TH 1018 Digimag by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 1

9/18/18 8:41 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 2

9/12/18 10:49 AM

A Hatton-Brown Publication Co-Publisher David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan PUBLISHING OFFICE Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone (334) 834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers Browse, subscribe or renew: www.timberharvesting.com

Executive Editor David (DK) Knight Editor-in-Chief Rich Donnell Managing Editor Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor David Abbott Associate Editor Jessica Johnson Associate Editor Jay Donnell Art Director/Prod. Mgr. Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coord Patti Campbell Circulation Director Rhonda Thomas Marketing/Media Jordan Anderson ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Vol. 66, No. 5: Issue 670

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

OurCover South Carolina’s Williams siblings—Tim, Martha and Reg—have led the family of companies known as Log Creek Timber through a period of amazing growth. Their commitment to excellence while maintaining their down home roots gives them the honor of being named Timber Harvesting’s 2018 Logging Business of the Year. Begin reading on PAGE 12. (Jessica

Johnson photo)

SOUTHERN USA Randy Reagor (904) 393-7968 • Fax: (334) 834-4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net

OurFeatures

MIDWEST USA, EASTERN CANADA John Simmons (905) 666-0258 • Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com WESTERN USA, WESTERN CANADA Tim Shaddick (604) 910-1826 • Fax: (604) 264-1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca

Kevin Cook (604) 619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com INTERNATIONAL Murray Brett +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net

Rhodes Logging

Interforst In Germany

Making The Switch

Equipment World

Making Experience Count

European Suppliers Step Up

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Bridget DeVane 334-699-7837 bdevane7@hotmail.com Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations (ISSN 21542333) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December issues are combined) by HattonBrown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscriptions are free to U.S. logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; businesses involved in land grooming and/or land clearing, wood refuse grinding and right-of-way maintenance; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (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.timberharvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting 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 Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations. Copyright ® 2018. 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.

Member Verified Audit Circulation POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TIMBER HARVESTING, P.O. BOX 2419, Montgomery, AL 36102-2419

Western Going To Trucks

Latest Machinery News

OurDepartments My Take _________________________________________________ 4 News Lines _______________________________________________ 8 Global Technology Spotlight _______________________________ 26 People Power____________________________________________ 36 Select Cuts _____________________________________________ 42 THExchange _____________________________________________ 44 Events/Ad Index __________________________________________ 46 Other Hatton-Brown Publications: Southern Loggin’ Times • Wood Bioenergy Timber Processing • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 3

9/13/18 8:08 AM

MyTake DK KNIGHT dk@hattonbrown.com, 334-834-1170

Crawford Left Distinctive Footprint

youth, he finished high school at 1 and spent a year in college before joining the Army Air Corps, hoping to become a For decades, loggers and manufacturpilot. By that time the AAC had cooled prayer ended you could hear a diesel ers rooted in the Lake States region have its hot pursuit of new pilots, so 18 engine running and everyone looked made far-reaching contributions to the months later he returned to the woods, up and it was the buncher that was mechanization of timber harvesting. resumed college studies, and played parked in front of the church passing Consider the hydraulic loader, hydrominor league baseball for one summer by. What timing! Chills ran down my static feller-buncher, landing processors before deciding he was not talented arms and tears rolled down my cheeks. on wheels, various types of slashers, enough to pursue the game. We will miss him forever.” shears, forwarders, delimbers and porHis love for the woods became stronAs I understand it, even though his table debarkers, not to mention whole ger after he and some friends went to health was failing, Pat regularly peeked tree chippers. Montana to cut timber for a season. in at the goings on at TimberPro until One former logger who will long be After returning to Wisconsin and decidthe end. Being at the plant, watching remembered for advancing the meing not to continue college studies, he machines come together, and interfacing chanical march was Pat Crawmarried a girl named Ruth. Again, ford, eminent founder of the TimPat headed West, on his honeybco and TimberPro brands that moon no less, and settled for a originated in northeastern Wisyear in Oregon where he sharpconsin. Pat’s life ended on Auened his timber falling skills begust 19 at his home in Shawano, fore the couple returned to WisWisc. He was 92, the last surviconsin to join his father and vor in a family of four siblings. brother, Richard, in the woods. On August 25, the many relaSoon thereafter he was almost tives, friends and admirers of Pat killed when a large, dead limb gathered at Sacred Heart Catholic broke off a tree he was cutting and Church in Shawano to celebrate hit him in the head. That mishap his standout life and numerous taught him never to take his accomplishments. Here is what well-being for granted and to be an unidentified family member much more cautious. posted on Facebook about that Pat’s knack for coming up service: with a better way surfaced in the “Today we said goodbye to a late ’50s when he had a cable legend. Having a new buncher loader mounted on the rear of a parked outside the church was retruck instead of the behind the ally great. I’m so proud of my cab, the common position. That family for being there for each arrangement enabled him to load other. A huge thank you to our both the truck and a pup trailer, aunts who planned everything, enhancing trucking efficiency. the community for showing up As Pat’s family grew, so did and supporting such a wonderful his business interests. Around Proud Pat with a freshly minted Timbco feller-buncher, circa 1992 man, and our friends we’ve met 1960 Pat and Richard embraced through business that traveled the lumber trade, operating a from all over the country, Canada and with his family and employees, not to small sawmill as they continued logEurope. To say Pat was liked by a lot mention customers and dealers, was ging. That endeavor led them to buy a of people would be an enormous unwhat it was all about for him. struggling furniture component manuderstatement. facturing operation, a move that led to “The theme of the funeral was to business and personal bankruptcy for His Life, Career “Live Like Pat,” which means to be the two. Pat and Ruth had seven kids By all accounts, Pat led a most interhumble, kind, generous and to be the at the time. esting and inspiring life, one marked by best person you can be each and every “You want to eat humble pie? Go many ups and downs. Born in 1926 in a day. bankrupt,” Pat told writer Dave Wester, logging camp where his father was a “After the funeral ended a large prowho years ago wrote a history of the inlogger and his mother the cook, and cession headed to the cemetery to put novator and his companies. According being brought up in the Great DepresPat in his final resting place. The priest to Wester, Pat did not give up; he simsion, left a deep imprint that manifested started the prayer, and there was a ply worked harder. An older friend who itself in frugality, perseverance, compasbeautiful bald eagle circling above. had faith in him co-signed a loan for sion, and an enormous work ethic. You couldn’t help but think it was Pat $15,000 so Pat could get back into logWorking part-time in the camp as a looking over us. Right before the ging. He cut logs all day and hauled at 4

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THseptOct18pg_cs.indd 4

9/14/18 11:53 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 5

9/12/18 10:49 AM

MyTake night. “I never worked so hard in my life,” he recalled, but there’s one thing I learned. When you’re ﬂat on your back there’s only one way, and that’s up.” A year or so later, Pat had paid back the loan and had $5,000 in the bank. The logger credited the Menominee Indian Tribe, which controls a 235,500-acre reservation in northeastern Wisconsin, for helping him along the way. At the invitation of the Menominee, he began logging on the reservation in 1963, earning a reputation as “the hungry white man.” That development led to the relocation of the Crawford family from northwestern to northeastern Wisconsin, where he continued to tinker and innovate.

Early Developments In the mid-1970s he hooked up with Ed Kosinski in a small fabrication shop in Polar, Wis. that facilitated his tinkering. They developed a large forwarder, using the chassis of a military tank retriever, and Pat put it to work on his job. Others in the area wanted one. The shop eventually turned out about 35 of the machines, dubbed the Polar Prehauler. Pat and Kosinski, along with employee Larry Klement, continued trying things, including a tree shear, the manufacturing rights for which were sold to Esco, and a wheeled feller-buncher prototype that featured a swinging boom with a shear. Pat owned a Drott tracktype buncher and was using it to select cut in a national forest, but its wide tail swing was an operational drawback. He designed a new type of boom that folded over the top of the machine, greatly reducing its tail swing and making it much more productive. The threesome ﬁtted the shop-built wheeled buncher prototype with the boom, but encountered hydraulic troubles, so they switched to a tracked carrier and it worked well. Wester wrote that Pat considered the boom design his top innovation, the real beginning of Timbco. The year was 1978. At that time Pat was not interested in becoming a manufacturer, preferring to build machines for his own use, but local and area loggers kept urging him to build them. He had tested other equipment for Caterpillar, so he offered his prototype to that company, but ofﬁcials there did not think it was far enough along to interest them, and they turned it down. “They could have had it 6

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

for nothing,” Pat recalled in Wester’s history. Pat sold his share of the Polar Welding Shop to Kosinski and invested in a place of his own in Shawano, making Klement his partner and turning over his logging job to two of his sons. At 55, Pat’s career entered a new orbit. Despite the financial constraints and challenges that accompany startups, Pat and his Timbco family endured, producing the first Timbco in 1980 and improving the product—going from two-way to four-way leveling in 1982 was one example—and added more dealers and customers. The machine, which really shined in steep, rugged terrain, caught the attention of Timberjack, which in the mid’80s worked out a general assembly and marketing agreement with Timbco that lasted for several years and helped make Pat’s financial condition more secure. The companies parted ways when they could not reach accord on ownership of design changes, so Timbco resumed total production, going with an ‘engine up’ design that Pat believed would help broaden its appeal, and Timberjack introduced its own machine with the unit’s original ‘engine down’ design. With Timbco’s business booming in the ’90s, several manufacturers made offers or overtures to buy the company. In 2000, about the time Pat had renewed his interest in wheeled machines, Timbco agreed to sell to Partek Forest, owner of the Valmet brand.

