to monitor trends, anticipate problems, and rectify dimensional anomalies effortlessly.

Activated on the trimmer line, the integrated software works seamlessly with Comact optimizers’ high-precision measuring devices. It continuously computes vital statistics, such as piece-to-piece sawing deviation, bevel, and thickness/width taper, presenting data through user-friendly dashboards and reports. Custom alarms and email notifications ensure timely issue awareness, whether you’re on-site or remote.

The SmartTool requires vision on the trimmer, achievable through a Comact TrimExpert or retrofitting a Comact trimmer optimizer with a vision section. The Trimmer SmartTool seamlessly integrates with up-to-date software versions, harnessing the power of Comact’s renowned Deep Learning AI engine.

Ultimately, the Trimmer SmartTool empowers lumber production with AI-driven anomaly detection, streamlined within Comact’s optimizing software and supported by BID’s 24/7 service. It guarantees consistent product quality, reduces the need for recurrent quality checks, and enables efficient control of sawing dimensions.

To explore how BID’s Trimmer SmartTool can enhance your production quality, reach out to your BID representative. Elevate your lumber production with AI precision and secure your peace of mind.

CLEEREMAN INDUSTRIES

In 2023, Cleereman Industries observed a surge in capital expenditure within the hardwood and softwood sawmill sectors. Numerous mills have decided to replace outdated equipment and controls, aiming to optimize operational speed and enhance yield recovery. A shared challenge faced by both sawmills and equipment manufacturers alike is a shortage of available skilled labor.

In 2021, Cleereman Industries introduced the innovative Cleereman Edger Line tailored to the sawmill industry. Fast-forward to July 2023, and the successful installation of more than a dozen of our optimized edgers has yielded promising results. Customers are reporting notable spikes in production output and yield. The newly designed edger seamlessly integrates into existing edger locations with minimal adjustments required for surrounding equipment.

Our edger was meticulously designed to elevate production efficiency, alleviate operator fatigue, and ultimately maximize mill yield. As of this writing, we’ve sold 34 edgers since the Richmond Expo in 2021, and customer feedback highlights their satisfaction with both the competitive pricing and superior quality.

Cleereman Controls specializes in crafting carriage controls, edger controls (both optimized and non-optimized), along with debarkers, trimmers, resaws, slabbers, and material handling solutions. Complemented by an in-house engineering division, Cleereman Industries is poised to address diverse customer needs. Our offerings span from individual equipment components to comprehensive turnkey sawmill designs along with our custom sawmill controls and on site consultation and installation services.

Over the last several years we have seen our industry go more towards the one stop shop style of purchasing. Our in-house engineering department has allowed us to handle not only equipment but electrical MCC/Starter design of cabinets and building/foundation layouts. In addition, we maintain a comprehensive stock of all parts for our machines in-house, enabling same-day shipments or pickups. We’re dedicated to guiding our customers through every phase of their sawmill projects.

BID’s Trimmer SmartTool: detecting sawing anomalies with AI precision

Cleereman edger line has come on strong since introduction in 2021.

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CONE OMEGA

Cone Omega, LLC, well known for its innovative primary breakdown equipment systems, also offers a full line of secondary breakdown equipment that includes horizontal and vertical gang saw systems and high-speed edger systems. Gang saw options include conventional straight sawing in both horizontal and vertical configurations as well as our unique curve canting and linebar curve sawing system. Both straight and curve-sawing systems are offered with or without profiling. The edger product line includes 2, 3, 4 and 5 saw all with or without a reman option. Both the gang and edger lines utilize a rugged and reliable feed table design.

Our vertical gangs are for use with our 4-sided canter lines. The vertical gangs are offered in a single (VSA) or double (VDA) arbor configuration depending on log size and product mix. Our vertical gangs all feature a unitized main frame with heavy duty components and simple but accurate adjustment for many years of service. The arbor on the linebar side is offered as a bank of fixed saws or a split shifting rack, that allows the user to produce 5/4 lumber, 7/4 lumber and 4 in. and 6 in. timbers in combination all on the fly.

The curve canter chips around the curve to prepare cants for the linebar curve gang that is out of line from the canter. We offer multiple shifting timbers pockets and multiple banks of saws for various board thicknesses all in the same guide configuration. Since the gang is a versa gang style machine it can shift relative to the linebar as needed and the guide banks shift independently of the main box. The infeed roll module in front of the gang includes the patented variable pitch, variable lead linebar system for super accurate sawing around the curve.

The edger line features precision adjustment of all components and simplicity of design for maximum reliability. We are now offering our super fetcher feed table with our edger systems. The super fetcher design uses linear bearings and rails for maximum reliability. We have many units in operation capable of averaging 35-40 ppm and up to 45 ppm.

GF SMITH

Gmachine Company of Portland Ore. and Parton Lumber Co. of Rutherfordton, NC. recently completed the installation of a new Gmachine 10 in. versa-gang saw with snapshot scanning and positioning infeed system feeding a two-sided canter system and a gang saw module with two shifting saw clusters.

The Gmachine system was selected by mill owners Furman and Patrick Parton for its compact and flexible design, and volumetric as well as grade recovery improvement capabilities.

