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Vol. 48, No. 3
(Founded in 1972—Our 558th Consecutive Issue)
F E AT U R E S
March 2019 A Hatton-Brown Publication
Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525
www.southernloggintimes.com
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Timber Source/Passinault Consistency Is Key
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Transportation Summit Possible Solutions Explored
Co-Publisher Co-Publisher Chief Operating Officer Executive Editor Editor-in-Chief Western Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Art Director Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director Online Content/Marketing
David H. Ramsey David (DK) Knight Dianne C. Sullivan David (DK) Knight Rich Donnell Dan Shell David Abbott Jessica Johnson Jay Donnell Cindy Segrest Patti Campbell Rhonda Thomas Jacqlyn Kirkland
ADVERTISING CONTACTS DISPLAY SALES Eastern U.S. Kathy Sternenberg Tel: 251-928-4962 • Fax: 334-834-4525 219 Royal Lane Fairhope, AL 36532 E-mail: ksternenberg@bellsouth.net
out front:
Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons Tel: 905-666-0258 • Fax: 905-666-0778 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com
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Special Focus Chippers And Grinders
Southern Stumpin’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mackenzie Brown’s company, Southern Pine Timber, employs two processor heads to merchandize “prime length” logs for Interfor in central Georgia. The logger plans to expand his operations and increase production in the near future. Story begins on Page 8. (Jay Donnell photo)
Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Industry News Roundup . . . . . . . . 42 Machines-Supplies-Technology . . . 46
Western Canada, Western USA Tim Shaddick Tel: 604-910-1826 • Fax: 604-264-1367 4056 West 10th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6L 1Z1 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook Tel: 604-619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com International Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 +34 96 640 4048 58 Aldea de las Cuevas • Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net
ForesTree Equipment Trader . . . . 47
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Coming Events/Ad Index . . . . . . . 54
Tel: 1-800-669-5613 • Tel 334-699-7837 Email: bdevane7@hotmail.com
Bridget DeVane
Southern Loggin’ Times (ISSN 0744-2106) is published monthly by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—SLT is sent free to logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel in the U.S. South. See form elsewhere in this issue. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $65 annually; $75 in Canada; $120 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.southernloggintimes.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Southern Loggin’ Times magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Southern Loggin’ Times. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed In USA.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Southern Loggin’ Times, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, AL 36102-2419 Member Verified Audit Circulation
Other Hatton-Brown publications: ★ Timber Processing ★ Timber Harvesting ★ Panel World ★ Power Equipment Trade ★ Wood Bioenergy
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MARCH 2019 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
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SOUTHERN STUMPIN’ By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com
Georgia On Our Minds ell, if you pay much attention, you may notice that this issue is heavy to Georgia stories. We have three articles this month with a Georgia dateline. I’ll admit, that wasn’t really by design. Normally, we make an effort to keep our editorial coverage geographically balanced among the states in our Southern territory, and normally I think we do a fair enough job. Unfortunately sometimes it’s not possible, and this month is one of those times. The reason is a pretty simple and a pretty common one in the logging business: rain. If you can’t work, we can’t work; to get our stories, our editors visit loggers on the job site, both to do the interview and to take the pictures. If conditions are too wet for loggers to run machines, then there’s nothing for us to take pictures of. And for the last few months, it seems like every time any of us have tried to go anywhere, almost everyone has been rained out. So, all things considered, we feel pretty lucky to have been able to get in with the two Georgia loggers we managed to see in the past month. “It has been a very wet winter,” admits one of those Georgia loggers, Darrell Passinault. In his case, he didn’t have to miss too much work from it, though. “Right around the holidays we worked through all the wet and rainy weeks because we had good sandy roads, and good county roads to come out on, so we weren’t making a mess, no rutting. We were just in the right place at the right time. If you’re lucky enough to get to do that, take advantage of it,” he advises. “We did struggle a bit right there the week before Christmas, Christmas week and at New Years. We had several days off, besides the holidays. When you start getting four and five inch rains and things get saturated, it’s time to lay back.”
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Survey Says… Ideally we try to spread things out a bit more, but, in the past I have considered the possibility of experimenting with something like this: have each issue devoted to a particular state, maybe for a solid year. I think that would be difficult to pull off for us logistically—either one writer would have to write all the stories for a single issue or several writers would have to visit the same state around the same time, which wouldn’t be very cost effective for our travel expense budget. But it might be interesting to shine a spotlight on a single state every issue—the Texas issue, the Virginia issue, and so on, featuring several loggers from that state and maybe an overview of its industry, maybe a Q&A with the head of its state association, something like that. Is that something you, as readers, would like to see, or would you prefer we keep doing it the 6
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way we typically have done it all these years… mixing it up with several states represented in each issue? Send me your input. Our goal is to provide you with what you want read, so I’d love to see some feedback from you. In fact I’d like to put together a survey for our readers. What do you like in Southern Loggin’ Times, what do you not like, what would you like us to change? Do you have any ideas about things you’d like to see that we don’t do? If I sent out a survey, by email or enclosed in a future issue, how many of you would respond? I hope to hear from some of you; shoot me an email, a phone call, or hit me up on social media. If you call the office and I am not there (as I frequently am not), give the receptionist your phone number and when she passes it on to me I will call you back. I look forward to it!
This Issue: First off this month we have Jay Donnell’s cover story on Cochran, Ga.’s Mackenzie Brown, whose company Southern Pine Timber is using processors to merchandize wood at the behest of Canadian company Interfor. Cochran had prior experience with running processors, so when Interfor wanted loggers to supply what it calls “prime length” logs via processors, he approached them about it, and has since added two Deere machines with Waratah heads. Check out his story beginning on page 8. Next up is my story on the aforementioned Passinault, whose Elko, Ga. crew operates under the banner Timber Source, LLC. This story is a sequel of sorts. Darrell was featured in SLT in 2011, then as a foreman for a different company, Pine Timber Wood Production, in an article by Jennifer McCary, who wrote for this and other Hatton-Brown publications for about 25 years. I thought it was cool that many of the same guys who appeared in that article make a repeat appearance here, since most everyone who was on the crew when Darrell bought it in 2013, two years after Jennifer’s article, stayed with him. All but one of them is still on the crew today. See page 18 for this one. Darrell was among the area loggers who attended the Trucking Logistics Summit in Tifton, Ga., and the report I co-wrote on that serves as our third Georgia story this month. I had already written a shorter version of this article for this month’s Timber Harvesting (March/April issue), but I wrote a more thorough account for SLT. The editors here had wanted to go be at this summit in person, but it took place on Friday, January 25, when we were still in the middle of getting the February issue of SLT together, so it wasn’t possible for us to get there. Instead, I worked with Dan
Shell, Hatton-Brown’s West Coast specialist and the managing editor of Timber Harvesting, to call up several of the people involved in putting it together. I think they have some great ideas and insights that I hope will help some of you facing your own trucking difficulties. Check that out beginning on page 34.
Trumped! While doing some research for articles this month I went back to our archives here at the HB HQ, in our library of past issues, reading through the ghosts of editorials past. I found some stuff that made me chuckle at my own writing from long ago, things I had forgotten. Seems I used to get more political in my columns. A decade ago I wrote the monthly column for another HattonBrown magazine, Southern Lumberman; after 128 years in print, we published that title’s final issue, which ran only 16 pages, in December 2009. The column, somewhat similar to this one, was called Growth Rings. In 2008 I evidently wrote not one but two Growth Rings columns, and a full feature article, on that year’s Presidential election, between then-Senators Barrack Obama and John McCain. Then, in the December 2012 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times, I wrote a Southern Stumpin’ column just weeks after President Obama overcame challenger Mitt Romney to win reelection. It was an analysis of the election and the lessons I thought at the time we could learn from Romney’s loss. I offered my inexpert advice for Republicans to try to come back in 2016. I found this gem: In order to be relevant in the new America, frankly, conservatives need to drop the rhetoric about “taking our country back.” Even if you mean it ideologically, it comes off as xenophobic, as a policy of exclusion... The primary was widely perceived as a circus with one inept clown after another...The message largely failed to resonate with a struggling middle class more interested in hearing a real plan on how to get us out of this hole, not conspiracy theories about birth certificates from Donald Trump, who most voters can’t take seriously anyway. Well ... at the time I didn’t take Donald Trump seriously, nor did I imagine anyone else ever would. As you may be aware, in 2016, with him at the helm, the GOP came back and accomplished pretty much exactly what my advice four years earlier was intended to help accomplish… by doing about the exact opposite of what I advised. Hey, it’s good to be able to laugh at yourself and admit when you were wrong… SLT
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Processing Plan ■ Mackenzie Brown is using two processors to meet Interfor’s needs in Georgia.
Southern Pine Timber has added two Deere processors with Waratah heads.
By Jay Donnell COCHRAN, Ga. s Interfor continues to build ★ on its already strong lumber foothold in the South, it has brought some new ways of doing things to a handful of loggers in Georgia. The Canadianbased company has done many studies and seen the need to go to what is known as a “prime length” system. It’s not a true cut-to-length system, but from Interfor’s standpoint the prime length system means less waste at the mills and more efficiency on a daily basis.