TimberPro Emerges Pat worked out an option to buy back the wheeled division in two years, which he did in 2002. He formed TimberPro, which initially focused on making large wheeled harvesters and forwarders and robust controlled-fall heads. Tracked machines were added later. Today TimberPro products are found around the world, and some are used in non-forestry applications He was 77 when he formed TimberPro. “Retirement to me is a dirty word,” he told Dave Wester. “I may be old, but I don’t want to go to Florida and sit there for the rest of my life.” Always a logger at heart, Pat drew lots of attention from forest industry publications and associations, not to mention local newspapers. Here is one example from Timber Harvesting in 1992: As a logging contractor for most of

his life, Crawford says he’s much more conscious of the end user than he is the profitability of his company. “Of course, we have to be profitable, but the fellow who’s buying our product has to make a living with it, and he’s our primary concern.” Here is one from The Northern Logger, June 2007: Most people who reach the age of 81 spend time looking back on their life and career, but that isn’t the case with Crawford. He says, “I don’t like to hunt, fish, or golf. I like to work. I like the people in the logging industry and like being around them. I plan on staying here as long as my brain works and I can still get to the plant.” In November 2016, The Shawano Leader newspaper interviewed Pat for its ‘Bountiful Blessings’ feature wherein local residents could enumerate what they were thankful for. Here are two things he listed: —“I’m thankful for finding a vocation that I love, starting a company that I’m proud of and having it thrive. I often say that I’ve never worked a day in my life. I’m thankful for all of my employees, past and present, who have helped make it a reality.” —“I’m most thankful for marrying the right woman and having eight wonderful kids. They have enhanced my life in immeasurable ways. They are a source of joy and pride. I could not have done it without them.” Among other qualities, Pat was known for his humility and generosity. He and wife Ruth founded the Ruth and Pat Crawford Family Foundation, Inc. (N5873 Old Keshena Rd., Shawano, WI 54166) and through it quietly donated liberally to local schools and charities. Wester noted that Pat once shared the proceeds of a substantial patent infringement lawsuit settlement with his employees and did likewise when he sold Timbco. Survivors include Ruth Crawford— they were married for 67 years and she worked in the business as well—eight children, 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the family foundation mentioned above. The logging industry, I am certain, is thankful for Pat Crawford’s collective mechanical stamp and complete devotion. I’m thankful for his gleaming example as a person, husband, father, and employer, and that I knew him. Enjoy TH your promotion, my friend.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THseptOct18pg_cs.indd 6

9/12/18 11:43 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 7

9/12/18 10:49 AM

NewsLines

Weiler Plans Purchase Of Cat Forestry Line Weiler, Inc. of Knoxville, Iowa has entered into a preliminary agreement with Caterpillar, Inc. to purchase the Cat purpose-built forestry business. The sale is subject to negotiation of a final agreement, which is e pected by early 2019. The proposed sale includes the purpose-built forestry product line consisting of wheel skidders, track feller-bunchers, wheel feller-bunchers, knuckleboom loaders, and related operations facilities including a manufacturing plant and warehouse in LaGrange, Ga., a demonstration and training center in Auburn, Ala., and the Prentice parts distribution center in mithfield, . Weiler has been manufacturing purpose-built equipment for the asphalt paving market since 2005, with sales, service and support exclusively through the Caterpillar dealer network. “We believe that the purpose-built forestry product line is the ideal addition to our current product portfolio,” comments Pat Weiler, owner and founder of Weiler, Inc. “We have a proven track record of working with Cat dealers all over the world to respond rapidly to customers with speciali ed product needs. We are confident that our existing product lineup, our fle ible manufacturing strategy, and our unrivaled customer focus will differentiate us within the forestry segment.” Weiler anticipates retaining the approximately 270 employees supporting the forestry business, adding to the nearly 500 employees currently employed at the Iowa-based manufactur-

er’s corporate ofﬁce and manufacturing facility. “Utilizing the capabilities of both the LaGrange and Knoxville facilities, we have plans in place to expand the existing forestry product line to further meet customer demands,” Weiler adds. Caterpillar will continue to provide forestry excavators designed for log loading, processing and other forestry applications, in addition to supplying core Caterpillar equipment to the forestry industry. Weiler will design and manufacture purpose-built forestry products, which will be available through the Cat and Prentice dealer networks. Weiler’s existing plant has 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The base designs for its self-propelled road wideners and asphalt windrow elevators were created by Barber-Greene, a company that was purchased by Caterpillar in the early 1990s. Weiler purchased the designs from Cat in 2005 and established the Weiler brand name. Since then, Weiler has made updates based on input from its customers and introduced extensions to both lines as well as expanding the Weiler line by adding self propelled material transfer vehicles, a commercial paver, split-drum compactors, tack distributors and highway class front mount screeds. Pat Weiler founded the company in 2000 and began producing equipment for major OEM manufacturers with the intent of developing new product. Over the last 15 years he has grown the company into a major manufacturer of multiple product lines for

Caterpillar skidders will be rolling under new ownership. 8

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

the paving industry. Weiler sells through 190 sales ofﬁces and service centers worldwide. Weiler began his career at Vermeer as a design engineer and became director of Engineering in 1983. He held multiple roles in senior management until he retired from Vermeer in 1999. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering. He serves on the CE Sector Board of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Georgia-Pacific Is On SYP Sawmill Roll

eorgia-Pacific announced it is building a southern yellow pine sawmill in Albany, Ga.—GP’s third new softwood lumber mill announcement in 12 months, following investments at Talladega, Ala. and Warrenton, Ga. Construction on the $150 million, 320,000 square foot facility is scheduled to begin by the end of this year with an anticipated startup in late 2019. Once it is fully operational, the plant will employ more than 130. Fritz Mason, vice president and general manager, eorgia-Pacific Lumber, comments, “Albany was an attractive fit for this facility because of the talented workforce in the region; the cost of doing business; proximity to raw materials; and access to rail and highways, plus we have received a very warm reception from the leadership in Albany, Dougherty County, and the state of Georgia. Once in production, the facility expects to receive approximately 180 log trucks a day and produce 300MMBF of lumber a year. overnor athan Deal adds, “We are proud that eorgia-Pacific will e pand upon its significant presence in Georgia. As one of the nation’s most successful brands, eorgia-Pacific recogni es the benefits of operating in the top state for business.” GP says it will continue to evaluate similar investments in the U.S. as the demand for lumber continues to improve as the housing market strengthens. “Our confidence in our building products business is strong,” Mason says. Through GP’s packaging business, it has also owned and operated a corrugated box plant in Albany since 1981 that serves customers throughout the Southeast.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THseptOct18pg_cs.indd 8

9/12/18 11:43 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 9

9/12/18 10:49 AM

NewsLines Calif. County Gains Fire Reduction Grant While wildfires scorch the state and region, alifornia’s Tolumne ounty recently announced a million federal grant that will fund forest management operations in the area to reduce the risk of wildfires and boost the local economy. Pro ect activities include fuel reduction, thinning, mastication, reforestation, biomass removal, and prescribed fire preparation. ast December the county board of supervisors signed a aster tewardship greement under which Tolumne ounty can conduct restoration pro ects on the tanislaus ational orest and apply and receive funding for supplemental pro ect agreements, also known as P s. ccording to county officials, the grant is a ma or collaborative between the county and . . orest ervice along with other osemite tanislaus olutions stakeholders, a group representing a wide range of interests from timber industry members to environmentalists.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Loggers Rally For Biomass

On September 7, in support of New Hampshire’s biomass industry, CBI in Newton, NH partnered with the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association to host a community dialogue on overriding the vetoes of Senate bills 365 and 446. The bills, which passed both houses of the legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, but were vetoed by the governor, would help support biomass and other renewable energy in the Granite State and thus the market for wood chips by implementing requirements for biomass power generation. Attendees discussed the environmental and economic impact of the bills and urged legislators to override the vetoes. On hand were state senators Regina Birdsell and Dan Innis.

any of the forest heath improvement activities are planned in the Tolumne iver watershed, and all pro ects must begin work by arch 0 . The local economy should beneﬁt since there is a sawmill, two biomass plants and a shavings plant in Tolumne ounty that can utili e a wide range of the raw materials generated by thinning and other ﬁre

reduction strategies. The county is also working on a grant from the ire alifornia limate Investment orest ealth program for iD radar data ac uisition scans that can closely gauge tree mortality, water retention and vegetation density and help with overall pro ect planning and analysis.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THseptOct18pg_cs.indd 10

9/12/18 11:43 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 11

9/14/18 8:14 AM

Threeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Company

The Williams siblings, and their family of companies, are the 2018 Timber Harvesting Logging Business of the Year.

JESSICAJohnson

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 12

9/14/18 7:33 AM

The Williams family, Elaine and Theo Williams, front; from left, behind, Susan Williams, Tim Williams, Martha W. Sanders, Reg Williams and Deanna Williams.

t five years old Tim Williams was the boss of the family’s peach field in Edgefield, SC, his sister Martha Sanders says with a laugh. She then points to her other brother, Reg, saying that by five he was telling a mechanic how to fix something. Fast forward a few years (okay, decades…) and those leadership skills from Tim and Reg, supported by Martha’s talents have grown their father’s logging operation to a family of companies that includes a timber procurement company employing 20 harvesting crews, 10 of which are Log Creek’s company crews, a trucking company with 40 power units with a dedicated dispatch

and logistical staff, on-site NAPA Auto Parts store with a Stihl dealership and a variety of other diversified interests. Tim, Reg and Martha have been working in the family business since the 1990s. In that time the family company has grown exponentially and predominately under the radar. Each of the three handles a different aspect of the business, and just like a perfectly executed screen pass on a gridiron for the championship, they each protect each other while knowing their roles and performing them at the highest level. Tim handles daily in-woods operations and manages the procurement team. Martha handles all paperwork

and management of office staff. Reg is the self-proclaimed behind-the-scenes guy, keeping the ball moving down the field. For Martha, it just works. “Tim is grinding every day and Reg is the one that is plugged into the outside,” she says. Reg’s industry involvement includes service to the South Carolina Forestry Assn., presiding as Chairman in 2016-17. He keeps Tim and Martha abreast of changes that will affect their sizable operation in Johnston, SC. When looking at the business acumen of the Williams siblings, it’s easy to see why their companies, under the Log Creek banner, are the perfect choice to receive Timber Harvesting’s

Technology is the backbone of the Dispatch Center that Log Creek relies on to manage their fleet of trucks and mobile equipment. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 13

9/14/18 7:34 AM

2018 Logging Business of the Year award. (Log Creek is the second company from South Carolina to receive the nod from TH during the award’s 21-year history.) When notified about the award, the siblings were humbled. They immediately started pointing to their employees, saying that Log Creek would not be what it is today without them—their day-in and day-out dedication to doing their jobs to the best of their ability. “It’s too big for just us now,” Martha says. “Our employees are very supportive and defensive of all of us.” Reg adds, “The neat thing is, if you let someone try to step on the three of us, the employees will bow up.” Martha believes the employee loyalty comes from the family-oriented atmosphere. It has been difficult to maintain as the company has gone from a mom and pop small business to

a company with over 130 employees, but Log Creek has retained the sense of one big family. Log Creek hasn’t forgotten where it started.

