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A Hatton-Brown Publication Co-Publisher David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan PUBLISHING OFFICE Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone (334) 834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525
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Vol. 65, No. 3: Issue 662
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OurCover A comprehensive survey recently completed by Timber Harvesting documented multiple problems confronting loggers and log truckers, especially those doing business in the South. Its findings and comments from participants begin on PAGE 10, and additional commentary is found on PAGE 4. (Jordan Anderson photo)
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MIDWEST USA, EASTERN CANADA John Simmons (905) 666-0258 • Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com
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Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations (ISSN 21542333) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December issues are combined) by HattonBrown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscriptions are free to U.S. logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; businesses involved in land grooming and/or land clearing, wood refuse grinding and right-of-way maintenance; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberharvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations. Copyright ® 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.
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40 Young Hunter Williams Lives The Logging Dream
Tidewater Celebrates 70 With Grand Demo Day
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TH Survey ID’s Trucking Problems; Many Players Must Address Tangle According to Timber Harvesting’s recently completed Trucking Survey, trucking for many has turned into a grand way of getting nowhere fast, especially if you happen to do business between Richmond and Houston. I encourage all subscribers who are involved in or connected with forest-related trucking in any way to absorb the findings, beginning on page 10. The survey drew 419 participants, 10% of those logging business and trucking contractor owner/subscribers for whom we have e-mail addresses, and I want to thank each of them for taking the time to respond. While gratified with this response percentage, which was heavily dominated by the South, I was nonetheless displeased with limited input from other significant forest industry regions. However, for several months now I have been told that log trucking problems are much more acute in the South than elsewhere, so the survey must have appealed strongly to southern subscribers who could have viewed it as an ideal opportunity to express themselves. Possibly the most comprehensive survey ever conducted concerning log trucking, the study produced abundant and valuable information in that it documented many issues confronting the vital transportation link and to some extent measured their depth. Its findings also challenged conventional wisdom here and there. It is a project we plan to continue periodically going forward. For many, trucking right now is a host to multiple parasites that are gradually sucking away its life. Insurance availability and costs are paramount. One Alabama respondent reported his truck insurance premiums
skyrocketed 350% in early 2016. In a private conversation, the co-owner of a large logging business in South Carolina told me that company’s annual truck insurance bill (20 highway trucks, one service truck) shot from less than $150,000 to $620,000 in about three years. He said this was driven largely by a rash of claims, only one of which placed his driver at fault. As it tries to stabilize from this, the company is paying the bill in part with funds from accumulated reserves. It has also moved from a reactive to a proactive stance by installing GPS and implementing a safety/performance bonus program for drivers. Rates, of course, are another major issue. Trucking is not logging and logging is not trucking. They have few if any similarities, yet many who set mill policy treat them as one in the same. I understand that one company doing business in Virginia and North Carolina is paying about half what those in the know say it takes to keep trucking in the black. That’s as out of date as an 8-track tape. Are some fiber consuming companies out to see just how far they can push suppliers before they break them? Then there is mill turn time, which for some is deplorable—two or more hours being reported at some locations. This situation is costing loggers and log truckers lost loads and making it more difficult for them to retain truck drivers. Factor in federal regulations, DOT enforcement, the high cost of trucks and trailers and keeping them maintained to DOT standards, and so on, and you’ve got a deep, steep-sloped snake pit. After spending hours talking with others about trucking, sifting through the survey results, reading what loggers and log truckers had to say, and writing
the article, I believe that while ongoing efforts to encourage a more intense focus on safety and driver training are timely and good and hopefully will help, they are far from a remedy. The problem is much too complex for such a simple solution. As I pointed out in this space two issues ago, many parties contributed negatively to the tangle that has emerged, and now all those parties must contribute positively toward correcting trucking’s wobbly course.
Respondents’ Comments At the end of the survey, participants were asked to ‘briefly sum up your present trucking situation and give your view as to possible solutions.’ Not all were gloomy, nor were all brief. Here are some select comments, many of which echo those appearing in the main article: Wisconsin, Virginia, Alabama: “Sucks!” West Virginia: “New trucks are in the shop all the time. It is more productive to continue running 500,000 miles or more trucks.” Alaska: “Small, off-highway operation, so no weight limits or DOT issues.” Texas: “Insurance should consider years with no losses and provide lower premiums; trucks should be allowed to use highways we pay heavy use taxes for.” Virginia: “Fed up.” California: “Need more trucks. Need more experience. Need more money, fewer regulations.” Alabama: “We try to run things right. We try to use new equipment; we try not to haul heavy; we have purchased platform scales. We try to hire experienced drivers who have a good track record, but this is a real problem. We give bonuses for safety; we conduct regular safety meetings and we regularly inspect
For many loggers and log truckers, mounting trucking issues parallel the length of this load of poles in south Mississippi. 4
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and service trucks on weekends. We are in the process of buying some dash cameras. We have recently hired a new man just work in the shop and maintain trucks and trailers. “Our main problems are finding drivers who have good attitudes and have a good worth ethic, and getting rid of those who don’t. Most of our hires who have any work ethic at all are in the 40s or older. So many of the drivers we hire may have clean MVRs and be drug-free, but all they want is a job, and they spend most of their energy and time figuring out how to get out of work and coming up with lies to cover up their past lies on why they can’t produce. “Other major issues include being harassed by the DOT, skyrocketing costs associated with maintaining trucks to DOT standards, and turn around time at mills, not to mention insurers getting out of the state and not wanting to insure log trucks due to frivolous lawsuits… “We don’t mind regulations that (help) prevent accidents and promote safety, but some of the regulations are ridiculous and will, if left unchecked, put many small businesses like ours out of business.” Maine: “Trucking is not a problem. We have newer trucks and trailers and reliable drivers. You must invest in good equipment and personnel in order to have trucking work smoothly.” Georgia: “More pay would help. We can’t pass along increases; we have to suck it up.” Georgia: “I own three crews, all with platform scales to manage weight. I have a business partner and we lease 12 trucks—new units with automatic transmissions and GPS. We have 21 log trailers and own two trucks for lowboys. We decided two years ago we had a trucking problem and put all these investments in place to resolve that problem. “We fixed that problem, only to uncover more. “I believe to make log hauling profitable, legal weights must be increased or rates have to be adjusted up. Mill turnaround times must be improved, and if insurance costs continue to rise and we
get no rate increases, WE WILL FAIL. drivers is to pay more, and our only way My company now has complete control to do that is to reduce stumpage value in from stump to mill, and it takes logging order to maintain a profitable operamoney to cover trucking expenses every tion.” week. We keep very good records and Virginia: “The constant battle is the know where each truck is financially at distance from the job to the mill. I can all times. This data could be used to imalways find enough trucking close to the prove many problems, but (our pleas) always seem to fall on deaf ears!!!” Florida: “Trucking is going to be Idaho: “…Mills think we the biggest issue in logging in should put more axles on and haul for the same the next five years, due to insurmoney. I’m just downright ance and availability, and older getting discouraged. It drivers retiring and not many new would be nice to just get ones entering the pipeline.” paid for what we haul and not have to work 16 hours a day.” Maryland: “We are pleased with it mill; far away, not so much.” right now.” Montana: “We used to make a decent Michigan: “We have heavily invested living before 85 sawmills around the in new trucks and trailers to help control state closed. Now most of the log truckour costs and production. The mill will ers left are just changing dollars and not pay anything for trucking distances pissing in the wind.” and most hauling is 100 miles-plus one North Carolina: “Mine is good. We way.” pay above average and are keeping the Arkansas: “Looks bleak for the nearsame drivers.” and long-term.” Ohio: “Overall cost of trucking is up, Michigan: “…In Michigan we haul pay is down.” very heavy, and our typical log truck Tennessee: “It’s all right, but traffic setup is a self-loader with truck and pup. seems worse and the public is more imYou need to be a good driver and operapatient.” tor. We are moving away from that type Oklahoma: “A necessary evil.” of system to crib trailers. This is more Oregon: “Adequate.” efficient, with woods crews loading Pennsylvania: “Over regulation from trailers; the drivers just swap trailers all federal, state and local governments.” day.” South Carolina: “It’s pretty good Minnesota: “I run a small operation right now but I see a problem getting with one truck and one contractor. The younger drivers a CDL because of limcontract trucking payout is our largest ited DMV testing locations and have to annual cost, with 50% of our deliveries have three years of experience to get inbeing over 150 miles away.” sured.” Minnesota: “Sad.” Tennessee: “I run trucks I buy new, Mississippi: “In Mississippi our roads not because it’s that profitable but beand bridges are falling apart and that cause they are safer and require less makes for big problems. The legislature maintenance. The EPA has driven up and Lt. Gov. need to quit playing polithe price of new trucks but they are tics and fund MDOT to fix them!” still cheaper than glider kits. We need North Carolina: “We need driver less EPA, more blockage of montraining schools that relate more to the ey-hungry lawyers, more severe punlogging industry.” ishment for distracted drivers, and Tennessee: “Good.” tougher driving tests for the public.” TH Mississippi: “Our only way to retain Texas: “We are surviving.”
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NewsLines Drax Plans Upgrades At Louisiana Pellets Drax Biomass intends to make a number of improvements to the idled Louisiana Pellets (formerly German Pellets) wood pellet operation in Urania, La. Drax is targeting early 2018 for the plant to resume production though the timeline could change. Drax was the winning bidder for the operation. Meanwhile Drax is waiting for creditors’ advisors to announce a new auction date for the Texas Pellets facility in Woodville, Texas and port operation in Port Arthur, Texas. That bidding process was put on hold following a conveyor-loading fire. Texas Pellets was also an affiliate of German Pellets and like Louisiana Pellets filed for bankruptcy. Drax has said it is interested in purchasing the facility. Drax Biomass, which operates wood pellet plants in Bastrop, La. and Gloster, Miss., wants to more than double its current production capacity to self-supply 20-30% of Drax Power
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Station’s demand in the UK while also competing for supply contracts in new biomass markets. Drax Biomass operates a port storage and transit facility in Port Allen, La. Drax Biomass announced it is beginning capital expenditure projects at its two wood pellet mills in the Southeast U.S. Drax wants to increase production capacity from 450,000 metrics tons annually to 525,000 metric tons at each plant.
Lawsuits Puts Owl Designation On Hold U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has agreed with an American Forest Resource Council appeal on behalf of many wood products companies, which challenged a district court’s decision not to hear AFRC’s lawsuit to overturn the 2012 designation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of 9.29 million acres in Washington, Oregon and California as critical habitat for the northern spotted owl.
The lower court had said that AFRC didn’t have “standing” to challenge the critical habitat designation. But the Court of Appeals disagreed. Circuit Judge Griffith Kavanaugh stated, “The Council (AFRC) has demonstrated a substantial probability that the critical habitat designation will cause a decrease in the supply of timber from the designated forestlands, that Council members obtain their timber from those forestlands, and that Council members will suffer economic harm as a result of the decrease in the timber supply from those forestlands. We conclude that the Council has standing.” The Court of Appeals ordered the district court to hear the case. The acreage in question is mostly federal forestland along with more than 290,000 acres of state of Oregon lands. The case goes back to 2008 when FWS revised its critical habitat for the northern spotted owl, but which was challenged in court by industry and preservationists, and which culminated in the 2012 designation.
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NewsLines New Plywood Mill Celebrates Opening Joined by federal, state and local leaders, company associates and members of the community, Winston Plywood & Veneer hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new plywood mill in Louisville, Miss. in early April. The location was once home to a shuttered mill that was destroyed when an F4 tornado struck three years ago. Today in its place stands a state-of-the-art plywood facility that employs more than 300 and is expected to generate tens of millions in annual economic activity for the region. “Today is a great day for all of us who work at WP&V,” commented Winston Plywood & Veneer President Jon Pierce. “We could not be more thankful for the collaboration and support we’ve had from Mayor Hill, Governor Bryant, the Mississippi Development Authority and those across our community. Everyone has stood with us as we worked together to make this mill a reality.”
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Winston Plywood & Veneer is an operating company of New Wood Resources LLC, whose parent is Atlas Holdings LLC. The first such plywood mill constructed in the United States in more than two decades, the WP&V facility boasts 287,000 square feet and is more than 765 feet in length. The company sells structural and industrial plywood and veneer, procuring its logs from sources within 60 miles of the facility. The company began shipping production this past November.
