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Vol. 46, No. 10

(Founded in 1972—Our 541st Consecutive Issue)

F E AT U R E S

OCTOBER 2017 A Hatton-Brown Publication

Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525

www.southernloggintimes.com

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Huffman & Son NC’s Dynamic Duo

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Graham County Land Co. Adds New Grinder

Co-Publisher Co-Publisher Chief Operating Officer Executive Editor Editor-in-Chief Western Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Art Director Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director Marketing/Media

David H. Ramsey David (DK) Knight Dianne C. Sullivan David (DK) Knight Rich Donnell Dan Shell David Abbott Jessica Johnson Jay Donnell Cindy Segrest Patti Campbell Rhonda Thomas Jordan Anderson

ADVERTISING CONTACTS DISPLAY SALES Eastern U.S. Kathy Sternenberg Tel: 251-928-4962 • Fax: 334-834-4525 219 Royal Lane Fairhope, AL 36532 E-mail: ksternenberg@bellsouth.net Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons Tel: 905-666-0258 • Fax: 905-666-0778 32 Foster Cres.

Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com

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ATPA Expo Biennial Arkansas Show

out front:

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Partners Randall Wolfe & Junior Parker log the tough, rocky conditions of West Virginia, often select cutting on mountains with a slope of 40% or more. Story begins on Page 8.

(Jessica Johnson photo)

Recession Report Impact In South

D E PA RT M E N T S Southern Stumpin’...............................6 Bulletin Board.................................... 30 Industry News Roundup...................34 Machines-Supplies-Technology....... 46 ForesTree Equipment Trader...........47 Safety Focus....................................... 53 Coming Events/Ad Index.................. 54

Western Canada, Western USA Tim Shaddick Tel: 604-910-1826 • Fax: 604-264-1367 4056 West 10th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6L 1Z1 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook Tel: 604-619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com International Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 Fax: +34 96 640 4331 Aldea de las Cuevas 66 Buzon 60 • 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

Bridget DeVane

Tel: 1-800-669-5613 • Tel 334-699-7837 Email: bdevane7@hotmail.com

Southern Loggin’ Times (ISSN 0744-2106) is published monthly by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—SLT is sent free to logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel in the U.S. South. See form elsewhere in this issue.

All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $65 annually; $75 in Canada; $120 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.southernloggintimes.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Southern Loggin’ Times magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Southern Loggin’ Times. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed In USA.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Southern Loggin’ Times, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, AL 36102-2419 Member Verified Audit Circulation

Other Hatton-Brown publications: ★ Timber Processing ★ Timber Harvesting ★Panel World ★ Power Equipment Trade ★ Wood Bioenergy

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SOUTHERN STUMPIN’

By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com

Water, Water...

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Ooops…

o need for a long-winded introduction, so I’ll just tell you that the following piece, demonstrating how loggers individually and the logging industry collectively lend helping hands in times of need, was submitted by Jonzi Guill of Carolina Loggers Assn., Inc. Are there any positives to come out of a natural disaster? The Carolina Loggers Assn. certainly believes that there is! We have witnessed entities pull together with loggers all across North Carolina to aid in the distribution of over 28,225 bottles of cool, refreshing spring water for hurricane relief in both Florida and Texas. A special thank you to Domtar of Plymouth, NC and CTW Equipment Co., Inc., of Williamston, NC for partnering with the association to show their compassion for those in need. Without the generosity and giving of time and equipment from these companies, this distribution would not have occurred in such a timely manner.

After the flooding and devastation from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the Carolina Loggers Assn. had the desire and saw the need to provide a helping hand to their fellow man affected by such disasters.

Loggers are often criticized for harming the environment, but those who have a better knowledge of the industry realize the truth is just the opposite. The logging industry believes in keeping our waters clean, and that is how the association came up with the idea of clean spring water to keep on hand for distribution during times of need.

At the same time, that statement can be made when people receive a bottle of water in their hand with the CLA logo on it stating Loggers for Clean Water.

Domtar at Plymouth, NC came to the association after hearing that water was being sent to Florida for Hurricane Irma relief and offered help in making that happen. Fay Raynor of Domtar arranged for Matthew Havens and Jimmy Taylor,

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Billy Corey of Tim Con Wood Products, left, and Jason Banks of CTW Equipment, right, pose with a truck load of water for hurricane relief in Texas and Florida.

both with Domtar Plycommended for transmouth, to transport porting pallets of more than 24,000 botwater using their tles of water on palequipment and manlets, over 1,000 miles power to put water in to Callahan, Fla., to the hands of hurricane the EMS staging facilvictims affected by ity there. The water two different hurriwas distributed to canes in different those in need who states. experienced devastaTo answer the question during and after tion at the top of this Hurricane Irma. The article, YES, there are Carolina Loggers positives to come out Assn. is very grateful of a disaster. All of to Domtar of Plythese organizations of mouth for the support various industries have and generosity they pulled together for one The CLA Board designed the have shown with their label to send a positive, envi- cause: to aid in the ronmentally friendly mescontributions. need of people all over sage for the industry.

CTW Equipment being affected by devCo. partnered with various loggers astation. The Carolina Loggers across the state of North Carolina to Assn. is already looking into replentransport a load of pallets to New ishing their bottled water supply to Bern, NC to aid in hurricane relief. have on-hand and continue helping The CLA teamed up with Trent their fellow man when these disasCadillac in New Bern, who carried ters occur. Partnering with the assothe association’s water and other ciation on this water distribution supplies to Jacksonville, Fla. to project is a great way to assist in assist with the devastation there. giving back and showing your orgaAlso, River Mills Professional Stor- nization’s compassion for those in age Center of New Bern made a need. second trip to John Hagee MinIf you are interested in learning istries in Houston, Tex. with a supmore about this project, please conply of our water and other needed tact Jonzi Guill, CLA Administraitems to aid Hurricane Harvey victor/Communications director via tims. CTW Equipment should be email at jguill@ncloggers.com.

OCTOBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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We here at Southern Loggin’ Times strive for accuracy in everything we publish, but, that being said, we occasionally mess up. Case in point: the cover story last month.

That’s right, we got the company name wrong right there on the cover of the September 2017 issue. We misidentified North Carolina’s Tim Con Wood Products as Tim Con Forest Products, both on the cover and in the article. Evidently the owner, Billy Corey (seen here to the left and on the right in the cover picture below), has a son, Tim, who has his own company, which is Tim Con Forest Products.

Somewhere along the line in the process of bringing the article to print, we in the editorial staff were confused by the similar names, there was a miscommunication somewhere, and the end result was that we used the wrong name. Actually, if I recall correctly, we had it right at first, but thought it was wrong, so we changed it, and then we thought we were right…but we were wrong. Make sense? In any case, by the time we realized our error, it was too late, the issue had already been shipped. Since I’m the managing editor, that’s completely on me. So, my apologies to Billy Corey and all the people associated with both Tim Con Wood Products and Tim Con Forest Products. SLT

What the cover should have looked like…

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Doing It Right ■ Childhood pals Randall Wolfe and Junior Parker wrestle quotas and the mountains of West Virginia.

By Jessica Johnson MOOREFIELD, W. Va. hildhood friends ★ Randall Wolfe and Donald (Junior) Parker, after spending time working on Wolfe’s father’s crew, decided that in 1988 they were going to branch off on their own. Parker remembers it was, “when neither of us had two nickels to rub together.” The duo bought an old skidder, old loader and an old truck off Wolfe’s father and Wolfe & Parker Logging was born. Within the first year the skidder motor had to be replaced. “We basically pulled the loader out of the weeds,” Wolfe

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jokes. The crew wasn’t fully mechanized; Parker mostly hand cut the mountainous tracts.

Now, Wolfe & Parker Logging operates a three man crew contract cutting for Allegheny Wood Products in West Virginia—working mainly to supply the Allegheny mill in Riverton, W. Va. with 22 ft. hardwood logs from tracts of about 200 acres, almost exclusively select cuts. Wolfe says they’ve come a long way since the wore out skidder and cutting with a chain saw. The crew uses a Tigercat 2011 LX822C track type buncher with a Tigercat head that Wolfe operates on slopes as steep as 40%. The buncher has nearly eliminated the need for hand felling.

Wolfe says he can pretty much look at the mountain and tell if he’ll be able to use his machine. The rule of thumb he lives by is if the machine will climb the hill, it’ll cut it.

But what strikes Allegheny Wood Products forester Jared Simpson about Wolfe and Parker isn’t their ability to push out six or eight loads per day with three guys on 40% slopes, but their uncanny ability to just get the job done—no matter the condition. Simpson says that both Wolfe and Parker are the guys you can count on, drama free. “They don’t stop,” he elaborates. “You know what you are going to get with them and it is top notch work.”

Simpson is not the only one who

The crew makes use of three company owned trucks and a partnership with a local contract trucking firm.

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noticed Wolfe & Parker’s work ethic. In 2016, the company was honored as the FRA Appalachian Regional Logger of the Year. The company has also been honored by the West Virginia Div. of Forestry as Loggers of Excellence, and in 2015 Wolfe & Parker was named West Virginia Logger of the Year.

The pair doesn’t view their work ethic as anything out of the ordinary. Both just simply say they know their jobs and they do it without any kind of theatrics. As for the third member of the crew, Wayne (Buddy) Wolfe, younger brother of Randall and minority owner, he falls in step with Wolfe and Parker as well and the three work seam-

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lessly. Knowing their jobs, but still being flexible is one of the reasons Wolfe loves logging.

While Randall’s predominate responsibility is to cut, he also will haul firewood in the mornings and in the evenings. If there are logs out, he’ll haul those. “It all depends on what’s going on and every day is different. You take the good with the bad,” he explains. And in their particular area of West Virginia, the bad also means quotas.

