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Vol. 50, No. 5
(Founded in 1972—Our 584th Consecutive Issue)
F E AT U R E S
May 2021 A Hatton-Brown Publication
Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525
www.southernloggintimes.com Publisher David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief Senior Editor Managing Editor Senior Associate Editor Associate Editor
Rich Donnell Dan Shell David Abbott Jessica Johnson Patrick Dunning
Publisher/Editor Emeritus David (DK) Knight
Dustin Durham Logging New Dog, Old Tricks
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M.A. Rigoni Outside The Box
Art Director Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director Online Content/Marketing
Cindy Segrest Patti Campbell Rhonda Thomas Jacqlyn Kirkland
ADVERTISING CONTACTS DISPLAY SALES Eastern U.S. Kathy Sternenberg Tel: 251-928-4962 • Fax: 334-834-4525 219 Royal Lane Fairhope, AL 36532 E-mail: ksternenberg@bellsouth.net 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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Interstate Study Research Is In
out front:
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Southwide Teamwork FRA Blog Post
Southern Stumpin’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Former Army Ranger Russell Scott (with his dog, Ben) runs Coastal Forestry Service, which works in the Florida panhandle for Coastal Forest Products. Story begins on Page 8. (Photo by Jessica Johnson)
Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 From The Backwoods Pew . . . . . . . 36 Industry News Roundup . . . . . . . . . 38 Machines-Supplies-Technology . . . 46 ForesTree Equipment Trader . . . . . 49 Coming Events/Ad Index . . . . . . . . . 54
Western Canada, Western USA Tim Shaddick Tel: 604-910-1826 • Fax: 604-264-1367 4056 West 10th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6L 1Z1 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook Tel: 604-619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com International Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 +34 96 640 4048 58 Aldea de las Cuevas • Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net 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 ® 2021. 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
Here Comes The Sun...? H
indsight is supposed to be 2020. But now, fatality rate of 0.0017%, or 1.7 deaths per 100,000 2020 is in our hindsight. You might be think- vaccinated people. Measured by the same standard, ing, Dave, it’s May; you’re more than a few Covid-19 would have a fatality rate of 1.8%, or months late in pointing this out. Shouldn’t this 1,800 deaths per 100,000 infected people, a thouhave been said in January or at the latest February? sand times higher than the vaccine, if indeed those Probably, but I resisted. While others proclaimed, reported numbers are more or less accurate. Of “Good bye and good riddance 2020, welcome course these are just rough figures, but mathemati2021,” I said, not so fast, let’s just wait and see. I’m cally, our odds appear much better with the vaccine not one to believe in jinxes but I didn’t want to than with the virus. speak too soon. Heck, 2021 could be even worse; what do viruses and wildfires and all the rest care Show Must Go On about an arbitrary page flip on a calendar anyway? Another hopeful indication, and specific to our But now, more than a third of the way through this not-so-new-anymore new year, I have to admit, industry: Expo Richmond is finally happening. The 37th East Coast Sawmill and Logging Equipment it looks to me like there are positive signs…knock Exposition is slated for Friday, May 21 through on wood. Hopefully nothing happens to make me Saturday, May 22, at the Richmond Raceway regret writing that between now and when this hits Complex in Richmond, Va. The biennial event, your mailbox. But there are several hopeful signs previously held in even-numbered years, was origithat have me feeling cautiously optimistic. Nothnally scheduled for the first weekend of May 2020. ing’s perfect, and there are always new challenges to face, but that’s normal, and that’s what we want: Due to the pandemic, it was at first rescheduled for October last year and finally moved to this year. normal. Feels like maybe we’re on the way there. On the pandemic front, the vaccine seems to be working. Here in Alabama, we reported 998 Covid19-caused deaths in one week at the end of January; by the end of March it was only 99 deaths a week, and has continued to decline since then. Nationwide, we saw about 1.2 million new coronavirus cases weekly in January; that’s been cut by 75% to about 300,000 new cases a week two months later. It stands to reason that as more of us gain resistance, the virus has fewer places to go. Something close to 200 million Americans, and more than half of all adults, have received at least one vaccine, according to CDC, and Expo is back in Richmond this month. more are getting it every day. About To my knowledge, this is the first sizable gather100 million are supposed to be fully vaccinated ing in our industry since March of 2020, when now, close to a third of us, including me, my wife everything started shutting down. “I think someand our parents. body sooner or later has to do it,” says Expo ChairSome have felt perhaps understandable trepidation, but so far, no one has turned into zombies that man Jamie Coleman. He and Lesley Moseley, Executive Director of the Virginia Forest Products I know of. Some have experienced negative side Assn., have been working hard to organize the effects, even reportedly fatal side effects for a relaevent. “I think it’s a good time to have an expo,” tive few, but much less so than for the virus. Coleman continues. “The hardwood industry is in a Roughly 33 million people have had Covid-19: good place right now, so are the pine sawmills, 200 million vaccinated is six times as many vacpretty much any aspect of our industry. People cines as viruses. Of those 33 million who tested have been cooped up for a year or longer; they positive, 586 thousand have (allegedly) died from want to get back out.” the virus or from complications arising therefrom. Ron Jenkins, head of the Virginia Loggers Assn., Of 200 million vaccinated, roughly 3,500 have (allegedly) died since having been vaccinated. If all concurs. “I think we are moving in a good direction,” he says. “More people are getting vaccinatof those deaths were caused, directly or indirectly, ed, so I think it is looking very positive. So many by the vaccine, or from complications arising loggers in Virginia really just want to get out, get therefrom (that’s unclear, but let’s assume so for with people, enjoy the time together like we used discussion’s sake), then the vaccine would have a 6
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to, and I think they have been looking forward to the in-person get-togethers again.” The timing looks right: Governor Ralph Northam recently announced loosened restrictions, allowing sports and entertainment venues to operate at expanded capacity starting Saturday, May 15th, a week before Expo. Governor Northam noted in his announcement that Virginia’s vaccinations are up while the Commonwealth’s Covid-19 cases are down. Masks and social distancing will still be required, but generally, people have good reason to feel safer. As of late April, Moseley reported 1,100 registered attendees, which is on track with the 2018 Expo at the same point. “We have a large number of attendees who register the day of the event, historically,” she points out. “So we are encouraged by those numbers with the governor’s new orders taking effect.” The new rules will allow them to have up to 10,000 people outside, a max number that exceeds Expo’s normal attendance. For indoor exhibits and registration, Expo uses four buildings; organizers are placing exhibitors in the two largest buildings. The governor’s cap (30% capacity or 500 people, whichever is higher) will allow them to accommodate 1,000 people inside the buildings. They’ve also moved registration to the opposite side of the Raceway to alleviate the crowds in the interior buildings and keep more people outside as much as possible. “Jamie and I have been working hard on trying to figure out how to spread out our exhibitors in order for everyone to get maximum exposure and not have to wait in line to get in the building,” Moseley explains. She likens the logistics to solving a Tetris puzzle. The number of exhibitors is down slightly from 2018, she admits. They had 280 exhibitors then and, as of late April, 205 now. Some exhibitors who would be coming from Canada can’t make it down due to travel restrictions there. “It is still a work in progress because I have people wanting more booths or new exhibitors calling up,” Moseley says. “We’ve been getting two or three calls or emails a day of new exhibitors wanting to sign up, so it is a constantly changing map.” The VFPA board is planning to hold back-toback Expos, this year and in 2022, to get the schedule back on its normal rotation, Moseley reports. “We are just really excited to have the Expo and to finally have it happen,” Moseley sums it up. All in all, Expo this year feels like a light at the end of the tunnel. I plan to be there and I hope to see some of you there as well. SLT Excelsior!
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Getting It Right ■ Army Ranger/Special Forces turned timber buyer turned logger, Russell Scott runs three crews. By Jessica Johnson ★ MARIANNA, Fla. unning a logging business wasn’t always what Russell Scott, 53, set out to do in life. First he served in the military, both in the Army Rangers and Army Special Forces. When he finished his service, he returned home and while in school, the chance to buy timber popped up. He formed his own timber brokerage after a while, and as his company grew, the need to get standing timber cut and hauled grew with
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it. While he had some great contractors, it just became a little more of a headache than he wanted, so he stepped out in the early 2000s and started his own harvesting operation, a small crew with four trucks. That crew expanded into a second, and then a third. Now Coastal Forestry Services operates three four-man crews and keeps 15 trucks rolling daily. Scott says he likes having company logging crews because it helps him keep a little better control of how the wood is being cut and marketed. He still purchases standing timber for two of the crews, while the third contract cuts for Coastal Forest Products’ Havana plywood
Kyle Broughton with Russell Scott and Ben the dog
Coastal Forestry Services is incredibly proud of the work they do, as well as owner Russell Scott’s service to the U.S. as a Ranger.
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While all bunching and skidding is handled by John Deere iron, Scott likes Barko loaders to handle the wood flow at the ramp.
Equipment is rotated every three years or so...