Humble Beginnings In the early 1980s their father started logging while maintaining the family’s peach farm. At that time, the business was fairly standard—a single crew cut, skidded and loaded pine logs, their mother handled the bookwork and errand running. Tim and Reg grew up pitching in on the peach farm and watching their father work the woods crew. When Reg graduated from Clemson University with a degree in ag economics in 1992, he immediately entered the family business. After Tim’s degree in business was complete at Presbyterian College, he also returned home to log. Martha

Loader operators strive to have loads sorted and ready for trucks as soon as they return to the dock.

Each of the company crews uses a full complement of harvest equipment. 14

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

spent 10 years working outside of the family upon finishing her business degree at Presbyterian College, but when she got pregnant with her daughter in 1996, she realized she wanted to return to the business as well—giving her the chance to spend time with her daughter and help her mother who was, at that time, the only one doing anything office related for the company. “I came back with Rachel in a carrier and she and I started doing the errands,” Martha says. Things began to really change for the Williams family in 1997, when they formed a second crew. In 2000 they started buying their own wood; by 2007 they were operating four inwoods crews. In 2007 Reg’s wife Deanna, a professional CPA, joined full-time to take over some of Martha’s duties: payables and overseeing the general accounting, which freed up Martha to move to the timber side keeping up with paying truckers, crews, landowners and other assorted tasks. Tim’s wife Susan came into the business in 1998, spending one day per week in the office handling payroll and helping her sisters-in-law with records. Early on, the siblings realized it was difficult to keep everything under one banner company for insurance and liability. They decided to operate everything separately. Log Creek Timber Co. is the company that employs ticket processors, foresters and logging crews. Log Creek Thinning is the company that owns the in-woods equipment and also employs the logging crews. Log Creek Logging, doing business as Felix Transport, is the trucking company. Tim quips that by operating each separately it’s easy to tell which company is making money and which one isn’t. Reg’s role grew and changed as the business evolved, but he always maintained a solid involvement in the industry—something Martha says has given Log Creek an edge. Of her brother, she says, “It is the thankless part of the job, because you don’t see what he does. He’s got a crazy amount of knowledge and it helps us so much.” With an operation like Log Creek, there are a lot of moving parts and even the smallest regulation change can take a big toll. Reg’s involvement with outside groups helps Martha anticipate and prepare for upcoming changes, especially with trucking. With operating so many trucks and

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 14

9/14/18 7:34 AM

trailers, Log Creek has seen its fair share of DOT audits—and overseeing them is part of Reg’s responsibility.

Current Operations Tim and six procurement foresters buy wood and oversee the 10 company and 10 contract logging crews, and with that many pieces of moving iron it’s not always smooth sailing. Especially when it comes to getting the loads hauled. Tim says a lack of loggers in the area forced Log Creek to grow its company crews over time. “2003 was a terrible time for loggers,” he remarks. “From 2003 to 2013, we had wood orders to deliver with our timber company that we couldn’t fill because of the logging capacity.” In order to move the wood, instead of relying on more contract crews, the siblings added more of their own. Crews work mainly on properties within an 80-mile radius of the Johnston facility—though Tim says most tracts are within 50 to 60 miles. Most all of the crews are three man operations. Company crews make use of two floating skidders and two floating saw men that move as needed to get the job done. Tim believes the three-man crew with floaters set up gives Log Creek flexibility while maintaining efficiency. “You always have something you can’t get to. Instead of running short on production, we’re better off dropping a floating skidder in there and try to keep trucks rolling, so our trucks are not sitting a whole lot. When we have a crew moving, a site gets wet or for whatever reason something breaks down, we’re able to shift trucks to the other nine crews. We can divert and do other things,” Tim explains. Each crew has a dedicated foreman, and Log Creek has a “Lead Skidder” that travels between the crews. One of the Log Creek foresters approached Tim about using the best skidder driver to float to the different crews. Tim loved the idea: “Wherever he shows up, he gives us feedback on the crew: What needs to be improved and what doesn’t, because the skidder is the one that goes to the feller-buncher and the loader, so he sees the whole job over the course of a day. It’s been a big, big help.” In terms of labor in the woods, they have a strong nucleus of people that are in the 40-55 age range helping get it done. Even though Log Creek has been lucky to land a few young guys Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

Upgrades to larger, more efficient skidders have improved production while reducing costs.

in their 20s that are good operators, the future of the industry needs a vocationally trained workforce. “The business has grown exponentially over the last few years,” Martha says. “That growth has created numerous opportunities for change in our business model.” Log Creek has added a Safety Coordinator to handle monthly safety meetings and oversee compliance. With growth, the company has added staff dedicated to the HR functions of a company this size, a fully staffed accounting department, and an administrative support staff to aid in managing the workload of the foresters and process sales, and an IT department.

“We’ve had to financially lay out a mere fortune on our trucking arm; therefore it immediately became a huge focus.”—Tim Williams “This level of staffing allows us to monitor compliance on a wide range of issues and to maintain control on income and expense data so that we can recognize trends in both our business and in the industry,” Reg says. To show gratitude for what all employees do, the siblings host a Family Fun Day every fall and an employee appreciation dinner at the end of the year. At this dinner employees’ tenures are celebrated with 5-year increment gifts. Reg notes Log Creek has one employee who’s been with them 30 years, and several 20-year veterans.

Trucking Concerns As the in-woods operation grew, the trucking side had more issues. “If you were here in the spring of last year, we would have had 20 Felix trucks running and about 30 contractor haulers,” Tim says. In the summer of 2017, the siblings decided to expand the trucking operation to 40 company owned trucks and consolidated to just 10 contract haulers. “We’ve had to financially lay out a fortune on our trucking arm; therefore, it immediately became a huge focus,” Tim notes. This is a direct reflection of the independent hauler’s insurance costs. For the last 15 years, Log Creek had a full-time dispatcher managing company trucks and assisting with contract trucks. Now, Log Creek operates 40 company trucks, with a logistical staff covering dispatching, DOT regulations and unit/driver compliance. Tim says they have been trying to work on the company’s SMS score, and have recently taken big strides in reducing it. “Log trucks are scrutinized from the woods to the gates of the mills by the public and by enforcement agencies,” Tim adds. Martha says one of the biggest challenges in operating a logging business is the trucking: “Drivers who want to stay local now have options aside from just hauling logs. We’re a decent sized timber company whose continued success depends entirely on daily deliveries to the mills who purchase our products. The competition for truckers is about to paralyze the entire timber industry.” Log Creek is within 100 miles of multiple mills. Its serves an abundance SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 15

9/14/18 7:34 AM

Without shop and support staff the entire operation would slowly grind to a halt.

Office staffing is key: admin support, accounting, human resources and safety.

Dispatching is the one piece of the puzzle that is absolutely critical.

Crew leaders, key equipment operators form the backbone of the woods crew.

of markets (see sidebar), and Tim says it was impossible there are three new markets to keep rolling under those that are slated to open reconditions. gionally within the next “That’s just one of two 12–24 months, which Tim reasons we’ve converted believes will further enback from decoupled truckhance market strategies. ing to one driver with one But Tim adds, “In another trailer they are responsible year we may well find ourselves for,” he continues. “In order unable to fill the mills’ needs. for us to keep drivers, the You can always buy a truck, but drivers do not like to get out you’ve got to have a qualified and unhook and re-hook driver sitting in the seat to operwhen it’s 100° or 20°. In ate it who can meet insurance order to improve the workstipulations and doesn’t have ing environment and hire multiple safety violations. That Foresters and wood buyers lead the way in keeping the business “in business.” more drivers, we’ve had no is what we see from an industry choice but change.” standpoint as the big puzzle to solve. In the and Pitts in the mix. Trucks typically Each truck is outfitted with Verinext 12-24 months, it will become increasstay with one trailer throughout the zon fleet management GPS, which is ingly difficult to keep the log trucks rolling day, but with mill closures and shuthow dispatch is able to monitor wood unless we are able to get more money in the downs, dispatch will reroute trucks to flow. Inside the dispatch center is equation. We’ve got to be smart as owners, the facility to drop a trailer for storage one large main monitor with four but the mills and everyone else that’s inin order to keep wood flowing. sub-monitors. Reg says it is all devolved has got to work together.” Tim says in the past he tried running signed to maximize the loaded miles Log Creek runs a combination of decoupled trucking, but it just didn’t the trucks haul within the day. Western Star and Freightliner trucks, work the way he wanted it to. He found Some trucks have scales, and some with the majority being Western Star. drivers had the bad habit of dropping do not. Tim says that when they were Most have been purchased through trailers with a brake out of adjustment, running decoupled trucking it was Shealy Truck Center in Columbia, SC. or a flat tire or a light needing to be tremendously difficult to keep the air Of the more than 70 trailers Log Creek fixed. With increased eyes on off-road scales calibrated. Now that trucks uses, most are Evans, with Big John haulers, and increased DOT regulations, and trailers are dedicated, he hopes 16

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 16

9/14/18 7:34 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 17

9/12/18 10:49 AM

Nuts & Bolts Production: 85% pine; 15% hardwood ● Equipment: —10 John Deere 748L Skidders —3 John Deere 748H Skidders —1 John Deere 437E Loader —6 John Deere437D Loaders —5 Tigercat 234 B Loaders —2 John Deere 843L Cutters —3 John Deere 843K Cutters —1 Tigercat 724 Cutter —4 Tigercat 720E Cutters —1 Tigercat 718E Cutter ● Dealers: Flint Equipment Co, Tidewater Equipment; Shealy Truck Center; GCR; Whitehead Tire ● Preferred Tire Brands: Firestone; Bridgestone ● Fuel consumption: 18,000 gal. of fuel per week ● Present Markets: Paper mills include Resolute-Catawba, IP-Eastover, IP-Augusta and Resolute (formerly Abitibi)-Augusta, plus GP-McCormick, Kinard Post-Ehrhardt and Enviva-Greenwood. Plywood mills include GP-Prosperity and Boise Cascade-Chester. Pine sawmills include West Fraser-Newberry, West Fraser-Augusta, GP-Prosperity, Collums Lumber-Allendale, Cameron Lumber-Cameron, The Timbermen-Camak, Pollard Lumber-Appling and King Lumber-Liberty. Hardwood sawmills include Beasley Forest Products-Hazlehurst, Battle Lumber-Wadley, Beal Lumber-Little Mountain, Clendenin Lumber-Donalds, Durham and Dunn Lumber-Pickens. Chip mills include IP-Silverstreet, IP-Hardcash, Evergreen-Kinards and Capps-Easley. Other markets include Norbord OSB-Joanna and GP OSB-Allendale, plus the pole mills of McFarland/Cascade, SC Pole and Piling and Koppers. ●

to get some continuity back to the scale systems. At this point, trucks are not outfitted with dash cams, though Reg believes that is more than likely the next step for the organization. Insurance plays a tremendous role in the day-to-day operation of the Log Creek Companies. “It’s nice to have an agent that is both knowledgeable about the industry and also a family friend,” he says of Palmetto State Agency, LLC of Lexington, SC. 18

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Dual flagging and permanent trailer strobes are the latest in Log Creek’s ongoing effort to be safe.

