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Vol. 43, No. 3

(Founded in 1972—Our 498th Consecutive Issue)

F E AT U R E S

MARCH 2014 A Hatton-Brown Publication

Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525 www.southernloggintimes.com

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Dennis Wall Ahead Of The Game

Redfern And Sons Staying On Top

out front:

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Co-Publisher Co-Publisher Chief Operating Officer Executive Editor Editor-in-Chief Western Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Production Manager Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director

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

ADVERTISING CONTACTS DISPLAY SALES

Arkansas brothers Reggie and Chris Goodman are second generation loggers and happy to be a team. Story begins on Page 8.

(Jessica Johnson photo)

Diamond G Bringing Turpentine Back

Eastern U.S. Kathy Sternenberg Tel: 251-928-4962 • Fax: 251-990-9409 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 Western Canada, Western USA

D E PA RT M E N T S Southern Stumpin’. . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Industry News Roundup . . . . . 32 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 IronWorks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 At The Margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Coming Events/Ad Index . . . . . 46

Tim Shaddick Tel: 778-822-1826 • Fax: 604-264-1367 4056 West 10th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6L 1Z1 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca International Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 Fax: +34 96 640 4022 Aldea de las Cuevas 66 Buzon 60 • 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

Bridget DeVane Tel: 1-800-669-5613 • Fax: 334-834-4525

Southern Logginʼ 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 nonqualified 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—TOLLFREE 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 Logginʼ 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 Logginʼ Times. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2014. 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 Logginʼ Times, P.O. Box 5613, Montgomery, AL 36103-5613 Member Verified Audit Circulation

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

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SOUTHERN STUMPIN’

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

Logger Innovation I

’m a big movie guy. I enjoy watching movies, I keep up with movie industry news, and if I could I’d love to make movies (you know, if I had any discernable talent). Every year Hollywood turns out blockbusters that make a big splash, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars, and sometimes in the billions worldwide. Still, those movies cost so much to make that many of them barely break even. They say that sometimes, the smaller movies with smaller budgets, even though they gross a lot less, actually profit a lot more. It can sometimes be the same way with loggers.

In this month’s installments of both At The Margins (page 28) and As We See It (page 32), there are mentions of the oft-cited need for loggers to maximize efficiency. In a lot of ways, the companies featured in this issue have found creative ways to do just that, improving profit potential and strengthening their businesses by doing little things a little differently. These are people who think outside the box.

South Carolina’s Dennis Wall, whose story begins on page 14, has developed a special flipbolster on lightweight trailers to let him haul more payload within the legal weight range. The Redfern family of Tennessee (page 20) keeps debt and overhead down. Georgia’s Diamond G Forest Products (page 26) looked at a dormant domestic turpentine industry and saw opportunity.

According to Tommy Carroll, Executive Director of the Southeastern Wood Producers Assn., Ken Sheppard of Vidalia, Ga. is another example of just such an out-of-the-box type logger who looked at a problem and found a way around it. As I’m sure many of you know, it is

not legal to transport more than 119 gallons of fuel without a hazmat permit, unless the fuel is in separate, unconnected containers. Obviously, this is a strain on those working in the forestry and agricultural fields. Tired of getting pulled over and threatened with fines, Sheppard became inspired. As a solution, he has developed his own fuel transport system. He started building the system just for his own use but soon realized it could be useful to others.

Sheppard, a former Georgia Logger of the Year (and a feature article subject in Southern Loggin’ Times in March 2011), has applied for and received patent pending (evidently it takes a few years to get final approval for the full patent number). He has partnered with Albany-based LMC-AG (Lewis M. Carter Agriculture) to manufacture and market the innovation. They’ve already sold two units, both to farmers, and presented the diesel hauling trailer at farm shows in the South in February. They’re also making it available to the logging community. The first logger to buy one was Charles Hill of Hill Logging of Jeffersonville, Ga.

Approval Sheppard built three prototype versions himself before taking his plans to the Georgia Dept. of Public Safety and Dept. of Transportation.

They inspected the prototypes and gave it their seal of approval.

Members of the DPS were enthusiastic in their support for the project, calling repeatedly to see when it would be ready. “As long as it is on

Logger Ken Sheppard, inset, relies on LMC-AG to make and market his fuel system.

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DOT-approved trailers with lights, he said it’s legal and will keep the DPS off our backs,” Sheppard says. “We won’t have to have a hazardous material permit so long as it’s not over 1,000 gallons. That’s a federal law, not jut Georgia.” In October last year Sheppard got the patent pending number and informed the DPS that he could start selling. “They said that’s what they wanted to know.”

Sheppard says the DPS was very helpful and instrumental in getting this off the ground. The DPS spent hours one Friday measuring it and when finished, one of the sergeants, Mike Hatcher, said it was legal and to build them. His contacts at the DPS put him in touch with Lewis M Carter, who was interested and soon agreed to the manufacture it.

Design The tanks are in compliance with 49-CFR 173.150 (F), which allows users to haul fuel over 119 gallons combined total without having CDL and hazmat endorsement. So class C drivers license and medical card are the only things required to legally haul this tank. Sheppard and the manufacturer, LMC-AG, offer three sizes of tanks: a 315 (three tanks), 630 (six tanks) and 945-gallon (nine tanks). The design allows for up to nine separate tanks with capacity of up to 105 gallons each to connect to a single pump. A quick coupler connects to each one as the last one is emptied. They offer it as a tank ready to mount on trailer or as a whole unit with a trailer.

For its part, LMC-AG says it is “trying to fulfill a need in the logging and agricultural market.” They offer the tanks either as individual units or on running gears to allow towing. They offer 20-25 gallon per minute pumps along with the units.

The running gears are made from mild steel channel (8 in. on the 630 and 945 gallon units, and 6 in. on the 315). They use heavy-duty Torflex axles with eight lug hubs. Each trailer comes with one axle with brakes and emergency brake box.

Trailer lights come with a seven-way plug. You can order your trailer with any one of a variety of hitches, such as drop pin, pintle eye, and a 2-5⁄16 in. ball hitch. The trailers come with highway rated, DOT-approved tires, size ST235/80R16 load range E, and include tread plate fender wells over the tires. A basket is included on the front of each trailer for whatever you need (spare chain, etc.).

DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) tanks are available; DEF tanks, according to LMC-AG, will likely be required for all diesel tanks in the next year due to stricter emissions standards.

To find out more, contact Ken Sheppard at 912-245-9180 or email kshepp@att.net or call SLT the LMC-AG office at 229-639-1775.

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All Smiles ■ Second generation loggers Chris and Reggie Goodman always look on the bright side.

By Jessica Johnson MONTICELLO, Ark. he Goodmans are the type of family you want to have ★ over for dinner. Since they’re constantly smiling, it’s hard to imagine brothers Chris and Reggie ever having a bad day. They assure SLT that those days happen, but with a wide smile, older brother Chris says, “When you’ve got multiple breakdowns, it’s time to call it quits on the day and go on home.”

Reggie smiles and says that logging is all they’ve ever known and they wouldn’t want to do anything else, even on breakdown days. Chris

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The Goodmans run all Tigercat equipment, with the exception of this Barko 225 loader. Loads are trimmed using a Stihl pole saw.

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The Goodmans run two loaders, finding that using one loader to delimb and one loader to load trucks is more productive.

and Reggie are second generation loggers. In fact, Chris tells the story of remembering, albeit vaguely, Reggie and his twin sister Regina coming out to the woods and getting their diapers changed while mom Martha ran a chain saw. It’s this type of work ethic, and large family— Chris and Reggie are two of six— that has made Goodman’s Logging a notable fixture in southern Arkansas.

Reggie and Chris rarely fight. “We weren’t raised that way. Most brothers and sisters, they do fight, but not

us,” Chris says. Reggie concurs, looking at his slightly taller, big brother, smiling, “We don’t fight with each other, but if someone comes after us, we take up for each other.”

Reggie handles the office, paperwork side of the business, and works on the job. Chris drives a truck and fills in on the crew where needed. He also does most of the repair work.

“When people ask who the boss is, we usually say there isn’t a boss,” Chris explains. They each have their

jobs, and know what they are supposed to do. “One of the things that keeps the woods running smoothly is working as a team. It makes the day go quicker,” Reggie says. Though they might not fight, they do tease one another in a friendly manner, as everyone knows, when you’re constantly around your siblings, you never really grow up.

“This is all we’ve ever done,” Chris says. “We’ve decided to stick with it.” So far it has worked for them. The brothers do not buy their

The Goodman’s Logging, LLC crew, from left, Reggie Goodman, Damon Spencer, Francisco Campos, Karron Trotter, Chris Goodman and Rodney Swift

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own timber, electing to contract harvest through L.D. Long in Monticello, Ark. under Mike Pennington.

