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A Hatton-Brown Publication HATTON-BROWN PUBLISHERS, INC. 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 Publisher David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan
Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers Browse, subscribe or renew: www.timberharvesting.com
Editor-in-Chief Rich Donnell Managing Editor Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor David Abbott Senior Associate Editor Jessica Johnson Associate Editor Patrick Dunning
Vol. 69, No. 2: Issue 685
OurCover Trucking regulations, insurance and overall costs are major concerns for loggers across the country. Learn a number of ways to reduce costs and the value in having an incident response plan in two key features that address trucking issues. Trucking features begin on PAGE 22.
Publisher/Editor Emeritus David (DK) Knight Art Director/Prod. Mgr. Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coord Patti Campbell Circulation Director Rhonda Thomas Online Content/Marketing Jacqlyn Kirkland ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES SOUTHERN USA Randy Reagor (904) 393-7968 • Fax: (334) 834-4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net
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(Dan Shell photo; design by Shelley Smith)
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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
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Kevin Cook (604) 619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com
Florida’s M.A. Rigoni Building New Opportunity
INTERNATIONAL Murray Brett +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net
14 Illinois’ Huston & Sons Staying Small, Staying Safe
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Bridget DeVane 334-699-7837 bdevane7@hotmail.com Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations (ISSN 2154-2333) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/ December issues are combined) by Hatton-Brown 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.timber harvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations 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 & Forest Operations. Copyright ® 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.
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17 Loader Technology Machines, Components
26 Always Have A Plan Incident Response Is Critical
OurDepartments My Take __________________________________________________4 NewsLines ________________________________________________5 Dust & Rust _____________________________________________ 25 Chip Specialist___________________________________________ 28 Equipment World_________________________________________ 31 Innovation Way __________________________________________ 32 Select Cuts _____________________________________________ 34 THExchange _____________________________________________ 36 Events/Ad Index __________________________________________ 38
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MyTake DAN SHELL
Trucking Out Front, Logger Insight Inside Among the many logging truisms out there in the working woods, perhaps none is more accurate than “Can’t get paid till the logs get hauled.” Trucking is one of those universal yet one size never fits all logging issues: Every logger has to have it, but how are you gonna get it done? Some loggers go with all contract haulers—though that gives up a level of control. Others see owning and operating as a necessary evil and run one or a handful or more rigs while working with contractors for the balance of output—the arrangements vary as much as loggers themselves. Some have trucking taken off their hands by landowner or timber buyer arrangement. Other loggers see trucking as key tool in their arsenal and work to make it an efficient and productive part of their operation. Whether running one truck or one dozen trucks, contractors would do well to read and retain the information in this month’s trucking articles. Longtime insurance specialist Dale Kleffman goes over key trucking insurance and safety issues and regulations and how loggers can proactively address each one and get a handle on costs. There’s no one silver bullet, but developing a trucking program of safe practices and policies and following them is key to bringing trucking insurance costs down. Likewise, when the nightmare does happen and you have a rig that’s involved in a wreck of any kind, having a proactive plan and incident response is critical to how big an impact the incident has on your business. Experienced trucking attorney Amy Tracy explains the importance of having an incident response plan in place when a wreck happens. A professional plan and procedure for your company’s response gives your legal team a solid start if there’s any legal action, and also helps when opposing legal counsel seeks to portray your company as unprofessional or irresponsi4
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“Our passion, we were trained in school to make a difference not just for your little kingdom but to make the world a better place,” Richard says. “Our company spends a lot of time and money being involved with making policy for the industry nationwide. But I see that as an investment for logble—as they will definitely try to do. gers everywhere.” It’s also good for Have a plan, work to be more safe business; there is a lot of value that and stay proactive in all areas—those comes to Rigoni from all that they do are the trucking essentials for loggers. ● Another treat this month is the upin the political sphere and in state and date on M.A. Rigoni in Florida and the national associations, with meeting Schwab brothers who run one of the people and bringing back new ideas. top logging companies in the country, “I wouldn’t put a price on it,” Richard the Forest Resources Assn. National says. “The commitments I have with Logger of the Year in 2016. all these organizations, you would be The article is less woods work and surprised how much business value I more business work and how the two get out of that. I’m out developing brothers have pursued opportunities new business.” and developed a diIt’s a great read verse business operaand inside look at tion. Staying flexible M.A. Rigoni. Developing a truckis key: During the in● Notice the ing program of safe terview, Schwab renews? This month, practices and polilates how the termiseveral articles recies and following nation of an arrangeflect positive forest ment to supply 100 products dynamics them is key to bringloads a week to one as the industry and ing trucking insurmarket ended up overall economy ance costs down. being a good thing for looks to turn the the company. corner on the pandemic and get closer M.A. Rigoni is very active on behalf of the industry to normal. For one thing, Mississippi continues to sprout sawmills as the beyond the scope of its own business. state adds another announcement to Usually the point man on the PR/politthose already on the drawing board ical front, Richard sits on the boards and recently started up. We always for a number of organizations, includtry to include mill news and mill aning Florida Forestry Assn. and Southnouncements in Timber Harvesting eastern Wood Producers Assn., and he as the more loggers know about their represents SWPA on the American markets the better as they make deciLoggers Council board. sions going forward. Most loggers A former ALC president, Schwab is know that as a whole the solid wood on the search committee for Executive products segment of the industry has Vice President Danny Dructor’s rebeen on a tear after the initial placement, and he also chairs the bioCOVID outbreaks and restrictions a mass committee. At Forest Resources year ago. Assn., he chairs the public policy comOf course loggers are well aware that mittee and is on the THATS committhere’s only a tenuous connection betee. He also serves as President of tween lumber and paper markets and TEAM Safe Trucking. Beyond logging, Richard serves in a logging rates, but it’s always better on a state government agency as Vice Presrising tide that boosts demand and leads to mill expansions and new markets that ident of the Suwannee River Water loggers can work with. Over the horiManagement District governing board zon, mass timber construction has huge that controls water resources in 15 potential to boost the overall industry, counties. Schwab was appointed to the and it will: It’s just a question of how position in 2016, and Gov. Ron DeTH big a boost and how soon. Santis recently reappointed him. TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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NewsLines FS: Tongass Officials Mismanage Sales An internal Forest Service (FS) audit reports that the Tongass National Forest in Alaska mismanaged two timber sales, primarily with inaccurate timber estimates. According to the August 2020 report now unveiled after information requests, the Big Thorne Stewardship Contract, awarded in 2014 underestimated the volume by more than 10%. The report also cited a 30MMBF timber sale administered under the FS “Good Neighbor Authority Agreement” that was appraised by a state forestry official who retired and went to work for the sale purchaser as a potential conflict of interest. The FS report also notes problems with the state’s software for estimating timber, valuation of those trees and the project’s omission of habitat restoration work that is supposed to accompany the logging. Environmentalists seized upon the critical audit to question the Forest Service’s timber management practices on the Tongass, long a target of preservationists seeking to eliminate logging on FS lands.
As a result of the transaction, Interfor’s total annual lumber production capacity will increase to 3.2 billion BF, of which 1.7 billion BF or 55% will be located in the U.S. South.
New Bills Concern Oregon Loggers Group In a letter to its members, Associated Oregon Loggers has sounded the
alarm over a number of bills in the state’s House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that AOL says will increase or change harvest taxation, implement a new timber severance tax, and eliminate Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI). AOL says bill HB 2070 will extend privilege taxes on merchantable forest products harvested on forestlands. HB 2379 will impose a 5% severance tax on
Interfor Purchasing WestRock Sawmill Interfor is acquiring the WestRock sawmill in Summerville, SC for US$59 million. The Summerville mill produced 125MMBF in 2020. A new permit was received in 2020 that allows for the production of up to 200MMBF, and Interfor has identified a number of operational and capital investment initiatives to optimize and increase production going forward. The Summerville mill is 65 miles southwest of Interfor’s Georgetown, SC mill and 115 miles northeast of Interfor’s Meldrim, Ga. mill. This strategic positioning will allow for log sort optimization and procurement synergies across these three mills, according to Interfor. As part of the transaction, Interfor will enter into a long-term chip and biomass supply agreement with WestRock’s Charleston, SC paper mill. “This transaction is a logical tuck-in with our existing U.S. South platform and reiterates Interfor’s commitment to disciplined growth and investment in the U.S. South,” says Ian Fillinger, President and CEO of Interfor. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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NewsLines
Drax Purchase Alters Biomass Landscape Drax Group, the major United Kingdom-based electricity producer, which has converted much of its generation from coal-fired to wood pellet fuel, has entered into an agreement to purchase major Canadian-based industrial wood pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc. The all-cash transaction is valued at $657 million (U.S.) (C$831 million), including Drax pellet storage at Port of Baton Rouge the assumption of net debt. Duncan Davies, Pinnacle CEO, comments “The combination of Pinnacle and Drax will create a global leader in sustainable biomass with the vision, technical expertise and financial strength to help meet the growing demand for renewable energy products around the world.” Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax, remarks, “I am excited about this deal which will reinforce Drax’s position as the world’s leading sustainable biomass generation and supply business, delivering against our strategy to increase self-supply, reduce our biomass production cost and create a long-term future for sustainable biomass.” In addition to Pinnacle and Drax shareholder approvals, the transaction is subject to other closing conditions, including governmental and regulatory approvals as well as the approval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The transaction is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2021. Pinnacle is the second largest producer of industrial wood pellets in the world. The company operates nine production facilities in Western Canada and one in Aliceville, Ala., with one additional facility nearing startup in Demopolis, Ala. The company also owns a port terminal in Prince Rupert, BC. Pinnacle has entered into long-term, take-or-pay contracts with utilities in the U.K., Europe and Asia that represent an average of 99% of its production capacity through 2026. Drax notes the transaction more than doubles its biomass production capacity, significantly reduces its cost of biomass production and adds a major biomass supply business underpinned by long-term contracts with high-quality Asian and European counterparties. Specifically it adds 2.9 million tonnes of biomass production capacity. Pinnacle’s existing joint venture minority partnerships carry over to Drax in the transaction. Through scale, operational efficiency and low-cost fiber sourcing, Pinnacle reportedly currently produces biomass at a lower cost than Drax. This reflects the use of high levels of low-cost sawmill residues. British Columbia has a large and well-established commercial forestry industry, which has in recent years seen increased harvest levels, in part associated with management of a pine beetle infestation, producing good levels of residue material availability for the production of biomass. This infestation has now run its course and alongside other influences on the forest landscape, including wildfire, is resulting in a reduction in the annual harvest and sawmill closures. The industry is adjusting to this with some production curtailment as well as developing approaches to fiber recovery and use that is expected to result in some increase in fiber costs. Seven of Pinnacle’s sites are in British Columbia (1.6 million tonne nameplate capacity) and two are in Alberta (0.6 million tonne nameplate capacity). All of these sites have rail lines to ports at either Prince Rupert or Vancouver, both accessing the Pacific Ocean, providing routes to Asian and European markets. Pinnacle also operates a U.S. hub at Aliceville, Ala. (0.3 million tonne nameplate capacity) and is developing a second site in Demopolis, Ala. (0.4 million tonne nameplate capacity), which Pinnacle expects to commission in 2021. 6 MARCH/APRIL 2021
forest owners at the time of harvest. And HB 2357 will eliminate OFRI and its funding by re-directing the portion of the Forest Products Harvest Tax that funds OFRI to the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. These bills will be heard in the Ag & Natural Resources Committee.