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In order to execute it, Interfor has called on several logging companies in Georgia over the past few years to start running processors. One of those companies is Southern Pine Timber, owned by Mackenzie Brown. Brown approached Interfor about working for them because he had experience running a processor in the early 2000s and knew that this would be an excellent opportunity for his business to grow. Brown got into logging in 1994 after graduating from high school. His first job was running a chain saw for Hill Logging, and then a skidder. Brown worked for Hill for five years before leaving to run a chipping crew in Brunswick, Ga.,
but his dream was always to run his own logging crew. In 2001 he borrowed $140,000, bought some “less than ideal” equipment and started logging with just one employee, working seven day weeks. “After those first six months I was so poor,” Brown recalls. “I knew if I was going to really do this, I had to really do it.” Brown decided to go all in and invest in some nicer machines, so he bought three new pieces of Tigercat equipment for $430,000. Things really started to pick up for Southern Pine Timber after that. Brown’s first processor was a TimberKing model purchased in 2004 with a Waratah head. Unfortu-
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nately, his first processor purchase wasn’t financially feasible, but he did learn how to log with a processor and was able to gain some valuable experience that would benefit him down the road. When he approached Interfor about their new system he knew he wanted to take a different approach the second time around so he purchased a used 2013 John Deere 2154D track machine with a Waratah 622B head. Because of better planning and Interfor’s new approach, Southern Pine Timber’s processor has paid off and Brown has even added a second John Deere processor to the business. Now things have really started to ramp up for Brown and
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SPT's newest piece of equipment is a 2019 Tigercat cutter.
his company, which means the business has some lofty goals for 2019.
Day-To-Day Southern Pine Timber (SPT) mainly works on private land secured by Rozier Forest Products in Jeffersonville, Ga. SPT’s relationship with Rozier Forest Products over the past eight years has greatly benefited the business. Brown decided to start working with Rusty Rozier, owner of Rozier Forest Products, because Rozier’s small dealer outlook and his understanding of logging was much different than the larger timber dealers Brown had worked with previously. “I was working for the biggest dealer in the area, but I didn’t have enough money to buy a saw file,” Brown recalls. “Rusty does what he says and I do what I say and everything seems to work out fine. I’m all for the dealer network because I don’t have enough time to buy my own wood, but you have to have a dealer who’s invested in the logger.” When Southern Loggin’ Times visited SPT they were clear-cutting a 200-acre tract on mostly flat terrain. The company clear-cuts 100% of the time and it’s generally all pine. This was a little smaller tract than what SPT is used to because most of the time they’re working on tracts that reach up to 400 acres. Brown already knows where he’ll be heading after SPT completes the work on this tract. In fact, he knows where they’ll be working for the rest of the year thanks to a great relationship with Rozier and Interfor. This has been a nice change of pace for Brown after years of having to wait until the last minute to find out what tract he was moving to next. SPT produces roughly 80 loads a week, but they’ve gotten over 100
From left, Chris Braswell, Dylan Helm, Chris Brown, Tyler Mullis, Mackenzie Brown and Steven Morgan
SLT SNAPSHOT Southern Pine Timber Cochran, Ga. Email: sptcinc@yahoo.com Founded: 2001 Owner: Mackenzie Brown No. Crews: 1 Employees: 5 Equipment: 1 feller-buncher, 2 processors, 2 skidders, 1 loader, 1 dozer Production: 80+ loads per week Average Haul Distance: 50 miles Tidbit: Mackenzie Brown is traveling to New Zealand later this year with a few other Southern loggers to look at some Waratah processing heads.
loads on many different occasions. They haul logs to several Interfor mills including the Preston, Perry and Thomaston locations. When SPT arrives on a new tract the roads are already in place most of the time, but they usually have to smooth them out in order for log trucks to travel unencumbered to the landing. The company usually closes the tract out themselves, but in some cases they don’t have time so Rozier will come in and retire the tract properly. The crew runs from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. most days. Employees who have been with the company for a year receive two weeks of paid vacation and they all receive a Christmas bonus. If the business has had an excellent year workers will receive another bonus around the Fourth of July holiday. Safety is always the number one priority for SPT and they’ve been lucky to
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Brown has the processors work separately from and ahead of the track loader, setting out trailers at roadside, to keep production flowing in case of a breakdown.
avoid any major accidents over the years. Brown approaches his logging methods a little differently than many in the South. While most companies have their loader set up right next to the processor, Brown does not. SPT processes the logs,
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sets them out right by the road and gets ahead of the loader. Brown does this in case any equipment breakdowns occur. If a breakdown does happen the company will already have a couple days of logs ready to be loaded—this is more of a West Coast style of logging.
Iron Lineup SPT purchases most of its equipment from Flint Equipment in Macon, Tidewater in Hazlehurst and Yancey Bros. in Macon. The crew runs a 2013 John Deere 2154D processor with a Waratah
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622B head, a 2018 John Deere 2154G track processor with a 622B Waratah head, 2011 535 Cat skidder, 2016 525D Cat skidder, 2010 John Deere 2154D track loader. Their newest machine is a 2019 Tigercat 720G feller-buncher. Brown says they try to operate
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machines close to the warranty timeline before giving them up. He usually goes with Primex and Goodyear tires on the rolling iron. Having two processors has provided SPT with some production flow flexibility and mobility that they didn’t have before. Brown reports that his John Deere processors are “the best of the best” and that the Waratah heads have worked really well for him. “I can’t praise Waratah and their people enough,” Brown says. “I’ve never had an issue where I couldn’t make one phone call and get it addressed immediately. It’s a great head.” Later this year Waratah is taking Brown and a few other Southern loggers to New Zealand to see some newer Waratah processing heads in action. “They designed the 622 model in the 1990s and they’ve changed very few things about it,” Brown explains. “They don’t overthink things at a time when we have problems with over-engineering now.” Equipment maintenance has been key for Brown. He does a lot of the mechanic work himself if he can, but everybody on the crew is mechanically inclined according to Brown. Machines are greased twice a week and oil is changed every 500 hours.
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Yancey Bros. in Macon supplied the crew's two Cat skidders.
Mackenzie Brown, left, with timber dealer Rusty Rozier
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Brown runs the 2018 JD processor himself while Chris Braswell runs the older model. Dylan Helm operates the loader, Tyler Mullis runs a skidder, Steven Morgan operates the new Tigercat feller-buncher and Chris Brown drives a truck. “I think they really like this style of logging because you can see what you accomplished at the end of the day,” Brown explains. “It’s a different style of logging because it’s more fast paced.” SPT uses Harvey Trucking for all log hauling needs. Chris Harvey runs the business and owns five trucks currently. Brown used to own a fleet of trucks, but since he runs
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one of the processors and also has to manage the business he has shied away from the extra responsibility of dealing with all the headaches that comes with running logs trucks.
New Heights Brown, 43, reports that his company’s after tax business profit over the past few years has been very strong and he hopes to continue to build upon the success he’s had with his relationship with Interfor
and Rozier Forest Products. “We’re going to make sure the landowner’s happy and we’re going to make sure we represent him and the mill well,” Brown says. Brown’s goal for SPT is to start producing 130 loads per week by July and 150 loads by the end of 2019. In order to reach these goals Brown plans on adding an employee and also plans to either buy a couple of new trucks or see if Chris Harvey will be willing to expand his trucking operation. He also plans on upgrad-
Brown is a Waratah fan.
ing his two skidders, but hasn’t decided on which brand he will go with just yet. Brown believes Interfor and West Fraser’s purchase and takeover of many sawmills in the South has been good for the logging industry. “I think when these mills came in they noticed there were some dealers not paying enough to the loggers that did the work,” Brown says. “It seems to me that the mills are noticing that a lot more and putting pressure on the dealers.” He adds, “There are some young foresters coming into these mills that have great attitudes and they seem to be extremely concerned about the logging aspect of it. I think we went through an era where it was all about playing golf and hunting trips, but now you have younger dealers that understand the full concept of what pays their bills.” Brown estimates that he has close to $2 million invested in his business and spends roughly $150,000 per year on fuel. He’s amazed at how high equipment prices have gotten just in the past 20 years. He hopes that loggers just getting into the business are fully aware of how committed you have to be to make things work. “It takes a whole lot of grit and a whole lot of not wanting to give up.” The Cochran-based logger’s biggest motivation for getting the job done each day are his 10-yearold son, Tye, and eight-year-old daughter, Marlee. He hopes that if either of them want to get into logging one day he’ll already have a good foundation in place for them to get started. It’s easy to see why Brown is optimistic about SPT’s future. After starting with some shoddy equipment back in 2001, the company has steadily grown over time and looks forward to continued SLT growth in 2019.
May 3-4 Is your company in? Your competition is. Jack Swanner: 828-421-8444 www.malbexpo.com 14
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Week In, Week Out ■ Darrell Passinault and his crew aim for, and achieve, consistency from one week to the next.