Iron Registry Log Creek runs an assortment of iron in the woods, heavy to John Deere and Tigercat (see sidebar), and some Caterpillar and Komatsu support equipment. Each crew operates with one feller-buncher, one skidder and one loader with a delimber and buck saw. Some loaders have grapple saws.

“In the next 12-24 months, how are we going to keep the log trucks rolling if we are not able to get more money in the equation? We’ve got to be smart as owners, but the mills, everyone that’s involved has got to work together.”—Tim Williams In total, Log Creek has 13 skidders, one running full time on each crew, two floaters and one spare. Ten feller-bunchers run almost every day, with one held in reserve as a spare. If the buncher gets ahead of the crew, often the operator will jump on one of the five bulldozers and do other work. Ten of 12 loaders run full-time, with the other two being used primarily for small tracts or for replacement on crews to allow for maintenance without sacrificing production. The company also has skid steers with street sweepers and two motor graders to

build roads and do BMP work. Reg says they tend to buy more than one piece of equipment at a time, so there is continuity between makes and models. This helps the mechanics in the shop get used to working on a certain set of the same, as well as cut down on the number of parts needed. Typically equipment is rotated in a three to five year window, with bunchers and loaders running a little longer than skidders. Just like with trucking, as the logging crews grew bigger and bigger, the shop struggled to keep up. Now, five full-time mechanics and one rolling assets manager work the equipment and help with equipment purchasing decisions. “They keep our organization running,” Tim says. According to Reg, the shop manager is the only person who looks at JD Link on a daily basis. In 2014, the siblings went into the auto parts business because they saw a need. The lack of parts availability for their operation alone was frustrating, not to mention similar problems for the other area loggers and peach farmers. Now they own four NAPA locations, with one located at the facility in Johnston. There is also a Stihl power equipment dealership attached to the Johnston facility with a dedicated small engine mechanic. Along with being able to get nearly everything needed from their auto parts store, the mechanics in the shop make use of a software program called TRACS, which enables mechanics to track repairs, parts consumption and

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 18

9/14/18 7:34 AM

PM work. Both the job and part numbers are recorded just as if a dealership had done the repair, allowing Tim and Reg to go back and see what has been done to each piece. While the mechanics aren’t completely dedicated to certain repairs, they all naturally have their expertise. All work (including tires) on inwoods equipment, service trucks, pickup trucks, support equipment and log haulers are done by the five mechanics. The wash bay is open 24 hours a day, with in-woods equipment brought in and washed every two months.

Tim says. “It should be where someone could take over as the CEO and manage the wood buyers and provide quota from mills to loggers.” Martha says one of the driving forces behind putting plans in place was after a tragedy two years ago. A key employee was involved in an offduty accident on a Saturday morning and died. “So, on Monday morning, we couldn’t call him and ask him anything,” she remembers. “That changed the three of us. And it changed our

perspective. We have got a plan in place so that if one of us doesn’t come in tomorrow, we can still function. We have 130 plus employees. You can’t just not show up.” While the siblings don’t agree on everything, and refuse to function as “yes men” for each other, they do agree on this: Log Creek Timber’s roots have always been in the logging side of the business, and regardless of what happens, they love what TH they do each and every day.

Looking Forward “We could not have done what we’ve done without the support and the training our parents gave us growing up and the work ethic they showed us,” Martha says.

“It’s too big for just us now. Nothing is perfect, and you get frustrated in the day in and day out. But our employees are very supportive and defensive of all of us.” —Martha Sanders Until 2016, their mother, Elaine Williams, was in the office helping out with paperwork. “Dad (Theo Williams) is 84. While claiming retirement in 1998 he remained actively involved until 2010. You can still find him enjoying a cup of coffee in the office most mornings even today,” Martha laughs. While each of the siblings’ children are fairly young, the future of the company is not uncertain. Martha explains that while this may not seem like a mom and pop family business anymore, it is still 100% owned by the family. However, strides have been taken over the last several years to set things in motion where Log Creek and the family of companies will be able to continue regardless of death or retirement. All three siblings are very set in the decision that if their children want to return to Log Creek, they must first work for someone else for at least two to five years to gain valuable experience from outside the company business. “The timber company that is the basis of all of it, should outlive us,” Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 19

9/14/18 7:34 AM

Going Home The Long Way Logging wasn’t his first choice, but Hardy Rhodes has built an impressive operation. DavidAbbott

ardy Rhodes, 47, has been running his company, Hardy Rhodes Trucking LLP, headquartered in Fordyce, Ark. for 14 years, and he’s been working in the woods full-time for more than 20 years. In fact, he’s been around logging all his life. Like many loggers, Rhodes grew up in a logging family, but unlike a lot of his peers, it wasn’t his first career choice.

Far from it; in fact for a long time, it was his last choice. His father was a logger—Hardy Rhodes, Sr.—as were both his uncles. He had no interest in following in the family tradition though. “This was his love; I wanted no part in it,” the junior Hardy Rhodes admits of himself as a younger man. “I told my dad when I was 17 to stop taking me to the woods because I didn’t

want to work in the woods,” he recalls with a hardy laugh. “It wasn’t for me.” Instead, Rhodes grew up wanting to be a nurse. To that end he joined the military to get his training, entering the Navy as a hospital corpsman. He was in there for just more than six months when an injury to his right knee ended his military career. With that door closed, Rhodes went home

When Timber Harvesting visited in August, two of the three Weyerhaeuser crews were combined, skidding to a single landing with three Deere loaders. The third Weyerhaeuser crew was working not far away on the same tract.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 20

9/13/18 8:10 AM

and started trying to find a way to make ends meet. Like Don Michael Corleone said of his family’s business in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III, “Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in.” Rhodes echoes the sentiment. “I kept getting pulled back in,” he says. “It was already in my blood, I knew what to do.” Still, he didn’t fall back on the family business right away. He spent almost two years working at the Burlington rug mill in Monticello. During that time he married his high school sweetheart, Veronica, and started a family. Her father, Welton Green, had also been a logger (retired from the woods after 35 years in it, Green, 77, now oversees the shop crew in Fordyce for his son-in-law). Green asked Rhodes if he’d like to come run a new cutter he’d recently acquired. Needing to make some extra money to support his growing family, Rhodes agreed, and for the

next two years he manned the feller-buncher during the day while working at the rug mill at night. He quickly discovered that he had a real natural talent for running a cutter in pine plantation first thinning applications. In those days, around 2002, the logging job was still leaving a lot of wood on the ground in the slash pile. His father-in-law commented once, “If a man had a little shortwood truck, he could come get free wood.” Rhodes recalls, “It tickled my mind.” He knew a man who had said he would sell his old truck for $1,500, and throw a Jonsered chain saw in with the deal. “I was 24 then and I didn’t have anything at this point, so I asked my mom to cosign a loan for me.” He bought the shortwood truck and started hauling extra wood

Hardy Rhodes

Rhodes started his business as a trucking venture, and still runs his own trucks today.

The logger frequently duals up tires on skidders and cutters.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 21

9/13/18 9:46 AM

Hardy Rhodes Trucking runs a balanced mix of Deere, Tigercat and Cat machines on its four crews.

on the side. It was at this point that he really began to recognize and become intrigued by the business opportunities presented by logging. “That was how I got my hands into it and really got the sawdust in my blood,” he smiles. It was the birth of Hardy Rhodes Trucking, LLP. Still unsure what direction to take, Rhodes had been taking vocational-technical classes, including one on the pulp and paper business. His teacher in that class, Linda Manis, also worked in human resources for

Potlatch Corp., and recommended him for a job at that company’s paper mill in Warren. “She changed my whole life,” he says. He ended up working at Potlatch for nine years while working to build his trucking company. Potlatch put him on 12-hour shifts, so that he worked 15 days and then had 15 days off. He used his days off to go back to truck driving school and finish his CDL. Then, he bought an 18-wheel truck with a pole trailer, allowing him to haul more than just

The shop crew in Fordyce is well equipped to handle most repairs to equipment and trucks. 22

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

short wood on his off days. He was hauling for logger Shannon Lassiter and soon added a second truck and driver, Gary Lynn Harris. When he was 32, almost 14 years after it took him out of the Navy, that injured knee finally had to be replaced with an artificial one. His doctor warned him that if he didn’t stop the kind of work he was doing at the paper mill, which kept him standing up or crawling on his knees frequently, he’d end up having to have the other one replaced, too. Knowing that he was going to have to quit the mill, he decided it was time to start his own logging crew. He knew Harold Smith, the owner of Monticello-based timber dealer Silvicraft, Inc., and he knew that Silvicraft needed to put on another thinning crew, so he went to the owner and told him of his intentions. Smith agreed to back him. It took a $350,000 investment for him to get in the business. He started with a Timberjack skidder, Timberking loader, and a Hydro-Ax 411 EX cutter, along with the two log trucks he already owned.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 22

9/12/18 2:51 PM

Weyerhaeuser Crews 2 and 3, combined, left to right: Hugo Gomez, Adrian Valdez, Cerfin Matmmoros, Kerry Simmons and Hardy Rhodes; not pictured, Robert Hernandez and Frederick Rainey

Growth Period After nine years with Silvicraft, Rhodes accepted an offer to log for Potlatch. Later, he saw an opportunity to get some work with Plum Creek, but he didn’t want to lose his contract with Potlatch. So, though he wasn’t looking to expand, he decided to start a second crew just to get on with Plum Creek while continuing his Potlatch contract with the other crew. “I wasn’t trying to do it, it just happened,” he laughs. After Plum Creek merged with Weyerhaeuser, they asked if he could up production, so he started the third job. A few years later, when all of Potlatch’s land was too wet to work, he put all three crews on Weyerhaeuser jobs. However, this solution soon presented a new problem. Because Weyerhaeuser had supply agreements to send all its first thinning pulpwood to the then-new Highland Pellets mill in Pine Bluff, Rhodes’ trucks were getting bottlenecked with only going to one mill. Potlatch had commitments with other mills, especially the Georgia-Pacific OSB plant in Fordyce. Diversifying again to take full advantage of all opportunities, Rhodes fired up some of the old equipment he still had and set up a fourth crew to stay with Potlatch. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