…Scott would rather make payments and have warranties than payments and breakdowns.
mill. Flexibility has been a key for Scott’s company, which is why he’s stuck to not only purchasing his own wood but also keeping a crew on a contract. “It’s a game every day either way you want to toss it,” Scott says, but 2018’s Hurricane Michael made everything that much more of a challenge. Having wiped out a large chunk of not only the area Scott’s crews work, but also the area they live in, the storm is still keeping everyone on their toes. It makes it tougher, he says, because of the new learning curve crews have as they move farther and farther away from where they had been working for a generation. The crew used to work comfortably within about a 50-mile radius of the shop, and about 50 miles from their primary markets of Coastal ➤ 12
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9 ➤ Plywood, Georgia-Pacific, Spanish Trail Lumber and others. Now Hurricane Michael has pushed the boundaries of that radius out, up to 80 miles. “It makes it tougher for us because of the distance we have to travel to try to keep production,” he adds. “It’s a new ballgame for us.” Each crew averages between 15-18 loads per day, shooting for 75-85 loads per week of mixed tracts. While Scott prefers to clear-cut, as it’s easier on the machines and the
minds, one crew typically finds itself working strict plantation pine thins. Clear-cuts are sized between 60-70 acres. Thins get on the bigger slices, 150-200 acres.
Operations Typically, the crews are not bogged down too much with separations, although Scott admits the loader men, who also act as crew foreman on each job, can get a little bit of headache when they have six
or seven different stacks at the ramp at one time. “It can get interesting,” he admits, “but that’s about how that bounces sometimes.” One big frustration for Scott is making sure loaders are filling trucks with the right products—especially lately as truck driver shortages are hitting highs he’s never seen before. Weather will always reign supreme in terms of challenges for loggers, but dealing with mills is a close second and Scott’s crews are not immune. “They always throw a kink in it,” he
believes, “A lot of time it is last minute. We have trucks en route to the mill and they say, ‘Hey we aren’t taking any more of that product today.’” What’s worse now is with the truck driver shortage, and persistent wet weather, Scott says the mills are hollering for wood that they just can’t get, not because the logging crews are doing anything differently. That creates a different kind of challenge.
Crews It can be stressful having crews spread out as far as 70 miles apart, and other times as close as across the street. One thing that helps Scott alleviate that stress is his right hand man, and stepson, Kyle Broughton, 31. “We’re a good team,” Scott says. The younger man has been knocking around the logging woods for 20 years alongside him, but didn’t officially join the Coastal Forestry Services team full-time until seven years ago. Of his responsibilities, Broughton says his biggest is “making sure we’re doing what we need to do; that everything is rolling like it should.” He also does all accounting and payroll for the company. Even though keeping everything moving is one of Broughton’s greatest challenges, it’s also one of his greatest points of pride. The employees doing what they do day-in and day-out is impressive, their boss says; it keeps the company moving forward and staying consistent so landowners and mills know they can be counted on. Without the employees, Scott says, the company would be nothing, and he adds that reliability and doing things well is what keeps landowners coming back time and time again for their services. “The guys I work with on a daily basis are very knowledgeable in what they are doing,” Scott says of his 32 employees. “These guys are running very expensive stuff, they know how to work it, how to produce. It’s just one big family. Everyone looks out for everyone else.” The woods crews have some turnover, but most of the four-man teams have been together for a while, and Scott has a few eight and 10-year employees in the roster. Scott credits the lack of woods turnover, at least recently, to COVID-related stuff and people not wanting to move around. He took the pandemic seriously, ramping up on masks and hand sanitizer when it first got bad in the spring and summer of 2020, consistently wiping down anything and everything they could. His reasoning? Health and safety of employees, 12
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but also, he figured there were enough battles to fight; he didn’t need a crew shutting down because someone got sick. “We stayed on top of it pretty hot and heavy.”
Trucking Truck drivers have been, and always will be, a problem for Scott. Finding good drivers, and getting them on insurance, has been the biggest headache of the last three years—recently especially. To com-
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bat the issue, Scott has started a training program. For two weeks a prospective driver will ride with one of Coastal Forestry’s best drivers, practice and be critiqued. If they pass muster, Scott will drug test them, send them off for insurance verification and put them in a truck. If they don’t, it’s a handshake and no hard feelings. This has helped get more drivers, but doesn’t even begin to take the entire amount of pressure off. BITCO writes all insurance,
including health insurance available for everyone who wants it. Broughton says the company has to have at least 70% participation in order for the program to be cost-effective, and though, like everything, the cost has continued to rise, Scott says it’s too important not to have it. He adds, “It is there if they need it.” Each crew has a safety meeting about once every three weeks on one or two hot topics, on a rotating schedule. “It seems to work,” Scott says. “It gets everyone thinking
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about safety.” Broughton and Scott try to stay on top of it, saying it’s a big deal to them as a company, and they are grateful to have had no accidents in the last decade.
Equipment Lineup Equipment is mostly John Deere, purchased from Beard Equipment, though Scott likes the build of the Barko 595B loader, so he has two (a 2020 and 2021) purchased from Knight Forestry on his ramps. The third crew uses a 2019 John Deere 437E loader. Skidders and feller-bunchers are all John Deere. Each crew uses two skidders, the smaller 648L (or L-II depending on the crew) and a larger 748L (or L-II). Year models range from 2017, the oldest (a 648L and 748L), to 2021, the newest (a 648L-II). Scott has two 2020 643L-II feller-bunchers and a 2019 843L-II. He likes sticking with John Deere because of the service he receives from Beard Equipment. “Beard has two locations that are in our area,” he explains, referring to the Panama City and Tallahassee branches. “So, it’s easy to get a part, and always very easy to work with, pretty much Johnny on the spot. It’s all expensive but Beard is reasonable.” Of course he takes advantage of 0% financing offered by John Deere. He sings the praises of Knight Forestry as well, saying they’ve always accommodated his needs with the Barko loaders. The rotation schedule is a fairly strict three years, mainly due to warranty. He elects to run machines just one year past their warranty, even though he has a 8,000 sq. ft. shop in Marianna staffed by two full-time mechanics. “You’re still going to have wear and tear on the machines, either way,” he says. “I am not going to make payments and work on the machine. I am going to pick one of the two.” He’d rather have wear and tear and mechanics focused on preventative maintenance than machines down. Of the 18 trucks Coastal Forestry Services has, 15 are Kenworths, the others Macks, all late models. Trailers are mostly Magnolia, with some McClendons mixed in. This helps with stocking parts; instead of needing a bunch of different things, or 40 air filters, the shop stocks just a few sourced from the Kenworth dealer in Dothan, Ala. Scott’s rationale with the machines carries over to the trucks: you can either keep changing parts and working on them or you can step up and get something newer with more consistent preventative maintenance instead of constantly fightSLT ing breakdowns.
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Rising Above ■ Logger Dustin Durham may be young, but he prefers methods from the old school.
By Patrick Dunning ★
PICKENS, SC ustin Durham, 31, is a new dog with old tricks. He founded his company, Dustin Durham Logging, LLC, in 2014, when he was just 24. This good ole’ boy is staying true to his roots; his father, Steve Durham, logged for 20 years and instilled in his son a hard to come by work ethic at a young age. “When I was little, my brother and I would go to work with him almost every day, sit in the loader cab with him and do anything we could as kids, which wasn’t a whole lot,” Durham remembers. “I always took an interest in it; never did anything but fool with trees.” Steve started logging in the ’70s, and the younger Durham says that in those days his dad could go door-to-door and find someone willing to run a chain saw. Reliable help doesn’t come as easy these days. “People don’t want to work like they did back then,” he laments. “If I’m going to have any help 10-15 years from now I’m going to have to let someone get on a machine and learn.” Following his exit from the logging aspect of
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Dustin Durham, owner, Dustin Durham Logging, LLC
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Durham swaps between the loader and feller-buncher throughout the day.
Durham Logging averages 25 loads weekly.
the industry, Steve started a smallproduction sawmill to process pine and hardwood lumber. He did that for seven years before making the leap to Prater’s Creek Tree Service, which specializes in dangerous tree removal. He’s owned and operated Prater’s for the last 15 years. After graduating high school, Durham began helping at his dad’s tree removal business before having the same idea his father had once had. “I always wanted to log,” he admits. “So I thought to myself, I’m going to start logging.”
model 548G-II John Deere skidder and an old knuckleboom loader to compensate for increased demand. When Southern Loggin’ Times crossed paths with Dustin Durham Logging last November, Durham was clear-cutting 23-year-old plantation pine on a 40-acre private tract owned by DeWayne Nix in Pickens County, seeking 8 in. DBH and thicker logs. The stand featured a bit of hardwood undergrowth in its bottoms and some 10 in. ply logs with a lot of chip-n-saw and pulpwood. Durham says he buys 90% of all the timber he cuts. Durham's equipment lineup is mostly John Deere: '07 648G-III skidder, ’04 843H feller-buncher and a ’17 437E loader equipped with a CSI delimber. Durham favors the early 2000 model machines and notes some of the complications he’s had with his ’17 model loader due to DEF requirement. “I’m old school when it comes to equipment,” he says. “The less computers I have on my
Clean Slate A young man with a vision, Durham purchased a Bobcat skidsteer loader, Franklin cable skidder, and a tandem truck to do local jobs in the area until he had the resources to expand his operation. He later added two trucks, a ’06 Peterbilt and ’07 Freightliner, both with homemade trailers, as well as a late ’90s
Durham's cowgirl daughters, from left: Elsie, Stevie and Emmy
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machines, the more I like it.” Flint Equipment in Simpsonville helps with Durham’s machinery needs. He deals mostly with Mike Mayen there. Walker Hunter & Associates, based in Columbia, provides insurance coverage.