Biewer Lumber Plans Second SYP Sawmill Biewer Lumber is constructing its second greenfield southern yellow pine sawmill in Mississippi, this one in Winona, about 100 miles north of its first one in Newton, and 130 miles south of Memphis. The $130 million investment will create 150 jobs. “My family’s passion for the lumber industry has prompted this expansion in the South,” says CEO Tim Biewer. “There is no better place to grow the business than the fiber-rich state of Mississippi.” Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is providing an Industry Incentive grant to assist with road infrastructure and rail and site prep. MDA also is providing a CAP loan to Montgomery County to assist with public infrastructure. The company also qualifies for the Advantage Jobs Rebate program, which provides a cash rebate to eligible businesses that create jobs exceeding the average annual wage of the state or the county in which the company locates. Montgomery County is providing a “fee-in-lieu of property taxes.”
Russia Log Trade May Grind Down Russia exported 15 million m3 of logs in 2020, which accounted for almost 12% of globally traded roundwood, but much of this trade may come to a halt with a proposed law that would ban the exportation of softwood logs and highvalue hardwood logs as of January 1, 2022, according to WRI Market Insights from Wood Resources International. The Russian government is also considering new regulations aimed at reducing the exportation of green softwood lumber. This regulation is loosely planned to also commence in 2022 and is intended to incentivize investments in dry kilns to produced dried lumber for exports. In the short-term, the Chinese lumber industry will be most directly impacted, as exports of softwood logs mainly from TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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NewsLines Russia Far East are likely to be prohibited. China will probably look to source more sawlogs from other regions of the world, such as Oceania, Europe and the U.S., according to the report. The increased competition for logs in those markets will likely put upward pressure on sawlog prices. It’s expected that China will evolve from importation of roundwood to importation of lumber. This shift will allow lumber manufacturers in Europe and Russia to increase shipments to China. NE loggers benefit from Master Logger grant.
Idaho Moves Quickly On Timber Salvage When the Woodhead Fire broke out near Cambridge, Id. in early September and moved toward the town of Council, state forestry officials began evaluating and analyzing salvage operations for the timber damaged by the nearly 100,000 acre fire before it was even put out. Logging began on some of the state-owned land impacted by the fire in October. According to state officials, about 20,000 acres of Idaho Endowment Land—where timber sale revenues are used to help fund Idaho schools and other programs—were affected. Timber sales from the fire will generate $2.1 million for Idaho Endowment beneficiaries. Timber salvage operations will continue in the area for roughly two years. The Idaho Department of Lands is working with the Payette National Forest through the Good Neighbor Authority partnership to help expedite and provide more resources for timber salvage and forest restoration projects in the area.
Grant Supports Northeast Master Logger Ranks Recently announced by the Future Forest Economy Initiative (FFEI), the organization is investing $250,000 to enhance markets for certified wood and strengthen the supply chain in the Northern Forest region through a grant to the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF). According to Joe Short, vice president of the Northern Forest Center, which manages the FFEI program, expanding the number of companies in the TCNEF’s Master Logger program will increase the volume of certified, sustainably harvested wood available to the re-
gion’s mills. The three-year grant is enabling TCNEF to expand the ranks of certified Master Logger companies in the region, with a focus on New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The Master Logger program improves logger performance, company financial stability, and workforce development and retention while increasing the supply of certified wood fiber. Ted Wright, executive director of TCNEF, says he’s excited about the grant and notes that certified Master Loggers have proven records of professionalism, stewardship, and boosting rural economies. The Master Logger grant is just a small part of The Future Forest initiative—a cooperative effort of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities, and the Northern Forest Center—grew out of a congressional mandate to support the development of markets for wood products. This is the fourth grant in a three-year program that will invest $2.6 million to expand innovation, create market demand and create conditions that will allow businesses and communities to benefit from these innovations. The Master Logger program is a performance-based certification for logging companies and provides a unique thirdparty certification of a logging company’s work in the woods rather than certifying the forestland, as other programs do. “Our program educates and trains logging companies on Best Management Practices to foster responsible timber harvesting, forest management and environmental stewardship in keeping with Master Logger standards,” said Wright. “The more Master Loggers we have working in the woods, the more we’ll be able to meet the increasing demand for certified fiber.”
To date, the program has certified 120 companies that employ 1,500 people and produce 6 million green tons of wood each year. The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine originated the program, now managed by the TCNEF, in 2000. The Future Forest Economy Initiative has $1 million remaining to invest in projects that will expand the region’s forest economy by diversifying markets for wood and wood products from the Northern Forest region. The organization has already invested in promoting mass timber products, wood heat marketing and developing wood-fired heating systems for the University of Vermont and other end users.
Good Earth Finds New Sawmill Home Good Earth Power AZ and its operating entity, NewLife Forest Products, which received the Phase I 4FRI contract to harvest 300,000 acres in Arizona’s national forests back in 2013, and is interested in landing the contract for another 800,000 acres as part of Phase 2 to be awarded in 2021, has acquired a large-scale industrial manufacturing facility in Bellemont, Ariz. near Flagstaff in order to build and operate a sawmill and engineered wood products plant. The 425,000 sq. ft. facility, which sits on a 35-acre property, was built in 1996 as a tissue paper manufacturing facility and owned by global manufacturer Essity, which shut it down in 2019. Good Earth Power/NewLife plans to produce 120MMBF per year of lumber and also produce engineered wood products, while employing 200. The company currently operates an older sawmill in Heber, Ariz. It had started ground work on a new sawmill in Williams, Ariz., but decided to invest in the vacant manufacturing plant and relocate the sawmill there. After gaining the U.S. Forest Service Four Forests Restoration Initiative (4FRI) Phase 1 contract in 2013, Good Earth Power/NewLife has only thinned a small portion of the contract amount, citing logistical and technical difficulties, and lack of markets for biomass, a major byproduct of any thinning program. According to the company, the new sawmill facility will allow NewLife to process smaller fiber and ramp up to forest thinning and harvesting 30,000 acres per year.
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Big Florida Footprint Covers Diverse Business Schwab brothers Chad and Richard think outside the box at M.A. Rigoni. DAVIDAbbott PERRY, Fla. n many family businesses, the third generation is where things start to slide. The first generation is hungry for success; the second appreciates what it took to succeed. By the third generation, it can be easy to take success for granted and start to coast on it. There’s no sign of that at M.A. Rigoni, the multifaceted logging concern where brothers Chad and Richard Schwab stepped up two years ago as the third generation of leadership. There’s no taking anything for granted here and there sure isn’t any coasting. As Chad puts it, “We purpose to work.” His brother adds, “Our dad taught us two things that can never be taken away: faith and work ethic.” In January 2019, their dad Rodney Schwab and his longtime partner Gary Brett handed them the reigns. Brett retired and Rodney stepped down from a management role, though he still
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maintains a majority share, sits on the board and works on one of the crews. “He’s probably the highest paid loader man in the state of Florida,” his sons joke. As for Brett, Richard reports, “He told us a few months ago he should have retired first in his career.”
“We try things we wouldn’t try three years ago. We are not going to jump into something blind but we are hungry and we want to look at new ideas.” —Chad Schwab Company founder Matt Rigoni hired Rodney in 1972 and Brett in 1980. When Rigoni retired in ’95, Gary and Rodney formed a partnership to buy their boss out. Growing up in the company, Chad and Richard
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learned a lot from Rigoni. “He was Italian, I mean a Chicago Italian, and if you ever heard him speak to you in Italian, you knew you were in trouble,” Chad says with a fond laugh. “He was a great, great guy.” Even though there’s been no one named Rigoni at the company in over 25 years, and now it’s all Schwabs running it, there’s no way they’d ever rename it; that Rigoni name might be their most valuable asset. “I started buying wood in 1993 and I didn’t have a forestry background,” Richard says. “I knew logging but nothing about buying timber. But out of the gate, because I represented M.A. Rigoni, I’m buying wood, instead of taking years to build up a reputation. We will never get rid of the Rigoni name. We have Schwab Brothers Hydraulics and we’re satisfied with that.” At Rigoni, Chad is President and Richard is VP, while at Schwab Broth-
Brothers Chad, left, and Richard Schwab run the company now.
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ers Hydraulics, LLC, the roles are reversed. But those office titles are just formalities, effectively meaningless. It makes no difference to them which is which; they are equal partners. For the record, though, Richard jokingly likes for people to know, Chad is the older brother; they’re 14 months apart.
New School Richard came out of the procurement side and Chad from the production side. “We still haven’t given up our roles there but we have reduced them a little bit and replaced ourselves with other people,” Richard says. “But we are learning that this job, at this level, is more running a business: looking at those numbers, the not-fun stuff. Sitting with an insurance consultant trying to keep it within the budget and trying to adjust your budgets from that and realizing you’re not going to be as profitable as you were last year because you got a $60,000 increase in your trucking insurance.” They think it’s generally a good idea to bring in people for the next generation who have worked outside the family business first so that they can bring in fresh perspectives. The brothers learned from their predecessors, but since taking over they’ve kept learning to do some things differently from Rigoni, Brett and the elder Schwab. Chad describes their approach as proactive. “We try things we wouldn’t try three years ago. We are not going to jump into something blind but we are hungry
Rigoni crews haul 300 chip loads weekly on 30 trucks.