Junior, who handles the majority of the crew’s loading, says the quotas over the last two years have been unbearable. While the crew can easily run 17-20 loads per day on flat ground, between the rocky terrain and the pulp market being so tight, the crew clears between six and eight per day. “We like 10 per day; we like 100 per week, and we’ve done it, the three of us guys, but we were in a good place,” Parker explains. Typically, the ground is just too rocky for the production numbers to stay consistently at that level.

The crew hauls most pulpwood produced to Verso Paper in Luke, Md., which works under and offweek, on-week, schedule. This significantly reduces the amount of pulpwood Parker can load. Parker also sorts scragwood and firewood, Randall Wolfe handles all cutting using a 2011 Tigercat LX822C that he’s looking to upgrade in the next few years. but the paper mill shutting down

SLT SNAPSHOT Wolfe & Parker Logging Moorefield, W.Va. Email: wplogging@yahoo.com Founded: July 1988 Owner(s): Randall Wolfe; Donald (Junior) Parker; Wayne (Buddy) Wolfe No. Crews: One Employees: 0, 3 co-owners work the job Equipment: One skidder, one cutter, one loader Trucks/Trailers: Three trucks, 12 trailers Production: 56-60 loads per week

Donald (Junior) Parker

Randall Wolfe

Wayne (Buddy) Wolfe

Average Haul Distance: All hauls are relatively short—under 80 miles Tidbit: The engine of the crew’s cutter blew in the middle of winter, while cutting on a mountain with an elevation of 4,000 ft. and a temperature that day of -25°. Wolfe says in all his decades of logging, that day was probably the worst.

Buddy Wolfe skids on rocky roads, causing the Primex tires to be changed yearly.

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Parker is able to load six to eight loads a day in high elevation and expects to be operating a new loader next year.

every other week has really zapped production.

Ironworks Aside from the Tigercat LX822C track type buncher run by Randall, Wolfe & Parker also has a 2011 Tigercat 630D skidder run by Buddy and a Tigercat 2012 250 loader with a Tigercat grapple, CSI delimber and ground saw run by Parker. All pieces were purchased

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through Ricer Equipment in Shinnston, W. Va. Wolfe and Parker both love Tigercat machines, but Parker has had some struggles with the loader.

Previously having operated a Prentice loader, but being Tigercat loyal users on cutters and skidders, Parker thought he’d give the loader a chance. “The computer system has had some problems,” he explains.

“I’ve kind of gotten used to it the way it is. If someone else got into it,

Randall shows forester Jared Simpson his handheld GPS system which assists his select cutting.

they’d pull their hair out. The whole machine is good, other than the one issue.”

Wolfe says he understands Parker’s concern and that while Tigercat has worked with the crew, and have always been good to them, the issue with the engine and the computer system communicating is still there.

The pieces are starting to get some age on them, and Wolfe estimates that sometime in the next year or so they will upgrade. One hang-up on

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upgrading has been DEF fluid. As of now, the crew only has two trucks that require it, but Wolfe says he knows it’s coming and that’s just one more expense that right now, with quotas so tight and all the mills full, they can’t justify.

“We needed to buy something last year, but when you’re talking about going into debt that far…,” Wolfe says, hesitating, and then adding, “We’ll update the loader.

I’d like to keep this cutter another

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year as long as nothing major happens. But we’re getting hours on the machines.”

Each man is responsible for his machine’s routine maintenance. Oil is changed every 250 hours, skidder and cutter are greased every day and the loader is greased every other day. Air filters are blown off in the summer. Most maintenance is done in the woods, though the crew does have a shop at Parker’s house for use when needed.

The crew tries to all pitch in and

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get any large issues handled as a team, but if the issue becomes too major, Ricer Equipment will be called in. Wolfe says, “If you run it, it is going to break. If you don’t want it to break, park it.”

The company leans on Petersburg Oil Co. for diesel fuel and most all of its oil and grease products.

Buddy drives a service truck to the job every day outfitted with hydraulic oil, a small fuel tank, wrenches, hoses and filters. A 2400 gal. fuel tank is left at the landing.

Skidder runs Primex tires.

Wolfe says the crew used to haul a shop trailer to the woods with an air compressor, welder and hose machine but it got too inconvenient.

Instead, the hose machine stays at the shop, and the welder is brought to the woods when needed.

Trucking Challenges Wolfe & Parker makes use of a mixture of company owned trucks and contract trucks. Typically,

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Wolfe will run one load in the afternoons when he is finished cutting, and usually once in the morning.

Parker runs two loads in the morning and two loads at night. Whatever needs to be hauled during the day is handled by M&M Transportation based in Fisher, W. Va. To save time in the woods, Parker will load trailers and carry them down the mountain, keeping the trucks from having to crawl up and back down. “We’re logging in the mountains, trucking is expensive.

We want to keep them moving as quickly as possible,” he explains.

Since all hauls are less than 80 miles, the crew is able to maximize quotas.

Parker coordinates all trucking with M&M and enjoys having the flexibility of working with a large contractor. Usually the crew only needs one truck, but if they ever were to need two or 10, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Wolfe & Parker own three Kenworths, which Parker says are unbeatable in the woods. The 12 trailers are a mix of Pitts, Trail King and Evans. Trucks run Michelin tires; trailers are usually Michelin recaps. Maintenance for the trucks is handled by Parker, mainly, with Wolfe helping. The trucks are late model, and are the only pieces that run DEF fluid.

Another reason Parker likes working with the contract trucking company is worker’s comp.

Before Buddy was made a minority partner, Wolfe & Parker was paying 58% on just his woker’s comp alone. That prohibitive expense made it difficult to add trucks or upgrade equipment. Now that is not a concern—the duo still battles against quotas that are killing productivity, but does not have to worry about worker’s comp killing profits.

Randall and Junior handle all the company’s bookwork on Saturday at 8 a.m. in the office at the shop in Moorefield. Once per month the three-man crew will gather for a safety meeting, based on talking points provided by the West Virginia Forestry Assn. The company has a very good safety record, with only one accident since its inception.

“I have no complaints or regrets,” Wolfe says. Parker agrees, saying he’s very proud they are still in business. “It’s tough, really tough to make it in this. It’s everything. Over the road diesel fuel is a killer. With quotas you can’t get what you want. If you go from 20 to 10 loads a day—that’s half.

We’re surviving but that’s about it.” Despite all the challenges, both men say they can’t imagine doing SLT anything else.

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Switching Gears ■ Huffman and Son has upgraded equipment, increased production and added an employee.

When they upgraded from an older 648G-III to this 648H, they soon realized they’d have to update the rest of their equipment to keep pace.

By David Abbott PURLEAR, NC ★ p until a few months ago, Josh and Mervin Huffman were strictly a two-man show. Josh, now 35, had worked for his dad when he was younger, back when Mervin had a full crew. Then Mervin, now 72, got sick and couldn’t work for a while, so the crew disbanded, leaving Josh to try other things. In 2007, when Mervin was healthier, the father and son formed Huffman and Son Logging as equal partners. This time it was just the two of them, and it stayed that way for a decade. They bought their own timber and did all cutting, skidding, loading and trucking on their own.

For years, Mervin did all the hauling with a T800 Kenworth tri-axle truck. He has a Class B CDL, but not a Class A. They started switching

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After much research, the Huffmans determined that Tigercat was the best cutter for them.

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gears in late 2016 when they decided to start hauling with a 1996 International 9200i Eagle. They had already had the truck for several years, but had only used it to move equipment between tracts since neither of them has a Class A CDL. “We purchased the truck 10 years ago but had no license to drive it,” Josh says. “We bought it just with the intention of using it to move equipment, not wood.” They always had to find somebody to drive it, and sometimes that meant waiting. “We have actually sat at home for two weeks trying to get somebody to move us,” Josh admits.

When they decided to start using it for hauling wood, they hired Adam Crane to drive it. He also can and does run a Stihl chain saw or any of the machines as needed. “Don’t tell him I said so, but he is a real asset,” Mervin smiles. “When there is a breakdown, he runs to the truck to get

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SLT SNAPSHOT Huffman and Son Logging Purlear, NC Email: josh_huffman82@yahoo.com Founded: 2007 Owners: Mervin and Josh Huffman No. Crews: 1 Employees: 1 Equipment: 1 loader, 1 skidder, 1 cutter, 1 truck Production: 30 loads per week Average Haul Distance: 35 miles Tidbit: Mervin Huffman started logging with his father before he started first grade, riding a mule from home to a portable sawmill and cutting with a crosscut saw. His son Josh followed suit, using chicken pox as an opportunity to skip school and head to work with his dad.

The company dog Duke looks on as another load heads out.

wrenches. You have big oaks that need to be cut with a chain saw, he will grab it and get it done.

That is where he is such a valuable asset. You don’t have to tell him to do these things.”

The owners are pleased with the results. “It is the best thing that we switched because it has upped production considerably,” Josh says.

“We have hauled 31 loads in a week in good loblolly. Before then, 25 was the most we ever got on a tandem truck. And that was leaving the house at 4:30 and getting home after midnight.”

Machinery The two-man operation uses a ’14 Tigercat 234 loader with CSI 264 Ultra delimber on a

From left: driver Adam Crane, Josh Huffman, Mervin Huffman

The changes in equipment and trucking have increased production.

Mervin calls Crane a “valuable asset” for his willingness to do whatever needs doing.

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Until hiring Crane last year, Mervin and Josh did it all themselves.

Kodiak trailer, ’11 John Deere 648H skidder and ’07 Tigercat 720E fellerbuncher with 5600 Tigercat head.