The new machine was initially targeted to be installed in the existing gang location; however, during the design process, the plan was changed to install the new equipment just outside of the existing mill building to improve flow and machine access. The first startup phase was completed in December 2022 and the final startup at the first of this year when all mill flow modifications and connections were completed.

Designed to fit into mills with existing gang saws, this short coupled design utilizes a “snapshot” scan system mounted directly over the positioning type infeed table. Cants are loaded onto the table where the scan system takes a “snapshot” of the shape using multiple 2d laser scan heads to visualize the cants from both sides. The cants are then automatically positioned to implement the optimized solution and are presented to conical saw face canter heads. The chip heads incorporate a saw face design to ensure the highest quality surface on the finished lumber and are positioned using high speed linear actuators on precision linear rails.

Eliminating personnel from a dangerous and hard to staff position behind the gang saw by removing the slabs with chip heads improved both the safety and economics of the machine center operation.

After chipping, the cants immediately feed into the versa gang sawing module which incorporates a “clam shell” design with two moveable and configurable saw clusters on a common arbor to achieve the highest flexibility in production configurations. With the mill operating at full capacity, the machine consistently averages approximately eight cants a minute and mill owners believe that the machine has improved volumetric recovery in excess of 5%.

Cone Omega specializes in secondary as well as primary breakdown equipment.

Gmachine versa-gang with snapshot scanning

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LICO

Over its 30-year history, Lico has consistently stood at the forefront of the lumber and woodworking industries. Our distinction comes not only from the quality and durability of our equipment, but also from our adaptable, fully customized designs. From day one, our unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction propelled us to craft a unique after-sales approach, becoming a hallmark of our brand.

In response to recent customer feedback:

—We’ve expanded our range of primary and secondary breakdown equipment.

—We’ve launched the new 10 in. canter gang with profilers (DEP series), a testament to our adaptive solutions. This cutting-edge tool has empowered clients in the southern yellow pine industry to elevate their operations.

—Other primary breakdown solutions are actively in the pipeline.

Lico’s innovation doesn’t stop there:

—We proudly lead the market with our high-speed board edgers.

—Our product suite has grown to feature the new high-speed automatic crosscutting system and our NHLA grading system. Our pledge to the woodworking industry remains as steadfast as ever. As we evolve, we continue to develop ground-breaking products to serve our customers better.

LIMAB

LIMAB was founded about 40 years ago and has a long tradition of developing and manufacturing laser based technology. We supply 2D ProfiCura and 1D PreciCura laser sensors and complete systems for dimensional and profile measurement in sawmills, panel production and steel mills. Headquarters and manufacturing plant is located in Gothenburg, Sweden. LIMAB has regional offices in the USA, UK and Germany as well as approved distributors and partners in other regions.

BoardProfiler is the system for the wood industry that was developed more than 30 years ago and it has to date been sold in more than 250 systems. We call our latest version of the system Boardprofiler 3D, which today is available in four versions. The great thing about our system is that the software is almost identical for all versions, which has proved interesting for several customers as they have invested in both edger and trimmer in their lines. All versions are also available for transverse and longitudinal processes.

l Block control (optimization for chipper or rip saw)

l Edger

l Trimmer

l Classifier (Sorter, Dimensional control)

LIMAB BoardProfiler Block Control system builds on our edger which has been successful since the first system was sold about 10 years ago. The system is easy to install, takes up little space in the process, easy to integrate with sawmill automation systems and has a simple and easy-to-understand software. The sensors used in Block Control and edger are normally our own 2D sensor, ProfiCura 600, 700 or 800; each sensor with a high resolution of 640 measuring points across the line. The number in the series indicates the length we have on the laser line that measures the block or board. In that way, we can optimize the measurement and use the sensor that provides the best yield and measurement

Block Control functions include:

l Rip saw, up to eight saw blades

l Positioning for chipper

l Dimensional positioning of block

l Dimensional control of block

LIMAB edger is more or less the same system as the Block system. It has the same functions and also include skewing and trimming if necessary.

Lico high speed board edger line

LIMAB ProfiCura board measurement

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LMI TECHNOLOGIES

LMI Technologies is a global leader and longstanding, trusted provider of 3D scanning solutions for lumber optimization applications. We design and deliver the sensors that operators use to carry out accurate, highspeed log and board volume and value recovery in the sawmill and planer mill.

Our high-performance, cost-efficient 2D+3D wood scanning solutions cover a wide range of capabilities including profiling wood for size and shape, building high resolution color images for defect inspection, full tracheid measurement for improved knot detection, and even machine monitoring in size control solutions.

A combination of cant edger and gang saw systems cuts cants into boards in order to achieve high-volume, high-value production rates. In lineal gang saw systems, Gocator sensors are used to determine optimal cutlines on flitches and cants as they are fed lengthwise into an edger or gang saw.