That arrangement—three crews on Weyerhaeuser land, one on Potlatch— is still working out well for Rhodes. When Timber Harvesting visited all four of Rhodes’ crews in August, three of them were working on different parts of the same 319-acre Weyerhae-

user block, a 17-year-old first thinning pine plantation located near Fordyce, a community known for having been the hometown of iconic University of Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. The fourth crew, committed to Potlatch jobs, was working closer to

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 23

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 23

9/12/18 2:51 PM

Shop crew, from left: Jonathan Green, Hardy Rhodes, Cedric Hudson, Welton Green

Weyerhaeuser Crew 1, from left: Libo Herrarr, Jose Chavez, Kenneth Moore, Uriel Fajardo-Luna

Potlatch crew, left to right: Sylvester Daniels, Kenneth Dailey, Billy Don Christian, Fernando Simpson

Monticello. In August that crew was thinning 120 acres of a 500-acre private block owned by John Simms, which is part of a CRP (conservation reserve program). The Weyerhaeuser crews still haul pine pulpwood to Highland Pellets in Pine Bluff, and the Potlatch crew still sends its pine pulp to the GP OSB plant in Fordyce. Both crews send chip-n-saw to Victory Lumber in Camden and West Fraser in Leola, and WLS Sawmill, Inc. in Benton. The crews each average 25-30 loads per week in first thinning jobs.

Equipment Lineup The four crews have equipment mostly from 2015 or newer. Weyerhaeuser Crew 1 has a 2017 John Deere 648L Deere skidder, Cat 559 loader 24

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

with CSI slasher/delimber package, and Tigercat 720 cutter with Quadco teeth on the sawhead. When Timber Harvesting visited, Weyerhaeuser crews 2 and 3 were working together, using Cat 525 and Tigercat 620 skidders, a Tigercat 720 cutter and three Deere loaders: two 437Ds to merchandise while a 437C loaded trucks. The Potlatch crew uses a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16 Deere 648L skidder, Cat 579 loader and Tigercat 718 cutter. Along with contract haulers as needed, Rhodes has nine trucks of his own: seven Peterbilt 389 models, one Kenworth, and a 2000 model Freightliner, the same one that got him started; it is used now just for moving equipment. Five of the Peterbilts run Cummins engines, 500HP, while the other two have Detroit Fitzgerald glider kits. The Kenworth has a C15 Cat engine and the Freightliner has a

C12 Cat. All run on Eaton transmissions. Rhodes runs six Viking drop deck trailers, all 2015-16 models, a 2010 Pitts drop deck and a 1999 OT trailer, the one he started with. He also has a Viking lowboy. Tires are Firestone: 24-5s and 22-5s on trucks, 30.5 on cutters with 28L on the outside when running duals, and on the skidders, 35.5 inside with 30.5 outside. The total investment, counting trucks and machines together, is $3.2 million. Stribling Equipment in Monticello (John Deere), Riggs Cat in El Dorado and MidSouth Forestry Equipment in Warren (Tigercat) are the equipment dealers for Rhodes. He buys his trucks from Peterbilt Truck Center of Little Rock and his trailers from MidSouth Forestry in Warren. All the insurance for the operation is through Merchant and Planters Insurance Agencies in Warren. Operators handle routine maintenance, including greasing and changing oil regularly. Rhodes sends warranty repair back to the dealers, but for everything else he looks to his fulltime shop crew, including his fatherin-law Welton Green, Jonathan Green and Cedric Hudson.

Manpower Rhodes still has most of the employees who started with him 14 years ago. Each crew is a three-man job. Employees include, on Weyerhaeuser crew 1: Libo Herrarr, Uriel Fajardo-Luna and Jose Chavez; on Weyerhaeuser 2 , Robert Hernandez, Hugo Gomez and Cerfin Matmmoros; on Weyerhaeuser 3,

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 24

9/12/18 2:51 PM

Kerry Simmons, Fred Rainey and Adrian Valdez; and on the Potlatch crew, Sylvester Daniels, Kenneth Dailey, Billy Don Christian and Wayne Gullett, an all-around guy who can run the skidder, loader or cutter as needed. Another all-around guy, Danny Daniels, has been with Rhodes since he first went to work in the woods at age 24. Now almost 60, Daniels keeps up with dozer work on the roads and fills in on skidders as needed. “He’s my go-to man,” Rhodes says. Truck drivers include Roy Smith, Wanda Owens, Derrick (DJ) Jumarcus, Paul Dorrel, Fernando Simpson, Kenneth Moore and Steve Crook. As with most loggers these days, Rhodes admits hiring truck drivers is a challenge. “It seems like everybody has the same problem,” he says—namely, that good, insurable, reliable drivers are in high demand and short supply. “It is a small pool and everybody is competing over trying to hire them. My turnover in the woods is maybe 25%, but in trucking it might be 75%,” he says. In keeping with Weyerhaeuser’s strict safety requirements, the crews have meetings every Monday to go over safety concerns. Rhodes is proud to say that he has never had a major accident in the woods. The only significant injury the business ever suffered was to Rhodes himself nine years ago, and it was at home. He was working on a damaged Tigercat 718 cutter, removing the pins with a 12 lb. sledgehammer. The pin came out under such tension that it hit him, cracking his sternum, collapsing a lung and breaking three ribs. He spent five days in the hospital and was back to work in the woods in under two weeks—though he wasn’t supposed to be. He would sneak out to the woods to work after his wife left for her job, coming home before she got back. ”I figured it out after a few days, when I noticed all his clothes were dirty,” she says. His girls actually ended up telling on him. The injury happened on a Sunday. “People kept telling me to stop working on Sundays,” he recalls. “I guess God was sending me a message. So now we try really hard not to work on Sundays.” Rhodes and his wife Veronica were high school sweethearts and have been married for 26 years. Veronica was a manager at a bank for 19 years until just a few years ago, when she came home to help with the business. “We’re partners,” she says, noting that she does all the bookkeeping, payroll Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

and bills. Having grown up with her own father in the business, she had some idea what to expect when her husband became a logger. “Well, I knew a little bit,” she says. They have three daughters: Mia, 25, Chelsea, 24, and M’leia 17, along with a granddaughter, Haley, 1. Chelsea just finished college and is going to grad school for sports medicine. Rhodes lives in Monticello but has his office and shop about 40 miles away, in downtown Fordyce. Outside

hangs a sign that shows an image of log trucker outside his truck, kneeling to the cross of Jesus. Rhodes says one of his truck drivers made it for him as a gift. He put it up as a kind of encouragement to the community, he says. He serves as a deacon at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Monticello. The pastor, Rev. D.J. Buffet, works as a crane operator during the week. Rhodes is also a Freemason and a member of the Arkansas Timber TH Producers Assn.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 25

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 25

9/12/18 2:51 PM

Action At INTERFORST The biggest INTERFORST of all time, held July 18-22 at the Messe Munchen in Munich Germany, featured 453 exhibitors (160 from abroad) and 800,000 sq. ft. of display space. More than 50,000 visitors attended the event, approximately 1,000 more than in 2014. A dominating topic was ongoing digitalization in the forest, such as the use of drones. Noise and action are part of INTERFORST by tradition. In this respect, the Bavarian Logging Championship, the Stihl Timbersports Show and a firewood processor comparative test proved to be eye-catchers. INTEFORST 2022 is again planned for July in Munich. (Photos by Timber Harvesting international correspondent Murray Brett.)

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 26

9/12/18 11:40 AM

GlobalTech Albach Diamant Chipper Suits DG Forestry

“We needed a chipper to access landings on very difficult terrain and almost non-existing access roads. But on the other hand, we chip for biomass plants all over the UK that demand high-quality wood chips. This requires a machine that can travel at legal highway speeds, not compromising its off-road performance or high quality chipping capabilities. The German manufacturer Albach is the only manufacturer to combine these features without compromising performance.” The Albach chipper matched DG Forestry chipping operation with Albach Diamant 2000 all their expectations, which led to the purchase of their second The flow of chips leaving the 270° chipper with plans to add a third to rotatable spout seems never ending. their fleet. The self-propelled whole tree chipper, “We receive outstanding service Diamant 2000, designed and develand parts support. The people from oped by Albach Maschinenbau, comes Albach are very passionate with the with plenty of power—Volvo Penta support and when we have questions engines with 612, 700 and 768 HP, or suggestions we don’t feel unheard matching the demand requirements of and always get results.” the machine with the lowest possible The Diamant 2000 has proven itself fuel consumption. in 33 countries. Other features include The Albach Diamant comes with a 42 in. wheels with permanent 4 wheel true 48x38 in. diameter side infeed. drive and a turning radius of only 27 The material exits through the hyft., allowing flexibility on any terrain. draulically driven accelerator with ABS, cruise control and numerous independent variable speed adjustother safety and comfort features ment to blow chips to the far front of make operating and driving from side the trailer or back in the woods. Alto side an easy task. bach also focused on developing a The heart of the machine is the spemachine where you can change cially designed rotor and infeed concounterknife and other wear parts at cept. Operating with the Palfinger the minimum time. crane simplifies the process, resulting Company owner Franz Bachmaier in large volumes of roundwood or has a passion to chip and tests chips brush material that can be loaded onto himself on a regular basis. trailers positioned anywhere around “It’s important for me that I know the chipper. the Diamant 2000 matches all expectations I have myself regarding reliHiab Sets Sights ability, quality and operator comfort,” On HiVision he says. In 2016, Hiab, part of Cargotec, The result: Chips with less than 3% presented HiVision, a new system for fine content (independent test from operating cranes that became a game Holzforschung Austria magazine from changer in the load handling industry. 2012) and the best possible throughput. Two years later Hiab has now sold David Roberts and Gary Wright of HiVision cranes in more than 10 counDG Forestry in Mid Wales, UK contries and received several innovation firm the machine’s quality and reliprizes. Additionally, the control sysability. DG Forestry has operated a tem has been approved by Dekra and Diamant 2000 since 2016 and purcertified by TÜV Rheinland. Now chased two units very shortly apart. Hiab is seeing customers coming back “The main criteria for the Albach is to invest in additional HiVision cranes its mobility and capacity. We chip for their fleets. huge amounts of brush and tree tops in HiVision is a new way to think Scotland where the larch disease has about crane operation. By the use of killed entire forests,” they comment. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