Pennington has nothing but praise for the way the Goodmans perform, not being able to hide the smile.

There must be something in the water on the Dodge service truck in the corner, because all the crew, on a blistery summer day, has smiles on their faces.

“Fighting the heat is the hardest part of the job,” Chris says, “Probably the biggest thing besides the

heat is the winter weather. Other than that we can’t complain.”

Gratitude After spending a late morning with the Goodmans and their crew of four—Francisco Campos, Karron Trotter, Rodney Swift and Damon Spencer—it became obvious why they’re always smiling. Everyone is grateful to be out there, not in the sense that they’re extremely grateful to be working, though that definitely

could be a reason, but they’re happy with the culture the Goodmans have created. Everyone on the crew is in their 40s, and is a Christian.

“We just try to come out here and work, not mix it up too much,” Chris says. He is a pastor at Holland Chapel AME Church. “I started preaching in 2003 and I became a pastor in 2004.

I’m still a pastor,” he says. God is very important to the Goodmans.

Reggie adds, “God is our main focus and without Him all this would be impossible. We truly love the Lord. I

love seeing people be blessed and love being a blessing to people.”

With that kind of faith, it’s easy to see why they are always smiling.

“We’ve done real good. Each one of the crew has a family and they depend on us. We’ve got people to take care of, so they can take care of their families. Everybody works together; that’s why we can smile all the time. You think you might be doing bad, but there’s always someone worse,” Reggie says.

It’s important to Reggie that he does what he considers to be right by the crew, offering production bonuses and health insurance.

“Times can be hard and insurance keeps them (employees) from having a big bill hanging over their head. So, if they have to go to the doctor, they can go.” Goodman’s Logging offered health insurance before the Affordable Care Act went into effect.

“We felt like it was something we should look into,” Reggie explains. After weighing options and seeing that insurance wouldn’t be too out of the question for the company, the Goodmans went for it.

Equipment Lineup The Goodmans grew up on John Deere machines, but have recently switched to all Tigercat iron.

“Tigercat seems to be a tough machine,” Chris says, “Real dependable, built to last.” Everything is Tigercat except what the trucks are loaded with, which is a Barko. Currently, Goodman’s Logging runs a 2007 720E fellerbuncher, a 2007 620C skidder, a 2012 234 loader with a CSI ground saw and the Barko 225 loader.

Tigercat equipment is purchased through MidSouth Equipment in Warren, Ark. The Goodmans deal with salesman Jason McDaniel.

“He’s one of the good guys,” Reggie says.

“We don’t have any John Deere equipment, but we buy hydraulic hoses there, to try to do business with them,” Reggie says, in reference to Stribling Equipment, in Monticello. “We do it that way so we can spread our business around.

We try to do business with everybody,” he continues. Between the smile, and this positive attitude, it’s easy to see why the Goodmans have such a positive reputation.

The Goodmans don’t have any current plans for an upgrade.

“Everything’s in pretty good shape,” Chris says, laughing, “We’ll run it until the accountant says it’s time to get a new piece.”

Most everything the crew could need is on the 2500 Dodge Ram service truck with 5x16 ft. Texas Bragg trailer: air grease gun, tools, 200 gallon diesel tank and water 10

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Goodman’s Logging averages 12 to 13 loads a day on thinning jobs.

cooler. “Everything we need is on there,” Chris says with a shrug.

Replacing a hose requires a trip to town, but otherwise, all maintenance is pulled in-woods.

Fuel, oil and grease are purchased at O&M Oil Co. in Monticello. Parts are purchased at Bumper To Bumper Auto Parts. Reggie says this change was forced when NAPA in Monticello closed its doors. Some parts are purchased at Tri State Truck Center in Little Rock, Ark. and at Tucker’s Truck in El Dodrado, Ark. Machine parts are also purchased at the Tigercat dealer.

The operation’s shop and office are located at Reggie’s house in Monticello, not far from where the crew normally works. Pennington tries to keep them on diverse tracts,

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which is one of the elements Chris likes most about logging.

“It’s just fun. It’s kind of like a kid in a candy store. There’s so many candies to chose from in moving from job to job—you’re in a different environment every so often instead of working in a plant where you go into the same place every day for twenty years,” Chris says.

“Sometimes we will get on quota.

They may slow us down, but they never completely shut us down,” he says about the mills they deliver to.

Most wood is taken to Potlatch in Warren. Goodman’s Logging averages 12 to 13 loads per day on thinning jobs and 14 to 18 loads per day on clear-cuts, depending on the type of logs.

The Goodmans do all their own

trucking under Goodman’s Logging, LLC. The fleet includes a total of four trucks, three CH Macks and one Western Star. Three trucks are used full time, while one is kept as a spare.

The spare is set up to run at all times, however, so if a trucker needs to, he can just hitch up and go, without missing a beat. All three Macks are identical, purchased from various places. Like many these days, price matters to the Goodmans. “We buy where we can find a good one,” Chris says.

Mack parts are also purchased at Tri State Truck Center and Tucker’s Truck. Western Star parts are purchased at Glover Truck, Inc. in Little Rock. Trucks go to a cardlock to be serviced and refueled at O&M SLT Oil Co.

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Innovative Operator ■ Dennis Wall likes to do things his way, the old-fashioned way, with a few new twists.

By David Abbott EDGEFIELD, SC ★ oggers are often resourceful, able to come up with their own sometimes unique improvised solutions to the multitudinous problems they face, constantly tweaking the minute details to gain greater efficiencies. Sometimes the improvements appear simple, but can be very effective in achieving significant results. Dennis Wall, 59, owner of Mountain View Farms, Inc., is certainly an example of this.

Case in point: Wall had his welder modify an existing Big John trailer, a 2010 model, with a design he had for a flip bolster. He then sent pictures of it to Big John and they built a second one for him a year ago. The added bolster can be flipped up to convert the half-plantation trailer to a double bunk. The option, he says, allows him to haul 3,000 lbs. more per trip on those super light duty trailers.

“The plantation trailer in South Carolina is a magnet for the State Transport Police to notice you,” Wall says. Because he hauls a lot of light poles, full plantation trailers don’t suit his needs because the load drops down too far. The legal gross weight (tractor, trailer and load) for unmanufactured forest products on intrastate roads in South Carolina is 84,272 lbs., so this helps him maximize his loads. The first two trailers have worked out so well he plans to add a third soon. “With the extra weight, they pay for themselves.”

Wall also fabricated a 61 ft. measuring table with stainless steel numbers at intervals to mark each length.

The numbers won’t rust and are always clearly visible against the darker metal of the frame. He also designed his limbing gate 20 ft. wide with the first cross member 4 ft. from the bottom so as to make stems easier to back through it. He also converted an old fuel drum to a mobile shed with a wood-burning stove in the back. It stores firewood, keeps chain saws and other items dry, and gives the men a warm shelter during breaks when the weather is bad.

Since 1980, Wall has insisted that all cutter tires face the back of the machine. “You are empty before

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Wall rarely uses contractors, hauling everything with three truck/trailer combos and a spare.

you cut your first tree. You get a full load and you have to back up, so you need traction that way, with treads facing to the rear.” This is especially true, he adds, when cutting in very wet conditions.

Equipment, Maintenance Equipment on the crew is a mixture of brands. A 2007 Tigercat 240B Tigercat loader mounted on a

Kodiak trailer with hydraulic outriggers teams with a 426 CTR delimber and CSI groundsaw. It sorts production cut by a 2007 Caterpillar 563 feller-buncher. Wall uses three skidders: 2004 John Deere 648G-III, ’99 Deere 548G-III and ’92 Timberjack 450C fitted with swamp tires. He also keeps a fourth tractor, a ’91 Timberjack 450B, as backup. Wall runs 30.5 tires on the skidders but 28s on the

He also designed this flip bolster to convert half plantation trailers to double bunks.

MARCH 2014 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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cutter because he says 30.5 is too tall when felling on hills and skins too many of the leave trees.

Four trucks make up his hauling capacity: 1985 Kenworth with White trailer, 1986 Autocar with White trailer, 1999 Peterbilt with Big John flip bolster trailer and 2009 Western Star with Big John flip bolster trailer. Two Ford F350 service trucks, a Johnson lowboy and 65E Komatsu dozer round out the equipment roster.