Gocator sensors can also be used for monitoring mill machinery. Such applications include (1) gang lumber size machine monitoring, (2) lumber width and thickness monitoring on the outfeed of lineal edgers and planers, and (3) opening face monitoring on log breakdown machine centers. For example in gang lumber size machine monitoring applications, a Gocator 3D laser profiler is mounted above the gang saw outfeed, scanning the surface of the cant after it has been sawn into boards in order to measure board width and monitor for accurate kerf over time.

In this common downstream gang saw setup two Gocator 2380 laser line profilers are angled at an edger infeed for flitch width cutting optimization. Data is communicated in real-time to third party software where optimal cutting decisions are calculated and sent to the appropriate cutting machinery. Gocator sensors also provide their suite of on-sensor filters and measurement tools should the operator choose to use them. For cant scanning in less common off-axis, transverse gang saw applications, LMI offers the Gocator 210 multi-point scanner with a larger measurement range.

MCDONOUGH

McDonough Manufacturing Co. is a global supplier of specialized machine solutions since 1888. Built on a foundation of trust, McDonough focuses on mutual honesty, long-term ethics and meeting customer quality expectations.

McDonough’s complete line of board edgers ranges from some of the world’s fastest optimized edger systems to manual edgers and combination edgers for smaller sawmills everywhere. The OptiFit linear edger has become the most popular edger system for modern hardwood sawmills based on its ability to deliver exceptional yield, short payback and long-term durability.

l OptiFit Linear Board Edger: Designed to fit in every hardwood sawmill in the country, the OptiFit linear board edger maximizes yield without having to expand your sawmill. This board edger system will handle everything your carriage and resaw can throw at it and provide your sawmill with huge gains in yield and profitability.

l Optimized Linear Board Edger: We are the industry leader in the optimized board edger market with all the unique design features of our linear board edger systems. Field experience and customer consultation that is combined with careful engineering ensure our board edger is the most accurate and easiest to maintain board edger on the market.

l Optimized Transverse Board Edger: Available as a dedicated board edger or gang, this machine can also be configured to handle both boards and cants to maximize the return on your investment. With board edger piece counts of up to 40 pieces per minute, this machine is designed to drop into your existing edger footprint with our unique short coupled outfeed system. Dramatic increases in yield over conventional board and gang edgers make this machine a quick payback candidate for any sawmill.

Whether you are looking at installing a new or used McDonough line, or any other brand, your first call should be to the professionals at McDonough—we’ve been doing this for more than 130 years.

McDonough offers board edger flexibility.

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MELLOTT

The Mellott drop saw trimmer is a line shaft driven trimmer that can be powered hydraulically or electrically. The standard version of the trimmer has 4 ft. thru 16 ft. saws on 24 in. centers with a “0” saw and a (-1 ft.) saw. The trimmer frame can be widened and saw ladders added in order to trim 18 ft. and 20 ft.

The Mellott ruggedly built trimmer is designed with the ability to be used for production of crane mat material. The trimmer has the capacity to trim up to 8 in. material and will pass up to 12 in. cants. Not only is this trimmer heavily built, the innovative saw ladder design allows for quick belt replacement without loss of saw alignment. The trimmer features dual assists springs to raise saws quickly and stacked cylinders for three saw positions (trimming, partially raised to pass boards and small cants, fully raised to pass thru ties and large cants).

Soapstone Sawmill, located in Peach Bottom, Pa., has installed a Mellott drop saw trimmer. Owner Ben Stoltzfus added a new Mellott drop saw trimmer with 11 saw ladders to handle 20 ft. material. Soapstone is sawing an estimated 45MBF of lumber a day for crane mats along with 10,000 to 15,000 board feet of specialty wood on a secondary mill.

The trimmer is modular and controls packages are designed to fit each particular application. An even ending module can be added to the outfeed of the trimmer to bring odd length and even length boards to the same even end line to make it easier for piling off of the green chain. A let down chain module is available to lower the boards down to the green chain level. In order to make installation as seamless as possible Mellott fully tests the trimmer system before shipping.

Mellott Manufacturing has an on-site engineering and design team capable of meeting the specific needs of each sawmill.

PROGRESS ENGINEERING

Sawmills have been utilizing optimization systems on edgers for many years. A few suppliers have a long history of providing these systems, and some have made improvements in their software over time. But both scanners and software have made major technological advances recently, and the best edger optimizers include these capabilities.

Meet EdgePRO, Progress Engineering’s edger optimizer, developed with sawmill operations personnel in mind. EdgePRO uses the latest in scanning technology and combines it with our proprietary best yield software to provide a cost effective, efficient and precise cut solution.

EdgePRO supports top and bottom scanning on both transverse or linear edgers. Benefits include:

l Operator selectable grading option prior to scanning

l Multiple products per grade, configurable by size and wane rules, including individual product wane rules for thickness, width (face), and length

l Online and offline modes; offline allows you to review previous board solutions

l EdgePRO allows a variety of value-optimized solutions including those for single-board random width, single and multiboard nominal width, and multi-product gang edgers.

EdgePRO can also be integrated with ReportPRO, a web-based reporting application. With ReportPRO, the user can see realtime production data, statistics, downtime reports, and receive alerts on machine status.

