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Vol. 46, No. 5
(Founded in 1972—Our 536th Consecutive Issue)
F E AT U R E S
May 2017 A Hatton-Brown Publication
Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525
www.southernloggintimes.com
Warr Brothers Forest First Philosophy
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Harrison Brothers Full Family Affair
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 Marketing/Media
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 Jordan Anderson
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 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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Where Are They Now? Alford Timber Co.
out front:
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While he was still in high school, Palmer Dugger, right, took over responsibility for the family business, Lawrence P. Dugger Logging, at only 16 when his father, Larry Dugger, left, suffered a stroke in 2004. Today they co-own the company. Story begins on Page 8. (Jay Donnell photo)
Colombo Energy Portuguese Pellet Producer
D E PA RT M E N T S Southern Stumpin’.............................. 6 Bulletin Board....................................34 Industry News Roundup...................40 Machines-Supplies-Technology....... 48 ForesTree Equipment Trader.......... 54 Coming Events/Ad Index.................. 62
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 Fax: +34 96 640 4022 Aldea de las Cuevas 66 Buzon 60 • 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Bridget DeVane
Tel: 1-800-669-5613 • Tel 334-699-7837 Email: bdevane7@hotmail.com
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 ® 2017. 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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SOUTHERN STUMPIN’ By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com
A Woman’s Touch was not more than three quesall his life, and she had always been tions into my interview with a stay-at-home mom. After all the Angie Bonner, the current presikids were older and in school, she dent of the Louisiana Logging started going to the woods with him Council, when she abruptly, but because she didn’t have anything calmly and politely, let me know else to do. In 2003 they started she had to end our telephone call. Frank Bonner Logging, Inc., based She asked if I could call her back in in their hometown of Evans, La. In 15 minutes; there was something 2008, she earned her Master Logger she had to take care of. certification. Their son Raymond It was under five minutes, in fact, also started working on the crew when she called me back instead, with them a few years ago. apologizing for the interruption. The single-crew company runs all “There was a big snake in the yard,” Tigercat machines—two skidders, she explained. “I took care of it.” two loaders and two feller-bunch“How did you take care of it?” I asked. “With a .410,” she answered simply. “It’s lying in pieces on the ground now, quivering.” So. Just keep that in mind if you plan on coming to her property uninvited. The little incident with the snake illustrates that Mrs. Bonner is not a woman who necessarily feels the need to wait for a man to take care of her. Her position with the LLC reflects a trend I’ve noticed with more than a few loggers’ wives these days: she’s more than just a Frank and Angie Bonner logger’s wife. We’ve seen so many companies like this in recent ers—with a Chambers Delimbinator. years, in which the wife is as much Angie learned to run every machine a logger as the husband. Beyond on the operation except the cutters. bookkeeping, more and more, the Typically, when she’s on the job site logger’s wife is his equal business she busies herself trimming loads partner, an integral part of the comwith a pole saw. “If something catapany, and a passionate advocate and strophic happens, or if someone gets apologist for the industry. She’s sick, I can get on a machine and fill plugged in, actively involved. in, but mostly I like to trim trucks.” With Mother’s Day coming up For the last couple of years, this month, it seemed a good time to though, she’s had to be away from shine a light on one such mom in the job site more and more due to our industry. other responsibilities in the indusAngie and Frank Bonner married try. Her involvement with the LLC in July of 1989. She’d known Frank started in August 2015. Initially, she all her life, having grown up in the was there less as a calling and more same town. There was a little bit of by default, it seems. an age difference between them: she “I did the logging council thing was 18 and he was 27. But, she says, because they didn’t have anyone in that was never a problem for them, our district,” she admits. “And I and they’ve made it work and made didn’t really know what I was getit last. “I know lots of people who ting into. I was under the impresspent lots of money on weddings, sion I would just have to go to a and now they’re divorced, and we’re few meetings. It has turned into a still together,” she points out. much bigger thing, a lot more than I Frank had worked in the woods expected. But I love it now.”
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She served as the organization’s vice president in 2016, and starting January of this year, she became its president. As far as I have been able to find out, she may very well be the first woman to officially serve in such a high elected role in any state logging association at least in the south, if not the whole country. Knowing some of the other women I have met in this business, I feel certain she won’t be the last. The job does include quarterly meetings at the offices of the Louisiana Forestry Assn. in Alexandria, as she expected. In addition, Mrs. Bonner went to Washington, DC this spring with members of the American Loggers Council, including LLC executive director Buck Vandersteen. There, she represented the interests of the logging industry in meetings with members of Congress, particularly those from her home state. One of the main issues she brought up: trucking. “Trucking insurance is bad,” she told me. “We don’t have trucks so I didn’t really know how bad until I started talking to loggers from all over the state.” Frank Bonner Logging contracts all its hauling to Robert Bennett at Bennett Timber in De Ridder. “Everyone knows their trucking insurance will renew at a higher rate now because we just lost another insurance company. So they ask for an early quote, a month ahead of the renewal date. Every trucker I know says the insurance companies won’t give the quote until two days before the renewal date. So that puts loggers and truckers in a bind because they have no time to prepare. They don’t know how large an amount it will be. It is very frustrating.” Vandersteen comments on what Angie brings to the table: “Angie Bonner represents the family aspect of the logging business,” he says. “She is the spouse behind Bonner Logging and fills her day supporting the business and worrying about her employees and their families. She is the first woman president of the Louisiana Logging Council and commits her time with the Council
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to bettering the logging community in Louisiana.” Angie must have developed a taste for the political side of the business because she plans on continuing her involvement as a representative of the industry even after her term as president is up, in one way or another. The main goal she has for her tenure, and beyond it, she says, is to better educate the public and get people more involved in the logging industry. She gives an example of the West Louisiana Forestry Festival held every fall in Leesville, in Vernon Parish—where she and her family live. “There was no actual forestry in it,” she laments. “They have a pageant and one of the questions asked to one of the contestants one year was, what would she do to promote logging and forestry? And she said, save the trees. And one of the judges agreed with her! It was a big blowup.” Angie knew she wanted to bring more awareness about logging and forestry to the people of her parish. Last year she decided to ask the organizers of the Forestry Festival if their company could bring some actual forestry equipment to display. To her surprise, they were very excited by the offer. “They said they had wanted that for years but didn’t know who to ask.” Along with the equipment, the Bonners helped set up a logging display, and Angie handed out coloring books from the Louisiana Forestry Assn. to the kids. “It told stories about logging, and it went like hotcakes,” she says. “It is really good.” This is all part of her mission, to bring more awareness and understanding about the business she loves. “People think we are out here just killing trees. If more people saw what we do and how we do it, and how wood is used in everyday items, they wouldn’t think that so much. I just would like to see a different view.” If you’d like to get in touch with Angie or Frank Bonner, you can email them at Bonnerlogging@ SLT yahoo.com.
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Lending A Hand ■ Palmer Dugger stepped up for his family and continues to do so.
A 2016 Barko 495B loader was purchased by the company in February.
By Jay Donnell BRODNAX, Va. magine being a high school ★ student while running your own business. Hard to imagine, right? Well that’s exactly what Palmer Dugger was doing during his last two years of high school. In 2004, his father Lawrence (Larry) Dugger suffered a massive stroke at age 49 and was unable to continue to run his logging company, Lawrence P. Dugger Logging (LPDL) that had been in business since the early 1980s. His son Palmer was tasked with taking it over in order to provide for his family and keep the company going. Palmer was just 16 at the time of the incident. During his last two years of high school Palmer would have to take business calls during school hours. Many teachers would get upset with him because his phone would ring during class and often the call was so pressing he would have to take it
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and leave class. When Palmer was a senior in high school he had a big decision to make: go to college and shut down the business or stay in Brodnax and continue to run the company that his father had worked so hard to build up from a firewood
business into a full scale logging operation. While many high school seniors were thinking about their senior prom, Palmer was thinking about a potentially life changing decision. What about his dream of forestry school? That’s a lot of pressure on an 18-year-old kid, but deep
The Virginia-based company produces around 80-100 loads a week.
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down he knew what he was going to do. Palmer decided to stick with and run the business while supporting his family. Upon graduation he took the business by the horns and hasn’t let go. The 16-year-old kid has grown into a 29-year-old man.
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Larry Dugger owns the business with Palmer and still comes on the jobsite when he can.
Operations Palmer has grown the company from a four-man operation with two trucks to a 16-man operation with two crews and seven trucks. When Southern Loggin’ Times visited with the Virginia-based company they were clear-cutting a 300-acre tract. They had been working on the tract for six weeks and expected to be on it for another three months. LPDL primarily works on clear-cut jobs, but they also do some thinning work. One crew usually cuts hardwood while the other cuts pine. This particular crew was cutting hardwood and producing grade logs, tie logs, pallet logs, pulpwood and fuel chips. Markets include Morgan Lumber, GP, Huber, Brown Forest Products, Tucker Timber, Pallet One, West Fraser, WestRock and Enviva. Palmer buys his own timber, but he wasn’t able to start doing that until 2012. “I wanted to have repeat customers and repeat clients,” Palmer says. “I’m fortunate to say that has worked and I don’t have to go look for timber as much now.” LPDL’s crews combine to produce from 80-100 loads of roundwood and 15 loads of chips per week. The company usually has to build its own roads when it moves on to a new tract and complying with BMP water and quality regulations is standard operating procedure. Recently, they put down 50 bales of straw and did two days of dozer work on one job. The crews try to be on the jobsite by 7 a.m. and work until 5 p.m. It’s generally a 10-hour day for everyone involved. The company hasn’t experienced many problems with vandalism over
From left: Smithy Hendricks, Christopher Lucas, Robert Mureno, Palmer Dugger
Truck drivers must inspect their loads thoroughly before heading to the mill.
SLT SNAPSHOT Lawrence P. Dugger Logging Brodnax, VA Email: lpdugger@yahoo.com Founded: 1986 Owner(s): Palmer Dugger and Larry Dugger No. Crews: 2 Employees: 16 Equipment: 2 cutters, 2 skidders, 3 loaders, 1 chipper, 7 trucks Production: Roughly 90 loads/week Average Haul Distance: 60 miles Tidbit: Palmer Dugger prefers to hire greenhorns.
LPDL owns seven trucks.
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the years, but they did have one major incident of note. In 2016, Palmer had one of his skidders catch on fire and burn up on a Sunday. The machine hadn’t been used in over a week, but they never found out the cause of the fire. Palmer has a theory, but he doesn’t want to speculate.
Equipment Lineup LPDL has a solid fleet of equipment, including 2015 and 2016 Tigercat 630E skidders, 2012 Tigercat 720E feller-buncher, 2013 Tigercat 718E feller-buncher and a 2015 and 2016 Barko 495B and 495ML loaders. Both loaders have tag along CSI delimbers and CSI slashers. A 2005 Treelan chipper is used for making fuel chips. A 2007 D5N bulldozer and a D6C bulldozer are used for building roads. The company also has a 2006 495 Barko loader that is used occasionally. Main equipment dealers are Gasburg Equipment in Gasburg, Va. and Bullock Brothers Equipment in Garysburg, NC. “Gasburg has been really good to me and so have the Bullock Brothers,” Palmer says. “Tommy Parks of Bullock Brothers has been a great salesman. We refer to him as the ‘Godfather.’” The newest piece of equipment is the 2016 Barko 495 loader. They purchased the loader in February and it has been a nice addition to LPDL’s operation. Oil is changed every 250 hours and Shell Rotella 15W40 is always used. Fuel filters are also changed every 250 hours. When Palmer needs to purchase new tires he prefers to buy Goodyear. Safety is of the utmost importance to LPDL, which is why safety meetings for crew members and drivers are held every month.