U.S. Commerce Says Canada Must Pay U.S. Dept. of Commerce has issued a preliminary determination of subsidy rates on Canadian forest products companies that export softwood lumber into the U.S. and is instructing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits based on these rates. The ruling was in response to a petition filed by the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International
Trade Investigations or Negotiations (COALITION). Border measures against subsidized Canadian lumber imports are essential , according to the COALITION, otherwise differences between the U.S. (mostly private) and Canadian (mostly public) timber sales systems give Canadian producers an unfair cost advantage. About half of total Canadian lumber production is shipped to the U.S. market, now accounting for approximately one-third of total consumption in the U.S. Department of Commerce found the following rates of subsidization for these companies:: Canfor, 20.26%; J.D. Irving, 3.02% ; Resolute, 12.82%; Tolko, 19.50%; West Fraser, 24.12%; all other producers/exporters, 19.88%. “Today’s ruling confirms that Canadian lumber mills are subsidized by their government and benefit from timber pricing policies and other subsidies which harm U.S. manufacturers and workers,” comments Coalition Legal Chair Cameron Krauss, senior vice president of Legal Affairs of family-owned Seneca Sawmill.
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Burdens Intensify In Trucking Sector Georgia logger: “The trucking aspect of our business is about to get real ugly.”
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nsurance issues, compensation rates, unloading delays, driver challenges and fleet expenses are having a heavy impact on the vital trucking component of the U.S. logging industry. Other significant burdens include management time demands, dwindling contract trucking availability and quality, weight restrictions on Interstate highways, state DOT enforcement, federal safety regulations, attitude of the motoring public, local regulations/requirements/restrictions and, to a lesser extent, Tier 4f engine emissions fallout. To one degree or another, all these factors are curbing productivity, blunting profit and elevating frustration and stress among truck owners, leading some observers to con-
See page 4 for additional survey comments. clude that the trucking side of the wood fiber supply chain is in serious trouble and others to suggest it is already at or near crisis level, particularly across the South. A Georgia logger, noting he was two drivers short, commented: “I truly believe the trucking aspect of our business is about to get real ugly.” These and much more are the findings of a nationwide snapshot survey recently completed via email by Timber Harvesting magazine. The 29-part 2017 Trucking Survey attracted 419 participants, a 10% response. Logging business
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Alabama: “My insurance premiums went up 350% in March of 2016…” owners accounted for 80% of responses and trucking contractors 11%, with the balance made up of timber dealers, wood yard operations, sawmills and land clearing entities. Businesses from 35 states participated but were dominated by those located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Texas and Virginia. Seventy-one percent of responses came from the southern pine belt (Virginia to Oklahoma), reflecting the region’s logging business density and the depth of its log trucking difficulties. U.S. Forest Service data reveal this region consistently accounts for at least 62% of the nation’s total annual timber harvest. The study asked loggers and truckers to rank 11 categories as to how they affected trucking in heavy, moderate or mild terms. Not surprisingly, insurance costs and attendant requirements were ranked as having the greatest impact by 65% of respondents. Pay rates and unloading delays tied for second place at 54% each while driver issues and fleet costs tied for third place at 50% apiece. The rest of the order: Interstate highway weight restrictions, 40%; state DOT enforcement, 39%; federal safety regulations, 37%; attitude of motoring public, 36%; and local road-bridge restrictions and EPA-mandated engine emissions problems (Tier 4f), 28% each. On the overall combined heavy/moderate/mild impact scale, insurance and truck-trailer-upkeep were at the top, closely followed by state DOT enforcement, compensation, attitude of the motoring public, and federal safety regulations. Next in line were mill turn times,
weight restrictions on Interstate highways, local road-bridge restrictions, driver availability and quality, and engine emissions problems.
Insurance Weight Conventional wisdom has it that as far as the log truck insurance situation goes, anxiety began building a couple of years ago and has accelerated to a near-crisis level, most notably in the South. Citing ramped up claims and losses, most insurance providers still in the market—several are said to have departed in recent years—have increased rates and overall are very particular about the businesses/drivers they
Prolonged unloading delays at some mills cut into productivity, blunt profits and add to stress. (Map data: Google, DigitalGlobe) Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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will insure. In several states rates have soared, penalizing all log trucking entities, including those with a clean claims history and whose drivers are first-rate. Asked what changes they had encountered in their insurance situation since 2015, a question 344 answered, 26% indicated they had experienced a significant rate increase, 20% a moderate increase, 20% a slight increase, and 7% no
increase. Just over 17% indicated they had noticed fewer insurance carriers in the market; 6% indicated they found it more difficult to get drivers insured. The question ‘How many truck-related claims have you filed in the last five years?’ was answered by 349 participants. Fifty-three percent checked none, 26% checked 1, 11% checked 2, and 5% checked 3. In an open-ended question, answered by 206, several Mississippi: “It is really hard for drivers to take participants cited insurance costs, federal regulations/DOT home a decent paycheck because they spend enforcement, along with truck-trailer costs and expenses for maintenance and repairs, as major operational potholes. so much time in line at the mill…” Lamented an Alabama logger: “My insurance premiums went up 350% in March of 2016. We have an aging fleet and are scared to update with the current market problems. We have downsized from five crews to three and are drowning. I know it sounds overly dramatic, but we started in 1996 and it’s the worst situation I’ve seen.” A comment from Louisiana: “Insurance in Louisiana is a really big problem. Only two companies are left that will write log trucks.” From Mississippi: “Insurance and Workers Comp are extremely expensive and a burden to our trucking company. Underwriters write WC as if we are loggers. If companies wrote the policy as a general freight policy, it would be considerably cheaper. My drivers drive trucks, bind/unbind, and occasionally trim loads. They do not operate machinery; they do not fell trees; yet we are charged as if they do.” A Texan wrote: “It’s not worth buying new trucks because of the insurance rates. We’re being forced to run older, less safe trucks so we can afford insurance.” From a North Carolinian: “Our insurance company recommends we pay for smaller claims ourselves.”
Compensation Matters One question dealt with compensation, and it was answered by 322. Just over one-fifth indicated they were paid enough to sustain their trucking operations; 26% indicated they were not paid enough to sustain them. Among loggers, 52% denoted they subsidized trucking with revenue from the logging side. In answering a separate but related question (347 responses), 27% claimed trucking to be profitable, 17% claimed it not to be profitable; 46% indicated they broke even at best; and 29% signaled they would get out of it if they could. Noted a Georgia logger: “Rates stay the same but fuel, insurance, and truck costs go up every year. You cannot make money trucking if you keep your equipment up properly.” A peer in Mississippi wrote: “It is really bad. Solution: Higher rates.” Another comment from the Magnolia State: “It is really hard for drivers to get a decent paycheck because they spend so much time in line at the mill. Contract trucks are few and far between. Until there is something done to help turnaround time, along with year ’round quotas, it will be almost impossible to keep experienced drivers.” An Alabaman noted: “Our low pay almost forces us to run heavy loads just to break even at best.” A perspective from Maine: “Rates are low, partly because mill prices have plummeted, and partly because other trucking contractors apparently haven’t changed the batteries in their calculators in a long time and are working for rates that are not even close to sustainable.” 12
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Florida: “I can’t compete with Walmart’s pay scale or benefits package. This problem will, without a doubt, force me to downsize.” From Texas: “No money in it. Will have to shut them down soon if nothing changes.” Not all respondents called for higher rates. “At the moment we are OK,” wrote a Florida operator. A Michigan trucker put it this way: “I run two trucks and do most of my own trucking. I drive one and my brother drives the other. I’ve been in trucking since 1975 and have a good handle on it.” A South Carolina respondent went into more detail: “Trucking needs increased investment—dash cameras, GPS tracking, formal dispatching, etc.—to bring it into the 21st century. Drivers are available if compensation competes with OTR. Higher truck rates should be pushed for to bring industry up to speed. The largest problem is there are too many loggers at small scale, all operating independent fleets. This causes an increased number of trucks relative to actual production, increasing costs and diluting labor. If the logging force was right-sized or trucking was more consolidated and integrated, rates would be sufficient to invest, and only the strongest part of the labor pool would be retained. Higher trucking rates will not solve this problem. Consolidation and enforced minimum standards at mills will.”
Driver Dilemma While the majority of the study’s participants deal with the reality of trucking’s non-profit or break-even condition as best they can, many maintained that better pay, greater production, and faster turnaround time at the mill would help in attracting and retaining qualified drivers. The survey asked several driver-related questions, one having to do with their availability. Forty-six percent of respondents indicated they are experiencing a driver shortage; 31% indicated they are not facing a shortage but expect to within 3-5 years; and 24% signaled they are satisfied with drivers and do not expect a shortage in 3-5 years. A total of 408 answered the question. “My trucking situation is terrible,” wrote a respondent from Mississippi. “I have new trucks and trailers but can’t find dependable drivers. I have to pay them by the day because they don’t want to get paid by percentage because of (slow) mill turn time.” “I am two drivers short right now,” a Georgia logger wrote. “Rates need to increase so I can upgrade trucks and trailers and pay higher wages, which would attract more and better qualified drivers.” A Floridian emphasized: “I can’t compete with Walmart’s pay scale or benefits package. This problem will, without a doubt, force me to downsize.” Another comment from the Sunshine State: “If mills would unload faster I could do a lot more with the drivers I have.” “Good, dependable drivers are hard to find and
South Carolina: “…Higher rates will not solve this problem. Consolidation and enforced minimum standards will.” Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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with quotas in place people are looking for other jobs,” related a Louisiana respondent. A Virginia logger lamented: “I have a hard time keeping qualified drivers. Most are lazy about inspections. All my drivers are safe on the road but only a few understand the importance of all the paperwork and inspections, and actually do it daily. The rest just don’t care enough to complete the paperwork properly.” Others were more positive. One example from Alabama: “I have two extra drivers with excellent records. No problems whatsoever.” Two more from Texas: 1) “We have a good team of drivers”; 2) “The trucking part is good so far. I wouldn’t change a thing.” A logging business owner in Michigan wrote: “We have had great success in hiring young drivers but have to spend the time and money to train.”
Production Ramification One consequence of the existing driver shortfall is related opportunity costs in terms of production and revenue. Of those 239 who reported a driver shortage, 41% said they estimated losing 1-5 loads a week as a result; 25% es-
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timated losing 6-10 loads; 17% 11-15 loads; 8% 16-20 loads; 4% 21-25 loads; and 5% 26 or more loads. The study shed light on how truck drivers are paid, and it should be noted that only 341 responded to the question. Contrary to conventional wisdom (read South), only 23% reported paying by the load. On the other hand, 40% said they paid by the hour or day; 13% by a formula based on a given truck’s revenue; and 12% by loaded miles. Less than 2% reported offering a safety/performance bonus. Just under 3% indicated they were able to compete with other industries on driver wages-benefits. The study also documented that older drivers are exiting faster than younger ones are entering. As to driver age brackets, the survey found 39% between 40-49; 38% between 50-59; 12% between 30-39; and 8% between 60-69. Those in their 20s represented only 1%. A total of 348 answered the question.