Five Rigoni crews work from separate bases in Florida and Georgia.
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American Aluminum in Perry constructs the CHAD boxes.
and we want to look at new ideas, new ways of doing things to make our business and our people better.” For instance, they were trained by their dad and Mr. Rigoni: If you think you might need something, get two of it; and hold on to things you don’t use, just in case you ever need it. “An old school logger mentality would be, you have a log truck and you drive it till the
There are still some things they need to keep extra, key parts that take longer to replace, but in general they want to keep excess inventory to a minimum. doors fall off,” Chad says. “We just got rid of the frame of a 1986 chipper. We had parts in here for that, and we haven’t run that chipper in 10 years.” Richard adds, “This company hasn’t run a piece of Franklin equipment since the late 1990s, but a year ago we found Franklin parts in here, lots of them. There was a lot of stuff bought ‘just in case.’ In the shop there would be $10-15,000 worth of brakes. All that is eliminated today.” Chad notes that times have changed: “A lot of stuff you can get next day now, so you don’t have to have all that stuff on the shelf.” He admits there are 10
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still some things they need to keep extra, key parts that take longer to replace, but in general they want to keep excess inventory to a minimum.
Diversifying “We haven’t been one-dimensional in many years,” Richard says. “We were raised not to be and have taught everyone under us to be flexible. We try to keep as much diversification with our footprint as we can, and we have a huge footprint today.” As Chad says, “We take pains to find ways to make profits on more than just the logging itself.” To wit: the brothers started their own separate company, Schwab Brothers Hydraulics, LLC. Richard conceived the idea when a master distributor for Vitillo hose came to a Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. meeting. During the presentation, Richard kept thinking he could help the young man by sharing his many industry contacts, and by incorporating the product in the Rigoni shop. Later, he saw a history of John Deere at an ALC meeting. Back when Deere got started, Chad explains, clay would stick to the cast iron steel from which plow blades were made, so farmers in the Midwest would constantly have to stop and dig the clay off. “John Deere came up with the idea of taking a piece of polished steel, and the clay would just fall right off of it. He used an old crosscut saw blade that he got from a logger.”
Richard had an epiphany: “I realized that the forest industry was the catalyst that made John Deere who they are. Deere went to his local tree cutter and said, ‘Do you have an old cross cut saw blade I could borrow?’ And I’m sure that good old logger gave him something off the scrap pile and never gave it another thought. Because that’s what loggers do every day.” A light bulb went off for him: “Why would I give somebody all my contacts and not be in business with him? Why give it away when I can be a partner? So we started Schwab Brothers Hydraulics to sell hydraulic hose out of our shop. We took a net cost, and made it a profit center.” It’s one way they found to think outside the box. Speaking of boxes, Schwab Brothers Hydraulics offers, along with hoses, the patented Compact Hose Assembly Device, or CHAD box. Chad stresses he had nothing to do with naming it and wasn’t even in the meeting when Richard and his son-in-law Ryan Wood, a Marine fond of acronyms, came up with this one. (There is no word yet when they’ll develop another product they can name the RICH.) Each CHAD is assembled on a Camlocker box from American Aluminum and features an air-over-hydraulic crimping machine, crimping dies, air powered rotary saw, cutting discs, spec chart and storage for extra fittings. “Some of our customers might be two hours from their job site to our place in Perry,” Richard notes. “They can buy hoses from NAPA, but at double the cost we would charge.” With a CHAD, they can quickly replace blown hoses in the woods, saving potentially hours of downtime. And it’s not just for loggers in Florida; the Schwabs have also been showing it to their industry friends all over the U.S. Another opportunity came when a local mechanic and close friend of theirs was preparing to retire and wanted to sell to them. “I had never thought about owning a diesel repair shop, not one time,” Chad admits; he didn’t think he was interested. Richard initially had a similar reaction, but they agreed to consider it. The repair shop owner gave them five years of financials, which they showed their accountant (Richard’s wife Jennifer). She said, “For what he wants for that business, the land, the shop, the whole thing, we would be fools not to take it,” Richard recalls. TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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“We looked at it long and hard, and prayed, which is central to every decision we make,” Chad says. It is now the Schwab Brothers Hydraulics repair shop, a separate business serving dozens of local companies. Once again, Richard says, “We have turned dead cost centers into profit centers.”
Maintenance, Machinery From the diesel shop, the Schwabs have learned how to more efficiently run the Rigoni shop, which had been just a sunk cost of doing business. The diesel shop, they point out, always has been run as a business: to make money efficiently. “Our mechanics work 40 hours a week and go home,” Richard says. “There’s no stand around time. You can’t afford the overhead.” Chad adds, “Those guys in the shop do good work but a lot of times we just didn’t have a whole lot for them to do, so it was a dead cost.” They’ve now reorganized things. The Rigoni shop has one head mechanic and a junior mechanic in training. A third moved to Schwab Brothers Hydraulics as an on-site service guy who visits, among other customers, each of the five Rigoni woods crews once or twice a week to handle greasing and servicing—air, fuel and oil filters and all the sampling. In between his visits, operators handle greasing and changing chipper knives. All Rigoni trucks and trailers go to the Schwab shop, while chippers and woods machines go to the Rigoni shop for repairs. Each crew is identically outfitted with Tigercat (620H skidders, 720G cutters, 234B loaders) and a chipper, one of each per crew. They have three Morbark 4036 chippers, three Morbark 5048s and a 3590 Bandit XL, five in regular use and two spares. Tidewater in Thomasville and Maxville does all the service work needed. “They do a great job and they are very, very good partners of ours,” Richard says. The Schwabs have been working towards getting on a three-year program of rotating out and trading in equipment. “It gives you warranty and reliability and cuts your payment just about in half,” Chad explains. “A used piece of Tigercat equipment today, if it is in good shape, brings about half the value of a newer one. That’s one reason we love Tigercat. Now if you are talking four or five year old machines then of course the value is not there as much.” The sweet spot for maximizing the use
Ryan Wood, left, with Richard and Tanner Schwab, right, gather around a CHAD.
of a machine balanced with optimal trade-in value is around 6,500 hours on a three-year old piece, Chad estimates.
The Schwabs have been working towards getting on a three-year program of rotating out and trading in equipment. The sweet spot for maximizing the use of a machine balanced with optimal trade-in value is around 6,500 hours on a three-year-old piece, Chad estimates. The last time they bought a brand new chipper (two, in fact) was 2013; both 5048 models are still in use today. They recently rebuilt the motor and put a new chute on a 2010 chipper; it cost about $70,000 to rebuild, after 19,000 hours of use. Keeping chippers maintained, knowing when to repair and when to replace, is crucial, as is keeping viable spares to use when there’s a breakdown. Richard says it again speaks to that old school mentality with which he and Chad were raised: run it till it breaks. But, he says, “You can’t run a chipper till it breaks. When it breaks it is going to be major. We had a catastrophic breakdown on one chipper and it took six weeks to get the part. Thank the Lord we had a spare.” Roughly 30 trucks haul 300 loads a week for Rigoni, about half of them contractors. Company-owned trucks are mostly Kenworth with locking rear ends; this was one of Brett’s ideas the
Schwab boys have kept. “That was his legacy he gave us,” Richard says. Chad adds that, while they might restrict turning somewhat, the locking read ends allow trucks to pull out of the woods amazingly well. “We had a truck driver tell us he had never seen trucks pull out of the woods like that. That was part of Gary’s idea and we will not go away from that, never.” Hauling chips exclusively, Rigoni’s trucks pull both dead and live floor vans from ITI, Peerless, Pitts and Pinnacle. Schwab Brothers Hydraulics put the wet kits on the trucks.
Markets While many loggers across the Southeast log with a little chipping on the side, Rigoni does the opposite. Two primary markets for Rigoni are GRU (Gainesville Regional Utilities) in Florida and Enviva in Waycross, Ga. PCA is also a good partner. With forester Rett Sumner, Rigoni now buys all its stumpage, much of it from the Langdale family of companies in Valdosta (a town that should arguably be renamed Langdale) on the Florida/Georgia line. “We have been really blessed to be affiliated with Langdale,” Richard says. Most loggers don’t prefer working with big corporate entities, Chad points out. “They feel like they’re against them, not for them. With Langdale, I feel like they are for me and want me to succeed because they know what I do for them is important for them. We couldn’t ask for a finer partner or better people.” Chad’s sons Reese and Tanner manage crews and Trevor works in the office (youngest son Fletcher is in high
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Chipping is the primary focus for M.A. Rigoni.
All five crews use Morbark or Bandit chippers.
school). Richard’s son Cole helps develop new business and buys timber. His daughter Julianne is married to Ryan Wood, director of sales/marketing for Schwab Brothers Hydraulics; he’s been instrumental in marketing CHAD. His other daughter Caroline is a political consultant in Tallahassee; all the politicians she represented in 2020 won their elections. Richard’s wife Jennifer is Rigoni’s CFO—the numbers person who really makes it work, he says—and Chad’s wife Dana is the event coordinator for CMO. “She puts that whole project together,” her husband brags.
Core Changes The company has had to be flexible, reinventing itself more than once and rolling with changing realities. 12
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“You start off Monday morning with Plan A; by the time Friday gets here, you’re working on Plan AAA; you’ve been through the whole alphabet, A to Z, twice,” Chad says. “How often do you have to reinvent yourself? It’s almost daily.” Richard adds, “Since the ’80s and ’90s, these mills have been divesting themselves of their procurement teams and buying gatewood. Then they expect loggers to buy their wood and they really don’t understand that you need to keep some back to pay for your timber dealership, plus your performance bonds and everything else.” In some cases, the brothers attest, they got paid more for timber in the ’80s than they do today. This is a common claim from loggers, and begs the question: how do loggers survive at
all, let alone thrive, as some seem to do? “We have to find different avenues and get creative,” Chad answers. “The Lord opens doors for us and closes doors for us, and sometimes it leaves us standing back asking why.” Case in point: About five years ago, for the first time in company history, Rigoni was fired from working on a particular land base. “They cut our crew that was moving 100 loads a week,” Richard reveals. “It was a sucker punch to the gut.” Chad adds, “We were baffled because we had just won logger of the year for the U.S. through FRA. We know we are one of the best in the business, not to brag, but we know who we are. And for that to happen, it was a blow. But God opened another door for us and it turned out to be more profitable.” It forced them to start buying their own wood and establish new markets, getting them ahead of the competition. “It was one of those divine interventions we couldn’t see coming,” Richard says. “We were ahead of the curve, because today, everybody is fired from that land. The next year we made more money with that crew moving 65 loads a week than we had been making moving 100 loads a week.”