By David Abbott ELKO, Ga. arrell Passinault, 44, and his crew live in ★ Georgia, but when Southern Loggin’ Times paid them a visit in early February, they were actually working across the Alabama state line, on a tract 105 miles from home. “It is just the nature of the beast, if you specialty log,” he shrugs off the distance nonchalantly. “If you hardwood track log, that stuff isn’t planted on rotation, so you go to where the natural stands are.” Though based in Houston County, Ga., in the town of Elko, Passinault’s crew, operating as Timber Source, LLC, has been on this tract near Eufaula, Ala. since October. They plan to finish it by midlate March. “Typically we work a lot in west Georgia because of the terrain; it requires a lot of track logging. We used to do a lot of swamp logging, but we have slowed down on that a good bit.” This tract is owned by Superior Pine Products, based in Troy, Ala.
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This is the second tract that Timber Source LLC has cut that was owned by Superior Pine; the first one was in Georgia. “We are clear-cutting the hardwood stand but leaving the pine and SMZs,” Passinault says. On this tract he expects to harvest about 30,000 tons. Passinault works directly for Beasley Forest Products of Hazlehurst, Ga.; they supply all his stumpage. “We work hand in hand,” the logger says. He counts as a close personal friend his wood buyer, Beasley area manager Trae Stevens, whose territory covers west Georgia and east Alabama. The crew hauls to Beasley’s headquarters in Hazlehurst as well as to a Beasley wood yard in Opelika, Ala. Other outlets include WestRock in Cottonton, Ala., and West Fraser in Opelika , near Auburn, Ala. Average haul distance is 60 miles, and they usually haul around 1,700 tons, or about 56 loads, a week. By the end of a year, they consistently haul in the neighborhood of 80,000 tons. Consistency is a keyword for Passinault. “One of the best things I think we have done as a crew is that
Darrell Passinault in 2019
Timber Source specializes in hardwood logging on steep slopes.
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we do a good job of being really consistent, and I think that has worked in our favor,” he says. “Being consistent is really important for your wood buyer, for the suppliers and your quotas, so they know you are good for those loads week in and week out. If I get 18 one week and 52 the next, that’s hard for anyone to manage.” The only down side is that, if an opportunity comes to haul more, Passinault doesn’t have much room to do so; Timber Source already hauls near the capacity of its production capabilities most weeks. “We don’t do 100% every week but we are about 90%. I like to get all I can out of everything.”
Equipment Trucking is under Timber Transport LLC, a separate company that includes three Mack trucks and eight trailers, all McLendon and Pitts. The crew loads set out trailers in advance, and the drivers pick up trailers at a clearing separate from the main landing. Passinault also hires three contract haulers, and they have another six trailers among them. Felling duties fall to a Tigercat 822 tracked cutter, purchased new in September 2018. The challenge of specializing in hardwood logging, Passinault explains, is the slope: “Rubber tired equipment just won’t stand up to the terrain. We can do a better job with the swingto-tree track machines, and there is nowhere near as much impact on the ground. A crew not equipped to deal with that will struggle; they are going to spin a lot going up and down the hill, which damages the soil.” Two Cat skidders, a ’17 model 545D and ’18 535D, follow the feller-buncher, rolling on dual Firestone tires (30.5 inner/20.5 outer). The skidders drag to a ’14 Caterpillar 579C knuckleboom loader. In late February, he ordered a new Cat 579D, but is keeping the 579C as a spare. “It has about 10,000 hours on it and it still runs really well.” When numbers are right, he hopes to add another track loader with a grapple saw, to run in conjunction with the 579. “It would give us the ability in wet situations maybe to load and take it to a dryer spot,” he says. “We could do something with these tops, we can take better care of SMZs, and get up storm wood. We have a lot of storm wood down right now, but even though we’re a track crew, we’re not set up to do that.” For routine maintenance, the crew follows the schedule recommended by Cat and Tigercat. For bigger jobs, Passinault has an
From left, Darrell Passinault, Raphael Estrada, Kenny Baldwin, Michael Billings, Jerry Short, Oscar Green
SLT SNAPSHOT Timber Source, LLC Elko, Ga. Email: Darrell.timbersource@gmail.com Founded: 2013 Owner: Darrell Passinault No. Crews: 1 Employees: 8 Equipment: 2 skidders, 1 loader, 1 tracked cutter, 3 trucks, 8 trailers and one bulldozer Average Production: 55 loads/week Passinault in 2011 Average Haul Distance: 60 miles Tidbit: Passinault and his crew appeared in Southern Loggin’ Times once before, in an article by retired SLT scribe Jennifer McCary that began on page 10 of the May 2011 issue. That article was about a different operation: Pine Timber Wood Production, Inc., one part of a much larger company based in Montezuma, Ga. and owned by former Proctor & Gamble man Dennis Carey. At that time, Pine Timber fielded one companyowned logging crew among its 2011 crew, from left: Raphael Estrada, Edward Yates, Jose Yanez, Oscar Green, Michael Billings, Tommy Brown, diversified operWilliam Carswell, Juan Valencia ations. This was that crew, more or less. A few years after that article ran, Passinault, who was crew foreman, bought the crew from the previous owner and the entire crew came with him; most have stayed with him since. So now, nine years later, it’s a different company and a different owner, but many of the same people.
unmanned shop, but in general he turns to his dealers: Yancey Bros. in Macon (Caterpillar) and Tidewater Equipment in Forsyth (Tigercat). Typically, on skidders, he buys 5,000-hour extended power train warranty. “And when it’s gone, we trade iron,” the logger says. He’s not interested in trying to keep a machine going much past that point. “In these conditions, it just seems to be counterproductive to me. You can run your loaders longer, but skidders take a lot of abuse. If a cutter goes down, more than likely your cutter man was ahead several days and you have a little time.”
Cat To Weiler Passinault has been using Cat machines for a long time, and though he still checks prices at trade-in time, the brand has earned his loyalty. “Caterpillar has done a phenomenal job of standing behind their forestry product,” he says. “I have had situations where a machine was slightly out of warranty and Cat said wait a minute, we know it’s out of warranty but that failure shouldn’t have happened, we are going to take care of it. I don’t forget things like that.” As a customer of both Caterpillar and Yancey Bros., naturally Passinault has been closely following the pending transition of Cat’s forestry division to Weiler. All things considered, he feels confident that the move will be a good one. “I think they have been real proactive on dealing with that, both Weiler and Yancey.” He actually had a chance to sit down with Weiler Vice President Bill Hood with a small group of loggers and ask questions face-to-
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The ’14 model loader, the oldest piece on the crew, still runs well after 10,000 hours.
face in a comfortable, informal environment. “Bill really impressed me with his hands-on take,” he says. “Not that there was anything wrong with Cat’s approach—Cat is
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the biggest in the world—but I think it is going to be a little easier for Weiler to facilitate changes.” The logger continues, “They explained to me that Weiler is a debt
free company; they don’t owe anybody anything. They are moving here, to LaGrange, to be here at the plant.” The most important thing to him,
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though, is still his local dealer; he needed to know that Yancey would be on board with Weiler. “They have been an excellent, excellent dealer network. I’m pretty good
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friends with the service manager in Macon and one of my best friends is my salesman in Macon; we have been in this business for 24 years together, since he started out as a parts guy. So I was real worried about if Yancey was going to continue the same commitment that they had to Caterpillar.” Passinault is convinced that he has nothing to fear on that front. “They act like they’ve got skin in the game. Bill said that Weiler Forestry won’t be worth 50 cents without the Cat
Forestry customers. He explained to us that when the deal first started they went to Cat and said that if Yancey’s not in, if Thompson’s not in, if Ring Power’s not in, then we’re not in. They’re not going to buy this thing and have to start a whole new dealer network. So I am convinced Weiler is going to do everything they can do to keep the Cat forestry customers. If that goes away then they’ll be destined to failure before they ever get off the ground.”
Background Passinault is approaching the silver anniversary of his logging career; he started working in the woods at age 20, in August 1994. It wasn’t something he grew up with, though, nor was it his original plan. “I kind of fell into the logging,” he says. When he finished high school he went to ABAC (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College) in Tifton as an animal science major. “I had grown up working on farms and I
was a lot more on the row crop and animal science side of agriculture, not so much on the forestry side of it.” His stint at ABAC lasted less than a year, though. He came home and attended general core classes at Macon College for another year and a half. In all he earned about 100 credit hours before he went to work in the woods with his uncle, Keith Padgett. In 1998, he got a job running a loader for another company, Pine Timber Wood Production, Inc., eventually becoming crew foreman. “Being a logger and going to school at the same time is tough to manage,” he admits in hindsight. “Although I wish I had gotten a degree, I have been blessed to do well in the business through hard work and common sense, and really good training from being around a good core group when I was young.” He credits that training both to his uncle and to the group at Pine Timber, where he says he learned a lot about the business side. “They were very inclusive with me as far as profit/loss statements and the management of the crew: why we needed to do things a certain way even when they didn’t make sense to me. I learned a lot of good lessons there.”