Back row: left to right, Austin Pond, Palmer Dugger, Ronnie Parrish, Alvis Dunson, Irving Linares and Grayson Duke; kneeling, left to right, Jose Cortes and Maurice Peterson
ject to random drug testing. Truck drivers are Bruce Hicks, James Keating, Cody Austin, Ronnie Parrish, Alvis Dunson, Les Jones and Ben Jones.
Business Practices
LPDL likes to keep one crew cutting hardwood and the other cutting pine.
Trucking The company runs seven trucks including four Peterbilts, one Western Star and two Internationals that pull Sopko, Pitts and Clark trailers. They also have five ITI chip vans for fuel chips. Drivers are paid by the load and they get a bonus every week depending on how they drive. “If they don’t tear anything up and they don’t bust any tires they get a bonus,” Palmer explains. All of LPDL’s trucks are equipped with Fleetmatics GPS fleet tracking software. The systems were installed two years ago and have been a huge help to make trucking run more smoothly. “It helps us keep up with the driver’s mileage and hours better,” Palmer says. “It also helps us keep up with the oil changes, makes my trucking safer and makes the logging job more productive.” 10
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The company has been on quota for the last two years.
He adds, “Each foreman can look at the GPS and see where the truck is without having to call the driver and ask so he doesn’t have to answer the phone while he’s driving. That really pays off in production.” Palmer reports that LPDL has experienced longer lines at the mills over the past couple years. Most of the mills in his area have been full because of the lack of wintry weath-
er in the area, which meant loggers were able to bring in more timber than they usually would have during the winter season. Drivers are required to do a pretrip inspection every morning. LPDL’s drivers have only experienced one minor accident over the last few years, but Palmer reports that trucking insurance premiums are skyrocketing. Drivers are sub-
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While many loggers are reluctant to hire employees without prior experience, Palmer prefers the opposite approach. He trains his new hires from the ground up so that they can learn how to do things the LPDL way. The only current employee who had prior logging experience is Smithy Hendricks. “Once people figured out that I would hire you without experience the people who wanted to get into the industry would call me,” Palmer says. “I could take somebody who wanted to learn something, wanted to get in the industry and make them a good employee.” Palmer has had several hires that didn’t work out, but that hasn’t stopped him from doing what he believes in. He believes that if you train your men you’ll get better and more loyal employees. This can be an expensive practice at first, but in the long run it pays off. “I’ve gotten some really good loggers from training my own men and I’d like to encourage other loggers to do the same,” Palmer explains. “You can train that man to do what you want rather than have him do what somebody else has already taught him.” Palmer first lets them work at the shop for a couple of weeks and change some tires. “When that man gets in the machine and looks at the man on the ground he’s got respect for him because he knows what it’s like to fix a tire, fix a hose or trim a load. He’s going to think twice before he busts a tire because he
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knows how hard it is to change it.” Employees aren’t required to fill out a formal application, but they must sign a company handbook where LPDL has laid out what it expects from its employees. On the hardwood crew, Austin Pond is the foreman and also runs the loader, Christopher Lucas works on the deck, Robert Mureno runs the skidder and Smithy Hendricks operates the feller-buncher. On the pine crew, Irving Linares is the foreman and runs the loader, Maurice Peterson runs the skidder, Jose Cortes operates the cutter and Christian Burt works on the deck. Josh Phillips is the head mechanic and Grayson Duke is the company’s forester. Palmers wife, Nicole, is the office manager. Palmer’s grandmother, Elsie Dugger, was LPDL’s bookkeeper up until a few years ago. LPDL offers health insurance to all of its employees.
LPDL hauls about 15 loads of chips per week.
The Big Picture Although there have been a lot of positive things happening for LPDL, it has been on quota for the past two years. Palmer feels that things are getting tighter every week and because of the mild winter, the mills are still struggling to get through their winter inventory.
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Palmer Dugger is hoping markets will improve this summer.
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Palmer hopes that things will change in the coming months, but he’s learned that the business of logging is always unpredictable. He has well over $2 million invested and he knows that it’s important for LPDL to stay the course. A big plus for the company is its versatility in handling large or small tracts, thinning, clearcutting, chipping, bringing both crews together or working separately. Palmer has dealt with some extremely difficult circumstances throughout his logging career. It’s easy to see that he has grown from a wide-eyed rookie to a logging pro. He credits his father for showing him the ways of the logging world as a child. He also credits his neighboring loggers who helped him out after Larry suffered the stroke and was unable to run the business. Loggers in the area lent a helping hand when Palmer and his family desperately needed one. “Many loggers try to compete against each other, but I think it would better if more of them came together,” Palmer says. “So many people in the industry helped me when my father got sick and I want to thank all of them.” Palmer and Nicole have a oneyear-old girl named Carson and they’re expecting a baby boy in SLT August.
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Land Stewards ■ Forester brothers Woodie and Toby Warr say making the woods look good is top priority.
By Jessica Johnson BLAKELY, GA. uburn graduate foresters Woodie and Toby Warr come from a family of foresters, so ★ for them, the logging business wasn’t just a way of life, it was a necessity. The Warrs love the woods. They believe, above all, the purpose of
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logging is to maintain well-managed timberland. Woodie Warr says it comes down to how it looks, and above all, being a good steward of the land. Their land-first philosophy is most evident when talking with crew foreman Greg Grimes. As the crew is finishing up a tract, making preparations to move on, Warr makes a comment about the landowner’s decision to go with an aggressive thinning plan. Grimes says, “Well it looks real good to me.” While the two are not consultants
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per se, they do actively manage about 60,000 acres across south Georgia, north Florida and south Alabama for friends, family and former harvesting clients. By not growing up in logging, the emotional investment for the Warrs is in the land, not the harvesting, which allows them to take a more business-based approached to their company, Southeast Forest Industries, based in Blakely, the small town in which they grew up. Southeast Forest began in 1995 when the brothers, after working as foresters for local mills, decided it was time to go out on their own. At first, the company worked with contract harvesting crews, but it quickly became evident that in order to implement the land-first approach, the brothers would need to be in more control. They began buying equipment in the late 1990s and haven’t looked back. “The crew in the woods and the timber buying itself is the easy job,” Warr says. “If it was just forestry work, cutting wood and getting on the truck, I’d have an easy life.” As every logger in the South will attest, it’s never just about the forestry work, not with the way the world is right now. The Warrs battle against tight markets in their area, and the ongoing headache of trucking. Additionally, since it all always comes back to being good stewards
Most of Southeast Forest’s tracts are natural growing pine stands, being thinned for management purposes.
SLT SNAPSHOT Southeast Forest Industries, Inc. Blakely, Ga. Email: seforest@yahoo.com Founded: 1995 Owner: Woodie and Toby Warr No. Crews: Three total, two in operation Employees: 18 Equipment: Three cutters, three skidders, three loaders Trucks/Trailers: 12 trucks, 15 trailers Production: 100 loads per week Average Haul Distance: under 50 miles Tidbit: In his spare time, Toby actively farms nearly 100 acres. Woodie owns a quail plantation, hosting hunters from around the world on 3,000 acres during the OctoberMarch season.
Woodie Warr
Toby Warr
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of the land, the Warrs pay close attention to the environment around the logging crews. Warr’s biggest pet peeve is trash. “You don’t see cans of oil laying around or trash. I can’t stand to drive up and see trash scattered. It’s one thing if it’s sitting in a pile and they just haven’t taken it off, but scattered here and scattered yonder, I can’t stand it,” he says firmly. Obviously, for the avid hunter and outdoorsman Warr’s war on trash matches perfectly with his desire to make sure all his thinnings are done with respect to the creatures who might come after the diesel engines. The commitment to their principles keep landowners coming back to them for management and harvesting needs, Warr says. “I know for a fact that’s a big deal for our landowners, they are the ones we cut on year after year.”
In The Woods Typically, Southeast Forest does not do a lot of bid sale timber work, and instead cuts on land using established relationships with landowners. Warr says that makes it nice, not having to juggle bid sales, but it is a double edged
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sword. In order to maintain relationships with landowners, Southeast Forest has to pay a little more sometimes in order to make sure the business keeps coming in. “It’s a good insurance policy. If you’re cutting on the same folks year after year after year, you’re doing something right,” Warr adds. As a general rule, Southeast Forest only works timber purchased by the Warrs, and not mill contracts. “We’ve done that a time or two in the past, a mill needed a tract cut and we needed somewhere to go. But that’s rare,” Warr says. Currently, Southeast Forest is set up to run three crews, but because of tight quotas, only two are operating. With tight markets, and the higher price of timber to ensure goodwill among landowners, Warr says the loadermen have to sort very close. “If you’re not sorting it close you won’t cut it the next time,” he adds. Since the two crews concentrate on pine thinnings, most sorts are pulpwood, a 14 in. butt and 8 in. top, which Warrs calls the #2 grade, and chip-n-saw, where the butt size doesn’t matter with 5 in. top. Mill markets include local sawmills, Canfor and some plywood mills. Even with the attention to sorts, each crew averages 10 loads a day,
every day. Warr laughs when he says it might not be the best time to be in the logging business: “You can make money at least 30 days a year.” He says that the mill quotas are so tight—the single biggest driving factor as to why Southeast Forest is only running two crews instead of three—that the strength of relationships is important: “There aren’t any secrets anymore in this business. Granted, the deal I might be getting with a mill is different than the deal someone else might be getting, but that’s based on relationships.” With so many sorts and mills, the brothers rely on Sharon Riley in Blakely to handle all their bookwork. Warr says, “Miss Sharon takes care of us like our momma. She’s very efficient; she makes sure everything is under control. Toby and I have so much going on that we never have to worry about the bookwork, we know she has it handled.” Each crew is set up exactly the same with three pieces of equipment: cutter, skidder, loader with delimber. Southeast Forest uses a bigger skidder, electing to delimb some with the skidder blade by repeatedly running over the piled wood on the trail before bringing wood to the landing. Getting limbs
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off natural growing pines is a challenge, and anything the skidder can get off on the trail saves the loaderman time, Warr says. Use of in-cab CB radios keep the crewmembers in constant communication, which helps avoid accidents and keep production moving. The crew foreman leads a monthly safety meeting, but Warr says between the brother’s daily visits to the woods and the CB radios, there’s a daily safety message. The crew uses all Tigercat equipment now, a change since the first equipment was purchased in the 1990s. Warr explains that the service previously received from another leading equipment brand wasn’t up to snuff. “Everyone is making good equipment. Equally they are well done,” he adds, “It’s like a pickup truck. Some people like Chevrolet and GMCs, I happen to be a Ford person.” All Tigercat equipment is serviced by Tidewater in Thomasville, Ga. Southeast Forest makes use of two 620Ds and one 640E; three 720Es, and three 234s. Each loader is outfitted with a Riley delimber. Everything is relatively new, with one crew working with equipment no more than four years old and one crew working with equipment
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between three and five years old. Warr says the equipment rotation used to be at a quicker pace, but with the temporary shut down of the third crew and the tight markets, stuff has to last longer. The pine-dominated area Southeast Forest cuts in means vine covered wood, and the skidder helps out as does the Riley delimber at the loader. This keeps the loaderman from having to pick up a chain saw. “Only time anyone touches a saw is trimming the truck. Most of the time he could use a machete, but he’ll crank a saw every now and then,” Warr says. Adding the Riley delimbers to the loaders has made a huge difference in how the wood is handled before being loaded onto the trucks—boosting production and keeping the loaderman safer. Warr has noticed that often, before going to grab a saw if the delimber is down, the loaderman will stop to try to fix the delimber. “He doesn’t want to trim anything with a saw. I don’t want him to trim anything either. The chain saw is the biggest danger in logging. These guys never get out of these machines,” Warr adds. Each brother oversees a specific area of their coverage, and by
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Skidders do more than just drag; Southeast Forest uses skidder blades to delimb on the trails before dragging wood to the landing.