Safety Gathering so many people from so far away to a central location for safety meetings is a challenge. Recently, they started doing virtual safety meetings, using a smart phone app developed by FRA, called THATS (Timber Harvesting And Transportation Safety). All RiTIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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goni and Schwab Brothers employees can participate, and the app preserves a record to prove that all of them had an hour of safety training every month. “When you pull that app up it gives you a list of topics you can talk about,” Chad explains. “It’ll know each individual that is there, it will list all their names. Let’s say we had a guy at five of the safety meetings and we discussed climbing safety and jumping safety; it registers that he has been a part of that training. Let’s say that guy jumps off a tractor and twists his knee. When OSHA comes in, we can say he has had this training, he knew better than to do that, and here it is right here in black and white. So that helps us out in that way too. It is going to be a great, awesome tool for us.” One thing they inherited from their predecessors is a relationship with insurance consultant Rosselle Consulting, and Richard says that is probably the best money they spend every month. “Mr. Rosselle and his son-inlaw Jimmy Cino used to work for the insurance companies and know the policies inside and out,” the younger Schwab explains. “Rosselle is a risk
Tigercat machines from Tidewater Equipment dominate the crews.
management guy, so he looks at our company and tells us what insurance we need. He then shops for me all the different companies that will provide that coverage.” Rigoni does business with Bitco agency Stoutamire-Pavlik & Associates, Inc. in Monticello, Fla.; Ryan Pavlik is the agent. “But Ryan doesn’t sell me a bit of insurance unless Ross-
elle says it’s ok,” Richard says. They also run driver candidates past the consultant before hiring. And if there is a claim, Rosselle knows what the insurance company is supposed to do and ensures that it gets done. “He even goes to court for you if necessary,” Richard says. The monthly retainer fee they pay him is worth every dime, the TH brothers wholeheartedly agree.
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Huston Finds Future In Logging Woods Company targets high grade hardwoods. PATRICKDunning
Huston makes his way through the fence line timber stand to set a choker as he follows his “one log at a time” philosophy.
VIENNA, Ill. he story of John Huston, owner of Huston & Sons Timber, is one that exemplifies smalltime, family-run operations providing a good livelihood and career as the company raises the next generation of loggers and puts more emphasis on safety than production. Huston was born in western Pennsylvania into an Amish community and grew up on a farm in Spencer, Wis. “Their desire is to live a sepa-
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rated, more relaxed life,” he says. “It’s hard not to be part of the fastpaced life.” With seven years of timber felling experience working with his dad in central Wisconsin, 21-year-old Huston moved to Paris, Tenn., where he married his wife, Edith, and had eight children, four girls, four boys, and began logging temporarily for industry friend Tim Yoder. Huston got into the chicken business, and for the next 14 years grew chickens for Pilgrim’s
Pride full time. The family moved 70 miles north of St. Louis to Roodhouse, Ill., in June 2013 and opened a bulkfood store. The Hustons’ lives changed forever June 14, 2017 after the two youngest sons walked down to the family pond to cast a line. Youngest son at fouryears-old, Paul Andrew, was having problems with his fishing pole and decided to wade into the water. The bottom gave and he couldn’t swim. He was born on John’s birthday, SeptemTIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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ber 1, and buried on Father’s Day. “That was a tough situation,” he says. “By the end of that year we sold our food store.” The family had been attending a Mennonite church in Roodhouse and felt the Lord calling them to relocate to Mt. Pleasant, Union County, Ill. So they did. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Lord.” Timber Harvesting found Huston & Sons Timber in late summer on a 400acre tract on the Johnson-Union county line doing a selective cut for landowner Claire Weaver on a 50/50 share. A cable choker skidder and a trusty chain saw is all it takes for Huston and his oldest son, David, 19, to complete a job. The recipe is simple and serves them well: They average 6-7 loads a week. The two-man operation’s target species include veneer and grade white oak, red oak, gum and sycamore. “This tract is 90 percent tree lines and waterways and hasn’t been touched for many years,” Huston says. “One tree at a time.”
From Left: David, eldest son and skidder operator; John Huston, owner.
Equipment When the Hustons started logging in southern Illinois in August 2019 they had a 240D Timberjack skidder that was a major headache to maintain. After frequent trips to Rollison Equipment Co., Bardwell, Ky., for parts, sales manager Kenneth Underwood offered a trade. “It was nothing but trouble,” Huston says of the Timberjack. “In January 2019 Kenneth said, ‘John you’ve been knocking your head on that thing a lot longer than I ever thought you would.’ I said what else are we to do? We’ve got to keep that machine going to drag logs.” Underwood said he had an ’06 Tigercat 610 skidder that was exactly what Huston needed. “I said you’re going to trade me for this piece of junk?” Huston remembers. “He told me he’d cut a deal and I said I would think about it.” Huston went home, punched the numbers and concluded he’d be stupid not to trade. Rollison delivered the skidder repainted and ready to go. “We went with something newer. Spent a little bit more money but Tigercat has been good to us.” Equipped with two 372 model Husqvarnas, a 395 model and two 620 Echo saws, the Hustons have their work cut out for them. Martin’s Sharp-
Safety is the number one priority when operating in the woods.
All Shop, Union County, is a big help and a local store that services major saw brands. “Martin’s is a good dealer here. They deal Echo and we love the Echos,” Huston says. “They’re a little bit of a smaller saw but in the heat of the day they’re very nice to carry.” Huston loads trailers using a Gehl 7600 skid-steer with added flotation tires purchased from their Gehl dealer, Buening Equipment, Effingham, Ill.
Maintenance Majority of maintenance is done in house. Huston can weld and do bearings and cylinder work when needed, but he’s thankful to not be fussing about that ol’ Timberjack anymore. “Some of them old loggers stick with Timberjacks because they grew up with them. Some mechanics at partic-
ular dealerships love working on Timberjacks,” Huston says. “But my boys grew up on automatic shift and that’s where Tigercat shines.” When it comes to the 610 skidder’s electronics, Huston defaults to Rollison for support. Other necessary parts are bought locally. Oil is changed every three-to-four months using Lucas 15W-40 synthetic for all machines. “Run a little bit older equipment but try to use good oil,” he says. “That’s the key. Firm believer in Lucas grease. It won’t squeeze out.”
Markets Huston says red oak markets slumped in 2020 and mills only accepted 18-20 ft. diameter logs. Crane mat markets remained strong with red oak, gum and sycamore delivered to
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The father-son duo made quick work of a 48 in. cottonwood tree.
Wenzel Lumber Co. in Junction, Ill. “He pays good, love his scales and prices, and we fell in love with the way he operates,” Huston says of Stacey Wenzel, owner. Grade logs are hauled to East Perry Lumber Co., Frohna, Mo., and veneer white oak goes to Tracy Export, Inc., Cahokia, Ill., located east of St. Louis. He sends a few loads to Southern Illinois Wood Products, LLC, Campbell Hill, Ill., and to his brother-in-law Joe Miller at Coal Ridge Lumber, Stonefort, Ill. as well. Small operations like Huston’s rely on contract truckers in the area to transport logs to respective mills; he looks to industry friend Daniel McCraw and his L9000 straight log truck with a pup trailer on a regular basis.