Routine With Jason Chastain hauling wood full time for the company, Durham swaps between the cutter and loader cab while Mitchell Patterson, four-
From left: Mitchell Patterson, Jason Chastain, and Dustin Durham, owner
year skidder operator, drags logs to the landing. “Me and Mitchell are the only other two in the woods,” he says. “It’s a lot easier to cut pine because I can cut it with that machine, pile it up and he brings it in. I’ll cut everything I can and go back with a chain saw and get what I couldn’t with the cutter.” Most of the time the crew leaves a couple piles of wood laid out for the following morning to get a head start on the first load of the day. “Whatever he’s got pulled up to the yard that evening I’ll load the truck with the next day and then I’m back down there cutting,” Durham says. Durham’s approach to woods equipment maintenance is a tested method he bases more on feel, not hours of operation. “Instead of keeping up with the hours, I’ll pull everything into the shop every three months,” he says. “I check and make sure the oil is good all the time and grease the turntable and cutter head every other day, and grease every other machine once a week.” Durham prefers Mobil Delvac engine oil across the board and changes truck oil on 8,000-mile intervals. Durham Logging averages 25 loads weekly and hauls hardwood and top logs to his distant cousins’ business in Pickens, Durham’s Hardwoods, Inc. Pulpwood goes to Capps Brothers in Easley or their wood yard in Landrum, depending on which one Durham is closer to at the time. “This is the most pine we’ve been on in a while,” he says. “I usually stay in predominately hardwood stands because it’s more money and it’s what I like cutting.”
Family First Everything Durham does is for his family; he’s a proud dad of three little girls: Stevie, 2; Elsie, 4; and Emmy, 6. The family found out this past February their oldest daughter has leukemia after she caught a stomach bug and developed a bad cold along with a swollen liver that made her wince when touched. Durham and his wife, Stephanie, have been by her side through intense chemotherapy treatments every step of the way. “She’s a trooper and has done phenomenally well though,” Durham says. “If there’s anything to be grateful for it’s that she’s going through it while she’s young.” After several months of followups and sleepless nights, Durham says there is no sign of it in her system and that she’s moving on to the maintenance phase of treatment, otherwise known as remission. “There’s nothing like little girls,” Durham smiles. “Emmy loves horses and is pretty good at riding them for a six-year-old. SLT She’s a little cowgirl.” 18
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Big Foot Print ■ Thinking outside the box helps Schwab brothers Chad and Richard manage M.A. Rigoni.
By David Abbott PERRY, Fla. ★ t seems that for many family businesses, the third generation is where things start to go off track. The first generation is hungry to succeed; the second generation saw what it took to get that success, appreciate it and work to build on that foundation. By the third generation, it can be easy to take success for granted and start to coast. That doesn’t appear to be a likely outcome at M.A. Rigoni, the multifaceted logging concern where brothers Chad and Richard Schwab stepped up two years ago as the third generation of leadership. There’s no taking anything for granted here and there sure isn’t any coasting. As Chad puts it, “We purpose to work.” His brother adds, “Our dad taught us two things that can never be taken away: faith and work ethic.” In January 2019, their dad, Rodney Schwab, and his longtime partner Gary Brett handed them the reigns. Brett retired and Rodney stepped down from a management role,
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Brothers Chad, left, and Richard Schwab, right, are in charge at M.A. Rigoni.
though he still maintains a majority share, sits on the board and works on one of the crews. “He’s probably the highest paid loader man in the state of Florida,” his sons joke. As for Brett, Richard reports, “He told us a few months ago he should have retired first in his career.” Company founder Matt Rigoni hired Rodney in 1972 and Brett in 1980. When Rigoni retired in ’95, Gary and Rodney formed a partnership to buy their boss out. Growing up in the company, Chad and Richard
learned a lot from Rigoni. “He was Italian, I mean a Chicago Italian, and if you ever heard him speak to you in Italian, you knew you were in trouble,” Chad says with a fond laugh. “He was a great, great guy.” Even though there’s been no one named Rigoni at the company in over 25 years, and even though it’s now entirely Schwabs running it, there’s no way they’d ever re-christen it as Schwab Logging or anything of the sort; that name, Rigoni, may well be their most valuable
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asset, they believe. “I started buying wood in 1993 and I didn’t have a forestry background,” Richard relates. “I knew logging but nothing about buying timber. But out of the gate, because I represented M.A. Rigoni, I’m buying wood, instead of taking years to build up a reputation. We will never get rid of the Rigoni name. We have Schwab Brothers Hydraulics and we’re satisfied with that.” (See sidebar for more on that.) At Rigoni, Chad is President and Richard is Vice President, while at Schwab Brothers Hydraulics, LLC, the roles are reversed. But those office titles are just formalities, effectively meaningless. It makes no difference to these brothers which is which; they are equal partners. For the record, though, Richard jokingly likes for people to know, Chad is the older brother; they’re 14 months apart (ages 50 and 48, currently).
New School Richard came out of the procurement side and Chad from the production side. “We still haven’t given
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up our roles there but we have reduced them a little bit and replaced ourselves with other people,” Richard says. “But we are learning that this job, at this level, is more running a business: looking at those numbers, the insurance renewals, the not-fun stuff. Sitting with an insurance consultant trying to keep it within the budget and trying to adjust your budgets from that and realizing you’re not going to be as profitable as you were last year because you got a $60,000 increase in your trucking insurance.” The brothers are convinced that it’s generally a good idea to bring in people for the next generation who have worked outside the family business first so that they can bring in fresh perspectives. The brothers learned from their predecessors, but since taking over they’ve kept learning to do some things differently from how Rigoni, Brett and the elder Schwab taught them. Chad describes their approach as proactive. “We try things we wouldn’t try three years ago. We are not going to jump into something blind but we are hungry and we want to look at new ideas, new ways of doing things to make our business and our people better.” For instance, they were trained by their dad and Mr. Rigoni: if you think you might need something, get two of it; and hold on to things you don’t use, just in case you ever need it. “An old school logger mentality would be, you have a log truck and you drive it till the doors fall off,” Chad says. “We just got rid of the frame of a 1986 chipper. We had parts in here for that, and we haven’t run that chipper in 10 years.” Richard adds, “This company hasn’t run a piece of Franklin equipment since the late 1990s, but a year ago we found Franklin parts in here, lots of them. There was a lot of stuff bought just in case. In the shop there would be $10-15,000 worth of brakes. It kills your cash flow. All that is eliminated today.” Chad notes that times have
Rigoni hauls mostly chips these days.
Each of the five Rigoni crews is outfitted with the same three-machine Tigercat setup.
Tigercat dealer Tidewater is a great partner for Rigoni, the Schwabs say.
changed: “A lot of stuff you can get next day now, so you don’t have to have all that stuff on the shelf.” He admits there are still some things they need to keep extra, key parts that take longer to replace, but in general they want to keep excess inventory to a minimum. “You can’t afford it today. It’s overhead, and it’s overtime sometimes. If you think you might need three mechanics one day but you really only have work for one mechanic, you still got those other two you’re paying just because of that one time you might need them. You have to cut all that out to make it work.”
Maintenance, Machinery From the Schwab Brothers diesel shop (see sidebar), the Schwab brothers have learned how to more efficiently run the Rigoni repair shop. The diesel shop, they point out, is, and always has been, run as a business instead of a cost of doing business. “Our mechanics work 40 hours a week and go home,” Richard says. “There’s no stand around time. You can’t afford the overhead.” Chad adds, “Those guys in the shop do good work but a lot of times we just didn’t have a whole lot for them to do, so it was a dead cost.” They’ve now reorganized things. The Rigoni shop has one head mechanic and a junior mechanic in training. A third moved to Schwab Brothers Hydraulics as an on-site service guy who visits, among other customers, each of the five Rigoni woods crews once or twice a week to handle greasing and servicing—air, fuel and oil filters and all the sampling. In between his visits, operators handle greasing and changing chipper knives. All Rigoni trucks and trailers go to the Schwab Brothers diesel repair shop, while chippers and woods machines come to the Rigoni shop for repairs. Each crew is identically outfitted with Tigercat (620H skidders, 720G
cutters, 234B loaders) and a chipper, one of each per crew. They have three Morbark 4036 chippers, three Morbark 5048s and a 3590 Bandit XL, five in regular use and two spares. Tidewater in Thomasville and Maxville does all the service work needed. “They do a great job and they are very, very good partners of ours,” Richard says. The Schwabs have been working towards getting on a three-year program of rotating out and trading in equipment. “It gives you warranty and reliability and cuts your payment just about in half,” Chad explains. “A used piece of Tigercat equipment today, if it is in good shape, brings about half the value of a newer one. That’s one reason we love Tigercat. Now if you are talking four or five year old machines then of course the value is not there as much.” The sweet spot for maximizing the use of a machine balanced with optimal trade-in value is around 6,500 hours on a three-year old piece, Chad estimates. The last time they bought a brand new chipper (two, in fact), was 2013; both, 5048 models, are still in use today. Chad recollects, “We paid $550,000; today that machine is $800,000 with a Tier 4 motor on it.” They recently rebuilt the motor and put a new chute on a 2010 chipper; it cost about $70,000 to rebuild,
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Diversifying: Hydraulics, Repairs e haven’t been one-dimensional in many years,” Richard says.