default looks after the crew working in that area. Woodie watches after the crew led by Greg Grimes working near Bainbridge, Ga.; Toby looks after the crew led by Bobby Sommerset working near Blakely, Ga.; and when the third
crew led by Mickey Lee is in operation the brothers alternate overseeing it. The foremen are responsible for keeping track of routine maintenance on in-woods equipment and coordination of their dedicated
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trucks. Equipment is greased weekly; motor oil changed at 500 hours. In the south Georgia dusty heat, air filters are blown out daily. For parts and tires, Warr says he doesn’t prefer one kind over another for any reason other than price. ➤ 20
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18 ➤ Loader grapples are factory standard Tigercat, and the cutters run the cheapest saw teeth available when they are needed. Warr’s only demand when it comes to forestry tires is that it is a 20 ply tire—brand does not matter. Each crew has the ability to fix everything to an extent, but Southeast Forest does make use of dealer mechanics and outside mechanics for bigger projects—mainly due to the computerization of the equipment. “Now, with the way most of
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this equipment is, they can work on delimbers. They can work on cylinders and hoses, something small they can take off, we are going to fix. And we are going to fix everything we can fix. But it’s all computer driven now. You have to take it to someone. It’s not like it used to be,” he laments. Service trucks on each crew are set up with air compressors, grease guns, some air tools and hand tools. A 500 gal. fuel tank trailer is also on each job. Right now, plans
are to put in large fuel tanks at the three-acre Southeast Forest shop in Blakely, but until that project is completed, fuel is delivered by short truck to each crew from either Southwest Georgia Oil Co. or Grist Oil Co.
Over The Road Warr says without a shadow of a doubt the biggest issue faced every day relates to trucking. “You might have 10 one day and two
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tomorrow,” he says. The operation runs mostly newer trucks, purchased from Freightliner and International. The trucks aren’t brand new, though Warr says that’s to help make sure the drivers don’t get in competition with each out about their trucks—human nature would be to want the biggest and the best, understandably. “But on the same hand, if someone is doing their job, we will never hinder him from doing his job with a bad piece of equipment,” he emphasizes. Trailers are a mixed bag of Big John and Pitts. While the lineup is mostly Pitts, foreman and loaderman Grimes prefers Big Johns made with bars in the middle of the trailers. He says these make the trailers easier to load overall, but especially with the shorter pine they’ve been in recently. Warr reports that the company has been very fortunate with its trucks and has not had a loss of life accident. “We have had some smaller stuff, it could have been terrible. It will happen, you stay in this business long enough it will happen,” he adds. An outside mechanic does trucking maintenance on a schedule. Newer trucks are sent to the dealer, Coffman International in Dothan, Ala. to handle routine maintenance and keep up with warranty information. Each driver has a daily inspection sheet to be filled out, which helps keep up with the 9-12,000 mile schedule on motor oil changes. Truck and trailer tires are cheapest to be found. Southeast Forest does run some recaps on trailers, but not on trucks. “I’m not a Firestone man or Michelin man, I’m a cheap man,” Warr says laughing. All of Southeast Forest’s hauls are less than 50 miles, so it’s a short run back and forth. Nearly 65% are 30 miles or less. As a rule trucks will park at the shop in Blakely at night, though some drivers live off the beaten path and are permitted to carry their trucks home at night. The company does not use scales or GPS. “We’ve talked about it,” Warr says, “But I don’t have a reason to distrust anyone right now. All our hauls are close. Amazingly, in these small towns there are enough investigators, the ‘Nosy Rosies’ that can tell me where my trucks are.” Warr dislikes everything about trucking, referring to it often as the single biggest headache he has on a daily basis, but he knows it’s a necessary evil if you want to be in the harvesting business. “If you can’t get wood to the mill and get it unloaded, you are never going to make any money. That’s why SLT trucking is the key.”
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The family-owned, family-operated crew says a dry winter has their current production restricted by quotas, but they can still haul up to 90 loads a week to multiple outlets.
All For One ■ It’s (almost) all in the family for Harrison Bros., where nearly everyone shares the same last name. By David Abbott PULASKI, Miss. any logging companies are to some extent family oper★ ations, often passed down from one generation to the next. Not many go as far as Harrison Bros., Inc., however. With the exception of a lone truck driver, everyone on the crew is related, most of them a son or grandson of company founder Johnnie Harrison. Five of Johnnie’s sons founded the current iteration of the family business in August 1993, upon the retirement of their father earlier that year. With many of them now nearing or surpassing the age their father was then, four of the brothers are still active today: Bobby, 64; Charles, 62; Roy, 56; and Randy (Peashooter), 54. Oldest brother Willie, now 66, retired in March of last year, selling his shares to his
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Tigercat machines from B&G Equipment in Philadelphia is the brand of choice for this team.
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brothers, but he still comes out to drive a truck from time to time. A sixth brother, John, 58, never worked in the woods. Clan patriarch Johnnie, 85 now, has been retired nearly 24 years, but is still alive and kicking. The senior Harrison worked in the woods all his life. “He cut short pulpwood,” his son Charles recalls. “He unloaded by hand, toted it by hand and loaded it in enclosed box cars.” All five of the brothers who later took up Johnnie’s mantle worked for him while they were in school. Charles actually quit school in the ninth grade to join his dad in the woods, more than 45 years ago. Like his father, he says, it’s the only thing he’s ever done or known how to do. “Back in those days we didn’t have anything,” Charles says, referring to mechanized equipment. “When I first started here, we had mules and horses to drag the logs with.” Charles and his brothers tried to convince their dad to modernize
From left to right, brothers Roy, Randy, Charles and Bobby Harrison own the company. Fifth brother Willie retired last year.
SLT SNAPSHOT Harrison Bros. Inc. Pulaski, Miss. Email: regina_vinzant@yahoo.com Founded: 1993 Owner(s): Brothers Charles, Bobby, Randy and Roy Harrison No. Crews: 1 Employees: 11 total Equipment: 2 loaders, 2 skidders, 1 cutter, 1 dozer, 6 trucks, 6 trailers Production: 60-90 loads/week, depending on mill turnaround Average Haul Distance: 60 miles Hobbies: hunting—squirrels, deer, turkey
Two skidders pull from a single cutter to two loaders.
Tidbit: All crewmembers are also members of the Harrison family, save for one truck driver.
The new generation: Justin Harrison (Bobby’s son), Jason Harrison (Charles’ son), and Thomas Harrison (Randy’s son)
The crew uses Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks.
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the operation, but that took some doing. Gradually a small farm tractor replaced the mules and horses for pulling logs, and later still trucks with side loaders. “That was what we used for years,” Charles says. “I kept talking to him to try to convince him, and talked him into getting a little knuckleboom and a cable skidder, an old Tree Farmer with a standard transmission.” As Charles recollects, it was 1985 before Johnnie started hauling treelength wood. “He didn’t want to. He was reluctant because he was used to shortwood and because it was more expensive to get into. You couldn’t just go out and jump into it like you could with shortwood.” As is so often the case, the younger generation was eager to try a fresh approach, while the seasoned vet held onto the tried and true methods he’d known for decades. Change, of course, is both necessary and inevitable, and Johnny’s sons could see what the future held. They knew their days of hauling shortwood had to be numbered if the company was to survive. “At that time, if you didn’t (start hauling treelength), you were about to be out of business,” Charles says. That was 30 years ago; men then in their 20s and 30s are now in their 50s and 60s. The young generation of the late ’80s and early ’90s has
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The Prentice loader is set up about 100 yards from the Tigercat.
grown into the elder generation of 2017. The Harrison brothers now work with their own sons, who are as eager now to shake things up as their dads were once upon a time. Of course, just because something is new and different doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the way to go, either. Charles says that his nephew Justin recently lobbied to add a track cutter
to the crew, for cutting on some difficult terrain. “I said we don’t need it. You’re not in this kind of place very much.” He was willing to consider Justin’s suggestion to replace the crew’s open station dozer with a newer one that has an enclosed cab. “I priced it and decided it wasn’t worth it,” Charles says. “It would be $20,000 to rework our dozer and a
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new one was $180,000. You don’t really make any money off a dozer and it’s a big expense. The company doesn’t pay us to use the dozer.”
Setup Equipment is mostly Tigercat, purchased from B&G Equipment in Philadelphia. Doug Bates is the
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CSI delimber works with the Tigercat loader, while the Prentice uses a CTR.
The Harrisons merchandise for a variety of sorts to different mills.
salesman with whom Harrison Bros., Inc. works. A 2015 Tigercat 234 loader with CSI delimber is set up on the opposite side of the deck from a 2004 Prentice 2384 loader with CTR delimber. Two Tigercat skidders, ’10 model 620D and a 620C from 2008, pull drags felled by a 2011 Tigercat 726 cutter. Two Peterbilt trucks and four Kenworths pull four Magnolia and two Pitts trailers. Dealers for trucks and trailers are Kenworth of Jackson and Peterbilt of Mississippi, both in Jackson, and Waters International in Kosciusko. Charles estimates the
where Charles says there is “nothing but a post office.” They bring trucks and trailers into the shop to do whatever maintenance and repairs they can, and what they can’t they send to bigger local shops. On the in-woods machines, B&G handles everything except daily greasing and routine oil changes, which the crew performs in the woods every 300 hours, keeping track with a simple notebook. Charles says he and his brothers have come to prefer Firestone tires, using the wider 44x32s on the skidders and 34x26 on the cutter.