Long Term Crew With Passinault as its supervisor on the ground, this crew was the last roundwood crew Pine Timber Wood Production still had in the field when SLT visited it for an article in 2011. Sometime after that article ran, Pine Timber’s owners chose to divest themselves of that part of their operation; Passinault was interested in taking it over. They came to an agreement and he purchased it from them in 2013. The employees all chose to stay, and according to their former fore-
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Passinault owns three trucks and hires three contractors; they load set out trailers to save time.
man, it was indeed their choice, because they had options. “Every one of these guys, when they heard the news that Pine Timber was selling the crew and I was going to buy it, every one of them was one phone call away from a new job. They could have been hired in a New York minute. And they all stayed with me. That was a huge blessing for me for them to stay.” All of them are still here except for one skidder driver, who retired
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this Christmas at age 75. “The first day I ever walked in the woods, he was out there,” Passinault says of the recent retiree. Other than his replacement, everyone else on this crew has been with Passinault, or with Pine Timber, or both, for at least 10 years, some of them much longer; some of them have been working together since 1995, before even Passinault joined the team. That very low turnover rate is a point of pride and gratitude for the
owner, and it is undoubtedly advantageous on many levels to so rarely have to undergo the hassle of seeking, finding, training and retaining qualified, dependable help. “My crew is one of the best around, and one of the things that I am most proud of,” he says. Raphael Estrada runs the ramp from the loader cab, directing where and when each load goes, while Passinault says that cutter driver Oscar Green manages what goes on
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in the woods. Skidder drivers are Michael Billings on the 535C and Kenny Baldwin on the 545. Baldwin is the new guy on the block but is very seasoned in the woods, the boss says. Jerry Short serves as utility man. “A lot of people would call him a saw hand but I call him a utility man; he is just so much more than a saw man,” Passinault expounds. Short does man a chain saw for trim work, but he also changes flat tires, moves the set out
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trucks, runs the dozer and service truck and fills in on a skidder when need be. “I am kind of defensive of it because he does a lot of things,” Passinault continues. “It would be tough to replace him.” Passinault calls himself the extra guy here, though he emphasizes that he is HERE. If an operator has to be off, he can fill in on any piece, though he specializes on the loader, where he worked for many years at Pine Timber. “We have a very tight group here, and I am real proud of all these guys.” Passinault knows how good he has it with his crew. “I am spoiled having these guys, where you don’t have to tell anyone what to do, they just do it.” In 2016 he had an opportunity to put on a pine crew with a big land base. “I bought all new equipment, had plenty of stumpage to cut and a good quota situation. The production was there. But staffing that crew was such a challenge that I only let it run one year. It was more than I wanted to bear.” With that experience in mind, he has no designs on adding another crew. He would, however, like to beef up production on his existing crew. On the Timber Transport side, truck drivers are Don Cyrene and Bob Shiver. As of early February,
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Passinault with a Yancey service technician
Passinault had a new driver in training: a 62-year-old who has driven trucks all his life, but never log trucks. He has a clean record, but he can’t be insured because he lacks the requisite minimum three years of experience in log truck driving. “He just moved here from California, and has only had his Georgia CDL for three months,” Passinault adds. Timber Source has a training program it has used for other drivers in the past: “We will do a ride along for a week, then a driver will
ride with him for a week, then a driver will tag along with him in a separate truck for a week, and then someone will ride and observe with him monthly till we are satisfied.” He has done this before and the insurance carrier approved it, in lieu of the three years-experience requirement. Contractors are Character Trucking LLC, Kirksey and Son Trucking, and Timber Time LLC, driven by Tommy Brown. Brown has been with Passinault for over 20 years, both as an employee and as a private contractor. Timber Source contracts consultant Darlene McDonald’s Safety On Site to handle pre-employment screening, conduct monthly safety meetings and help ensure compliance with regulations. “We have been contracting with her from the Pine Timber days, at least 15 years,” the logger says. “I have never had an issue, but I know people who have and when you do, you are real glad you have her on your side.” Timber Source is insured through the agency Assured Partners with John Walker in Macon, with the policy written by Bitco. Passinault’s wife Polly has an accounting degree. “She is a pivotal force in helping on the books and
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she is extremely good at her job,” her husband says. “It does a lot of good for us when we are working on a loan for a piece of equipment and a banker asks for the profit/loss statement and I can have it there in 15 minutes. She also keeps up with the MCS-150 and trucking regulations. And when the guys want a day off, they call her; if they call me I’ll forget it. She is on top of all of it. She is absolutely invaluable to the company.” Polly formerly worked at an accounting firm but left it a few years ago to help manage Timber Source. She also works as finance secretary at three different local churches, going in a few hours a week to keep things up for them. The couple has one son, Walker, 15 and in the 10th grade. The businessman says he has started becoming more aware of the importance of state and national associations, and is planning to become more involved. “It is hard with running a business, but if we don’t have some voice we are going to get regulated out of business,” he believes. “For a long time I figured there are good men handling it. But then I realized, they’re good men but they might not be thinking the same thing I am, so maybe I should SLT add my voice in there too.”
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Little Stories. Big Meanings Once all people in the village decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s FAITH. When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That’s TRUST. Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarm. That’s HOPE. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That’s CONFIDENCE. We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children. That’s LOVE. On an old man’s shirt we see the words I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience. That’s ATTITUDE.
What’s Going On At Costco? One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe said to Mike, “My elbow hurts like heck. I guess I’d better see a doctor.” “You don’t have to spend that kind of money,” said Mike. “There’s a new diagnostic computer service down at Costco. Just provide a urine sample and the computer will tell you what’s wrong and what to do about it. It takes only a minute or two and costs10 bucks. That’s lot cheaper than a doctor.” So, Joe deposited a urine sample in a small jar and took it to Costco. He deposited 10 dollars and the computer came alive and asked for the urine sample. He poured the sample into the slot and waited. Seconds later, the computer ejected a printout: “You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping at Costco.” That evening, while thinking about this new technology, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled. He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter and, for good measure, a semen sample from himself. He hurried back to Costco, eager to check the results. He poured in his concoction and out came the results: 1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9). 2. Your golden retriever has ringworm. Bathe it with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7). 3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab. 4. Your wife is pregnant. Twins. They aren’t yours. Get a lawyer. 5. Thank you for shopping at Costco!
Packers Of Parachutes
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb recalled, “I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.” Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn’t know. Now, Plumb asks his audiences, “Who’s packing your parachute?” Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory. He needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.
Snotty Receptionist Rebuked The older man had an appointment to see a urologist for a prostate exam. He was a bit on edge because all his friends had either gone under the knife or had pellets implanted. The waiting room was filled with patients. He approached the receptionist’s desk and gave her his name, noticing that she had a sour look on her less than attractive face. In a very loud voice, she said, “Yes, I have your name right here. You want to see the doctor about impotence, right?” All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to gaze at the now very embarrassed man. But he recovered quickly and boomed back at the receptionist: “No, I’ve come to inquire about a sex change operation, but I don’t want the same doctor who did yours.” The room erupted in applause!
The Maturing Process I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much faster now. Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers. I didn’t make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row. I decided to stop calling the bathroom the ‘John’ and renamed it the ‘Jim.’ I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning. Old age is coming at a really bad time. The biggest lie I tell myself is, “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.” I don’t have gray hair; I have “wisdom highlights!” Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven’t met yet. Why do I have to press 1 for English when you’re just going to transfer me to someone I can’t understand anyway?
The story goes that Charles Plumb was a Navy pilot who flew 75 combat missions over Vietnam before a surface-to-air missile took out his plane. He ejected and parachuted safety to the ground and was captured by the enemy, surviving cruel imprisonment for six years before being released. He went on to lecture on lessons learned from that experience. One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man who had been seated at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” “How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb. Mt. Rushmore as seen from the other side “I packed your parachute,” the man replied. 30
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All Together Now ■ Georgia holds a trucking summit to seek solutions to logger hauling challenges.
By David Abbott and Dan Shell TIFTON, Ga. embers from throughout the forest products supply ★ chain in Georgia came together last month in an effort to address growing concerns over the state of the industry’s transportation sector. The
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Forest Logistics Summit took place at the UGA Conference Center on the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus on Friday, January 25. Hosting the event was a joint effort among the Georgia Forestry Assn., the Georgia Forestry Foundation and UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry, where Dr. Joe Conrad is an assistant professor of forest operations. He estimates about 125 people attended. Dr. Conrad explains how the idea for the Summit came about: “A cou-
ple of years ago the Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. and Georgia Forestry Assn. were both hearing from their logging and trucking members that log truck insurance rates were rising rapidly and really putting a pinch on them,” the professor recalls. “They hired me to do some research and get some answers. We presented that in 2017 and it got a good reception. There were a lot of conversations going on at logging association meetings and conferences, but not all the people
who really needed to be there were in the room at one time.” One who attended the summit was logger Darrell Passinault, whose operation is based in Elko. “There were some big ball players there,” he points out. “You had lobbyists from GFA, two reps of large log trucking companies, and public safety was there to talk about a few things.” Richard Schwab of Perry, Fla.’s M.A. Rigoni was among those who spoke at the summit. He adds that the bigger players in the industry,
Getting all industry segments together to hear each others’ concerns was critical: loggers, truckers, mill representatives, insurance interests, associations and others showed up.
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namely the mills, are “starting to feel the pinch of the trucking crisis hard.” He continues, “Rayonier in Jesup ran out of hardwood twice over Christmas. They said they used to depend on getting 4-5000 tons of hardwood pulp from Florida a month, but they’re not getting it now because of trucking; because loggers can’t afford to do interstate trucking and the trucking capacity is just not there.” The summit, he says, offered everyone concerned an opportunity to have a round table discussion, to share ideas and, hopefully, solve some of these issues. Former Georgia state representative Chad Nimmer of Pierce Timber Co. in Blackshear feels that everyone in the industry is now on the same page, recognizing what different parts of the supply chain have been saying for years. “Now it’s impacting everyone, so everyone is paying attention now,” he says. “Not that there was ever any ill will in the past, it’s just that when you’re busy focused on your own problems, you don’t notice others’ problems. But now it is everybody’s problem. Everything but a baby is delivered by a truck. A lot of the trucking issues we face are the same ones faced by agriculture folks.”