Progress Engineering’s licensed professionals bring more than 30 years of industrial automation experience to our clients’ projects. The PRO suite of optimization systems represent just one of the thoughtfully designed, latest technology, and commonsense automation and controls solutions on which we’ve built our reputation.

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REAL PERFORMANCE MACHINERY

Real Performance Machinery (RPM) is a world class manufacturer of machinery for sawmills and the wood production industry. Our team is composed of industry leading experts in engineering design, manufacturing, automation, controls development, customer service, project management and support. We focus on delivering the highest standards in the industry and specializing in high-value, technologically advanced machinery. Our target market segment is serving sawmills with purpose built, solution-based machinery and equipment in primary and secondary breakdown processing. Our goal is not to simply build the most…Our mission is to passionately build the best!

RPM’s HOTT ProSaw systems are the most advanced secondary breakdown product. We provide the most accurate curve profiling and curve-sawing system, increasing throughput and maximizing your mill’s potential. RPM also offers our HOTT ProDog and HOTT ProCanter systems—both of which are designed to be the highest recovery primary breakdown options available on the market.

With (HOTT) Hanging-Over-The-Top Technology, the highest quality craftsmanship and components, our machine centers are fast, smooth and accurate, providing our customers immediate results. Our overhead designs center the canter/profiler sections and sawbox weight over the machine centerline and balances our systems like no other. HOTT reduces maintenance by getting critical components out of the debris field. Our small footprints allow our systems to fit where other offerings simply cannot without the expense of extensive facility modifications. All of our systems ship fully pre-wired and factory tested. This reduces on-site installation and commissioning times and brings immediate payback opportunities. If you want to enjoy a higher ROI, lower maintenance, better recovery, increased throughput and higher quality lumber with more reliability, RPM can provide proven results.

We work closely with all our customers and we strive to provide the best sales, installations and service in the industry. Our team is committed to exceeding expectations and will support your team before, during and after the sale.

Please contact us to learn more about our products and services. We look forward to showing you how to put some RPM into your primary and secondary breakdown processing.

CARBOTECH (AUTOLOG)

Autolog started its journey 35 years ago by offering industrial controls for sawmills and planer mills. It has since become recognized worldwide as a pioneer in wood processing optimization. Today, the company offers solutions for every part of the sawmill and planer mill. Several of its products now use the Artificial Intelligence. In 2021, the company was acquired by Carbotech.

As for the optimization of board trimming, Autolog was the first supplier from Eastern Canada to offer a transverse optimizer and they became so popular that most of the sawmills in Eastern Canada and New England with a trimmer optimizer were powered by Autolog. Then their optimizers evolved to Hermary sensors, which they still use today on every optimizer they build, even on the lineal ones.

The Autolog trimmer optimizers have many benefits. They’re scanning boards with a very high density, ¼ in. between each profile, thanks to the Hermary sensors. The sensors also scan at a great speed avoiding the use of light curtain to complete the 3D model of the boards. That feature makes the whole system more simple to run and to maintain since there is less components involved in the process.

The frame of the Autolog’s scanners are also unique; they are modular, making them easier to install and to handle in an existing sawmill. The sensors are also installed at an angle in that modular frame which is a great feature to avoid dust buildup on them and potential downtime for clean up. Also with that feature there is no need for air blast system to keep the sensors clean. The optimizers are so precise that they can also be used as a great size control tool. Each system includes a simulation package that allows the users to do simulations while the optimizer is in production. It also allows the simulation of different optimization parameters on multiple machines at the same time to see the impact on the whole process of the mill. Visual detection in sawmills is the next step for Autolog and we are very close to unveiling a new product.

RPM ProScission saw box

Autolog edger optimizer in a southern pine sawmill

SHOW UP SAWMILLERS

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

After six shows in Atlanta, Ga. dating back to 2011, the Southern Forest Products Assn., host of the biennial Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO, decided to move the 37th edition to Nashville, Tenn. Held August 23-25, this was an exciting change for exhibitors and attendees alike—the Music City Center was in the heart of the city, allowing everyone the chance to not only walk from the variety of hotels and top-notch restaurants to the show floor but also enjoy all that Nashville has to offer by way of its world-famous music scene.

“The move to Nashville exceeded all expectations,” commented Eric Gee,

at 217 exhibiting companies—a record number of exhibitors since 2007—spread over 58,337 square feet of machinery, in-

than 1,200 attendees, according to SFPA numbers released following the event. The three-day show covered everything from raw material handling to crane operations; metal detection and scanning technologies; log optimization, drying, grading, sorting, packaging, and distribution.

On the opening day, sponsors USNR, Real Performance Machinery, Optimil, The Timken Co., Nyle Dry Kilns, and MiCROTEC hosted a welcome reception on the show floor that proved popular.

Day two was jam-packed with events. First, SFPA announced the 2022 John Edgar Rhodes Sawmill Safety Excellence Awards during the Sawmill & Safety Awards Breakfast. For the second year in a row seven mills received 2022 Sawmill Safety Awards with zero

Music City U.S.A.

Show organizers said exhibitor and producer-attendee turnout exceeded expectations.

