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Vol. 50, No. 7
(Founded in 1972—Our 586th Consecutive Issue)
F E AT U R E S
July 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
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Donnie Reaves One Man Crew
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Special Focus: Feller Heads, Etc.
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
out front:
Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons Tel: 905-666-0258 • Fax: 905-666-0778 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com
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Q&A With ALC Directors
Southern Stumpin’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Chris Daniels is the oldest of his brothers and the owner of Circle D Timber, Inc. in West Virginia. Having grown up logging in the Appalachians with their father, the brothers have continued to work together to carry on the family legacy. Story begins on Page 8. (Photo by Patrick Dunning)
Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 From The Backwoods Pew . . . . . . .32 Industry News Roundup . . . . . . . . .34 Machines-Supplies-Technology . . .42 Safety Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 ForesTree Equipment Trader . . . . .48 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
Highs And Lows ou might have heard that lumber prices have been high. That’s bad news for people buying lumber and good news for those making and selling it. In its June 2021 issue, Timber Processing (another Hatton-Brown publication, like Southern Loggin’ Times) presents the results of its annual survey of sawmill owners. In his column, our editor-in-chief Rich Donnell writes, “Never…have softwood lumbermen and hardwood lumbermen in the U.S. expressed at the same time as much optimism for the immediate future. That’s not a surprise, given the tsunami of record lumber prices.” What’s causing these high prices? It can’t be attributed to any one thing; it “has been driven by several factors,” Rich says, pointing to supply chain logistics and supply-demand imbalance, “specifically a supply that has yet to catch up with demand dating back a year ago to the pandemic, as home repair surprisingly boomed...” When many found themselves stuck at home in quarantine, they decided to busy themselves with home improvement projects. Now that most are out of quarantine, many are buying or building homes. In his presentation of the survey itself, Donnell adds, “In April 2020…U.S. softwood lumbermen were feeling down in the dumps.” Now, just over a year later, some sawmill owners and managers call this the best market they’ve ever seen. “This upbeat expectation stands in stark contrast to how they felt when this survey was conducted a year ago, right after the pandemic hit and the building products industry was temporarily put on hold,” Rich writes. At that time, most respondents to the survey predicted poor markets for the foreseeable future. What a difference a year makes! It’s not just building supplies. In a June 9 article on the Woodworking Network web site, author Robert Dalheim indicates that lumber prices have been a factor (along with trucking problems and high demand) in a looming worldwide shortage of wood pallets, which will make them cost more, too. This, like supply chain issues plaguing other industries, appears to stem from economic resurgence as the pandemic seems to be dying down. Consumers are more active and retailers are struggling to catch up with increased demand for all products. The question is how long it will last. As Rich puts it, “The market and prices eventually have to slow down, right?” And, when that does happen—if it hasn’t happened already—what will the new normal be?
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Not So Fast? Some think we’re already there. In a June 11 post on Bloomberg.com, Marcy Nicholson reported, “Lumber futures posted their biggest– 6
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ever weekly drop, extending a tumble from alltime highs reached last month as sawmills ramp up output.” According to Nicholson, “Lumber has now dropped almost 40% from the record high reached on May 10. Sawmills appear to be catching up with the rampant homebuilding demand in North America that fueled a monthslong rally, bringing some relief to a market beset by supply shortages and price surges.” Similarly, in his June 16 Forest2Market blog post (under the headline “Lumber Prices Plummet; Is the Roller Coaster Ride Over?”), Mike Powell reported that southern yellow pine lumber prices were continuing a weeks-long sharp decline, reaching their lowest level since midApril. “Forest2Market’s composite SYP lumber price for the week ending June 11…was $979/MBF, a 7.8% decrease from the previous week’s price of $1,062/MBF,” Powell wrote. “Other price trends observed over the last several quarters in what has become the most chaotic lumber market in recent history include: l 3Q2020 Average Price: $728/MBF l 4Q2020 Average Price: $595/MBF l 1Q2021 Average Price: $946/MBF l 2QTD Average Price: $1,041/MBF “As some of the air is now being bled out of the inflated lumber market, the obvious question is: Going forward, where will prices settle… if at all? No one knows where the ‘new normal’ price of finished lumber will settle, but the futures market may provide some anecdotal guidance.” If Powell is correct that lumber futures do offer insight, then a Business Insider article by Emily Graffeo from June 27 may be of interest. Graffeo reports that traders believe lumber prices have hit bottom, going as low as they’ll go for now, and will likely hold steady at a level double the historical average for a long time to come. “After an intense run-up in the beginning of the year, lumber has fallen nearly 50% from May’s record high of over $1,700 per thousand board feet,” Graffeo writes. “It means that supply and demand are normalizing, and an equilibrium is being found.” Forest2Market’s Powell continues, “The combination of strong (and surprising) lumber demand and pinched supplies from manufacturers resulted in a tremendous gap in the market, and the supply chain is just now beginning to rebalance.” Nicholson quotes Scott Reaves, forest operations director at Domain Timber Advisors, as saying that “We’re at a new normal” in terms of sustained housing demand and the consequent lumber price floor. Reaves expects prices above $500 per thousand board feet. Meanwhile, according to Stinson Dean, CEO and founder of Deacon Trading, “The new normal is going to be significantly higher than the old normal,” and he
“expects lumber to trade above $1,000 for potentially the next three to five years,” Graffeo reports, adding that the historical average is around $400. Bloomberg’s Nicholson cites Domain Timber Advisors LLC, a subsidiary of Atlanta’s Domain Capital Group, in reporting that the lumber industry has responded to all this by ramping up output to the tune of 5% in the last year, with another 5% increase, roughly a billion board feet, expected on the horizon. Multiple companies— including Resolute, West Fraser and Canfor— have announced multimillion-dollar investments aimed at expanding production capacity. Bottom line appears to be this: as supply gets in balance with a demand that does not appear likely to diminish for a while, prices won’t remain sky high, but will be higher than normal.
What About Logs? The general public knows lumber is high, but if you’re reading this magazine, you might have noticed that log prices haven’t necessarily kept pace. A lot of people have asked me why that would be. Always eager to defer to those who know more than I do, I refer them to an analysis from Brooks Mendell on the Forisk blog, posted on April 7, entitled “Why Are Timber Prices Low.” Mendell writes: “Consider the disparity between sky-scraping softwood lumber prices and the pedestrian prices received by forestland owners in the U.S. South for their logs. I hear from folks in forestry who are convinced that the failure of timber prices to rise during this frenzied lumber market is evidence that ‘something is going on,’ that Canadian firms ‘infiltrated’ the South, that the lumber industry is ‘over consolidated.’ While multiple reasons may help explain the dynamics of timber prices by local market, the bottom line remains that, in the U.S. South, we are swimming in wood.” So, as is often the case in the free market, however complex it may sometimes be, it still comes back to the basics: supply and demand. While there has been an undersupply of lumber relative to increased demand, it appears that logs are generally oversupplied. Mendell cites years of studies, going back as far as a decade ago, indicating that timber supply has long exceeded demand. He continues, “Twenty years ago, the South averaged 14 years of pine grade on the stump on private timberlands. Now, the region averages 26 years, even as billions of board feet of new, cutting-edge sawmill capacity has come online. Demand is still chasing supply…it takes time for forests to cycle and for mills to get built to bring SLT back balance.”
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Brotherhood ■ Chris Daniels and his brothers keep their family tradition going. By Patrick Dunning BEVERLY, W.Va. he Daniels broth★ ers were raised in the woods watching their father Robert log patches of timber in the Appalachian Mountains until they were old enough to follow in his footsteps. It’s no small feat that all the brothers—Nick,
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Scott, Todd and oldest brother Chris Daniels, 60, the owner of Circle D Timber, Inc.—have continued working closely together through the years, allowing them to circumvent the woes often associated with finding reliable help. Circle D’s brotherhood has stood the test of time (34 years and counting), tackling steep topography through conventional chain saw felling when
necessary and mechanized means when possible. “Sometimes it’s good, other times it’s hook and duck,” Chris laughs, describing a typical work day with his brothers. “Overall we get along pretty well.” Chris enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard as a (MOS) 13B, cannoneer, before graduating Elkins high school in 1979. He shipped to
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the home of field artillery, Fort Sill, Okla., the following summer for four months of basic training. When he returned from boot camp his father was approaching retirement, so Chris and Scott went to work for George and Donnie Hunt, brothers and partners in Hunt Brothers Logging, St. George. After years of absorbing their family’s work dynamic, Chris ➤ 12
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Operating a 437E, Scott markets in-demand poplar sawlogs before they head to the mill.
Single grouser pads offer stable ground engagement and less slipping when operating on inclines.
From left: Nick Delauder, Donald Miller, Scott Daniels, Chris Daniels, Jason Peyot
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Circle D Timber averages 25 loads a week with the majority hauled to Dingess Lumber Co.
8 ➤ decided to go out on his own with one truck, skidder and dozer, incorporating his business in 1987. He was then still attached to Battery A, 201st Field Artillery Unit in Elkins, devoting one weekend a month and two weeks each summer to training while managing Circle D full time until he waived reenlistment after 10 years to commit more
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time to the woods. He compares the sound of a fired cannon to a mature hardwood tree tearing down a hill after a directional fell, cracking like thunder upon impact.
Operations When Southern Loggin’ Times visited Circle D Timber in May, the
solo crew was conducting a select cut in Marion County, targeting 16 in. logs on an 80-acre private tract owned by R&M Natural Resources, LLC, a natural gas and quarrying company. Timber rights were leased to Dingess Lumber Co., with which Chris contracts. He prefers the mills handle property boundaries and procurement while he focuses on log-
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ging. “We like to stay within an hour of Beverly,” Chris says. “The mill was able to buy a good bit of timber reasonably priced up here and gave me a decent price-perthousand rate to cut it.” The landing is situated at the base of a bowl with skidder trails scaling both sides of the mountain reaching 1,200 ft. in elevation. The left ridge
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is heavy to poplar and the right to white and red oak. “It’ll raise up about 100 ft. and have a bench 40 ft. wide then get steep and then have another bench the higher you go,” Chris describes. “Water comes off the hills and likes to hang out on these benches. It can stay wet in this country.”