The International pulls a ’99 model OT trailer. Four months ago the duo added a set of Maxi Load scales. “We wanted to make the loads more consistent,” Josh explains, saying they found the weight varying somewhat from one load to another, depending on the type of wood. “The mill says we need to keep the wood under the legal weight limit, so we decided to get the scales to make sure.”

The cutter uses Quadco saw teeth. They choose size 30.5 Primex tires. “They pull pretty good, but mainly price is the reason,” Mervin says. The truck has a 12.7 Detroit engine with 435/470 HP (435 by the pedal, 470 on cruise control). The cutter has a Cummins and the skidder has a Deere engine.

The Huffmans completely turned over their machine lineup just a few years ago, keeping the older units as spares. The upgrade resulted in greatly increased production (this was the reason they opted to start hauling with the bigger truck). It started with the skidder, when they went to the 648H from a 648G-III, seeking a larger dual arch grapple.

They believe the Deere skidders are faster than other brands. “We were told if we bought a bigger machine, we would have to upgrade the rest, too, to keep up with the pace,” Josh

says, acknowledging that he was skeptical of that assertion. “I said no, we’re not growing.” He realized quickly that he was wrong, and set about looking to replace the HydroAx cutter and Prentice loader they had been using. They didn’t jump into anything, though. Instead, they asked dozens of their peers, in person and on social media sites, to get advice on what they should buy.

“A friend of ours is the smartest man on hydraulics that’s ever drawn a breath,” Josh reports. “For years he was a Barko man, there was nothing else. Now he says Tigercat is THE loader. I wanted a 384 Prentice, but after talking to people and watching videos, the Tigercat cutter was so far ahead, so I decided I wanted a Tigercat loader too. Dad said we should stick with a Prentice like we had been running. I found a Prentice a lot cheaper, but I decided if the cutters are that far ahead, why not the loaders?”

They bought the cutter on Craigslist from a logger in Raleigh, after they came in second bid on cutters in four different auctions. The loader they got through Ritchie Bros.

Auctioneers in Statesville; it had almost no hours on it. They are able to get pre-financed when buying at auctions.

They keep debt minimal, always buying used machines. “You don’t put something on plastic because

Having a CSI delimber/slasher package with the loader was important to the Huffmans.

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you can’t pay that plastic back,” Josh says. “If we are going to buy a machine, we put back some money to build up a down payment, and the bank is willing to finance if you got some money to go along with it.

We have pretty good credit, because we have always paid our bills.”

They figure their total equipment investment at just over a half a million dollars. “When I started, a $10,000 piece of equipment was a big step and a big payment,” Mervin recalls. Things have changed somewhat since then. “We

thought we stole the loader and gave $125,000 for it,” he notes.

They turn to Allwood Equipment, LLC in Washington, Ga., for dealer support, though they handle all routine maintenance themselves in the woods. They give used oil to Mervin’s girlfriend’s son. He has a garage that he heats by burning used motor oil with a stove he built.

They keep a 280-gallon fuel tank on the job. G&B Energy out of Elkin, NC, supplies the diesel, filling the tank and capping off the machines once a week. They give

Crane a card to fill up his truck as needed.

Operations “I am passionate about each job,” Josh asserts. “If our company cuts a tract, we try to take care of the land.”

The duo has worked for Weyerhaeuser since they started back together 10 years ago. “We have the best forester in the whole Southeast,” Mervin believes: Amy Phillips with Weyerhaeuser, who keeps them busy.

Normally she has another job lined

up for them two weeks or so before finishing the last one. Though they sometimes go much bigger, they generally work on 30-40 acre tracts, which take about a month and a half to finish. Depending on conditions and haul distance, they usually get out five or six loads a day. The Huffmans believe in standing up for their own interests and have occasionally refused to cut certain tracts for various reasons, but they say they try not to turn down too many. “It gets held against you eventually,” Josh believes.

They cut a lot of Virginia pine and small diameter hardwood, or as Mervin calls it, “junk.” Mill specs call for nothing over 24 in. or under 3 in. on the butt end. They haul hardwood logs to Independence Lumber in Elkin, hardwood pulp to Louisiana-Pacific in Roaring River, NC, and all the pine to Weyerhaeuser’s OSB plant in Elkin.

Calling safety their biggest concern, Josh says they are Pro Logger certified through the North Carolina Forestry Assn. and follow guidelines and safety materials provided

by Weyerhaeuser. They also keep spill kits and first aid kits on the job.

Northwest General Insurance in North Wilkesboro provides their logging and trucking insurance.

Weyerhaeuser requires the loggers to keep $1 million in liability to deliver wood into their mill. “You can haul to California on $750 thousand in liability,” Mervin remarks.

Like Father, Like Son Still working like a man half his age, Mervin is well known for his quick wit and easy-going humor.

“He’s a firecracker, baby,” his son says of him. And, like most people who have been around the block a few times, he has a few stories to tell to anyone who will listen.

Born on July 4th, 1945, Mervin likes to say that he started logging before he started first grade. He and his dad would each ride a mule from home to a sawmill in the woods—there was not, to his knowledge, a stationary mill at the time, and his father worked for the man who owned the sawmill. When he was still a boy Mervin worked with a crosscut saw and delivered logs to the mill by mule. “When they stepped way up from that crosscut saw, this guy had a twoman chain saw,” he recalls. They trimmed all the limbs with an ax.

White pine was the most soughtafter fiber, he says, and most of it was big. “It took a long time for the oak and other stuff to boom.”

In 1964, a big ice storm blew down a lot of timber and broke the tops out. Mervin had a 3000 Ford tractor by then, and a neighbor wanted him to get up the storm18

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damaged wood. “I had a chain I hooked to the trees and a Homelite Zip, a blue chain saw that probably weighed 22 lbs.,” he recalls. “It was the smallest they made. The guy who owned the timber had a tractor with a front end loader on it, and he would load the wood on my old dump truck and I’d haul it to the sawmill.” That was the start of his company.

The biggest step he took, he thought at the time, was when he bought a 5000 Ford tractor with a Lewis steel winch on the back with 150 ft. of cable. He recalls a John

Deere 440 skidder he bought in 1981 that was plagued with constant breakdowns. “We cussed that John Deere, we dreamed of cussing it and we woke up cussing it more.”

Not working was never an option, Mervin says. “If we didn’t work, we didn’t have nothing to eat.”

The Huffman apple hasn’t fallen far from the proverbial tree. Josh was born in October 1982 and, like his father, wanted to go to work in the woods as soon as he was old enough to know what was what.

“All I ever remember from the time

I can remember was that Daddy logged,” he says. “When I got sick, I knew that was a way I could go to the woods with him instead of going to school. I remember having chicken pox and thinking it was the greatest thing in the world for me because I got to go to the woods for a week.”

Josh even played with toy skidders, log trucks and loaders as a kid.

In 1992 he started working summers on the crew. He could drive a skidder at age 10, though he needed help setting the chokers, and he cut

his first real tree when he was 12.

“It is all I have ever known, and it is something I have always been passionate about.”

After graduating high school, Josh tried a few different things for a while, and in 2002 started cutting for another logger for five years.

When he decided he was ready to go on his own, he went to Mervin, who had not been logging due to his health at the time. “I tried to get him to go into logging with me, and he told me no. I said I was going to do it one way or another. Two weeks later he said if we are going to do this we will have to have something we can do it with.”

Mervin still had a Timberjack cable skidder and a 160 Barko that Josh had worked with growing up, and that’s what they started with.

Family Josh and his wife Kala, 32, have been married three years. She is intrigued by the business, Josh says, and comes out to the job site for fun, but is not actively involved. Kala is a pediatric nurse at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, which is affiliated with the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. They have no kids yet, but plan to one day.

Josh’s mother, Mervin’s wife Pat, succumbed to Alzhiemer’s disease after an eight-year battle; she died when she was only 58. “I was really tremendously lucky that I had someone to help take care of her while we worked,” Mervin reveals.

“Finally she fell down some stairs and broke a rib, and she had to go stay in a rest home. She was there 185 days, and I stayed overnight there with her 180 of them. We tried to go every day but we missed a few. When I came in the mud would trail off my boots down the hall. I’d say, ‘Oh let me mop it,’ but they’d tell me don’t worry about it. My wife had more company than probably all the rest of the home put together.”

Josh gives his dad credit. “He went through every bit of it with her. I was still young, so 99% of it was put him on him, and it was hard.”

Long workdays don’t leave them much time for hobbies, but they fish and hunt when they can, and Mervin tends to a small farm of 25 beef cattle. “This is our living and our life,” Josh says.

“We’re in the woods daylight to dark, and usually don’t get home till 9:30 or 10.” They do go to church, but don’t get involved much in activities beyond that. “I am involved with my couch,” Mervin laughs. On weekends he likes to watch western-themed staSLT tion Grit and RFD-TV. 20

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Stepping Up ■ Graham County Land Co. accelerates production with CBI horizontal grinder.

By Joe Gallagher ROBBINSVILLE, NC raham County ★ Land Co., LLC (GCLC) specializes in land clearing, earthmoving, erosion control, storm drainage and debris management. Having successfully completed more than 150 projects across 10 states, GCLC is a go-to name for many clients in the eastern United States.

The company was established in 1972. Since 1998, Randy Jordan has been co-owner and managing partner at GCLC. After starting his career as a dump truck driver at another company, Phillips and Jordan, Inc. (P&J), in 1987, Jordan eventually became Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice President there. In 2013, Jordan left his positions at P&J to focus solely on rebranding and building up GCLC. The company now employs about 200, with multiple land clearing crews operating throughout the Carolinas.

The land clearing projects Jordan has successfully completed include commercial and residential site development, clearing for new and existing railroad tracks, oil and gas pipeline services, civil projects, erosion and sediment control, emergency response, and much more. He’s relied on a lot of industrial equipment.