“W “We were raised not to be and have taught everyone under us to
be flexible. We try to keep as much diversification with our footprint as we can, and we have a huge footprint today.” As Chad says, “We take pains to find ways to make profits on more than just the logging itself.” One of those ways: the brothers started their own separate company, Schwab Brothers Hydraulics, LLC. Richard conceived the idea when a master distributor for Vitillo hose came to a Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. meeting. During the presentation, Richard kept thinking to himself that he could help the young man by sharing his many industry contacts, and by incorporating the product in the Rigoni shop. Later, he saw a history of John Deere at an ALC meeting. Back when Deere got started, Chad explains, clay would stick to the cast iron steel from which plow blades were made, so farmers in the Midwest would constantly have to stop and dig the clay off. “John Deere came up with the idea of taking a piece of polished steel, and the clay would just fall right off of it. He used an old crosscut saw blade that he got from a logger.” Richard had an epiphany: “I realized that the forest industry was the catalyst that made John Deere who they are. Deere went to his local tree cutter and said, ‘Do you have an old cross cut saw blade I could borrow?’ And I’m sure that good old logger gave him something off the scrap pile and never gave it another thought. Because that’s what loggers do every day: we put our boots on to help people.” A light bulb went off for him: “Why would I give somebody all my contacts and not be in business with him? Why give it away when I can be a partner? So we started Schwab Brothers Hydraulics to sell hydraulic hose out of our shop. We took a net cost, and made it a profit center.” It’s another way they found to think outside the box. Speaking of
boxes, Schwab Brothers Hydraulics offers, along with hoses, the patented Compact Hose Assembly Device, or CHAD box. Chad stresses he had nothing to do with naming it and wasn’t even in the meeting when Richard and his son-in-law Ryan Wood, a Marine fond of acronyms, came up with this one. There is no word yet when they’ll develop another product they can name the RICH, but it would seem only fair. Each CHAD is assembled on a Camlocker box from American Aluminum and features an air-over-hydraulic crimping machine, crimping dies, air powered rotary saw, cutting discs, spec chart and storage for extra fittings. “Some of our customers might be two hours from their job site to our place in Perry,” Richard notes. “They can buy hoses from NAPA, but at double the cost we would charge.” With a CHAD, they can quickly replace blown hoses in the woods, saving potentially hours of downtime. And it’s not just for loggers in Florida; the Schwabs have also been showing it to their industry friends all over the U.S. Another opportunity to diversify beyond the box presented itself soon enough. A local mechanic and close friend of theirs was preparing to retire and wanted to sell to them. “I had never thought about owning a diesel repair shop, not one time,” Chad admits; he didn’t think he was interested. Richard initially had a similar reaction, but they agreed to give it some thought. The repair shop owner gave them five years of his financial records, which they showed to their accountant (Richard’s wife Jennifer). She looked it all over and told them, “For what he wants for that business, the land, the shop, the whole thing, we would be fools not to take it.” Chad recalls, “We looked at it long and hard, and prayed, which is central to every decision we make.” They made the deal, and that business is now the Schwab Brothers Hydraulics repair shop. Note that it is not the internal company repair bay for M.A. Rigoni, but a separate business serving dozens of local companies. Once again, Richard says, “We SLT have turned dead cost centers into profit centers.”
Located in Perry like M.A. Rigoni, American Aluminum makes the Camlocker boxes for each CHAD; Ryan Wood, center, inspects a batch before they head out to the woods.
after 19,000 hours of use. Keeping chippers maintained, knowing when to repair and when to replace, is crucial, as is keeping viable spares to use when there’s a breakdown. Richard says it again speaks to that old logger’s mentality with which he and Chad were raised: run it till it breaks. But, he says, “You can’t run a chipper till it breaks. When it breaks it is going to be major. We had a catastrophic breakdown on one chipper and it took six weeks to get the part. Thank the Lord we had a spare.”
Hauling Roughly 30 trucks haul Rigoni wood, about half of them contractors. Company-owned trucks are mostly Kenworth with locking rear ends; this was one of Gary Brett’s ideas the Schwab boys have kept. “We haven’t changed anything that Gary set up,” Richard says of the trucking component. “That was his 22
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legacy he gave us, the ingenuity and knowhow to know which specs we need for trucking.” Chad says that, while they might restrict turning somewhat, the locking rear ends allow trucks to pull out of the woods amazingly well. “We had a truck driver tell us he had never seen trucks pull out of the woods like that. That was Gary’s idea and we will not go away from that, never.” Hauling chips exclusively, Rigoni’s trucks pull both dead and live floor vans from ITI, Peerless, Pitts and Pinnacle. Schwab Brothers Hydraulics put the wet kits on the trucks. Combined, the five crews average 300 loads a week. They haul in both Florida, where the weight limit is 88,000 lbs., and Georgia, where it’s 84,000. They don’t use scales at all, trusting loader/chipper operators to know. If they’re loading to haul in Georgia, they stick to the lower weight. Two crews are based in Perry, Fla., and others in Danella, Williston and Lake City. Each crew pulls from the local labor pool and works tracts in the range of where they are based. For instance, drivers hauling to GRU live in the Gainesville area, near Mayo, Lake City and Ocala. Rigoni used to supply fuel efficient company vehicles for drivers with a long ride to get to their trucks. This perk had to end when DOT let them know, in a “nice way,” they say, that the commute counts towards truck drivers’ allowable daily driving time if it is in a company vehicle.
around Valdosta—Chad says, “The leadership today is very progressive. They have some younger guys in there who are very wise with the decisions they’re making and they seek out wise counsel from the guys who have been there before.” Most loggers don’t prefer working with big corporate entities, Chad points out. “They feel like they’re against them, not for them. With Langdale, I feel like they are for me and want me to succeed because they know what I do for
them is important for them.” Chad’s sons Reese and Tanner manage a crew and Trevor works in the office (younger son Fletcher is in high school). Richard’s son Cole helps develop new business and buys timber. His daughter Julianne is married to Ryan Wood, director of sales/marketing for Schwab Brothers Hydraulics; Wood has been instrumental in marketing CHAD. Richard’s other daughter Caroline is a political consultant in Tallahassee; all the politicians she
represented in 2020 won their elections. Richard’s wife Jennifer is Rigoni’s CFO—the numbers person who really makes it work, he says—while Chad’s wife Dana is the event coordinator for CMO; “She puts that whole project together,” her husband brags.
Core Changes The company has had to be flexible, reinventing itself more than once and rolling with the punches
Markets While many loggers across the Southeast log with a little chipping on the side, Rigoni does the opposite. Most of the mills they deliver to are 75-100 miles away. Two primary markets for Rigoni are GRU (Gainesville Regional Utilities) and Enviva in Waycross. Enviva is 110 mile and Gainesville 175 miles. PCA is also a good partner. With forester Rett Sumner, Rigoni now buys all its stumpage, much of it from the Langdale family of companies in Valdosta, Ga., a town near the Florida/Georgia line that should probably be renamed Langdale. “We have been really blessed to be affiliated with Langdale,” Richard says. “It’s a great mutual relationship.” Chad agrees: “We couldn’t ask for a finer partner or better people.” At Langdale Forest Products and Southland Forest Products—another of the many Langdale companies based Southern Loggin’ Times
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The crews average 300 loads weekly.
of changing realities. “You start off Monday morning with Plan A, by the time Friday gets here, you’re working on Plan AAA; you’ve been through the whole alphabet, A to Z, twice,” Chad says. “How often do you have to reinvent yourself? It’s almost daily.” And there have been a few major shifts over the years. “Since the ’80s and ’90s, these mills have been divesting themselves of their procurement teams and buying gatewood,” Richard says. “Then they expect loggers to buy their wood and they really don’t under-
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stand that you need to keep some back to pay for your timber dealership, plus your performance bonds and everything else.” In some cases, the brothers attest, they got paid more for timber in the ’80s than they do today. This is a common claim loggers all over make. It begs the question: How do loggers survive at all, let alone thrive, as some seem to do, if the cost of everything has doubled or more, but the pay rate is essentially the same as 30 or even 40 years ago? “We have to find different avenues and get creative,” Chad
answers. “The Lord blesses us with that creativity, He opens doors for us and He closes doors for us, and sometimes it leaves us standing back asking why.” Case in point: about five years ago, for the first time in company history, Rigoni was fired from working on a particular land base. “They cut our crew that was moving 100 loads a week,” Richard reveals. “It was a sucker punch to the gut to get fired, after doing something for so long, without any notice or consideration to loyalty. The good news is it was one of
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those divine interventions we couldn’t see coming. Because today, everybody is fired from that land; we were ahead of the curve.” It forced them to start buying their own wood. “We had to reinvent ourselves and we got ahead of the competition, because we already had those markets established. The next year we made more money with that crew moving 65 loads a week than we had been making moving 100 loads a week.” Chad adds, “When they let us go, we were baffled because we had just won logger of the year for the U.S. through FRA. We know we are one of the best in the business, not to brag, but what we do, how we do it, our standards and ethics, we know who we are. And for that to happen, it was a blow. That will knock the taste out of your mouth, but God opened another door for us right behind that and it turned out to be more profitable.”