Practices/Policies A multi-part question addressed driver hiring, policies and expectations. Fifty-two percent of participants claimed to offer some type of driver safety training at least once a year and 57% indicated they conduct-document regular periodic driver safety meetings. This finding does not appear to square with the contention by some insurance providers/ agents that ongoing driver training and safety awareness are gravely inadequate in forest products trucking. Other findings from the question were as follows: —46% of participants perform a background check that goes beyond MVR reviews prior to hiring; —73% require an initial drug test; —70% conduct subsequent random drug tests; —76% evaluate applicants’ ability to drive a log/chip truck; —30% use FMCSA’s PSP program to check driver accident and rig inspection history; —21% sometimes hire an inexperienced log truck driver; —60% never hire an inexperienced log truck driver; —46% require new hires (experienced or not) to initially ride with an experienced driver; —80% require drivers perform daily pre-trip and post-trip inspections of truck/trailer/van; —72% require drivers to adjust speed to load/road/light/ weather conditions; —66% require drivers to check/tighten tension of load binders on way to mill; —42% require drivers to drive with lights on day and night; —39% have a formal driver behavior policy in place and enforce it; —3% have a mandatory retirement age policy in place and enforce it; —64% keep driver qualification files current; —54% comply with federal hours of service requirements. The question ‘How often do you perform an online review of your FMCSA/SMS information?’ (349 participated) drew these responses: 3% weekly; 1% every other week; 14% monthly; 3% every other month; 15% quarterly; 6% twice a year; 23% once a year; 34% never. The question ‘What do your drivers say is their biggest challenge right now?’ was answered by 260 participants, who cited mill unloading hang-ups or poor turnaround TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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time as the overwhelming negative. Quotas, DOT inspections, and the motoring public’s unsafe habits behind the wheel also placed high. Other concerns were overall traffic congestion, hours of service restrictions, low pay, and mechanical breakdowns. Another question (answered by 288) was this: ‘If turnaround time at mills is a problem for you, estimate the number of loads this now costs you per week. Forty-five percent estimated 1-5 loads; 32% estimated 6-10 loads; 12% 11-15 loads; 6% 16-20 loads; 2% 21-25 loads; and 3% 26 or more loads. Other revealing findings from 351 respondents: —53% indicated they received fair treatment from state DOT officers most of the time but 15% signaled this was not the case. (An Alabama logger elaborated that it should not be legal “for a DOT officer to put a truck or trailer out of service for minor infractions and to profile trucks because they haul wood.”) —40% signaled they perform all trucking from within with their own trucks-trailers; —46% indicated using a blend of trucks they own and the services of trucking contractors; —44% checked they are financially able to maintain-upgrade their fleets as needed, but 22% said they were not; —27% reported using portable or on-board scales; —50% acknowledged using extra reflective tape or lights on trailers or vans; —6% indicated they use automatic tensioning devices to keep binders tight.
tract driver quality, 36% denoted it is not as good as 3-5 years ago and 25% indicated it is. As to truck/trailer/van mechanical condition, 39% equated it to the level of 3-5 years ago and 27% did not.
Interstate Blues One question, answered by 299, dealt with the federal Interstate highway system: ‘If you could legally haul your state’s allowable log truck GVW on Interstate highways, esti-
Contract Trucking Loggers who confirmed they rely on trucking contractors to handle some of their transportation needs were quizzed about the methods used to pre-quality such contractors, and 296 responded. Sixty-five percent indicated they used insurance documentation; 44% background checks; 41% MRV review; 17% FMCSA/SMS review; 15% mill recommendations; and The survey asked responders to list any steps they have taken in recent years toward 19% on other criteria. making trucking safer, less burdensome, more manageable, and/or more efficient. It was Loggers were asked about answered by 318. The results: trucking contractor perfor—61% became more selective in hiring drivers; mance, 270 responded, and —20% required training for new drivers; their answers were varied. —9% required refresher training for experienced drivers; Half indicated their service —41% hold mandatory driver safety meetings periodically; is not as readily available as —4% hired trucking consultant; 3-5 years ago while 20% —14% changed driver pay from loads hauled to hourly/daily rate or by loaded miles; signaled it is as readily —59% inspect trucks/trailers/vans more often; available. Forty-seven per—23% specify lighter weight trailers/vans and 14% specify lighter weight components; cent denoted their service is —15% specify new trucks with glider kits; often erratic while 34% in—13% experimented with automatic transmission; dicated it is dependable —9% decoupled trucking component from harvesting; most of the time. As to con—24% added portable or on-board scales; —6% added extra trailer axles or tag-along trailer; —3% began leasing trucks; Texas: “The truck—2% began using fewer trucks longer hours but with more drivers; ing part is good. I —27% began relying more on contractors; wouldn’t change a —12% began relying less on contractors; —28% stopped filing insurance claims for most lower cost physical damage incidents. thing.”
Getting A Better Grip On Trucking
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Florida: If mills would unload faster I could do a lot more with the drivers I have.” mate the percentage of non-Interstate highway trucking exposure you could eliminate.’ Forty-two percent indicated up to 15%; 18% up to 20%; 12% up to 25%; 11% up to 30%; 7% up to 40%; and 9% 40% or more. The Interstate weight issue was brought up by several participants, one of which addressed it this way: “To restrict loaded log trucks from running Interstates because of the socalled bridge law is one of the most stupid laws I’ve heard of. Interstates are so much safer that state and county roads.”
More Sticking Points Some replying to the survey also addressed other issues, among them mill policies, costly engine emissions matters, and the high cost of fleet maintenance to meet DOT regulations, which are seen by some as government overreach. Several called for laws to help control frivolous lawsuits; a few lobbied for laws allowing for heavier weights. A response from Alabama: “We use mostly new trucks and are having a lot of trouble with the new exhaust systems, and are trying to deal with this by buying glider kits. We have spent a fortune on downtime and repair-maintenance because of things like sensors, wiring harnesses, clog16
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ging DEF filters and DEF itself…(and) skyrocketing costs associated with maintaining trucks to DOT standards.” From Georgia: “We try to run safely from equipment and driver standpoints but the mills in our area allow anyone who can limp a truck across the scales to deliver. We see trucks we would not use as setout trucks delivering logs daily!” From Idaho: “One thing I see in my area are drivers working crazy long hours…” A Michigan comment: “We spent a lot of money to update trucks and trailers, and pour a lot into maintenance, tires, etc., yet there are still quite a few people driving junk around that don’t seem to be affected by any of these rules. They simply drive on weekends or sneak around on back roads.” A similar one from Mississippi: “The mills let in any driver/truck (with or without insurance) that can roll downhill and timber brokers/pimps are carrying logging crews/trucks general liability and Worker’s Comp policies—often one policy for multiple crews/ trucks—leaving a playing field that’s not level for those of us who work hard every day to do business professionally, above board, buy our own timber and pay our own way.” From Arkansas: “I would like to see an increase in legal weight (at the state level), which would therefore reduce overloading and number of trips required.” From Ohio: “Costs for parts and service are getting out of control. It was cheaper for us to hire a mechanic than use local shops. Since we just do clearing we started hauling our smaller equipment on gooseneck trailers with pickup trucks.” A question about mill policies regarding truck/trailer safety issues was answered by 339. The findings: 44% indicated the mills they serve do not monitor such safety aspects while 35% indicated they do; 38% signaled mills routinely accept overweight loads and 33% signaled they do not, and 54% denoted that those delivering overweight loads may be penalized by mills. Asked if mills promoted safety with signage, stickers, posters, etc., 58% answered yes.
Other Findings The survey asked loggers to estimate the percentage of their work time spent dealing with trucking. The answers from 347 participants: 20% acknowledged up to 20%; 28% up to 30%; 21% up to 40%; 18% up to 50%, and 14% more than 50%. Regarding internal inspections of trucks-trailers (answered by 353), 75% of respondents denoted daily; 5% twice a week; 14% once a week; 2% every other week; 1% once a month. Load weights typically targeted—342 responded—were as follows: 24-26 tons, 25%; 27-29 tons, 53%; 30-32 tons, 14%; 33-35 tons, 2%; 36-38 tons, 2%; and more than 38 tons, 5%. Almost two-thirds of responding loggers and log truckers own five trucks (all types except pickups) or less; 19% own 6-10; 7% own 11-15; 4% own 16-20; and 5% own 21 or more. Regarding log trailers, chip vans and lowboys, 53% own 1-5; 23% own 6-10; 11% own 11-15; 5% own 16-20; and 8% own 21 or more. Use of information technology evidently is not a priority among respondents. Only 19% checked they use GPS and only 5% use dash cameras (298 answers). TH TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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Southern Knights
Forest Family Series
Working closely together, a third generation family rides hard in southwestern Georgia.
F
JESSICAJohnson
or the Knight family of southwestern Georgia, work is literally family and family is literally work. There is no separation, and that’s the way the friendly family likes it. Anchored in the tiny town of Whigham, population less than 500, brothers Johnny and Jason Knight, ages 44 and 42 respectively, own four businesses connected to the logging world: Knight Forestry, a full service equipment dealership carrying brands like
Barko, TimberPro, CSI and Trelan; Mid South Timber Co., a three-crew harvesting entity that also purchases stumpage; Knight Forestry Transport, a trucking company; and Giant Tire Co., a retailer that sells everything from skidder to farm trailer tires. And while no one can argue that Johnny and Jason aren’t always running around doing something for one of these businesses, the brothers say it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the
The Knight boys, from left, Carson, Landon, Johnny, Donald, Jason, Myles and Nicholas
number of family members involved. Each logging crew has at least two members with the last name Knight. Johnny’s wife, Bridget, handles accounts payable for Knight Forestry and payroll for Mid South; Jason’s wife, Allison, handles everything office-related for Giant Tire and cross checks mill settlements for Mid South Timber Co. as well as the companies’ 401K and bank reconciliations. Their mother, Susan Maxwell, handles pretty much everything else office-related across all the companies. Johnny and Jason each have a son, Myles and Nicholas, who float between the service department of the equipment dealership or on a crew, depending on the needs of the day. Johnny and Jason own the businesses 50/50, and while each has key interests, they do a little of everything across the spectrum. They don’t want to think about their total overall investment; that is, before Jason pipes up with, “Well, we’ve got about $400,000 in skidder, farm and truck tires alone in the shop;” which Johnny meets by offering, “You mean too damn much in skidder tires in the shop.” Certainly for these two, there are squabbles—brothers in business might sometimes bicker about things—but Jason says it’s natural between them and most big decisions are usually first discussed over a few Bud Lights on their shared offshore fishing boat. Johnny offers that he loves his family, so it’s easy to work with them on a daily basis. “Another reason we get along is that we owe too much money not to get along,” he says with a laugh.
Easy Disposition
The Knight family, from left, Bridget, Johnny, Susan Maxwell, Jason, Allison 18
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equipment salesmen, and crew owners, and tire shop owners and trucking managers is that they make everyone around them feel like family. The minute you walk through the doors of Knight Forestry, you’re treated as if your last name is Knight. During the morning of Timber Harvesting’s visit, Johnny and Jason, along with their wives and some dealership employees, were gathered around a large table in the kitchen, sharing biscuits and discussing the day ahead. A question popped up that Johnny didn’t know the answer to, and Jason interjected, “Momma will know.” Every time their mother spoke to them it was met with a resounding, “yes ma’am.” In a world where corporate bean counting is more important than employees, the Knight family flies in direct contrast. “If we’re not working together, we’re playing together,” Johnny says of his younger brother. Johnny and Jason are the third generation of Knight men to work the woods and sell equipment in their corner of the South, and they can’t imagine doing anything else. Their grandfather, Donald Knight, Sr., started the first Knight logging crew not far from where the Mid South crews work today. Donald Knight, Sr., died in September 2015, at the age of 83. Eventually, their father, Donald Knight, Jr., would take over the crew, and in the 1970s open his own equipment dealership, Knight Equipment Co., in nearby Thomasville. Donald Jr. eventually sold to Tidewater Equipment in the middle of 1995, Johnny recounts, and with a non-compete clause in effect, the Knight family again turned all attention to logging. When the non-compete ran out in 2000, Johnny and Jason, under the advisement of their father, built the building that currently houses Knight Forestry and started selling equipment. This time, the Knights wouldn’t shut down the logging crews. Instead, Johnny and Jason would run both for a while before opening Giant Tire in 2010, putting gravy on top of an already full plate.
come onboard a year later. She remembers, “They called me, since Bridget and Allison had small children. I thought they wanted me to advise them on whom to hire. I didn’t realize they didn’t want me to leave.” Johnny jumps in: “She keeps us straight.” When the brothers purchased Knight Forestry, Barko was the main line, complemented by Jonsered chain saws. Eventually they added TimberPro, Pitts trailers, Rotobec behind-the-cab loaders and grapples, Cummins engines, CSI attachments, Quadco sawteeth, and most recently, Trelan chippers. For a short period, Knight Forestry moved a lot of Franklin skidders before Franklin went out of business in 2010.