“I’ve been in land clearing for 35 years and have been working on GCLC for the last four years,” Jordan says. “I’ve owned every kind of grinder known to man that I know.

Almost every style, make and model.”

The machines are often run in the field by GCLC’s veteran grinder superintendent, Mitch Millsaps, who has been working with the company for more than 14 years. Millsaps gets the tough jobs done on tight deadlines for clients, but even the most seasoned foremen can get their operation paralyzed if a grinder goes down.

“We had too many breakdowns with our old grinder and it was looking bad on the company,” Millsaps says. “We had to keep fixing a down grinder and wait for parts to arrive.

Customers were getting to the point where they didn’t want us to grind

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The grinding crew added the 6800BT earlier this year.

machines don’t have a direct dealer,” Jordan says. “With CBI joining Terex and having Powerscreen MidAtlantic as a dealer in North Carolina, we were confident in the level of ongoing support we’d receive.”

Out in the field, Millsaps acknowledges that Josh Anderson and Powerscreen Mid-Atlantic stood by their word every step of the way.

After a few months now with the machine, Millsaps says they’ve had no issues with it whatsoever. “It’s a real good machine and I’d recommend it to anybody,” he adds. “I’ve run them all and the 6800BT is right there on the top of the list.”

The model is specifically designed for land clearing companies and yard waste processors that demand highvolume throughput and maximum reliability. It is capable of processing land clearing debris, pallets, clean industrial waste, stumps, and logs as quickly as it can be loaded. It’s well suited to produce highly-marketable mulch through its regrinding capability. It is powered by a CAT C-27 1050 HP engine with production capacity of up to 200 tons per hour.

grinder. They continue to be because it took us so long and we impressed by the dealership’s supweren’t putting out enough product. port. As a recently acquired business To be honest, the equipment wasn’t of Terex Corp.’s materials processing set up for what we were using it for.” segment, CBI’s products are increasDowntime cost the company ingly available through Terex’s estabmoney in more ways than one. Jorlished distribution network. Small dan was looking to add a powerful grinder they could transport with ease businesses like GCLC can now take advantage of in-state dealers and between sites in the Carolinas. If local support.

GCLC wanted to continue accepting “Having a direct dealer here in the the toughest jobs, they needed a state is good because a lot of machine capable of handling the gnarliest material on a daily basis.

Early in 2017, GCLC connected with Josh Anderson, sales manager at Powerscreen Mid-Atlantic, and added a CBI Graham County Land Co. 6800BT horizontal grinder to their fleet.

Robbinsville, NC “We bought the CBI 6800BT Email: Mitchell@gclnc.com grinder because we needed to upgrade to a bigger and more powerful machine,” Jordan Founded: 1972 says. “The CBI machine is a Owner(s): Randy Jordan and John quality built machine that eliminates downtime. The weight on Presley this machine versus what we No. Crews: 7 were using fits because we’re able to move between North Equipment: 15 excavators, 15 dozand South Carolina. Obviously ers, 4 off-road trucks, 3 tractor it was a lot more productive so everybody at every level has trailers, 4 dump trucks, 1 grinder been happy with our upgrade.

Average Haul Distance: 75 miles It’s really been productive since we got it.”

Tidbit: Co-owner Randy Jordan has

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Support Jordan also factored in product and parts support when looking for a new machine.

GCLC worked with Powerscreen Mid-Atlantic during all stages of acquiring the new

overseen more than $1 billion worth of projects throughout his career and managed key debris cleanup efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the September 11th attacks.

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Production The grinding crew often goes in after logging crews to process the leftovers. The crew has a Volvo skid steer with a Solesbee’s tree shear attachment when some clearing is required. Millsaps works with two employees on the crew: Ellis Gregory runs the shear, and Andy Salsnus drives the dozer. Millsaps loads the grinder with a Volvo EC220E excavator after using the dozer to make piles of debris. “I walk it from pile to pile,” Millsaps explains. Set up with a remote control, the mobile grinder follows the excavator to each pile, operated by Millsaps from inside the excavator cab.

After adding the 6800BT, GCLC went from not putting out enough product to packing as many 100-yard trailers as logistically possible. “We send 20-40 loads of 100-yard trailers out a day,” Millsaps says. “I

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could put out a lot more than that if I just grinded constantly. I’d say I could probably put out 80,000 yards a day just with the 6800BT. We grind six to eight acres in a day with it when we’re busy.”

The foreman says he saw the increase in productivity on the very first job he did with the new grinder.

“On an average job that’s been logged, you shouldn’t have over three loads of mulch per acre,” he points out. “That job hadn’t been logged.

We had to grind logs and stumps through eight acres, and ended up having 55 loads of mulch. I got through it in two days.”

Millsaps estimates that the 55 loads of mulch in the 100-foot trailers totaled around 5,500 yards. The client thought there was no chance the site could get cleared in such a short time, so the two-day turnaround made an impression. “We proved them wrong,” Millsaps says.

“After they saw what we could do they gave us another job clearing 35 acres and we got that done in less than five days.”

Millsaps gives another example.

The crew recently blasted through a 25-acre park development project in Rock Hill, SC. “With the grinder that we had (previously), it would take me probably two and a half weeks to grind through it,” Millsaps says. “With the 6800BT, I could have the 25-acres ground in twoand-a-half days at the most. It speeds the process up ten to one.”

“It does real good, but it depends on how big the material is. It sometimes burns up to 50 gallons an hour in bigger material.”

Millsaps also credits the grinder’s durability for the accelerated productivity. Bolt-in, replaceable Hardox 450 wear liners fully protect the inside of the grinding chamber. The 40 x 60 in. long upturn rotor has a forged, high-strength rotor core with 24 weld-on hammers that are protected by replaceable tip mounting faces arranged in a patented offset helix

pattern. At 1,440 revolutions per minute, the rotor’s offset helix pattern cuts the full width of the rotor in both directions to increase throughput and promote even wear.

The crew spent the summer grinding oak, hickory and pine in the Raleigh area. It hauls product throughout North Carolina and surrounding states, selling to mulch yards or to power plants as burner fuel. GCLC relies on several contract truck companies, especially Terry Blythe LLC.

In September, Millsaps and crew were headed to Florida to work in cleanup efforts after Hurricane Irma.

“Different companies will be hauling the brush to a dump site, called a pit,” Millsaps says. “I move on the pit and grind the brush, and when I get done with it I move to another, and jump SLT from pit to pit.”

CBI manufactures and distributes a complete line of portable and stationary grinders, shredders, chippers, flail debarkers, and attachments for composting, forestry, biomass recovery, and woodwaste processing. Visit www.cbi-inc.com.

Maintenance Grinder maintenance no longer bogs down production. “Maintenance on it is nothing, really,” the foreman says. “I have 145 hours on it and I haven’t changed 15 teeth on it. To be honest, on the other grinder we had to change the teeth every time I turned around, and it cost a fortune.”

He continues, “That’s where your time and work often goes: changing the teeth. I’m running the smaller screen that makes the mulch a lot smaller. It should be wearing the teeth out a lot faster but the way the machine is set up, it doesn’t wear down the teeth.”

Millsaps says he demoed some other machines but liked the CBI best, in part because it is set up to allow easier access for maintenance.

Generally, he says, the crew will handle routine maintenance on the job site. “I will change oil the first time at 200 hours, then every 250 hours after that, and we will write it on the service sticker on the machine.” The company also has a shop with six full-time mechanics for bigger repair jobs on any of the machines.

The foreman is also impressed with the grinder’s fuel consumption.

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High Marks For SW Forest Products Expo

By Jordan Anderson he Hot Springs Convention Center was buzzing on August 2526 at the 2017 edition of the Southwest Forest Products Expo.

Larry Boccarossa, Executive Director of the Arkansas Timber Producers Assn. (ATPA), which has sponsored the event since its inception in 1999, indicated that most participants seemed to be upbeat. He noted that several exhibitors felt that this year’s event was the best one yet.

This year’s show attracted 53 exhibitors and some 1,700 attendees, up from the last expo held in 2013. Notable exhibitors included Mid-South Equipment (Tigercat),

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Stribling Equipment (John Deere), Crouse Truck Parts & Equipment (Barko), Riggs Cat, Alliance Tire and River Ridge Equipment. Bandit and Morbark, who both had small booth spaces in 2013, opted for larger spaces this year.

At an auction held Friday night on the show floor, ATPA raised more than $5,000 for its scholarship program. Four scholarships totaling $2,500 were also awarded. In a Log-A-Load For Kids fundraiser, Mike Pennington with L.D. Long, Inc. generated over $6,000 by raffling off a Spartan zero-turn mower.

According to Boccarossa, the expo has always been a great venue for LAL. The ATPA, in partnership

with the Arkansas Forestry Assn., has raised over $9 million for the LAL program since 1993.

“This year’s show was one of the best ones we’ve had. Every space on the show floor was full and the support from all of our exhibitors was great. I’d like to thank all of our vendors for another successful event,” Boccarossa said.

ATPA is already looking ahead to its next event. In 2015 ATPA partnered with Hatton-Brown Publishers to produce the live InWoodsExpo. The next InWoodsExpo is tentatively scheduled for 2019 in the Hot Springs area. Boccarossa said ATPA will announce plans for this show in SLT the coming months.

Loggers and their families who attended the expo represented over 10 states.

The 2017 event was another success for the ATPA.

A big crowd flooded the expo on Saturday.

The ATPA hosted a reception for attendees and vendors on Friday evening.

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People entering the expo were met with a warm welcome from the ATPA.

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Hit Hard ■ Study examines effects of the Great Recession on the logging sector in the U.S. South.