Chris and Jason Brochu from DoverFoxcroft, Maine. (A cover story on the Brochus appeared in the January/Febru-

LUMBER ON STAGE

Lumber producers who made the trek

tured a wide range of speakers who delivered insights on different facets of mill operations.

According to Jessica Johnson, Conference Chairwoman who assembled the program, almost 100 Southern sawmillers—and at least one from Colorado and one from Oregon—registered for the conference. “We were so excited to be back at EXPO with SFPA. This year’s program had one of the best lineups of sawmill-speakers we’ve ever had,”

Timber Processing Persons of the Year, left to right, Jason and Chris Brochu

Canfor’s Bryant Beadles

she says. “The range of experience among our speakers really showed the current landscape of the industry, especially in the Southern U.S. Ending the morning discussing a new training initiative for saw filers widely supported by corporate mills really got the attention of the independents in the room.”

Kicking off the morning session was Bryant Beadles, General Manager of the Central Div., Canfor Southern Pine. Born into a sawmilling family, Beadles worked there and in the panel industry before operating his own sawmill that he

owners (sometimes many) who don’t necessarily have the same priorities as mill management, especially when it comes to taking money from the company versus reinvesting. With private companies, “Shareholders aren’t always involved,” he said.

Beadles added that Southern independent mills continue to seek buyers, that he’d been contacted by several in the

tinue and many supervisory personnel are nearing retirement age.

Tommy Stansell, Chief Operating Officer for CLAW Forestry, gave a presentation detailing how his company acquired the legendary Anderson-Tully hardwood flooring mill at Vicksburg, Miss. and transformed it into a pine lumber producer. He added that later this year, the company hopes to roll out a new

Westervelt’s Cade Warner

CLAW’s Tommy Stansell

branding to encompass its production facilities at Vicksburg and Ackerman, Miss.

Cade Warner, Chief Operating Officer (and soon to be CEO) for The Westervelt Co., gave a presentation detailing the company’s history that dates to 1884 and its evolution into five business segments today.

Looking at the company’s lumber business, Warner noted that key “tailwind drivers” for that segment include pent up demographic demand, underbuilt and old housing stock nationwide, new demand sources like mass timber and residuals markets and ESG-Sustainability investment trends.

Warner added that “headwind trends” challenging the lumber industry are material, labor and energy inflation, a changing workforce, international issues, logging constraints, and an oversupply of SYP on the market as multiple new producers come on-line.

One presentation in the morning session that left people talking into the lunch break came from Scott Ellsworth of Jobs for the Future and Paolo Morales of Reliability Solutions, who are heading up a new on-line saw filer training program.

Seeking to apply the traditional apprenticeship advancement process of the machinist to saw filer training, the two are seeking to further engage employers in developing and implementing saw filer apprenticeship programs that can help in recruitment of new employees and retention of experienced ones.

“Invest and commit to your employees and they’ll commit to you,” Ellsworth said, noting that studies show most apprentices are still with the companies that have implemented the program one to three years later.

The presentation drew several questions and left Ellsworth and Morales involved in discussions as the morning session ended and the room emptied before lunch.

After lunch, three machinery veterans covered the topic of primary and secondary breakdown profiling technology. Shawn Guibergia, President and COO of Real Performance Machinery; Bill Craig, U.S. representative for profiling pioneer Linck; and Tony LaSalata, product line manager primary breakdown systems for USNR, all presented each company’s innovations and developments in profiling technology T P

Editors Jessica Johnson, Dan Shell and Jacqlyn Kirkland contributed to this coverage.

Bill Craig of Linck

USNR’s Tony LaSalata

MACHINERYROW

Glulam, CLT Projects Bring In Minda

As a specialist in engineered wood production lines, Minda has been a perfect partner for greenand brownfield projects for more than 40 years. One of the last brownfield projects was the extension of a glulam line in Poland for Andrewex Construction, the biggest manufacturer of glulam in Poland with more than 30 years of experience.

The goal was to replace an old flat glulam press for standard beams with a fully automatic glulam press for batch size 1 production. The TimberPress T120 was the solution for this project. The T120 is fed and discharged from the side and needs less space. The existing glue application line was modified to stack beams for the existing 40 m long curved glulam press and for the new Minda press.

The press package in the T120 at Andrewex can be up to 44.6 ft. long, 6.6 ft. high and 11.8 in. wide. The Minda TimberPress T120 was already built for beams up to 23.6 in. in width. The top pressure is applied by a hydraulic system with up to 116 PSI and monitored during the complete press cycle.

The decision to go with Minda was made by Andrewex in September 2022. Installation began in June 2023, and production started in July 2023.

l The next big greenfield project will be CLTech in Germany. Founded in 2018 with the target to shift the value chain in timber construction as far as possible to prefabrication, CLTech is an integrated service company that offers its customers—timber constructors and project developers—complete solutions in timber construction with in-house architects and structural engineers.

Minda will deliver, as general supplier, a fully automatic high-end CLT production line.

Particular attention was paid during the planning phase to resource efficiency and avoidance of waste. Therefore, CLTech will receive the newly developed Minda edge glue press for single-layer panels to produce layers directly with the required door and window cutouts. Thus, raw material is saved, and there is no need for the fingerjointer to process material which is not needed.