But what Knight Forestry is the strongest in now is high quality used equipment—auctions are a primary source—which they sell all over. They have even exported some to Russia and New Zealand. Jason explains that while they still move a fair amount of new Barko loaders, the used stuff is a big draw. “Right now, with all the mills full, the new pieces aren’t as popular, and customers are preferring to buy something cheaper and go to a used piece.” Knight Forestry has two parts counters, one for customers and one for mechanics. The brothers think this set-up helps get counter customers in and out quicker. Charles Shockley, Donald’s
Johnny and Jason Knight’s children, from left, Hayley, Nicholas, Shelby, Myles and Rylee, standing
Knight Forestry A strong family isn’t built without a strong mother, and Jason and Johnny say one of the best decisions they made after purchasing Knight Forestry and Mid South Timber Co. from their father in 2007 was asking their mother to
Knight Forestry provides in-woods support to customers as well as the Knights’ three logging crews.
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brother-in-law, serves as Knight Forestry’s Service Manager. The mechanics work on all brands and all types of equipment, and in late spring were running about two or three weeks behind. Knight Forestry also has an excellent parts department. They pride themselves on having “two of the best” parts men, Ed Walden and Frankie Adams. One of the benefits of the equipment dealership for the logging company is the service department, and Johnny estimates that among Mid South Timber’s crews, Knight Forestry’s service work is about one-third internal. “We can tear up enough stuff to keep the shop busy,” Johnny says, tongue-incheek. “The rest is from customers and getting used equipment ready to sell,” Jason says. Harvesting crews handle minor, routine repairs, but it definitely helps to be able to pull machines into the shop where mechanics have all the tools and accessories necessary to repair them quickly. The harvesting
crews complement the dealership as well in that customers can see a used piece working in a specific application before purchasing it.
Giant Tire Co. The brothers opted to diversify by launching the tire business, which they view as a hand-in-glove fit. Jason says that having a tire store made sense, considering the numerous trucks and trailers Knight Forestry Transport runs, the skidders used by Mid South, and the many customers of Knight Forestry and their needs. “You can come in for a chain for a delimber and buy a steer tire for a semi,” he says. While now located on the same property, Giant Tire is a separate building and entity from Knight Forestry. The family is in the process of expanding the facility for Giant Tire, as it’s a little crowded on the 12 acres in use now.
Most machines are sourced from Knight Forestry through auctions around the country.
Obviously, Giant Tire sells a lot of logging trailer tires, but the offerings also include most farm equipment needs, including peanut wagons. It is south Georgia after all. “Anything you need black and round, we will try to get it,” Allison Knight says. Johnny points out that even though it’s a natural fit to have the tire shop, the last seven years haven’t always been without hiccups. He says it’s been extremely difficult to find key employees who can go into the woods and change a skidder tire by themselves. “It’s hard to find that guy, but right now I think we’re doing pretty well.”
Knight Forestry Transport For now, until the new building for Giant Tire is finished, Knight Forestry Transport’s needs are also handled in the Knight Forestry service department by a dedicated truck and trailer maintenance staff of two. The Knights believe that by keeping the trucks in the best shape possible is not only productive but keeps everything (and everyone) as safe as possible. That care hasn’t gone unnoticed. “Bituminous (BITCO Insurance Companies) brags on the way our equipment looks,” Johnny offers. The majority of Knight Forestry Transport’s trucks are Kenworth T800s purchased from TransPower in Albany. The team has three 2017 models, five 2015s and three 2013s. There are a few Peterbilts in the mix. “Kenworth’s suspension works better for going in and out of the woods, and that’s the reason we like to run them,” Jason explains. As to the Peterbilts? “I don’t know why; we just got them… Dad always liked Peterbilts.” The 50-trailer lineup is mostly Pitts,
Across three crews, Mid South Timber pushes out an average of 120-150 loads per week.
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but it also includes some Peerless chip vans. Jason says that chip trucks will often run the night shift, since GP at Cedar Springs, Ga. is open 24/7, and usually the trucks can turn around quicker. Thanks to the use of old military trucks as setout trucks, chip vans are not hot loaded. Johnny and Jason echo most loggers on trucking, saying it’s a necessary evil that is often a pain. “Thank the Lord we’ve never had anything major happen. We pray every day everyone is safe. It’s a bright red Kenworth and you pull right out in front of it? You’re just not looking,” Johnny says. Each Knight Forestry Transport truck runs Fleetmatics GPS, used mainly to keep track of mileage. Following a conversation with another logger who runs GPS-equipped trucks, Johnny and Jason made the investment and haven’t looked back. They say it’s not for babysitting drivers, but for keeping records. “What they offered for the price was a damn good deal. It helps us to see if you have a crew that needs another truck, where the other trucks are, and so on,” Jason explains. Johnny and Jason, alongside the three Mid South crew foremen, coordinate the trucks each day, with each crew having dedicated trucks. One driver, Jerome Bryant, started working for the brothers’ grandfather, and focuses mostly on lowboy duties but hauls logs and chips when needed.
Mid South Timber “We couldn’t run three logging crews and everything else without a large family. We couldn’t hire someone, I don’t think, who would see about it the way our family does,” Jason says. The crews primarily work stumpage purchased by Johnny and Jason in both hardwood bottoms and drier pine stands that average 100 acres and are within 75 miles of the shop. Across all three, two of which do a lot of fuelwood chipping, production averages between 120-150 loads per week. Lately that number has dwindled as markets have tightened. “The chip market hasn’t been too terribly bad,” Johnny reports. “We’re able to get rid of the wood; it’s just the pricing.” Low pricing at the mills makes it difficult to purchase stumpage, he emphasizes. Although they generally merchan-
dize stands to the highest dollar, day in and day out, the majority of work is fuel chipping for GP in Cedar Springs. Other marketable wood is taken to local sawmills within 100 miles, as well as to WestRock’s paper mill in Panama City, Fla. Understandably, the majority of the equipment used by Mid South Timber is sourced through Knight Forestry, and each crew runs Barko loaders and TimberPro track cutters. The crews also run Caterpillar and Tigercat skidders and some Tigercat cutters. Both chippers are by Trelan. Crews work Monday thorough Friday, hauling as much as possible. Thanks to the equipment dealership, downtime isn’t really a problem. If a piece goes down, one is inserted as a fill-in. This allows the Knights to put good money in their trade-ins since the machines can be used while they are part of the inventory. Mid South Timber relies on Knight Forestry for all support products, and Drew Oil Co. in Cairo, Ga. for diesel. Sawheads run Quadco teeth; all Barkos come with Rotobec grapples and Mid South outfits loaders with CSI cutting packages. Skidders run Primex tires. Lee Butler acts as safety manager for Mid South Timber and handles landowner settlements using the Loggers Edge Caribou Software system. Safety meetings are held monthly, sometimes crew by crew, and sometimes all together, depending on scheduling. Butler designs her own program to an extent, but often follows suggestions from worker’s comp insurer BITCO. Johnny loves the Loggers Edge for ticket reconciliation—the cleaner appearance for landowners helps as well. Lee inputs everything, the software prints the tally sheets and Johnny checks over the final numbers. “If you put a ticket number in the Caribou system, you won’t be able to put it in twice. If you go back and reconcile, it won’t let you make a mistake,” Johnny explains, “it shows where you have a ticket and haven’t been paid by the mill. It makes sure we’ve been paid for everything we’ve hauled.” Johnny and Jason say logging is the heart of their entire operation, and without it, none of the other components would be possible. The future for them is simple, according to Johnny: “We’re going to keep on keeping on and hopefully let the
Mid South Timber Crews, Machines Swamp Crew, led by Joe Knight, an uncle, operating Tigercat shovel machine 2014 745B Timber Pro feller-buncher, operated by Mitch Knight, a cousin 2010 495 Barko Epic loader, operated by Dustin Phillips 2011 495 Barko Magnum loader, operated by Tony Morris 2014 650 Timber Pro skidder, operated by James (JR) Byrd Dry Ground Crew, led by Robby Knight, an uncle, operating 2008 495 Barko loader feeding 2014 23WRC Trelan chipper 2011 495 Barko loader, operated by Adam Knight, a cousin 2008 620C Tigercat skidder, operated by Amos Butler 2011 620D Tigercat skidder, operated by Glen Cook 2010 720E feller-buncher, operated by Jimmy Clauson Dry Ground Crew, led by Stacy Knight, an uncle, operating 2014 595 Barko loader, feeding 646 WRC Trelan chipper 2008 620C Tigercat skidder, operated by Michael Johnson 2010 720E Tigercat feller-buncher, operated by Henry Edinfield
Forest Family Series Candidates Wanted Timber Harvesting editors are searching for additional forest-focused businesses to consider for its Forest Family Series. Ideally, businesses would be multi-generational, diversified, highly reputable and involve lots of family members. Contact DK Knight: email dk@ hattonbrown.com or phone 334-834-1170. fourth generation of Knight boys take over, but we won’t sit still. We will work until we can’t. Logging isn’t easy. I expect it to be a pain, or broke down; even the new stuff breaks down. But I love it. We love doing TH this together.”
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Elmia Wood Sets High Orbit Acclaimed international event stands out for innovation, advanced technology.
Crowd takes in action at 2013 Elmia Wood event.
E
lmia Wood 2017 gets underway June 7 near Jönköptions of drones are rapidly increasing around the globe, and a ing, Sweden and is live for four days, bringing group of experts will demonstrate some of these applications together more than 500 exhibitors from 50 countries who and related emerging technologies. Of interest to hunters will interface with some 50,000 landowners, forest contractors, be a dedicated hunting exhibition trail. machine operators, forest administrators, students and the Hatton-Brown Publishers, parent company of Timber international trade press. Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations, will again have a stand The event is generally regarded as the world’s largest and (434) at the exposition. top-rated forestry exposition, having historically showcased Those wishing to observe forwarder operator skill and numerous innovations, particularly in cut-to-length technology. precision will want to visit the stand of the Swedish AssociMost participants come from ation of Forestry Contractors, Europe but visitors also stream where three series of exciting in from around the world, contests will be staged: Swedincluding the U.S., Canada, ish School Forwarder ChamRussia, China, Poland, Brazil pionships, Swedish Forwarder and elsewhere. Championships and Forwarder Three new sections will be World Cup. As of early May, included in the exposition this entrants from eight countries year: Load & Transport, Drone had registered for the world Zone, and Hunting. The former championship, which offers a will focus on the construction purse of 15,000 Euros. and maintenance of forest Following are some examroads, log transport, and log ples of the products and techhandling. The forestry applica- Forwarder World Cup offers purse of 15,000 Euros. nology that will be shown: 22
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Revolution In Crane Scale Technology The Swedish manufacturer of crane scales, Intermercato AB, will present a completely new extremely compact Intelweigh scale (patent pending) that is unique in simplicity and sturdiness—no moving parts. It takes the Intelweigh concept to a completely new level. The biggest models to date have a measuring range up to 15 tons with a x3 overload capacity. The Intelweigh compact crane scale can easily be adapted to any machine/grab/rotator. The high resolution load cell makes it the Compact Intelweigh natural choice for forwarders, truck mounted timber cranes and stationary loaders. Heavy duty versions will also be available for excavators and material handlers. Intelweigh combines multiple strain gauge technology with motion control for dynamic weighing with unmatched accuracy. In automatic and semi-automatic mode the unique Intelweigh algorithm calculates the correct weight in the most adverse conditions. Easily installed, all Intermercato scales are delivered pre-calibrated, meaning no on-site adjustments. Just plug and play. They come with a specially designed high-capacity battery and a low energy electronics package for safe and uninterrupted use. The Android-based user interface works on a rugged IP 68 Smartphone or Tablet. For machines already equipped with a Windows PC, Intermercato also offer the new Intelweigh Windows App. Stand N. 410; intermercato.com
John Deere Harvesters, Forwarders
telligent Boom Control (IBC), which significantly increases machine productivity and efficiency while providing the best possible fuel economy and boom lifetime. With intuitive IBC technology, the boom is accurate, fast, and easy to operate, as the operator now controls the boom tip directly instead of controlling each of the independent boom joint movements manually. Additionally, by eliminating unnecessary extra movements, the IBC system extends the boom component wear life and allows for faster cycle times.