Equipment Among Circle D’s John Deere lineup is a ’14 640H cable skidder,
Donald Miller prepares a red oak log for a drag with cable chokers.
’16 648H grapple skidder and ’21 748L-II grapple skidder operated by half-brother Nicolas, 40. Front tires are dressed with Bear Paw chains for additional traction in the woods. Scott, 59, runs the ’14 John Deere 437E loader fitted with a 42 in. grapple. Two John Deere dozers, a 700J and 700K, are used for constructing culverts and maintaining BMPs. The crew’s ’14 TimberPro TL735B track cutter is fitted with single grouser pads and its TBS32 bar saw can cut up to a 32 in. diameter tree. “I should have bought one of these machines 20 years ago,” Chris says. When the ground is too steep for the TimberPro (which is about a third of the time in this region), Jason Peyot and Donald Miller fell with Husqvarna 372 chain saws. Husqvarna saws offer more balance than some competing brands, Chris believes, and he’s able to work on them himself or take them to a local dealership near his house if he needs to. Chris purchased the TimberPro track cutter through CJ Logging Equipment in Boonville, NY. He looks to Leslie Equipment Co. in Norton for everything John Deere, dealing with general manager Mark Harless. Leslie Equipment’s proximity to Circle D’s headquarters in Beverly comes in handy when parts are needed. Warranties are provided on all new equipment he purchases. Chris prefers putting money down when he acquires machinery and rolling over any equity into newer equipment for lower monthly payments and tax purposes. “There’s a new L skidder here and I have the H model at the house and there’s nothing wrong with it,” he explains. “It’s paid for and making money but you pay out in taxes. I’ll purchase a new piece of machinery and roll over the equity into another piece for my taxes.” Routine maintenance is scheduled every 250 hours for woods equipment and 10,000 miles on trucks at the company’s 40x60 shop. Trucks are greased every other day. Joe Hendrick, full-time mechanic, uses Delo 400 15W-40 across the board. They source all fuel from Woodford Oil Co. in Elkins.
Trucking Chris owns four International trucks purchased from Newlons International Sales, LLC in Elkins. He deals with Chad Newlon, thirdgeneration owner of the family business on a regular basis. The fleet includes a 2018 quad-axle, ’99 9900 model and two ’07 5900s, one dump truck and a 14
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loader truck. “I like our loader truck because there’s no DEF, which neutralizes the exhaust and hurts the horsepower of the truck and can be a lot of headaches,” Chris says. Circle D runs exclusively Pitts trailers behind all their trucks. One of Chris’s favorite modification was getting the folks at Newlons to attach a hitch onto his dump truck’s trailer three months ago and adding a pup trailer behind it for backhauling. “I couldn’t get enough volume and weight on that truck so I took it
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Daniels dresses all his skidders with Bear Paw tire chains for additional grip.
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to them and asked what they could do. It’s dual purpose now and makes the dump truck worthwhile,” he says. “A lot of times they haul stone into the job and haul logs out. This makes it to where I get paid both ways.” Chris’s trailer stakes are 13 ft. 4 in. tall, 2 in. shy of the state’s height limit of 13 ft. 6 in. He started getting them taller after a log rolled over the top of a trailer and hit him in the head, injuring his back and resulting in a weeklong stay in the hospital. He also likes his stakes a bit heavier than the average trailer specs, so Newlons’ full-time welders customized his existing 4 in. diameter bolsters to 5 in. to diminish any bending or breaking. “The standard is 4 in. but I had them breaking a lot so I told them I needed heavier bunks and also a little taller; that way nothing falls off,” he says. “They build your trailer to your specs and put your bunks, headboard, even your axles where you want them. They really work with you.” Chris says, “It can be difficult finding drivers that insurance companies will cover. I’ve had guys I knew were decent drivers unable to get insured because of a couple speeding tickets.” Circle D Timber employs two full-time truckers, Ray Carper and Greg Decker. Todd, 56, contract hauls stone for the business on occasion. The company hauls an average of 25 loads weekly. Hardwoods, including birch, beech, gum and poplar, are hauled 80 miles south to Weyerhaeuser in Flatwoods. Oak and hickory are ground into smoker pellets at Metzler Forest Products, a 60-mile haul to their woodyard in Buckhannon. Dingess Lumber Co., Belington, receives the bulk of Circle D’s volume. “Since I’ve been contracting for Dingess Lumber I haven’t been on quotas in years,” Chris says. “They’re hurting for logs right now, which is good for me.” Their poplar markets have seen an uptick in demand this past year and white and red oak have started coming back the past three months as well. Farm Family Insurance, based in Marlinton, has provided onestop coverage on Circle D Timber’s workers’ comp, trucking and equipment for 25 years. Cathy Mosesso, insurance broker, comes by Chris’s house once a year to discuss rates and future needs. Chris is a member of the West Virginia Forestry Assn. His daughter, Samantha Robinson, handles all paperwork for the SLT company.
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Lone Wolf ■ One of a kind Donnie Reaves does things his own way.
Reaves takes a Gator from his house uphill to his cutter; from the ridge on his property in Coleman Falls, he has a view of the Bedford/Amherst county line near Lynchburg, separated by the James River.
By David Abbott COLEMAN FALLS, Va. hose in the Virginia ★ forest products community, and those outside Virginia who have been active in the American Loggers Council or attended its meetings for the last 20 years, should have no trouble recognizing the one and only Donnie Reaves. As unique as he is well known, Reaves, 67, has been working in the woods since he graduated high school in 1972. And for about the last 10 years, his company, Donald E. Reaves, LLC, has been a oneman operation. He cuts, skids, loads and hauls every piece of wood he turns out, all by himself. When Southern Loggin’ Times paid him a visit in late May, Reaves was set up with an enviable commute. He could simply walk out his front door, hop in his John Deere Gator utility vehicle and make a short trek from his house up the trail to the steep ridges where he was cutting on his own property. Over the decades, the Reaves family has accumulated about 2,500 acres, mostly of mature hardwood, 1,000 of it in different places and about 1,500 in the land on which he and much of his family calls home. “I pick a spot that I feel like needs to be cut and I manage that
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section and then move on to another.” He works on his own land pretty often, but not exclusively. “If I could do it the way I’d like, I think I would work at least half the year on someone else’s land,” he says. “I’ll finish this piece and then work somewhere else the rest of the summer and maybe the fall.” There is some ash here, and more poplar than oak; it’s all natural growth. “Some is low-grade timber that’s no count, and there’s some good timber. Some of those old oaks are more than 100 years old.” Sometimes he clear cuts a section and replants it, when he thinks it is ready for it, calling on the state’s Department of Forestry for the service. “We might see if we can plant some pine on some of the ridges,” he predicts. “Some of this on the ridges was planted before 1972. I cut it last year and it was just poor quality pulpwood. In 50 years it hadn’t grown anything. So we might see if it might not do better in pine. We planted a little pine in some fields over the years, but not in the mountains.” The Gator takes him up a pretty steep incline to a Tigercat tracked cutter. He also keeps a John Deere track hoe up there to help with roads. After he has enough cut down, he skids each drag back downhill to the landing, set up on a patch of flat ground closer to the house.
“Nanny Nancy” Calloway helps take care of “Grannie” Lorraine Reaves, who lives with her son, Donnie.
Reaves may be a one-man show but he didn’t get there all buy himself, he is quick to emphasize. “I appreciate all the people who have helped me to get where I am, from my parents right on down.” Speaking of his parents, Donnie’s father, Edwin Reaves, was a native Virginia mountain man; his mother, Lorraine, was from Montana. They met in Washington, DC after World War II. Lorraine, who will be 99 soon, is still alive and living with her son. The Reaves family home was built in 1912; Mrs. Reaves has lived here since April 15, 1948. “They put $5,000 down on that place in 1948, which was a lot of money then,” Donnie says. The house is still in
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excellent condition, having been well maintained for more than a century. And the land on which the house sits has provided for the family all this time. “If we want something, we cut another tree,” Mrs. Reaves says. “And we haul them to wherever gives the most for them.”
Good Deals Reaves hauls his pulpwood to WestRock in Covington. “It’s 80 miles to Covington, so I get up at 2 in the morning, leave about 3, and I get back home around 7 a few times a week.” WestRock operates 24/7, so he can haul a load or two of pulpwood on weekends. Fuel chips
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also go to WestRock or to Dominion Power in Altavista (WestRock handles procurement for Dominion, he says). Dominion takes loads five or sometimes six days a week, but not at night. It used to be Reaves had to go only 30 miles to deliver logs, but now they go 70 miles, to Rock Wood Products of Dillwyn, Va. “Paul Evans up at Rock called me to see if I would bring them my logs. I said it won’t take but one thing to move me and that’s money. His money was good,” Reaves reports, so they made a deal. The art of the deal is a big deal to Reaves. “I don’t mean this in a smart aleck way, but I’m not going to work if I can’t make any money. If people see me going there, they know there is money there. All I am in interested in is dollar bills with ‘In God We Trust’ on it.” The bottom line for him is negotiating a price that will allow him to make a profit; if he can’t then he won’t make the deal, and he’s not afraid to walk away from it. “I know in my mind what the timber is worth; there is no such thing as a level playing field. So I will bargain for Donnie and make a deal with the mill or with the landowner and negotiate an advantage for myself. You can work yourself to death for nothing or you can pace yourself and make every lick count.”