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company’s overall investment at $1.5 million, at least. The mix of somewhat newer and slightly older machines is part of the Harrison philosophy. “We run a machine as long as we don’t have a bunch of major trouble out of it,” Charles explains simply. “We will trade it off when it costs too much to maintain.” With that in mind, the company was actually in the process of replacing two trucks the week after Southern Loggin’ Times visited in mid-April. The company has a small shop near home base in Pulaski, a town
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They’re less picky when it comes to tire brands for the on-road vehicles, opting to purchase wherever they can find the cheapest option. They run all recaps on the trailers. They use factory grapples on the skidders (110 in.) and loaders (52 in.). Charles isn’t sure about the brand of teeth on the feller-buncher saw; he leaves that to B&G, he says.
Markets Harrison Bros. has cut for RMS (Resource Management Service, LLC) ever since the Birmingham,
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Ala.-based timberland investment firm bought International Paper’s former holdings. “We just transferred from IP to them,” Charles says. Harrison Bros. has two main contacts at RMS: forester Mike Bell tells the crew where to cut, and Richie Hines tells the loggers where to haul. “We hope this company will keep us in something to do. Right now the way the market is, I can’t see trying to buy our own timber. I just don’t believe it would work,
with so many people already out there, to try to get out on your own and find enough to do.” With conditions as they are, the idea of expanding the operation gets a firm “No” from Charles. “I couldn’t see expanding with the timber business right now. With the quotas we are on, we have enough to do for what we have to do, to last us the week. But if you go trying to expand, you won’t have enough to do and all those big payments to make.” He attributes the sluggish demand
to overabundant supply—there are more loggers who are more productive, turning out more fiber than mills need. A related factor is weather; the winter was too dry, so mills never depleted what was stockpiled last year. “Mills are full and they are trying to rotate the wood to get the old wood up so it doesn’t rot,” Charles explains. “They have everybody cut back right now.” He lacks a great deal of optimism that the situation will improve any-
time soon. “Last year it lasted all year on pine,” he notes. “We cut hardwood all summer, and it moved pretty good. I look for us to go back to hardwood when it gets dry enough to get in the swamps in June or July.” This is typical, though, he asserts. RMS usually has Harrison Bros. working on hills in the winter and swamps in the summer. The crew hauls hardwood and pine pulpwood to International Paper in Redwood and Yazoo City. Large pine logs go to Weyerhaeuser in Philadelphia, Biewer Lumber in Newton and Southeastern Timber Products in Ackerman. Hardwood logs go to Attalla Hardwoods in Kosciusko, while the Harrisons send poles to East Mississippi Pole Co. in Macon.
Crew “Everybody out here knows this work, they grew up in it, and we know how to do it and be safe,” Charles says. A representative from the insurance company (Davis-Garvin Agency in Flowood) comes out to inspect the crew periodically, and Charles says there have been no problems. “We’re good. We have had no accidents in I don’t know how long, and we have one of the best rates of any loggers in the state,” Charles believes. Trucking insurance, though, is where he says loggers in the state are in trouble. “Davis-Garvin has trouble finding companies that will cover us. The one we had last year won’t take us on this year, even though we haven’t had any major accidents in a long time, and only two companies will even consider taking on loggers.” The crew includes Robbie Wicker, a cousin of the Harrison family who drives a truck. Another driver, Tommy Wilkerson, has a unique position as the only nonfamily member on the team. Randy Harrison, his son Ross, and Charles’ son Jason also drive trucks. Charles operates the Prentice loader, while his nephew Justin Harrison, Bobby’s son, runs the Tigercat loader. Bobby mans the feller-buncher. Roy Harrison and Randy’s son Thomas drive the skidders. A loose succession plan is already more or less in place, put in action last year when four of the brothers bought out the retiring Willie. The same pattern will repeat, Charles believes, as each brother retires in turn, until the company is finally bequeathed entirely to their sons. For now, though, none of them have any plans to leave the woods anytime SLT soon. 28
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Alfords Now Run Pole Mill By Dan Shell, Western Editor ight at 30 years ago, Southern Loggin’ Times visited Alford Timber of Osyka, Miss., near McComb, to report on the company’s new Tree Farmer skidder and pole and piling specialization. When SLT visited the Alford Timber operation in late 1986 or early 1987— the article ran in March 1987—father Dick Alford and his two sons, Dalton and Don, were running two logging crews that specialized in poles, one a bit larger than the other. Thanks to a strong relationship between Alford and Vic Morrish of Tree Mart in McComb, the logging crews ran heavy to Tree Farmer. At the time, a week-old C6T “shiny lime green skidder that barely had any scratches” was boosting production. The logger was running two older C6s and a C5 and mentioned that he bought his first Tree Farmer in 1965. “They are the only machine I’ll use,” he said. In fact, Alford was such a Tree Farmer fan that Morrish arranged for the logger to haul new stock to the dealership from the former Tree Farmer plant in Ontario during the slower winter months. For felling, the crews were using Pioneer chain saws, primarily, while a On the cover in March 1987, Dick Alford, top, passed away in 2005. Dalton, left, sold his interest and moved on to the Tree Farmer C5 “turnNorth Dakota oil fields, while Don, right, continues the Alford family business that’s coming up on its 80th anniversary.
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around” machine with directional felling shear handled smaller timber. While employee Danny Irwin claimed the Pioneer saws “will outlast them all,” the Pioneer saw brand itself was a year away from being discontinued (at the end of 1988) after it was bought by Electrolux and absorbed into the Husqvarna/Poulan product lines. Two truck-mounted Barko loaders (a 140 and 160) handled loading, along with a Ford 500 tractor with tongs attachment that Alford said was better at pole handling and didn’t scar the poles as much as skidders. Some of the production on site was going direct to a bridge construction site in New Orleans; Alford employees were dressing the logs by hand, skinning them with flat sharpened hoes.
Update Don Alford remembers that when SLT came to visit and the company was in the magazine, he had just gotten married. Yet that wasn’t the only big change in his life during that time. Alford Timber’s success at procuring and producing quality pole and piling products would soon lead to opening their own pole mill: Amite County Poles & Piling in Gloster, Miss., which Don continues to operate.
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He’s quick to note Farmer dealer running DM EquipAlford Timber’s one that Alford Timber, ment. “I remember one evening logging crew that has which was started by when I was young I had a skidder in two skidders, a cutter his grandfather Ellis Pat’s shop and went by one day and and loader. Alford in 1939, is Don’s wife, Kristi, is made a comment about a new nearing its 80th equipment dealership that was closely involved in all anniversary. He’s also opening up in town and he told me three businesses and proud of the slogan he something I’ve always remembered. keeps the books for uses on his company each. “She lets us know He said ‘Don’t you worry about the signs: “We Were everything down to the competition. As long as you’re good Green Before Being at what you do, the competition will penny every week on Green Was Cool!” take care of itself,’” Don rememwhere each company The founder was a bers. “It’s just something that’s stands,” he says. pole logger as well, a always stuck with me.” Don’s brother Daltrade he passed along to Robbie Shell from the Shell ton eventually bought his son Dick, who in Brothers Logging family in nearby Dick Alford’s interest turn passed the skills Roxie, Miss. (featured in SLT in in the business, and along to his sons DalFebruary 1986) works for Alford, Don bought Dalton Don Alford, Amite County’s “original environmentalist,” shows off a sign for his ton and Don. The com- pole mill, plus the family logging company that was founded in 1939. and Kermit Shell, former partner in out in 2002. Meanpany’s success led to Shell Brothers, provided the truck while, Dick Alford two major pole supply jobs in the late logging crew, but we’re a pole and that’s hauling the 80 and 90 ft. poles died in November 2005. 1980s: one was a bridge job and the in the photo at the bottom of the piling company, not a logging comDalton decided he wanted to do other a pilings job of more than 6,000 pany,” Don says. “We’d love to get page. something else, and he made a big pieces. “You know I’ll always love logby on just gatemove for a southwest Mississippi Landing the ging but at times I hate logging— wood, but we boy—all the way out to the oil fields big orders led to and the trucking is worse than that,” still have to do in North Dakota, working with well contracting out Alford says with a laugh. some cutting.” gauges. “He’s hung on after the some of the peelAs for the twists and turns and Today, he downturn up there,” Don says. ing work and developments since SLT visited 30 operates three ultimately the years ago, Alford says, “Well, we companies: the Piney Woods Life establishment of all kind of grew up around here Alford Timber Don remains plugged in to the log- doing whatever (in the woods). At the pole mill logging and ging grapevine in and around his operation in one time I was supposed to go to related woods neck of the woods. “I still run with Gloster in 1989. law school but that didn’t work out work company, some loggers around here, we’ve And while the so I did this. Amite County been buddies for years,” he says. hand-peeling “But I enjoy what I do,” Alford Poles & Piling Folks in the industry he sees regularly continues, remembering a Northwest was phased out pole mill and include insurance specialist Dexter over the years it tour with the American Wood ProAlford Inc., Evans, now with Davis Garvin, and was still used tection Assn. and seeing the large log which is the longtime McComb equipment dealer back in the early loads out there. “We all talked about trucking side of Pat Doyle, who happens to head up days, Don says, how when you see a good load of the business. the neighborhood association where adding that the logs going down the road it just does The pole mill Younger brother Jason Alford, nine months Alford lives. “flat sharpened something for you,” he says. “You tries to concenold in 1987, now manages woods work. The Alfords had a great relationhoes” mentioned just have to have it in your blood, I trate on longer SLT in the 1987 article were actually guess.” products—65 ft. and above—with the ship with Doyle, who was a Tree purpose-built tools using a piece of largest pole they’ve ever produced at band saw blade that could be bent 125 ft. Don says challenges include to fit the curve of the tree and get shorter rotations resulting in shorter under the bark more efficiently. timber, and the move toward small While the hand-peeling is gone, log processing at sawmills. This the urgency of production has makes it tougher to merchandise the remained, Don says. Though it’s not non-pole material that’s still large often, there are times when the diameter grade pine, he adds. “Mills operation gets a large order that a don’t seem to want good big grade tree will get cut down before the logs; they just want these small, fastsun is up and be hauled to the pole growing logs.” mill, peeled, processed, inspected At the very end of the 1987 article and loaded onto another truck, Dick Alford, then 55, said he couldn’t hauled to a job site and driven into afford to slow down, because he “has the ground—all in the same day. too many bills” and a newborn at As the pole mill operation grew, home, son Jason, who was only nine the logging crews were downsized months old at the time. Today Jason A one cutter, two skidder and a loader logging crew bolsters pole production when large and consolidated. “We still have a is the 31-year-old supervisor of orders require additional pole timber harvesting capacity. This log truck owned by Kermit Shell hauls a handful of truly impressive pole trees that are pushing 90 ft. in length. The largest pole Alford has ever processed? Around 125 feet long, he says.
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Wisdom & Wise Cracks There are more airplanes in the sea than there are submarines in the sky. ‘Do Not Touch’ must be one of the scariest things to read in Braille. Arguing with a woman is like reading a software license agreement. In the end, you ignore everything and click “I agree.” Sometimes getting out of bed just ruins the whole day. Failure is merely a bruise, not a tattoo. Go the second mile; it’s never crowded. To be old and wise, first you have to be young and stupid.