Logset’s New TH85 Harvester Head Logset’s new TH85 harvester head, the sixth in the TH series, is optimized for large scale clearfell harvesting. Weighing 2,000 kg, the TH85 can be mounted on the world’s largest harvester, the Logset 12H GTE hybrid, or on track-type machines weighing Logset TH85 harvester head 25-30 tons. The TH85 is a so-called four motor head and has three steel feeding wheels and a synchronized feed circuit to ensure an optimal grip on a tree at all times. Like other TH heads, the 85 is equipped with long delimbing knives. The head’s maximum opening is 84 cm and it delimbs to 4 cm diameter. It can accommodate both .404 and ¾ in. bar/chain. Ease of daily maintenance was a key criterion during the TH85’s development, according to Development Manager Jonas Hedstrom. “We held to our philosophy with the earlier heads—less is more. This head has less components and more steel. The point is to achieve minimum downtime and maximum productivity.” Pascal Rety, Logset’s Vice President of Sales, reports the first TH85 head, coupled with a Logset 12H GTE hybrid harvester, was recently dispatched to Australia, a new market for the company. “This combination is a wheel-based machine the market hasn’t seen. Logset has 25 years of experience in making harvesters and heads. The TH series has gone through a 10-year period of technical evolution, so we felt confident about introducing the product to a new market.” Stand 918; logset.com 24
John Deere will show G-Series forwarders, harvesters.
The latest innovations from John Deere will be on display, including the powerful G-Series forwarders and wheeled harvesters. The G-Series forwarders—1110G, 1210G, 1510G and 1910G models—and wheeled harvesters—1270G and 1470G models—combine excellent fuel economy and higher productivity, offering customers an innovation solution. The machines feature a user-friendly control system, control modules and wiring harnesses, which together enhance machine performance and precision. The G-Series forwarders are equipped with optional In-
TH85 coupled with Logset 12H GTE hybrid harvester
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MIDISOIL dt: New Forestry Mulcher
Tigercat Forwarders, LH822D Harvester
SEPPI will show the MIDISOIL dt working in brush...
Some years ago SEPPI M. began its series of universal mulchers to let a single device perform several tasks. This versatility enables each of them to mulch bushes, wood or thick and in rocky soil. roots and to crush stones, even below ground. Forestry mulchers MULTIFORST, STARSOIL and MAXISOIL, for big tractors of 200-500 HP, are familiar already. The new model, MIDISOIL dt, is one of the smallest of its kind and is meant for tractors of 100-170 HP. This versatile tiller is available in several working widths, ranging from 175 to 250 cm. It has a new drive system, which makes work even simpler and more efficient. It tills the soil to a depth of 25 cm, breaks stones up to 25 cm, and wood up to 25 cm. The working speed, depending on the materials and nature of the soil, ranges from 0-2 km/h, so the tractor has to be equipped with creeper gear. MIDISOIL dt differs from classical wood mulchers or stone crushers in that it has a new gearbox with 2SPEED™ transmission. This makes it possible to use a higher speed of the rotor shaft for wood and a slower speed for rocks and soil. It works simply: By mechanically switching a lever on the main transmission, the operator can lessen the rotor’s speed from about 1000 RPM to 540 RPM, whereby the speed of the tractor’s PTO remains set at 1000 RPM. This provides more torque and ensures better work with a lesser consumption of power, whether mulching wood (at a higher speed) or crushing stones and soil (at a lower speed). The gear-tilt system ADAM™ for ground-contour following (‘angle-compensation’ protects the PTO shaft and the PTO of the tractor from needless exposure to uneven surfaces) prevents damage to the PTO shaft and supports an ideal adaptation to the conditions of the ground. When tilling waste land and rocky farmland, renewing forest roads and ski slopes, renewing farmland and other green areas, cleaning the forest after harvesting, maintaining gas and electricity lines, preparing building sites and much more, MIDISOIL dt can be an efficient tool if used with a suitable tractor. Stand N. 501; seppi.com 24
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Tigercat’s 25-ton capacity 1085C forwarder
Tigercat will showcase its FPT-powered C-series forwarder line, including the nimble 14-ton 1055C, the 20-ton 1075C and extreme duty 25-ton1085C. Get a close up look at Tigercat’s exclusive low-wide™ bunk system and the innovative hooked crane design. Tigercat will also have the new, near zero tail-swing LH822D harvester on display. The LH822D is equipped with the new R7-163L super-duty leveling undercarriage. Longer track frames, a wide stance carbody and super duty leveling components lead to rock-solid stability and operator comfort on steep slopes. Tigercat designers and customer service personnel will be available to talk about the machines and answer all questions. Stand 904; tigercat.com
Trelleborg’s New Twin Forestry Tires Series
Trelleborg will show its line of tires and wheels.
Forestry professionals and visitors will discover Trelleborg’s extensive portfolio of forestry tires and complete wheels at Elmia Wood 2017. As a leading global supplier of tires and complete wheels for forestry machines, offering highly specialized solutions to create added value for customers, Trelleborg is introducing an all-new Twin Forestry tires series T440 and T480 for CTL machines. This series combines the best attributes of the previous range with innovative performance-enhancing technology. The new design, including ProgressiveTraction™ and TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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inter-lug terraces, delivers the next generation of self-cleaning, track-compatible tires with superior traction for tough forestry applications. Susanna Hilleskog, Managing Director of Trelleborg Wheel Systems for the Nordic countries, says: “With a combined tradition in forestry and agriculture, Trelleborg can bring together the best from both worlds. Our new range draws on all our experience and know-how from forestry and adds award-winning innovations from Trelleborg’s agricultural tires. The result is an enhanced tire range that is ideally suited for the tough demands of forest terrain, providing improvements in traction, resistance properties, stability and accessibility.” ProgressiveTraction™ was specifically developed to increase tire efficiency and performance based on the action of a double lug. Operating on the soil at different times, the double lug progressively releases higher traction when required. The double lug also provides the tire with better floatation capability, producing even pressure distribution over the extra wide footprint and less impact on the forest floor. Inter-lug terraces, another proven Trelleborg concept, have been integrated into the new tread design. By preventing the tread from clogging, inter-lug terraces ensure a self-cleaning tire that can always work at maximum efficiency. The tires, made from a newly developed enhanced rubber compound, have also been redesigned to improve track compatibility, so that maximum grip and maximum performance is achieved with and without tracks. The Twin Forestry tire range is complemented by the skidder T418, specifically designed for log skidding service with excellent penetration and tear resistance to provide longer tire life under the most severe operating conditions. Stand 830; trelleborg.com/wheels
Albach Diamant 2000 With constant development of the chipper, Albach raises the bar in the matter of productivity, flexibility and workplace convenience with the Diamant 2000. The Diamant is powered by either a 612 HP or 700 HP with SCR or 770 HP without SCR. On the road the Diamant reaches its maximum speed of 70 km/h or 80 km/h and with its width of only 2.55 m the chipper is allowed to drive on European highways. Unique is the monSystem (hill adjustment) up to 7.2 degrees. Thereby the chassis can be kept horizontal at all times. The all-wheel-drive takes the Diamant to all chipping places no matter how hard they are to reach. Albach improves the quality and the quantity (up to 400 m³/h) of wood chips by simultaneously reducing the fines. Another innovation is the analysis with ALBACHtrac. Machine data as well as performance data provide an optimal assistance at cost calculation. Stand 186A; albach-maschinenbau.de
Lightweight Timber Truck Components Alucar Oy is known worldwide for being specialized in manufacturing high quality and lightweight timber truck superstructures and timber bunks in aluminum. Since founded in 1984, Alucar Oy has developed the best material of aluminum and high strength steel to maximize the 26
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truck’s payload, enhancing durability and prolonging truck lifetime. Advantages of aluminum superstructures and bunks are: 1) light weight that brings more payload and increased productivity; 2) prepared surface that does not suffer from corrosion; 3) Long-lasting structure that bears burden, vibrations and impacts. These benefits, combined with our reliability as a supplier, ultimately have led Alucar to be in a leading position in the world´s market. Alucar Oy is one of the first companies in the bodybuilding sector to be certified with two most important quality standards—ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management systems. ALU–timber bunk series is a weight-optimized solution where both stakes and bunk frames are made of special aluminum alloys that are anodized. Our partners around the world provide you with local support. Stand 1000; alucar.com
Doppstadt Mobile DH 812 LD Chipper Sometimes the cultivation of remote forest areas is a challenge for forestry enterprises. For a smooth operation of the value-added chain from the wood harvest to the heat and power station, they need machines that reach any part of the forest, pick up the firewood autonomously and reduce it to the required size. In short, they need complete solutions. Doppstadt offers one: the DH 812 LD precision chipper. It features compact equipment mounted on a Mercedes Arocs 3648 truck with crane and a chipping unit of the DH 812 series. The chipper processes logs, tops, slabs and shrubs, producing chips between G 30 und G 100 grain size. The mobile chipper reaches practically any location, thanks to 6x6 all-wheel-drive, 3900 mm wheel base and PowerShift 3 automatic switching equipment, which transfers the slight pressure from the pedal to the machine. With 350 KW engine power and 2.300 Nm torque, the truck has an enormous throughput. Stand 947; Doppstadt.de
Ecoforst Traction Auxiliary Winch The Austrian company Ecoforst GmbH will present a unique traction auxiliary winch called T-WINCH. The idea of the construction of this innovative winch was born in order to keep safety as a high as possible, while keeping damage to a minimum. Our improved traction winch brings you following benefits: ● Increased safe slope angle and terrain workability of standard equipment ● Reduced strain and damage to assisted vehicle drive train ● Improved stability and increased work rate and overall productivity ● Reduced fuel consumption ● Reduced environmental damage Our main focus is on simplifying timber harvesting in steep and difficult terrain. With the use of T-WINCH no undesirable rear weight and no structural alternation works of the basic machine are required. It also allows you to use basic machines, e.g., forwarder, timber harvester, skidder or crawler excavator. Stand 922; ecoforst.at 28 TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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ExTe Log Hauling Equipment
Kesla’s New Harvesting Heads
As the global market leader in log hauling equipment ExTe will show its broad product range that is appreciated worldwide. ExTe will focus on its latest innovation in load security, the TU air tensioner—fully automated with continuous tensioning. The broad range of timber bunks will also be shown. Special focus will be on the latest S-series, the bunk that gives the end user a greater volume, and our modern D-series, which has taken Europe with great success during the last year. In addition, products developed for markets such as Canada, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand will be shown. Stand 101; exte.se
Kesla, a Finnish manufacturer of forestry equipment, will launch a series of new harvester heads to the large end of its head range. The heads feature Kesla’s well-known variable angle roller link system, ensuring excellent grip of the feedrollers in all conditions, both for 2WD and 3WD heads. A hydraulic system with good oil flow ensures excellent performance at low fuel consumption. Cutting diameter is max 78 cm and delimbing force max 36 kNm. The KESLA 27RH-II is a light but strong head for large rubber-wheeled harvesters or 16-20 ton excavators. Design with 2WD feed and three delimbing knives is compact; weight begins from 1300 kg. The 28RH-II with four knives is available as 2WD and 3WD versions. Weight begins from 1400 kg. The 30RH-II is even more robust and intended for 25 ton tracked machines. Both 2WD and 3WD versions are available. Weight begins from 1700 kg. Stand 185; kesla.com
Versatile, Adaptive Haglöf Products Haglöf Sweden is the world´s largest producer of increment borers and also manufactures world-leading precision calipers and different computer caliper models and applications; standard-setting height measurers such as the digital EC II; the ultrasonic Vertex instrument and the unique hybrid Vertex Laser system. Haglöf will demo the Skalman Calibration system made to improve harvester accuracy, protect your investments and raise productivity. The company we will show a number of modern computer caliper applications for ground truth forest inventory, timber cruising, property assessment, log scaling and more. Haglöf products are versatile, rugged and adaptive, made to simplify your work, improve accuracy and increase overall efficiency in every operation. Calibrate, collect, capture, process, compare, transfer and analyze forest data, big and small, individual or for vast forestlands. Stand 525; haglofsweden.com