By Richard P. Vlosky, Ph.D. he “Great Recession” of 20072008 marked two consecutive years of loss in many forest products supply chain sectors, from timberland owners to sawmills and wood product manufacturers. Housing starts, the dominant demand sector for wood products, have never fully recovered. Single-family housing starts fell nearly two-thirds from their peak of 2.3 million in January 2006 to 872,000 starts in 2008, the lowest annual pace since January, 1991.

In 2007, Southern forests, known collectively as the wood basket of the nation, accounted for 58% of the total timber volume harvested in the United States.

Softwood output fell 22% and hardwood output fell 30% during the recession years. Between 2005 and 2009, the three primary forestry sectors — wood manufacturing, paper manufacturing, and forestry and logging — lost more than 110,000 jobs in the Southern United States. The Gulf South was hit hardest by the recession and has not yet recovered (see Figure 1).

Southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and southern Mississippi are still 20-35% below 2006 levels despite recent mill expansions.

Similarly, Louisiana’s 2008 total sawlog harvest decreased by 29% from 2007. Pine sawtimber harvest decreased by 30% while hardwood sawtimber harvest fell 21%. The Southern U.S. logging sector was also negatively affected by the recession with an estimated loss of 7,000 employees.

In 2016, 2,500 randomly selected logging companies were surveyed by mail in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Of these, after adjusting for undeliverable surveys, deceased survey recipients and incomplete surveys, 350 surveys were usable for a 17% response rate. Undeliverable surveys are typically companies that have gone out of business. In this study, they represented 16% of surveys mailed, accounting for an estimated loss of 3,328 jobs, and were relatively smaller firms compared to

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those that responded, averaging nine employees.

On average, respondents that weathered the recession have been in the logging business for 29 years.

Across all respondents, 39% of employees are over 50 years old; 57% are white, 33% African-American and 8% Latino or Hispanic. American Indian and Asian employees account for the balance. Regarding gender, 77% of employees are male and 23% are female. With regard to company owners/CEOs, 71% are over 50 years old and 95% are white.

The questionnaire focused primarily on what had transpired since the recession for respondent Table 1. Constraints to business operacompanies across a number tions, ranked from most important to of dimensions. According least important to 81% of respondents, the recession somewhat or sigCurrent Constraints: nificantly negatively 1. Weather impacted their logging 2. Mill quotas business. During the past 3. Inefficient operations eight years, 48% saw a 4. Road conditions reduction in employees and 5. Mill closures 35% saw a decrease in workload. More than 50% Constraints in Next Five Years: of respondents said hauling 1. Cost of replacing equipment distances from the forest to 2. Workers’ compensation costs customers increased, and 3. Low market prices for logs, pulpwood 34% changed their cus4. Health insurance costs tomer base, many attempt5. Fuel costs ing to enter export markets or provide the biomass sector small-diameter logs for products such as pellets (17% of Table 1. Respondents also were respondents). The average responasked to evaluate the significance of dents were operating at 80% of 19 variables regarding barriers they capacity. Respondents experienced expect to face in maintaining or an estimated decline in employees expanding their logging business in of 13.3% since the beginning of the the next five years. The top five recession. Relative to out-of-busimost significant issues are shown in ness firms with an average of nine Table 1. employees, current organizations Overall, 65% of respondents said had an average of 13 employees they expected to be in the logging pre-recession and have 11 employbusiness in five years while 21% ees today. said they didn’t expect to continue Those companies that made it logging. The remaining 14% were through the recession were asked to unsure. Two-thirds said they had no rank the significance of 14 possible plans to add employees in the next causes for current constrained busi- five years and an additional 28% ness operations and downtime. The said they would add only one to top five current issues are shown in three new employees over this time

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Figure 1

period. When asked about the future success and profitability of the logging sector in their respective states, only 5% of respondents were very confident that this would be the case.

Results from this study support previous work and government statistics that examined the logging industry in the South since the recession. All sectors in the forest products supply chain were negatively impacted, with many enterprises not surviving. The housing economy remains weak, and as such, the logging and wood products sectors tied to housing will remain in a holding pattern until SLT housing activity increases.

Richard P. Vlosky is director of the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center and the Crosby Land & Resources Endowed Professor of Forest Sector Business Development in the School of Renewable Natural Resources.

Acknowledgments: Funding for this study came from Crosby Land & Resources LLC, Weyerhaeuser Company, Plum Creek Timber Company, RoyOMartin Company, Hancock Timber Resource Group, the Louisiana Forestry Association and the Louisiana Logging Council. Survey instrument material and guidance provided by Bob Tjaden, University of Maryland; Dalia Abbas, University of Georgia; and Shaun Tanger, LSU AgCenter.

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Real American Men A few weeks ago, hundreds of small boats pulled by countless pickups and SUVs from across the South headed for the southeast Texas coast. Almost all of them were driven by men.

They were using their own property, sacrificing their own time, spending their own money, and risking their own lives for one reason: to help total strangers in desperate need.

Most of them were by themselves. Most were dressed like the hunters and bass fishermen they probably are. Many were veterans. Most wore well-used gimme-hats, t-shirts, and jeans; and there was also a preponderance of camo. Most were likely gun owners, and most probably voted for Trump.

These are the people the Left loves to hate—the ones Maddow mocks, the ones Maher and Olbermann just “know” they’re so much better than. These are The Quiet Ones. They don’t wear masks and tear down statues. They don’t, as a rule, march and demonstrate. And most have probably never been in a Whole Foods store.

But they spent days wading in cold, dirty water; dodging gators and water moccasins and fire ants; eating whatever meager rations were available; and sleeping wherever they could in dirty, damp clothes. Their reward consisted of the tears and the hugs and the smiles from the terrified people they helped.

What an example!

Random Boat Names

It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you place the blame. l You are not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on. l We have enough “youth.” How about a fountain of “smart.” l The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson. l A fool and his money can throw one heck of a party. l Five days a week my body is a temple. The other two it’s an amusement park. l Learn from your parents’ mistakes. Use birth control. l Don’t drink and drive. You might hit a bump and spill something. l If at first you don’t succeed, sky diving is not for you. l Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to a lack of alcohol. l We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse. l Red meat is not bad for you. Fuzzy green meat is bad for you. l Xerox and Wurlitzer will merge to produce reproductive organs. l Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity. l The latest survey shows that three out of four people make up 75% of the population. l Why is a banana like a politician? At first it is green, then yellow, then rotten. l Congressmen should wear uniforms, like NASCAR drivers, so we can identify their sponsors. l Life is short. Drink the good wine first. l

A visiting preacher was attending a men’s breakfast in Tennessee farm country. He asked one of the impressive older farmers in attendance to say grace.

The farmer began, “Lord, I hate buttermilk.”

The preacher opened one eye and wondered to himself where this was going.

Then the farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.”

Now the preacher was really worried.

Without missing a beat, the farmer prayed on: “And Lord, you know I don’t care much for raw white flour.”

Just as the preacher was ready to stand and stop everything, the farmer continued: “But Lord, when you mix ’em all together and bake ’em up, I do love fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we just don’t understand what you are sayin’ to us, we just need to relax and wait ‘till You are done mixin’, and probably it will be somethin’ even better than biscuits. Amen.”

The Importance Of Underwear The story goes that a couple drove to Walmart, only to have their car break down in the parking lot. The man told his wife to carry on with the shopping while he worked on the car.

The wife returned later to see a small group of people near the car. On closer inspection, she saw a pair of male legs protruding from under the chassis. Although the man was in shorts, his lack of underpants turned private parts into glaringly public ones. Unable to stand the embarrassment, she dutifully stepped forward, quickly put her hand up his shorts and tucked everything back into place.

She then took a deep breath and stood up boldly to face the crowd. When she looked across the hood, she found herself staring at her husband, who had been standing idly by.

The mechanic her husband had hired had to have three stitches in his forehead!

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A young woman visited her parents and brought her fiancée to meet them. After an elaborate dinner, the mother insisted her husband learn more about the young man.

The father asked: “So what are your plans?”

“I am a Torah scholar,” the young man replied.

“A Torah scholar? Hmmm,” the father said. “Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in, as she is accustomed to?”

“I will study,” the young man said, “and God will provide for us.”

“And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father.

“I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied. “God will provide for us.”

“And children?” said the father. “How will you support children?”

“Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” the scholar said.

The conversation continued like this, and each time the father questioned, the young idealist insisted that God will provide.

Later, the mother asked: “How did it go?”

The father answered: “He has no job and no plans, but the good news is he thinks I’m God.”

Bumper Sticker Selections

A Prayer About Patience

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New Definition Of God?

Holy Humor Back in the 1960s a minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of the preacher. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. “Reverend,” said the young man, “I’m so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.” The minister chuckled and said, “I know what you mean. It’s the same in my business.”

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LOGGING LIFE AT HOME

How Our Big Family Works Deborah Smith has been married to Rome, Ga. logger Travis Smith for 34 years. They have 10 children: seven by birth, three adopted from Africa, and two granddaughters. A college English major, she began home-schooling their children in 1991. Says Smith: “I love my family; I am passionate about encouraging others to keep the faith, to keep taking the next right step, no matter how hard life gets.” Visit her blog: buttercupsbloom here.blogspot.com Travis and Deborah Smith

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would like to share a few “brass tacks,” as I like to say, about how our family works, literally, with the hope that something I write may help someone who reads this.

Seven of our 10 children are at home with Travis and me. I have been a stay at home mom for 29 years, and have home-schooled the children from kindergarten through high school since 1991. Our family has lived on Travis’ salary since 1988, when I resigned from teaching.