On the job site, Wall runs the cutter. Normally he uses three of his four skidders, for now he keeps only two men driving skidders full time and two others on the deck with Husqvarna chain saws to deal with the number of sorts. C.D. Padgett, formerly a loader man, retired two years ago but got bored and now comes back on the job as needed. James Moss now mans the loader. Allen (Mooney) Gilyard, Edward Jackson and Walt Hicks are normally on skidder duty, but on this tract Jackson and Hicks are manning chain saws while Padgett is filling in on a skidder. Truck drivers include Robert Nelson, 69, a Vietnam vet, along with Keith Bur-

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den and Johnny James Moore. Normally those three handle all hauling needs, with contractors brought in sparingly. The fourth truck/trailer combo is kept as backup to keep wood moving if a truck goes down.

As much as possible, Wall prefers—insists, really—to avoid computerization in his equipment.

That’s one reason he resists buying many newer machines; the fellerbuncher is his only machine with a computer. “If I can help it, I will rebuild one the way I want,” he says. “I don’t want computers in them. One broke wire and the machine is down for five hours. I don’t want that.”

Instead of replacing older machines, he prefers to rebuild.

“Older stuff is simple to work on.

Take that Timberjack 450C I purchased from a logger who was 77 and retiring. I took out the control valves that came on it, put commercial valves in the grapple and steering.” In the Timberjack 450B, which he purchased from his mom when she ran W.V. Wall and Sons, he put in a commercial valve and didn’t have to replace a spool valve or anything between sections for nine and a half years. Prior to that, he’d had to replace O-rings between sections every six months.

The loader he also bought from his mother, and he didn’t realize the cutter would come with a computer system. Everything else he bought from other loggers, not from dealers. He had intended to buy another loader soon from Jamey Smith’s AllWood in Washington, Ga., but has decided against it until the quota situation lets up. “With the economy like it is, no, I’m not going that route.”

The second weekend of each month is set aside for maintenance on everything in the woods. Trucks go to Davenport Willingham in Newberry for service every 15,000 miles. He keeps a pickup there so the driver can drop the rig off on its designated service weekend, drive the pickup home, then pick it back up Monday morning. In May 2011 the State Transport Police wanted to inspect the records for Wall’s trucks. He only had to pull the file from Davenport Willingham, which keeps detailed records on all work done to each truck. Kunkle Tires in Newberry supplies truck tires.

Mountain View Farms also keeps its own detailed records. “My wife does a wonderful job with all the paperwork, apportionment tags, mileage,” Wall says. Truck drivers keep up with miles per day and miles per load, and turn that information in to her at the end of every week. They fill out a safety checklist for each truck daily. “If it’s not time for service but we know there’s a problem we take it to Dav-

biggest costs. “There’s no sulfur in offroad fuel anymore, so Tigercat sent a notice in November to keep boom and blade down to the ground when filling up, so as not to create static electricity and cause an explosion,” he notes.

Active Participant Left to right: Johnny Moore, C.D. Padgett, Keith Burden, Edward Jackson, James Moss, Walt Hicks, Alan Gilyard, Dennis Wall

Wall normally runs three skidders full-time and keeps one spare.

He insists that cutter tires face the rear to get better traction.

enport Willingham and pick up a spare truck and trailer.” Besides keeping up with the paperwork, Dianne has 25 mammoth donkeys and 100 head of cattle at Mountain View Farms.

When it comes time for repair jobs beyond Wall’s capabilities, he looks to Tommy Martin of Wilkes County, Ga., a former Tidewater

mechanic at what was then the company’s Washington branch. This can include, for example, center pins, hydraulic pumps and installing new motors. If Martin is too busy, then Wall will take a machine to dealers Flint Equipment or Yancey Bros.

While the price of equipment and tires keep going up, Wall maintains that fuel remains one of the

Wall was an early board member of the South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. and was actively involved in its inception. “He took the leap of faith to hire me to run SCTPA,” executive director Crad Jaynes recalls. He was also the first recipient of the SCTPA Logger Activist Award, bestowed at the first SCTPA annual meeting in January 2000.

Recalling how the organization was birthed, Wall says that at the time he was head of the National Timber Festival in Saluda, and one day after the festival parade he was talking to the late Jimmy Watkins who suggested that they should get area loggers together, so they organized some meetings. Back then he did a lot of work for Champion in nearby Georgia, so he started attending some of the Georgia/ Florida association meetings in Perry. The area meetings continued, eventually expanding to incorporate loggers from the rest of the state, and this evolved into the SCTPA. The state is divided into nine areas, each one sending a representative to serve on the board of directors. Wall was elected to the board in the second year. When the first representative from his area decided not to serve again after the end of his one-year term, Wall ran for and won the position, serving for eight consecutive terms. In the year since stepping down he has remained closely involved.

Among the successes SCTPA has achieved, Wall points to changes in CPR/first aid requirements in the woods. At one time everyone on a logging crew had to be certi- ➤ 18

Merchandising is a key focus for Wall’s crew, with utility poles sorted from even second thinnings at the loader.

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fied, which was a headache. Now, two employees must be certified for crews of eight, three for crews of 12 and four for crews with more than 12 members.

Soon, he hopes the group can in some way address a situation in which some mills only take delivery of hardwood one day a week, resulting in trucks backed up and waiting as long as six hours to be unloaded. “Everybody stacks hardwood all week and tries to get it in that day, and on a three-lane road it

backs up a mile,” he says. “It’s very cost-inefficient for the logger.”

Market Quota has been a limiting factor since mid-January due to soft demand, and has applied to all the loggers in the area. “The mills just can’t sell it,” Wall says. “It’s been so cold up north, they can’t build, and there is not a lot going on in the south with the economy. Hopefully when the weather breaks it will pick up.”

Even poles have been on quota at South Carolina Pole and Piling in Leesville. Ply logs and chip-n-saw go 50 miles to Georgia Pacific in Prosperity. He sends his better quality pulpwood, 5 in. diameter and up, to Norbord OSB in Joanna, while smaller pine pulp and hardwood pulp go to International Paper in Silverstreet.

The tract he was working when Southern Loggin’ Times visited in February didn’t price high enough for IP, so it went to West Fraser in

Newberry. “I just cut the wood, I don’t buy it,” he explains. “Whoever pays the most gets it and that’s who I haul to.” Piedmont Pulp in Laurens is his timber dealer, and Wiley Fork Creek the landowner for this tract. This is the fourth consecutive winter he’s worked on this sandy property, as it’s been too wet to work in clay; he’s also worked the sandy lands last summer due to excessive rain.

When hauling to West Fraser he has three sorts: 10/6, 12/8 and 15/8 butt/top diameter. G-P, meanwhile, has only two sorts for him: chipnsaw or ply logs. He is also separating poles 26, 31, 36 ft. A 10.5-13 in. butt will be a 26-36 ft. pole, he says; anything above that will be a 46 or a 51 ft. pole. On one tract he hauled 12 loads of poles that were over 90 ft., with only six or seven logs per load. Because his trailers are only long enough to carry 70 ft. and under, he had to use trailers from the mill. Merchandising is a key factor. “We merchandise the heck out of the wood,” Wall says. They pick out light poles on second thinnings, not marked by the forester, just on their own at the loader.

History Wall grew up in the business. His father, W.V. Wall, started logging before he was born, in 1954. After graduating from Landa College in Greenwood with a business degree and teaching certificate (he did his practice teaching at Greenwood High School), he drove a truck for about six months before starting to work in the woods with his dad, felling with chain saws and later manning a 230 Timberjack with directional shear mounted on it. In 1977 they purchased a 311 HydroAx with a mounted directional shear. He ran that for five years, until replacing it with a Hydro-Ax 511. Back then the company was called W.V. Wall and Sons, because both he and his brother Billy worked with their father. They continued to work for him and then for their mother Blandena, who ran the company after W.V.’s death.

Blandena decided to sell out and retire before she turned 80, so Wall bought the crew he now runs, including much of his equipment, from her in December 2009, and Billy purchased the rest of W.V. Wall and Sons in July 2010. Wall’s wife, Dianne, has a 415-acre cattle, horse and mule farm, which she and Wall incorporated under the name Mountain View Farms in 1986.

When he purchased his crew from his mother, Wall decided the most expedient way to do it was to put the logging crew under the existing umbrella of Mountain View Farms rather than set up a new LLC. SLT 18

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Family Tradition ■ The Redfern family is happy to keep things going the way they’ve always been.

Michael Redfern loads and drives the company truck, delivering three loads a day, while his two sons cut and skid.

By David Abbott CEDAR HILL, Tenn. ★ radition is the hallmark for the Michael Redfern and Sons family operation. Owner Michael Redfern, 56, has been running the company since his dad died 30 years ago. “I worked with him every day as soon as I was old enough to walk around behind him,” he recalls. He was following in his dad’s footsteps in more ways than one, as his father had done the same with his grandfather. Now the fourth generation is keeping up the family tradition.