Equipment Inventory Near his house, Reaves has a couple of shops into which he can pull a truck or machine for repairs and maintenance when needed. He also uses the buildings to store a considerable quantity of assorted tools and spare parts, various odds and ends, and an impressive assemblage of classic chain saws of all makes and models, some of which he’s traveled far and wide to obtain. Outside, he has an equally impressive inventory of machines
and trucks. “I got a collection of old junk,” he grins. “When I die it will be a good junk sale.” One of his prized possessions: “My daddy bought his first skidder, a 440A John Deere, in 1968.” While he doesn’t have that skidder, he does have a similar one in his collection. “That skidder weighs 12,000 lbs.; he bought a brand new one for $12,000, a dollar a pound.” Other than John Deere road building equipment and a Morbark chipper, every machine Reaves uses in the woods is Tigercat. He’s bought it all from Tapscott brothers Guke and Binky (Reaves calls him “Uncle Binky”) at Tigercat dealer Forest Pro. “Binky knows what he’s doing. He’s sharp and he’s good to me. I wouldn’t buy from anybody else.” They’ve been doing business for 20 years or more, Reaves figures, first getting to know one another at a Virginia Loggers Assn. meeting held at a Forest Pro branch. “If you treat Binky half right, he’ll do anything in the world for you. He’s done well because he treats people right, and that’s just it. You have to treat people right to be treated right.” He made his most recent acquisition at the end of last year: a 2013 Tigercat 724E wheel cutter with 5702 feller head and Primex 30.5 tires. “I told Binky I was looking for a wheel cutter, and he found me one.” He bought the machine in December 2020, getting it in before the end of the year for tax purposes. He paid for it all at once in this case, though he normally does have to finance purchases. “I try to pay it off early when I can.” The only thing he owes for currently is his Morbark chipper. While he expects to get plenty of use from the rubber-tired machine, his main cutter is a 2015 Tigercat LS855D tracked feller-buncher, which he’s had for three years. When he works on such steep inclines, it’s a necessity.
The Reaves family has been in the woods since before Donnie was born.
A one-man crew, Reaves does it all, all on his own.
He's a confirmed Tigercat man.
"Uncle" Binky Tapscott of Forest Pro takes care of him.
Reaves has good markets for hardwood logs, pulpwood and chips.
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World’s Best BBQ? hen I met Donnie Reaves a few days before the Richmond Expo, he
W graciously insisted on taking me to lunch at a local place where he
claimed I would find the best barbecue I had ever eaten. The name of the place is County Smoak in Lynchburg, Va. Owners Ken and Jess Hess wear t-shirts that read “Qu-Tang.” It’s what they call their tangy North Carolina vinegar sauce, but the name and logo is also an homage to hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. “I grew up in Brooklyn, she grew up in New York, we grew up listening to Wu-Tang,” Ken says. “It’s not Donnie’s music, but everyone has their own thing.” Donnie got to know them August last year when he was cutting on the property right behind their building. “Every morning he came in and got a hot dog,” Ken recalls. “We come from different walks of life but we got to be friends.” The Hess family got to Virginia from New York a long way around. First they moved to my sweet home state Alabama. A few years ago their oldest daughter, upon finishing 8th grade, skipped high school and went straight to college. She had an opportunity to study at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Va., but she was only 13, and could hardly move out of state and live on her own. So her family relocated with her. Though they had found jobs, Jess and Ken decided to make their dream a reality by starting their own barbecue restaurant. But they might could have picked a better time; they opened on May 12, 2020, two months into the global pandemic that put a lot of restaurants out of business and cost them their jobs. They remained undaunted. “I was out of work, she was out of work, so we gave it a shot,” Ken says.
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Not only has this restaurant survived, it has thrived. Besides the big business they do, Jess and Ken have made a lot of friends with their own generosity. For example, they have what they call a “Thankful Thursday” program to feed the needy, specifically those who lost jobs in the service industry due to Covid-19. “People go to a barbecue place, they always go for ribs, brisket and pork, so there is always a lot of turkey left over,” Jess explains. She had the idea of donating turkey meals. It’s actually every day, but the name came from the association of turkey with Thanksgiving, which is always on Thursday. “People started donating $150, $250 for Thankful Thursday,” Jess says. The couple also donates food to a place called the Lighthouse that feeds the needy, and to police and fire departments, hospitals, nursing stations and NICU units. They give free drinks to service members, EMTs and first responders, even when they’re off duty. “We want to help support our community and not just make a living off of it,” Ken says. No wonder Donnie Reaves is so fond of them. Not to mention: the food is really good. Best barbecue I’ve ever tried? SLT It just might be.
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The track machine weighs 95,800 lbs. and burns less fuel than the wheel cutter, Reaves says. He keeps track of fuel consumption in each machine, writing down every gallon of fuel he puts in with the dates so he knows how long it lasts and how many loads he gets per gallon. From the top of the hill, a 620E skidder pulls down to a 250D loader that is paired with a CSI reversible slasher and CSI pull through delimber.
Reaves uses only Tigercat filters, changing every 250 hours. Along with the big workshops near home, he also has a shop trailer he keeps at the landing with spare fittings, hoses, and other various parts and tools. A fuel truck at the job site holds 2,300 gallons of off-road diesel. He buys it from Southern States in Bedford. Reaves is also a member of the Southern Loggers Co-op, which has a station in Covington overlooking the WestRock mill.
Reaves fills his truck there. “At first I didn’t think it was the right thing because I think you ought to support your local businesses, but I talked to Bill Jones, and the savings was too good to pass up.” Forestry Mutual provides Reaves with workers’ comp. He calls Keith Biggs, President of Forestry Mutual, a good man. “I have been with him for years.” Gaines & Critzer Ltd. insures his trucks and equipment.
Crystal Adkins, an accounting firm in Bedford, has handled Reaves’ taxes for years. “They take care of everything,” Reaves says. “At the end of the year I can ask them if I should buy anything. I pay them every month but it is more than worth it. It doesn’t cost as much at the end of the year to get the taxes done because they know what is going on with it all year.”
Wise Man “If you listen to these old people, they can teach you a whole, whole lot,” Reaves counsels. He has a few nuggets from his own experience to share with his peers. “I think you either have to be pretty small or pretty large,” he’s convinced. “The middle man has a whole lot of the same expenses as the big man but doesn’t have the income.” The landowner is more important than the timber, he believes, explaining, “If I don’t take care of the landowner then I don’t get to come back.” Everybody needs a piece of the pie, he says, but it’s important to leave a big enough slice for yourself. “If I pay too much for the timber then I’ll be out of business. If you price yourself so close you can’t make any money, whose fault is that?” Speaking of price, he says, “We don’t need twice as much money as we are making, but the industry needs to pay us 10-20% more. But as long as somebody will work for nothing, they’re not going to do it. So we are kind of our own enemy.” Competition to him is friendly: “There is plenty of work out there for all of us. I wish for anybody working hard and trying to treat people right to do well.” Reaves has been to Washington, DC with the American Loggers Council several times, meeting with legislators to represent the interests of the logging industry on key issues. He serves on the organization’s Board of Directors, and hasn’t missed an ALC meeting since 2002. He also attends Virginia Loggers Assn. meetings as often as possible. Along with going all over the country to attend ALC meetings, he has also traveled to attend logging expos in Maine and Vermont, the Mid-South show in Mississippi, the Paul Bunyan show in Ohio, and to Tigercat headquarters a few times. “I enjoy stuff like that and I have seen a lot that I never would have seen. I have met a whole lot of good people. We may operate different but everybody basically SLT wants the same things.”
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Spotlight On: Felling, Processing, etc. SLT invited manufacturers of feller-bunchers and harvesters, saw heads, processors and related components, to submit material regarding what they have to offer. Here are all submissions we received, edited only for style consistency and space constraints.
John Deere Including the 270HP 843L-II and recently increased 219HP 643L-II machines, the LSeries II lineup offers customers a reliable and powerful solution. Boasting the productivityenhancing features of the original L-Series, the L-II machines have been reworked under the hood to offer decreased downtime and increased serviceability. A recent update on the 643L-II, the increased horsepower provides additional hydraulic multifunctioning capability, giving operators more fluid hydraulic responses during operations. Additionally, the horsepower increase also improves the recovery response with engine pull down, allowing the operator to re-engage in harvesting more quickly. The simplified L-Series II models have been revamped due to a number of part changes to reduce complexity. Changes to the electrical and hydraulic systems and improvements to component placements enhance the logger experience when servicing the machines. “The two-piece wiring harness makes it easier to work on the machines,” said Wayne Sugg of Sugg Logging. “Wiring is rerouted, so it is not bunched up in the machine, which reduces rubbing wear. The cylinder guards protect the hoses from falling limbs. These changes help make the machine more reliable, which saves time and money on maintenance.” In addition to the new changes, the L-Series II Wheeled Feller Bunchers retain the favorite features from the original models. Features such as a comfortable operator station and durable axles offer loggers what they need to tackle tough jobs and endure long workdays. The workstation was designed by loggers, for loggers. It is equipped with large windows for excellent visibility, an efficient HVAC system, ergonomic controls, and optimal storage space for increased comfortability. The onebutton Quick Dump feature improves efficiency with the simple push of a button to release trees in a single, smooth motion. The head-tilt and arm functions are combined to help minimize fatigue while increasing productivity. The new models also retain notable weight distribution, tire options, and increased hydraulic speed that current machine owners commend.