One of the biggest blessings in our financial situation this year has been our health insurance plan. We are members of a Christian Health Care organization, Samaritan Ministries. The family premium is a little over $500 per month. The folks I have talked with about my questions and concerns have always been patient and kind. Before hanging up, they have asked if they could pray for my family. As a mama caring for children and my husband through sickness and scary situations, the calm voice on the other end of a Samaritan Ministries call is very welcome, yet it still surprises me.

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A membership to Sam’s Club is very helpful in stretching our overall budget, especially when it comes to food. The items I buy there help make simple meals. Examples are generous quantities of eggs, nacho chips, cheese dip, dry pintos, potatoes, tomato sauce, green beans, baked beans, peaches, diced tomatoes, sugar, flour, rice, toilet tissue, peanut butter, pancake syrup, rolled oats, chocolate chips, salt, and frozen corn.

All of our vehicles and our house are insured by State Farm Insurance under Travis’ name. The adult kids pay us their portion of the bill. That has saved all of us a lot of money.

When the price of beef was so high, Travis and the boys raised hogs. A friend suggested that we try ground pork—not sausage—as a substitute for ground beef. We did, and we liked it. Travis bought the feed from a wholesale place, and that saved a little money. We had the hog processed into mostly ground pork, because it’s a staple in the meals I cook for a large family—spaghetti, chili, vegetable soup, pizza, and meatloaf. We put the meat in a chest freezer that has served us well for many years.

I also learned to make bread. Homemade rolls or loaves of bread make a simple meal special. The kids love my cinnamon rolls, and they are very inexpensive to make.

We drive older cars that are paid for, and have an honest, Christian mechanic who will tell us like it is, find used parts if he can, and then tell us ahead of time when a vehicle is just not worth fixing anymore. The young adult kids with cars or trucks buy their own gas.

All our children have had jobs over the summers or after school since they were 15. They started buying most of their own clothing then, and stopped asking for any help with clothes or boots or shoes by about age 17.

I still like to give them gifts of boots and clothing, but don’t do it as much as I’d like to, and they are always thankful.

Shoes! I remember Travis asking me why all the kids needed new shoes at the same time. I laughed. I have developed a system for us and it works really well. We buy good quality leather boots for fall and winter months for everybody. In the spring and summer, I buy the children good sandals

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so they don’t have to worry with socks. To this day, my daughters wear flip-flops or sandals through the summer. The boys who are now young men wear boots year ‘round. (We get boots at the end of winter sale at great prices from Land’s End.) We shop at Goodwill. We go there with a list of what we need and are looking for, so that we are not overwhelmed at so much stuff. We try things on before bringing them home. We also accept hand-me-downs, with gratitude.

Most of our furniture over the years has been bought at yard sales, Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or has been given to us.

I have found that when my children bring their friends to the house, no one is looking for an expensive meal or anything fancy. They want conversation. They want to be listened to. They like our simple foods, and they like just being part of a group that accepts them. I think that is true for us all.

One of our daughters bought our membership to Netflix. We don’t have cable TV. Except for a very small amount, our daughters have earned scholarships, and paid and worked their way through college.

I have cut the boys’ hair for years.

We keep celebrations simple, saving decorations from year to year.

We vacation by visiting with family over short periods of time.

As a family—friends might join in, too—we like to rent a great RedBox

movie and buy ice cream by the gallon, and enjoy them both on Friday night.

I have been asked before to share some of what I have learned, and what I do as mama. I hope that this article has been helpful. This list is just some money-saving tips that we use, and the list is incomplete.

What does your logging family do to save money? Every family is different and has different needs and ideas. Would you please email me your money-saving tips, receipts, or ways that save money? I’m thinking that it would be great to compile the list one day, so that we can all be encouraged and help each other. That is the purpose of my list: I just wanted to help someone.

I cannot close this article without saying that without the grace of God, my family would not work. We have been blessed so many times, like when bags of clothes show up at our door, and the clothes fit the right child at the right time. I know that God loves us and that He watches over us. He hears us when we pray, and I believe He especially hears the prayers we pray for our kids. Everything I write or do is insignificant without God’s grace in and through everything I do.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”— SLT Matthew 6:33-34

INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP

As We See It: A Positive Change At The USFS

By Danny Dructor On August 18, the Trump Administration made the surprise announcement that Tom Tidwell, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, was Dructor retiring after 40 years at the agency. There has been much speculation on who would run the Forest Service after the President’s inauguration and the confirmation of former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture.

The timing of the announcement was notable. Tidwell left the agency during the peak wildfire season when the agency was scrambling to allocate resources and money to suppress fires. And the administration has yet to nominate a USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment, who oversees the Forest Service and is responsible for implementing the administration’s policy priorities.

There are still many unanswered questions about the direction of the Forest Service under President Trump. But the question of who will lead the agency was answered quickly. Just two days after Tidwell’s retirement announcement, Secretary Purdue named Tony Tooke as the new Chief. Tooke is a native Alabamian and a life-long Forest Service employee, most recently serving as the Regional Forester for Region 8 in the Southeast.

Perdue said Tooke “will oversee

efforts to get our forests working again, to make them more productive, and to create more jobs. His focus will be on ensuring we are good neighbors and are managing our forests effectively, efficiently, and responsibly, as well as working with states and local governments to ensure the utmost collaboration.”

Tooke has extensive experience working at the highest levels of the

Forest Service at the Washington office, having also served as Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System (NFS). He took a lead role in the implementation of a new planning rule for the NFS, and is well-versed on our complex system of federal land management.

Tooke understands how the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and other

rules and regulations affect the development and economics of projects for loggers purchasing federal timber.

It is clear that Tooke is being directed to increase timber harvests on national forests, which is especially critical to loggers in areas dominated by federal land ownership. We hope he is successful, but the American Loggers Council will continue to lobby Congress and work with the Federal Forest Resource Coalition to ensure the Forest Service receives

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adequate funding and personnel to increase the pace and scale of management activities.

We will continue to advocate for reforms such as those in the Resilient Federal Forests Act that seek to expedite projects on forests that are immediately atrisk of catastrophic wildfire, insects and disease, while reducing obstructive litigation that typically stymies the work that needs to be done. We will continue to promote the development of biomass to create more markets for wood products, and pursue opportunities in the Forestry Title of the 2018 Farm Bill that Congress must pass before it is finished.

ALC will also seek to educate Chief Tooke on the many challenges our industry is facing, especially for independent contract loggers. Most of all, we will encourage Chief Tooke to take risks, try new ways of doing business, and defy the special interests in Washington who have spent decades undermining the Forest Service’s multiple-use mandate to manage our forests for the “greatest good.”

Now that a new Forest Service Chief is in place, we urge President Trump and Secretary Perdue to install a new Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment. Leadership at this position is essential if the administration wants to achieve its goals of supporting forestry on public and private lands and protecting the future of our industry.

Dructor is Executive Vice President for the American Loggers Council, a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters and log truckers in 32 states. Visit amloggers.com or call 409-625-0206.

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Speakers Announced For Wood Bio Event Organizers of the fifth Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo announced the first wave of keynote speakers for the event to be held April 11-12, 2018 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Thomas Meth, co-founder of Enviva and Executive Vice President of sales and marketing, will address the company’s position as the world’s largest producer of wood pellets, with sales of more than 2.3 million metric tons in 2016.

William Strauss, President of FutureMetrics and perhaps the world’s leading consultant and analyst on wood pellets and biomass power, will address North America and international markets and trends.

Dr. Rich Vlosky, director of the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, will provide his highly valued update of the North America wood bioenergy and pellet industries.

Clay Crosby, partner in Twin Rivers Land & Timber, based in Hawkinsville, Ga., which may be the largest producer and supplier of raw material biomass in the Southeast U.S., will address his company’s continued growth as well as developments in in-woods biomass production and procurement.

“We’re off to a good start,” comments show Co-Chairman Rich Donnell. “We have another four keynote talks to fill, and we’re also making a serious dent into an additional 40 speaker slots that will address a range of subjects and technologies in industrial wood pellets, wood biomass power, in-woods chipping and biomass procurement.

Donnell adds that once again the segment “Chip Chip Hooray” will be included in the agenda, focusing on in-woods chipping technologies.

Hosted by Wood Bioenergy magazine every other year, the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo will feature 70 exhibitor sponsors, eight keynote talks to the general attendance and 40 presentations in three meeting rooms adjacent the exhibitor floor in the Grand Ballroom North.

The 2016 event attracted 400 industry personnel. The complete 2018 agenda will be available soon.

To become an exhibitor sponsor, e-mail: fredkurpiel@aol.com.

Manager with DelFab, Inc., welcomed River Ridge Equipment Co. as the new Phoenix DF703 fellerbuncher dealer for Arkansas and north Louisiana. DelFab is based in Gladstone, Mich. and River Ridge Equipment is based in Rison, Ark. The Phoenix DF703 fills the void for a smaller and more maneuverable feller-buncher, especially in pine plantations where operators find the three-wheeled machine to be more practical and efficient, according to Hirt. It operates with a

From left: DelFab’s Tom Hirt and River Ridge’s Marty Scudder and James Wilson

River Ridge New Dealer For Phoenix DF703 FB At the Southwest Forest Products Expo in Hot Springs, Ark. on August 25-26, Tom Hirt, Marketing Southern Loggin’ Times

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fuel-efficient Tier 3 Cummins engine. It also features improved operator comfort. The cab has new ergonomic pedals that require less foot movement and a new four-way adjustable seat accommodates the

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tallest of operators.

“We’re proud to be a part of the DelFab family. The Phoenix DF703 will have a niche in the marketplace that was left with the exit of the last three-wheeled buncher almost a

decade ago,” comments Marty Scudder, General Manager at River Ridge Equipment.

Visit delfab.com or call 214-9140132; visit riverridgeequipment.com or call 855-325-6465.