Two Valuable Photographs An Atlanta attorney representing a wealthy art collector called and asked to speak with his client, saying, “So listen, Fred, I have some good news and I have some bad news.” The art collector replied, “I’ve had an awful day; let’s hear the good news first.” The lawyer said, “Well, I met with your wife today, and she informed me she invested $5,000 in two photographs that she thinks will bring a minimum of $15-20 million. I think she could be right.” Fred replied enthusiastically, “Well done! My wife is a brilliant business woman! You’ve just made my day. Now I know I can handle the bad news. What is it?” The lawyer replied, “The photos are of you and your secretary.”
Cowboy Rationale A cowboy, who had just moved to Wyoming from Texas, walked into a bar and ordered three mugs of Bud. He sat in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finished them, he came back to the bar and ordered three more. The bartender approached and told the cowboy, “You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time.” Replied the cowboy, “Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona, the other is in Colorado. When we all left our home in Texas, we promised that we’d drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So, I’m drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself.” Admitting this was a nice custom, the barkeep left it there. The cowboy became a regular in the bar, and always drank the same way. One day he came in and only ordered two mugs. All the regulars took notice and fell silent. When he came back to the bar for the second round, the bartender said, “I don’t want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer
my condolences on your loss.” The cowboy looked quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawned in his eyes and he laughed. “Oh, no, everybody’s just fine,” he explained. “It’s just that my wife and I joined the Baptist church and I had to quit drinking. Hasn’t affected my brothers though.”
Why I Mow My Own Yard The following story is attributed to Lee Trevino, a retired American professional golfer regarded as one of the greatest players ever to play the game and the greatest Hispanic golfer of all time. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Shortly after joining the PGA tour in 1965, Trevino, a married man, was at his home in Dallas, Tex., mowing his front lawn, as he always did. A lady driving by in a shiny Cadillac stopped in front of his house, lowered the window and asked, “Excuse me, do you speak English?” Trevino responded, “Yes ma’am, I do.” The lady then asked, “What do you charge to do yard work?” Without hesitating, Trevino replied, “Well, the woman in this house lets me sleep with her.” The lady hurriedly put the car into gear and sped off.
Did You Know? Glass takes one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite number of times. Gold is the only metal that doesn’t rust, even if it’s buried in the ground for thousands of years. The tongue is the only muscle in the body that is attached at only one end. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off. Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals. Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every Englishspeaking country in the world to bring in the new year. Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61%. Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn’t smoke unless it’s heated above 450ºF. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell to our ear is not the ocean but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear. Nine out of every 10 living things are found in the ocean. The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man. Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density. The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself. In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted. Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday. The most intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. A comet’s tail always points away from the sun. The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent. Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other pain killers, which is why it is found in some medicines. The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity. When you look up from the bottom of a well or tall chimney you can see stars, even in the middle of the day. When a person is dying, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight. In ancient times strangers shook hands to show they were unarmed. The strawberry is the only fruit whose seeds grow on the outside. Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit—167 calories per 100 grams. The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year. The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust. Due to Earth’s gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters. Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could knock the bridge down. Everything weighs 1% less at the equator. The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.
A Father Who Dreamed Of Two Sons
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High Energy ■ Portuguese pulp company Navigator has high hopes for Colombo Energy pellet plant.
Colombo solicited machinery bids on three separate packages: a wood yard, a pelleting island and a drying island.
By Jessica Johnson GREENWOOD, SC ★ s consumers shift to e-readers, e-mails and smartphones, economic forecasts predict that global demand for paper will continue on its downward trajectory. That’s why The Navigator Co., a privately owned Portuguese pulp and paper giant, developed a three-pronged plan for sustainable and profitable growth of its business. The first two prongs involved a ramping up of timberland ownership and pulp production in Mozambique and expansion into tissue paper production in Portgugal. The third prong was the creation of Colombo Energy Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Navigator. Colombo produces industrial wood pellets at its facility in South Caroli-
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na for export to European and Asian markets. António Porto Monteiro, formerly Navigator’s European sales director for paper, now serves as CEO of Colombo Energy. He says the decision to move into the industrial wood pellet market in 2014 was based on the high growth potential and profitability of that business at the time. Furthermore, Navigator has a close ties to an existing pellet company in Portugal, a relationship that offered first-hand knowledge of the pellet producing business. Porto Monteiro says Navigator’s shareholders have a long-term vision for the company. The decision to start a 500,000 metric ton annual production capacity greenfield pellet project also reflected a desire to move into U.S. markets. “This experience could help the company learn the U.S. market and how to operate here, which can be
used for paper or for pulp or for more pellets,” he adds. Porto Monteiro says that while the facility was built mainly to supply industrial needs in Europe, other possibilities are not off the table. That includes European residential markets, industrial markets in Japan, and the domestic heating market in the U.S. Once the decision was made to begin, the project moved quickly. Project Manager António Sequeira says the entire process took about a year, from inception to groundbreaking. The first step was to choose a location. Internet research, Sequeira explains, led to information about South Carolina and its Chamber of Commerce. Sequeira and his team investigated sites in both South Carolina and Georgia, but focused heavily on South Carolina. Porto Monteiro says strong support from then Governor
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Nikki Haley and then Lieutenant Governor Henry McMaster, alongside the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, played a big role in bringing Colombo Energy to the state. The South Carolina Forestry Commission was also actively pushing for industrial growth. Sequeira says Colombo only considered places with rail access, as well as utilities. “Initially we were looking for different sites that would enable us to connect to different ports,” he adds. The company even considered building its own port, going as far as commissioning a full preengineering plan for it. The plan to build a port was eventually scrapped, though, because the production cost for building it would have been more than the fledgling pellet producer wanted to take on. Colombo Energy settled on a nearly 200-acre spot in Greenwood County, an hour and a half from
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Greenville and about three hours from Atlanta. It offers several benefits: easy access by rail to the deepwater port in Wilmington, NC; an electrical substation connected to the site that supplies a 20 MVA transformer; a nearby volunteer fire department station. Colombo also built an internal spur to connect to the CSX railway. Importantly, Colombo Energy was able to enter into an offtake agreement contracting 40% of the plant’s capacity for the next 10 years. Ultimately, the main reason Colombo selected Greenwood was for its wood basket. The access to abundant southern yellow pine pulpwood at reasonable prices has lured other large-scale industrial pellet producers to the region, so it should come as no surprise that Colombo would be similarly drawn. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in March 2015.
Project Sequeira says Colombo began accepting bids for the machinery soon after the site was chosen. Thanks to the partnership with the pellet mill in Portugal, the team already had an idea what machinery they wanted. Spanish equipment manufacturer Prodesa was the supplier throughout the mill in Portugal. Naturally, Colombo took a very hard look at what Prodesa’s ProMil-Stolz equipment could offer. During project development Colombo shipped sample wood from South Carolina to the plant in Portugal to try producing pellets with Prodesa equipment there. “We decided to go with ProMil and got a competitive quote because they wanted to penetrate in North America as well,” Sequeira says. “We are their first big project in the U.S.” Ultimately Prodesa supplied the complete milling, pelleting and cooling lines, including five dry hammermills, 15 pellet mills, five vertical coolers and more than 1,800 instrument signals that process through the PLCs to enable a safe and wellinformed operation of the plant. Prodesa’s comprehensive services included project engineering, technical support, installation, startup and training as well as support and maintenance of the plant under a two-year contract. Colombo split the project into three packages: wood yard, drying island and pelleting island. Sequeira says the team narrowed its options down to two suppliers before settling on BRUKS for the wood yard, which included conveyors, stoker, stackerreclaimer, chipper and green hammermills. Colombo had two primary bids for the drying island and ultimately chose TSI, including the fur-
Senior management team, left to right: Ken Leach, Bill Moran, Antonio Porto Monteiro and Antonio Sequeira
nace, dryer, cyclones, wet ESP and RTO. The pelleting island had four primary bids before going to Prodesa. Mid-South Engineering served as the owner’s engineer, coordinating multiple EPC vendors’ interfaces and providing detailed electrical engineering and “balance of plant” engineering. Mid-South also provided procurement assistance for multiple equipment and installation contracts, and provided document control and on-site construction coordination for the project. Other notable suppliers include SHW intermediate silos; Eaton power distribution system and motors; Flamex fire detection and suppression system; MJ Wood sprinklers and fire protection; PEA civil engineering; East Coast and Southern Industrial construction for instrumentation and electrical power distribution.
Flamex provided the required process fire protection in four key areas of the plant. Separate Flamex spark detection and extinguishing systems were supplied for protection of the dryer, hammermills, pelletizers and load-out areas. The systems utilize hot particle detectors and deluge assemblies in certain applications at the plant, in addition to spark detectors and extinguishing valve assemblies for suppression in duct work. The four systems are monitored and operated from the control room by the Inveron HMI system also provided by Flamex.
Operations Startup hit its stride last October, and Porto Monteiro believes that the equipment selection and process design has resulted in a very high quality pellet. The facility is process-
ing only roundwood, but can accommodate chips. Wood procurement manager Ken Leach says that the facility was welcomed by the area logging force. “They were very anxious for us to open the doors,” he says. In the past, this region of South Carolina had enjoyed aggressive timber buying, but as chip mills closed quickly the region became underserved. “They were a little skeptical at first…once we started buying wood last June, it took some of them a little while to warm up to the idea that this is serious.” The procurement team has met requirements for the current sales and production level. The facility is focused right now on processing pine roundwood, and Sequeira doesn’t see that changing, citing process stability and stable quality as driving factors. “If you have to tune new equipment
Colombo uses 15 Prodesa ProMil pellet presses; it has room for three more if needed.
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and you have different types of equipment that is related in the process, you have to have something very consistent and stable—the raw material—because everything else might change. If you are able to control the raw material you have a very important key to bring stability to process success.” Colombo management proudly mentions feedback received from some relevant players in the industry who said that the quality of the pellets is unmatched by the U.S. produc-
ers they have seen. “It gives us confidence,” Porto Monteiro says. He adds that the pellets have shown through independent testing to have a very high calorific value, a very low ash content (less than 0.5%), a high durability and a good particle size distribution. Porto Monteiro echoes Sequeira in saying this quality would not be possible without absolute control of the raw material. Two Caterpillar M325 D rubber tired material handlers work the wood yard and mill infeed. Logs
move through a Price LogPro drum debarker and then to a BRUKS horizontal drum chipper. Wood is chipped to less than ½ in. Chips proceed to the BRUKS circular blending bed stacker reclaimer, which provides first-in, first-out inventory control. It utilizes full 360° slewing to stack and reclaim chips. A traversing harrow agitates the pile for even feed to the reclaim screw conveyor. Chips then travel to one of four BRUKS green hammermills. Sequeira points out
there is space to put in a fifth green hammermill should market demand necessitate increased capacity. Raw material proceeds to the dryer island with a TSI rotary dryer, supported by ample emissions control systems including cyclones, a wet ESP and a RTO. Material then goes to the Prodesa hammermill building and then to the pelleting building. “In strategic places in the plant, we are able to increase production to 600,000 metric tons if we want to,” Sequeira explains. Space inside the pelleting building allows for total of 18 pellet mills, though currently the facility only uses 15. All pellet presses are vertical. Gravity, instead of conveyors, moves pellets from the presses to the coolers. “It just drops,” Sequeira says simply. From the coolers, pellets go to storage silos, then to rail cars for shipping. At various points throughout the process, Colombo has the ability to pull samples and test inhouse for quality. Sequeira believes this helps keep quality and process under control. Of the 70 employees at Colombo, only two, Sequeira and Porto Monteiro, are Portuguese. That’s because Colombo Energy was intended to be an American company. One of the growing pains of any greenfield operation is hiring hourly employees, and Colombo has felt that challenge as South Carolina’s unemployment reached 15-year record low levels.