Safety “For our safety meetings, if we want to gather here at our base of operations, sometimes that is hard to do because you have people coming from all over,” Richard acknowledges. Just recently, they
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started doing virtual safety meetings, using a smart phone app developed by FRA, called THATS (Timber Harvesting And Transportation Safety). Each crew, as well as truck drivers and Schwab Brothers Hydraulics employees, can participate in the meetings remotely, a double benefit in the age of pandemic and social distancing. The app preserves a record to prove that all of them had an hour of safety training every month. “When you pull that app up it gives you a list of topics you can talk about,” Chad explains. “It’ll know each individual that is there, it will list all their names. Let’s say we had a guy at five of the safety meetings and we discussed climbing safety and jumping safety; it registers that he has been a part of that training. Let’s say that guy jumps off a tractor and twists his knee. When OSHA comes in, we can say he has had this training, he knew better than to do that, and here it is right here in black and white. So that helps us out in that way too. It is going to be a great, awesome tool for us.” One thing they inherited from their predecessors is a relationship
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with insurance consultant Rosselle Consulting, and Richard says that is probably the best money they spend every month. “Mr. Rosselle and his son-in-law Jimmy Cino used to work for the insurance companies and know the policies inside and out,” the younger Schwab explains. “Rosselle is a risk management guy, so he looks at our company and tells us what insurance we need. He then shops for me all the different companies that will provide that coverage.” Rigoni does business with Bitco agency Stoutamire-Pavlik & Asso-
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ciates, Inc. in Monticello, Fla.; Ryan Pavlik is the agent. “But Ryan doesn’t sell me a bit of insurance unless Rosselle says it’s ok,” Richard says. They also run driver candidates past the consultant before hiring. And if there is a claim, Rosselle knows what the insurance company is supposed to do and ensures that it gets done. “He even goes to court for you if necessary,” Richard says. The monthly retainer fee they pay him is worth every dime, the brothers wholeheartedly agree.
Involved Rigoni is very active on behalf of the industry beyond the scope of its own business. Usually the point man on the PR/political front, Richard sits on the boards for a number of organizations, including Florida Forestry Assn. and Southeastern Wood Producers Assn., and he represents SWPA on the American Loggers Council board. At ALC he is also on the search committee for Danny Dructor’s replacement this year, and he
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chairs the biomass committee. At Forest Resources Assn. he chairs the public policy committee and is on the THATS app committee. He also serves as President of TEAM Safe Trucking. Beyond logging, Richard serves in a state government agency as Vice President of the Suwannee River Water Management District governing board. One of five such bodies in Florida, it controls water resources in 15 counties. Former Governor (and current Senator) Rick Scott appointed Richard to this position in 2016, and Governor Ron DeSantis reappointed him. “Our passion, and who we are, we were trained in school to make a difference not just for our little kingdom but to make the world a better place,” Richard says. “Our company spends a lot of time and money being involved with making policy for the industry nationwide. But I see that as an investment for loggers everywhere.” It’s also good for business; there is a lot of value that comes to Rigoni from all that they do in the political sphere and in state and national associations, with meeting people and bringing back new ideas—Schwab Brothers Hydraulics being one example. “I wouldn’t put a price on it,” Richard says. “The commitments I have with all these organizations, you would be surprised how much business value I get out of that. I’m out developing new business.” Both men are very active in their churches, serving as elders, helping make policy decisions and even preaching sometimes. They are in different churches, though; Richard laughs, “You can’t do everything together. We’re with each other six days a week, we need Sundays off.” Another way they give back: Rigoni sponsors and hosts Combat Marine Outdoors weekend fishing and hunting trips for veterans and their sons. COVID concerns prevented it in 2020 but they plan to do it in 2021 for retired Marines since active duty are restricted. Avid outdoorsmen, they donate various fishing and hunting trips to fundraising auctions at various organizations in which they are involved, such as at the ALC annual meetings. The Schwabs and Brett have also been involved in missionary work in Nicaragua periodically; in fact, in his retirement, Brett was on a hurricane relief mission in DeRidder, La., when Southern Loggin’ Times visited last SLT November.
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All About Balls
past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. That was before the rise of ‘I am a victim thinking,’ the overpopulation of lawyers, and government overreach.
Truth Sounds Like Hate To Those Who Hate Truth
The sport of choice for the urban poor is basketball. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is bowling. The sport of choice for front-line workers is football. The sport of choice for supervisors is baseball. The sport of choice for middle management is tennis. The sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is golf. It’s apparent that the higher you go in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become. Conclusion: There are tens of thousands of people in Washington, DC who play marbles.
America’s Twilight Zone
Today I woke up and as I had my morning coffee, I reflected on many dramatic changes that have recently taken place. No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, something evil has invaded our nation, and our lives are never going to be the same. I have been confused by the hostility of family and friends. I look at people I have known all my life. They are so hate-filled that they agree with opinions they would For starters, we survived being born to mothers who never express as their own. I think that I may well have may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. entered the Twilight Zone. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a You can’t justify this insanity. We have become a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes. nation that has lost its collective mind! Then, after that trauma, we were put to bed on our If a dude pretends to be a woman, you are required to tummy in cribs covered with bright, lead-based paint. pretend with him. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on Somehow, it’s un-American for the census to count doors or cabinets and, when we rode our bikes, we had how many Americans are in America. baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads. Russians influencing our elections are bad, but illegals As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no child car seats, no voting in our elections are good. booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. National leaders lament that they want to unify the nation, but their actions Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special are widening, not narrowing, the gap, treat. People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. people who have never been slaves. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, People who have never been to college should pay the debts and no one actually died from this. of college students who took out huge loans for their degrees. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We Immigrants with diseases are welcome, but you’d better be drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren’t able to prove your dog is vaccinated. overweight because we were always outside playing. Irish doctors and German engineers who want to immigrate We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as to the U.S. must go through a rigorous vetting process, but long as we were back by dark. those who cross the southern border illegally are welcome. We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps And many in this group seek to be takers only, and want to and then ride them down the hill, only to find out that we forleave the giving to somebody else. got about brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we People who say there is no such thing as gender are learned to solve the problem. demanding a female President. Transgenders born as males We did not have PlayStations, Nintendo and Xboxes. There insist on competing in women’s sports. were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video If you stay at a hotel or board a bus, train or plane, you have movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell to first show a photo ID, but if you have to show a photo ID to phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. vote, you are a victim of discrimination and/or voter “suppresWe had friends, and we went outside and found them! sion.” We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and lost teeth, and We see other countries going socialist and collapsing, but it there were no lawsuits from those accidents. seems like a great plan to a growing number of vocal politiWe got spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or cians, academics, actors and entertainers. just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report ‘abuse.’ Some people are held responsible for things that happened before they We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in were born, and other people are not held responsible for what they are doing us forever. now. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, .22 rifles for our 12th, rode Criminals are caught-and-released to hurt more people, but stopping them horses, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and although we is bad because it’s a violation of their rights. were told it would happen, we did not accidentally put out very many eyes. And pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes us racists?! And yes, we ran through the house with scissors Nothing makes sense anymore: no values, no No Matter How Bad Your and/or knives in our hands. morals, no civility, no regard for the Constitution. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made We are clearly living in an upside- down world where Situation May Be, the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with right is wrong and wrong is right, where moral is Just Remember… disappointment. Imagine that!! immoral and immoral is moral, where good is evil There Are People Out There and evil is good, where killing murderers is wrong, The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! but killing innocent babies is right. Worried About The Gender These generations have produced some of the best It’s enough to cause you to wonder, “What is next, Of A Plastic Potato. risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever. The a revolution or the Rapture?”
To Kids Who Survived The 1930s, 1940s, 1950s
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Easy Streets? ■ How much would interstate access for log trucks help? By Joe Conrad Assistant Professor of Forest Operations, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia NOTE: Virginia Loggers Assn. ran this in their March 2021 membership newsletter and was kind enough to share it with us.
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echnically, there is no law prohibiting log trucks from using interstate highways. However, federal law limits tractor-trailers to 80,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight (GVW) and 34,000 lbs. per tandem axle. This means loggers must give up 10,000+ lbs. of payload in order to remain legal on interstate highways—an unprofitable proposition. Loggers have known for a long time that allowing state-legal, loaded log trucks to operate on interstate highways would reduce hauling costs and improve safety. Unfortunately, there was limited data to support the claim, which is where research can help. The Georgia Forestry Foundation and Forest Resources Assn. supported my research to estimate how much interstate access would improve timber transportation safety and efficiency in the South. I analyzed data from more than 900 haul routes from 250 harvest sites in eight wood baskets: Augusta, Brunswick, Macon, and Savannah, Ga.; Brewton and Prattville, Ala.; Eastover, SC; and Roanoke Rapids, NC. Initial analysis determined which timber deliveries would benefit from interstate access. For those deliveries benefitting from interstate access, detailed analysis was conducted on the current route that avoids interstate highways and an interstate route that would utilize an interstate highway for part of the trip.