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Senator Criticizes Lumber Duties Delay Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., criticized the Commerce Department’s announcement of a two-month delay in levying final tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber that is subsidized and dumped in the United States.

“This delay creates a window for Canadian companies to ship subsidized lumber to the U.S. without paying tariffs, inviting major harm to U.S. producers and workers,” Wyden says. “I support continued negotiations to reach a lasting solution on softwood lumber, but more talks need not and should not come at the cost of not enforcing the law.”

The Dept. of Commerce announced a two-month delay in its final subsidy determination for softwood lumber from Canada, until November 14, indicating that the delay is intended to provide more time to negotiate with Canada.

U.S. Commerce earlier determined softwood lumber from Canada was subsidized and assessed duties on softwood lum-

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ber from Canada ranging 17% to 31%, and also determined that Canada was dumping softwood lumber into the U.S. 4-8% less than fair value.

The two Commerce Dept. investigations stemmed from petitions filed on behalf of the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations (COALITION) composed of U.S. companies.

Taylor Machine Works Represents Mississippi It is not every day that you get a call from the White House. Taylor Machine Works, Inc. (TMW), one of the last American manufacturers of heavy industrial lift trucks, received a call asking if Taylor would like to showcase its products at the White House. The “Made in America” event that President Trump was hosting on Monday, July 17 was having one representative from each state.

This event was a continuation of Trump’s “Putting America First” campaign. Robert Taylor, Chief Operating Officer of Taylor Machine Works, remarked, “This is a great honor for all of us at the Taylor “Big Red” team, to have one of our forklifts representing our great state of Mississippi. What a great day when our nation’s leaders salute manufacturing and those who do the manufacturing jobs in the USA.” After being elated and humbled by the experience of being chosen to represent Mississippi, the “Big Red” team began working to make this happen. Luckily, its Taylor dealer, Taylor North-

A forklift made by Taylor Machine Works, Inc. of Louisville, Mississippi, sits by the White House, representing Mississippi-made products.

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east, Inc., had a truck being rented just a few blocks away at the Smithsonian. With the help of Taylor Northeast, Inc., Taylor service rep Barry Rhodes from Taylor’s factory

direct location in Richmond, Va., Michael Cravens, a previous Taylor employee who is now Chief of Staff for Congressman Gregg Harper, and Spencer Pope, TMW Sales Engi-

neer, the truck was hand polished and made ready to move to the White House.

After a trip by the Department of Commerce, going through the

White House Security and being checked out by a bomb sniffing canine, the Taylor forklift was moved directly in front of the White House. President Trump viewed the “Big Red” machine along with the other products representing each state before making his speech.

Lex Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of the Taylor Group of Companies, commented, “It is important to (U.S.) jobs and our communities for products to be made in America. At the end of the day, if the product is built in America, then it is providing jobs for Americans.”

Along with Taylor Machine Works, Inc. celebrating this monumental event at the White House, the company based in Louisville, Miss. is also proudly celebrating 90 years in business.

Not only are 3rd and 4th generations of this company now at the helm of management, but also can be found in the Taylor employee workforce.

Provided by Taylor Machine Works and written by Kay Reynolds

GP Plans To Build Sawmill In Talladega Georgia-Pacific reports that it plans to build a $100 million sawmill in Talladega, Ala. at the site of a plywood plant that GP closed in 2008. Construction of the 300,000 sq. ft. operation is scheduled to begin immediately with an anticipated startup in late 2018.

The Talladega sawmill is the first of several new sawmills GP may construct in the South.

The mill is expected to produce 230MMBF annually, bringing in 150 log trucks daily, with plans to expand to 300MMBF. The plant will employ more than 100 and generate an estimated $5 million in annual payroll, according to GP. “The availability of talent and natural resources makes Talladega an ideal site for this new lumber production facility,” says Fritz Mason, Vice President and General Manager, Georgia-Pacific Lumber.

GP had operated the plywood mill in Talladega for more than 30 years.

“This new facility is the first of several we have in our current plan,” Mason adds. “The demand for lumber continues to improve as the housing market recovers, so we are evaluating similar investments in Georgia, Texas and Mississippi.”

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Ag Secretary Perdue Focuses On Fire Issues U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue called on Congress to

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address the way the U.S. Forest Service is funded so that the agency is not routinely borrowing money from prevention programs to combat ongoing wildfires. Perdue argued that taking

funds from prevention efforts only leaves behind more fuel in the forests for future fires to burn, exacerbating the situation.

Currently the fire suppression

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portion of the Forest Service budget is funded at a rolling 10-year average of appropriations, while the overall Forest Service budget has remained relatively flat. Because the fire seasons are longer and conditions are worse, the 10-year rolling fire suppression budget average keeps rising, chewing up a greater percentage of the total Forest Service budget each year. The agency has had to borrow from prevention programs to cover fire suppression costs.

Perdue said he would prefer that Congress treat major fires the same as other disasters and be covered by emergency funds so that prevention programs are not raided.

“Our budget has moved from 15% of fire suppression to over half,” Perdue said. “There’s no way we can do the kind of forest management and the prescribed burning and harvesting and insect control, all those kinds of things that diminish fires. Fires will always be with us. But when we leave a fuel load out there because we have not been able to get to it because of a lack of funding, or dependable funding, we’re asking for trouble.”

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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY lbs. of lift capacity.

A compact rotator allows for hoses to be contained in a single bundle between the boom and grapple, providing better hose protection. Other features include 360° continuous rotation and a fully supported rotator drive pinion gear.

The hydraulic motor is designed to maximize hydraulic flow, making each grapple exceptionally fast and

Barko Strong-Arm Grapples Barko’s new Strong-Arm grapples are designed to optimize the performance of Barko B-Series loaders. The lineup consists of three models. The 4250, 4850 and 5250 grapples have maximum openings of 42.0, 48.1 and 52.1'', respectively, with each rated for up to 50,000

productive.

The grapples are constructed of high tensile, wear-resistant steel and include hard face welding on the arm tips to extend working life. Oversized, induction-hardened pins help reduce wear to pins and bushings.

A service friendly design includes four convenient inspection plates for the grapple collector and hoses, along with 12 easily accessible grease points. Visit barko.com.

Deere Forwarders Upgrade

John Deere announced three upgrades to its forwarder line. The 1110G, 1210G and 1510G models feature new engines, control modules, simpler CAN busses and a streamlined electrical system.

A key feature on the G-Series models is adaptive driveline control, a software-based control system that improves drivability and productivity. The operator selects the desired RPM setting (Eco, Normal, Power) for the operating conditions, and the system automatically adjusts the engine’s RPMs to correspond with the engine load. In high-load situations, the new driveline control ensures that the diesel engine runs smoothly and uses the available maximum tractive force efficiently.

The new models feature a 6.8L John Deere PowerTech Plus engine, which meets the latest Stage 4/Final Tier 4 emissions regulations.

Ideal for thinning jobs, the 1110G boasts 6.6% more power and 4.1% more torque than the previous machine. Available with a short wheelbase, the rear axle on the 1110G has been moved forward by 40 cm (15.75 in.), allowing the load space to remain unchanged.

Featuring 7.6% more power and 7.8% more torque than its predecessor, the 1210G offers several load space alternative with different widths for different uses.

The 1510G machine is equipped with an engine that increases the machine power by 5.1% and torque by as much as 8.7%. More agile than the previous model, the 1510G slewing angle has been increased from 42 to 44 degrees. Visit deere.com/forwarders.

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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.

Click. Connect. Trade.

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.

www.ForesTreeTrader.com

CONTACT: Call Bridget DeVane at 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613, email bdevane7@hotmail.com or visit www.southernloggintimes.com

Logo indicates that equipment in the ad also appears on www.ForesTreeTrader.com

Hose, Fittings & Crimpers Helping Loggers Save Money For Over 20 Years 8309

Contact: Chris Alligood 1-252-531-8812 email: chrisa.cavalierhose@gmail.com

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.

WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS

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www.ForesTreeTrader.com

Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com 1123 6288

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2290

FINAN C AVAILA ING BLE

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www.equipmentandparts.com

Office : 903-238-8700 • Jason Bruner: 903-452-5290 Bill Bruner: 903-235-2805 H REDUCED PRICES H

SKIDDERS

2011 John Deere 648H Skidder – 10,600 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! $89,500

2008 John Deere 648H Skidder – 9,300 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! $78,000

FELLER BUNCHERS

MULCHERS

2012 Cat 573C Mulcher – New FAE 200/U225 Tx Smooth Drum, 2 Speed Mulching Head, New high pressure pump and hoses, 240 Hp Cat 7.1 Engine, Cab with air, Ready to work! 400 hours since conversion from a Feller Buncher. Rent to own W.A.C...$185,000

2017 Barko 930B Mulcher – FAE 300/U-225 smooth drum, 2 speed mulching head, 320 HP Cummins QSL9 engine, 28L tires, Rental purchase available.......................................... $369,500

2008 Deere 753J Feller Buncher STK# LT151267; 4,395 hrs $129,000

2012 Deere 643K Feller Buncher STK# LT646029; 4,246 hrs $69,000

2012 Deere 437D Knuckleboom Loader STK# LT238102; 10,174 hrs $58,000

2012 OT Chambers Delimbinator STK# LTD10326; 3,715 hrs $48,000

2012 Timberjack 648H Skidder STK# LR649591; 8,071 hrs $190,000

2014 Deere 848H Skidder STK# LT655945; 6,687 hrs $131,000

2015 Deere 748H Skidder STK# LT665117; 4,359 hrs $168,000

2015 Deere 948L Skidder STK# LT668850; 2,796 hrs $190,000

2016 Deere 648L Skidder STK# LT674682; 3,197 hrs $183,000

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2015 Cat 573C Feller Buncher – 3,126 hours, SC-57 Saw Head, 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Ready to work!....$139,500

2013 John Deere 210G LC Mulcher – NEW FAE UML/S/EX-150 VT mulching head, 159 HP 6.8 engine, Good U/C, Ready to work! Rent to own W.A.C .................................................$165,000

LOADERS

2005 Timberking TK350 Feller Buncher – 9,100 hours, Waratah FD22 Saw Head, 28L tires, Cat engine with new injectors, Ready to work!........... $52,500

2012 Tigercat 234 Log Loader - 8,000 hours, Mounted on hydraulic leg trailer with Riley Delimber, Cab with cold air, Tight pins, No leaks, Serviced and ready to work! .....................................$92,500

2004 John Deere 843H Feller Buncher – Wartah FD22 Saw Head, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Ready to work! .............................. Reduced to $52,500

2008 Prentice 2384 Log Loader – 7,500 hours, Trailer mounted with CTR 426 delimber, Cab with air, Cummins engine, Ready to work! ............ $79,500 Visa and Mastercard accepted

Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.