Komatsu Forwarders, Harvesters, Heads Komatsu Forest will showcase its full product line and service offerings, including the 855, 875 and 895 forwarders; 911, 931XC and 951 harvesters; and a broad range of harvesting heads. Komatsu will also reveal some exciting news regarding machines, harvesting heads and innovative technology solutions. In terms of the service offerings, Komatsu will present and demo product features and provide information that will improve both customer productivity and customer peace of mind. Stand 860; komatsuforest.com
Fovea Forest Management System, Apps
Mobile Starscreen With Overlength Return
With our apps and the FOVEA Forest Management System you always benefit from the latest state-of-the-art technology. At our booth try the innovative and award winning FOVEA apps for photo-optical woodpile measurement, GIS and an ERP system. You can download iFOVE Pro in the play store or app store and test iFOVEA for free. Stand 204; fovea.eu
The new Komptech Multistar One makes waste wood and biomass processing highly efficient. An upstream Crambo handles the shredding, and the new One then takes care of separating out a defined useful fraction while returning overlengths to the shredder. With a feed hopper for precise material transfer to the generously dimensioned screen deck, a discharge conveyor with 4 m cone height and a return conveyor that can pivot through 220°, the One is ready to deliver up to 200 m³/h throughput. The machine is built on a hook-lift frame, making it compact. The conveyors are designed for flexible positioning, while the low-wear screen deck and electric power ensure top economy. Stand 945; komptech.com
Loglift/Jonsered Cranes Hiab will present select crane models that feature some of its latest innovations. One example is the Loglift 150Z with Hydraulic Pilot Control. HPC guarantees smooth and easy operation as well as precise movement control. The Loglift 125Z incorporates SmartBase™ for smooth handling, stability and low weight, as well as a Hose Protection Link (HPL) to guard against blows and sticking. The HiVision control system enables crane operation with virtual reality goggles. It allows safe, comfortable operation inside the truck cabin. A system with cameras on top of the crane enables the operator to see the working area and operate using Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, the unique HiVision 3D control system. The first HiVision deliveries took place at the beginning of this year in Sweden and Germany and will continue in Finland and Japan, with customers varying from operators to educational institutions. Stand 801; hiab.com 28
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MECANIL Tree-Related Products MECANIL products are constantly evolving, resulting in new models. Mecanil grapple saws and energy wood heads are designed and developed for professional use and incorporate features that assure safe operation, productivity, strength, ease of use and service-friendliness. These products can be used on most machines where you can use a normal log grapple without having to do any modifications and with an easy setup. Due to the light weight and the easy installation, MECANIL products can be used for many purposes. One popular MECANIL product is the SG grapple saw, TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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available in three sizes. It is suitable for felling and removing trees found in difficult places, such as parks and near power lines. Another is the XG220 energy wood head fitted with both a cutting knife and a saw. With this unique head you cut small bushes, twigs and smaller trees with a snap and fell bigger trees using the saw. The head also works perfectly as a traditional log grapple. Stand 152; mecanil.fi
Morbark 3400X Horizontal Grinder Morbark’s revolutionary new Wood Hog horizontal grinder, the 3400X, is powerful, productive and versatile. Listening closely to customer feedback while developing the design for the 3400X, Morbark provides the features customers want and the versatility they need while staying true to our proven technology. One of the most important features of the 3400XT is its standard width of 8’4 (2.53 m), making it within the legal transport width in any country, no matter what engine is used. This model accommodates engines from 540 to 800 HP (402 to 596 kW). Like all Morbark Wood Hog models, the 3400XT also is available with electric power. The size of the 3400XT allows the same model, using a broad range of engines, to be configured for multiple applications and a wide variety of global markets without additional design considerations. Stand 494; morbark.com
Sennebogen 730E Material Handler Sennebogen’s new 730E material handler provides excellent productivity-efficiency-maneuverability and is an ideal combination of a compact machine with high load capacity and optimum performance. Working along narrow alleys in log yards, the 33.7 metric ton (74,300 lb.) 730E has an operating width of less than 3.3 m (11 ft.), yet can pull a trailer loaded with up to 25 metric tons (55,000 lb.) when equipped with a log grapple. The mid-machine center of gravity requires less rear counterweight, which in turn reduces overall machine weight, which means less fuel consumption. Powered by a Cummins Tier 4f engine generating 168 kW (228 HP), the 730E leverages EcoMode, automatic idle and automatic start-stop as part of Sennebogen’s “Green Efficiency” technology. The elevated maXcab provides the ultimate in comfort and productivity. The joystick moves with the air-suspension seat, and the operator has line-of-sight view to both the Sencon control system display screen and the color monitor for the right-side and rear-facing camera feeds. The cab comes at a standard elevation of 3.3 ft. (1 m) or an optional 5 ft. (1.5 m). Stand 947; sennebogen.com
Tools For Harvesting Young Wood Since 1964, Pentin Paja Ltd., a Finnish company, has specialized in developing and manufacturing Naarva stroke harvesters and felling heads for young forest management. The Naarva product line consists of attachments/components for base machines—tractors, forestry machines and excavators—of various manufacturers. Naarva products are used for various purposes, including energy wood harvesting, first thinning as well as clearing of road shoulders and field edges. Naarva S23C stroke harvester is the only harvesting head in the world that works without electricity or extra hydraulics in an excavator. Naarva products have been delivered to 35 countries. Major export countries are Sweden, Norway, Austria and Canada. The most appreciated features of Naarva products include effective guillotine cutting; easy installation, with no additional hydraulics or hosing; high quality and durability; and a wide model range suitable for all base machines. Stand 568 and 806; naarva.fi
Palfinger Epsilon: Two New Crane Series Based on the strengths of its M-Series, Palfinger Epsilon will introduce prototypes of its new Q-Series (on-road) and S-Series forwarder crane for off-road applications. With six installations, an operational show truck and separate master drive and EPSCAB cabin models, the company will showcase itself as an innovative market leader in timber cranes. The company, founded in 1980, has been the world’s leading manufacturer of cranes for timber and scrap handling as well as recycling applications for many years. Epsilon is also one of the full service providers in the off-road sector. This multinational company is a member of the listed Palfinger Group and has production and assembly locations in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Stand 803; palfingerepsilon.com
Tajfun Forest Machine Solutions Tajfun Plania d.o.o. will present a range of logging winches (mechanical and hydraulic control), firewood processor RCA 480 JOY PLUS, mobile skyline MOZ 300, hydraulic tractor crane DOT 50K and forestry information system TajGO MX—a mobile system for measuring wood. The TajGO MX set contains an electronic digital caliper, MX Mobile and other accessories such as mobile phone holder and printer. Based in Slovenia, Tajfun celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The company provides complete and integrated solutions in the field of forest machinery with efficient service, after sale support and comprehensive sales networks in more than 50 countries. Stand 161; tajfun.com
Now seeking candidates for the TH 2017 Logging Business of the Year Award. See page 45. 30
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Making His Own Way Virginian Hunter Williams, 29, has an infectious enthusiasm for the industry he loves.
F
DAVIDAbbott
or Hunter Williams, the youthful owner of Williams Tree Harvesters LLC, based in Chester, Va., the memory of his first childhood encounter with a logging crew is still fresh. His eyes light up and he flashes a big, exuberant grin when he speaks of it. “When I was a kid we had a piece of land behind where I grew up and they came and logged it,” Williams, now 29, recalls.
He didn’t come from a logging family, so it wasn’t something he saw every day. His father worked for International Paper, but he was not a logger, so this was the first time the boy had actually seen a logging operation in action. He was mesmerized by it. “I sat there and watched how that job was done and ever since that it always fascinated me.” The memory is an important one for him. It was the moment he knew what direction he wanted his life to take. Even so, the young man found himself on an indirect path to his destina-
tion. First he went to college in South Carolina, where he studied business, admitting now that his heart wasn’t really in it. A year before he would have earned his degree, his mother became ill, so he moved back home and got a job to help care for her. College did teach him one thing. It was there that he realized he had no desire to work for anyone else, and that realization crystallized his ambition. “This is what I wanted to do, so I made the leap and hoped for the best,” he says. “I didn’t need a degree to do this.”
Hunter Williams, inset, likes tracked machines. For felling, he relies on this Cat 521B fitted with Quadco sawhead. 32
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Most of the pulpwood encountered by Williams is chipped, the task falling to a Bandit 2590.
At age 22, he bought his first forestry mulching machine. For the first three years he did private land-clearing jobs and right-of-work way work for power companies, but the goal was always to
use the highly-competitive mulching business as a stepping stone to logging. That transition went more slowly than he might have liked, because the initial investment was prohibitive to newcomers. For a while, he thought it might be impossible. “As I started growing slowly through the clearing side, though, it started to seem attainable,” he recalls. Sure enough, after a few years all the pieces gradually aligned in such a way that the mulching/land-clearing company finally evolved into a dedicated, full-fledged logging crew.
Iron The bulk of Williams’ equipment is Tigercat from Forest Pro, Inc. in Scottsville and Caterpillar from Carter Machinery in Richmond. As do many of his peers in the industry, Williams says loyalty to a manufacturer for him comes in second to a strong relationship with the local dealer. Both these dealers have earned his continued business with exceptional customer service. “They are the reason this is possible for me; without them, this wouldn’t work. When my cutter breaks down at 5 o’clock, someone is out here that night making sure it is running the next morning.” Another indispensable relation for him is the one he shares with his friend Phillip Matthews at Middleburg Bank. “I was dealing with bigger banks and it was hard to really get any help out of them,” he relates. “I went to Middleburg and they really helped out with some
key parts of getting financed for things. They have stood behind me just like Carter Machinery has. It’s a hard business to get into and so to have those two lifelines is instrumental.” Likewise, he adds, People’s United Equipment Finance Corp., a subsidiary of People’s United Bank that specializes in financing heavy machinery, has also been a big help. “They’re a really great company for helping with purchasing equipment, and the interest rates are good,” Williams says. He deals mainly with Gary Fisher, the regional vice president based in Raleigh. It was People’s United that provided financing for two recent purchases earlier this year, both from Tigercat. Williams replaced two of his three Cat 545 skidders with one Tigercat 635E bogie axle six-wheel skidder. The new skidder, he says, can haul twice as much as the old ones, and it handles better on hillsides and on wet ground, the terrains in which Williams Tree Harvesters most often works. He also bought a Tigercat T234B tracked loader. Though it spends 95% of its time on the deck stacking wood and loading trucks, it can also function in a shovel-type application on swamps and hillsides, when needed. That’s usually only when there are no trucks to be loaded. Williams’ investment stands at $3.5 million, or so it was “the last I looked,” he says with a grin. A ’16 Cat 559C loader is dedicated to merchandizing, handing off processed stems to the ’17 Tigercat 234 for feeding the chipper and loading trucks. In the near future, Wil-
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Williams earlier this year replaced a trailer-mounted loader with this track-type Tigercat.
liams hopes to replace the Cat 559 with another Cat loader, a tracked 568 fitted with a Southstar multi-tree processing head. “I like the mobility,” he says as to his preference for tracked loaders. “We can stack wood in different places, so it’s more versatile. Just being able to move around the deck is worth its weight in gold, to me, and the trucks can back up and get loaded from the road.” He admits, though, that the cost is significantly greater than with a trailer-mounted loader. Other equipment includes ’16 model Cat 521B tracked feller-buncher with Quadco head, Bandit 2590 chipper, Cat D5K dozer and spare Tigercat 234 loader. Williams has settled on a maintenance routine of servicing two machines every Friday. That rotation works out such that all the machines get oil
changed once a month, or at roughly 250-hour intervals. Crew leader Kurt Dunn keeps track in a written logbook, noting service hours and any repairs for all machines and trucks. When repairs have to be done in the field, the young logger has converted a 45 ft. trailer into a fully-stocked mobile shop that he keeps on the job site. Williams prefers Primex tires for skidders, saying he’s had more luck with that brand than any other. “We get a better life out of them,” he says. Total cost for maintenance was $120,000 last year.