Ponsse In Ponsse’s harvester heads, durability and reliability come first. Harvester grapples must withstand extreme stress, while being as accurate and gentle as possible, without damaging the stem surface unnecessarily. This is why Ponsse’s harvester heads have been developed together with their users. Innovative design, continuous R&D and decades of experience have made Ponsse harvester heads the quality leaders in the markets. Ponsse harvester heads offer a superior performance. Their solid 24
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structure, effective functions and precise control guarantee excellent productivity, a high level of quality and, of course, a long service life. Ponsse models range from the best general harvester heads in the markets to optimized harvester grapples—of course, all being easily adjustable and serviceable. Ponsse harvester heads are designed with an eye on the harvesting efficiency ratio. Their ease of maintenance and excellent efficiency meet all the needs of forest machine entrepreneurs. Solutions designed specifically for different size classes ensure that you always have the most efficient harvester head at your disposal, regardless of the harvesting site. Ponsse’s harvester heads are unbeatable at all sites, ranging from heavyduty logging to every day wood harvesting! Ponsse H8 HD is a tough-built harvester head with high power and excellent geometry for the most demanding logging operations. It is designed for the hard use in tracked base machines, featuring a heavy-duty frame structure and efficient hydraulic system to ensure high reliability and performance. Ponsse H8 HD is a heavy-duty harvester head for felling and processing of hardwood and softwood in hard conditions. Strong grip, powerful feeding and fast sawing are packed in a robust and reliable package that can be fitted into various tracked carriers. Reinforced frame and tilt arm give robustness needed in tough operations. Wide feed roller geometry supports even the large stems with feed rollers instead of delimbing blades. This allows using lower pressure on knives, improving fuel economy and feeding speed as well as measuring accuracy. Optimal tilt pivot geometry minimizes the upwards torque of the head, giving smoother feeding and better grip of the tree. Visit ponsse.com for more.
Tigercat Tigercat builds drive-to-tree fellerbunchers for the full range of thinning and final felling duties. The 720G and 724G are designed for thinning and clear fell applications and the large capacity 726G fells large diameter timber in tough terrain. The G-series machines cabs are designed for productivity and operator comfort. Visibility is enhanced with a larger front window and larger rear quarter windows. The view over the back tires is the best in the industry— an asset in thinning applications. Only Tigercat offers WideRange, the infinitely variable transmission for drive-to-tree feller-bunchers. WideRange allows the operator to travel more quickly than conventional two-speed transmission equipped feller-bunchers. Quicker travel boosts productivity and reduces cost per ton in high pro-
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duction thinning and final fell applications. Tigercat’s unique WideRange drive system is standard on all G-series feller-bunchers. A two-speed transmission is optional on the 720G and 724G. Tigercat has recently added the 822E to its track buncher line-up. Based on the popular 822D, the 822E is designed for challenging thinning and final felling applications. The powerful lift capacity, tight-tuck ER boom geometry, and compact tail-swing make the 822E the perfect choice for selective felling where minimum site impact is important. A redesigned engine enclosure provides improved roof access for cleaning debris. A boom slider also reduces debris build-up in hard to reach areas. The clamshell style enclosure and drop-down side platform allow easy access to all sides of the engine. The updated cab on the 822E includes a durable, roomy, air ride seat with heating and cooling. The full-length front window and narrow side posts give the operator an excellent view of the tracks and surrounding area. Tigercat drive-to-tree feller-bunchers are often equipped with bunching saws and shears for plantation applications with smaller diameter timber. In high cycle, multi-stem bunching applications, Tigercat bunching saws and shears contribute to significant productivity gains by increasing the number of stems per cycle. The 5702-26 felling head is now available on 726G feller-bunchers. The 5702-26 is designed to fell large diameter timber with a single cut capacity of 585 mm (26 in). In larger sized timber, the wider housing reduces the requirement for double cuts, improving overall feller-buncher efficiency.
Waratah Waratah’s HTH622B Series-III combines improved operational performance, proven durability, and new serviceability features for next-level productivity and uptime. The HTH622B Series-III includes several features that make its performance even smoother and faster than previous versions of the HTH622B. These features include a new valve with better flow-through characteristics for reducing heat while improving feed speed and sawing performance.
When coupled with the TimberRite H-16 control system, this translates to improved feeding performance, log handling and speed when single stem processing, and pronounced ¾” pitch saw performance. In addition to enhanced performance, the HTH622B Series-III features several upgrades that make the machine even more durable for working in tough woods. A twin retainer front knife and strengthened upper delimb castings each contribute to improved delimbing durability in the harshest applications. For increased strength and productivity, the head has a tilt frame and optional integrated color marking system. A stronger valve cover, hinges and reinforced drive arm covers keep key components covered. The new HTH622B Series-III also improves uptime with several features that make servicing quicker and easier. Supplementing the new valve performance and reliability is faster access to the valve with integrated handles and tool-less entry—followed by an improved and simplified hose layout that provides optimum access and serviceability. “When I saw the new 622B Series-III, I was really amazed,” said Luc Jalbert, owner of Luc Jalbert Foresterie Inc. “I was anxious to take it to the woods to try it. And I think they really succeeded; they made a good thing. In the new series, the operators like the tilt; there is more torque on the rollers; the top saw is faster. And the oil cap— it’s really big.” The Waratah HTH622B Series-III is available to customers in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. For more information, visit waratah.com.
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Passing The Torch by David Abbott and Dan Shell With Danny Dructor preparing to step down as Executive Director of the American Loggers Council, his successor, Scott Dane, prepares to step into the role. SLT staff got the scoop from both, Danny Dructor looking back at ALC’s past and ahead to its future.
DANNY DRUCTOR SLT: When did you take the position at ALC? DRUCTOR: First payroll activity was July 1, 2001. I had interviewed at the summer board meeting and got the position, but Cheryl (Russell, his predecessor at ALC) didn’t officially relinquish the position until September 30; that is when I came on board as, they called it Executive Vice President then. SLT: What was your background prior to that? DRUCTOR: Logging. I was in the logging business with a gentleman named James Nutt. We split our job up. He went into timber services and I kept BMP Logging, Inc.—BMP like Best Management Practices, except in our world it meant Better Makes Profits. This was in Texas. SLT: Did you grow up in logging? DRUCTOR: No, I grew up in Houston. I went to forestry school, really for lack of anything better to do. Stephen F. Austin University was within an hour drive of a reservoir so I thought I could go fishing every weekend if I went to school there. This is true: that’s really what got me up there. I was just walking around looking at the different colleges, and the school of forestry was something really different and unique and I knew I wanted to be in an outdoors type occupation. SLT: What brought you into a logging job as opposed to being a procurement forester? DRUCTOR: Well I did all those things. I decided you couldn’t make any money as long as you were working for the man so I decided to become self-employed, that’s the bottom line. When I fell into logging I found that, personally, I believe that is the best sector of this entire industry because you are working with the most honest, hard working people out there. It became a passion of mine. I was a member of the Texas Logging Council; I am the oldest surviving past president of the Texas Logging Council. SLT: How did you go from logging to the ALC job? DRUCTOR: I decided to shut my job down in the spring of 2001 simply because, with all the
acquisitions and mergers that were taking place, the margins were getting too thin for the amount of risk we were having to take and I decided to hell with it. It was a business decision. The hardest part was laying my crew off, but they all got good jobs within a week. I already sat on the ALC Board representing Texas. Cheryl knew I shut my job down and wanted to know if I would be interested (in this position). My response was that if I can’t be logging, the next best thing would be to represent loggers. I interviewed with three other people in July 2001 and ended up with the position. SLT: ALC was formed in 1994. Were you involved right from the beginning? DRUCTOR: No, my first meeting was in 1997. Cheryl Russell from Maine was the first Executive Director of the American Loggers Council. Before then, it was being housed at the Montana Logging Assn. and Keith Olson was taking care of things. What brought the American Loggers Council together in the first place was the rollout of the SFI program. Loggers were being asked to do things that they had no choice in; they weren’t asked if it was possible or how much it would cost them. Our first President, Earl St. John, made a comment that he wished he’d see the day that loggers would have a national voice of their own, and Keith Olson, who was sitting next to him, said be careful what you ask for. Nine months later they formed the ALC at a meeting in St. Louis, Mo.
probably originally 20-25 folks to the last time we were there we had close to 80 people from all over the country walking the halls with us. SLT: How did you get that organized? Did you have any previous experience with lobbying? DRUCTOR: Nope. It’s a team effort. You organize the meeting places and bring speakers in but you work with all the state associations to make things happen and set up appointments. Our job was to determine what issues we were gonna carry to the hill in any particular year and come up with position statements on those issues. Leave it up to the states to form those relationships and go back year after year after year. SLT: What have been the biggest challenges ALC has faced in your tenure? DRUCTOR: Between regulations and acquisitions and mergers, it’s trying to figure out a way to change the culture of the industry to where loggers are considered a peer in the rest of the supply chain, the consuming mills and landowners, putting that professional image out there, getting that word spread that we are truly professionals and great businessmen and need to be paid the same attention as the rest of the sectors of the industry. We can’t do it without mills and they can’t do it without us, and the landowners can’t do it certainly without either one of us either. Being seen as equals in the industry to the other legs of the supply chain stool, as people say: that continues to be a challenge. We have seen examples of that in the past couple of years. Even though we are considered an agricultural activity, a lot of regulations out there don’t look at us that way. Going after this logger relief fund, where ag walked in there and was offered money, we have had to fight every step of the way to try to get a program going. So there is still a lot of work to be done. In my opinion probably one of the greatest things we could do for loggers right now is to figure out a way to become more comparable to other agricultural producers. SLT: How welcoming or resistant have people representing landowners and mills been to accepting loggers as allies when it comes to meeting Congress and looking out for the health of the industry? DRUCTOR: It was difficult at first, but I think we have managed to now overcome a lot of that because basically, in the 27 years we have been in existence, that’s what we have continued to steadily work on to create relationships. I think loggers have gained a lot of respect from those other entities. There is still work to be done but at the same time—Scott and I were sitting here yesterday and the phone rang and it was somebody from the Ag Committee wanting to know if someone from the American Loggers Council would come testify at a hearing. That says a whole lot right there as to where we have come, where we’re not calling them asking, they’re calling us asking. The bottom line is, when we leave someone’s office up there, the last thing we let them know is if you want to know something about logging, don’t call the Ameri- ➤ 46
The ALC was formed for loggers to represent loggers. Loggers are unique, they have their own businesses to run, they’re their own CEOs, and they know what they’re doing.