With the TimberPress X136 “pro,”

the single layers are pressed to CLT panels which are up to 54 ft. long and 11.5 ft. wide. The “pro” version scans the panels during the infeed so that pressure is only applied where needed. Design and manufacturing have already begun, and installation will start the beginning of 2024.

Lashway Enhances Drying Operation

U.S Department of Agriculture announced that Lashway Lumber, Williamsburg, Mass., will receive a $300,000 grant to support their project, “A better approach to drying wood in Massachusetts.” The grant will be used to improve energy efficiency and sustainability of their wood drying process.

At the heart of Lashway Lumber is Gerald Lashway and his two sons, Larry and Gerry, who share a passion for the wood industry. Founded in 1954, Lashway Lumber is now managed by its fourth generation of family entrepreneurs. What once started out as a classic sawmill has now expanded into a diverse wood business that includes a wide range of logging services and custom kiln drying.

The company wasted no time implementing the grant. Renovations are already underway to optimize and upgrade the wood drying facility. Owner and President Larry Lashway envisions creating “the most state-of-the-art small drying kiln facility on the East Coast,” with full operations expected by this fall. Lashway Lumber invested in four cutting-edge vacuum kilns from iDry. These innovative kilns dry wood faster and at lower temperatures, making the process more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

The arrival of these advanced kilns will

Minda offers glulam, CLT machinery and expertise.

signify a new chapter for Lashway Lumber. They will be capable of drying multiple species of wood simultaneously meaning that customers’ wait times will shrink from months to days. These vacuum kilns will also expand Lashway Lumber’s capabilities to dry a broader range of wood.

“We will be able to take trees that people don’t want in their yard or on the street and we can turn them into high quality products,” Lashway says. “It’s very special what we’re going to be doing here.”

This development will support the company’s sustainability goals and allow them to transform timber that might otherwise go unused. They plan to work with local companies and give this wood back to the community in different ways.

Lashway Lumber also recently established Mill River Slabworks, building upon the legacy started by their greatgrandfather. The Lashway family continues to innovate and adapt to meet the evolving needs of the industry. As they embrace the grant’s opportunities and push boundaries with their kiln facility, Lashway Lumber remains dedicated to

sustainable practices and the bright future it holds for their community and the wood industry as a whole.

Apprenticeship Program Starts Up At BID Group

In a significant development for the

prenticeship Carolina to launch a groundbreaking apprenticeship program in its Fabrication Shop. The program provides valuable opportunities for aspiring professionals in the manufacturing sector.

BID Group has committed to nurturing talent and strengthening the workforce by offering comprehensive hands-on training

op technical skills and a solid foundation in the manufacturing sector. This partnership with the Dept. of Labor ensures the program’s adherence to essential and professional standards.

To support this initiative, the Dept. of Labor and Apprenticeship Carolina will provide resources, oversight and guidance throughout the apprenticeship program. This collaboration highlights the government’s and state’s commitment to fostering skill development and promoting sustainable economic growth in St. George and the surrounding areas.

“By prioritizing the development of the next generation of manufacturing professionals, we are not only investing in their future but also in the sustainable growth of St. George and its neighboring areas. Together, we are nurturing talent, creating opportunities, and strengthening our community’s workforce for long-term success,” comments Simon Potvin, President of Wood Processing at BID.

The initiative offers an alternative pathway for individuals seeking rewarding careers in manufacturing while addressing the industry’s need for skilled workers. BID Group is currently welcoming its first students.

Apprenticeship program ribbon-cutting at St. George, SC

MACHINERYROW

Taylor Presents 50,000th Machine

Taylor Machine Works, Inc. presented SSA Marine with their 50,000th machine at SSA in Oakland, Calif. The XLC-976 had a unique American flag wrap to commemorate the special event.

Robert Taylor, COO of the Taylor Group of Companies, comments, “SSA has been a loyal Taylor customer for over 40 years and we are very excited to deliver this milestone XLC-976 Container Handler to our SSA family.”

The presentation was made to Edward DeNike, President of SSA Marine and COO of SSA Terminals, while Washington Liftruck’s Nancy Lee Smith looked on. Washington LIftruck, a long-time Taylor dealer, assisted in this commemorative event.

Taylor builds more than 100 models of material handling equipment in capacities from 4,000 lbs. to 125,000 lbs.

NEXT MONTH: GLOBAL MACHINERY

Left to right, Robert Taylor, COO of the Taylor Group of Companies, with Edward DeNike, President of SSA Marine, with Taylor’s 50,000th machine in the background

ARC PUSHER

GCAR Design, known for its industry leading and patented VLS (long log singulator) and the ALSLS (short wood singulator), has introduced a much improved and patent pending ARC style log pusher. The ARC Pusher is engineered to provide a single acting and balanced design, containing a robust and simple structure, an electric drive, oversized drive components and a complementary hopper.

PRODUCTSCANNER10

The log contacting surfaces are radial to easily withstand impact loads from dense logs. The lifting arms are balanced by utilizing an internal counterbalance, to efficiently lift and discharge the load of log(s) onto the built-in tail end of the takeaway log deck.

