High Country

By David Abbott UNICOI, Tenn.

As teenagers, many people don’t know what they want to do in life or in their career. Even when we finish high school, even if we go to college, even after graduating college, finding one’s life calling can be difficult for a lot of us. Some people go their whole lives and never really figure it out.

Most of those who come up or end up in the forest products industry don’t have that problem, and 5th generation logger Jerry Byrd was no exception. Byrd recalls an incident from his senior year of high school in 1994. He was assigned a project in his economics class to make a class presentation on what kind of career he wanted as an adult. Settling on a vocation was no problem; he already knew he wanted to get into logging. “This is a logging area,” Byrd says of his part of Tennessee.

Byrd made his presentation in front of the class, using spreadsheets a copy of Southern Loggin’ Times His teacher noticed the Pitts Trailers ad on the back cover, which at that time still featured the “Pitts Girls” promotion (“You’re ahead with a Pitts behind”). She asked him what that had to do with his future in logging. “Well, see,” he replied jokingly, “The one on the right there, that’s the one I’m gonna marry.”

Now 47, he owns Jerry Byrd Logging, a one-crew operation that focuses on steep ground in east Tennessee. He went into business right after finishing high school in 1994, partnering with his dad. Jerry bought his first truck that year, a 1989 Mack that he still runs today.

Crew, Family

His dad, Eddie Lee Byrd, had already been in logging more than 20 years when his son joined him in the woods. “We were a two-man operation at first, and grew from there,” the younger Byrd recalls. “We got pretty big for a while,” Byrd says of the years he spent with his dad. They had two crews for a while. They remained partners until a trucking accident forced Eddie Lee into retirement 17 years ago, at which point Jerry bought his dad out and started his own solo operation.

“Now with the labor market where it is, well, I am fortunate to have the men I have,” Bryd says. “I know everyone says that, but I really am.” The crew includes Tim Laws, who has worked in logging for 35 years; Byrd’s brother-in-law Carl Bullen, who has been on the crew nine years; days they’re into hay and sheep.

“We run several head of sheep and we also put up hay on our own farm in addition to several other farms in the community, for our own use and to sell to other farmers,” Byrd says.

“Sheep are more laid back than goats or cattle, easier to handle and there’s more money in it than any of the others for us; it does really well in this area.” Sara is most heavily active in the farming side of the family business, and hopes to become more involved in the farmto-table movement. Also, Millie really enjoys working with chickens and started selling eggs at the local farmers market this past summer and to others in the community. With the price of eggs, the little girl could do quite well. “We have our plate full,” Byrd admits.

Equipment DS28 dangle head for felling, a 2010 John Deere 648H dual arch skidder, ’17 Barko 295 ML loader with CSI buck saw and ’12 John Deere 700J dozer with winch for road work. He also has an

“We probably cut 30% by hand,” Byrd figures, using Stihl 500 and Husqvarna 562 chain saws with 24 in. bars. “I am a Husqvarna fan but these boys are Stihl guys.”

Jerry Byrd Logging buys fuel in bulk from Volunteer Oil Co. in Johnson City. They fill fuel tanks at Byrd’s 40x40 shop, where the crew handles roughly 75% of equipment repairs, the owner estimates; they do 90% of routine maintenance in the woods. “It seems like skidders need the most maintenance, because they take the most beating,” Byrd figures. He and his team tackle undercarriage work, packing cylinders, replacing pins and bushings and the like. “We have stuff at the shop to fabricate a lot of what we need. The only thing we don’t do is engines and transmissions.”

For that, they turn to Meade Tractor for John Deere and Power Equipment for Komatsu and Barko; both dealers are located in Kingsport. He bought the Ryan’s dangle head from Randy Bowlin at The Logger Shop Equipment Sales & Service in Wilkesboro, NC.

Byrd bases his operations in northeastern Tennessee, not too far from Virginia, and the North Carolina line was only about three miles from his job site last summer, visible through the mountains. In these hills, Byrd harvests 60% poplar/ pine and 40% oak. He saves jobs near Knoxville and Green County to work in the winter.

“We have to build roads to 90% of what we cut because it is so steep,” the logger says. “We couldn’t make it without the dozers. It takes a week ahead to build the landing, and the roads, before you can get started on a job. And that’s one reason I went with the dangle head; I can put my bucket on when we need it. It’s a versatile machine, so we can still use it as an excavator when needed. It is a perfect machine to shovel with and has cut my worker’s comp by a third, without men on the ground as much. That makes the payment on it.”

Byrd gets workers’ comp insurance through Forestry Mutual, while Elizabethton Insurance covers equipment and Progressive insures log trucks and trailers. He emphasizes safety, with high visibility vests, saw chaps and hardhats in the woods.

Markets

Production from Jerry Byrd Logging hauls on two trucks: the ’89 Mack he started with in ’94 and a ’94 Western Star. He pulls two Pitts pup trailers when he can get it to the job site. “We can’t get tractor trailers into this terrain sometimes,” he explains; they often work in steep elevations with rough roads. The latest addition on the trucking side is an Army GI truck fitted with a log bed to handle short hauling in rough terrain. They also use a Volvo day cab road tractor with a lowboy to move equipment.