Photo courtesy of TEAM Safe Trucking
interstate access. l 38% of miles could be traveled on interstate highways, on those routes benefiting from interstate access. Interstate access improved the safety of timber transportation. Relative to current routes, interstate routes: l Included 40% fewer intersections per trip (61 vs. 101), l Avoided one school zone per trip, l Bypassed one city or town per trip, and l Had a 19% lower estimated fatal crash risk. In the U.S., approximately 40% of all crashes occur at intersections, meaning the reduction in intersections encountered reduces log truck crash risk significantly. Likewise, avoiding school zones is important because of the risk of high profile and deadly crashes associated with the presence of school buses, pedestrian traffic and children. The strongest argument for interstate access is undoubtedly the safety benefits. However, for loggers,
the time and hauling cost savings are also compelling. Compared to current routes, interstate routes: l Saved 9 minutes per trip (52 min. vs 61 min.), l Reduced one-way hauling costs by $8 per trip, l Would save a typical logger approximately $9,700 per year, and l Would reduce cumulative transportation costs by approximately $935,000 per year in the Roanoke Rapids, NC wood basket. These travel cost savings are probably conservative estimates. These estimates are based on reduced travel time and the hourly cost of owning and operating a log truck. Loggers would experience the biggest savings when reduced travel time allowed them to deliver extra loads during a day or week. This is difficult to quantify because of variables such as mill quotas, truck dispatching practices, turntimes, etc. The values described above are averages for the routes benefitting from interstate access in the Roanoke Rapids, NC/south-central
Results This study found that many timber deliveries could access interstate highways if state weight laws were applied to interstate highways. l 46% of haul routes would be more efficient with interstate access. l 82% of harvest sites had at least one load that would benefit from 32
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Virginia area. As one might expect, some timber deliveries would benefit from interstate access more than others. For example, consider the following timber delivery from a harvest site near Emporia, Va., to the pulp mill in Roanoke Rapids, NC. This load must cross the Meherrin River in Emporia and two highways have bridges capable of supporting the load: I–95 and Hwy 301 in downtown Emporia. Emporia has an ordinance prohibiting through trucks from utilizing Hwy 301 but grants an exemption to log trucks. Utilizing I– 95 for this route would save loggers time and money, improve highway safety, and protect infrastructure in downtown Emporia (Table 1). Of course, not every haul route is similar to this example (Table 1). There are plenty of harvest sites and mills that are not located near an interstate highway. Furthermore, log trucks would still have to drive from harvest sites to interstate highways and from interstate highways to mills on state and local roads. In other words, interstate access will help, but will not solve every problem. Allowing interstate access for state-legal, loaded log trucks will require a bill to be passed by both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, and then be signed by the President of the United States. Hopefully, data from this study will inform discussions of the best path forward. I would like to thank the Georgia Forestry Foundation Center for Forest Competitiveness and the Forest Resources Assn. for sponsoring this research. Thanks to the VLA members and others that provided data for the analysis. If you would like to learn more about study results, please consult the following SLT resources. Conrad, J.L., IV. 2020. Would weight parity on interstate highways improve safety and efficiency of timber transportation in the US South? International Journal of Forest Engineering 31:242–252. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14942119.20 20.1806638. Conrad, J.L., IV. 2020. Access to interstate highways would improve timber transportation in the US South. Forest Resources Association Technical Release. Rockville, MD. Joe Conrad, Assistant Professor of Forest Operations, Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA jlconrad@uga.edu
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Teamwork ■ A South-wide perspective of the region’s forest products industry.
By Clay Altizer, Southwide Region Manager, Forest Resources Assn.
A bers:
quick, illuminating few num-
l $251
billion of total economic
output l More than 1.1 million jobs l $53.9 billion in labor income l $14 billion in export value l 209 million acres of timberlands l Over five million private forest landowners l 57% of the timber harvest volume in the U.S. That is the forest products industry in the Southern U.S. Pretty impressive statistics, to say the least. It is easy to see why the region is commonly referred to as the wood basket of the world. It takes the skill and expertise of many dedicated natural resource professionals to ensure the forest products industry is well equipped to meet the world’s demand for wood fiber and forestbased manufactured goods. It is an honor to work alongside these outstanding men and women, together, as a team. The support system that exists for our industry often operates independently, but the ability to
come together to form a united front is a powerful tool. Just like the teamwork the Tampa Bay Buccaneers demonstrated in Super Bowl LV, the stakeholders in the wood supply value chain must do their part for the wood supply system to function properly. Everyone has a job to do, and each person must do their part to keep the system working efficiently and effectively. There are many teams that work independently to resolve issues at the company level as well as larger teams that come together to unite for the greater good of the industry. Not surprisingly, a few of our teammates operate somewhat behind the scenes, but their contributions still play a pivotal role in advancing our industry. The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) and Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) are two organizations that immediately come to mind. Their collaboration has led to several successful efforts worthy of praise. One such product of their collaboration is the forest products locator feature, a great site to learn more about the locations of primary mills and secondary forest products manufacturers in the Southern U.S. This site serves as a helpful tool for eco-
nomic development officials to assist with new industry recruiting efforts as well as to aid potential industry investors in their site selection process. It can also help forest landowners learn more about their local markets and better understand how a timber harvest will produce multiple products destined for different manufacturing facilities. Many people not affiliated with the forest products supply chain fail to understand the role that a proper hierarchy of goods plays in the overall balance of our wood supply system.
ic contribution reports at the county level for certain states. These economic contribution reports have proven very successful for engagement with state forestry associations, academic institutions, government agencies, economic development offices, and interaction with state legislative officials. Documenting and showcasing the overall economic contribution of the forest products industry and wood supply system on local and regional economies is important. Our industry, and the associated supply chain, is one of the largest manufacturing sectors in much of the Southern region. This economic activity often impacts some of the most economically distressed regions where career options are often limited at best. Everyone acknowledges the importance of money and jobs. Most importantly, it captivates the interest of decision-makers at all levels of government.
Forestry Impacts web site (https://www.forestryimpacts.net)
Another great product resulting from this successful collaboration of SGSF and SREF is the forestry impacts web site. This is a fantastic repository for socioeconomic information at the regional and statewide levels. The site even contains links that lead to econom-
Forest Products Locator web site (https://www.forestproductslocator.org)
The benefits that forests provide for society are large in number and immense in scale. Sustainable management of our natural resources is in everyone’s best interest. The positive correlation between healthy markets and healthy forests is no secret. Everybody on our team is aware of this fact. But a large sector of the public does not make this connection. We have room to expand our team and recruit new stakeholders. There will certainly be challenges ahead of us in the future. But challenges can lead to opportunities. And we have got a great team in place to capitalize on opportunities. Let us all do our part to be a positive contributor to a team environment and embrace those opportunities to promote our industry and profession. We have a great story to share. Let us make sure we are heard loud and clear. And I am excited to work with my new team, the FRA team, on SLT doing my part! This piece was originally released as part of FRA’s “Woods to Mill” blog series and was sent to FRA membership on February 11, 2021.
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FROM THE BACKWOODS PEW
Can’t Fall Out of a Mud Hole On one of my first days in forestry, I found a forester’s rendition of “Murphy’s Law.” That is the law that states, among many addi- Antill tions and variations, “If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong.” The one that I put on my wall nearly 30 years ago includes this piece of wisdom: “You can’t fall out of a mud hole.” I have spent my career trying to prove that law as unconstitutional, but to no avail. I submit the following: You can jump into a mud hole. One day, while trying to cross a flowing stream and standing on a solid sand bar, I decided I could jump to another sand bar in midstream with little difficulty. This particular sandbar, however, was obviously floating as I went straight up to my knees in mud. You can drive into a mud hole. In this case, like a tiger trap, the hole had a layer of ice across it. In fact, the ice was level and even with the road, giving the appearance of being part of the road. My truck crashed through the ice and into the mud hole beneath. I eventually was extracted, but then I had to drive
back through that same hole in order to leave the property, and that is another story. You can walk into a mud hole. While crossing a deep swamp on foot, what looked at first to be dry, hard mud, turned out to be only a baked crust. When I stepped on it, the mud hole swallowed my boot, my leg, and was working on the rest of me by the time I crawled out. You can meet a snake in a mud hole. While stuck up to my knees and looking for some high ground on which to crawl, I found it to be occupied by a rather large cottonmouth moccasin snake. He too was muddy, so I let him keep the high ground. It was the Christian thing to do. You can lose a boot in a mud hole. Ask the young lad with me who was looking for arrowheads one day after a heavy rain had turned a clay hillside into mud. When I heard him cry out, he was walking in his socks, his boots sticking in the mud behind him. You can lose a hip wader in a mud hole. This is really just a taller boot that requires a deeper mud hole. I had to pull it out separately after I got my leg out of it. Like the young lad, I was walking in my socks. You can spend hours in a mud
hole. Time flies while you are waiting for someone to pull you out. Can you say “Solitaire,” boys and girls? You can be talked into trying to drive through a mud hole. Don’t listen. It will result in more solitaire. “And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; the days of affliction take hold of me. My bones are pierced in me at night, and my gnawing pains take no rest. By great force my garment is disfigured; it binds me about as the collar of my coat. He has cast me into the mire [MUD HOLE], and I have become like dust and ashes.”—Job 30:16-19 Job, in calling out to God, declares that God has thrown him into a mud hole, into the mire. He is in agony. All that he had, all the blessings, now seem to be lying in the mud hole with him; they have become worthless. In his despair, he calls out yet again: “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. But You have become cruel to me; with the strength of Your hand You oppose me. You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.”—Job 30:20-23 It would be easy for you and I to look at Job and his trouble, and per-
haps see our own despair, to see the agony we might be in. We too might wonder if our prayers are simply bouncing off of the ceiling, returning to us null and void. Like Job, stuck in the mud hole of life, crying for help, yet he is getting no response. And to that, we would be right, for we share a lot with Job. His predicament is ours; his complaint is ours. We are stuck in the mud hole of life—dirty, covered with shame. We cry out to be clean, to again have a relationship with God. Our cries echo that of another who shared that same predicament. There is one who gave up all he had; one that took on suffering; one that called out to heaven, wondering where the help was: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’”—Matthew 27:46 We can’t fall out of the mud hole. We are stuck. The results of sin cover us. The pain of living in a fallen world—of dealing with cancer and divorce, or of fighting greed and corruption—pulls us down and holds us. With no hope, no way out, and no way to get clean on our own, our Father, who loved us, sent his Son Jesus into the mud hole. In the mud hole he shared our pain, our confusion, and our cries for deliverance. And on the cross, he answered Job. On the cross, he secured for Job, his soul. The rest of life is but dirt and ashes when compared to the soul. The mud hole doesn’t matter if the soul has been rescued. Just like the sole of your foot might be stuck in a mud hole, your soul is too. Only Jesus can rescue it. Thank God that he loved us so, that Jesus came into the mud hole, so our soul could fall out of the mud hole, clean and secure. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”— Psalms 51:10,11 Excerpt from “Sideroads, Snares, and Souls” Brad Antill author. Find it at www.onatreeforestry.com Brad Antill has been a forester in the woods and swamps of the Southeast Coastal Plain for over 30 years. Besides being a forester, he is also an ordained minister of the Gospel, and together they combine as his two passions. He and his wife Cindy created On-A-Tree Forestry as a way of sharing his unique views of the gospel story. They share the fingerprints of God that are revealed every day in those same woods and swamps. Brad is a graduate of The Ohio State University forestry program, and a registered forester in North Carolina and West Virginia.