Simple Life Huston says his family loves the Southern feel the area brings and folks are friendly. They live together on a 23-acre farm with horses, cattle, chickens and do some row cropping. During a wet winter Huston cuts firewood for different people, and also does shop work, welding and painting to stay busy. “We love it here, and it stays pretty quiet,” Huston says. “The older loggers are retiring and the younger ones don’t want to do this kind of work so here’s my chance to show the youth how to work in the woods safely and operate equipment.” Huston’s oldest son, David, 19, works alongside his father and runs the skidder. Wayne, 14, and Johnathon, 11, look to take after their father and join the business when they come of age. There is plenty of excitement in the woods, Huston says, and adds that each day is unique. “Watch the trees,” he says. “Sometimes when you cut a tree they’ll lean different and you always cut them a little different so it’s interesting what all trees we will find.” Even still, Huston asks the Lord for his protection because logging can be dangerous. “We tend to work safely and not be in too much of a hurry,” he says. “Our goal is to work safely and return home not all beat up.” Insurance for Huston & Sons is covered through their home church, Mt. Pleasant. If someone in the congregation needs help with bills the church pulls together the appropriate funds. Huston says he’s seen the Lord provide for families the past several years TH multiple times. 16
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Loader Technology CHAD Keeps Loaders Working
With our roots originating in the forestry industry and continuing to serve in that industry for over 60 years, we understand how catastrophic loader downtime can be to your logging operation. That is why as loggers we prepare our field service trucks and trailers to have everything we need, from welders, air compressors and every tool under the sun to fix any problem that may arise. With today’s machinery that is near strictly operated by hydraulics, there is no reason for us not to have an efficient way to fix our hydraulic hose failures on Providing the ability the job site. Our series of to efficiently build Compact Hose Assembly hose assemblies in Devices (CHAD) has revolutionized the manu- a quick and easy facture of hydraulic hose fashion assemblies by allowing you to crimp and replace hydraulic hoses without ever leaving your job site. The CHAD Max, CHAD Lite and CHAD Custom options give you multiple size designs to fit your exact needs. The CHAD’s durable, service truck mountable, compact design and air-over-hydraulic crimping capability easily gives you the ability to efficiently build hose assemblies in a quick and easy fashion. By implementing the CHAD on your job site, you are guaranteed to cut downtime costs due to hydraulic hose failures. Visit schwabbrothershydraulics.com/chad
Cleanfix Boosts Engine Cooling Cleanfix is revolutionizing engine-cooling systems. Our multi-patented reversing fan solutions clean radiators, contribute to optimal cooling and extend the lives of machines in high-dust environments. Cleanfix enables for less downtime, significant fuel savings and increased efficiency of an operation. With the Cleanfix Standard (SC) reversible fan, the blades are rotated with pneumatic or hydraulic actuation. Resetting takes place by spring force. If required, the cleaning process can be automated with a timer. For the Cleanfix Variable Pitch (VP) System, in addition to the reverse function for cooling and cleaning, this fan series offers a variable blade angle adjustment—according to the cooling required by the machine—without engaging in the engine electronics. The benefit: Further fuel saving and a reduction of the drive power of the fan by up to 60%. Patented reversing Cleanfix thermal actuator are completely reliable. Thermal actuators for the adjustment of the fan solutions clean blade angles are made of components filled with wax that have been proven in millions of therradiators, contribute mostats. The wax expands within a fixed temperature range, thereby moving a small piston, which changes the angle of the blades from flat to steep. Since all blades are connected via a pisto optimal cooling and extend the lives ton inside the hub, their synchronous movement is ensured. This gives the system the highest possible level of safety. of machines. Cleanfix fans are used in a wide range of construction, municipal, agricultural, forestry, waste and recycling machines, such as tractors, harvesters, combines, sprayers, handlers, excavators, wheel loaders, dozers, skid steers, and a variety of other industrial equipment. Our innovative ventilators help to prevent problems associated with overheating and engine inefficiencies. The quality and highperformance of Cleanfix reverse fan systems have been endorsed by market-leading manufacturers, such as Agco (Fendt, Valtra), CNH (New Holland, Case III), JCB, John Deere, Komatsu, Mercedez Benz, Merlo, Bomag Fayat Group, Volvo, Krone, Manitou, Claas and Oxbo. All of these manufacturers either include Cleanfix fans as a standard or optional application in their product offering. Cleanfix has three global engineering and manufacturing sites and serves customers in more than 25 countries. Visit cleanfix.org
Deere G Series Swing Machines The G-Series Forestry Swing Machines, available in a log loader or forestry excavator configuration, are purpose-built with loggers’ needs in mind. The G-Series machines are equipped with redesigned cabs, which set a standard for operator comfort, safety and visibility. The cab entrance allows operators to enter or exit the machine easily and safely. With an adForemost Authority For Professional Loggers
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Loader Technology ditional three inches of legroom, the G-Series cab is both spacious and more comfortable. Available as an option on any model, an elevated rear-entry cab that also feature floor-mounted windows, resulting in superb visibility to the tracks. Additionally, rear-entry cabs are available with a cab-forward riser option that expands views of the working area. Other features in the quiet, climate-controlled cabs include ergonomic controls, outstanding window clarity, isolation mounting, and LED lighting. Increasing stability, the 2656G and 2156G machines include a longer track option. Reducing downtime and maintenance life, All of the G-Series the 2156G and models are supported 3156G are dewith larger by the in-base JDLink signed lower rollers. The telematics solution. larger models feature a powerful 9.0-liter engine, while the smaller machines boast a 6.8-liter engine. The increased tractive effort on the 2156G and 2656G models helps with overcoming steep terrain and deep snowy conditions. Serviceability is also a key feature for the G-Series Forestry Swing Machines. Recent improvements include a pre-cleaner for engine air intake of the Final Tier 4 engines to enhance air filter life and a fuel shut-off valve to eliminate fuel leakage and spillage during fuel filter changes. The newly implemented hinged AC condenser increases access, making it easier to clean debris out between the radiator and AC condenser. Additionally, remote grease lines for the boom cylinder base pins improve ground-level serviceability. With an optional hydraulic oil level alarm, operators now have an audible and visible alarm when hydraulic oil level needs attention. All of the G-Series models are supported by the in-base JDLink telematics solution. Combined John Deere Connected Support, the dealer is able to assist with machine monitoring and remote diagnostics and programming, enabling the dealer to quickly identify and diagnose problems, even from miles away. Visit deere.com
Prolenc Snubber Prolenc’s new, patent pending 250 series Brake Link is designed to integrate with 5 to 8 ton class rotators offered by Finnrotor, Baltrotor and others in this class weight class and features Prolenc’s unique, simple, tapered friction sleeve design. Externally mounted and integrated on the link, it offers easy access for periodic tension adjustments and serviceability. The link is single or double dampening Robust holding power and far fewer and also available as individual units to adapt to the wide variety of linkages and crane tips available moving wear parts worldwide. Ideal for smaller thinning harvesters and result in a very low free swinging biomass heads as well as loading grapples, the 250 series allows Prolenc to now offer a full cost per hour and complement of brake links and dampeners for all at- less maintenance. tachments up to 2,000 kgs or 4,400 lbs. Long proven in many applications with over 20 years of experience, the patented tapered design provides only 1 wear part available in a self lubricating composite material or a grease lubricated, zinc based material maintained by the operator daily as other service points on the machine. Robust holding power and far fewer moving wear parts result in a very low cost per hour and less maintenance than offered by traditional flat disc type systems. Visit prolenc.com
Tigercat 865 Logger The Tigercat 865 is a purpose-built logger designed for loading and processing applications. The 865 combines power, efficiency and serviceability into a true multi-purpose forestry carrier. The 865 is a 71,000 lb. carrier that offers many advantages over excavator conversions, such as higher cooling capacity, a better operating environment, stronger undercarriage components and extremely efficient and task-optimized hydraulic circuits. The result is higher production, uptime and fuel efficiency for lower operating cost per ton. The Tigercat FPT N67 engine delivers 165 kW (221 HP) at 1,900 RPM. The 865 shares a common platform with the 850 processor and can be configured as a loader with boom options for vari18
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Loader Technology ous grapple styles including bunching, power clam and butt-n-top grapples, as well as grapple saws. Equipped with a live heel boom, along with the optional pull-through delimber and bar saw slasher hydraulic package, the 865 can be configured as a high-performance merchandising loader. This package is well suited to typical Southern U.S. full-tree harvesting systems. The 865 can also be configured as a high caThe 865 can be pacity roadside procesconfigured as a sor, capable of running loader with boom large harvesting heads in duty cycles. options for various demanding Dual swing drives prograpple styles. vide ample torque and speed for high-performance loading or processing. The high cab improves performance and operator visibility in high decking applications. Service access has been carefully thought out with the ability to step down into the centre of the machine for clear, unobstructed access to the engine and daily service points. Large enclosure doors and a spring assist side service platform provide a large, stable work area for performing maintenance on hydraulic components and changing filters. A large cast counterweight provides excellent stability with a swing-out door that allows access to the engine from the rear of the machine. 865 features the common high-rise cab from Tigercat’s logger lineup. The large ergonomically designed cab is quiet and climate controlled for maximum operator comfort. A full-length front window, and additional floor windows provide superior visibility with clear sightlines. LED lighting and the rearVIEW camera system further augment operator visibility. Visit tigercat.com
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Risk Management For Trucking: Reducing Total Cost Of Risk Ways to reduce costs while boosting safety and improving efficiency.
F
DALEKleffman
or many businesses the biggest liability they have is their vehicles and trailers that are operated on the public roads. Many in the forest products arena don’t typically see other people or deal with much property other than raw logs while in the woods. These factors help to insulate them from many of the issues that other businesses face. Yet vehicles present a challenge to both business owners and insurance companies. This challenge has continued to evolve and we see more and more insurance companies struggle with profitability in the auto line than any other line of business. Many insurance companies have struggled drastically over the last five to10 years in the auto space, often producing combined ratios of 110% to 120% or more. A combined ratio is the percentage of dollars out vs. dollars in when operating costs are analyzed. Carriers shoot for something under 100% here typically as it means they are making a underwriting profit without re- Act now to reduce trucking costs. alizing investment income. There is more volatility, trying to do multiple things at once price increases and new underwriting and not just focus on the road. That guidelines in the auto space than any being said even though many acciother segment that affects the forest dents are attributed to other people products industry, with the possible they can affect your business. exception of property insurance reWhen you are operating a vehicle lated to sawmills, wood pallet and under a commercial business and genwood pellet operations. erating revenue you are held to a higher The factors that lead to this volatilstandard in the eyes of the law then just ity are many: They include busier a commuter or other recreational driver. roads, more distracted driving, inThis can lead your business to be finicreased repair costs for vehicles and cally liable even if it’s deemed not at larger court settlements. In my mind fault on a police report. There are a vathe cell phone and how it affects drivriety of things you can do to mitigate ers is the biggest single culprit. From this exposure that we will discuss. the elevated view in a semi it is even These are particularly relevant to semi/ more obvious the number of people heavy trucking operations but many of 22
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them can help even if a pickup and a job trailer are the only autos you own. The list is long and intimidating when it comes to all the rules and regulations that govern the commercial trucking word. There is no way to get detailed information across on all of them in an article like this but we will touch on what we can relating to compliance. Different items relating to laws and compliance include: 1) Enrolling in a drug testing program, even if you are the only driver your company has and are the owner this is still required. 2) Maintaining a driver qualification file that has the appropriate items in it. Again, even if you own the company and as the owner you are the only driver this is required. Items that need to be in this file include: a. An application for employment, yes you have to hire yourself even if you are the only one. It’s your government looking out for you. b. A current motor vehicle record (MVR or driving record) from each state your driver has held a valid license in during the preceding 12 months. This needs to be run every 12 months. c. MVR for the preceding three years from each state your driver has held a license in. d. A review of the MVR to determine if your driver meets standards for safe driving. This review needs to be done every 12 months and must include the name of the person reviewing and the date. It needs to include any FMSCA violation data review and moving violations review along with anything that could be construed as a TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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disregard for public safety. e. A record of all violations within the last 12 months from each driver. f. A copy of each driver’s CDL. g. A copy of each driver’s medical exam certificate. h. A note or record verifying that the doctor performing the medical exam is listed on the national registry of certified medical examiners list. 3) If you meet the requirements to use a log book, make sure you are in compliance here. This is a whole topic on its own, and many of those who only haul raw logs are exempt. At the end of the day know the laws and be in compliance if it is required. 4) Make sure you have the required periodic vehicle inspections on file. 5) Make sure you are in compliance with weight restrictions. We all know that judgment plays a part in hauling in the raw forest products arena. Species, time of year, moisture content, time on landing, etc., all can drastically affect weight. That being said, if you are continually and grossly overweight and involved in a serious accident the odds of a financial judgment against you are immensely higher and the dollars awarded are likely to increase also. We have been insulated from this in our region of the country to an extent but it is happening in other areas. It is much easier for a plaintiff attorney to paint you as a negligent business owner if 75% of your loads are overweight. 6) Have any required pre- and posttrip inspections done and documented. Stay in compliance with any applicable federal and state law. There are a lot of resources out there for trucking companies in regards to safety and compliance. These include state trucking and logging associations,various insurance company loss prevention staff, and a variety of third-party companies that focus on safety and compliance in the trucking world. The latter of these often charge a fee. If you need help in this area and it seems overwhelming it is much better to ask for help and try to be proactive than to ignore it and be forced to be reactive. If you are doing all these things and have your ducks in a row make sure your insurance company is aware of this and it is well documented. It can only help your profile in terms of how an underwriter evaluates your business and if you are ever
Communication of policies and expectations—and following through—are critical.