Both of Michael’s sons, Justin, 30, and Jonathan, 29 (they call him Jono, pronounced John-O), have been in the woods with him since they finished high school. “They wanted to help me and they just kept helping me,” Michael says.

“We do things the old fashioned way because that’s the only way we know how to do it,” he adds. Working in upland hardwood that is not

over their heads,” Jono says.

“If that was in demand in our area, we would rig up for it, too, but it’s just not here,” Justin adds. “We are hardwood select cutters. That’s what we’ve always done and, Lord willing, what we will always do.”

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Horse Before Cart

Left to right: John Redfern, Michael Redfern, Justin Redfern

easily accessed, the Redferns shun newer equipment for both practical and financial reasons. “We do it all by hand, like we did 50 years ago.

Only we have better saws now.” They fell with Stihl chain saws and load a 1985 Kenworth W900 double tandem straight bed with a Case 455B truck loader. Some people in the area, Jono notes, use cutting machines, but most still rely on chain saws because a

feller-buncher wouldn’t be able to handle the size timber they cut or even reach it in the kind of terrain in which they cut it.

Because they deal with bigger logs, they believe, they don’t have to be as production oriented as those harvesting pulpwood with newer equipment. “The only way they can make money is just with high volume production, and they have to stay in

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It may not be for everyone, but this is what works for them and what they prefer. “We just want to stay like we are and not put $200,000 on the line,” Michael emphasizes. “We make a living and that’s all we want to do.” The younger Redferns emphasize that their father instilled in them a lifelong commitment to frugality. “Don’t put the cart before the horse,” Justin advises. “We don’t have or want the overhead. We have financed things in the past, but we don’t do it if we can avoid it. We prefer to save and pay as we go.”

For example, the family now has a shop on Michael’s property where they can work on machines, but for years they did all maintenance and

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repairs in the woods. “I can remember it being 20º and having to put a motor in out here on the dirt,” Michael says. Rather than taking out a loan to build the shop, he worked and saved for years until he was able to do it debt-free. Christian financial counselor Dave Ramsey would be proud.

“We’re terribly conservative,” Michael admits—but that trait is a big key to their success. For a long time he pulled with a small dozer but, with timber increasingly deeper in the woods, he eventually upgraded, 15 years ago, to a small cable skidder—a 1984 Timberjack 230 skidder, the same one they use to this day. “We’d rather maintain it than make a payment on a new one,” Michael says.

He adds that there is “no telling” about the hours on the machine.

He’s put four motors in it in the decade and a half since he’s had it, the most recent one about four years ago. When a motor goes down, they don’t try to rebuild it, they just get a new 353 Detroit, which they have no trouble finding. That’s not the case with some other parts, which they occasionally have to search salvage yards to find, because “they just don’t make them anymore.” Aside from regularly replacing hoses, chokers and a new cable about every three months, that’s it. “All in all it runs really well.”

The last engine they put in the skidder cost $7,500, and is in its fourth year running. As Michael points out, he could be making similar payments on newer equipment every month instead of only every few years. “That’s the reason we stay small, and if something tears up we just fix it,” he says. “I’d rather occasionally spend $5,000 on something and do routine maintenance than to have that expense every month.” On average upkeep runs about $1,900 a month, most of which notably only has to be paid when the machines are working, not in down time. That low overhead is especially helpful, he adds, when weather interferes, such as when heavy winter snowfall can sideline an operation for weeks. “It’s not nearly as bad when you don’t have $4,000 in payments; the bills keep coming even if it’s snowing.”

Jono says a feller-buncher wouldn’t be able to handle the timber and the terrain in which they work.

landowners. “Our reputation is very important to us,” Michael notes. The average tract size is 15-20 acres, though when Southern Loggin’ Times visited in late September, they were working on 80 acres of unusually large timber. On most tracts, Michael reports, trees average 250-300 ft. each, but here it was closer to 600 ft.

The owner inherited the property from an uncle, and records indicate that some poplar was cut from it in the 1840s to build a barn. That was the last time it was touched. Based on ring count, the Redferns estimated one red oak at 96 years old, and they figured several were much older.

A good liability insurance policy is mandatory when buying standing timber, Michael says. Often a job may involve cutting a few trees from around a house, and he likes knowing that if anything goes wrong, he has insurance to pay for it. Mercifully, they’ve never needed it, but better to have it in case they ever do. “Insurance is hard to pay, but it is the cheapest thing a working man ever pays,” he says.

Michael has worked on some tracts three times in the last 30 years, doing mostly select cuts. They do perform the occasional clear-cut on small tracts under 10 acres, especially with

row cropping becoming increasingly popular in the area. It’s mostly hardwood; there’s very little demand for pine in these parts. Only once does he recall cutting pulpwood, and that was 12 years ago.

When they do run into a patch of pine, they send it, along with smaller rough logs, to Gibbs Woodworking Co., a pallet mill in Henrietta. Grade logs go to Dowlen’s Sawmill on Burgess Gower Road in Springfield.

That’s another small family operation where owner Bobby Dowlen and his children Rob and Darla work together. The Redferns cut quite a bit of walnut and white oak veneer, which they sell to Donald Cordle, Jr., owner of All Logs Timber Co. in Ashland City.

They take a great deal of pride in going the extra mile. “A lot of loggers won’t take the time to clean up the end of their logs, cut the spurs off, make sure all the knots are smooth, pull the vines off,” Jono points out.

“When it hits the sawmill, it makes it easier on their carriage and debarker.

So when the sawmill gets too many logs, maybe they won’t cut us off as soon as they would someone else. We don’t know but we just try our best to

The Redferns opt to keep debt and overhead to a minimum.

Word Of Mouth The family lives in Robertson County and has worked in every adjacent county over the years, and some of the counties adjacent to those as well. “The Lord is good to us,” Michael says. “The Lord will send us more than we can work, He always provides and we always have a job.”

Michael reports they sometimes get four or five new jobs lined up in a single weekend.

How? About 90% is just by word of mouth among small private

Redfern has put four engines in the 30-year-old skidder, saying that’s cheaper than making payments on a new machine.

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keep everything on the up and up and looking as best as we can. Sometimes logging has a bad name but we try our best.”

In average timber they haul three tandem truckloads a day, averaging 2,850 ft. per load. Michael works the deck, grading and cutting logs to fit the 15 ft. bed, loading the truck and driving to the mills. Jono fells with a 660 Stihl chain saw, while Justin skids. The hardwood can bring as much as $1,800 per haul, but averages closer to $1,300. They tend to work on short hauls—when SLT vis-

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ited they were working only 10 miles from the mill. “Of course we’d like it to be that close all the time,” Justin says. They never work more than an hour away. “A two-hour round trip makes for a long day with one truck.”

All three men are Master Logger certified both in Tennessee and Kentucky. Based only a few miles from the state line, the company has worked in Kentucky in the past, though not for the last several years.

Even so they keep the license up to date in case they ever need it, as it is mandatory in Kentucky (though not

in Tennessee). They also attend Kentucky Forest Industry Assn. meetings.

The housing market, Michael says, has been improving, but 2013 was such a wet year that it limited production and left mills starving for logs.

Last July, he says, some mills were only sawing two days a week for lack of material. The Redferns themselves lost a lot of time to rain, and in September Michael figured they were as much as eight weeks behind schedule. “We sat on jobs for two weeks that should have been completed in three days.”

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Roots The Redfern roots in this area run deep. The family settled in what is now Robertson County in 1804.

Michael’s grandfather David started logging and sawmilling in 1940.

There were several family members in the business at one time: David and his sons Marshall and Tommy, his brother Joe Redfern and his sons, and a great-uncle, Fort Redfern, along with Michael’s father, Deadrick ( Buck ) Redfern. Today, Michael’s uncles Tommy and Marshall and his brother Charles all still carry on the family tradition.

In the mid-80’s Michael owned and operated a sawmill as well as running the logging crew, but had trouble keeping regular crew, so he sold the sawmill to focus exclusively on logging. Justin and Jono joined him after a brief stint in college, and they have carried on since.

Michael has been married to the boys’ mother Tina for 37 years. She handles all books and quarterly reports, and according to her husband knows every expense down to the penny, keeping every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed. She also works at Headtrip Salon in Springfield.

Justin is married to Lauren, who teaches two-year-olds at Springfield Baptist Church pre-school in Springfield. “She’s my rock,” Justin says. And Jono is still happily single, he says with a laugh. There are no grandkids yet, but Michael hopes there will be some day. “When the Lord is ready, it will happen.”

