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Loggers Gather For OLC Events

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EUGENE, Ore.

Loggers across the Pacific Northwest and plenty of points farther away made the trip to Eugene the last weekend of February for the 85th Oregon Logging Conference. The event included everything every logger needs (outside of a better cut-and-haul rate!) when it comes to equipment and tools for getting the job done, including not only the very latest in high performance timber harvesting equip- ment and machinery, but also the leading edge technology behind it driving production and efficiency gains.

Visitors to the show also attended multiple seminars and presentations on technology and business management to make more informed decisions about their businesses and their role in the industry. And along with official activities there’s always plenty of time for networking and fellowship with fellow loggers. Here are some of the scenes and events from this year’s Oregon Logging Conference.

Look for a photo essay on the latest new products on pages 18-20 and additional Timber Harvesting OLC coverage online.

James Seward of the Columbia River Log Scaling & Grading Bureau shows loggers how fire damaged salvage logs are graded for bug damage and char defects during a loggers “Hands-On Seminar” at the 2023 Oregon Logging Conference. The information is especially helpful: Extended wildfire seasons mean more loggers are handling more salvage logs these days.

The Oregon Logging Conference scholarship auction raised thousands this year for deserving students who are vital to industry’s future. Held over two days during breakfast, the auction featured more than two dozen items including Stihl and Husqvarna chain saws, wood carvings, a $1,000 tire gift certificate, an AR-15 rifle and much more. The OLC has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships since 1968.

De-throning a three-time champion, Bryan Chipps of Green Diamond Resources won the 2023 OLC Log Loader Competition with a time of 4:05. That was almost 10 seconds better than second-place finisher Zane Bryant of Bryant Logging (4:15:37), who had won the competition three years in a row. Ross Cribbs of Black Rock Timber finished third with a time of 4:48:15. The two-day event is sponsored by LinkBelt and Triad Machinery.

Looking back at the OLC’s past stretching more than 80 years, an antique saw collection from retired forester Don Wagner of Hull-

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