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SLT: What was ALC facing in 2001 and what was your focus at the time? What has changed in 20 years? DRUCTOR: Our two biggest issues then were the SFI program and dues: how were we going to fund this organization. I’d say the biggest change that has happened is, we are no longer worried about SFI; it has become a nonissue with most loggers. With dues, over the years we have been very fortunate with sponsors working with us; we have enough reserves now where we feel comfortable, but still frugal. Now we have become more of an advocacy organization. We started the trips to Washington, DC 20 years ago and have never let up. That fly-in has done nothing but grow from
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SCOTT DANE
“agriculture” sector. This issue has been a federal legislative priority of SLT: Do you have any specific the ALC and this recent success will action items or initiatives you plan allow us to build upon that preceto pursue right off the bat? dent. DANE: The American Loggers SLT: How will your experience Council is in a very strong position with the Trump administration affect due to the leadership that Danny or influence how you work with the Dructor has provided over the past current administration? Scott Dane is the new 20 years and the support of the DANE: The American logging and Board of Directors and state associ- Executive Director of the trucking industry did establish a strong ations. I am very fortunate to come American Loggers Council. working relationship with the Trump into a successful and recognized administration, which allowed the timorganization and look forward to building upon ber industry to begin working on many longthe foundation that has been established. As I standing issues. As an example, the Pandemic assume the position of Executive Director, the Relief legislation referenced earlier was passed American Loggers Council is poised to see the under the Trump Administration, but the Biden first-ever federal assistance to the American logAdministration has been fully supportive of priging and trucking industry in the form of $200 oritizing the development and implementation of million COVID assistance to timber harvesters the program. In fact this program has been one of and timber haulers. This funding was secured by the highest priorities of the current administrathe American Loggers Council, through collabotion, developed in, by government standards, ration between the state associations and their record time. The American timber industry is not Congressional representatives, particularly a partisan issue; the health of forests, reducing Maine and their Congressional delegation. wildfire threats and hazWith the ALC Board of Directors approval and ards, creating rural jobs, support, my priorities will be: sequestering carbon, l Increasing membership. Currently, the majorideveloping renewable ty of states are members of the American Loggers fuel, and producing forest Council. However, there are still some that have based products benefits all yet to join. Besides loggers and truckers, the ALC Americans. The ALC rechas an Associate Membership category for other ognizes and is prepared to timber industry stakeholders. The Membership work with elected officials Committee has developed this program and will be and government agencies promoting it soon. The success of the timber to accomplish these comindustry depends on the success of all sectors of mon objectives. the timber industry. I look forward to broadening SLT: What are some of the partnerships, collaboration and membership the top issues facing logacross the entire industry with other interests that gers and what are your share the ALC’s mission of sustainable forest man- thoughts on addressing agement that is accomplished by a strong, stable them? and profitable logging and trucking industry. DANE: I was recently l Expanding the visibility of the American in Arizona, California and Loggers Council. Working with the ALC comOregon, as well as the munications and media consultant Kevin Midwest, and loggers Smith, we will promote the image of the Amer- across the country face the ican logging and trucking industry through its same challenges: l Workforce shortages economic and environmental contribution to and development: States across the country are healthy forests. l The mission of any organization is to work developing a myriad of training programs. The for its members. The members do not work for Sierra Cascade Logging Conference Shasta the association, but the association works with College, Heavy Equipment Logging Operaand for its members. The ALC is prepared to tions (HELO) program incorporates modern support the state associations with their local logging equipment for their classroom and in (state) agenda, network successful programs the woods program. The days of taking somewithin other member states, and provide a one off of the street, giving them 30 minutes of return on investment to those state association instruction, and then a week of on the job members. training, are not an effective means of developl I will be in every state that is a member of the ing a professional workforce. With all of the ALC in the next 12 months to hear from them forestry practices, regulations, OSHA stanwhat they need and what they want the ALC to dards and equipment technology / cost, a focus on. trained workforce is necessary to meet the curl Successfully securing some of our legislative rent needs while addressing the aging worknational priorities. force. In conjunction with workforce developSLT: After ALC worked to get pandemic relief ment programs, the ALC continues to push for legislation passed, any thoughts on future efforts the Future Logging Careers Act, which allows to help loggers gain access to more USDA profamily logging companies to integrate their 16 grams as commodity producers? and 17 year old children into the mechanized DANE: Yes, it was the ALC’s efforts, leader- operations of the family business, identical to ship and Congressional relationships that farmers operating farming equipment. l Insurance affordability and availability: secured the $200 million pandemic relief legisInsurance is a necessity of the logging and lation. The ALC has continued to lead that trucking industry, but the trend has been for effort with the program recommendations, insurance companies and underwriters to shy development and implementation. This has away from the industry. Where insurance is allowed the American logging and trucking available, premiums have steadily increased, industry to establish parity within the USDA
cutting into bottom lines that didn’t have much bottom left. The TEAM Safe Trucking program has identified irrefutable evidence and informational statistics that are common red flags for potential accidents. Additionally, other documented practices have proven to reduce the potential for accidents and/or protect the owner when such incidents arise. Implementing these processes, policies and programs can reduce companies’ loss ratio and therefore cost of insurance. Loggers and truckers can do their part to be part of the solution and the ALC will continue to work with organizations that can help loggers and truckers address these problems. l Markets: Minnesota has lost over half of its mills over the past 14 years. Other states have experienced similar losses. Fortunately some Southern states have experienced new mill development due to the timber ownership structure, foreign biomass/pellet markets and timber growing cycle. But for those states that have experienced a net loss of mill capacity, it is imperative that new mills be developed. The resource availability has not declined, but the
As is said, “If you are not at the table, you are probably on the menu.” The timber industry needs to be at the table.
sustainable forest management has been negatively impacted. For the environmental good of the forests and the economic good of rural communities, timber management must match forest product consumption. New technology presents the opportunity for the forest products industry to transition into renewable fuels from forest based feedstock, CTL mass timber construction, expanding and modernizing traditional forest products mills, and biochar markets. New markets are key to improving the timber industry. l Profit Margins: A past study revealed that 51% of logging companies were operating at a breakeven or loss. The largest percentage of profitable logging companies (21%) were operating at a 1%-3% profit margin. In an industry that is extremely capital intensive the return on investment is prohibitive. Many companies have not seen a substantive, if any, increase in timber prices for years, while expenses (insurance, equipment, fuel, etc.) have all increased. Even during these recent astronomical price increases for lumber, it is not trickling down for most logging companies. This is not sustainable. The entire supply chain needs to be healthy and strong, but it is only as strong as the weakest link, and right now that is the logging companies. ➤ 53
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Immigrant Rewards
Timberjack’s Dominance
If you cross North Korea’s border illegally you get 12 years of hard labor. If you cross Iran’s border illegally, you are detained indefinitely. If you cross Afghanistan’s border illegally, you are shot. If you cross Saudi Arabia’s border illegally you are jailed. If you cross China’s border illegally, you may never be heard from again. If you cross Venezuela’s border illegally you are branded a spy. If you cross Cuba’s border illegally you are thrown into political prison to rot. If you cross the southern U.S. border illegally you get, well, you know.
Back in 1981, when Timberjack dominated the skidder market, it had multiple dealers in most Southern states, including five in Alabama alone. Timberjack was the leading advertiser in SLT early on and continued along that path for decades. In other ads placed in SLT that year, Timberjack offered to finance any new skidder it had in stock at a ‘paltry’ interest rate of 16%. Such high rates reflected the deep economic recession that gripped the nation in the early 80s.
ference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most recognition. They are the ones who care about you the most. Keep those people close to your heart.