in a serious accident it will help your outcome following that too. There are a variety of things that aren’t laws or rules that can help your overall risk affecting your trucking business too, these include: Consider camera systems on all trucks. These are getting much better from a technology perspective and a complete system with front and driver facing cameras is a lot cheaper than you think. These systems provide awesome data to accident investigators and can often eliminate the he said/she said component within a police report. Have driving hiring standards and follow them. Do the same with driver evaluations. One of the biggest things a company can do is have a written procedure regarding what is and isn’t acceptable. Having these items documented makes your company more consistent and helps you evaluate what is the best for it. Insurance companies love when you have written standards documenting what is and isn’t acceptable, if you have them in force share them with your company. It will be a feather in your cap. Evaluate inexperienced drivers with caution. Everyone understands that there is an absolute shortage of truck drivers and we always get asked to make exceptions regarding drivers with minimal experience or a colorful MVR history. For us this is always done on a case-by-case basis and we don’t have a catch-all answer. Every insurance company handles it different and some are much more rigid or will charge exorbitant premiums for the exposure. Putting a young driver in
your truck is a huge exposure for you and your insurance company. We know that we will need people to replace existing drivers and we know that young people need to get experience somewhere. If you are going to put an inexperienced driver in a truck have a program in place to train and evaluate his or her progress. At the end of the day you can let who you want drive your vehicles without typically affecting coverage, your insurance company might not like it but it is your business decision. Come renewal time rates may increase or you might get non-renewed if you don’t get their buy-in but it is still your decision. You are much more likely to get acceptance from an insurance company if you have a program in place that details training and evaluation going forward. Things like ridealongs, skills testing, documentation for formal schooling/training, working in tandem with an experienced driver the first several months, and providing timely feedback on performance can help your company and your young driver succeed. There is no easy answer to this situation, but there are things you can do to help mitigate your risk. It’s better to document and face the challenges associated with young drivers than ignore them. Don’t rent, lease or borrow your equipment to other people or businesses. This isn’t as prevalent in our region as it is in other areas of the country but it’s a huge exposure you are picking up oftentimes by just being friendly. If you must do this, thoroughly discuss the situation with your
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Smart woods work means more road safety.
insurance agent and attorney prior to doing it so you can do all you can to protect yourself and your business. Have safety incentive programs. These can be monetary or something like a nice company logo winter jacket if your fleet goes a defined period with no accidents or DOT violations. This type of program can be completely flexible but it will help keep safety and compliance a top of mind issue. Keep all vehicle service records as long as you own or operate it. This is a huge deal. Make sure you are recording what you do, even if it’s an
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oil change, walk-around inspection or changing a tire. Having detailed records if you get drug into court for something really helps your chances of being successfully defended. Having a regular inspection program and documenting this really helps too. Have a zero tolerance cell phone policy unless hands free and enforce it. This could go with the compliance side also but it’s really important. As a commercial truck driver or company you are going to be held to a higher standard than the average citizen and the cell phone use is a real top of mind issue for the general public. A court is much more likely to make a martyr out of someone involved in using a cell phone illegally then many other things. Fix the little things before they turn into big things. This applies to brakes, lighting, tires, etc. We understand the challenges facing forest products trucking related to OTR issues and the adverse environment many loggers operate within off public
roads. That being said the DOT inspections and scoring associated with trucking businesses isn’t going away. Almost every insurance company and many shippers and consumers regularly use the DOT website to evaluate a trucking company. This information, when poor, can really affect pricing and availability of insurance for your trucking company. Don’t be afraid to ask for help on this stuff and also don’t be afraid to tell your insurance company what you are doing to operate safer. The insurance world loves documented information and anything you are doing proactively can only help your overall TH profile. Stay Safe! Dale Kleffman, CPCU, CIC, CLCS, is a licensed insurance agent working for Mauck/Loggers Insurance Agencies with an extensive background in commercial insurance relating to all aspects of the forest products industry including logging, trucking, and manufacturing. Mauck/Loggers Insurance Agencies are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Assn. and Michigan Assn. of Timbermen through their respective holding companies.
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Dust&Rust Readers are encouraged to send historical items.
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Effective Wreck Response: Following A Plan Is Critical AMYTracy
R
ecently I was on a road trip with my family, within an hour of our target destination on one of this country’s major interstates. We had been in the car for hours, the terrain was flat, the summer sun blazed through the windows, and the states had passed by. As a trucking lawyer, I spent much of the drive watching logos pass by the windshield—current clients, former clients, great white whales of the trucking industry. My husband and I observed trucker behaviors and rather than comment on my husband’s driving, I was constantly shouting things like: “He’s coming over—give him space!” or “He’s going too fast—he needs four football fields to stop!” and “It’s not a question of if he’s getting in a wreck, it’s a question of when! Watch him brake!” I lectured my car’s occupants on the
finer points of accident reconstruction and dash cam videos and why the truck stops were getting busy at 4 p.m. And then, as I gazed out the window on the eastbound side, I saw a tractor-trailer stopped in the slow lane, a small SUV tangled in the median wire. Traffic was at a standstill behind them. Flashing lights surrounded the vehicles—both of them unmoving, and obviously unable. As we drove past, I verbally triaged with the practiced eye of a defense lawyer: Two vehicles. Police. Ambulance. Tow already present. Damage to the median wire. Tractor-trailer disabled. No sign of the occupants. This was not good. I checked the company, googled them quickly. And I made the call. “Safety department please.” When I spoke to the safety responder on duty, the driver had not yet reported the accident. Perhaps he or she was injured
and could not. Perhaps he or she was so shaken up it was not possible. Or perhaps he or she didn’t want to get in trouble. Or, perhaps her or she had, but the information had not yet made its way to the safety department. We can preach the importance of initial reporting and rapid response until we are blue in the face. We can pass out instruction cards and sign orientation accident procedure acknowledgments. But until protocol is followed, insurance premiums will keep rising and risk and safety personnel won’t have the opportunity to manage the situation from the get-go. So often I hear “we really learned from this situation.” But please learn before it costs. Before it hurts. Like a coach who teaches players to execute a play, or a general who prepares a response for a possible attack, it’s critical to teach drivers to execute a re-
Having a plan in place is one way to make these type events more bearable.
Photos courtesy Ala. Trucking Assn.
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Your response will help dictate the outcome and financial impact of an event.
sponse to emergency preparedness. At a minimum, practice these steps after an accident: 1. Drivers report incident to dispatch or safety and safety/risk gets the information. 2. Contact is made with driver to ensure he/she is a) uninjured and b) mentally/emotionally ok. Once driver’s condition is established, collect initial details of loss. Determine who/ what/where/when. Take notes. Tell driver to either call police or wait until police arrive. It is always recom-
mended to wait until a police report is made regardless if the other party leaves. This allows any property damage to be documented and any injury or lack of injury to be documented. Yes, it slows the driver down, but it also preserves information in the long run and can assist with any subrogation or defense efforts. 3. Always ask the driver if there has been a tow, a transport, or a ticket. If so, send for drug/alcohol testing. 4. Always ask the driver to take photographs. Pictures should be of any damage and should also include the scene, if possible, and all involved vehicles. 5. If safety/risk gets the sense this is a significant accident, assess for further involvement of other parties. For instance, if equipment is in the ditch, assess if you want your tow equipment there (if in range) and immediately convey that information to the local authorities. Assessing any tow issues early and communicating with local authorities regarding the plan can save money on future tow expenses. If you want to choose your tow company, immediately convey that information to the local authorities. If there is significant bodily injury, assess if you need to contact a third party administrator and get an independent adjuster on the scene. Keep in mind, depending on the severity of the accident, you may have to push to get someone on the scene within a couple of hours versus a couple of days. Timing matters. 6. Is your driver stranded? Assess logistics and who you have in the area or if you need an Uber to a rest stop. 7. What about your cargo? Is it
damaged? Make sure to contact all parties and notify delivery will be delayed. Do you need a replacement truck? Are you in range that you can send a spare trailer? Do you even have authority to break the seal? Is it a refrigerated load? Make sure this is handled and communicated promptly so as to mitigate a cargo claim. 8. Do you need an accident reconstructionist on the scene? Is there liquid or other debris that needs captured or preserved? Skid marks? Yaw marks? Anything that needs documented or measured? Does the ECM data need downloading to preserve? Depending on the engine, data could be lost if the truck is turned on or moved or another hard brake event occurs. Know what equipment you have, what you need, and how to protect it. These are just some of the in-themoment considerations that a significant accident can bring. Depending on the facts of the loss, other factors may also be in play. For instance, what happens if the driver is taken into custody? The bottom line is to make sure you have a game plan, everyone in the organization is informed, and you are prepared. Prior preparation prevents poor performance, particularly in TH emergency situations. Amy Tracy is an attorney with Setliff Law in Glen Allen, Va. For questions or assistance with rapid response or accident preparedness, please feel free to contact Amy Tracy (atracy@setlifflaw.com) at 804-377-1264 or Steve Setliff (ssetliff@ setlifflaw.com) at 804-377-1261. Both are also available to meet with safety professionals and drivers to discuss what to do—and not to do—post crash. Reprinted from Carolina Logger publication.