Markets In terms of sustainability, Colombo has achieved all certifications available for pellet facilities: FSC (Chain of Custody), PEFC (Chain of Custody), SFI and SBP compliant. In terms of quality, Colombo is certified by PFI for the North American market and is aiming to soon achieve certification by the European market (EN A1 Plus). Porto Monteiro says everything is ready for the audit. At startup the plant was contracted for around half of capacity, which still leaves a sizable gap for the sales department to fill. They are weighing what is expected to be a soft worldwide demand situation for the next year, before picking up steam again—based on projections for the European market, and the potential of the Japanese markets. Porto Monteiro believes that this growth should absorb the extra capacity seen in the Southeast SLT right now. A version of this story originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Wood Bioenergy magazine.
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LOGGING LIFE AT HOME
How Does He Love Me? Let Me Count The Trees Deborah Smith has been married to Rome, Ga. logger Travis Smith for 34 years. They have 10 children: seven by birth, three adopted from Africa, and two granddaughters. A college English major, she began home-schooling their children in 1991. Says Smith: “I love my family; I am passionate about encouraging others to keep the faith, to keep taking the next right step, no matter how hard life gets.” Travis and Deborah Smith Visit her blog: buttercupsbloom here.blogspot.com
y husband’s father left each of his four children beautiful land. Back
M in the day of figuring out where we would live, my husband and I
walked all over his inheritance, trying to pick out the best spot to put a single wide for then and build the house out front later. Where would kids play one day? How close to the road do we want to be? The spot we picked is like magic to me. It is a neck of hardwoods growing strong and tall, coming off of a ridge, with a wet-weather stream running down one side and a wide, open field on the other. Travis says that as a little boy, he and his daddy went to this part of the farm to cut firewood, but his daddy would leave the trees at this particular spot alone. It was just too pretty to cut. I loved the trees. Years later, when it was time to build our house, Travis and I took string and tried to figure out where we could put the house without cutting many trees. A friend once told me that it looked like we just dropped our house inside a circle of trees, seeing there are so many, and some so close to the house. Travis knows so much about trees. He told me that if I wanted grass in the yard, I’d have to get rid of most of the trees, and just leave a few big ones. I just couldn’t do it. The trees stayed. Our home place is unique with its “no grass” look. We have a lovely maple between the house and the branch. We have huge red oak, post
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oak, white oak, poplar, scaly-bark hickory, ash, dogwood, cherry, sweet gum, pine and red maples up our driveway and around the house. Trees are also special gifts. My dad bought me Bradford pear trees to celebrate the birth of our fifth daughter. Travis gave me a red bud one Valentine’s Day, and a ginkgo for our 35th anniversary. The kids gave me apple trees one Mother’s Day. Trees mean a lot to me because I see the seasons change so beautifully in them. The beauty of their branches is plainly seen against a grey winter day sky. The promise of spring shows off in buds and a thousand greens that blow my mind. Fall is glorious, and a reminder that change can be refreshing and amazing. And then we are back at winter. Seasons with their droughts and floods and scorching temps and snow storms and tornadoes kinda remind me of my marriage and family life. There are seasons to our life. Each season holds its own promise and joy, no matter how many storms come. Each season ushers in change. Some seasons seem dry, others cold and harsh. Sometimes we wonder if things will ever change, and by change we mean get just a little bit easier. We can grow with the seasons or just quit. I want us to grow. I want us to grow stronger, and lovely, like the post oak out back. Put a logging business and a marriage and 10 kids growing up all in one house surrounded by trees, and you will see a lot of change. But that’s life, isn’t it? To be alive is to be constantly changing, continually growing, never giving up on taking the next right step. As seasons get tougher in the logging industry; as world issues seem spiraling towards danger; as budgets get tighter; as heartaches invade our home; as we care for parents; as we raise our grandkids; as we watch our kids grow up too fast; as life takes turns we never imagined... Let us promise those we love that we will keep doing the next right thing. We will persevere, whatever that looks like. Keep putting others first, even when you’re tired. Keep being a fair boss, even when the times are tough. Keep trying to make time for your family, even when you could spend 24/7 in the shop and in the woods. Keep talking—to your kids, to your spouse—even if it’s just little stuff. Little stuff leads to big stuff, and then you can start having the relationship you both need. Keep living, no matter what season you are in, no matter what season everyone else around you seems to be in and you’re stuck in the drought. My logger let me keep all the trees that I could keep. And for presents he buys me more trees. I love him. We are far from perfect. We have our “barn burners.” We have our stalemates. I always spend too much money and he never takes kids to the orthodontist or the library. But how I love him. And I know he loves me. All I have to do is look out a SLT window.
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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP Opportunity has knocked. As We See It: Opportunity Knocks; Seize The Moment heard. Become proactive for issues affecting By Ken Martin It is said that opportunity knocks. We have new leadership in Washington with the election of President Trump. As Martin this new, pro-business administration moves forward putting appointments in place, we are very hopeful that many of the issues we have talked about and lobbied for may finally be heard and acted upon. We see the opportunity for improving the management of our forests, including setting new policy that directs timber harvest, reducing hazardous fuels, and thinning to keep our forests healthy and vigorous for those who enjoy hiking, fishing, hunting and other forms of recreation. We have seen, for far too long, the effects of not having active management of our national forests and other public lands. The result is the astronomical cost of fighting wildfires, which has skyrocketed the last few years. The
U.S. Forest Service is forced to spend much needed forest management funds on fighting wildfires. It is actually pretty simple. The lack of forest management is contributing to increases in wildfires and the cost of fighting them. As President Trump’s choices unfold, we are mostly encouraged by a change in philosophy from preservation and setting aside to conservation. We all want to enjoy the beauty of our vast natural resources, fully expecting that our forests be managed. For many years we have seen how interconnected our industry is with transportation. We now have the opportunity to address an aging and crumbling infrastructure system. We must continue to fight for funding for rural roads and bridges that are so vital to the transportation of our forest products. We need a safe, reliable highway system on the federal, state and local level. We need reasonable trucking regulations as they pertain to logging transportation issues. Our interstate system was built to a higher stan-
dard to transport heavier loads for a better flow of traffic through congested areas. We need a federal standard for the transportation of forest products on our interstate system that takes out local politics. Everyone is seeking revenue. We must step up and speak of the impact that the neglect of rural roads and bridges is having on the forest products industry. With the change in administration, opportunity will hopefully come with leadership understanding the consequences of overregulation. It has been said that government regulations are the biggest obstacle and cost to business growth and expansion. Put simply, regulations cost businesses millions of dollars each year. Take advantage of this new opportunity to let your thoughts be heard. America was once a world leader in technology, manufacturing, and military strength. Today we stand at the threshold of a new day with an opportunity to step forward and renew our leadership in the world. This is our chance to stand up and be
our forest products industry. Do not let opportunity pass you by.
Martin is president of the American Loggers Council. Ken, his wife Sandy and sons Brent and Brad own and operate Mar-Cal, Inc., Mendenhall, Miss. Brent and Brad handle much of the day-to-day management of the family-owned timber management/ harvesting operations. The American Loggers Council is a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters and log truckers in 32 states. Visit amloggers. com or phone 409-625-0206.
New Plywood Mill Celebrates Opening Joined by federal, state and local leaders, company associates and members of the community, Winston Plywood & Veneer hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new plywood mill in Louisville, Miss. in early April. The location was once home to a shuttered mill that was destroyed when an F4 tornado struck three years ago. Today in its place stands a state-of-the-art ply-
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A number of dignitaries were on hand for the grand opening of Winston Plywood & Veneer in Louisville, Miss. (Photo by Joseph McCain, Winston County Journal)
wood facility that employs more than 300 and is expected to generate tens of millions in annual economic activity for the region. “Today is a great day for all of us who work at WP&V,” commented Winton Plywood & Veneer President Jon Pierce. “We could not be more thankful for the collaboration and support we’ve had from Mayor Hill, Governor Bryant, the Mississippi Development Authority and those across our community. Every-
one has stood with us as we worked together to make this mill a reality.” “When we broke ground here two years ago, in the aftermath of a devastating storm, we said we would stay the course until we delivered and opened the finest plywood mill in North America. I am very proud to say today that we have kept that commitment, and that the future for this business is bright,” said Andrew Bursky, Chairman and CoFounder of Atlas Holdings LLC, the parent company of New Wood Resources LLC. Winston Plywood & Veneer is an operating company of New Wood Resources. The first such plywood mill constructed in the United States in more than two decades, the WP&V facility boasts 287,000 square feet and is more than 765 feet in length. The company sells structural and industrial plywood and veneer, procuring its logs from sources within 60 miles of the facility. The company began shipping production this past November.
Drax Biomass Buys Pellet Mill In Urania Drax Biomass, a leading manufacturer of industrial wood pellets, has been selected as the winning bidder for the acquisition out of bankruptcy of the Louisiana Pellets (an affiliate of German Pellets) wood pellet operation in Urania, La. following a multi-week competitive bidding process. The court approved the asset sale in early April. The Louisiana Pellets mill is capable of producing 450,000 metric tons per year. The facility filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
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with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana in February 2016, and has recently idled production. Drax Biomass, which operates new wood pellet plants in Bastrop,
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La. and Gloster, Miss., has previously signaled its intent to pursue the acquisition of financially distressed pellet manufacturing assets. The purchase of such assets will support the company’s strategy of
more than doubling its current production capacity to self-supply 2030% of Drax Power Station’s demand in the UK while also competing for supply contracts in new biomass markets. Drax Biomass
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also operates a port storage and transit facility in Port Allen, La. “We’re thrilled with the outcome,” says Pete Madden, President and CEO of Drax Biomass. “Louisiana Pellets sits in the middle
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of a healthy and vibrant wood basket and is served by modern infrastructure, making it an ideal addition to our asset portfolio. “ Another German Pellets affiliate in bankruptcy, Texas Pellets in Woodville, Tex. and its port operation in Port Arthur, Tex., has a bidding process currently on hold. Drax Biomass also announced it is beginning capital expenditure projects at its two wood pellet mills in the Southeast U.S. Drax wants to increase production capacity from 450,000 metrics tons annually to 525,000 metric tons at each plant. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK and supplies up to 8% of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fueled electricity generator.
Industries and held various posts with the Alabama Forestry Assn. Oates received a BS degree in natural resources from The University of the South and a MS degree in forestry from Auburn University.