When they’re not working, the Redfern family also has a tradition of balancing their lives with both faith and fun. “We have a good time,” Michael says. “We work hard but we play hard too.” Along with hunting and fishing, truck pulls are a big hobby. From April-October they pull two or three weekends a month. They also have a companysponsored softball team under the name Michael Redfern Logging.

The team won first place the last four years running in a men’s slow pitch adult softball city league.

“They say the only reason we get to be on the team is that we sponsor it,” they all laugh heartily.

“I am a Christian and I am not ashamed of it,” Michael says unequivocally. He served as a deacon in his church for many years and is also a Master Mason. “The Lord’s been really good to us. When we started off we didn’t have two nickels to rub together, and I never dreamed the Lord would bless us this much, but He has blessed us hand over hand, kept us safe, and busy.” His focus on faith and family help him maintain perspective. “On a good week we keep everything up and we all make a living out of it.

SLT That’s the bottom line.”

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A Tale Of Two Patients

history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able Fast forward to 2016. Two patients have the same to predict the future! complaint. Both have painful trouble walking and may He took my family to the first major league baseball require hip surgery. Let’s identify them as Patient 1 game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The and Patient 2. stranger never stopped talking, but dad didn’t seem to The caretakers of Patient 1 get an appointment with mind. Sometimes, mom would get up quietly while the the doctor within days. They take him to a medical rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he facility where he is examined within the hour, is Xhad to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace rayed the same day and is booked for surgery the foland quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the lowing week. stranger to leave.)

Patient 2 waits three weeks to see his family doctor, Dad ruled our household with certain moral convicwho examines him and contacts a specialist, who can’t tions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor see Patient 2 for eight weeks. At that time, the specialthem. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our ist calls for an X-ray, but, knowing he can’t examine it home—not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our for a week, sends Patient 2 home and says he’ll call long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter with the results. Two weeks later he makes the call, words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm informs the patient of the results, and submits the surand my mother blush. My dad didn’t permit the liberal gical recommendation to a preliminary review board, use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it which doesn’t act for another two weeks. Finally, suron a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, Right or left doesn’t matter. It’s really up or down. gery is scheduled for seven months out, pending cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely review by another board, whose decision is based on (much too freely!) about sex.

Patient 2’s age and remaining value to society.

His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and genWhy the different treatment for the two patients? Patient 1 is a Golden erally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationRetriever taken to a vet; Patient 2 is a senior citizen on Obamacare. ships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked, and never asked to leave.

More than 50 years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was A student asked his English professor, “How would you define a at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents’ den today, you would still dilemma?” find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him The professor responded, “Well, there’s nothing better than an examtalk and watch him draw his pictures. ple to illustrate the answer to that question. Just imagine that you’re layHis name? We just call him ‘TV.’ He has a wife now; we call her ‘Coming in a really big bed with a beautiful naked young woman on one side puter.’ Their first child was named ‘Cell Phone,’ their second child ‘iPod,’ of you, and a gay naked man on the other. Which one are you going to and recently the first grandchild arrived, called ‘iPad.’ turn your back on?”

Political Flow Chart

Definition Of Dilemma

Think About It

Clarification Please An older couple had just learned how to send text messages on their cell phones. The wife was a romantic type and the husband was more of a nononsense guy.

One afternoon while shopping the wife decided to send her husband a romantic text message, writing: “If you are sleeping, send me your dreams. If you are laughing, send me your smile. If you are eating, send me a bite. If you are drinking, send me a sip. If you are crying, send me your tears. I love you.”

The husband texted back to her: “I’m on the toilet. Please advise.”

The Stranger A few years after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: mom taught me good from evil, and dad taught me to obey. But the stranger was more of a storyteller. He kept us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics,

1. We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a FEW lunatics.

2. We constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money but we never hear about welfare programs running out of money.

Thoughts To Ponder —To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

—Buses stop in bus stations. Trains stop in train stations. On my desk is a work station.

—I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.

—I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

—Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

—A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.

—You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

—I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure.

—You’re never too old to learn something stupid.

—Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

—Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

—Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

Determination

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Reviving An Old Friend ■ Group of four in south Georgia hopes to bring back the turpentine business.

By Jessica Johnson PATTERSON, Ga. alking up to Diamond G Forest Products is very similar to an old ★ Dukes of Hazzard set.

Picture the end of a curved dusty road, a pregnant dog, fields as far as the eye can see, a farmhouse proudly waving an American flag, an older man sitting on the stoop with an Uncle Jesse smile and mischief in his eye. A small converted barn holds the office, and the impressive turpentine still sits proudly in a field in front of a small custom cut sawmill.

The four principals are approachable; eager to share the knowledge they’ve gained from research and personal experience from gathering pine gum to heating the still to produce rosin and turpentine.

“We want this to be something big,” Chip Griner, one of the partners says, which is almost like a mantra for all the principals involved. Each brings something different to the table: R.D. (Dedi) Thomas, Jr. is a former banker and specializes in “number crunching.”

Griner’s father, Wade, the Uncle Jesse stoop sitter, is a former sawyer and farmer who specializes in the distillation process. Griner’s wife, Julie, is an English teacher and handles most of the business communications, and Griner runs the sawmill and oversees most of the daily operations of the turpentine venture.

From his research Griner was able to ascertain that the U.S. produced nearly 80% of the world’s gum turpentine in the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s. However, that number has dropped drastically, and currently the U.S. produces little to nearly none of the world’s gum turpentine.

Only in its infant stages, Diamond G was able to hook up with chemical company Pinova in nearby Brunswick early in the process, which provided a market for the turpentine. Pinova also helped Diamond G get to where it is today, according to Griner. But don’t be fooled, there was plenty of trial and error, learning on the fly, and “Eureka!” moments too.

The elder Griner says, “We’ve

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secrets, we will tell anyone what we know,” Griner says.

While Diamond G won’t tap trees for landowners, they will explain the technique they have found to work the best, the cheapest place to buy the hardware and offer advice.

In terms of the actual distilling process, there was some learning on the fly, but it is based on a basic process: gum is heated, the rosin and turpentine are separated and then both are cooled. Diamond G had a lot of trial and error in getting the still to melt the gum to the specs and grades that Pinova wanted and that were needed to deal with the world market.

come a long way from where we started to where we’re at in one year’s time.” The positive energy among the principals is almost tangible. They believe in bringing this industry back, making it profitable and having a little fun along the way.

Turpentining Process

As with all forest products, you cannot know for sure what kind of profit you are going to make until you actually get in there and go to work. Turpentining is no different. However, Diamond G does have some recommendations for success.

For example, Griner does not think a tree with less than an 8 in. diameter will produce Trees are tapped low, allowing the bag to rest on the enough gum (or sap) to turn a Markets ground, so the weight of the gum doesn’t tear the bag. profit. A 10 in. diameter is the Obviously, Diamond G’s main best, in his mind. must produce about three pounds of market is Pinova. In fact, nearly In the beginning, Diamond G gum per season. During the first estimated that start-up costs for the year, Diamond G had about 200,000 every drop of turpentine produced is sold to the chemical company. landowner would be about one doltrees producing gum to be distilled lar per tree for the first year. This out of three counties in south Geor- “Pinova bought it all in our first season,” Griner says with a smile, estimated cost includes the hardgia from various landowners. ware, installation of the hardware “The still was prof(actually tapping the tree) and haritable,” Griner exvesting the gum. As they have plains. “Some landlearned and grown, they have been owners made money; able to reduce start-up costs. Costs some broke even and should go down even more the secsome didn’t.” For a ond year and subsequent years, as first year venture of an some of the hardware is reusable. industry that hasn’t For the past two years, Diamond been in this country G has been able to pay their produc- for some 20 years, ers 50 cents per pound for raw pine that’s not bad. gum; however, they are planning on “We learn from being able to pay more in the years each other as we do to come as their business grows. this as to the most For those not quick on math, that effective way to get means for the year, in order to cover the gum, the easiest The Diamond G crew, from left, Ben Hackett, Wade Griner, Chip Griner and Dedi Thomas costs and make a small profit, a tree ways. We have no

The rosin rocks are of the best quality, customers report.

Diamond G’s biggest customer is chemical company Pinova.

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Diamond G also operates a custom cut sawmill, which specializes in small orders.

Diamond G's main customers are local craftsman.

When SLT visited, Griner was cutting logs found at the bottom of a river, believed to have been placed there during the Civil War.

thumbing toward a giant check from the chemical company that is proudly displayed in Diamond G’s office. “And they want to buy all we can produce this year as well,” he adds, smile wider.