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Horn Focused On Chip Production Logger proud of sustainable biomass output that’s displacing coal. JESSICAJohnson WARREN, Ark. lint Horn, who has an Associate’s, Bachelors and Masters in Forestry (Penn State University and Mississippi State University, respectively), has seen a lot in his 30 plus years in the industry. He remembers coming up in forestry when the spotted owl conservation efforts dominated the news cycle and “people were chaining themselves to trees in the Pacific Northwest.” Now, his timber management company, Timber Logistics, purchases stumpage for a total of 15 crews including three company crews, two that are focused solely on fuel chips for biomass pelleting, is part of one of the greenest industries in the world. “To see what it is today, where we’re making a microchip that goes through a plant that ends up in Europe and they are replacing burning coal with what we are making here that’s sustainable… together I think that’s
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huge for the forestry, logging, timber industry in general that we’ve made that kind of turnaround in the last 30 years. That is special,” he says with a touch of wonder and pride. “We went from the devil to one of the greenest industries out there.” And Horn’s proud that his company is part of that supply chain, having both SFI and FSC Chain of Custody certifications for over 10 years. Not just because his markets require them to meet their own sustainability goals and requirements, but because he truly believes in the qualifications and what all these groups are trying to accomplish. “It is not a problem for us. BMPs are not a big deal; we do that anyway. We’ve never had issues with what is required,” he emphasizes. At the same time, Horn does admit that sometimes, following his market’s strict sustainability requirements can be a challenge, especially when it comes to explaining those set of regu-
lations to landowners who see the immense value in chipping their land as pulpwood markets get tighter and tighter in south Arkansas. And while Timber Logistics’ contract crews are struggling with tight pulpwood markets, the company chipping crews are seeing it as an opportunity for landowners. Horn explains, “There’s a lot of thinning to be done and the chip market in this area is helping get it thinned. Most of what we do is thinning as far as what we’re selling for chips. We have the ability to handle final harvest tracts and chip what comes off there and still sort out the higher value products for the client. We’re sending everything to a higher value product, using the lower value material to
Horn’s crews feed all major chip markets including paper, packaging and pellet manufacturers.
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make a microchip.” When Horn started the company in 2004, after leaving a corporate forestry job, he didn’t know he would get into the microchip making business so heavily, but he’s glad he did. Of the company crews that first started hauling roundwood to Drax many years ago, to now producing over 100 loads per week of microchips, he says it was a snowball effect. “We chip. That’s what we do.”
same, with one crew using two skidders and two loaders, while the other two crews just use one loader and one skidder. As to the iron: Horn runs a lot of John Deere (four loaders, three skidders and a cutter) and some Tigercat (two cutters, one skidder and one loader). “We’ve also got a very old Barko loader on a military truck that is very handy to bail us out of situations,” he explains. The three chippers are Bandit 2590s. When Horn first made the move to microchips, he was able to source
On the trucking side, Timber Logistics has 12 late models (a mix of Freightliner, Peterbilt and Mack). In an effort to stay on top of everchanging regulatory framework, Horn goes with ’14s or newer on the road, but sticks primarily with used trailers. Six double bunk log trailers haul roundwood. A mix of 12 Peerless and Nabors blow in chip trailers haul microchips. That’s another part of Timber Logistics strategy, Horn has always purchased used trailers, finding value in what’s available as In The Woods needed or taking open The chipping crews are tops and modifying them. based out of Warren, and Maintenance work is operate within 100 air handled at the headquarmiles of the office complex ters complex in Warren, that includes the shop and which includes a sizable a small yard. Using Bandit office, shop, fuel station chippers, the crews proand some storage. Horn duce dirty microchips. admits he has a tendency Horn says he hasn’t had a to want to do everything need to debark and make a he can himself (or his clean chip, mainly because shop can handle) as opthe woods crew is diligent posed to paying for outin not producing a lot of side work. When the chipother things in the chips per engines (one Cumthey make. He’d consider mins and two Cats) need moving to a debarked, service that they cannot clean chip if the market handle, Riggs Cat will dictated it—assuming the step in. Southeast Knife numbers lined up. “I have Specialties in Crossett, a minor in statistics. I’m a Ark. handles all knife numbers guy,” he says. sharpening. That education, and To keep everything Horn’s experience working straight, Horn leans on for a corporate mill, has two right hand men: shaped the way Timber Derek Adair, Timber LoLogistics operates of gistics Operations Mancourse, but it also means ager in charge of all inthat, according to him, he’s woods operations; and always strategizing. Strat- Extensive equipment lineup requires major investment in shop and service capacity Scott Taylor, in charge of egizing is what took the all trucking operations for woods equipment, chippers and trucks. company from just four and on the road logistics. employees to 34 in a span of 17 years. some Bandits on the used market and “Without those two nothing would The 34 full and part-time employees that was the better financial decision happen,” Horn says. Adair handles all include equipment operators, supervifor the company at the time. Happy maintenance scheduling, typically at sors, shop people, two registered forwith what the machine is able to pro300-hour intervals, and Horn likes that esters, an incredibly experienced forduce, and the service he gets from Adair knows when to shut them down est technician fondly called Mr. Joe Bandit’s factory in Michigan, Horn so no production is lost. Taylor hanand Horn himself. has stayed loyal to the brand. It also dles all truck work and keeps tires Depending on the week, the crews follows a philosophy Horn has had rolling in a similar manner. move between 400 to 500 loads per with all his equipment. Keeping brand It is not just Adair and Taylor whom week working 100% purchased loyal means he’s able to stock comHorn says keep Timber Logistics at the stumpage; hauling to all the major mon parts on his shop shelves and top of its game. Stacy Parker keeps evmarkets in the southern regions of keep pieces moving. Laughing, Horn erything at the office squared away and Arkansas, to include Drax, Highland says, “Because in south Arkansas is the coordinator for all things adminPellets, GP, PotlatchDeltic, Interfor, sometimes parts can be hard to get istrative. “The company wouldn’t be Resolute Forest Products, Clearwater, your hands on,” before hitting a more what it is today if it wasn’t for the inCanfor, West Fraser, Evergreen and serious note, “We’ve always dealt ditegrity and the work ethic of everyone Graphic Packaging. rectly with the guys in Michigan and who works here. We’re all a big team TH The crews are set up basically the they have taken care of us.” and we depend on each other.” Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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EquipmentWorld Equipment Linc Hosts Demo On Saturday, February 20, Equipment Linc, Inc. hosted its live demo/ open house in Grove Hill, Ala. The dealer is opening its second location near the demo site in Grove Hill in March, and this event served to introduce Equipment Linc to potential customers in the region. Owner Tommy Moore started the company in 2018 with its headquarters in Maplesville, roughly 130 miles from the new store. On hand to support Equipment Linc were representatives from many of the brands the dealer carries, a list that includes Barko, CSI, Delfab, Rotobec, Big John trailers and Eco-Tracks. Ponsse demonstrated a Buffalo forwarder and Ergo harvester, allowing attendees to take a ride with an experienced operator and see firsthand what the CTL machines can do. Also, Laneville Mulching and Grading lent a Barko carrier fitted with a Denis Cimaf mulching attachment for the event. Moore estimates about 100 folks showed up from Alabama and Mississippi, not counting dealer and manufacturer employees. At least one logger is reportedly planning to buy a Ponsse set, and several other promising connections were made. The new Equipment Linc location in Grove Hill has been in development for about a year but has been delayed by pandemic-related factors. Moore expects to have the doors open by middle of March.
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InnovationWay Alliance Forestar ELIT
Helping loggers soften their footprint on fragile soils has inspired a bold, new flotation technology: the Alliance Forestar 344 ELIT, the world’s first low-pressure forestry tire. The Alliance ELIT operates at half the inflation pressure of conventional forestry tires—36 PSI vs. the 73 PSI typically needed to handle the heavy work of timber harvest and hauling. “The Alliance Forestar ELIT is the forestry tire of the future, available right now,” says Terry Goodwin, National Sales Manager–Forestry for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. “Any day of the week, you could have inspectors from the landowner, the state, the buyer, FSC— people from all over—looking at the condition of your logging site while you’re working. You’ve got to keep that soil healthy and demonstrate that you’re operating as responsibly as possible.” To create a tire that operates with such low inflation pressure, the engineering team developed a special, steel-reinforced sidewall and dual-bead bundle that resists slip and maintains a tight grip on the rim without high air pressure. The bead bundle also allows loggers to mount the 710/4526.5 ELIT on a standard AG 24.00 rim. The flexible sidewalls and sturdy undertread of the ELIT spread the load across a footprint that is up to 26% larger than a standard forestry tire. Goodwin says the effects are visible from the start. “Cutting compaction in half has a huge effect on the roots and microbes in the top foot of the soil,” he notes. “Plus, the ELIT features the Alliance 344 tread with the self-cleaning bars, wide lug nose and center tie-bar to stabilize the tread, so you get great flotation and great traction at the same time— without tearing up the ground.” Visit yokohama-oht.com
Ponsse Full Simulator
forest environment and detailed graphics create a perfect platform for professional training. In addition, the product range consists of the Ponsse Basic and Compact simulators. All three offer a modern learning environment for harvester, forwarder and Opti information system training. A simulator is a cost-effective and safe environment for training new operators, forest machine professionals and service mechanics. A simulator also acts as an excellent tool in the research and development of work because individual situations can be repeated, and different harvesting methods can be compared. “The Full Simulator represents completely new digital technology, which makes simulator training smooth and enjoyable. Its detailed and realistic graphics make the training environment feel like actually being in a forest,” says Jussi Jurvanen, Simulator Specialist at Ponsse Plc. “Sim Trainer, the simulator’s training management system, consists of different levels for advancement as new skills are acquired, and teaches safe, effective and productive ways of operating a forest machine, even during the first training steps.” The simulator’s harvester section allows harvesting tasks to be practiced, different thematic exercises to be performed, and the operation of a machine’s control and measuring system to be studied. In the forwarder section, it is possible to practice how to operate and load a forwarder and control a crane in realistic conditions. Visit ponsse.com
Prolenc Log Binders Prolenc’s innovative log load binders feature a longer offset, forged handle for more leverage when closing and will not snap closed on the hand as straight handles are prone to do. When open, their geometry allows handle to stand upright when attaching to the chain on a log bundle wrapper. A 1” round ball on the end of the handle stops hands and wet gloves from slipping off when closing. The forged in chain hook enables easy, positive locking of the handle, eliminating the traditional method of wrapping the chain around the handle or using a separate wire restraint. Visit prolenc.com.