With fatalities on the rise, driver training and supervision are more important than ever.
Conrad concludes, “Having everyone in the same room to hear each other was really critical. The real success of the program was getting everyone together—the mill representatives, log truck owners, logging business owners and foresters. The whole wood fiber supply chain was represented, and that’s what we were going for.” Georgia Forestry Assn. President Andres Villegas, who was also
instrumental in organizing the event, concurs. “We wanted to get as many people together as we could to talk about solutions.”
Insurance, Training Conrad spoke during the first of four modules at the summit, this one focusing on the challenges of log truck liability insurance—no doubt a subject weighing heavily on the
minds of many. The cost of accidents is what has been driving the increase in premiums, Conrad reflects; reducing the frequency and severity/expense of accidents will help bring down those rates, he believes. “Most accidents are caused by driver error, either on the part of the truck driver or, more commonly, the driver of the passenger vehicle.” Driver training, many agree, is a big part of the answer. With that in mind, two training programs specific to log truck driving are in development, one at South Georgia Technical College in Americus, and the other at Coastal Pines Technical College in Waycross. “We think those will be very helpful in increasing the pool of available qualified drivers,” Conrad says. Many insurance companies won’t insure unless the driver is at least 25 and has two to three years log truck driving experience—an untenable long-term policy for what should be obvious reasons. Conrad adds, “We are hoping this training can be used in lieu of the experience requirement; otherwise the situation is just going to keep getting worse as older drivers retire and we have no new drivers in the system.” TEAM Safe Trucking, he says, has a role to play
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both in training new drivers and in providing continuing education credits for existing drivers to improve their safety fluency. As an all-around resource for trucking safety and training, TEAM Safe Trucking’s Miranda Gowell asked those in attendance to make a commitment to Forestry Transportation Training, hand out TEAM Safe Trucking Driver Day information sheets and share TEAM Safe Trucking fleet safety messages on social media. Other resources include TEAM Safe Trucking train-thetrainer training webinars offered every Wednesday, 10 a.m. EST, and trucking safety newsletters. Meeting visitors could also become TEAM Safe Trucking educational sponsors and offer training sessions as well. Gowell added the summit was a good start for developing solutions to challenges facing the log trucking industry. “The speakers identified challenges and proposed practical solutions, and they were all inspirational in the hope and possibilities they presented,” she says. Schwab, who spoke during the second module on the subject of Opportunities to Improve Trucking Efficiency, cautions that training is just one part of the answer. “Of
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course we want to concentrate on training, insurers are big on that and it is important,” Schwab comments. “But we also need to talk about how and what we are paid. We need to be able to pay enough to attract better drivers.”
No Silver Bullets “It wasn’t just a group of people getting on a soap box and complaining,” Nimmer says. “It was about getting together to talk as a group trying to find solutions.” Nimmer says the distinction between “problems” and “challenges” is important. “We face challenges every day and we are more apt to take those challenges on with an aggressive mindset.” According to Villegas, the event showed there’s no single “silver bullet” solution to the trucking challenge, but rather a number of smaller steps that can help. “It’s really a combination of things, from insurance to training to driver behavior and more,” he says. The first step was to identify what challenges the industry faces; as Conrad puts it, rising insurance premiums are but a symptom of the larger problem. “We’ve recognized the problem and seen it coming for
Logger Darrell Passinault, who mixes his trucks with contract haulers, attended the summit.
years,” Nimmer says. “Now it’s become an epidemic, from the of average age of truck drivers to the hurdles of getting a trucking fleet insured to being able to pay competitive wages to get the best of the best drivers.” Nimmer, who served as moderator of the fourth and final module, which focused on the theme of highway safety and law enforcement, points out that forest products is a $35.9 billion a year industry in Georgia, second only to agriculture as an economic driver. “You take a couple of big blows like Hurricane Michael wiping out large portions of our timber supply, and add to that the inability of trucking companies to stay in business and move product, and people will start investing elsewhere,” he warns. “We are at a pressure point now that is putting people out of business and reducing capacity,” Conrad expounds. “We are seeing a nationwide shortage of qualified log truck drivers. And we are seeing inefficiency in driving, which is exacerbating
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other problems, making trucks less profitable and causing some people to cut corners on maintenance.” In the short term, Conrad believes, the biggest key is to improve trucking efficiency. “We know that long term, turnaround times cost us millions of dollars across supply chains. Some companies do a great job but others wait on the deck for hours. Mills are the same way; some have good wood yards and others consistently struggle.” The percent of loaded miles continues to be in the 40% range according to the best estimates, Conrad says. In-woods scales have been demonstrated to help, both by preventing the safety hazard of overloads and also the profitability hazard of underloaded trailers. Scales, the professor says, save loggers enough to pay for themselves in under a year, but are in use by less than 25% of log trucks in Georgia and under 10% in South Carolina, according to the most recent surveys. Conrad also points to other available technology that is still not in
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wide use, namely GPS tracking and dash cams, which are useful both for driver training and as a defense against litigation. “Research shows that in most tractor trailer and passenger vehicle accidents, the passenger vehicle is at fault,” he points out. “Dash cams can show that and avoid citations.” Though he lacks hard data to back it up, from his own observations Conrad believes these systems are adopted even less frequently than scales. Several speakers recommended
hiring a full-time safety manager, for those companies large enough to warrant it, or a contract consultant for smaller companies, to manage compliance with regulations and run safety training programs. Improved communication with law enforcement was identified as another possible help. In Georgia, Conrad says, the Dept. of Public Safety will come inspect shops to let companies know what they are doing well or where they may be coming up short. Though a number
of companies do take advantage of this option, DPS in Georgia says it has less interaction from the forest industry than any of the other industries it regulates. Finally, Conrad says, it’s important for the industry to keep trying to get legislation passed that will benefit the industry, such as increased weight limits. “We have the lowest weight limits among timber producing nations, especially in the Southeast and in Georgia,” Conrad notes. Passinault agrees:
“One of the most exciting things I liked about the summit was the talk about raising the weight limits on the interstate system.” The max weight allowed in Georgia is 84,000 lbs. with the right tag, as opposed to 88,000 in some neighboring states. “We have the same equipment as in those other states with higher limits, so I don’t quite understand that,” Passinault says. Conrad adds, “It’s much higher than that in other parts of the country, though granted they are hauling with more axles and different truck configurations.” Still, Conrad cautions against simply waiting for laws to change. “I think waiting on policies to save us would be making a mistake. The opportunity we have now is to improve efficiency, train drivers, and improve the condition of the trucks we put on the road.” After the summit ended, most seemed to have a positive view of it. “I thought it went well and was well attended,” Schwab says. Nimmer adds, “I’ve talked to several people and I believe there were a lot of positives that came out of that day. It was not a conversation that has ended.” Coming up with ideas, Conrad stresses, is relatively easy; implementation is the critical part. “If we identify solutions and don’t implement them then we’ve made no progress,” he says. “But we were successful in identifying many possible solutions. I truly do believe people are starting to think differently. We hope it was helpful for attendees and hope to see some of these ideas implemented.” SLT
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Chippers, Grinders, Etc. Southern Loggin’ Times invited manufacturers of chippers, grinders and related components to submit material for this section. The submissions of those who participated are presented below, edited only for style.
Bandit Bandit Industries is expanding into additional recycling and forestry industries by partnering with two established European manufacturers of slow-speed shredders, rock crushers, mobile trommel screens and hydraulic stackers. Poland-based Pronar Sp. z o.o and German-based ARJES GmbH will exclusively offer select equipment through Bandit Industries, plugging their machines into Bandit’s worldwide dealer network. Bandit announced in the summer of 2018 that it would offer select ARJES rock crushers and slow-speed shredders. The Impaktor 250 rock crusher and the VZ 950 slow-speed shredder, available with track undercarriages, are already making a great impression among Bandit’s customers in the United States. Crush rocks to your exact spec with the powerful Impaktor 250 rock crusher from ARJES. Large hoppers hold plenty of material and the powerful Volvo 220 horsepower engine delivers exceptional performance for crushing concrete, rubble, asphalt, natural stones, bricks, railway ties and more. The VZ950 Titan is ARJES’ largest, most powerful slow speed shredder. Featuring a 700 HP Volvo engine and a massive 318 cubic-foot infeed hopper, the Titan is capable of shredding anything from wood to metal waste. And with production rates up to 177 tons per hour, the Titan is among the most productive shredders on the market today. Bandit announced its partnership with Pronar and unveiled the Model 60 GT-HD hydraulic stacker and the Model 7.24 GT trommel screen at the 2019 U.S. Composting Council’s Conference in Arizona. The Pronar Model 60 GT-HD is capable of moving up to 600 tons of material per hour and stack material nearly 40 ft. high, creating piles of material without the need of an additional loader or operator. The stacker can be mounted on tracks, making it easy to move around a grinding yard quickly. The Model 7.24 GT is a track-mounted or towable trommel screen that features some of the highest throughput in the industry. This trommel is capable of screening a variety of materials, including compost, urban wood waste and biomass. Operators can swap out the drum screens to meet a specific size requirement. “These partnerships are very important for Bandit because they will broaden our product portfolio and allow us to offer a more complete line of equipment for various markets,” says Bandit General Manager Felipe Tamayo. “ARJES is known and respected around the world as the industry leader in slow-speed shredders and rock crushers, and Pronar is one of the largest manufacturers of agricultural, compost and recycling equipment in the world. The mix of products that our companies offer blends perfectly together.” He adds, “Our dealer network is very excited about these new lines. And I think our customers will see the advantages of these new machines as they become more familiar with them.” Please visit banditchippers.com for more information.