Team When Williams can’t be on-site, Dunn, who has been on the job for three years, oversees the crew while operating the merchandizing loader. Dunn also
Most skidding is now handled by this 2017 Tigercat 635E bogie unit. 34
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handles much of the mechanical work. Johnny Dunn, Kurt’s brother, mans the cutter while Brent Berngquist runs the other loader. Hunter Parrish drives the new skidder. James Harvey, Sr. handles any manual felling when required. Williams has downsized the trucking side of his operation for now in response to higher trucking insurance rates. The logger has parked several trucks in the last year along with consolidating from two crews to one. Williams currently runs five company-owned trucks, Kenworths and Peterbilts, pulling Pitts trailers. “It saves me money to have a few contract drivers I can depend on and to run my own for half the trucks I need.” Company truck drivers are Franklin Woods, Archie Ruffin and Chris Ferguson. Williams also hires a regular contract truck driver, Courtney Duncan. Another, Mike Stebbins, also sometimes sends some of his trucks if Williams needs extra hauling capacity. “There are a lot of good, young drivers that the insurance companies just absolutely won’t cover without two years of experience,” he laments. “So you could train them but you can’t afford to pay the insurance on them. And a lot of companies just won’t write insurance for log trucks at all. We have been lucky, though, with no claims on our policy.” Williams has all his insurance bundled under Forestry Mutual, through agency Gaines & Critzer Ltd. Forestry Mutual offers safety training as part of the workers’ comp package. “They are awesome,” he says. “Brian Wagner
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does chain saw training for them, and assists with safety training and answers any questions we have.” The crew studies a safety manual furnished by the insurance carrier, going over it at weekly meetings. They also have special meetings when moving onto a new tract to go over any potential hazards on that job site.
Markets This time last year, Williams had plans to start stockpiling on his own wood yard, storing up for rainy days. “Sometimes loggers can’t get in the woods for weeks in the winter,” he said then. “I want an inventory on the wood yard to sell in those times.” With an extra loader, an older Cat 559, set up on a space at his shop, Williams had hoped to have 100 loads in reserve and to install a sprinkler system. Unfortunately, those plans were largely put on the back burner due to a convergence of several factors. First and foremost, the merger of MeadWestvaco and RockTenn into WestRock, he says, has been a disaster in his area. “I say it’s like the devil came
The crew, from left: Hunter Parrish, Jonathan Dunn, Brent Berngquist, Kurt Dunn, Hunter Williams
to Virginia. Before, when we had both paper mills, we could move all the pine pulp we wanted, but now they only take enough to just keep people going. I know many loggers who are lucky to work three days a week.” Also, he continues, Enviva’s fiveyear supply contract with Dominion Power was not renewed upon its expiration last year, with Dominion opting to handle its own procurement. With restricted demand for pine pulp, there hasn’t been much use for the wood yard. But, since Williams hauls mostly big
hardwood saw logs, he is still doing well enough. He says his main market has experienced a slight slowdown due to difficulty getting rid of its sawdust and chips, but it is still reliable. With his operations based in Chester, about 15 miles south of Richmond, Williams’ crew works primarily for John Rock, Inc. That company, which makes pallets, has two sawmills in Virginia to supply its pallet operations 200 miles away in Pennsylvania. One sawmill is in Caroline County, between Richmond and Fredericksburg, and the other is in
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Williams Tree Harvesters now moves about 90 loads a week.
Dillwyn, 60 miles west of Richmond. The sawmills operate under the name Rock Wood Products. The John Rock company chose this area because it is rich in hardwood. “We supply all the stumpage for the Caroline mill,” Williams says. He estimates that 75% of what his crew cuts in a year is stumpage Rock Wood has bought. Aside from John Rock stumpage, Williams buys 25% of his own timber each year. John Rock buys both pine and hardwood saw timber, so Williams Tree Harvesters works on a lot of mixed stands. Pulpwood is common, but Williams rarely hauls it as such, usually opting to chip it instead. “We separate logs and chip the rest,” he says. He explains that consistency—every chip load can always be 32 tons—and higher productivity make this method more profitable than hauling pulpwood at current prices. Of the 90 average loads his crew hauls weekly, Williams says about half are chips and half are logs. Logs go primarily to John Rock/Rock Wood in Sparta, Va. (Caroline County) and chips go to Enviva in Southampton. When he occasionally hauls some pulpwood he sends it to West Rock in West Point. It’s nice working for a sawmill, he says, because there is no quota. Rock Wood is always wide open. He also credits the company for its proactive involvement in sustainable forestry. “They do a very good job by sending their forester, Tyler Knarr, out to look at each job to make sure the BMPs are 36
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done correctly. They really stress sustainable forestry to ensure the future. It’s cool to see a mill take the time to work with loggers to make sure it’s done correctly. They want to plan for a long future and so do we.”
Planning Ahead Though he has no plans to expand his logging operation for now, Williams does hope to branch out into buying land over the next decade. “I want to manage and create something so that, when I do have kids, we will have a good size of land we can fall back on as another investment. I’d rather invest in trees than the stock market.” Profit, he says, has been on par with investment last year, even after purchasing several new trucks and pieces of equipment in that time frame. A reasonable percentage to his way of thinking is 6-8%. “It is hard to hit that every year,” he admits. “There are so many variables you can’t control. That’s the nature of the business.” Even so, his company has grown every year since it started. Single and without children, Williams prefers to fill whatever free time has with duck hunting—he calls it an obsession. “Unfortunately, this is getting bigger,” he laments, pointing at the logging job that embodies his childhood dream come to life. “So my time for hunting is more spaced out, but if it’s not duck season, we are out here working on someTH thing every day.”
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Handhelds, Software Reshape Timber Cruising
The powerful Nautiz X8 is easy to use and stands up to punishment.
Technology may have changed the way people do business today, but the overriding goal remains the same: be profitable. That’s why the smartest people in the timber industry are always looking for an edge, technological or otherwise. Thanks to the advent of rugged, portable handhelds, jobs that used to be very time and labor intensive can now be done with drastically improved efficiency. For timber buyers, profitability is linked to using the best estimation tools available. Even a slight miscalculation can result in overpayment and large losses, so savvy buyers have turned to rugged PDAs equipped with GPS to improve the speed and accuracy of navigation, data collection and estimation. Dalton Smith, a buyer with Thomas Timber LLC in Magnolia, Ark., relies on the rugged Nautiz X8 handheld data collector, a product of the Handheld Group, along with a package of industry-specific software, to cruise timber stands faster and calculate bids more accurately. The package includes Trimble’s Solo Forest GPS mapping software and Worldwide Heuristic Solutions’ TCruise forest inventory software, a solution supplied by LandMark Spatial Solutions, located in Starkville, Miss. 38
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“Customers use the Solo Forest ditions—a combination that can defeat software on the handheld to do GPS a normal PDA, smart phone or other work, load shapefiles, calculate acres, non-fortified device. Today’s tough create cruise grids, and navigate to handhelds have solved that problem inventory plots,” says Johnny since they can withstand almost anyThompson, thing encountered in the woods. LandMark owner. The Nautiz X8 is tested using strin“Once they arrive at gent military standards for drops, exa plot, F4 Tech’s treme temperatures, water resistance, RTI software helps vibrations, and dust and dirt. And that them select the plot built-in toughness proves itself regulocation and links to larly, according to Thompson. our inventory Another of Thompson’s LandMark software so they can customers sent him a note that testifies enter the plot data to the level of punishment a truly outand tree tallies.” door handheld can withstand. The Foundation of the worker had laid his X8 on top of a overall solution is truck’s rear tire, then forgot about it and the Nautiz X8. Smith drove off. When he realized what had considered several happened he returned to the spot, fearhandhelds and decided on the X8 for ing the worst. But running over his deits user-friendly design. “I selected it vice only inflicted a minor scratch and a based on screen size and overall size, slight tear of the case; the device’s along with speed,” he says. functionality was not affected at all. The durable data collector features For more information about Handa 4.7 in. capacitive touchscreen and a held, visit handheldgroup.com. For numeric keypad with three programmmore information about LandMark, TH able function keys. It includes a 1.5 visit lmssgps.com. GHz high-speed dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of flash and a lithium-ion battery that lasts up to 12 hours per charge. With it Smith has improved efficiency, accuracy and profitability. The handheld covers so many tasks that he’s eliminated all but one other tool when he hits the ground. “For cruising, I just use the handheld as my data collection and navigation tool,” he explains. “The only other thing I take is a measuring tape.” The combination of task-oriented software, a powerful processor and GPS functionality lets the handheld keep up with his work’s demands. “While I’m cruising, the device has always processed fast enough for me to keep a steady pace,” he reports. “I use my finger for data entry along with the keypad, and I’ve never had a problem with it working correctly.” Speed and power aren’t the only keys to this kind of work. Cruising timber is challenging from many aspects and is subject to a variety of weather con- Magnolia Timber’s Dalton Smith at work TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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BuildingBlocks
A Silent Partner That’s Truthful About Business Performance There are a lot of moving parts involved in running any type of business, but this is especially true in logging. You make big investments in equipment and in training and retaining good operators. You carry insurance, incur big fuel bills, fork over a lot for repairs, may be involved in trucking, and sometimes may lose sleep at night trying to keep track of it all. Given all these moving parts, how can you keep accurate track of everything so you can run a profitable operation? To succeed you need well-maintained equipment, follow productive harvesting and hauling methods, and
corporate the detailed information that an astute logger needs to understand business economics. Nor do they provide the checks and balances needed for ensuring that you are paid for all the wood you harvest.
‘Packed’ Package
Managers at Hadaller Logging in Kelso, Wash. understand just how valuable it is to have an industry-specific software tool to supplement an accounting package. They adopted Caribou Software’s Logger’s Edge system four years ago, primarily withthe objective of tracking weekly production and paying truckers, but they have come to rely on Logger’s Edge for much more. They now rely on it to keep up with detailed time sheet information; estimate costs per productive machine hour for each equipment unit; generate detailed profitability and productivity reports on every job; monitor daily deliveries to ensure truckers are dispatched effectively; and estimate anticipated revenues even before they receive payment. Since adopting Logger’s Edge, Hadaller has expanded from two crews to five. “I honestly don’t know how we could have grown the business without the software,” asserts Julie Hodges, Hadaller’s office manA powerful Information management system is a valuable ager, who supervised the origi‘business partner.’ nal implementation. “The way rely on competent, dedicated employinformation is linked between time ees. But there is one not so obvious sheets and load tickets lets us easily asset critical to financial success: a pull comprehensive job costing inforwell-designed software system to track mation that would otherwise have taken core business information such as job hours to compile, and would have been type and characteristics, compensamuch more prone to error.” tion, load tickets and time sheets. A Each day, the company’s loader good software system is like a good operators turn in load sheets, which business partner—you come to rely on itemize all loads, complete with the it to tell you the unvarnished truth trucker, mill, and species/product inabout how your business is doing and formation. This enables managers to where you need to improve. monitor loads per day to ensure General accounting packages such truckers are getting at least the minias QuickBooks or Sage 50 are great mum loads they need to cover their for the big picture tracking of revenues costs. They can spot problems while and costs, but are not designed to inthey are happening, identify the cause 40
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of bottlenecks and take corrective action immediately. Each pay period Hadaller receives an electronic load ticket listing from Weyerhaeuser, its primary market. The listing is imported into the software, which automatically matches the load list with the loads entered by loader operators. This makes it easy for office personnel to spot ‘missing payments’ from Weyerhaeuser. Because the software calculates the expected revenue due for each ticket, it makes for a very efficient revenue reconciliation process. Once that process is complete, generating pay statements for truckers is as simple as the click of a button. Hadaller also enters machine operator and driver time sheets in the software. “We used to enter time sheets directly into Quickbooks,” says Hodges. “But now we enter details into Logger’s Edge and only enter summary data into QuickBooks. This way we can capture things like uptime versus downtime, the equipment unit used and activity performed, and small comments from the operators explaining downtime or other job anomalies. We now run weekly reports showing labor costs and hours byperson by day for each job.” With this information, they monitor actual driving versus non-driving hours for their own trucks, which has been very helpful in terms of demonstrating compliance with DOT requirements of no more than 60 hours per week of driving time per driver. They also have a custom report that allows Hodges to easily review gross hourly wages and hours by activity. This report helps with worker’s compensation reporting by providing the supporting details needed to show relative labor hours by type of logging activity and enabling Hadaller to receive WCB rate discounts through the Logger Safety Initiative program. When it comes to understanding the economics of your business, and helping your administrative staff and management work smarter, a good information management system is one of the most valuable business partners you can have. It’s a business partner that will help you sleep better at night, either knowing that your gut instincts have been validated by what your data tell you, or helping you identify where the problems are that TH you need to correct.