Vyking Slasher Bar
Ponsse is responding to the need for enhanced training by modernizing its simulator product range. The new Ponsse Full Simulator is a full-range training system. Its realistic 32
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The Blue Line slasher bar series from Iggesund Forest (Olofsfors) continues to change the forest industry. Now it includes the company’s most powerful ¾" bar to the lineup—the Blue Line Vyking Slasher Bar. Specially designed for ground saws, the Vyking Slasher Bar has proven to be a reliable and productive saw bar in all TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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InnovationWay
conditions. It encompasses proprietary advanced metal alloy and specific tempering technique. Vyking Slasher Bar can handle any tree species, length, diameter and operation. State-of-the-art endurance rails with 60° rail angle minimizes the chain wear on the bar. No more unscheduled stops to grind off ruffed up edges. This small but ingenious change in the rail cut angle ensures less maintenance and longer life span. Visit iggesundforest.com
MAXAM Tire App MAXAM offers the next generation of the MAXAM Tire app. In continual efforts to improve customer experience, the optimized app has been developed to provide the industry with a revolutionary experience no matter where you are in the world. The optimized version MAXAM app was de-
signed to be an easily accessible hub of information for users on the go. With updated features such as the product library, all the information you need on MAXAM products is available at your fingertips. “Our goal remains to be the best business solutions provider in the industry. By releasing this next generation of our app, we can continue to provide our customers the advancement they need from our team, no matter their location,” says Troy Kline, President of MAXAM Tire North America, Inc. Available for both iOS and Android, the optimized MAXAM app features more tools than ever along with an easy to navigate menu. Users now have access to both the TKPH/TMPH calculator for off-the-road applications and the all-new agricultural air pressure calculator along with these additional features: Direct contact with the MAXAM team through the new contact form The ability to email or print all results from the new agricultural air pressure calculator and the TKPH/TMPH calculator Direct access to all product data sheets The ability to zoom on all images and data tables Company information Manufacturing details Discover the many all-encompassing features of the new app in the iOS Apple Store or in Google Play. Visit maxamtirena.com
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SelectCuts As We (ALC) See It
Strength In Numbers KEVIN SMITH We are pleased to report a surge in individual logger membership applications. ALC is the only national organization solely dedicated to representing the rights and interests of independent loggers and log truck conSmith tractors (members) on a national level. ALC combines the power of its members with state and regional logging associations across the country to impact our industry positively and proactively by sharing the benefits of education, training, networking, research, promotion, and legislative advocacy. In addition to our exclusive member rebates, access to annual meetings, and being a part of the preservation of logging, log truck driver safety training is now included in your ALC membership. The description “safety training” is often a bit touchy for loggers, but the unfortunate reality is that most loggers are just one wreck and a billboard lawyer away from going out of business. That is why safety training for log
truck drivers has never been more important. Thus, ALC members now have access to 30+ online safety training courses that focus specifically on transportation of forest products. Members can access training courses at any time using a smart device or computer with internet access. A detailed record of completed courses, the training material used for the training, the date and time completed, and a training certificate is available for each course completed through the online training platform. This information can be made available to insurance companies, business owners and logger associations. The convenience of “on-demand” driver safety training will save time and money, allowing more time for productivity while complying with governmental and insurance carrier mandates. If you are already a member, please contact us and a link will be provided to you for access. Lastly, we have had several inquiries regarding the logger relief application process, but we still do not have any new information. The ALC along with state/regional associations are working together to ensure that all affected logging and log hauling businesses, big and small, are included in the logger relief package.
The moment we have more information, we will immediately email out an update. Kevin Smith represents ALC Communications. American Loggers Council is an 501(c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters throughout the United States. For more information please contact the American Loggers Council at 409-625-0206, or americanlogger@aol.com, or visit our website at www.amloggers.com.
FS Lifts East Side Timber Diameter Ban The decades-old ban on logging trees 21 in. or greater in diameter in national forests across central and eastern Oregon and southeast Washington by the U.S. Forest Service (FS) was amended in January with a new rule. Rather than a blanket restriction on logging large trees, the FS will replace the 21 in. rule (sometimes called the “eastside screen”) with a more flexible guideline that generally calls for protecting old-growth forests but allows land managers to make exceptions if they meet the agency’s longterm restoration goals. Under the new decision, “old trees” are defined as at least 150 years, and “large trees” are defined as 30 inches in diameter for grand fir and white fir, and 30 inches for any other species.
Hardwood Forestry Fund Receives Donation Rockler Woodworking and Hardware announced the company has made a $50,000 donation to the Hardwood Forestry Fund (HFF) to support 2021 tree-planting projects across the country. The contribution to HFF continues Rockler’s commitment to supporting the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to establishing sustainable hardwood forests. “We are proud this contribution will help with the important work of growing beautiful hardwood forests for everyone to enjoy,” says Ann Jackson, executive chairman of Rockler Woodworking and Hardware. “The Hardwood Forestry Fund is working to ensure future generations of woodworkers and furniture-makers have access to renewable hardwood lumber resources.” Since 2008, Rockler has donated more than $100,000 to HFF to fund 34
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SelectCuts tens of thousands of tree-plantings across the country. Rockler’s donations to HFF have helped fund reforestation projects in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin and more. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of Rockler, a company that has continued to provide considerable contributions over the years that have advanced our mission to establish high quality hardwood forests,” said John Varner, chairman of the board for HFF. Since 1990, HFF has planted and managed more than 4 million trees in 30 states across the U.S., as well as in four international countries. Native tree species are selected for each unique site, but common species planted include black cherry, black walnut, red oak, hard maple, hickory and ash. Every sponsored project is required to have a management plan and harvest and regeneration schedule. More information about Rockler’s commitment to the hardwood forestry fund and how individuals can participate can be found at rockler.com/for-
estry-fund. Celebrating its 66th anniversary as a family-run business, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware has 37 retail locations across 20 states.
Collins Leads Carbon Project Collins, in partnership with RenewWest, announced a joint endeavor, the Collins-Modoc Reforestation Project, in which more than 2 million trees will be planted on approximately10,000 acres of the Modoc Plateau in northern California, making it the largest single-site carbon-focused reforestation project in U.S. history, according to the participants. The site was damaged by the 2012 Barry Point Fire, which burned 92,977 acres across federal, state and private lands and has failed to recover. The new partnership between Collins, a leader in FSC-certified well-managed forestry, and RenewWest, which is exclusively focused on Western carbon projects, showcases the shared interest
in using forests to capture atmospheric carbon and meet landowner needs. “As we have evaluated carbon opportunities over the years, we lacked a way to leverage these markets to help us invest in fire restoration and reforestation,” says Galen Smith, Project Manager for Collins. “RenewWest was the first potential partner to jump at the opportunity to develop a longterm reforestation carbon project with us. Their commitment to landscape restoration is impressive, and this partnership will allow us to finish the process of coming back from the Barry Point Fire.” Over the lifespan of the project, the Collins-Modoc Reforestation Project is expected to re-create a working, sustainable forest and carbon sink, capturing and sequestering several hundred thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide while allowing for sustainable timber harvests. Prior to the fire, the property had a mosaic of meadows, riparian woodlands, aspen groves and pine stands. 38 As a headwater for the Klamath
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SelectCuts 35 and Sacramento Rivers, the replanting activity will help to restore these important terrestrial ecosystems, as well as reduce erosion, increase aquifer recharge, and create and support habitat along the Pacific Flyway. The exploration of carbon values was enabled by RenewWest’s partnership with Coalitions & Collaboratives Inc., a not-for-profit working on wildfire preparation and response. Financial support for this exploration was partially provided by funds from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation as administered by The Nature Conservancy. Significant project funds were provided by the California Climate Investments program and administered by the California Dept. of Forestry and Fire.
Enviva Partners In Blockchain Industrial wood pellet manufacturer Enviva and “blockchain” company GoChain revealed a collaborative pilot program designed to enhance the traceability of sustainable biomass. The pilot program identified a select group of suppliers from Enviva’s
wood sourcing regions in the U.S. Southeast to monitor various data elements such as forest tract locations, load weights, fiber commodity types, and forest types. Leveraging GoChain’s blockchain, Enviva was able to monitor the movement of wood fiber in real-time from select forest tracts at the time of harvest to Enviva’s wood pellet production plants with a unique QR code. The pilot provided real-time geofencing, data analytics, and notification capabilities. In total, more than 1,000 loads of biomass were delivered from the forest to the production plant and recorded “onchain” during the pilot. Given the pilot’s success, Enviva anticipates further exploration and piloting of blockchain technology. Enviva elected to partner with GoChain on the pilot program because of their dedication to sustainability and innovative green technologies. GoChain has developed a unique, highly scalable and secure blockchain solution that is among the greenest and most energy efficient on the market, according to Enviva. It uses a “Proof of Reputation” consensus model for processing transactions.
Ingka Group, a major franchise partner in the IKEA system, operating 380 IKEA stores in 31 countries, has acquired nearly 11,000 acres located in southeast Georgia near the Altamaha River Basin fro The Conservation Fund. Ingka Group, based in the Netherlands, now owns 136,000 acres in five states—Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma, and owns a total of 613,000 acres worldwide, including the U.S. and Europe. Ingka Group’s forest management is audited by the Forest Stewardship Council. Between September 2019 and August 2020 Ingka Group planted 600,000 seedlings in the U.S. and close to 7 million seedlings worldwide.
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Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
March 5-6—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. annual meeting, Okefenokee Fairgrounds and Exchange Club, Waycross, Ga. Call 904-845-7133; visit swpa.ag. March 10-11—California Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Kimpton, The Sawyer Hotel, Sacramento, Calif. Call 916444-6592; visit calforests.org. April 2-3—Washington Contract Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Tulalip Resort Casino, Tulalip, Wash. Call 800422-0074; visit loggers.com. April 6-8—American Forest Resource Council annual meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wash. Call 503-2229505; visit amforest.org. April 6-8—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. April 7-9—Intermountain Logging Conference, Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center, Spokane Valley, Wash. Call 208-245-3425; visit intermountainlogging.org. MARCH/APRIL 2021
IKEA Partner Buys More Timberland
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The use of blockchain technology not only serves to eliminate unnecessary middlemen and provide transparency in supply chains but also enables real-time audit of secure, timestamped transactions recorded on an immutable ledger.
This issue of TIMBER HARVESTING is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. American Loggers Council
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