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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP of 2021 (CFAP 2) that became law As We See It: What’s In A Word? in late December that included the By Danny Dructor For close to a year now, the American Loggers Council has worked to obtain funding for those timber harvesting and hauling businesses throughout
Dructor
the United States that have been adversely impacted by curtailments in markets and production as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We were successful in getting language in the Consolidated Appropriations Act
following language: “Provided further, That from the amounts provided in this section, the Secretary of Agriculture may use not more than $200,000,000 to provide relief to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that have, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, experienced a loss of not less than 10
percent in gross revenue during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on December 1, 2020, as compared to the gross revenue of that timber harvesting or hauling business during the same period in 2019:” We have italicized the word may in the text for good reason. The original text that we thought was included in the bill used the word shall. What happens when you change the word from shall to may? The appropriation becomes discretionary rather than mandatory, so now we are once again at the mercy of the agency who is tasked to implement a program, as they see fit. It has now been three months since the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. On March 24, 2021, the administration announced in a press release that they have identified gaps in previous aid to producers, in which both timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses are included. That is the good news. The bad news is that after three months of back-and-forth discussions after the bill has passed, and the previous six-seven months of communicating our needs to members of Congress in order to get the language into the Appropriations Act, we are now faced with a rulemaking process as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. This could add, at a minimum, another 120 days to the wait before timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses could see a penny of the funds distributed to those in need. Let’s just hope that may not be too late for many of you who have suffered from loss of markets, quotas, downtime and the uncertainty of being able to have the capital to pay your fixed costs such as insurance and equipment notes. We will continue to engage a bureaucracy that truly does not understand what it is like to run a capital intensive, low-margin business and look for ways to expedite the funding to your businesses. A good starting point would be to have a Congressional Oversight hearing as to why the agencies are not meeting the intent of Congress. Who changed the language from shall to may? We may never know, but in a society where interpretation means everything, this has placed another barrier in our efforts. Danny Dructor is Executive Vice President of American Loggers Council, a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests of timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses across the United States. For more information visit www.amloggers.com.
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IP Helping Fund Research Programs Again this year, International Paper (IP) is offering a program that’s funded $500,000 in academic research grants the past two years to explore new technology and key issues for forest landowners and the forest products industry. Since 2019, International Paper has asked U.S. universities for research proposals to explore innovations in: remote sensing technology; timber supply modeling; understanding and managing risk from the forest to the mill; and the relative advantages of important global wood baskets. During the past two years, six programs at four universities were selected for funding. North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Mississippi State University are researching timber supply modeling with the ultimate goal of improving market models that predict resource trends and prices. Virginia Tech and Texas A&M are exploring remote sensing technologies that will help characterize forest attributes. Virginia Tech is evaluating satellite and aerial imagery to estimate stand characteristics over large areas, and Texas A&M will be studying the use of space-borne and aerial sensors. Mississippi State University and NCSU are also conducting a comparative assessment of global wood fiber production.
SC Road Entrance Permit Now In Effect In South Carolina, the SCDOT Blanket Encroachment Permit is now in effect for temporary logging road
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Full Tilt Timber Finds Quick Answer Nate Schuele, 22 years old and a fourth generation sawyer, has a new best friend: the SL130i Serra mobile sawmill. The previous one (of another brand) had to be replaced due to a motor damage. Schuele got his first impression of Serra and the sawmills by YouTube videos. He found the videos hugely impressive and especially liked the receivers for offloading sawn lumber. For the decision he Walt and Nate Schuele are very satisfied with explains: “We were looking at their Serra SL 130i, which was immediately ready multiple alternatives but the for action after a demonstration in Nashville. Serra seemed to have so many good features, larger band, thinner kerf, receivers for sawn lumber, better band wheel technology, etc.” The availability of the Serra demo machine in Nashville convinced them, too, because it was already stateside and built. Nate and Walt Schuele, the two owners of Full Tilt Timber Framing in Glancy, Mont., produce dimensional lumber and timbers for timber frames (around 150-200MBF annually). The Serra mill has fit into their process perfectly. Nate Schuele comments on the mobile sawmill: “The independent loading arms are a huge improvement. The computer is actually worth using. The dogs have a steep learning curve but once we learned how to use them, they are also much better than anything we’ve had. The operator’s station is also a huge improvement to walking with the head or the exposed remote operating stations we had before.” The switch to the new machine was easy for him. Nate learned the computer and calibrating the joystick. He had no major changes, just re-learning the setup. The employees get along with the machine very well, too, and also the clients are impressed. Nate is also happy with the Serra customer service and says: “The best customer service I’ve ever received. We are very satisfied and we want to tour the factory and thank everyone.” entrances. The department requires an encroachment permit any time travel or work is done on or across a state owned right-of-way. The permit lets SCDOT know where the access is and what type of activity is being
conducted and is required to be kept on the job site. The SC Timber Producers Assn., Forestry Assn. of SC and the SC Forestry Commission worked with SCDOT to develop the temporary
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logging road access encroachment permit. The permit is annual, and there is no fee charged. The permit came to be required after some loggers constructing access roads in unsafe locations, improper drainage or otherwise damaged the state rightof-way.
Project Learning Tree Has New Curriculum Project Learning Tree (PLT) recently released a new curriculum guide to engage kindergarten through grade 8 students in exploring their environment. Project Learning Tree is a long-established, award-winning environmental education program that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to advance environmental literacy, stewardship, and pathways to green careers. The guide includes 50 field-tested, hands-on activities that integrate investigations of nature with science, math, English language arts, and social studies. It incorporates outdoor education and connects youth to nature which has many proven benefits. Educators can obtain a copy of PLT’s Explore Your Environment: K8 Activity Guide directly from PLT’s Shop or by attending a local PLT professional development workshop conducted by PLT’s 50state network of 75 coordinators and 1,000 facilitators across the country. This new, cutting-edge resource for educators offers robust, real-world learning experiences for students designed to bolster STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning, promote civic engagement, and help young people acquire the skills they’ll need to be creative problem solvers. The activities develop
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students’ critical thinking skills as they participate in hands-on learning, debate real-life environmental decisions, and engage with their community in action projects.
RoyOMartin Mill Celebrates 25 Years RoyOMartin commemorated 25 years of operations at its plywood manufacturing facility in Chopin, La. with a ceremony featuring a look back at the beginning stages of the plant and the impact it has had on the company and community since its inception. Construction began in August 1994 on the Natchitoches Parish mill, which continues to be one of the largest of its kind in North America. Its first press load of southern yellow pine plywood panels was produced on March 8, 1996. Actually then president, the late Johnny Martin had drawn up a new pine sawmill to take advantage of the company’s substantial pine timberland coming of age, but the more Martin and his team looked at the situation, the clearer it became that a softwood plywood plant was the answer. Thirty-five current employees from the original startup team were hon-
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ored for their 25 years of service to the company. COO E. Scott Poole commented, “We may have added equipment through the years, but none of that makes this history worth celebrating until we add the dedication of the men and women who have stood through the good and not-sogood times. We are the best because of them.”
SFI Launches Urban Forest Initiative Officials with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) recently announced the launch of a partnership to develop a new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard for application in North America and potentially globally. SFI will collaborate with five urban forestry leaders: American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of Municipal Arborists, and Tree Canada. “The SFI network is looking forward to collaborating with our urban forestry partners to promote the establishment of sustainable urban and community forests that meet local needs, while meaningfully contributing to national, bi-national, and global initiatives such as the 2 Billion
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Tree initiative in Canada,” says Kathy Abusow, SFI President and CEO. “Together, with these leaders, I’m confident SFI will positively contribute to urban forestry initiatives across North America and globally.” SFI’s commitment to developing an urban and community forestry standard goes beyond the launch of this new partnership. It is also embodied in the decision to create a new staff position: Director of Urban and Community Forestry. Paul Johnson assumed this new role on March 15. Johnson brings over 20 years of urban and community forestry experience and deep connections to an international network of partners to his new role. As Paul always says, “Trees are key to healthier, happier, safer communities.”