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FOR SALE

EQUIPMENT LIQUIDATION

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• 2012 John Deere 843K Feller Buncher, 5,400 hrs., new front tires, back tires-60%, great condition...................................$107,000 2011 John Deere 648H Single Arch, winch, • 1995 John 30.5 tires; clean & dry....................$62,500 Deere 748G skidder, good condition, new motor, spare tire included...... POR

• 1993 RD truck, recent overhaul, Good 2010 CAT 559B, CTR delimber, Rotobec condition! ............ $12,500 4552 grapple, new main pump.......$82,500 • 1998 CH Truck, New cam and lifters, Great shape, Owner driven... $25,000

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2008 John Deere 648H TC dual arch, 500 • 2003 CH hrs. on engine; winch, 44 truck, Great tires, SWEDA axles......................... $52,500 condition— Located at Gatesville, NC Ready to roll, Air ride, Owner driv- Call or Text Charles • 252-945-0942 en.........$25,000 • 1999 Service truck, complete fuel and air ready....................................... $4,500

• Koehring 20 inch sawhead......$4,500

FOR SALE

706-314-2530

13440

IF YOU NEED

To buy or sell forestry, construction, utility or truck equipment, or if you just need an appraisal, contact me, Johnny Pynes with JM Wood Auction. Over 25 2009- 535C CAT, dual arch & winch, cold air, good tires, nice job ready skidder years experience.

..........................................................$65,000

13288

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Day 334-312-4136 Night 334-271-1475 or Email: johnwpynes@knology.net

2006 Tigercat 230B Knuckleboom Loader

2005- Tigercat 720D, center polst saw, stick steer, new engine, 28Ls, VERY NICE... $67,500

.......... $29,500

Tigercat 720C

3,433 hours, 40% tires ......................$29,500 We now have Babac single ring chains in stock

TED SMITH

5840 Hwy 36, Russellville, AL Home: 256-766-8179 • Office: 256-766-6491 Fax: 256-766-6962 • Cell: 256-810-3190

KEVIN MONTGOMERY 256-366-1425

Bell Ultra C Feller Buncher, 18" Koehring saw, recent new Cummins power.............. $30,000

Located in Maplesville, Alabama

Call or Text Zane 334-518-99373939 Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.

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FOR SALE

• Weigh boy scales, used 6 months....................$12,500 obo • 94 450C double arch skidder, 9,000 hrs.................$20,000 obo 256-479-5036 3034

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Cat 518 & Cat 518C skidders in TX, LA area Call Kent 936-699-4700 r_kentjones@yahoo.com

4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185

6209

4433

13267

Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.

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1845

FOR SALE

912-687-6887

13436

2003 Tigercat 822 Feller Buncher New under carriage, trirail and new interior Call Bill

Visit us online: southernloggintimes.com Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.

Vine Pulls Dead Tree Onto Timber Cutter BACKGROUND: On a warm summer morning in the steep hills of the Appalachians, a timber cutter was felling hardwood trees in a small, brushy clear-cut.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The cutter was a 41-year-old trained feller with over twenty years of experience. He was wearing protective saw pants, hard hat, eye protection and safety boots.

UNSAFE ACTS AND CONDITIONS: The cutter was felling a tulip poplar that stood well above a dense canopy of saplings in the understory. He was unable to see the overstory clearly. He did not notice that a grapevine was connecting the top of the tree to another dead tree uphill from him. As the poplar tree began to fall downhill, the cutter stepped to the right slightly while looking downhill. He did not move far enough from the stump.

ACCIDENT: As the cutter released the poplar tree, the vines in the top of the tree pulled the dead tree downhill, hitting the cutter in the back and head and slamming him to the ground. He had not seen or heard

the dead tree fall. Fortunately, a freshly cut stump absorbed much of the dead tree’s force just before it struck him. This buffering probably kept the tree from killing him.

INJURY: The dead tree crushed two of his vertebrae, broke four ribs, and gave him a concussion. Med flight took him to the hospital, where he received two 16-inch rods in his back and multiple clips and screws.

The logger was off work for nearly nine months during his recovery.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: 1) Use extra caution when cutting trees in a dense canopy; take extra time to look for dead trees, vines, and other overhead hazards. Look up and around and through the forest canopy first.

2) Remove dead trees or other “danger trees” with the skidder before beginning manual felling in the immediate vicinity.

3) Do not remain at the stump after the tree is released, but retreat a safe distance in a diagonal direction away from the tree’s intended direction of fall. (One insurance company’s informal research found that

over 75% of logging fatalities occurred within 8 feet of the stump.)

4) When overhead visibility is limited, use other trees as shield

trees if they are available.

5) Hard hats save lives!

Supplied by Forest Resources Assn.

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A D L I N K ●

ADVERTISER Accu-Ways American Logger’s Council American Truck Parts Bandit Industries Barko Hydraulics Big John Trailers BITCO Insurance BKT USA Carter Enterprises Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Chambers Delimbinator Continental Biomass Industries John Deere Forestry Doggett Machinery Service Eastern Surplus Employer’s Underwriters Equipment & Parts Flint Equipment Forest Chain Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment Global Import & Export Services Hawkins & Rawlinson Industrial Cleaning Equipment Interstate Tire Service Ironmart Kaufman Trailers Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Magnolia Trailers Maxi-Load Scale Systems Moore Logging Supply Morbark Olofsfors Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Prolenc Manufacturing Puckett Machinery Quadco Equipment Quadco-Southstar Equipment Quality Equipment & Parts River Ridge Equipment Southern Insurance Southern Loggers Cooperative Stribling Equipment Team Safe Trucking Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries TraxPlus Trelan Manufacturing VPG Onboard Weighing W & W Truck & Tractor Wallingford’s J M Wood Auction

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PHONE NO.

35 42 36 3 17 5 40 21 23 25 40 27 11 48 44 44 48 19 36 47 2 36 44 12 37 48 49 32 43 41 45 46 44 10,28-29 55 18 56 38 51 39 20 52 33 39 42 50 38 50 1,7 31 13 19 43 38,42 16

912.375.9131 409.625.0206 888.383.8884 800.952.0178 715.395.6700 800.771.4140 800.475.4477 888.660.0662 205.351.1461 919.550.1201 800.533.2385 603.382.0556 800.503.3373 225.368.2224 855.332.0500 256.341.0600 903.238.8700 404.691.9445 800.288.0887 803.708.0624 800.849.7788 800.284.9032 901.833.1347 888.822.1173 910.231.4043 864.947.9208 888.561.1115 866.497.7803 800.766.8349 800.467.0944 800.738.2123 877.265.1486 888.754.5613 800.831.0042 519.754.2190 800.269.6520 800.321.8073 877.563.8899 601.969.6000 800.668.3340 800.668.3340 386.754.6186 855.325.6465 601.932.4541 318.445.0750 800.682.6409 910.733.3300 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 601.635.5543 877.487.3526 541.937.2070 843.761.8220 800.323.3708 800.447.7085

ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.

COMING EVENTS October 3-5—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Holiday Inn Airport, Little Rock, Ark. Call 501374-2441; visit arkforests.org.

4-6—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Hilton Riverside, Wilmington, NC. Visit ncforestry.org.

10-12—Mississippi Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Golden Nugget, Biloxi, Miss. Call 601-354-4936; visit msforestry.net.

18-20—Southern Forest Products Assn. annual meeting, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort, Bonita Springs, Fla. Call 504-4434464; visit sfpa.org.

25-27—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, DoubleTree by Hilton, Memphis, Tenn. Call 615883-3832; visit tnforestry.com.

25-27—Texas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Fredonia, Nacogdoches, Tex. Call 936-632-8733; visit texasforestry.org.

25-27—National Hardwood Lumber Assn. Annual Conv. & Exhibit Showcase, Omni Downtown Nashville, Nashville, Tenn. Call 901-377-1818; visit nhla.com.

November 1-3—Forestry Association of South Carolina annual meeting, Hyatt

Regency, Greenville, SC. Call 803798-4170; visit scforestry.org.

January 2018 9-10—Missouri Forest Products Assn. winter meeting, Capitol Plaza, Jefferson City, Mo. Call 573634-3252; visit moforest.org.

17-20—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, JW Marriott, Marco Island, Fla. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org.

February 2018 9-11—South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. annual meeting, DoubleTree by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront, Myrtle Beach, SC. Call 803-957-9919; visit scloggers.com.

March 2018 21-23—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. National Conference & Expo, Hyatt Regency Greenville, Greenville, SC. Call 412-2440440; visit hmamembers.org.

April 2018 16-18—Forest Resources Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, La. Call 202-2963937; visit forestresources.org.

May 2018 18-19—Expo Richmond 2018, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.

Listings are submitted months in advance.

Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

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