Deere Enhances Data Analysis Capabilities Located inside the mile-long Dubuque Works facility in Iowa, the
newly minted John Deere Machine Health Monitoring Center is changing how John Deere and its dealers analyze data and proactively support customers through mainstream technology. Additionally, John Deere has launched its Machine Monitoring Center program. The Iowa-based Machine Health Monitoring Center is situated in close proximity to product engineering teams, as well as the men and women who build many of the John Deere
construction and forestry machines. It is also the home to John Deere ForestSight solution engineers and product support experts. Within the Machine Health Monitoring Center, specialists with a deep understanding of the equipment and expert analytical capabilities develop solutions that nourish the manufacturer’s monitoring services by analyzing aggregated machine data, identifying trends that warrant a closer look and then developing new and improved preventative
Oates Is Alabama’s New State Forester Alabama Forestry Commission has selected Rick Oates as the new Alabama State Forester. Oates, 49, most recently served as forestry diviRick Oates sion director at the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA), where he was also executive director of the Alabama Treasure Forest Assn. and director of the organization’s catfish and wildlife divisions. He previously served as chief of staff for commissioner of Alabama’s Dept. of Agriculture and
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maintenance and repair protocols. “Data from thousands of connected John Deere machines flows here,” said Tim Worthington, manager, product support services, John
Deere Construction & Forestry. “The Machine Health Monitoring Center is the central nervous system of our monitoring network. It enables us to develop and deploy
solutions to repair machines faster and help our customers avoid unexpected downtime altogether.” Working in tandem with the Machine Health Monitoring Center
are Machine Monitoring Centers at dealerships across the country. These centers feature trained dealer specialists who use advanced telematics and alert management tools to stay on top of potential issues. When necessary, they can engage trained technicians who are armed with the capability to read and clear diagnostic codes, record machine performance data and even update software—without ever visiting the machine in the field.
Morbark Recognizes Gold Tier Dealers Morbark, LLC, recognized eight of its top tree care products dealers and four of its top industrial dealers with Gold Tier status. Tree Care Products recipients included: Alexander Equipment, Northern Illinois; Bobcat of Buffalo, Western New York; Cardinal Equipment, Ontario and Quebec, Canada; Deacon Equipment, EastCentral Pennsylvania; ESSCO Distributors, Long Island, New York; Savannah Equipment Specialists, Southeast Georgia; Schmidt Equipment, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; Stevens Products LTD, New Zealand. Industrial Products winners were: Cardinal Equipment, Ontario, Quebec and Maritime Provinces, Canada; James River Equipment, Virginia and North Carolina; C. Whitford Equipment, Western New York; Tidewater Equipment, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. “These dealers represent the best of the best,” says John Foote, Morbark Senior Vice President. “They provide more than just our highperformance equipment; they give our customers local knowledge and support to help them grow and maintain their businesses.” Morbark dealers are reviewed and scored annually on their customer service, business plan, equipment and parts sales, service and warranty process, marketing efforts, and much more. Both James River Equipment and Tidewater Equipment were honored with Gold Tier status for the fourth straight year, while Cardinal Equipment earned their second straight Gold dealer award and L.C. Whitford was honored for the first time.
Vincent Publishes “Against The Odds” Reflection and leadership in rural American resource communities provide hope for a path forward, particularly surrounding environmental tensions, offer 46
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authors Bruce Vincent, Nicole J. Olynk Widmar and Jessica Eise in their recently published book Against the Odds: A Path Forward for Rural America. The book follows the life of Bruce Vincent, a rural Montana logger and resource worker who led loggers in the “Timber Wars” of the late ’80s and’90s, while his community struggled and he and his fellow workers encountered public opinion in urban America building against them. Woven into his tale are historical context, examples and research, drawing readers along his path of self-reflection toward his concluding vision of hope for a meaningful reconciliation and environmental progress. “America is ready for a new environmental vision,” says Vincent, who is now a public speaker since his logging business folded due to a cessation of governmental logging contracts in his area. “The old environmental movement was timely and necessary but failed to mature beyond a three-word vision of, ‘stop doing that.’ Rather than remaining disenfranchised and sidelined, I believe a new environmental movement can be led by rural people. We live too close to the ground to pretend to know all the truth, but we are close enough to apply science while providing from and protecting Earth.” Vincent formed an unlikely partnership with two coauthors who shared his vision for progress in rural American communities, but from different backgrounds and perspectives. “Lack of progress is often blamed on the inability to convince someone else that you’re right. But progress doesn’t require consensus,” explains Widmar, associate professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University. “We tried to embody this very thing through our co-authorship. The three of us do not agree on everything, but we shared a common goal of progress for rural America and the environment, and healing the divide that so painfully separates Americans today.” The book is separated into three parts, covering the life of Vincent, the evolution of the environmental movement and a path toward progress. Examples from Vincent’s life span the book, rooting it in on-the-ground truth. “Working across differences is challenging, but that is exactly what the three of us managed to do,” says Eise, writer and journalist. Against the Odds: A Path Forward for Rural America is available on Amazon. E-mail: brucevincent@environmentalusa.com; profwidmar@ gmail.com; jessica.eise@gmail. com.
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY JD Intelligent Boom Control
keting manager. "With the new configurable joysticks, we anticipate similar popularity for IBC in North America." The 1910E machines also feature new configurable joystick controls. The integration of the new joystick controls allows the dealer to quickly reconfigure the machine to meet the preference of the operator. Visit johndeere.com.
Komatsu Tier 4f Forwarders John Deere offers an Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) as an option on all 1910E forwarders. Now available on the biggest forwarder in the John Deere lineup, IBC technology increases machine productivity and efficiency while providing the best possible fuel economy and boom lifetime. With intuitive IBC technology, the powerful CF8 boom on the 1910E is accurate, fast and easy to operate, as the operator now controls the boom tip directly instead of controlling each of the independent boom joint movements manually. Additionally, by eliminating unnecessary extra movements, the IBC system extends the boom component wear life and allows for faster cycle times. "IBC is an option that operators have been quick to adopt in Northern European countries, with 80% of machines being delivered with the technology," says Niko Solopuro, product mar-
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Komatsu America Corp. announces a new line of EPA Tier 4f certified forwarders. The new 845, 855, 875 and 895 lineup provides increased performance, productivity, operator comfort and convenience, and serviceability, compared to the prior 855.1, 865 and 895 Tier 4 Interim models. The 845 is a new, additional model which competes in the 12 metric ton payload class. Rated payload capacities for the 845, 855, 875 and 895 are 12, 14, 16 and 20 metric tons, respectively, and provide broad market coverage. These EPA Tier 4f certified engines provide 9% to 15% more horsepower and lower fuel consumption, compared to the prior models. In addition, they also produce 9% more engine
torque on the 875 and 895 models. Rough terrain capability has been significantly improved with larger hydrostatic transmission (HST) pumps and/or motors. The intelligent HST control unit continually responds to changes in terrain, load, engine power output and crane usage. Visit komatsuamerica.com.
Lightweight Brake Shoe NeoBrake Systems, Inc. offers Matrix NeoCast, a new lightweight cast iron 4707Q brake shoe. Matrix NeoCast 4707Q is the first lightweight cast iron shoe of its kind, combining the traditional advantages of cast iron shoes with an advanced, high-carbon ductile cast iron that weighs significantly less than cast shoes of old. “The future may be air disc brakes, but the roadways are filled with trucks and trailers still using drum brakes to stop them,” states Rick Ballew, NeoBrake President and CEO. “We know the beating pressed-steel cores take after each relining, so we developed a shoe that could resist all that and deliver maximum braking power at every stop.” The Matrix NeoCast 4707Q brake shoe
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY weighs within ounces of its pressed-steel counterparts and promises to boost braking power from the moment it is installed. One piece construction eliminates table flex, web stretch and broken welds, which are common signs of deteriorating pressed-steel shoes. This leads to diminished torque, as well as uneven lining wear and, ultimately, premature lining replacement. Visit neobrake.com.
gross axle weight rating (GAWR) of 126,000 lbs. and gross combination weight of 560,000 lbs. Meritor's new proportioning inter-axle differential delivers even torque split between the three axles for improved traction, maximum load capacity and increased longevity of the drivetrain. Visit meritor.com.
Komatsu 8WD Harvester
Heavy-Haul Planetary Axle
swing axle with ± 16° left/right oscillation, and the high oscillation Komatsu Comfort Bogie front axle. This trademark axle is then added to the rear swing axle to provide excellent uphill/downhill and left/right oscillation. This “double comfort” Bogie drive system gives the 931XC superior handling characteristics as the machine follows the terrain more closely. The new 8WD dramatically reduces rear ground pressure: 54% lower psi with tracks and 23% lower psi with tires when compared to the 931-6WD model. Visit komatsuforest.us.
Cat D Series Feller-Buncher
Meritor, Inc. offers the P600 Series Tridem Heavy-Haul Planetary Axle for heavy-duty, long-haul, oil field, mining and logging applications. Full production of the P600 tridem begins this summer at the company's Laurinburg, NC plant. Built to operate in extreme conditions, the P600 Tridem is compatible with industry-leading suspension options and offers a best-in-class
Komatsu America Corp. offersthe 931XC (Xtreme Conditions) 8WD harvester for steep, rough or soft terrain environments. The Komatsu 931XC has all the features found in Komatsu’s proven 931-6WD platform, including the innovative, 3PS three-pump hydraulic system, bestin-class ergonomic cab, 4-way cab/crane leveling, and 360° cab/crane rotation. What sets the Komatsu 931XC apart is the drive system. The 931XC system starts with Komatsu’s ± 40° articulated frame joint, rear
Caterpillar offers the D Series wheel fellerbuncher with two models, the Cat 563D and 573D. The new machines, which meet U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emission standards, provide increased reliability and durability along with greater customer value in performance, comfort
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY and serviceability. The Cat D Series replaces the C Series, delivering loggers more productivity while at the same time reducing operating costs. The new models are manufactured in LaGrange, Ga. “We have built on the superior performance capability of the Cat C Series and made key improvements to the electrical and hydraulic systems and drivetrain to provide greater durability and reliability,” says Matt McDonald, Caterpillar wheel feller-buncher product application specialist. The patented transverse-mounted engine and low center of gravity provide rock-solid stability. Combined with the short wheelbase, the Cat D Series offers superior application versatility. The Cat 563D is powered by a 203 HP C7.1 ACERT engine while the Cat 573D features a 241 HP engine and a longer wheelbase. The engine, which also meets EU Stage IV emissions standards, leverages the same emissions technology as numerous other Cat machines, including the use of diesel exhaust fluid. The Cat C7.1 engine provides maximum power and response while minimizing total fluid consumption. The Cat D Series features the patented PowerDirect Plus system, which optimizes machine efficiency. Caterpillar has enhanced PowerDirect Plus. The second generation system provides greater travel power and saw recovery, and
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advanced hydraulics provide fast multi-functioning and cycle times to further increase productivity. Coupled with the patented transversemounted engine, the D Series models cut and carry more wood than ever so they can build larger, easy to reach bundles, which improves skidder efficiency. Other upgrades enhance the operator’s work station, including a wider seat with more legroom for greater comfort. A rearview video camera now is standard. The camera is activated automatically when the operator presses the reverse pedal, and the video is shown on the new display monitor. The Cat D Series can be equipped with any of three Cat saw heads, the HFW221, HFW222 SC, or the new HFW232. Visit caterpillar.com.