The ARC design contains a drive and actuating mechanism external to the bin walls. A robust infeed hopper is integral to the design, to ensure the optimal log presentation to the pusher face.

GCAR Design has a team with 50 years of practical mill experience with pushers and singulators across North America and Australia. This experience has taught that outstanding performance, a long and reliable operating life with minimal downtime, low and easy maintenance requirements, the correct control system, plus convenient and minimal internal debris cleaning are the major requirements for both sawmill and plywood operations.

All ARC pushers and hoppers are custom designed for both new and retrofit projects. For an animated and 3D view of the system, visit www.gcardesign.com. E-mail: sales@gcardesign.com

Weyerhaeuser Buys 22,000 Acres

In July, Weyerhaeuser acquired 22,000 acres of timberland in Mississippi for $60 million. The company states that the highly productive timberlands are strategically located to deliver immediate synergies with existing Weyerhaeuser operations and offer incremental real estate and natural climate solutions opportunities.

ROM Employees Better Themselves

The RoyOMartin University (ROMU) program identifies emerging leaders and develops their potential to ensure that the company maintains a pipeline of leaders prepared to take the next step in their careers.

Recently, Louisana-based RoyOMartin recognized Luke Briley, dry end manager, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Brett Danzy, mechanical maintenance superintendent, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Jermaine Davis, corporate purchasing coordinator, corpo-

rate office); and Kelly Matthews, senior sales representative, corporate office, for completing RoyOMartin University-Management. This program is designed for leaders already in place with the company at a supervisor, team leader, superintendent, or manager level.

The program utilizes four key components to develop the participants: experiential learning, formalized training, mentorship programs, and cross-departmental assignments.

“RoyOMartin is successful because of our people,” the company states. “We believe that growing people is essential to the future of the organization. Effective leadership is built on a solid foundation consisting of a clear mission, a vision for the future, strategy, and a learning culture.”

● The company also recognized a group of team members, who since January 2020 have participated in the Corporate College program at Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC), and have recently completed their Associate of Applied Science degrees, with concentrations in

general office and accounting.

They include John Budnik, Land and Timber; Jenna Foster, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Brandon Granger, Land and Timber; Crystal Hoover, corporate office; Cale Parker, Land and Timber; Raymond Rollins, Land and Timber; and Robyn Smith, corporate office.

Lumber Quality Workshops Announced

Terry Brown and the Lumber Quality Institute will again offer two lumber quality-related workshops in Salem, Ore. for the sawmill industry in November 2023.

The Lumber Quality and Process Control Workshop will be held November 67, and the Lumber Quality Leadership Workshop will be held November 8-9. These programs have earned the reputation for providing practical, mill-tested information that can result in millions of dollars of added revenue to a mill each year. Managers look to them as effective tools for educating supervisors from all areas of the sawmill.

Additional program information is

available at www.lumberquality.com/ pnw-workshops or by calling 503-9675965.

Maine Virtual Course Wants New Workers

A Maine forest industry coalition said it plans to use a grant of $113,243 to offer a 10-week, virtual course designed to help Mainers earn micro-credentials and college credits for jobs in the burgeoning sector.

The grant to the FOR/Maine (Forest Opportunity Roadmap) Coalition comes from a private trustee’s group and will be administered by the Maine Business Education Partnership.

FOR/Maine is a collaboration among industry, communities, government, education and nonprofits trying to realize the next generation of Maine’s forest economy. The coalition is supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and was created to assess Maine’s current industry, assets and readiness and determine a strategy to capitalize on

new opportunities.

The course will be called “The Business of Maine’s Forestry Products Sector” and will use industry and workforce partnerships to link Mainers with jobs, support resources, education and industry experts.

FOR/Maine, which is staffed by the Maine Development Foundation, will partner with Sunrise County Economic Council to develop and implement the course. It will be offered through Washington County Community College and available virtually to Mainers state wide.

“Participants will come away with the knowledge, credentials and relationships they need to begin their own career journey and earn a family-supporting wage,” says Denise Cilley, associate director of the Sunrise County Economic Council. “At the same time, companies will have a new pool of well-prepared candidates for the workforce they need to continue expanding in Maine.”

The need for skilled workers across the forest sector is growing, according to a 2021 FOR/Maine Workforce Strategy

Report. By 2030, more than 26% of the forest products workforce will have reached retirement age, with 37% at retirement age by 2035. Younger workers coming into the field are well below replacement levels.

“We have great jobs that pay familysupporting level salaries and generous benefits that we cannot fill,” says Ryan Bushey, human resources and safety manager for LP Corp.-Houlton and chair of the FOR/Maine Workforce Committee. “Between 1,100 and 1,300 jobs will be needed in emerging forest industries over the next decade. In addition, approximately 1,500 to 1,750 jobs will be needed in the harvesting industry. Programs like this course are a tremendous help.”