Random Thoughts
Growing your own tomatoes is the best way to devote three months of your life to saving $6.17. l I was visiting my daughter when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper. “This is the 21st century,” she said. “We don’t have a newspaper. Here, use my iPad.” That fly never knew what hit it. l Jellyfish have survived 650 million years despite not having a brain. This gives so many people hope. l Two birds were talking while Everyone was seated around the perched on a power line and looktable as the food was being served. When little Johnny received his plate, ing down. One asked the other, “Is that a human in that field.” The other he started eating immediately. one replied, “No, it’s a scarecrow dressed like a man.” The first one His mother said, “Johnny, wait until we’ve said the blessing.” responded, “How can you tell?” The answer: “Easy. He’s not looking at a “I don’t have to,” the kid replied. cell phone.” l To err is human. To blame someone else shows management po“Our course you do,” his mother insisted. “We say a prayer before eattential. ing at our house.” l The more you weigh the harder you are to kidnap. Stay safe. Eat cake. Johnny responded, “That’s at our house. This is grandma’s house and l Lazy is such an ugly word. I prefer the term ‘selective participation.’ she knows how to cook.” l Insanity does not run in my family. It strolls through, taking its time getting to know everyone personally. There is no l Our country will become a better place when everyone such thing The following was the philosophy of Charles Schulz, late realizes there are only two kinds of people in it—good and creator of the Peanuts comic strip. You don’t have to bad. Ethnicity doesn’t matter. as government l A shoutout to everyone who can still remember their actually respond to the directives/questions; just ponder funded. childhood phone number but can’t remember the password them. It’s all taxpayer they created yesterday. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. l What do we learn from cows, buffaloes and elephants? 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. funded. It’s impossible to reduce weight by eating green grass and 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pagsalads and by walking. eant. l Don’t take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. 4. Name 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners. —If your car is running I’m voting for it. How did you do? Probably not so good. The point is, none of us remem—Is there ever a day when mattresses are not on sale? ber the headliners of yesterday, even though they were the best in —I want to grow my own food but I can’t find bacon seeds. their fields. —My wife said I never listen to her, or something like that. Applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are —Don’t die a virgin. Terrorists are up there waiting for you. forgotten. Accolades and certificates fade. —Everything will kill you, so choose something fun. Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one. —How can a man who can hit a deer at 250 yards keep 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey missing the toilet? through school. —We’ve been friends for so long I can’t remember which 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difone of us is the bad influence. ficult time. —I don’t watch CNN for the same reason that I don’t 3. Name five people who have taught you drink out of a toilet. something worthwhile. —Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t cheat, don’t sell drugs…the 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciatgovernment hates competition. ed and special. —The first five days after the weekend are the hardest. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. —Mirror, mirror on the wall…what in the hell happened? Easier? Here’s the takeaway: The people who make a dif-
Johnny’s Perspective
Charles Schulz’ Philosophy
Random Sign Messages
Senior T Shirt
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FROM THE BACKWOODS PEW
Cypress Ponds While hacking my way through a dense jungle of brush and blownover trees, I came upon a “beaver kill.” Such a sight tends to be a bit Antill depressing. Common to most “beaver kills” are the hollow remains of once stately trees: trees that had grown for over half a century, trees just reaching their prime. Now they stood as shadows of their former selves. Limbs had fallen off. Bark was loose and hanging. Birds and insects had been meeting for lunch all along the trunk, leaving large gaping holes staring vacantly across the desolate landscape. They were not made for this. They were once growing happily, pushing towards the sky. At night they dreamed about fine furniture and pianos. Then the intruders came. Intruders who were not happy with the way the forest looked. Intruders who sought to change the scene to their own advantage. And they did. Little by little the water table beneath the tree roots began to rise. The rain that fell did not leave the area, nor soak into the ground like it once did. At first the trees shook it off. Sometimes there was just too
much water, and sometimes there was too little. But it had become routine now. The smallest amount of rain caused the water to increase around their roots. Soon it never left, and just continued a slow progression up the trunk. The trees tried desperately to soak up the water into their roots, but it was too much. The water was choking off the oxygen supply. The tall trees, towering into the air, were suffocating. Leaves began to fall off, yet autumn was months away. Without the leaves, the trees began to starve. In their weakened state, insects showed up, hungrily devouring the cellulose fibers. Then they were dead. No fine furniture. No piano. Beaver kills have always made me sad. Nature has a way of being rather blunt and brutal. I continued with my journey, sloshing through the stagnant water, until suddenly I was confronted with trees again—large trees that were alive. They were also standing in deep water. Why were these trees able to survive the water, while their brethren across the pond could not? The answer can be summed up as follows: they used their “knees.” Yes, these trees were cypress trees. Cypress trees, while very capable of growing on ground not covered with water, also do very well when the water gets deep. They can actually flourish. How do they do it? This
question has nagged at foresters for years, but it all seems to point to the knees. These knees appear to be some sort of root, sprouting upward, often sticking up several feet from the forest floor, sticking above the water. Scientists believe that these roots perform some sort of air exchange, allowing the tree to breath. If a cypress tree is known for its “knees,” then the writer of Psalm 61, who is also in dire straits, implores us to find our inner “cypress tree,” and drop to our knees in prayer. Read verse 2: From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Troubles, like beavers, can swim into our lives. At first, it would appear that we can survive, but slowly the troubles begin to multiply. The sickness lingers longer than expected. Complications arise. Perhaps a job is lost, a spouse wanders, a child rebels. Troubles come. If you have spent any time in Sunday school, you will know that whatever questions the teacher may ask, if you answer with either “Jesus, prayer, or faith,” you will have a good chance of being right. Sometimes we have trouble fitting these simple answers into the questions of life. I think the psalmist would agree. Look at Psalm 61 again.
Verse 1: Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. Verse 2: …I will cry to You… The problem with Sunday school answers is that we often do not actually expect them to work. They are just answers. When we are no longer coloring the Apostle Peter in a fishing boat, we tend to discount what we learned in Sunday school. How tragic! The scene shows the psalmist overwhelmed with troubles. That is real, and not make-believe. Troubles will come upon us, and usually to such an extent that we will be in danger of being overwhelmed. To be overwhelmed means to have it over your head, to have more than you can handle. Like the trees with the water over their roots, when we are overwhelmed, we face a grave danger: one of suffocating. We lose the very essence of life, and slowly die, losing the value that we have worked for and accumulated over the years. Like the cypress, we need to learn how to survive when the troubles of life seem to overwhelm us; we need to get above our troubles. Continuing in Psalm 61: Verse 2: …lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Verse 3: For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. David knows that prayer gives him a chance to look above his troubles, to focus on God instead of on his problems. He learns from his prayers that God is aware of his situation, and that while God may not be ready to deliver him out of his situation, He can make it bearable. Here is how: Verse 4a: I will abide in Your tabernacle… David must stay near to God. We do that when we are on our knees. Verse 4b: …I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. David must submit to God. You cannot stay under God’s wing if you have plans to go a different direction. Cypress trees can grow where other trees cannot because God gave them the means and ability to survive, to even flourish. He gave them knees. He has done no less for us. We too have been given the tools to survive the difficulties of life. We have been given prayer. Draw close to God, submit to His wing, and accept His direction. And not only can we survive, we can grow and flourish and provide God with a valuable servant. Excerpted from Bibles, Beavers, and Big Timber, Bradley W. Antill, author. For more visit www.ona treeforestry.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP make a living spending time in the As We See It: Tight Lines! woods and fishing and hunting on Danny Dructor If someone would have told me back in 1975 that my decision to major in forestry would have led me to walking the halls of Con- Dructor gress in Washington, DC
and attempting to educate our lawmakers on not only the forest products industry but in particular from a logging business perspective, I think I would have changed my major! All I wanted to do was to figure out how to
the weekends! Life is full of interesting twists and turns, and if we are open to change, there is never a dull moment in the paths or directions that we may travel. It has been an absolute pleasure to not only be a logger during the course of my career, but to also rep-
resent the hard-working, honest, professional timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses throughout the United States over these past 20 years. The relationships and friendships that have formed across the country mean more to me than any credentials that I might have received from any university. From the bottom of my heart I wish to thank all of the volunteers who have, over the past 27 years, helped the American Loggers Council (ALC) put a face on the timber harvesting industry not only in DC but across the nation. Your voices are being heard, and while often change is slow to develop, change is happening. I would like to thank the members of the ALC for spending the time to work with professionals to recruit a successor to my position. Over the past 18 months, they have vetted out applications and candidates from across the country and made the decision to retain the services of Scott Dane, from Gilbert, Minn., to take the reins. Scott has spent considerable time working with loggers and log haulers in Minnesota as the Executive Director for the Associated Logging Contractors and Truckers of Minnesota and has been a passionate spokesperson for the industry, including much work in Washington, DC. I use the word “passion” because that is what is needed to successfully represent this profession that we call logging. There will be highs and lows in Scott’s future with the ALC, but with the continued support of the many volunteers who offer guidance, there is no doubt in my mind that Scott is the right choice to take the American Loggers Council to the next level. I ask that you please welcome Scott as the new Executive Director for the American Loggers Council and support him, as you have me for the past 20 years. It is time for me to go fishing, and with that I wish all of you a safe, productive and happy future in this profession we call logging. American Loggers Council is 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.
Interest Building For Mid-South Show Interest continues to build in the Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, the South’s premier and 34
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longest-running live machine demo event, set to unfold for two days on September 17 near Starkville, Miss. As usual, it will be held on Mississippi State University’s John W. Starr Memorial Forest. Normally held in even years, the 2020 show was postponed until 2021 because of Covid-19. Dozens of exhibitors have reserved space—among them dealers for John Deere, Tigercat, Barko, Morbark, Bandit and Weiler—and others are weighing the decision to come in as pandemic concerns decline. “We have ample space available in most categories but we expect interest and bookings to increase as the time frame tightens,” says John Auel, Show Manager. The event, which goes back to 1984, typically draws more than 5,000 participants, thanks to its appealing blend of demonstrations/ displays, continuing education opportunities, contests, and familyfriendly features that include activities for children. Online pre-registration opened in early June and closes on September
6. To pre-register, visit midsouthforestry.org. Pre-registration is $20 per person (18 and above). Spouses and children 17 and under are admitted free but must register. Registration at the gate is $25 per person. According to Auel, the show layout this year will be much different, due to timber availability and considerations for both timber management and future show planning. For more information, visit mid southforestry.org or contact Auel at 662-325-7948-
have affected state loggers. The total $10 million program is administered through Louisiana’s Main Street Recovery Program with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Toni McAllister, Executive Director of the Louisiana Loggers Assn., said that “Louisiana loggers always make me proud to advocate for these amazing people who live quiet lives, working day in and day
Louisiana Passes Logger Relief Program Loggers across Louisiana are looking forward to receiving a $25,000 grant thanks to legislation passed this spring by the state legislature and signed in June by the governor. The Louisiana Loggers Relief Program allows logging businesses to receive a grant of $25,000 following a tough year of pandemic concerns and hurricane impacts that
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out to provide for rural Louisiana. I’m speechless and I know this financial aid will help so many, in such a difficult time.” The program also reflects logging’s role in the state as essential
workers and businesses, said Buck van der Steen, Executive Director of the Louisiana Loggers Council. “It’s a good way to recognize people who often go unseen but are extremely vital.”