Turpentining is negatively affected by the drought, though.

Last summer was a tough summer for the drought in Georgia, and the trees did not produce as much gum as predicted, which meant less gum to distill, less profit to be made.

Griner is hopeful that the drought conditions will improve, thus providing more gum that can be distilled and marketed to Pinova.

However, Diamond G has formed a small side retail business: marketing their Americanmade gum rosin and turpentine on the internet. Diamond G’s products are available for sale on popular online auction site eBay as well as on the company’s website, diamondgforestproducts.com.

Griner has been surprised at the amount of people interested in purchasing the products and the variety of applications for which the people seem to need the products. Ballet studios, soap makers, violin makers and beekeepers, just to name a few, use rosin and turpentine. Griner strives to make each and every customer happy, and so far has gotten an overwhelming number of positive responses to the products.

“We must be doing something right,” he laughs as he shows a list of literally thousands of comments on eBay about the quality of Diamond G products. Over and over people are thankful that they were able to find a high quality rosin or turpentine produced in the U.S., at an affordable rate. It’s not just the hobbyists and small business owners that are pleased with the product. Pinova is also pleased with it, which goes to show, there still is a market for products made in the U.S.A. and growing various portions of the South’s agribusiness. The elder Griner sums up the years of research and blood, sweat and tears by simply saying, “If we can compete with the world market...if this thing works, SLT it’s going to be big.”

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AT THE MARGIN

Time Tasks To Tune-Up The Bottom Line

By Marcello Lirusso, Applications Specialist, Caterpillar Forest Products Global Solutions Team We all want to maximize the time we spend on activities we like and limit time we spend on tasks we don’t like. The best way to do this is to improve efficiency. Take grocery shopping. If you plan your route before hand so your trip is systematic and travel times are streamlined, you could reduce your grocery shopping “cycle time” and spend the time you save with your family.

A logging operation is no different. The key to improving your bottom line is efficiency—reducing cycle times and streamlining tasks that are necessary but don’t add to profit. For example, with a fellerbuncher, the value-added task is cutting trees; while maintenance, fueling and travel times are all nonprofit making tasks.

Start by documenting your typical day and timing your tasks (e.g. leave house, stop at fueling station,

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arrive on site, start machine, fill machine, grease machine, travel, cut, etc.).

Then take the items and group them into a handful of buckets (e.g. commute, daily maintenance, harvesting, skidding, loading, etc.).

Understand how long it takes to perform the tasks in each bucket.

Let’s say you find that daily maintenance on your loader takes an average 45 minutes: 15 to grease, 10 to clean windows, 10 to blow out radiator, 5 to check oil levels and 5 for a general inspection.

Once you know your cycle time for a task and how long each step takes, you can look at areas for improvement. Maybe you find that if you added a power grease gun, kept it in the cab and greased just after lunch when the grease and the machine were warm, you could save five minutes a day. And you

could bring spares of high-risk hoses to the woods and save 15 minutes a week.

These incremental changes can make a considerable difference by the end of the year. Just saving five minutes a day over 50 weeks (five day work week) equals approximately 21 hours of increased production time. Now add in the time saved by having spare hoses (12.5

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hours) and you’ve got 33.5 hours of increased production. You don’t think of five minutes as significant until you look at a whole year and see that you’re adding almost a week of production.

The same goes for the harvesting process. Once you have broken down the cycle times for bunching, skidding and loading, analyze them and try to reduce. Here are tips to consider for improving machine cycle times: ● Look at travel times for harvesting equipment, especially tracktype machines. Unnecessary travel time is very expensive due to under-

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AT THE MARGIN carriage replacement costs and production loss, as travel speeds tend to be slower. ● Plan your cut ahead of time.

Take a few minutes to walk the tract.

You can assess ground conditions and terrain much easier on foot. ● Avoid unnecessary trips for fueling. If you are cutting close to the landing and have half a tank, fill up. If you don’t, you know you’ll

need fuel when you are cutting at the furthest point from the landing.

You’ll have to track back to fill up and all the way back to where you were cutting. ● Work at having your harvesting machine about a day ahead of your extraction unit to keep the wood flowing smoothly. If you are cutting in a mixed stand and the fellerbuncher doesn’t have a buffer

between what is cut and what the skidders are dragging, you can have a situation where there may not be enough of a particular species on the ground to fill a truck. With the truck driver waiting, the buncher has to find and cut more of the species needed to finish the load rather than harvesting systematically. ● Always keep your cutting edges sharp. Dull edges reduce your cut

cycle times, can damage saw disks and cost you extra money in increased fuel consumption. Dull feller-buncher saw teeth can increase fuel consumption as much as 15%. ● Invest in appropriate equipment. For example, tire chains can help reduce skidder and fellerbuncher cycle times by increasing traction and reducing the need for the feller-buncher to move trees to an area that is accessible to a nonchained skidder. The same is true for floatation tires. ● The quickest way to the landing is not always a straight line.

The path of least resistance is likely the fastest. For example, you’re the skidder operator on the front face of a steep hill and the landing is at the top. You could claw your way to the top or you could go down the hill and around to an area less steep, traveling further but getting to the landing quicker. ● Optimize skid distances to eliminate unnecessary loader moves and road building, but know at what point a move is worth your time. You need to understand your cycle times, so when your skid distances get over a certain point you know you’ll make up the lost time moving with quicker skidder cycle times. ● Have appropriate maintenance tools on site as well as replacement fluids and parts for components more likely to fail (hoses, seal kits). ● Post performance metrics for employees. Keep score. This provides the employees the opportunity to see their improvements and ignites their competitive spirit. ● Use technology. In the past. measuring cycle times, machine down time and production levels was done manually with stop watches, weigh scales and tape measures. Today there are affordable telemetric systems that can provide most of this information through onboard computer systems. Having this information at your fingertips is worth the investment.

If you’re not measuring and understanding what you’re doing, you’re not able to focus on improvements that will help you be more efficient and add to your bottom line. Then set a schedule for review. If you are not consistently reviewing, you don’t know if your changes are effective.

SLT That’s the whole thing.

Caterpillar’s Global Solutions Team works with loggers and mill operations to improve the bottom line by analyzing the total cost of operations and recommending improvements.

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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP As We See It: Considering Logging Capacity, Profitability

By Brian Nelson

R

ecently I read an analysis of the U.S. wood fiber supply chain. The findings of that study were interesting, although not that surprising to Nelson anyone who has been in the

timber industry for any length of time.

A couple of points that stuck out to me from a logger’s viewpoint were: 1. Massive capital investments will be required to meet projected harvest demands.

2. Existing suppliers are the most likely to expand capacity, considering restrictive financing options, poor returns and lack of new entries into the industry.

In one of my previous columns I discussed logging capacity and how labor impacted it, but for this one

I’d like to look at the issue of profitability and how it can impact logging capacity. Increased harvest demand is a good thing, provided you can make a profit in the process. A logging sector that is not profitable doesn’t do any good to the wood supply chain as a whole.

For years loggers have been told that they need to be more efficient in their operations when they brought up the issue of pay increases to their customers, the consuming mills.

Over the years most loggers have become more efficient out of necessity in order to survive. The cost of doing business has risen substantially, while the return on that investment hasn’t kept pace. As an example I thought it would be interesting to compare some of the major costs from 20 years ago to today’s costs, as well as the delivered prices from then and now: ● Fuel increased 400% ● Labor increased 67% before benefits ● Stumpage increased 200% on average ● Equipment increased 112% for similar machines ● Trucking increased 41% on average ● Delivered price increased 37.5% on average among species I didn’t include health insurance figures in this for a number of reasons, but we all know what premiums have been doing, and where they are likely to go. I realize these numbers will vary by company and by region, but I suspect only slightly.

After seeing these numbers I can’t help but question how much more efficient we can become, and how existing suppliers are expected to expand to meet projected harvest demands, when the cost of doing business is outweighing the return they are getting on their investment. Expanded markets are great, provided you can turn a profit. If not it spells disaster for the markets and those looking to fill those markets. It was brought to my attention a while back that our industry is one of a very few, if not the only one, where the customer sets the price for the product (service) that we supply to them.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go to our local Walmart or Home Depot and pay them what we felt was fair for the products they are supplying us ?

Brian Nelson is the current President of the American Loggers Council and he and his brother David and father Marvin own and operate Marvin Nelson Forest Products, Inc. based out of Cornell, Michigan. For more information, visit www.americanloggers.org or phone 409-625-0206.