CBI The CBI Magnum Force 6800CT Horizontal Grinder has been engineered to surpass every horizontal grinder that came before it. Once land clearing and wood waste professionals switch to CBI grinders for their ulti40
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mate production, performance and durability, they never look back. This is the best horizontal grinder on the market. Improving on the 6800BT’s revolutionary design, the 6800CT has a 15% larger screening area, wrapping more than 190° around the rotor, allowing production rates to surge beyond 200 tons an hour. Supported by a larger shaft and bearings and an optional 1200 HP CAT C32, the engine powers the forged drum rotor through the toughest materials. The design of CBI’s offset helix rotor minimizes energy loss from each strike and distributes material evenly across the 24 hammers, requiring less power while out-producing the competition. Ensuring the best fuel economy and the lowest possible cost per ton, CBI’s user friendly interface displays simplified information for controls and monitoring. Operators can adjust and save multiple groups of feed speeds, pressures, and automated control systems to guarantee the most efficient performance across a wide range of materials. Speed sensors have been added to the feed system for a continuous and efficient pace of grinding. Remote monitoring gives owners a detailed report of operating data, machine status, alarms and key metrics. Users can be sent automated maintenance notices to stay proactive on service, reducing downtime and keeping the machine in peak running condition year after year. Please visit terex.com/cbi/en for more information.
Morbark Morbark’s 50/48X is made for more to keep up with your needs! The Morbark 50/48X whole tree drum chipper, introduced in May 2018, is the newest model in Morbark’s next-generation platform of whole tree drum chippers. “The most productive portable drum chipper in the industry has become even better,” says Michael Stanton, Morbark Director of Industrial Sales, of the Morbark 50/48X. The 50/48X was updated to a similar design layout as Morbark’s other industry-leading industrial drum chippers with a sloped infeed, reversepivot top feed wheel, bottom feed wheel, externally adjustable anvil and Advantage 3 drum assembly that can come as 10-knives for fuel chip or 20-knives for micro-chip applications. The goal of making it easier for customers to perform routine daily maintenance guided many of the new improvements. This focus resulted in the development of: l A hydraulic hinged door and hood locking system to provide quick access to the drum during knife change intervals; l Large work platforms on both sides for easier and safer drum inspections; l A consolidated area for oil and hydraulic filters, easily accessible from
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the ground or maintenance platform; l An independent drum drive tensioning system for ease of adjustment; and l An increased area between the engine and chipper base for easy access during general engine inspection and belly band removal. Other improvements focused on performance and production. The powerful top feed wheel was enlarged more than 15% to 40 in. (101.6 cm), and the enhanced hydraulic system now includes a direct drive Poclain motor for the top and bottom feed wheel that eliminates previous chain and sprocket drives and provides more torque. The 50/48X can be equipped with a Caterpillar C27, 1,050 HP (783 kW) engine or Caterpillar C32, 1200 HP (895 kW) engine, both Tier 4 Final. The PT Tech HPTO15 hydraulic clutch is now standard, which allows flexibility across a wide range of chip sizes. “The Morbark 50/48 has long been the industry standard for high-production mobile fuel and micro-chip applications, and we strongly feel these improvements will minimize downtime, increase production and provide overall customer success,” Stanton states. “For these high-production machines, we focused on improving the experience for the customer,” he adds. “We deliver on our promise of making heavy-duty equipment that helps enable our customers to succeed.” Morbark continues to capitalize upon its strengths — innovative, robust and reliable products, a world-class dealer network and the relentless practice of continuous improvement. For more information on Morbark or any of its equipment, please visit morbark.com. To find your local, authorized Morbark or Rayco dealer, please visit morbarkdealers.com.
Trelan Manufacturing
Trelan whole tree chippers have been in production for over 40 years. Trelan manufactures a complete line of heavy duty whole tree chippers including the new Extreme Models: 646-WRC Extreme, 686-WRC Extreme and 786-WRC Extreme. Trelan Chippers range in horse power from 440 HP to 1000 HP. If a customer is looking for a top quality whole tree chipper, look no further than Trelan. Please visit trelan.com for more information.
Vermeer The Vermeer HG6800TX horizontal grinder is engineered to produce large volumes of ground materials. With a 950 HP (708 kW) engine, this 92,000 lbs. (41,730.5 kg) class grinder is powerful, compact and maneuverable with 26 in. wide double grouser track pads and travel speeds of 2.8 MPH (4.5 KPH). An optional DT6 integrated dolly transport system is available to eliminate the need for trailering the grinder when moving locations. The infeed on the HG6800TX grinder was designed with low sidewalls to help the operator more easily load material into the machine. This feature allows larger loads to be dropped on the infeed with less interaction and manipulation of the material, so the operator can drop the load and focus on the next one. The Vermeer HG6800TX grinder features the patented Series III duplex hard-faced drum. In addition to providing long-lasting durability, maintenance time is decreased with the ability to remove and flip or replace single hammers, as well as being able to externally balance the drum. The grinder is equipped with Vermeer SmartFeed and the Thrown Object Deflector (TOD) technology. SmartFeed optimizes machine performance and production electronically and allows the operator to focus on loading raw product and move finished product about the jobsite. This function stops and reverses material from feeding into the hammermill when engine RPMs drop below efficient operating range. Also, Vermeer TOD decreases the quantity and distance of thrown objects, which allows the machine to be operated in a smaller, “safe” work zone. The TOD is hinged and can be raised or lowered with the remote control depending upon grinding applications. Remote operation allows the operator to engage tracks for onsite maneuverability and view and change a variety of settings during operation while monitoring various engine parameters from inside the loader cab or in a remote location. An optional Damage Defense system is also offered on the HG6800TX grinder that can help reduce the likelihood of major machine damage caused by certain metal contaminants entering the hammermill. For more information about the Vermeer HG6800TX horizontal grinder, visit vermeer.com or contact your local Vermeer dealer.
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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP
As We See It: ‘We The People’ “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Dructor
Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Perhaps the most powerful and meaningful 52 words ever put together, the Constitution of the United States of
America is the supreme law of the United States. Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states, it is the source of all government powers, and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of United States citizens. So why, as United States citizens,
do we continue to blame the government for things that we can change that are within our power and authority granted in the Constitution of the United States of America? It is time that we accept responsibility, accountability and ownership of partisan bickering in Washington, DC and quit complaining, blaming and making excuses for our failure to elect representatives who still value the wants and needs of the citizens who put them in office. The mismanagement of our federal lands is a good example. Last year, while lives and property were being lost in Paradise, Calif., our “representatives” in Washington, DC spent their time bickering over language in the 2018 Farm Bill that would have helped expedite the treatment of overgrown national forests, which could help reduce the number of catastrophic wildfires. The politicians spent more time debating the cause of the problems than considering real solutions. The blame game continued as usual as one party did not want to make it appear that the other party might actually be right when they called for active forest management to reduce forest fuels. If this is the new “norm” in Washington, then it is high time that “We the People” took back the sovereign power that is vested to us and fire those whose political interests take precedence over the needs of the people. This also goes for the use of “our” federal interstate highway system to haul existing state legal loads along the safest route to the mills. We should not allow the federal government—or any federal agency—to hold states hostage by holding back highway funds if they do not comply with federal mandates. We the People should hold those same agencies accountable. We should call for the replacement
May 3-4 Is your company in? Your competition is. Jack Swanner: 828-421-8444 www.malbexpo.com 42
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of personnel as lives are lost due to regulations that only serve to force haulers onto secondary roads where they’re much more likely to be involved in an accident. Members of the American Loggers Council will once again return to Washington, DC on April 4-6 to educate the 100+ new representatives on the Hill. We will give them the truth about our industry and the “who, where, why and how” of what we do to promote healthy, sustainable forests. Our strength is in our numbers and the contacts and relationships that we build during our visits. We need to tell our story before someone else tries to tell it for us. You are the expert in your field—no one else–and only you can convey the message that members of Congress need to hear. We ask that you please consider joining our ranks this year and help us. Yes, We the People chart the future and destiny of this profession that we call logging. The American Loggers Council is an 501(c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters throughout the U.S. Dructor is executive vice president of the ALC. For more information, phone 409-625-0206, email americanlogger@aol.com or visit amloggers.com.