John Deere JDLink Package John Deere is extending its JDLink in-base subscription service from three to five years on construction and forestry machines. The update is a result of increased customer interest in technology and the integration of 4G hardware in John Deere equipment. The extension also allows the manufacturer to stay connected with machines beyond the warranty period and unlocks additional functionality and value for customers.
“The JDLink connection is foundational to John Deere and our channel’s ability to monitor the customer’s machine and improve uptime,” says Jena Holtberg-Benge, director, John Deere WorkSight and ForestSight. “Extending it in base from three to five years across all product lines enables us to connect to people, equipment, technology and insights in order to provide exceptional support and value-added solutions that solve customers’ pain points and needs.” JDLink is a telematics system designed to remotely connect owners and managers to their equipment, and to provide alerts and machine information, including location, utilization, performance and maintenance data to manage where and how equipment is used. The JDLink equipment management solution is the heart of John Deere ForestSight — a technology tool that helps customers be more productive, avoid downtime and keep costs low with advice and support from a John Deere dealer. Visit johndeere.com.
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RECONDITIONED DELIMBINATORS!! In addition to new machines, CHAMBERS DELIMBINATOR, INC. now has factory reconditioned DeLimbinators. These units have been inspected, repaired, and updated as needed. Call us and we will help you select a DeLimbinator for your need.
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WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com 1123
IF YOU NEED
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. 770
Day 334-312-4136 Night 334-271-1475 or Email: johnwpynes@knology.net
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FINAN C AVAILA ING BLE
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www.equipmentandparts.com
Office : 903-238-8700 • Jason Bruner: 903-452-5290 Bill Bruner: 903-235-2805 H REDUCED PRICES H
SKIDDERS
2012 John Deere 748H Skidder – 7,950 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! ............................ Reduced to $119,500
2011 John Deere 648H Skidder – 10,600 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work!...$89,500
2008 John Deere 648H Skidder – 9,300 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work!................. $78,000
2014 Tigercat 720 Feller Buncher STK# LT205154; 4,935 hrs $129,000
2015 Deere 803M Tracked Feller Buncher STK# LU270423; 1,632 hrs $345,000
2011 Chambers Delimbinator Delimber STK# LTD10321; 4,412 hrs $46,000
2012 Timberjack 648H Skidder STK# LU649591; 8,071 hrs $190,000
2015 Deere 748H Skidder STK# LT665117; 4,248 hrs $168,000
2015 Deere 848L Skidder STK# LT671343; 2,947 hrs $229,000
2012 Deere 648H Skidder STK# LU641386; 8,569 hrs $110,000
2015 Deere 748L Skidder STK# LU667214; 1,629 hrs $240,000
2015 Morbark T8-240/3 Grinder STK# LU781158; 906 hrs $325,000
2011 Cat 553 Feller Buncher – 6,100 hours, Prentice SH50 bunching head, Cab with air, Good 28L tires, Ready to work!.......................................... $65,000
2004 John Deere 843H Feller Buncher – Wartah FD22 Saw Head, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Ready to work! ...................................................$59,500
MULCHERS
2010 Prentice 2570 Mulcher–New FAE 200/U-225 Tx special smooth drum, 2 speed mulching head, New high pressure pump and hoses, 28L tires, 6.7 Cummins engine, Cab with air, Ready to work! 200 hours since conversion from a Feller Buncher. Rent to own W.A.C................................................ $189,500
2010 Cat 525C Dual Arch Skidder – 8,000 hours, 2 New, 2 good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! .................... Reduced to $85,000
FELLER BUNCHERS
2007 Cat 553 Mulcher - FAE 200/U-225 TX special smooth drum, 2 speed mulching head, New set of teeth, Cab with cold air/heat, 28L tires, Cat 6.6 tier 3 engine, Ready to work!.........$129,500
LOADERS
2012 John Deere 643K Feller Buncher – 5,410 hours, Good 28L tires, Waratah FD22B saw head, Cab with air, Ready to work!................... Reduced to $115,000
2007 Cat 559 Log Loader - Trailer mounted with CTR 426 delimber, Cab with air, Ready to work! .............................. Reduced to $59,500
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Call for information • (803)924-1352
13413
Cat 518 & Cat 518C skidders in TX, LA area Call Kent 936-699-4700 r_kentjones@yahoo.com
I OFFER same day while you wait OR 2-day service on straightening and balancing all types of Feller Buncher sawdisks. Tooth holder repairs. Complex or severely bent sawdisks no problem, approx. 14years experience CALL CARLTON CARVER CARVER SAWDISK REPAIR Washington NC • (252) 945-2358
566
324 Tigercat Grapple Skidder......... $28,000 724 Tigercat Buncher.....................$18,000 Equipment is in good condition.
WANTED TO BUY
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FOR SALE
Cavalier Hose & Fittings
#1 in the Logging Industry since 1989 8309
6209
Send your quote request to mark@jozco.net
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• ’14 Tigercat 630E Grapple Skidder, 35.5 tires, no winch, 5000 hrs................. $190,000 • ’14 Tigercat 724E Feller Buncher, 30.5 tires, 5702 sawhead, 73x44 wheels and tires, 4800 hrs..........................................$170,000 • ’12 Barko 595ML Knuckleboom Loader, Big John Hydraulic Trailer, CSI 264 delimber, 8000 hrs...................................................$125,000 • ’10 Bandit 2590 Drum Chipper, 600hp, QSX Cummins Power, Less than 2000 hrs ........................................................$140,000 • 5 Evans 42' Log Trailers • 1 Evans Pole Trailer Retiring—Equipment Working Every Day Will be available July 1, 2017 Pictures available upon request Serious inquiries Only email RL33years@gmail.com 540-809-6241 13397
WANTED NOW
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SKIDDERS, LOG LOADERS, BUNCHERS AND BUCK SAWS WILL PAY FAIR PRICE
USED FORESTRY EQUIPMENT ALSO AVAILABLE FOR SALE
352-239-1549
3214
FOR SALE
1845
FOR SALE
• Weigh boy scales, used 6 months....................$12,500 obo • 94 450C double arch skidder, 9,000 hrs.................$20,000 obo 256-479-5036 3034 13289
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visit us online: www.southernloggintimes.com 2012 Tigercat 234 Loader/Delimber
EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA! OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
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EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC.
7180
We can save you money on Saw Teeth. Hundreds of satisfied ACC OW EP customers. Rebuilt Exchange or New. We specialize in rebuild- CRE TING DIT ing Koehring 2000, Hurricana, Hydro Ax split teeth and all CARDS other brands. Call Jimmy or Niel Mitchell. Quantity Discounts!
4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185
8,328 hrs, good condition ............ $115,000
2011 TIGERCAT 724E Feller-Buncher 6,807 hrs, excellent condition, tires @ 50%, engine warranty through 01/18... $125,000
TED SMITH
5840 Hwy 36, Russellville, AL Home: 256-766-8179 • Office: 256-766-6491 Fax: 256-766-6962 • Cell: 256-810-3190
KEVIN MONTGOMERY 256-366-1425
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ENERGY PERFORMANCE SYSTEMS, INC. Patented Technologies for Sale Energy Performance Systems (EPS) seeks to sell three patented technologies to a firm that can commercialize them. It has invested over $6 million in working with the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Forest Service, and Electric Power Research Institute to develop them. Whole Tree Harvester™ The EPS Whole Tree Harvester (WTH) can cut 60 row trees a minute planted at 8-foot intervals and drop them on a trailer behind it. Can be seen in operation at www.energyperformancesystems.com. GPS-Guided Injection Planter The EPS GPS-guided injection planter simultaneously plants 4 to 6 rows of deciduous tree cuttings. Configured using 4 injectors, it can plant 160 tree cuttings a minute. Advanced 90 Degree Steering System The EPS advanced 90 degree steering system enables its WTH or any construction, mining, or agriculture machine to move laterally at up to 90 degrees from its direction of travel. CONTACT T.D. Spaeth at tdspaet@aol.com or 612-802-2586 13390
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A D L I N K ●
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ADVERTISER Accu-Ways American Logger’s Council American Truck Parts Around The World Salvage B & G Equipment Bandit Industries BITCO Insurance BKT USA Carter Enterprises Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Crisp & Crisp John Deere Forestry Doggett Machinery Service Elmia Employer’s Underwriters Equipment & Parts Flint Equipment Forest Chain Forest Pro Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment Global Import & Export Services Hawkins & Rawlinson Hydraulic & Pneumatic Services Interstate Tire Service Ironmart John Woodie Enterprises Kaufman Trailers Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Loggers Insurance Louisiana Machinery Magnolia Trailers Maxi-Load Scale Systems Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Moore Logging Supply Morbark Pemberton Attachments Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Puckett Machinery Quadco Equipment Quality Equipment & Parts River Ridge Equipment Riverside Diesel-Bulldogg Trailers S E C O Parts & Equipment Southern Loggers Cooperative Southwest Forest Products Expo Stribling Equipment Team Safe Trucking Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries Titan / Goodyear® Farm Tires TraxPlus Vermeer Manufacturing W & W Truck & Tractor Waratah Forestry Attachments J M Wood Auction
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June
224-2232; visit arkloggers.com.
2-3—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. Trade Show and annual meeting, Jekyll Island Conference Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 904-8457133; visit swpa.ag.
29-31—Louisiana Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Hilton Riverside New Orleans, New Orleans, La. Call 318-443-2558; visit laforestry.com.
14-16—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com.
July 21-23—Georgia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 912635-6400; visit gfagrow.org. 21-23—Missouri Forest Products Assn./Missouri Loggers Council annual meeting, Lake of the Ozarks, Camdenton, Mo. Call 816-6305500; visit moforest.org. 23-25—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Summer Conference, Inn on Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org.
August 17-20—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, The Inn at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va. Call 804677-4290; visit valoggers.org. 25-26—Southwest Forest Products Expo 2017, Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-
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September 10-12—Alabama Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 334-265-8733; visit alaforestry.org. 15-16—Kentucky Wood Expo, Masterson Station Park, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. 15-16—Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Expo, Selma/Smithfield, NC. Call 919-271-9050; visit malbexpo.com. 28-30—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Natchez Grand Hotel, Natchez Convention Center, Natchez, Miss. Call 409-625-0206. visit amloggers.com.
October 3-5—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Holiday Inn Airport, Little Rock, Ark. Call 501374-2441; visit arkforests.org. 4-6—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Hilton Riverside, Wilmington, NC. Visit ncforestry.org. 10-12—Mississippi Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Golden Nugget, Biloxi, Miss. Call 601-354-4936; visit msforestry.net. 25-27—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, DoubleTree by Hilton, Memphis, Tenn. Call 615883-3832; visit tnforestry.com. 25-27—Texas Forestry Assn. Annual Meeting, Hotel Fredonia, Nacogdoches, Tex. Call 936-632-8733.
November 1-3—Forestry Association of South Carolina annual meeting, Hyatt Regency, Greenville, SC. Call 803798-4170; visit scforestry.org.
January 2018 17-20—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, JW Marriott, Marco Island, Fla. Call 336885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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