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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP Am. Loggers Council Individual Memberships

By Jim Mooney When the American Loggers Council (ALC) was formed in 1994, the original members were all state and regional logging associations.

The driving force that led to ALC’s formation Mooney was the rollout of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) by the American Forest and Paper

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Assn. Among other provisions, SFI mandated logger certification. As the SFI certification morphed into a training and education program, the ALC remained at the forefront of “attempting” to have the program be a “positive” for participating loggers.

Over time, SFI became less and less of a focus for the organization, which began shifting its focus to governmental regulatory and legislative issues, among other functions. In conjunction with the change in focus, the Membership Committee recruited allied supporting members such as equipment and insurance companies. The commit-

tee also recruited logging groups that were not part of the chartered membership.

The committee and the ALC Board of Directors also saw a strong need to assist states or regions that did not have an active logging group that met the ALC membership criterion. This was the concept behind the “individual” membership category, which ALC opened up for loggers not represented by a formal loggers group. Such loggers could join as individuals and participate in ALC activities, with the goal of eventually forming their own association. The ALC felt these loggers would benefit

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from the camaraderie, exposure, and association with the member organizations. A pledge was made to assist any group undertaking this action.

While several states took advantage of the offer and attempted to organize, to date there have not been any new groups formed, but the commitment by ALC remains strong to support this program. As a side benefit, there have been a number of loggers who have joined as individual members from both nonmember and member states.

These members have a representative seat, with a vote, on the ALC Board of Directors. This delegate is elected annually by vote of the individual members. For the past few years that representative has been Donny Reaves from Virginia, a member of the Virginia Loggers Assn. Loggers join individually for a host of reasons, but many simply believe in the cause and mission of the ALC and wish to support any way they can.

Are you a logger who wants to organize a state association? Do you believe in the legislative mission of the ALC and have a desire to support the cause beyond your state or regional membership? If your answer is yes to either question we encourage you to visit our web site (americanloggers.org) and complete the Individual Logger Membership form and return it to our office. Or you can fill out the application in the ad on this page and send it to the ALC office.

Many in our industry were skeptical that a group of independent loggers could ever come to-

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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP gether for common causes. After 20 years the ALC and the long line of leaders who have dedicated their

time and energy to the organization, have proven them wrong. Today the ALC remains strong, progressive,

and effective as the voice of loggers from coast to coast. I encourage you to join the cause.

Tolleson Lumber Mills Sold To Interfor Canada-based International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor) announced an agreement with Ilim Timber Continental, S.A. to acquire Tolleson Ilim Lumber Co., including sawmills at Perry and Preston, Ga. with a combined annual lumber capacity of more than 400MMBF plus a remanufacturing facility in Perry. Cost of the acquisition is $180 million (U.S.).

Interfor will now operate six sawmills in Georgia, having purchased mills at Thomaston, Eatonton and Baxley from Rayonier last year, and also purchasing Keadle Lumber in Thomaston last year.

Interfor’s annual lumber production capacity will increase by almost 20% to 2.6 billion BF, placing it in the top five lumber companies in North America. The company’s lumber production in the U.S. Southeast will total more than 900MMBF. Interfor’s acquisition cost of Tolleson includes $129.9 million

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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP in cash and retained liabilities and 3.68 million Interfor shares. Ilim Timber will hold 5.5% of Interfor’s outstanding shares.

Rusty Wood, Tolleson’s CEO, will remain with Interfor following the transaction in an advisory capacity on matters related to business strategy.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.

Thompson Machinery Digs In At Tupelo Thompson Machinery, a Caterpillar Inc. dealer, has begun construction on a facility to serve the Tupelo, Miss. area. The start of construction was commemorated at a groundbreaking ceremony held January 31 at the site, which is at 421 Wallace Drive in Belden, Miss.

Thompson, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2014, says its new facility will be designed to enhance Thompson’s full service commitment to the area and its development needs, especially through the expansion of its product

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support capabilities. carriage repairs. An “We are excited to 8,000 sq. ft. parts warebuild a new facility in a house will be capable of region where city and cross docking to allow state officials are willflexibility in scheduling ing to invest in the Thompson Machinery’s city’s infrastructure,” overnight parts shuttle states De Thompson service.

VP, president of The facility will house Thompson Machinery.

11,000 sq. ft. of office “With the current space, including a meetmomentum and strong Left to right: John Thompson, Thompson Machinery General Sales Manag- ing room, training room, er; Mabel Murphree, representative of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker; Myles economic outlook, we and indoor machine disRussell, representative of U.S. Representative Alan Nunnelee; De Thompson play area, for both are confident to make V, president of Thompson Machinery; Brad Fultz, Caterpillar Inc. Nashville this investment.”

Thompson’s sales and District Manager The 42,000 sq. ft. rental operations. facility, located just off the Highwill allow Thompson to continue to General contractor on the project way 9 South exit from Highway 78, provide quick turnaround on under- is Century Construction of Tupelo. represents an investment of more than $6 million. It will include a shop for construction, forestry, and agricultural equipment, on-highway trucks, and power generation, housed in 17 bays. Four 7.5 ton bridge cranes and four jib cranes will be deployed in an innovative quad design that allows more options for placing machines and engines in the shop for repair.

Also planned is an undercarriage shop with full track press, which

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2001 Cat 525B Skidder – 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Winch, Cold A/C, Ready to work! ......................$49,500

FELLER BUNCHERS

2011 Cat 573 Feller Buncher – 4,500 hours, Prentice SH50 Saw Head, 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air.........$145,000

2011 Prentice 2570 Feller Buncher – 6,200 hours, Cummins engine, Prentice Waratah FD22 Saw Head, 28L tires ................................................$119,500

2011 Cat 553 Feller Buncher – 5,300 hours, Prentice SH50 Saw Head, 28L tires, Cab with air.................$110,000

2008 Prentice 2670 Feller Buncher – Prentice 22” Center Post Saw Head, 34:00 tires, Cab with air. ........$79,500

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MULCHERS & CONSTRUCTION

2014 Barko 930 Mulcher – Brand new machine, 1 year bumper to bumper warranty, 2 year power train warranty, 305 HP Cummins engine, FAE Mulching Head, 28L tires. Rent to own WAC.............................$349,000

2006 Cat 563 Mulcher – Fecon BH120 Mulching Head, Good 28L tires, Cab with air. ................$116,500

2008 Cat 563 Mulcher – “NEW” FAE Mulching Head, “NEW” High pressure pump and hoses, “NEW” 28L tires, Cab with air. This machine has 0 hours since the conversion from a Feller Buncher. Rent to own WAC...$189,500

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2002 Tigercat 240B Log Loader – Can be mounted on trailer with CTR Delimber or Riley Delimber, Cummins engine, Cold A/C, Ready to work! ...............................................$49,500

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2004 John Deere 843H Feller Buncher – Waratah FD22 Saw Head, 28L tires, Cab with air, Extra clean for age ..........$59,500

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SKIDDERS:

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CAT 517 (05WW00419) 2004, 7877 Hrs, Cab, AC, Esco Grapple CAT 529 (00PR63924) 2011, 642 ......................................$200,000 Hrs, Cab, AC, Grapple............CALL CAT 525 (03KZ01265) 2004, CAT 559B (00PR65041) 2011, 11708 Hrs, Cab, AC, 30.5-32, Dual 5324 Hrs, Cab, AC, Kodiak Trailer, Arch Grapple....................$61,500 Grapple, Delimber.................CALL CAT 525C (052500298) 2006, 11501 Hrs, Cab, AC, 30.5-32, Dual PRENTICE 384 (62951) 2006, Arch Grapple, S Blade, Winch, 14430 Hrs, Cab, AC, Evans Trailer, Sweeps ................................CALL Prentice Grapple, CTR 320 Delimber .........................$44,000 CAT 525C (052501416) 2011, 5422 Hrs, Cab, AC, 30.5-32 Dou- PRENTICE 384 (P58945) 2002, 14008 Hrs, Cab, AC, Pitts Trailer, ble Arch Grapple, S Blade, Winch Grapple, Delimber, Double V Heel CALL ..........................................CALL TIGERCAT 610 (6100142) 2006, 12800 Hrs, Cab, AC, 30.5-32, Dual PRENTICE 280 (P57066) 2000, Arch Grapple, Winch.........$50,000 12738 Hrs, Cab, Trailer .........CALL

TIGERCAT 240B (2400945) 2003, DEERE 643K (1DW643KXHA 18015 Hrs, Cab, AC, 11R-22.5, 0631650) 2010, 3395 Hrs, Cab, Pitts Trailer, Delimber .......$35,000 AC, 28L-26, FD45 Saw .........CALL