WSRI Ends 20-Year Run Of Research Following 20 years of work and research in support of logger-mill relationships and increasing efficiencies throughout the wood supply chain, the Wood Supply Research Institute (WSRI) is being dissolved and its work archived by the Forest Research Assn. Formed in 1999 by the Southern Logging Coalition and
Komatsu Purchases TimberPro Komatsu America Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire TimberPro, Inc. Established in 2002, TimberPro is a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of purpose-built forest machines and attachments, offering tracked feller-bunchers and harvesters, forwarders, wheeled harvesters, and felling heads. “Acquiring TimberPro will strengthen the company’s position in the full-treelength market and enables us to offer a highly competitive range of products for professional logging,” says Rod Schrader, CEO, Komatsu America Corp.
Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, WSRI was an innovative project to all segments of the wood supply chain, seeking solutions to common problems. The organization is transferring its assets and some of its mission to FRA. According to an announcement from FRA, the transferred assets will be used to support outreach efforts to benefit the logging and log trucking industries and overall forest products supply chain. In its 20 years, WSRI produced 26 documented research projects dating from 2001 to 2018. The organization sought to raise the caliber of dialog between wood suppliers and consumers, and identify opportunities for supply chain efficiency. As part of WSRI’s legacy, FRA has made a commitment to house WSRI’s research on the forest resources supply chain and agreed to make WSRI’s archives and completed research studies publicly available on its website for the use of improving the efficiency, stability, and business successes of the total wood supply system. According to a report during the ALC annual meeting in October 2018, many logging advocates believe that while WSRI initially had
the ears of key executives who could make decisions to implement changes due to WSRI research, over the years changes in timber and mill organizations had led to less implementation, despite high quality research. The group was a one-of-a-kind organization, fully independent with its own board, supported by logging associations, the American Loggers Council and timber and mill interests. In the interest of fairness, it had revolving chairmanships of two years, alternating between logger advocates and mill-timber representatives. Its first research project, Wood Truck Turn-Time Cost Penalties to the Wood Supply System, showing the costs to the whole supply chain of unreasonably long truck turnaround time at the mill, was perhaps its most far-reaching, as multiple mills implemented policies afterward to help reduce unloading wait times. Other research topics included fuel efficiency, logging capacity, double-shifting and integrating biomass operations. Its final study, released May 2018, looked at the value created by “certified” logger programs. Crad Jaynes, Executive Director of SC Timber Producers Assn. who was
in attendance at the founding meeting in 1999 in Atlanta, and who served two terms as WSRI chairman, says he’s proud of the work the organization produced. “There was a lot of good research. It’s still available and of course we’d like to see more implementation. It served a valid purpose to improve the whole wood supply chain, and I’m proud of the work that was done and the participation of all involved.” Well respected industry figures led the studies such as Tom Gallagher from Auburn University, Dale Greene from the University of Georgia and Don Taylor of Sustainable Resource Systems and numerous others.
Cross City Sawmill Has New Life Cross City Lumber, LLC, the former Georgia-Pacific sawmill in Cross City, Fla., is operating again under new ownership and recently named Wes Grant as President. GP stopped production in 2008 of what was one of the original chip-nsaw sawmills, which GP built in 1969. Cross City Lumber upgraded the CNS line and resumed operation in April 2018. The mill employs 80 and is producing 60MMBF of dimension lumber per year. “Cross City Lumber is a privatelyowned U.S. company that prides itself in hiring the best of the best and taking care of their employees,” comments Daniel Dickert, an owner along with Steve Conner. Dickert was a founding-family principal in Suwannee Lumber Co. of Cross City, which was sold last year by Blue Wolf Capital Partners to Conifex Timber. Grant worked in a variety of roles,
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including vice-president of operations, at Suwannee Lumber for 19 years, before becoming general manager of Balfour Lumber Co. in Thomasville, Ga.
“Cross City Lumber is happy to welcome Wes back to Cross City, and the team is excited to continue growing their successes under his leadership,” Dickert says. “His knowledge
and leadership skills will take Cross City Lumber well into the future, ensuring long-term growth and success for our employees, Cross City and Dixie County.”
Grant comments: “My motto is to surround yourself with great people, delegate authority and get out of the way.”
Abbeville Fiber Is Building Sawmill Abbeville Fiber, an affiliate of lumber treating giant Great Southern Wood Preserving, is expected to start up a sawmill in Abbeville, Ala. at the site of a closed West Point Pepperell plant this summer. The $39 million facility will produce dimension lumber and small timbers to be shipped to Great Southern Wood plants. Great Southern Wood operates 14 facilities that produce YellaWood brand pressure treated pine lumber. Abbeville Fiber will have the capacity to produce more than 2,200 truck loads of lumber per year. According to Abbeville Mayor Billy Helms, the first phase of the new plant could bring 75-100 jobs. The facility is expected to have new rail line access. Great Southern Wood CEO and President Jimmy Rane is also a principal in the Ashton Lewis Lumber sawmill in Gatesville, NC.
Boise Cascade Sells Plywood Facility Boise Cascade Co. is selling its plywood operation in Moncure, NC to an affiliate of Southern Veneer Products, which operates a plywood mill in Fitzgerald, Ga. Moncure employs 150. “The addition of the Moncure facility is a continuation of our plan to expand our geographic presence and build a diversified portfolio of world class assets,” comments Ken Adams, president of Southern Veneer. “We intend to invest in equipment upgrades to make full use of the production capacity at the plant.” A plywood mill has operated at Moncure since 1966.
Doosan Opens Parts Distribution Center Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, a leading manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, has opened a 100,000 sq. ft. parts distribution center in Suwanee, Ga., 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. The new distribution center allows Doosan Infracore North America to provide dealers and customers with better service options, deeper inventory and faster parts delivery. The parts distribution center is located adjacent the Doosan Infracore 44
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North America headquarters. “Doosan is committed to being a top five construction equipment brand in North America, and this new parts distribution center illustrates our promise to support our dealers and our customers with parts availability and prompt delivery,” said Edward
Song, CEO, Doosan Infracore North America, LLC. “We can significantly reduce shipping costs and we can provide less than two-day delivery on a majority of our genuine Doosan parts delivered from our dedicated warehouse.” The facility is managed by DHL
Supply Chain. It stocks 40,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) that can be shipped to service Doosan equipment throughout the U.S. and Canada. Clay Caldwell, Doosan director of parts and supply chain, comments, “Working with DHL Supply Chain allows us to reduce our order cycle
times to ensure our customers are receiving critical replacement parts quickly and efficiently. We’re excited to work with a partner that not only understands our business and markets but has the capabilities to provide strategic warehousing options and seamless transportation integration.”
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY Tigercat’s Largest Forestry Machine
Tigercat continues to set the bar high with its new 890 logger—the largest machine in the Tigercat forestry equipment lineup – a heavy duty, purpose-built forestry carrier that can be configured for loading, shovel logging or processing. The Tigercat 890 weighs 105,600 lbs. and features a FPT C87 330 HP engine at 2,000 RPM for Tier 2 and Tier 4 emission compliance. The large swing bearing provides increased capacity and swing torque. The twin swing drive system reduces gear tooth loads, and a massive single-piece, forged pedestal strengthens the undercarriage and improves durability. A new, longer F7-172 heavyduty10 roller track frame with a wide stance carbody gives the 890 exceptional stability. Track components are co-designed with Berco to provide maximum durability in forestry applications. The 890 logger shares the modular main hydraulic valve with all other Tigercat 800 series carriers for improved parts commonality. With the ability to easily swap out a valve section, the modular design simplifies maintenance. New larger
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capacity valve sections are used for main and stick boom circuits to provide higher flow rates and improve efficiency. The 890 has plenty of cooling capacity with an automatic variable speed fan for improved fuel efficiency and an automatic reversing cycle to clean the heat exchangers. Another fuel saving feature is the energy recovery swing system. A closed loop drive feeds power back to the engine when swing decelerates, reducing fuel consumption and recovering energy for other machine functions. Service access is outstanding with the power operated side engine door and overhead roof enclosure. The entire upper assembly is designed for extreme duty. Heavy wall side bumpers and a solid cast counterweight protect the upper assembly from impacts when swinging. Convenient walk-up access to the rear entry door leads to a generous interior cab. The cabin is quiet and comfortable with excellent visibility. The fulllength front window and additional floor windows provide clear sightlines. The high output climate control system keeps the operator comfortable even in temperature extremes. LED lighting and the new rearVIEW camera system improve operator visibility. Visit tigercat.com.
John Deere Swing Machines John Deere has updated its GSeries swing machines to improve operator experience. From changes
in machine design to new features to improve serviceability, the updated swing machines include eight models: 2154G, 2156G, 2654G, 2656G, 3154G, 3156G, 3754G and 3756G. “After successfully launching the G-Series swing machines in 2016, we wanted to continue to perfect the machines based on customer experience in the field,” says Jarvis De Groot, product marketing manager. “The new features, which will be available on the 2019 models and on, will streamline serviceability and improve the machine design, while still retaining the power and productivity of the original models.” The 2019 machines feature a larger travel that improves tractive effort on the 2654G and 2656G machines, as well as select 2154G and 2156G models. The new LH side door features an easy-to-remove screen, allowing for the removal of collected debris. A shovel and axe mounting provision on all machines provides a secure and easily accessible storage location. The cabs have been changed, adding a USB port for device charging and relocating the auxiliary and USB ports to behind the seat. The side-entry cab features a larger gas strut for the door and new handrail, improving entry and exit. Addition-
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ally, satellite radio is no longer required with the Convenience Deluxe package on the side-entry and rear-entry cabs. Serviceability has also been improved. A pre-cleaner for engine air intake of the Final Tier 4 engines improves air filter life, while fuel shut-off valves eliminate fuel leakage and spillage during fuel filter changes. A new hinged AC condenser improves access, making it easier to clean out debris trapped between the radiator and AC condenser. Visit johndeere.com.