3D VR goggles and cameras you can sit in the truck cabin and operate the crane. You get a perfect overview of the work area while you are comfortably and safely seated. “For us the development of HiVision was all about improving the work environment and the safety of the operators,” says Toni Ahvenlampi, Product Manager HiVision, Hiab. “In addition we looked for productivity benefits that would bring better economy to our customers’

Hiab HiVision crane operation

businesses. We admit that the solution was radical, but we believed in it because it offered an opportunity to move the operator to the safest and most comfortable work environment during loading which is the truck cabin. Besides, the weight savings offered an opportunity to bring more payload,” Every HiVision customer is followed up and their feedback assessed. “Our customers’ experience and involvement is extremely important for the product development process,” says Lech Mytnik Senior Manager, R&D. As a result new developments are coming. The company is launching True Detachability and Remote Service at IAA in Hannover, Germany in September. Hiab’s offering encompasses class-leading load-handling equipment, including Hiab loader cranes, Loglift and Jonsered forestry and recycling cranes, Moffett truck mounted forklifts, and other product lines. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 27

9/12/18 11:40 AM

GlobalTech Nokian Tyres Reveals New On/Off Road Tire

Nokian Tyres introduces new on- and off-road product line for trucks.

Nokian Tyres, celebrating its 120 years in business, has been systematically broadening its product portfolio for trucks and buses in the past few years. The latest addition is the Nokian R-Truck product range for demanding on- and off-road use—such as earthmoving and forestry applications. “On- and off-road use puts special, even conflicting demands on a truck tire,” says Nokian Heavy Tyres Product Manager Teppo Siltanen. “The Nokian R-Truck product line strikes an excellent compromise between the two worlds.” Starting with the off-road world, all Nokian R-Truck tires have open pattern and wide grooves that ensure good self-cleaning on soft surfaces such as mud, sand and snow. This improves grip and reliability. They feature a special rubber compound that is highly resistant to cuts and cracks. This reduces the risk of tire damage on rough surfaces. The tires also have stone ejectors in their main grooves, increasing the tire operating life. On-road, the Nokian R-Truck tires boast an excellent mileage thanks to their even wear pattern and low heat build-up. The tires keep good properties throughout their lifetime. The non-directional pattern is also quiet

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

means that Rottne F20D can maneuver even better than before in all types of terrain and can maintain a high driving speed even with maximum load. Wide Load XL a variable load area with hydraulic stakes and hydraulically width adjustable headboard. gives Rottne F20D a load area of 8.4 m2 (90 sq. ft.). ● Rottne Connect is an internet based service which gives immediate status updates for everyone that has an internet connection handy. Here you’ll find functions that save time and money for both machine owners and operators as well as service technicians. Current fuel consumption, production and technical degree of utilization (TU) are examples of data that can be continuously retrieved from the system. For a long-term overview, there are a number of prepared followup reports that you can choose to subscribe to, as well as the possibility to tailor your own reports when the need arises. ● The new RK 105 crane is a genuine innovation on the crane side for the forwarders Rottne F10 and Rottne F11. The RK 105-crane is reinforced to give greater lifting force. The development work at the factory in Rottne has resulted in RK 105 having a lifting torque of 105 kilonewton Rottne Enhances (77, 300 lb. ft.). This is compared to Product Lineup approximately 87 kNm (63,911 lb. ft.) on the earlier model. The lifting angle has also been increased by about five degrees. ● Rottne F10D was designed from the outset as a small and versatile forwarder ideal for working in dense thinning stands. Now there’s a new version available, which is only 2400 mm (94. 5 in.) Stronger Rottne F20 D now with 27 tonnes tractive force wide, and allows you Rottne F20D is a robust forwarder to maneuver effortlessly when thinwith a very large load capacity of a full ning—and perfectly matches the thin20 tonnes (44,100 lbs.), making it perning harvester Rottne H8D. fect for long forwarding distances. It The narrower Rottne F10D is delivfeatures an automatic transmission that ered with the wheel size 500/60x22.5 is now updated with a tractive force of instead of 600/50x22.5 or 710/40x22.5. a full 27 tonnes (60, 700 lbs). This It also has narrower bunks. and has a low rolling resistance. “The Nokian R-Truck series really represents the cutting edge in tire design,” Siltanen says. “The non-directional tread, open tread pattern with big tread blocks and even the sidewall design are very modern.” The Nokian R-Truck series consists of three models: Nokian R-Truck Steer: Designed for year-round use on steer axles on onand off-road trucks, Nokian R-Truck Steer excels in tough conditions. The stone ejectors in its main grooves prolong the operating life especially on rough surfaces. Nokian R-Truck Drive: An all-season drive axle tire designed for onand off-road trucks operating in demanding conditions and various surfaces. Its tread has large blocks that offer durability and reduce cuts and tears in challenging environments. Nokian R-Truck Trailer: A reliable choice for demanding year-round trailer use, Nokian R-Truck Trailer is optimized for demanding on and offroad and timber trailer use. Its main grooves have stone ejectors that reduce the risk of tire damage. Nokian Tyres is the world’s northernmost tire manufacturer and one of its most sustainable companies.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! THoct18pgs_SS.indd 28

9/12/18 11:41 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 29

9/12/18 10:49 AM

Western FP Makes Rail-To-Truck Switch Major timber producer seeks greater efficiency, competitiveness.

Western Forest Products executives believe trucking is more flexible than rail.

anada is the home and native land of Western Forest Products, the largest coastal timberlands operator and lumber producer in British Columbia. For years, the company, which has an annual available harvest greater than 6 million cubic meters (2.5 billion BF), has relied on a private railway and off-road trucks to move logs to its sort yards, where they then were towed by water to their seven sawmills on Vancouver Island. According to Rick Bitten, senior maintenance manager for Western Forest Products, transporting logs by rail—something the company had been doing for decades—will be replaced by highway truck hauling. The railway was used in conjunction with off-highway trucks capable of hauling 30

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

60 to 80 ton loads, which were transferred by a reload to the rail cars. The downside of the “Fat Trucks” is that parts are becoming more difficult to source and the rigs are restricted to off highway hauls. That’s all now changing. In a move that Bitten called an “evolution” to increase cost competitiveness and improve efficiencies, Western Forest Products turned to the Kenworth T880 to do double-duty, transporting timber both off- and on-highway. The Western Forest Products fleet numbers 75 trucks, including some well-used Kenworth T800s and 24 new Kenworth T880s purchased from Inland Kenworth–Campbell River. The T880s were specifically spec’d to handle 60-ton payloads. Specialty

features include an 11 5/8 in. double frame rail with additional cross-members for added strength, Neway 78,000-pound Tridem 54 in. air suspension, and a Meritor 20,000-pound drop axle. Profab Manufacturing added custom cab guards, bunks, and trailer components. “The engineering solution from Kenworth was far more in-depth than the solutions we received from the other OEMs we evaluated,” Bitten said. “There were a whole lot of criteria coming back from Kenworth on what would be required to achieve the 60-ton rating. We liked the idea of them telling us what was required to meet the need.” In comparing makes and models, Western Forest Products looked at 40

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 30

9/12/18 10:49 AM

Western’s 75-rig fleet includes Kenworth T800s, and 24 new T880s.

specific points, including safety, durability, efficiency, serviceability, support, parts availability and driver comfort, graded on a scale of 1 to 3 with two being average and three being exceptional. “Kenworth and the T880 came out ahead,” Bitten said. Durability was a key factor, as the trucks average 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of off-road conditions each trip, with most trucks making three to

five trips a day, depending on haul distance. Some of the mainline roads are fairly well maintained, but spur roads can prove a challenge. The spur roads don’t have a lot of ballast on top, so there can be some really rough surfaces. Any incline above 22% is called “steep-slope” hauling; Western Forest Products trucks can face 26% to 28% grades. To handle that, the Kenworth

T880s are equipped with 565 HP engines and a 5:25 gear ratio. Tridem drive axles with locking differentials, and automated Eaton UltraShift Plus transmissions – designed for vocational applications and including the Hill Start Aid feature – also help navigate mountain terrain. “Some of our hauls are very demanding, and driver focus is critical. The UltraShift transmission allows the

The new rigs were spec’d with heavy duty components and options for extreme hauling conditions. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 31

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 31

9/12/18 10:49 AM

driver to focus on controlling the truck,” Bitten said. “The Eaton UltraShift is a huge step forward for us,” Bitten added. “We went in that direction because of the age of our workforce, the ergonomics of the transmission and also for the advantages of reduced maintenance costs.” Before the T880s went into service, representatives from Kenworth, Eaton and Neway provided Western FP drivers and mechanics extensive training sessions covering operation of the trucks and components so they’d be ready to manage any situation. According to Bitten, the Kenworth T880 is one of the few trucks in which a driver can actually have three-point contact while climbing in and out of the cab. Kenworth also designed the engine compartment for easy access to maintenance items, and a self-locking mechanism ensures the hood remains in a safe position when open. “These little features benefit both our drivers, and technicians,” Bitten said. And then there are the mirrors— something Bitten likes to point out. “The fat trucks we operate are

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

equipped with ‘West Coast’ style mirrors that stick out far enough to allow drivers to see past the wide 10-foot, 6-inch bunks,” he said. “But, because of the rough roads, they tend to shake out of adjustment and create delays while readjusting. The T880 solved that issue with standard spec modular mirrors with electronic adjustments.” Bitten said he feels a true partnership among Kenworth, its local dealer, Inland Kenworth-Campbell River and Western Forest Products. “Our goal is to establish a long term relationship. It’s all about being well supported, getting the right product, and getting through challenges,” he said. “When you’re putting together a log truck, it’s a joint venture,” Bitten concluded. “We had some very indepth things that we wanted done, and Kenworth worked very hard to put the product together that we wanted. It’s been a very successful TH relationship.” Submitted by Kenworth, a PACCAR company. Visit kenworth.com and see what drivers are saying at www.kenworth. com/drivers.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 32

9/12/18 10:49 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 33

9/12/18 10:50 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 34

9/12/18 10:50 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 35

9/12/18 10:50 AM

PeoplePower! WENDY FARRAND wendyfarrand@gmail.com, 207-838-4435

Building Safety Culture Takes Commitment, Communication They say “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” which means a logging contractor may have the best business strategy in the world, but if the culture is weak or corrupt, it can destroy strategy in a heartbeat. So, if you have a low bar for what your business stands for, or how employees interact on the job, most certainly your crews are not producing at their maximum potential. Leaders in the woods should not leave culture to chance. Company culture is more important now than ever. Focusing on culture can improve business relations inside and outside of your business. From the inside, if you put culture first, it will have a positive impact on morale, production, communication and turnover. From the outside, a strong balanced culture can attract the best operators and support staff into your business. Culture is important in any type of business, but for those who work to move the wood, it’s more important than ever. A strong ethical culture can help set the bar for how the public views the industry we love, which always seems to be under a tightly focused microscope.