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CAT 553 (00HA20058) 2011, 3752 Hrs, Cab, AC, 28L-26, SH50 Saw- DOPPSTADT SM720 (W096212 head.....................................CALL 1781D07286) 2009, 1581 Hrs, 7’ CAT 553C (0PGR00266) 2012, 20’’ Drum w/ 3/4 ‘’ Punch Plate 1230 Hrs, Cab, AC, 30.5-32, $250,000 SH56B Saw ...................$191,500 DOPPSTADT SM720 (W09621179 CAT 563 (00HA19937) 2011, 1777.5 Hrs, Cab, AC, 24.5-32, A1D07448) 2010, 248 Hrs, TromSH50 Saw......................$198,000 mel Screen, 435/50R19 .$323,000 CAT 573 (00HA19789) 2010, 3553 Hrs, Cab, AC, 30.5L-32, SS56 Saw ............................................CALL

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HYDRO-AX 670 (HA18975) 2005, PETERSON 5000G (2G-214-661) 11000 Hrs, Cab, 30.5-32, SC56 2001, 12981 Hrs, Cab, AC, Whole Sidecut Sawhead..................CALL Tree Chipper ..................$200,000

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Call or visit our website: www.tidewaterequip.com SKIDDERS 2006 CTR 950......................................$25,500 2001 Deere 648GIII .............................$40,625 2008 Deere 648H.................................$82,000 2008 Deere 648H.................................$85,500 2010 Deere 648H...............................$100,000 2005 Dere 748GIII ...............................$57,000 2004 Franklin 170..................................$7,500 2004 Franklin Q80 ...............................$21,500 2003 Tigercat 630C.............................$50,000 2004 Tigercat 630C.............................$61,000 2005 Tigercat 620C.............................$66,000 2006 Tigercat 620C.............................$60,000 2008 Tigercat 620C.............................$95,000 2004 Tigercat 630C.............................$61,000 2005 Tigercat 630C.............................$60,000 2005 Tigercat 630C.............................$75,000 2005 Timberjack 460D ........................$57,500

FELLER BUNCHERS 2011 CAT 563 ....................................$119,900 2009 Deere 643J .................................$85,000

2007 Prentice 2470 .............................$65,000 2008 Prentice 2470 .............................$87,775 2008 Prentice 2570 .............................$88,889 2008 Prentice 2570 ...........................$100,000 2004 Tigercat 718 ...............................$46,500 2009 Tigercat 718E ...........................$110,000 2007 Tigercat 720E .............................$95,000 2007 Tigercat 726E .............................$78,500 2005 Timberking TK340......................$30,000 2004 Timberking TK360......................$61,100

INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT 1997 MORBARK 22.............................$69,000 2002 MORBARK 30NCL Chipper ........................................................$105,600 2007 MORBARK 3800 WOOD HOG ........................................................$212,500 2010 MORBARK 4600XL ..................$435,000 2005 Tigercat M726D........................$169,598

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2005 Deere 335C.................................$27,500 2009 Prentice 2384 .............................$85,000 2006 Prentice 280 ...............................$45,000 2004 Prentice 410 ...............................$24,500 1999 Tigercat 230B .............................$16,000 2004 Tigercat 230B .............................$37,500 2002 Tigercat 240B .............................$28,000 2002 Tigercat 240B .............................$34,121 2003 Tigercat 240B .............................$48,100 2005 Tigercat 240B .............................$68,900

CTR 314 and 400 Delimbers .........................................$1,000 to $18,000 Tigercat Shears and Saws ..............................................$2,500 to $20,000 Please come see us at our new parts locations: – Waycross, GA (912) 282-9284 – Statesboro, GA (912) 601-9924 – Elizabethtown, NC (910) 876-7058

View our web site for over 200 listings with newly reduced prices and pictures 2687

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WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS

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Watch videos of some of our machines on YouTube

John Deere 648H Log Skidder—2 to choose from, 2008 & 2009, Both have torque converter transmission, Very good 30.5 tires$ 8 5 , 0 0 0 $95,000

2007 Prentice 2384 Knuckleboom 2002 HydropAx 570—28L tires: Log Loader—CSI 264 delimber, New 75%, very straight & tight..$47,500 hydraulic pump, JUST IN ..................................Call for Price

2007 Prentice 2280 Knuckleboom Log Loader—CTR 320, 5600 hours (ECM verified), tight, dry & ready to work ....................................$65,000

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2009 John Deere 648H Log Skidder—5900 hours, Direct Drive, New 2007 John Deere 648GIII—JUST IN, center pins, dry all over .....$89,000 Direct Drive, GOING INTO SHOP ..................................Call for Price

2004 Timberjack 460D Log Skidder—Torque Converter transmission, Reman engine with 2400 hours, New center section, New glass, All cylinders & valve body dry ........$65,000

2005 John Deere 748GIII Log Skid- 2003 CAT 525B Log Skidder—30.5 der—Direct Drive, Very good 30.5 Tires, Recent: Turbo, Injection Pump tires, New center pins, Tight & Dry all and Injectors......................$39,500 over, VERY CLEAN & STRAIGHT ...........................................$69,500

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280

2012 Barko CH585B Drum Chipper, Cummins 500hp, less than 1400 hrs, air compressor, wireless remote, warranty on engine..........$162,500

2010 Tigercat 724E 6167 hours, Cummins engine, NEW 28Lx26 tires, Tigercat felling saw, good condition $130,000

(turned down, tax liens, bankruptcies)

363

2013 Morbark 40/36 Advantage 3 Drum Chipper w/CAT 700hp, less than 400 hrs; wireless remote, air compressor, CAT Platinum engine warranty, 5 years or 8000 hrs........$360,000

2005 Barko 395ML 1,696 hours; Cummins engine, Rotobec w/CTR delimber, mounted on Pitts $64,500

919-842-2602

4330

2001 Tigercat 635 Bogie skidder, Cummins 6CTA8.3 engine and hydrostatics are rebuilt, Tires: 30.5 front, new 28Lx26 on rear.......$75,000

www.eebinc.com

562

CALL CHARLES or visit website for full specs and details

Primex Tires, Gator Saw Teeth, McClendon Trailers We Sell Nationwide • Our Pricing is FOB the Buyers Location in the Continental US

WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ALL PRICES ON PRIMEX TIRES!

FOR SALE

• 94 450C Timberjack skidder ...................................$25,000 • Weigh boy scales ....$12,500

256-478-5036

3034

FOR SALE

2005 Morbark Chipper Model 30RXL

Chipharvester, self-loader, fire suppression system, CAT 3412 diesel, 860hp, 4,900 plus hours, EXCELLENT CONDITION......$259,000

Contact: 239-707-8934

3293

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COMING EVENTS March

July

12-14—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. National Conference & Expo, The Hyatt Regency, Savannah, Ga. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org.

11-12—West Virginia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Canaan Valley State Park, Davis, W.Va. Call 304-372-1955; visit wvfa.org.

April 2-4—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 502-6953979; visit kfia.org.

2-4—Virginia Forestry Assn. Summit, Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, Va. Call 804-278-8733; visit vaforestry.org.

25—Louisiana Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Location TBA, Winnfield, La. Call 318-628-7004.

May 6-9—Forest Resources Assn. annual meeting, Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel, Virginia Beach, Va. Call 202-296-3937; visit forest resources.org.

10—Texas Logging Council Forestry Fun Day, Exposition Center, Lufkin Tex. Call 409-384-0016.

June 6-7—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn., Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 904845-7133; visit swpa.ag.

19-21—Georgia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Hilton Head, SC. Call 478-992-8110; visit gfagrow.org.

August 22—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Location TBA. Call 434589-1942; visit valoggers.org.

23-24—Arkansas Timber Producers Assn. annual meeting, Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-224-2232; visit arkloggers.com.

26-28—Louisiana Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Location TBA, Shreveport, La. Call 318-443-2558; visit laforestry.com.

27-28—Florida Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Sawgrass Marriott Resort, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Call 850-222-5646; visit florida forest.org.

September 7-9—Alabama Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 334-2658733; visit alaforestry.org.

23-25—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Arlington Hotel, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-3742441; visit arkforests.org.

25-27—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Island Resort Casino, Escanaba, Mich. Call 409-6250206; visit americanloggers.org.

October 1-3—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NC. Call 800-2317723; visit ncforestry.org.

15-17—Timber Processing & Energy Expo, Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, Portland, Ore. Visit tim berprocessingandenergyexpo.com.

19-20—Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, Starkville, Miss. Call 800-669-5613; visit midsouth forestry.org.

Listings are submitted months in advance.

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

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