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Rural Schools Gain USDA Funding USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen announced the issuance of more than $193 million to support public schools, roads and other municipal services through the agency’s Secure Rural Schools program. The funding will be delivered as payments to more than 700 eligible counties in 41 states and Puerto Rico. In addition to payments for schools and roads, the Secure Rural Schools program supports Firewise Communities programs, reimburses counties for emergency services on national forests, and funds development of community wildfire protection plans.
The Forest Service retains a portion of Secure Rural Schools program funds to support projects that improve forest conditions and support jobs in rural communities. Resource advisory committees, made up of local residents representing varied areas of interest and expertise, review and recommend projects that meet their local needs. Beginning in 1908, the Secure Rural Schools program allowed the Forest Service to share 25% of its revenues from timber sales, mineral leases, livestock grazing, recreation fees, and other sources with counties in and around national forests. By the 1980s, largely because of diminished timber sales volume, Forest Service revenues from these sources began to decline.
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The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 replaced the revenue sharing model with a guaranteed level of payments, giving forest-dependent rural communities a more reliable set of funding, while protecting forest resources that provide clean water, recreation opportunities and other benefits. These payments were most recently reauthorized for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. Payment amounts are determined by a number of factors set in the law, including acres of federal land within an eligible county, an income adjustment based on the per capita personal income for each county, and the 5% reduction in the overall payments each year.
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY Tigercat Logger The Tigercat 875E logger offers several new features, including an updated operator station, two undercarriage options, and various grapple configurations to tailor the machine to your specific needs. The 875E logger is a multi-purpose carrier
with two boom options for loading or processing applications. The machine can be equipped with the Tigercat FPT N67 Non-certified, Tier 4f or Stage V engine, producing 210 kW (282 HP). The undercarriage is designed and built to withstand rigorous, fulltime forest duty applications. Two options are available: The F7-150
undercarriage is standard. The larger footprint F7-162 undercarriage provides additional stability for heavy timber applications. The 875E can be configured as a loader equipped with various power clam, butt-n-top, live heel, pulpwood and log grapple options. The carrier can also be configured as a high-capacity processor capable of running large harvesting heads in demanding duty cycles.
The spacious cabin has a new operator’s seat with built-in heating. Controls are now integrated into both sides of the joystick pods, eliminating the need for any bolt-on control pods. The optimally positioned controls and a large touchscreen display improve ergonomics and machine monitoring. Visit tigercat.com.
Keen Safety Boot The number of tools and tasks required to navigate the work day can be many. Today’s contractors and skilled trades professionals face a variety of challenges that demand versatility and ingenuity, both in the skills that they develop and the resources that they rely on. KEEN Utility offers the Chicago Utility packed with a number of modern features. Its value-forward construction makes it a versatile tool for a variety of work environments. Built to offer rugged protection with a classic appeal, these nonmetallic work boots offer all-day comfort and superior traction for a variety of industries and applications. The 6" work boot features a non-marring waterproof leather upper, non-metallic eyelets and lace hooks as well as weight-saving carbon fiber safety toes that are 15% lighter than steel and deliver ASTM-rated toe protection with a roomy, more unobtrusive fit. The KEEN.ReGEN midsole offers superior compressionresistance and provides 50% more energy return for long days walking and standing. Other performance and safety enhancements include a KEEN.DRY breathable, waterproof membrane, heat-resistant, rubber outsoles rated up to 572° F that satisfy Mark II and Satra non-slip testing standards, 90°, 5⁄8" heel for added stability and an antimicrobial lining delivering natural odor protection free of chemicals and dyes. The Chicago boot is available in several safety silhouettes in both men’s and women’s specific fits. The Chicago 6" for women is built for the biomechanics of a woman’s foot and made to fit with optimal safety and comfort, as well as providing the same durable performance features found in the men’s versions. Visit keenutility.com.
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PRINT CLASSIFIED AD RATES: Print advertising rates are $50 per inch. Space is available by column inch only, one inch minimum. DEADLINES: Ad reservation must be received by 10th of month prior to month of publication. Material must be received no later than 12th of month prior to month of publication.
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CONTACT: Call Bridget DeVane at 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613, email bdevane7@hotmail.com or visit www.southernloggintimes.com
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TIG welding, air hammer “peening” of the welds, and alloy repair rods are the proven way to fix cracks in feller saw disks. Balancing and straightening a specialty.
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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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3939
2013 Tigercat 620D, Single arch skidder, 8500 hrs, GOOD tires, very clean and nice, job ready!
New RV Park on 12.4 acres with 1.5 acre lake. ● 1000 ft. road frontage on Hwy US 19 South. 4 Lane highway. ● Rural setting with canopy oaks ● 10 new full-service, pull-through sites and 12 x 50 office. ● 4 inch well, permitted for 40 more sites ● Move to the country & stay healthy.
Repair Hoses in the Log Woods Crimper Start-up Kit Less than $5,000 Contact: Chris Alligood 1-252-531-8812 email: chrisa.cavalierhose@gmail.com
8309
13289
EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA! OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
N
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!
EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC.
7180
Phone 334-312-4136 or Email: jpynes1949@gmail.com
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1845
770
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.
North Florida R.V. Park For Sale By Owner
4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185
6209
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
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A D L I N K ●
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ADVERTISER American Loggers Council American Truck Parts Around The World Salvage Bandit Industries Big John Trailers BITCO Insurance BKT USA Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Cleanfix North America John Deere Forestry Eastern Surplus Firestone Agricultural Tire Flint Equipment FMI Trailers Forest Chain Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment G&R Manufactured Solutions Hawkins & Rawlinson Industrial Cleaning Equipment Interstate Tire Service K&R Weigh Systems Kaufman Trailers Komatsu Forestry Division Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Loadrite East Texas Loadrite Southern Star Magnolia Trailers Maxi-Load Scale Systems McComb Diesel Mid-Atlantic Loadrite Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show Midsouth Forestry Equipment Moore Logging Supply Morbark Mudbelly Outdoor Supply Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Ponsse North America Prolenc Manufacturing Puckett Machinery Quality Equipment & Parts Satterwhite Log Homes Southern Loggers Cooperative Southwest Forest Products Expo Stribling Equipment Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries TraxPlus Trelan Manufacturing W & W Truck & Tractor Wallingford’s Waratah Forestry Attachments Waters International Trucks J M Wood Auction Yancey Brothers
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409.625.0206 888.383.8884 936.634.7210 800.952.0178 800.771.4140 800.475.4477 888.660.0662 919.550.1201 855.738.3267 800.503.3373 855.332.0500 515.242.2300 229.888.1212 601.508.3333 800.288.0887 803.708.0624 800.849.7788 800.284.9032 870.510.6580 888.822.1173 910.231.4043 864.947.9208 800.910.2885 336.790.6800 888.285.7478 800.766.8349 800.467.0944 800.528.5623 256.270.8775 800.738.2123 877.265.1486 601.783.5700 540.416.4062 662.325.2191 870.226.0000 888.754.5613 800.831.0042 936.414.8141 800.269.6520 800.321.8073 715.369.4833 877.563.8899 601.969.6000 386.487.3896 800.777.7288 318.445.0750 501.224.2232 855.781.9408 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 601.635.5543 877.487.3526 843.761.8220 800.323.3708 770.692.0380 601.693.4807 334.264.3265 800.282.1562
COMING EVENTS May 17-19—Forest Resources Assn. Virtual annual meeting. Call 202-2963937; visit forestresources.org. 21-22—Expo Richmond 2021, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.
July 15-17—West Virginia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Cannan Valley Resort & Conference Center, Davis, W.Va. Call 681-265-5019; visit wvfa.org.
August 1-3—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Summer Conference, The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianhardwood.org. 5-8—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, Va. Call 804-677-4290; visit valoggers.org. 11-13—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com. 13-14—Southwest Forest Products Expo, Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-2242232; visit arkloggers.com.
ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
24-26—Louisiana Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Resort, Lake Charles, La. Call 318-443-2558; visit laforestry.com. 31-September 2—Florida Forestry Assn. Annual Meeting & Trade Show, Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf & Spa Resort, Panama City Beach, Fla. Call 850-222-5646; visit floridaforest.org.
September 8-10—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Westin Hotel, Chattanooga, Tenn. Call 615-883-3832; visit tnforestry.com. 9-11—Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, UP State Fairgrounds, Escanaba, Mich. Call 715-282-5828; visit gltpa.org. 17-18—Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, Starkville, Miss. Call 800-669-5613; visit midsouth forestry.org. 17-18—Kentucky Wood Expo, Masterson Station Park, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. 29-October 1, 2021—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Grandover Resort & Conference Center, Greensboro, NC. Call 800231-7723; visit ncforestry.org.
October 5-7—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Rogers, Ark. Call 501-374-2441; visit arkforests.org. 6—TEAM Safe Trucking annual meeting, The Coeur d' Alene Resort, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Call 207-8410250; visit teamsafetrucking.com. 7-8—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Call 409-625-0206; visit amloggers.com. 19-21—Texas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, The Fredonia Hotel & Conference Center, Nacogdoches, Tex. Call 936-632-8733; visit texas forestry.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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