What is Culture? The culture of a company usually reflects the owner’s ideas for what he or she sees their company standing for. Stated in the values the company wants to uphold and reinforced by the mission statement, a company’s culture lets the world know how they will be conducting business. It’s often considered a company’s personality. Culture can propel a business forward, or hold a business back from reaching its maximum potential. It’s another one of those intangible things that consists of elements invisible to the human eye. So yes, in the woods your crew has a culture, and if you haven’t been paying attention to that culture, it may be working against your business strategy. Culture sets the standard for how 36

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

employees interact with each other. A culture where crew members feel criticized can breed secrecy. When dealing with expensive equipment and extremely dangerous situations the last thing you want in the woods is secrecy.

Determining Culture As a logging contractor, you control the culture, set the limits and raise the bar for how your crew members interact with each other and the public. It

Emphasizing safety, trust, core values and what sets you apart from other logging companies is a simple way to guide you through determining what your culture will be. will never be perfect, but focusing on the culture of your crew can only make things better for the health of your business. If you are family owned, parts of your culture have been set in stone by those who came before you: work ethic, how people are treated, etc. Take the best of that culture, the things you know are good, and let the other unhealthy things disappear over time. Old cultures will sometimes have to shift to accommodate the needs of the incoming workforce in order to strengthen our industry going forward. I would coach a client who runs a logging business or crew to approach defining their culture like this: Take a piece of paper and pencil, and at the top of the paper write “Trust” and then write “Safety.” Those two things belong as part of a crew culture in the woods on every single job around the world. When you work in one of the world’s most dangerous professions, safety and trust must be a part of your core values. You cannot have safety without trust, and you cannot have trust without safety. As a business

owner it should never be acceptable for you to drive up to the job only to see crew members scrambling for their hardhats. This shows a lack of trust. A culture of safety says that we all care about the wellbeing and safety of each other. We own it, we live it and we trust that everyone else does too. After writing “safety” and “trust,” think about what your other core values will be. What is something that you would never tolerate within your business? Maybe one of those things is lying, then one of your core values will be honesty. If you expect everyone to treat each other like family, then loyalty might be another one of your core values. Maybe you expect everyone to always think about continuous improvement, then make that one of your core values. Now, those who work for you should always be looking for ways to improve the systems that exist within your company. Lastly, write down some of the things you feel sets your company apart from other logging companies. Maybe you have a strong emphasis on “low impact” logging, then that would become one of your core values. Maybe you want to tackle every hard job that comes your way, no matter how high risk, then that would be one of your core values. Write them all down to determine the core values for your business. Then at the next crew meeting share what you have put together and look for feedback and suggestions. One of your employees may think of something you may have overlooked. Sharing and getting feedback is extremely important to transparency, communication and overall employee engagement. Emphasizing safety, trust, core values and what sets you apart from other logging companies is a simple way to guide you through determining what your culture will be.

Communicating Culture Now that you have determined your core values they should be communicated and reinforced on a a daily basis. Your culture, just like your personality, is a part of everything you do. Commu 46 nicating culture begins during

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 36

9/12/18 10:50 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 37

9/13/18 12:28 PM

EquipmentWorld John Deere Steps Up At ALC Meeting John Deere rolled out the green carpet to host 54 loggers, spouses and staff for the 2018 American Loggers Council summer board meeting July 19-21 in Moline, Ill. ALC members learned about the John Deere’s rich forestry history on July 19 with a reception and tour of the company’s World Headquarters in Moline, featuring CEO Sam Allen and other members of corporate leadership. The next day members toured the company’s Davenport Works and walked the same assembly line where John Deere’s L-Series skidders are manufactured. The company also provided a tour of its Parts Distribution Center, a 2.65 million square foot facility that is one of the largest working warehouses in North America. With 61 acres under roof, and at one half of a mile wide, the massive building stocks more than 900,000 parts. ALC members learned of the logistics required to ensure the

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

needs of John Deere dealers and customers are typically met within 24 hours. ALC members were invited to personally test a full range of John Deere forestry equipment at the company’s demo site in Coal Valley, Ill, including the company’s latest skidder, bunchers, loaders, forwarders and swing machines. Loggers also received a demonstration of the company’s cutting-edge technology, including its fully integrated TimberNavi mapping solution that provides operators maximum visibility to the land they’re harvesting, helping them to be more efficient and productive in the woods. John Deere has long supported ALC and has served as an essential partner for protecting and growing the logging industry, promoting logger safety and productivity, and advocating on policy issues that are important to logging businesses. ALC held its board meeting on July 21. Joining the board as a voting member is Southern Loggers Cooperative, which gives loggers and others in natu-

ral resource industries access to affordable fuel. The board also voted to further support the American Master Logger Certification and TEAM Safe Trucking programs, which promotes training, safety and recruitment in logging and log trucking.

Vermeer SE Earns Pinnacle Award Vermeer Southeast celebrated a Vermeer Pinnacle designation in recognition of providing a superior customer experience for its customers. The Pinnacle Award is earned for performance in sales and marketing, providing excellent after-market support, as well as for training their employees. The Pinnacle awards are presented annually by Vermeer Corp. Jason Andringa, President and CEO of Vermeer Corp., along with several other executives and staff, came from Pella, Iowa on August 14, to officially present the award and also get a first look at the new Marietta facility and visit the recently

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 38

9/12/18 10:57 AM

EquipmentWorld opened Buford, Ga. store. Vermeer Southeast has 10 locations covering Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

Doosan Celebrates Production Milestone Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, is celebrating the milestone of producing more than 400,000 excavators and wheel loaders for markets worldwide, since the company entered the construction equipment market in 1978. In 2005, Doosan renamed its construction equipment division as Doosan Infracore, Ltd., and launched its DX excavator series and DL wheel loader series. In 2007, Doosan successfully completed the merger and acquisition of three Ingersoll Rand brands (including Bobcat and Doosan Portable Power). Today, Doosan Infracore continues to manufacture its excavators and wheel loaders at Doosan plants in Incheon and Gunsan, South Korea.

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

Doosan manufactures 13 crawler excavator models, three wheel excavator models and 11 wheel loader models. The company also builds log loaders and material handlers for use in forestry and recycling applications.

McCoy Group Buys Seven Nortrax Stores Nortrax, Inc. has sold seven stores in its Midwest Region to the family-owned company McCoy Group, Inc. based in Dubuque, Iowa. The sold dealerships will do business as McCoy Construction & Forestry (MCF) and will retain the Nortrax employees at the branches in Escanaba, Mich.; Merrill, Chippewa Falls, and Ashland, Wis.; as well as in Duluth, Grand Rapids, and Bemidji, Minn. “We believe this sale represents a key strategic distribution move for John Deere and Nortrax,” says Nortrax President and CEO Tim Murphy. Nortrax is now focusing on its existing 38 John Deere dealerships in Maine, New Hampshire, New York

and Vermont, as well as Ontario, Newfoundland and Quebec. Last November, Nortrax sold seven south Florida dealerships.

Cameron River Meets Uptime Goals

A sea of logs: Cameron River can’t afford to have log handling bottleneck.

When an engine fire destroyed a log handler at Cameron River Logistics (CRL) in Taylor, BC, Andrew Moore and his team decided it was a chance to rethink their original purchase decision. “It had about 10,000 hours on it and it was able to load wood at the pace we

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 39

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 39

9/12/18 10:57 AM

EquipmentWorld wanted,” Moore explains. “However, we had issues with parts availability. Wire harnesses were taking four to five months to deliver; a steering knuckle failed in January and we were told it would be April before they’d have one to ship from the factory.” Parts availability became a key factor in the decision to replace the damaged machine with a new Sennebogen 830 M-T. Cameron River’s local Sennebogen distributor, Great West Equipment, inventories a large supply of common service parts, as well as providing factory-trained service technicians. Uptime is critical to the CRL operation. Located in northern British Columbia, CRL is a transload station moving 16 ft. CTL logs from truck to rail for the Dunkley Lumber mill, five hours to the south. CRL is one of several stations that collect and ship logs to feed the big mill. “We’re doing close to 200,000 m3 of spruce pine logs a year,” Moore says. “That’s about 2,500 rail cars. We also unload about 40 trucks per day

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

from the forests of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.” Moore says that parts availability already had the yard leaning toward Sennebogen, but the ready availability of a purpose-built 830 M-T trailer puller clinched the decision. The 830 M-T is a 91,000 lb., 225 HP (41,400 kg, 168 kW) machine built specifically for log handling and trailer pulling applications. It features a hydraulically elevating cab and a unique undercarriage designed by Sennebogen to handle the stresses of pulling heavy log trailers through difficult yard conditions. The 830’s dual transmissions, providing 4-wheel traction, were especially appealing to CRL.

Waratah Announces NA Leadership Changes Waratah Forestry Equipment has appointed Elliott Little as Manager of North American Waratah Distribution. Little becomes responsible for managing the North American Waratah busi-

ness and leading distribution teams in the U.S. and Canada. “Elliott is an industry veteran who has extensive experience in the forestry industry,” says Heather Robinson, general manager of Worldwide Distribution for Waratah. “His previous roles will allow him to transition seamlessly into his new position, ensuring that Waratah customers will continue to receive the same quality products and high level of service and support they have come to expect from the Waratah team.” Little’s most recent position was division manager of Customer Support for John Deere Construction and Forestry’s Southeastern U.S. division. Little started his career working for a Canadian forest products company in its woodlands division in northern Ontario and Quebec. He joined John Deere and moved through various forestry sales and customer support assignments in Eastern Canada. He was product marketing manager for Forestry Products before broadening his skill base in assignments as manager of

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 40

9/12/18 10:50 AM

EquipmentWorld the Commercial Development for the Western U.S. & Hitachi and manager of Discount & Incentive Programs for John Deere Construction & Forestry. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with the rest of the Waratah team in North America to continue to deliver industry leading service and support and high-quality, innovative, and proven products developed with customer-driven focus,” Little says.