Resolute Plans Sawmill Upgrades Resolute Forest Products, Inc. announced capital investments
including $15 million at the Glenwood, Ark. and Cross City, Fla. sawmills to support fiber optimization and overall efficiency. The Cross City investment will also increase capacity by up to 20MMBF. The improvements at the U.S. sawmills build on the previously announced investments associated with the restart of the El Dorado, Ark. sawmill. The company anticipates completing all the projects by the end of the third quarter of 2022.
Interfor Purchases Four GP Sawmills Interfor is acquiring four sawmill operations in Bay Springs, Miss.; Fayette, Ala.; DeQuincy, La.; and Philomath, Ore. from Georgia-Pacific for $375 million. Interfor says these sawmill operations are highly complementary to Interfor’s existing platforms in the U.S. South and the Northwest. The four sawmills have a combined annual lumber production capacity of 720MMBF. The Bay Springs, Fayette and Philomath sawmills are currently operating
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on a full-shifting basis. The DeQuincy sawmill, which was idled in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has an annual capacity of 200MMBF. Interfor reports its total annual lumber production capacity will increase to 3.9 billion BF, of which 3 billion BF or 77% will be U.S.based and not subject to softwood lumber duties. Interfor’s U.S. South production capacity will grow by 500MMBF to 2.2 billion, while pro-
duction capacity in the U.S. Northwest will grow by 220MMBF to 770MMBF.
Canfor Announces $160 Million Sawmill Canfor Corp. announced it will invest $160 million to build a new sawmill near DeRidder, La. The facility will have an annual production capacity of 250MMBF on a
two-shift basis and will employ 130. Startup is expected to commence late in the third quarter of 2022. The investment in Louisiana is in addition to the $300 million of 2021 capital spending, including about $100 million for the solid wood operations in the U.S. South. Given the decision to build a new facility in Louisiana, Canfor will not be proceeding with the greenfield project in Washington, Ga. that
was announced in 2018. Work on site will begin in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Anthony Timberlands Investing In Malvern Anthony Timberlands, Inc. (ATI) will invest $10 million in improvements to its pine sawmill in Malvern, Ark. this year. “Our sawmill in Malvern has been in place for almost 75 years. We have made numerous improvements over the years, ensuring the viability of the mill through technological and production enhancement measures,” according to Steve Anthony, President of ATI. The project will include an upgrade to the primary breakdown systems of the mill—the carriage headrig for large logs and the sharp chain small log side. The mill’s trimmer line will also be enhanced to handle the higher production volume afforded by the upgraded primary breakdown systems. Anthony adds, “The windfall provided by recent record lumber markets will allow us to finance these, as well as major projects at other ATI locations, internally.” Installation of the new equipment will take place on a staggered schedule between August 2021 and January 2022. Employment numbers will not be impacted, while hourly production levels are expected to increase by 25%.
Forest Service Chief Retiring In August Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen announced her retire-
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ment after a 40-year career as a professional forester, wildland firefighter, and land manager including 11 years of service at the Forest Service. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack comments, “Chief Christiansen’s contributions to the USDA Forest Service cannot be overstated. In her more than three years as Chief, she has provided steady, thoughtful leadership through multiple challenges, including increasingly challenging fire and hurricane seasons, strains on agency budgets and workforce, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, she has led with empathy, integrity and professionalism.” “It has truly been a privilege and
an honor to serve as the Chief of the Forest Service,” Christiansen says. “The time has come for me to spend more time with my family, my mom, my children, and my grandchildren. Most of my family lives a continent away, and I owe it to them to be closer so we can spend more time together.”
Barko Welcomes New President Barko Hydraulics is pleased to welcome Justin Rupar as President. Rupar assumed his new role effective June 15, 2021, bringing over 27 years of equipment industry expertise in manufacturing, dealer devel-
opment, sales and marketing. “I’m very excited to join Barko, and I’m looking forward to getting to know our dealers and customers better,” Rupar says. “The Barko team and I are excited to continue working to improve our product and services offerings and to add exceptional value to both our dealer partners’ and our retail customers’ operations.” Before joining Barko, Justin held leadership positions with Yamaha Motor Corporation, YANMAR America and ASV Holdings, overseeing global commercial, distribution and after-sales support activities. As President, Justin will provide leadership to position Barko at the forefront of the forestry equipment
market. He will be responsible for driving positive results for the business and developing a strategic plan that advances our mission and promotes long-term growth. A native northern Minnesotan and Iron Ranger, Justin holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University (MN) and an MBA from the University of Georgia. In his spare time, he is an avid outdoorsman who loves spending time in nature hunting, fishing, or exploring with his wife and daughter. Justin also has a passion for ice hockey and cooking for friends and family. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and volunteers in the community whenever possible.
Weyerhaeuser Plans Infusion Into Holden Weyerhaeuser Co. announced plans to make a two-phased $157 million capital investment at its southern yellow pine sawmill in Holden, La. Phase one includes nearly $19 million to upgrade lumber kiln drying capacity, while the second phase will include a major investment of $138 million to completely modernize the facility. “This investment is a testament to each employee here at Holden,” says Brent Mitchell, Holden interim mill manager. “After years of planning this project, we’re excited for the sustained benefits it will bring to our people, our operation and the community.” Work is expected to take place over the next three years. The Holden facility began lumber operations in 1980 under Crown Zellerbach, and Weyerhaeuser acquired the mill in 1996.
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY Tubeless Forestar New, tubeless versions of the Alliance Forestar III 643 and 644 forestry tires from Yokohama Off-Highway Tires are
proving themselves on cut-to-length (CTL) harvesters and forwarders worldwide. “The new tubeless Alliance 643 and 644 eliminate all the hassling that comes with inner tubes—breaking valve stems, messing with flaps, and even just waiting for an inner tube when you need to be cutting timber,” says Terry Goodwin,
National Forestry Tire Manager for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. “These new tires have a more durable sidewall, built-in rim guard and a reinforced, hexagonal bead bundle, so they don’t have to rely on an inner tube to hold the air.” The tubeless Forestars fit on standard rims, Goodwin notes, so it is easy to switch from the tube-
type designs. Steel-belted construction, cutresistant compound, curb rib and buttressed lugs for extra durability, and an improved bead package keep CTL harvesters rolling no matter what the conditions are. Tubeless Alliance Forestar III 643 sizes include 710/40-22.5, 750/55-26.5 and 780/50-28.5. Tubeless Alliance Forestar III 644 tires are available in 600/50-22.5, 710/40-22.5, 600/55-26.5, 750/55-26.5 and 780/50-28.5 sizes. Visit yokohama-oht.com.
Waratah Cutting
The new H423 from Waratah Forestry Equipment is designed to carry out a wide range of harvesting jobs from early to late thinnings, and even light regeneration harvesting. With outstanding multi-tree-handling qualities, a compact frame design and excellent power-to-weight ratio, the H423 masters fast and precise felling and crosscutting. The H423 is well-suited for delimbing stems of all diameters. Its outstanding multi-tree harvesting qualities and excellent powerto-weight ratio take productivity to the next level. Ideal for thinnings and other fellings where the tree diameter at breast height is 150-350 mm (613", the 955 kg (2,105 lb.), H423 features strong, fast feeding in a nimble design. Additionally, the H423 boasts a 420 mm (16.5") tip-to-tip delimbing diameter providing ample range for superior delimbing—and when combined with its 580 mm (22.8") cutting capacity and optional multi-treehandling equipment, it is unmatched for productivity in varied diameter stands. This new model features next generation hose routing from the boom to harvester head and well protected hoses to the feed motors, making interference from understory or limbs a thing of the past. Likewise, serviceability to the main valve is easier and possible thanks to a new hinged valve cover and improved access to greasing points. Visit waratah.com. 42
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Worker Killed While Welding Wood Chip Conveyor BACKGROUND: On an early spring day in the Pacific Northwest, three journey level maintenance workers were repairing a 400 foot long wood chip conveyor system. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The victim, and the rest of the crew, were experienced workers, fully qualified and able to perform their trade without supervision. UNSAFE ACTS AND CONDITIONS: The victim was sitting on the conveyor belt welding on a funnel cone at the infeed end and blocked from view from the outfeed end, where the controls were located. Another worker was nearby, welding at the infeed end. A third worker was at the outfeed end of the conveyor, installing grooves in the conveyor belt. The machine’s controls at the outfeed end had a lockable 480 volt switch, but none of the three workers used their individual locks to lock out
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the switch and prevent its activation. The worker at the outfeed end needed to turn on the machine briefly to reposition the belt. Before doing so, he sent a coworker to see if the conveyor was clear. The coworker saw one worker clear of the conveyor but was unaware of the other worker welding. ACCIDENT / INJURY: The conveyor was turned on, and the victim was pulled under the metal funnel cone and crushed. He died from the injuries. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTIONS: l When performing maintenance, always lock out equipment that can unexpectedly start. l Review and follow lock out/tagout procedures prior to working on equipment. Update procedures when necessary. l Make sure all employees are trained on lock
out/tagout policies and procedures. l Conduct a job safety analysis (JSA) for those who must work on or around hazardous equipment. A JSA is a systematic method for identifying hazards associated with the job or task. Originally published by the Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries. Supplied by Forest Resources Assn.