Komatsu Track Feller-Bunchers
Komatsu America Corp.’s new XT-5 Series of track feller-bunchers include the XT430-5 (non-leveling), XT445L-5 and XT465L-5 which replace the prior XT-3 Series machines. The XT-5 Series ranges in operating weight from 66,359 lb. (30,100 kg) to 74,516 lb. (33,8000 kg) with a 310 peak HP (231 kW) EPA Tier 4 Final fuel-efficient diesel engine that provides more horsepower, torque and displacement with up to 10% lower fuel consumption. A new gull-wing style engine hood folds down to provide an elevated service work platform and excellent service access to all engine-related components. Four other service doors swing open wide to provide superior overall service access to other key components. The totally new rear-mounted cooling system features a larger radiator, charge air cooler and a single hydraulic cooler. All coolers have been relocated to the rear of the machine to reduce debris buildup and provide easier access. Lift capacities at full reach have been increased by 16% to 75% depending on the model. The XT465L-5 now readily operates the Quadco 24” (610 mm) cutting capacity disc saw heads. Larger capacity, hydraulic piston pumps for the implement, attachment and disc saw operate at 500 RPM lower speed, while providing high flow. Each pump has pressurized ➤ 53
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Want 0 Downtime? Repair Your Own Lines In The Woods! Start-up Kit Less than $5,000!
To buy or sell forestry, construction, utility or truck equipment, or if you just need an appraisal, contact me, Johnny Pynes with JM Wood Auction. Over 25 years experience.
Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com 1123
2004 Tigercat 640C Clambunk. 8200 actual hours, 30.5 front with 24.5 duals, 28Lx26 on rear including duals, bogies in excellent condition, runs great, just don’t need anymore ................................................$140,000 obo 2016 Caterpillar HF201B sawhead. Full rotation wrist. Approx. 400 hours. Like new .........$60,000 obo Parting out: Tigercat 720B w/5400 head, 240B, 635 and 845B. Deere 437D, 648G, 748G, and 843. Prentice 310E, Cat 522B, Timberking 360, and Timberjack 735. 945
South AL 251-513-7001 Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY 46 ➤ suction inlets to reduce cavitation risk. Boom, arm and rear hydraulic tubes and hoses have robust forestry-specific guarding that improves protection and shed debris. New rugged undercarriages provide significantly longer service life with improved track chain links, track rollers, idler bushings and final drives. Visit komatsuforest.us.
Husqvarna New Generation Saws
Coming 60 years after the launch of its very first saw, Husqvarna has developed two 50cc chain saws specifically for use by loggers and arborists. 550 XP Mark II and Husqvarna 545 Mark II deliver outstanding cutting capacity for handling small and mid-sized trees. The cooling capacity of the 550 XP Mark II and 545 Mark II has been improved by 13% compared to the previous generation of 50cc chain saws from Husqvarna. This is made possible by three key improvements such as an optimized airflow; the addition of more cooling fins in critical areas
that contribute to more effective cylinder heat dissipation; an insulating heat shield, specifically developed for the new chain saws, which provide sealing against the cylinder area and minimizes heat leakage. This helps keep the carburetor compartment cool to improve startability in hot conditions. In addition, a completely new muffler keeps temperatures down. Visit husqvarna.us.
Oregon SpeedMax Cutting System The Oregon SpeedMax XL.404 cutting system for timber harvesters is designed with greater cutting speed, strength and durability. The system delivers maximum uptime through advanced designs across the bar, chain and sprocket. The 19HX saw chain is a chamfer chisel chain built for faster, more aggressive cutting. The tall chamfer chisel cutters combine durability with improved chip clearance for faster and more consistent cuts in all types of wood. The larger 14-tooth replaceable sprocket nose features high alloy industrial bearings and requires fewer rotations to accomplish the
same work with less heat build-up, extending the life of the nose. The rim sprocket is precision balanced and machined from durable solidbillet steel and is equipped with a raised-tooth design to reduce chain stretch and incorporates improved debris ejection with tapered side ports. Visit oregonproducts.com.
Alliance Tires CTL Forestry Tires
the challenges facing tires on heavy CTL machinery. They are engineered to minimize soil compaction and surface disturbance, and to excel in the broad range of conditions CTL harvesters face year-round. The Alliance 643 features wide shoulder lugs specially designed to accommodate tracks and chains. A specially engineered hexagonal bead ensures snug contact between the tire and rim, eliminating wheel slip. Visit atgtire.com. About MACHINESSUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY Products All products presented here were submitted by manufacturers, who are responsible for any and all claims made. SLT reserves the right to edit for style and space considerations.
Alliance Tire Group (ATG) has launched two tires into the cut-tolength market under its Alliance Forestar line. The 643 Forestar III LS-2 and 644 Forestar III LS-2 feature steel-belted construction and special chunk-and-chipresistant compound to meet
How To Submit Products Electronic images and copy (please be brief) are required. Images should be scanned as 300 dpi and saved as either tiff or eps files. E-mail to rich@hattonbrown.com. Ship disks to Rich Donnell, P.O. Box 2268, Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 or to 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 361043317. Ph. 334-834-1170.
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ADVERTISER American Logger’s Council American Truck Parts ATG Primex Tire Bandit Industries BITCO Insurance Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Continental Biomass Industries John Deere Forestry Doggett Machinery Service Doosan Infracore North America Flint Equipment FMI Trailers Forest Chain Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment Granger Equipment Hawkins & Rawlinson Interstate Tire Service Ironmart Kaufman Trailers Komatsu Forestry Division Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Magnolia Trailers Maxi-Load Scale Systems Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Missouri Forest Products Association Moore Logging Supply Morbark Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Ponsse North America Puckett Machinery Quadco Quality Equipment & Parts River Ridge Equipment S E C O Parts & Equipment Southern Loggers Cooperative Stribling Equipment Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries Timberland TraxPlus Trelan Manufacturing Vermeer Manufacturing W & W Truck & Tractor Wallingford’s Waratah Forestry Attachments Waters International Trucks J M Wood Auction
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409.625.0206 888.383.8884 800.343.3276 800.952.0178 800.475.4477 919.550.1201 603.382.0556 800.503.3373 225.368.2224 877.745.7814 404.859.5790 601.947.8088 800.288.0887 803.708.0624 800.849.7788 800.284.9032 318.548.5977 888.822.1173 864.947.9208 888.561.1115 866.497.7803 888.285.7478 800.766.8349 800.467.0944 800.738.2123 877.265.1486 919.271.9050 573.634.3252 888.754.5613 800.831.0042 800.269.6520 800.321.8073 715.369.4833 601.969.6000 800.668.3340 386.754.6186 855.325.6465 800.733.7326 318.445.0750 855.781.9408 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 912.283.1060 601.635.5543 877.487.3526 641.628.3141 800.845.6648 800.323.3708 770.692.0380 601.693.4807 334.264.3265
COMING EVENTS March
June
7-9—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. annual meeting, Okefenokee Fairgrounds and Exchange Club, Waycross, Ga. Call 904-845-7133; visit swpa.ag.
26-28—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com.
20-22—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. National Conference & Expo, Hyatt Regency Savannah, Savannah, Ga. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org.
April 2-4—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky. Call 502695-3979; visit kfia.org. 30-May 3—Virginia Forestry Assn. Summit, Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, Norfolk. Call 804-2788733; visit vaforestry.org.
May 3-4—Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Expo, near Laurinburg, NC. Call 919-271-9050; visit malbexpo.com. 20-22—Forest Resources Assn. annual meeting, Oroni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Fla. Call 202-296-3937; visit forestresources.org.
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July 10-13—West Virginia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Canaan Resort Conf. Center, Davis, W.Va. Call 681-265-5019; visit wvfa.org. 26-28—Georgia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Westin Jekyll Island, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 478992-8110; visit gfagrow.org. 27-30—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Summer Conference, The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianhardwood.org.
August 20-22—Florida Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Sheraton Bay Point Resort, Panama City Beach, Fla. Call 850-222-5646; visit floridaforest.org. 23-24—Southwest Forest Products Expo, Hot Springs Covention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-2242232; visit arkloggers.com. 23-25—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, Va. Call 804-6774290; visit valoggers.org. 27-29—Louisiana Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Golden Nugget, Lake Charles, La. Call 318-4432558; visit laforestry.com.
September 5-7—Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, UP State Fairgrounds, Escanaba, Mich. Call 715-282-5828; visit gltapa.org. 8-10—Alabama Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 334-265-8733; visit alaforestry.org. 20-21—Kentucky Wood Expo, Embassy Suites Newtown Pike, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. 26-28—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 409-625-0206; visit amloggers.com. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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