Lake States Show Attracts Good Crowd

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

Loggers from across the upper Midwest and Great Lakes area made the trip to the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh, Wis. the first full weekend of September to see the latest in logging technology at the Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo. A TH source who attended the event gave a short report on what he saw: Fabtek Cat teamed with Logset to show a CTL package while Ecolog showed its innovative leveling bogey system, and

TimberPro displayed a machine that had been painted dayglo green. Tigercat dealer Woodland Equipment displayed Tigercat products and also a tracked Risley f-b. Attachment specialists Quadco, Southstar and LogMax were all at the same booth. Komatsu sponsored its annual Lake States forwarder competition, while Barko sponsored a loader competition adjacent the Crosstrac dealer booth.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 41

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 41

9/12/18 10:50 AM

SelectCuts As We (ALC) See It

Steve Southerland Hired To Represent ALC In DC DANNY DRUCTOR The American Loggers Council (ALC) has retained former U.S. Congressman Steve Southerland and his firm, Capitol Hill Consulting Group, to represent the loggers group on legislative and regulatory affairs in Washington. ALC is a coalition of state and regional logging associations from more than 30 states and is the only organization dedicated to serving independent loggers at the national level. We are pleased to bring Steve SoutherDructor land on board to promote and protect the interests of America’s loggers. Since it was established in 1994, ALC has continued to grow and gain effectiveness in impacting issues affecting professional timber harvesters and their businesses. We are loggers working for loggers and our members are frequent visitors to Capitol Hill, but Southerland and his team will provide consistent and strong advocacy for our industry. Southerland is senior vice president of Capitol Hill Consult-

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

ing Group. He was first elected to Congress in 2010 to represent Florida’s Second District and was its first elected Republican since Reconstruction. While in office from 2010-2014, he served on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Southerland was chosen by the class of 2010 to be its representative at the Republican Leadership Table for the 113th Congress and also served as a Republican conferee for reauthorization of both the Transportation and Farm bills. Prior to serving in Congress, Southerland helped operate his family’s mortuary business. “I consider it a great honor to represent such a time-honored industry, made up of some of the hardest working people in America,” Southerland says. “American loggers provide such an incredible value to our society. They are frontline conservationists, delivering wood, fiber, and energy resources for the world. I’m proud to represent ALC and share their story directly to policymakers and their staff in Washington.” Southerland and his firm will work with ALC on a variety of issues, including regulatory reform, transportation, federal forest management and biomass. ALC’s priorities include workforce development and recruitment, increased timber harvesting on national forests, uniform and predictable truckweight standards, and the alignment of timber harvesting with agriculture under federal laws and regulations. Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the American Loggers Council, a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters in 33 states. Visit amloggers.com or phone 409-625-0206.

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_1018_ASM.indd 42

9/13/18 9:36 AM

SelectCuts Last Rites Held For Brad Massey Memorial services for well-known logging equipment personality Brad Massey were held August 31 in Zebulon, NC, his hometown. Massey, 62, died August 28 after a brief illness. A native of North Carolina and known for his outgoing personality, wit, and sense of humor, Massey worked in Blount’s Forestry Equipment Div. for many years before joining the sales team of Barko Hydraulics. In his last position with Barko he served as Sales Manager for the Southeast region. Survivors include his mother and one sister. The family requests that any memorials be directed to Union Hope Baptist Church, 12712 Hwy. 97 W., Zebulon, NC 27597 or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Carolina Loggers Board Hires Exec Director Ewell Smith has been hired by the Carolina Loggers Assn. (CLA) as the new executive director of the group. He replaces Jack Swanner, who has retired after serving in the role for several years. Smith has been an association executive for more than 20 years and is experienced in marketing and communications. According to a spokesperson for the CLA board, “Smith has

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

experience in expanding and building programs through creative and sustained partnerships. Our association has seen growth in the last year and the board feels that he will be able to carry our association to great accomplishments.” Most recently Smith was an independent consultant working with nonprofits and small businesses to achieve enhanced organizational effectiveness. An example of his consultant work included the establishment of the Gulf Seafood Institute and the Gulf Seafood Foundation in Louisiana. He also served as executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.

Anthony Timberlands Purchases Watson Sawmill In Arkansas Anthony Timberlands Inc. is purchasing the hardwood sawmill and chip mill facility in Mt. Holly (Union County), Ark. that has been owned and operated by Watson Sawmill Co. Inc. “The Watson mill is a modern, state-of-the-art facility in all respects,” Anthony Timberlands President Steven Anthony says. “Its location and product mix fit almost perfectly with our existing hardwood facilities and recent acquisitions we have made in southwest Arkansas, and will complement those operations.” Watson Sawmill President Donald Watson states, “After 35 years in the hardwood sawmill business, we are proud to pass on our family operation to the Anthony family.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_1018_ASM.indd 43

9/12/18 11:43 AM

THoct18class_SS.qxp_Layout 1 9/12/18 11:25 AM Page 44

THExchange

24 Hour Ad Placement Service: 1-800-669-5613 1926

EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA! OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE!

EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC.

7180

We can save you money on Saw Teeth. Hundreds of satisfied ACC OW EP customers. Rebuilt Exchange or New. We specialize in rebuild- CRE TING DIT ing Koehring 2000, Hurricana, Hydro Ax split teeth and all CARDS other brands. Call Jimmy or Niel Mitchell. Quantity Discounts!

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

4433

2687

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

TIMBER HARVESTING & WO OD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

THoct18class_SS.qxp_Layout 1 9/12/18 11:25 AM Page 45

THExchange

24 Hour Ad Placement Service: 1-800-669-5613

2583

Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

PeoplePower 36 the hiring process. A very wise logger once shared this with me…“Hire for values, not skill. Hire people whose values align with your own. You can always teach new skills and get better work performance from an employee. But you can’t teach values.” Communicating your core values right at the beginning of the hiring process will determine if a new employee will be a good fit with your culture. If a potential new employee does not align with your values and you hire him or her, based solely on their operating skills, it could begin to erode your company culture. Guard your well defined culture to protect and strengthen it. To hire someone based solely on their skills is not only doing your company a disservice, but the rest of your employees as well. A decision like this would chip away at the strength of your culture and add to an erosion that may not be reversible. When you put money above values your culture can suffer. You want the potential new crew

member to understand your culture. The best way to do this is to have a process that welcomes your new hire. Standardize this process so that every single new hire goes through the same welcome. Educate them regarding your core values. They should know what you stand for, what your mission statement is, and what your values are. Let them know that they will be expected to uphold these values in order to work for you. The employee handbook should not only explain practices, procedures and benefits, it should also share your core values, mission statement and vision for your company. Research shows that a standardized employee indoctrination into your company raises the chances of retention, keeping costly company turnover low. Then reinforce the value of culture at the 90 day review. When you are living your culture every day it’s very hard to avoid it. It will only be reinforced and grow stronger. Communicate, communicate and communicate, then expect. When

AdLink

EventsMemo Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

October 2-4—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501-374-2441; visit arkforests.org. October 2-4—National Hardwood Lumber Assn. annual meeting, Sheraton Centre, Toronto, Ont., Canada. Call 901377-1818; visit nhla.com. October 2-5— Southern Forest Products Assn. annual meeting, The Greenbriar, White Shulpher Springs, W.Va. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpa.org. October 5-7—Paul Bunyan Show, Guernsey County Fairgrounds, Old Washington (Cambridge), Ohio. Call 740452-4541; visit ohioforest.org. October 6— Pennsylvania Forestry Association Annual Meeting, Toftrees Resort & Conference Center, State College, Pa. Call 800-835-8065; visit paforestry.org. October 10-12—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Sheraton Hotel, Raleigh, NC. Visit ncforestry. org. October 11-13—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Shilo Inn, Seaside, Ore. Call 409-625-0206; visit amloggers.com. 46

I say expect, that means everyone, including all the leaders in your company. Crew supervisors can never expect anyone to uphold values that they don’t hold up themselves. Make sure that there are culture strengthening activities on a regular basis that reinforce the values of your company. I know one logging contractor where the entire company conducts community service on a yearly basis. Giving back is one of their core values. A strong culture based on values, ethics and norms should permeate throughout your business, from the support staff in the office, to the crews working in the field. Don’t leave your culture to chance, determine what you want your company to stand for, then communicate and reinforce it every day. If you aren’t, you might have a culture that is munching on your business strategy in small bite sized portions. Culture is powerful and if you are leaving it to chance, you are leaving a tool in your toolbox that could help lead TH to a safer, more productive crew.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Easy Access to current advertisers! http://www.timberharvesting.com/advertiser-index/ This issue of Timber Harvesting is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. Albach Nordamerika Verwaltung GmbH American Logger’s Council BITCO Insurance Cat Forest Products Chambers Delimbinator John Deere Forestry Duratech Industries International Forest Chain Hiab Hitachi America Log Max Morbark Nokian Heavy Tyres Olofsfors Peterson Pacific Precision-Husky Prolenc Manufacturing Rapid-Span Structures Rottne Industri Schrader Real Estate & Auction Team Safe Trucking Tigercat Industries Trelleborg Wheel Systems Nordic Wallingford’s Waratah Forestry Attachments

37 41 40 9 39 5 43 23 33 17 11 7 29 32 47 25 42 10 34 43 38 48 35 19,38 2

+43 662 23457 8202 409.625.0206 800.475.4477 919.550.1201 800.533.2385 800.503.3373 888.477.0734 800.288.0887 +46 706 00 52 37 914.332.1031 360.699.7300 800.831.0042 +358 10 401 7000 519.754.2190 800.269.6520 205.640.5181 877.563.8899 800.661.2047 +46(0) 470 75 87 00 800.451.2709 910.733.3300 519.753.2000 +46 410 512 24 800.323.3708 770.692.0380

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

TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_1018_ASM.indd 46

9/14/18 8:22 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 47

9/12/18 10:50 AM

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN! TH_SeptOct18pg_bkj.indd 48

9/12/18 10:50 AM