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26 ➤ can Forest and Paper Assn.,
call the American Loggers Council, because we’re the ones doing it and we know what’s going on. SLT: What’s been the biggest success or accomplishment in the last 20 years? DRUCTOR: I’d say the same thing: getting that recognition that loggers deserved and needed. Congress, with the partisan politics, it’s really difficult to get anything done right now, but with very low budgets compared to other organizations, we
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have managed to get bills introduced and passed over the past 20 years without spending millions of dollars to do so. It is simply because of those relationships in Washington. SLT: You decided to move on a couple of years ago, right? DRUCTOR: It’s just time. Things change, people change. I like to tell people I can remember what logging was like before the days of SFI, but now there is a generation and a half ahead of me that doesn’t know anything but what logging has
been like since SFI has always been a part of their stuff. I still have some old thoughts and theories about all that that don’t necessarily line up with probably the vision that is needed to move the organization forward. I basically call myself a dinosaur. It’s time to get somebody in there a little more forward thinking than I am to take it to the next level, wherever that is going to be. Twenty years is long enough for someone to sit in this position. SLT: The 2019 Annual Meeting
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that was held in Orange Beach, Ala., was the 25th anniversary of ALC, and it turned out to be, not by design, your last in-person meeting as Executive Director; there was a virtual meeting in 2020 due to the pandemic. Are you planning to be at the Annual Meeting this fall in Coeur d’Alene, for Scott Dane’s first? DRUCTOR: I am going to try. They are going to have a face-toface summer Board meeting in Minneapolis-Saint Paul end of July and that will be the first meeting that Scott at the helm will take over and run, along with the President. SLT: What advice do you have for him about this job, after 20 years of experience? DRUCTOR: Listen to your Board. You’ve got 27 Board members sitting around the table; they’re all good businessmen. The ALC was formed for loggers to represent loggers. So when an issue comes up and you have challenges and decisions to make, you do what the Board says; these guys aren’t in business because they’re not good thinkers with good heads on their shoulders. I would say 99.9% of the time, the decisions on the direction the Board has wanted the American Loggers Council to go have been the correct decisions. We don’t need outside influence from other sectors. Loggers are unique, they have their own businesses to run, they’re their own CEOs, and they know what they’re doing. So when you’re representing loggers, you need to be listening to the loggers telling you what they need. Listen to your Board and everything will be just fine. SLT: What’s next for you, Danny? DRUCTOR: I’m planning on taking some time, do a little fishing, getting my guide license, just settling back a little bit, not worried about Washington, DC. I have already taken a board position with the National Woodland Owners Assn. and plan on not necessarily going to DC but at least talking to them about policy, because I think it is really important. There are issues that forest landowners as well as loggers are facing that they should be joined at the hip on. There’s a need for new markets in order to get not only cut and haul prices up but stumpage prices up as well, and if we’re going to keep people investing in forestry as a whole and forestlands, we gotta do something about that. I think it is high time forest landowners and loggers, both tiers of that stool, work a little bit closer together, and maybe I can help add to that a little bit, SLT from a volunteer basis.
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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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RECONDITIONED DELIMBINATORS!! In addition to new machines, CHAMBERS DELIMBINATOR, INC. now has factory reconditioned DeLimbinators. These units have been inspected, repaired, and updated as needed. Call us and we will help you select a DeLimbinator for your need.
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WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com 1123
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.
CARVER SAWDISK REPAIR 566
Washington, NC 27889
252.945.2358
www.ForesTreeTrader.com 1461
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IF YOU NEED
4433
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.
FOR SALE
1993 648D John Deere turbo single arch grapple skidder with winch, 28L tires, used daily. Fair condition. Pictures available upon request .............................................................$12,000 Call 251-542-9985 and leave message 5024
FOR SALE
Phone 334-312-4136 or Email: jpynes1949@gmail.com
LOGGER’S BEST FRIEND!
8309
Call or Text Zane 334-518-9937 Located in Alabama
3939
2014 CAT 559C Loader, Hydraulic trailer, CTR 426, 8700 hrs
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
EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA! OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
N
EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC.
7180
We can save you money on Saw Teeth. Hundreds of satisfied ACC OW EP customers. Rebuilt Exchange or New. We specialize in rebuild- CRE TING DIT ing Koehring 2000, Hurricana, Hydro Ax split teeth and all CARDS other brands. Call Jimmy or Niel Mitchell. Quantity Discounts!
4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185
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I approached a mill that had just imposed a price cut going into the winter harvest season. Their response was, “I’ve seen the trucks those loggers are driving, they are doing just fine.” Far more are leaving the industry than are coming into it. l Federal Timber Availability: The USFS is an easy target. Federal policy and environmentalists have tied their hands. I’ve worked with the USFS in DC and locally and found them to be genuinely committed to proper forest management, but the system prohibits it. NEPA and ESA have been weaponized against them, and the timber industry, to restrict silvicultural based sustainable forest management practices on federal lands. I recently spent six hours with loggers with the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference and Trinity River Lumber Co. touring by helicopter the aftermath of the wildfires in California. Loggers were rushing to salvage the timber from private land and replanting, while little to nothing was being done on USFS managed lands. The contrasting responses could not have been more evident, and disappointing. Recently a mill in South Dakota closed. They produced lumber. Who in their right mind would close a lumber mill this day and age with the price and demand skyrocketing? Unfortunately due to the aggressive timber harvest campaign by the USFS to mitigate the beetle infestation, the USFS indicated that they were going to restrain their future harvest volume. Where 80% of the timber came from federal timber sources, the mill was not going to be able to secure enough timber after
53 years of operation, and eliminated 120 jobs. Western states forest products industries are heavily dependent on federal timber, but even from a Midwestern perspective, the USFS manages approximately 11% of Minnesota’s timber lands, but only contributes 4% of the harvested timber. In fact, the Superior National Forest has 63,000 acres of land in need of treatment, but the quality of the timber has deteriorated to the point that it is only suitable for biomass, and Minnesota has no biomass markets. When the housing market crashed I went to DC to meet with the USFS regarding timber permits. We requested modifications to USFS Timber Permits. The officials agreed with the need, but indicated that they did not have the authority to do so and would need Congressional authorization. So, we worked with Congress and six months later had the Rate Redetermination authorization in the 2010 Farm Bill. That saved loggers hundreds of millions across the country. The ALC needs to work with the USFS to remove the restrictions from them that are inhibiting their ability to conduct forest management, reduce wildfire frequency, and support timber salvage and reforestation. SLT: At times ALC has had a lobbyist in DC and also worked various programs to directly contact Congress people and staff and agency officials as well. Any thoughts on increasing or intensifying ALC’s impact on Capitol Hill in DC? DANE: There is nothing more effective at state capitals or DC than loggers and truckers personally sharing their challenges, needs and stories. But loggers and truckers are not always
able to be at the state capitals or DC. Other representatives and/or lobbyists can effectively represent the industry. As is said, “If you are not at the table, you are probably on the menu.” The timber industry needs to be at the table. But lobbyists are only as good as the people they represent if they effectively educate, direct and assist the lobbyists. A priority of the ALC is national representation with federal legislation. That will continue to be a mission priority of the ALC and there will be an increased presence in DC to support these important initiatives and conduct the groundwork. SLT: We saw recent reports ALC has seen a membership increase. How is the ALC’s overall health in terms of logging members, associate members, overall funding streams, etc.? DANE: The ALC has never been in a stronger position both from a membership perspective and financially. But there is room to improve. The membership committee will be rolling out an Associate Membership Campaign soon. While the ALC is a logging and trucking association, many other industries depend on the success of American logging and trucking industry. When we are successful, they are successful. Landowners, mills, forestry associations, insurance companies, fuel companies, financial institutions, equipment dealers, truck companies and foresters. The ALC is generally the point man on many of the legislative efforts that improve the timber industry across the country and from which these other stakeholders benefit. So we are inviting them to “Help Us Help SLT Them Succeed.”
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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 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 Hitachi America Interstate Tire Service John Woodie Enterprises K&R Weigh Systems Kaufman Trailers Kentucky Wood Expo 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 Olofsfors Pitts Trailers Ponsse North America Puckett Machinery Purcell Tire & Service Centers Quality Equipment & Parts Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers Satterwhite Log Homes Southwest Forest Products Expo Southern Loggers Cooperative Stribling Equipment Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries TRACT TraxPlus W & W Truck & Tractor Wallingford’s Waratah Forestry Attachments Waters International Trucks Yancey Brothers
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409.625.0206 888.383.8884 936.634.7210 800.952.0178 800.771.4140 800.475.4477 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 914.332.1031 864.947.9208 704.878.2941 800.910.2885 336.790.6800 502.695.3979 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 519.754.2190 800.321.8073 715.369.4833 601.969.6000 501.262.9018 386.487.3896 855.918.2208 800.777.7288 501.224.2232 318.445.0750 855.781.9408 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 478.447.2893 601.635.5543 843.761.8220 800.323.3708 770.692.0380 601.693.4807 800.282.1562
COMING EVENTS July 16-17—West Virginia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Cannan Valley Resort & Conference Center, Davis, W.Va. Call 681-265-5019; visit wvfa.org.
31-September 2—Florida Forestry Assn. Annual Meeting & Trade Show, Sheraton Golf & Spa Resort, Panama City Beach, Fla. Call 850222-5646; visit floridaforest.org.
September
16-18—Georgia Forestry Assn. Annual Conference, Hilton Head Island, SC. Call 478-992-8110; visit gfagrow.org.
8-10—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Westin Hotel, Chattanooga, Tenn. Call 615-883-3832; visit tnforestry.com.
August
9-11—Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, UP State Fairgrounds, Escanaba, Mich. Call 715-282-5828; visit gltpa.org.
1-4—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. 24-26—Louisiana Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Resort, Lake Charles, La. Call 318-443-2558; visit laforestry.com.
ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
12-14—Alabama Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 334-265-8733; visit alaforestry.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. 22-24—National Hardwood Lumber Assn. Convention & Exhibit Showcase, Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach, Fla. Call 901-377-1818; visit nhla.com. 28-Oct. 1—Virginia Forestry Summit, Hotel Madison, Harrisonburg, Va. Call 804-278-8733; visit vaforestry.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. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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