(As published in Mainebiz, by Laurie Schreiber)

Late Auburn Coach Leaves Land Gift

Auburn University Real Estate Foundation (AUREF) and the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment

(CFWE) have accepted a gift of 415 acres of Crooked Oaks Farm, the former homestead of legendary and deceased Auburn football coach Pat Dye. Located in Notasulga, Ala., the farm property includes Dye’s main house, a guest cabin, lodge, pavilion, gazebo, two barns and a nursery office.

“We had been longtime supporters of Auburn University through our charitable trust and in hosting fundraising events,

and the timing was right to make the gift,” says Nancy McDonald, Dye’s longtime partner and retired nursing educator at Auburn University at Montgomery.

AUREF is holding the gift from the Dye/McDonald Trust and McDonald on behalf of the university and the college. The college plans to continue its operations as an event venue, while expanding its use for student instruction and community outreach.

“We both knew we would donate the farm to the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment and seeing the work CFWE leaders have done since accepting the proposal, I could not be more confident that the land will be valued and held to the standard Pat and I always wanted to see,” McDonald says. “I feel his spirit in this, and I know what’s happening is something he would be proud of.”

Dye began developing the property in 1998 and continued to improve all aspects of the land until his death in 2020. Ponds, pastures and woodlands contain numerous Japanese maples, azaleas, camellias, native azaleas, boxwoods, gardenias, magnolias, oaks, pines, beeches, river birches and firs. Included in the area adjacent the nursery is a two-acre retreat of walking paths along a stream with falls and pools winding among 200 mature Japanese maple specimen trees of 71 Japanese maple cultivars.

When McDonald retired and moved to Crooked Oaks in 2004, the couple worked together on the farm and continued its development into a beautiful retreat and sanctuary for wildlife and rescued dogs, cats, donkeys and horses.

“To me, living on this place is like living in paradise,” Dye wrote of Crooked Oaks in his 2014 book, “After the Arena.” “The good Lord created it and then I just put a few touches on it so I can enjoy it and appreciate it, because no one can paint a picture like Mother Nature.”

When not in use for private events, leaders within the CFWE plan to conduct educational programs and other activities at the farm.

“This incredible gift will have a

Pat Dye at his farm in Notasulga

ATLARGE

tremendous impact on the college, our students and our academic programs,” says Janaki

R.R. Alavalapati,

the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment.

(Article from Auburn University communications)

Core Industries Plans Facility For Pellets Handling

Core Industries plans to invest $8.75 million to construct a processing and storage facility at its port facility in Mobile County to support a contract to handle wood pellets for CM Biomass, according to the Mobile Chamber and the Industrial Development Authority.

The project will create 28 jobs over the next five years. As part of its agreement with CM Biomass, Core Industries will receive, store and load wood pellets for shipment. To advance the collaboration, Core will build two warehouses, each spanning 57,600 sq. ft., at its existing location on Claudia Lane in Theodore, near Mobile.

Core Industries operates one of the largest privately held port facilities in the Southeast and boasts impressive capabilities to handle multiple vessels simultaneously, with a depth of 40 ft. and two docking facilities.

Denmark-based CM Biomass, one of the largest independent wood pellet trading companies in the world, has a pellet production facility in Jackson, Ala.

MAINEVENTS

SEPTEMBER

17-21—American Wood Protection Assn. Technical Committee meeting, Le Meridien Downtown Denver, Denver, Colo. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com.

19-21—Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. D.C. Summit, Capitol Hill Hotel, Washington DC. Call 504-443-4464; visit slma.org.

20-22—Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. annual meeting, Samoset Resort on the Ocean, Rockland, Maine. Call 207-829-6901; visit nelma.org.

20-23—IFMAC WOODMAC Indonesia—the International Furniture Manufacturing Components and Woodworking Machinery Exhibition, Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, Indonesia. Visit ifmac.net.

26-28—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Oaklawn Hotel & Spa, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-374-2441; visit arkforests.org.

27-29—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC. Call 800-231-7723; visit ncforestry.org.

OCTOBER

4-6—National Hardwood Lumber Assn. Annual Convention & Exhibit Showcase, Omni Louisville Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 901-377-1818; visit nhla.com.

6-8—Paul Bunyan Show, Guernsey County Fairgrounds, Cambridge, Ohio. Call 888-388-7337; visit ohioforest.org.

11-13—Alaska Forest Assn. Annual Convention, Cape Fox Lodge, Ketchikan, Alaska. Call 907-225-6114; visit akforest.org.

16-19—105th Annual Railway Tie Association Symposium and Technical Conference, Westin Buckhead, Atlanta, Ga. Call 770460-5553; visit rta.org.

18-20—Texas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, The Fredonia Hotel, Nacogdoches, Tex. Call 936-632-8733; visit texasforestry.org.

NOVEMBER

3— American Lumber Standard Committee annual meeting, Otis Hotel, Austin, Tex. Call 301-972-1700; visit alsc.org.

8-10—Forestry Assn. of South Carolina annual meeting, Wild Dunes, Isle of Palms, SC. Call 803-798-4170; visit scforestry.org.

MARCH 2024

12-13— Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit bioenergyshow.com.

14-15—Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit pelice-expo.com.

Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

This

issue of Timber Processing is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products.