In December, Byrd and his cousin Adam Byrd (another logger) cleaned up the ’89 Mack and Adam’s Ford LTL log truck, and drove them in a Christmas parade in the town of Erwin.

Byrd himself is the primary log truck driver; his father-in-law, Wayne Bullen, and Jerry King, father of loader man Jon King, help fill in part time. Eddie Lee Byrd, though retired after that wreck 17 years ago, still runs parts for his son and helps set up timber tracts to look at when he’s able.

The crew sends five loads a day. When they surpass a minimum number of loads in a week, Byrd pays his operators a bonus. The tract Byrd was working when SLT visited last August was 90% grade poplar, bound for Parton Lumber Co. in Rutherfordton, NC. Pulpwood went to Unaka Forest Products in Jonesborough, Tenn. They buy all Byrd’s pulpwood, while Parton takes the majority of what his crew cuts, including gate logs. Byrd buys the bulk of his own stumpage (75%). The remaining balance comes from contract logging jobs for Parton Lumber.

“I’ll be honest: we have been blessed,” Byrd attests, thinking about all the upheaval of the last few years. “I have come through it good. Parton has been good to pay a fuel surcharge. My fuel in the last year doubled or tripled. But Parton has really been good to us and we have had some good quality tracts of timber to cut, some good white oak jobs and we have had some good markets. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t done pretty good because I have.”

Aircraft Complaints, Solutions

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a ‘gripe sheet,’ which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. Mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual aircraft complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance crews.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.

S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.

S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.

S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.

S: Live bugs on back order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.

S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.

S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.

S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

S: That’s what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.

S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.

S: Suspect you’re right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.

S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.

S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.

S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.

S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

Golfer Statistics

Recent studies found that the average golfer walks 900 miles a year. Another study found that the average golfer drinks 22 gallons of alcohol a year. This means, on average, that golfers get 41 miles to the gallon!

Conservatives, Liberals

If conservatives don’t like guns, they don’t buy one. If liberals don’t like guns, they want all guns outlawed.

If conservatives are vegetarian, they don’t eat meat. If liberals are vegetarian, they want all meat products banned for everyone.

If conservatives are down-and-out, they think about how to better their situation. Liberals wonder who is going to take care of them.

If conservatives don’t like a talk show host, they switch channels. Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If conservatives are non-believers, they don’t worship. Liberal non-believers want any mention of God and Jesus silenced.

If conservatives decide they need health care, they shop for it or choose a job that provides it. Liberals demand that the rest of us pay for theirs.

Mass Media Spin On D-Day

Here is how the D-Day Invasion might be reported by today’s liberal media:

NORMANDY, FRANCE (June 6, 1944) Three hundred French civilians were killed and thousands more were wounded today in the first hours of America’s invasion of continental Europe. Casualties were heaviest among women and children. Most of the French casualties were the result of artillery fire from American ships attempting to knock out German fortifications prior to the landing of hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops.

Reports from a makeshift hospital in the French town of St. Mere Eglise said the carnage was far worse than the French had anticipated, and that reaction against the American invasion was running high. “We are dying for no reason,” said a Frenchman speaking on condition of anonymity. “Americans can’t even shoot straight. I never thought I’d say this, but life was better under Adolph Hitler.”

The invasion also caused severe environmental damage. American troops, tanks, trucks and machinery destroyed miles of pristine shoreline and thousands of acres of ecologically sensitive wetlands. It was believed that the habitat of the spineless French crab was completely wiped out, thus threatening the species with extinction. A representative of Greenpeace said his organization, which had tried to stall the invasion for over a year, was appalled at the destruction, but not surprised. “This is just another example of how the military destroys the environment without a second thought,” said Christine Moanmore. “And it’s all about corporate greed.”

Contacted at his Manhattan condo, a member of the French governmentin-exile who abandoned Paris when Hitler invaded, said the invasion was based solely on American financial interests. “Everyone knows that President Roosevelt has ties to ‘big beer’,” said Pierre Le Wimp. “Once the German beer industry is conquered, Roosevelt’s beer cronies will control the world market and make a fortune.”

Administration supporters said America’s aggressive actions were based in part on the assertions of controversial scientist Albert Einstein, who sent a letter to Roosevelt speculating that the Germans were developing a secret weapon—a so-called ‘atomic bomb.’ Such a weapon could produce casualties on a scale never seen before, and cause environmental damage that could last for thousands of years.

Hitler has denied having such a weapon and international inspectors were unable to locate such weapons even after spending two long weekends in Germany. Shortly after the invasion began, reports surfaced that German prisoners had been abused by American soldiers. Mistreatment of Jews by Germans at their so-called ‘concentration camps’ has been rumored, but so far this remains unproven.

Several thousand Americans died during the first hours of the invasion, and French officials are concerned that the uncollected corpses will pose a public-health risk. “The Americans should have planned for this in advance,” they said. “It’s their mess, and we don’t intend to help clean it up.”