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BuildingBlocks PeoplePower! With the cost of major component overhaul and replacement, not to mention extended downtime, heavy equipment owners should do all they can to get as much value out of their investment as possible. Scheduled oil sampling (SOS) on a regular basis is the cheapest insurance you can buy. You are loggers, working in one of the world’s most dangerous professions to deliver forest products to the masses that they cannot live without. Everyone has the fruits of your labor in their homes and workplaces. You work from sunup to sunset in conditions that test your strength and endurance. Yet our industry still struggles with the same misunderstood perception of what it is you actually do. Some still believe you are conspiring with the devil to rape and pillage the landscape. You may not realize it, but you have a lot in common with the people who judge you, seeing that you and your doubters both love the forest! They just don’t understand how deep your love is. For years the logging industry has dealt with the never-ending struggle of attracting youth to the woods. It is an issue that keeps rearing its ugly head over and over again and could potentially get worse. In preparation for an American Loggers Council presentation I was creating called “Loggers for the Future, Attracting and Retaining Employees to the Timber Harvesting Profession,” I began reading everything I could get my hands on about this new incoming workforce to better understand what it is they seek in their careers. One thing I did learn is that the younger generation desires to go to work every day with the feeling that they are making the world a better place. They have been brought up to care deeply about the environment, to recycle, regift and reuse. They do not focus on extrinsic rewards, but more on intrinsic rewards. I believe that our ability to attract this incoming group is hampered by our poorly perceived reputation.
WENDY FARRAND wendyfarrand@gmail.com, 207-838-4435
Enticing Today’s Youth To The Job: How You Can ‘Flip The Dilemma’
Bob Johansen’s Book In the course of this work I stumbled upon a book written by Bob Johansen called “Leaders Make the Future, Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World.” As I was reading this second edition book, I learned about dilemma flipping and bio-empa42
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thy. It was at this point I was overcome by the realization that what we have been identifying as a problem for all these years is actually a dilemma that we need to flip. The fact that loggers have struggled with this perceived poor reputation for as long as many can remember makes it unsolvable. Problems have a specific solution. According to Johansen’s book, leaders in this truly crazy world need to have the ability to discern between a problem, which has a solution, and a dilemma. Then they need to flip that dilemma to turn a negative into a positive. This is where we stand right now as an industry. We need to flip this dilemma in order to attract this strong, outstanding young generation. The dilemma that needs to be flipped is your misunderstood profession, or your perceived poor reputation, which is a story spun by others and not rooted in fact. In simple terms, someone else has been telling your story! They don’t know the true story. You have been embracing sustainability for many years now, but you still struggle with the reputation that you are out to destroy our renewable forest resource. Another important thing I learned from Johansen’s book is that he believes the next big global economic driver is bio-empathy. You can see it everywhere, in all the commercials, in all the incentives to do business with company A to company Z. “Buy this car and we will donate to your favorite charity. Buy these socks, and one pair will go to kids who don’t have any. Buy our pet food and we will donate a bowl of food to a dog in a shelter.” Bio-empathy is everywhere, and we need to follow suit as an industry. The number of people who believe in climate change hovers around half the population, fluctuating up and down, as evidence surfaces “for” or “against.” Whether you believe in climate change or not is not the point. As an industry, I believe the best way to flip this dilemma and focus on bio-empathy is to embrace the fact that you are heroes who fight pollution, mit-
igate climate change and effectively manage the world’s forests. It is now known that young, well managed forests suck up more carbon than old growth, and we need to keep our forests working in order to curtail development and deforestation. You need to come out of the woods and start sharing your story, the true story. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. By focusing on the heroic things you do to maintain one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, the forest, you can perhaps attract young champions into the woods who are hoping to change the world through their careers. They can go to work every day to fight alongside you in the battle against climate change and fight to keep the working forests working to clean the air for future generations. The dictionary defines an environmentalist is “a person who works to protect the natural world from pollution and other threats.” I know plenty of environmentalists who spend their day sustainably harvesting timber that’s used to make products that consumers need. Your love of working in the woods has enabled you to protect the future by fighting pollution and mitigating climate change. We cannot survive without lots of strong working, carbon sucking forests. There is a window of opportunity to shift the tide. Things that have been happening with wildfires and unmanaged forests are starting to have an impact upon the opinions of others. Now is the time to seize the day, tell your story and entice a whole new workforce and flip this dilemma. If we don’t, as an industry we may face insurmountable turnover and loss. Without loggers and foresters managing our forests, they will be doomed to potential deforestation. We need to let the world know that logging is the number one tool in forest sustainability. When someone asks you what you do, tell them you fight pollution, one harvest at a time. Then when they look in your eyes with a big question mark on their face, explain your story, the true story of the responsibilities and the danger you face daily working to maintain one of the world’s largest carbons sinks in order to keep the air TH they breathe clean.
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RiskWatch
Use All Tools Available To Help Control Trucking NICK CARTER Not a day goes by that I do not receive a call about some company’s commercial auto premiums increasing. This cycle starts with the logger or log trucker who is experiencing the pain of his operating cost falling into negative territory. Comments I hear include: “I cannot find acceptable drivers,” “I cannot find reliable contractors,” or “My insurance costs are driving me out of business.” Timber is not purchased at $20/ton and sold to mills for $15/ton. It is simple math. Losses, lawsuits, medical and underinsured/uninsured motorist costs are pushing premiums out of control. Once a claim occurs these costs escalate very quickly and the insurance company has to pay. Commercial auto carriers are steering away from writing all types of truck in-
surance. Companies such as AIG, Zurich and Progressive are just a few examples. Carriers will continue to withdraw until the market is profitable. No business should continue to operate with excessive losses year after year. What is driving these costs and frequencies upward? Trucks have almost doubled in price over the last six years, such that a new day cab unit costs upwards of $150,000. Ninety percent of the personal vehicles on the road carry minimum limits at $25,000, so commercial insurance companies end up taking the underinsured motorist claim. Personal vehicles are now much safer than before, allowing the injured party to survive a once-fatal injury, causing bodily injury costs to increase due advancements in medical technology. Everyone now has a cell phone and seems to want to use it, text,
smoke a cigarette or eat a sandwich, all while driving. Make sure your drivers are not guilty of this. As well, there seems to be an attorney on every street corner looking to capitalize on the likes of an injured party. Please educate your drivers on the importance of keeping a clear driving record. Carriers have cracked down on the insurability of drivers and it will continue to get tighter. CDL drivers must realize this is their livelihood and that all carriers are now critical of a driver’s record. They go back as far as 10 years but focus on the last 3. Speeding seems to be the #1 deterrent for underwriters to decline a driver. You can control speed on rigs by monitoring the driver’s habits by either using telematics or governors. So what can you do to be proactive vs reactive? For less than $200 an advanced dash cam can be your eyes on the road. It can also save your driver from an unwanted citation if he is involved in an accident when not at fault but blamed for it when no witnesses were present. There are two things I commonly hear when a log truck wrecks. One is that an animal ran in front the truck and the driver went off the road to save an animal’s life while threatening his and possibly totaling a very expensive rig. The other is that a car pulled out in front of the truck and the driver could not stop. This is a very valid comment, but if the driver rear-ended the car there is no proof that it pulled out unless you have a dash cam to prove the true story. My advice is that you purchase ‘cheap insurance’ by putting dash cams in every truck you have on the road and monitor the habits of your drivers and the risks he may be taking. Be very cognitive of your safer report and the repetitive violations that DOT officers issue on your fleet. Also, make sure to update the information as you sell or buy new units to keep accurate information on file. The trucking industry is in a crisis and you must act now to put all tools available in place to control what you can control. There are many great log trucking operations that fall victim to unwanted, unnecessary, frivolous lawsuits due to not protecting their greatest asset—the truck driver. TH Carter is Agency Manager, Forestry Mutual Insurance Co., Raleigh, NC.
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EquipmentWorld
Tidewater ‘Amps Up’ Georgia Demo Day
Tigercat equipment worked in mature pine forest; Morbark chipper handled small trees, tops, limbs.
T
idewater Equipment Co., celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, went all out for its customers and vendors in staging a memorable Demo Day near Quitman, Ga. on May 6. The ‘invitation only’ event attracted more than 1,000 customers and family members from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and the Carolinas, all of whom seemed to enjoy themselves. The convenient, picturesque mature pecan orchard and adjacent pine forest, made available by The Langdale Co., was complemented by cool breezes and a cloudless sky. Tigercat brought 26 machines to the party; Morbark brought five. Both showed what their products
Much like the weather, registration was a breeze.
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could do. Several vendors, among them CSI, R Squared Solutions, Rotobec, Pitts, Big John, Maxi Load Scales, and GCR Tire, had displays and personnel on site and provided door prizes. Tidewater sponsored a loader contest, giving away $1,000 in prize money—winners were Jonathan Dale Stinson, Jason Braddock and Buddy Lominick—and provided several activities for children. Tidewater also provided free food at the site and hosted an outdoor dinner at the Holiday Inn in Valdosta that evening. Tidewater sponsored a similar event in 2013 but took the 2017 Demo Day to a higher level all around.
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The loader contest was a crowd stopper.
More than three dozen machines and attachments were on site.
Everybody won a prize at the Morbark tent.
As usual, Tigercat merchandise sold well. Chain saw carver Chad Gainey created a turkey, miniature skidder.
Somebody must have told a funny joke.
Three Tidewater folks who helped make it happen: from left, Charles Wright, Jamie Young, Allie Poirier
The dinner event on Saturday night
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InnovationWay Bandit Coloring System
NeoBrake Brake Shoe
With Bandit’s enhanced Color Max colorizer system, creating beautiful colored landscape mulch from waste wood has never been easier. Color Max sprays color directly to the Bandit Beast cuttermill, which thoroughly coats material during processing. The Color Max system requires less colorant and water to create the rich, evenly colored landscape mulch that’s always in demand. By applying color to the cuttermill, material stays in better contact with color to literally produce more colored mulch with less colorant. On average, the Color Max system uses 25% less color and 30% less water. Visit banditchippers.com.
NeoBrake Systems, Inc. offers Matrix NeoCast, a new lightweight cast iron 4707Q brake shoe. Matrix NeoCast 4707Q is the first lightweight cast iron shoe of its kind, combining the traditional advantages of cast iron shoes with an advanced, high-carbon ductile cast iron that weighs significantly less than cast shoes of old. “The future may be air disc brakes, but the roadways are filled with trucks and trailers still using drum brakes to stop them,” states Rick Ballew, NeoBrake {resident and CEO. “We know the beating pressed-steel cores take after each relining, so we developed a shoe that could resist all that and deliver maximum braking power at every stop.” The Matrix NeoCast 4707Q brake shoe weighs within ounces of its
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pressed-steel counterparts and promises to boost braking power from the moment it is installed. One piece construction eliminates table flex, web stretch and broken welds, which are common signs of deteriorating pressed-steel shoes. This leads to diminished torque, as well as uneven lining wear and, ultimately, premature lining replacement. Visit neobrake.com.
Caterpillar D Series FB
Caterpillar offers the D Series wheel feller-buncher with two models, 563D and 573D. The new machines, which meet U.S. EPA Tier 4f
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InnovationWay emission standards, provide increased reliability and durability along with greater customer value in performance, comfort and serviceability. The machines, deliver more productivity while reducing operating costs. “We have built on the superior performance capability of the Cat C Series and made key improvements to the electrical and hydraulic systems and drivetrain to provide greater durability and reliability,” says Matt McDonald, Caterpillar wheel feller-buncher product application specialist. The patented transverse-mounted engine and low center of gravity provide rock-solid stability. Combined with the short wheelbase, the D Series offers superior application versatility. The Cat 563D is powered by a 203 HP C7.1 ACERT engine while the Cat 573D features 241 HP and a longer wheelbase. The engine, which also meets EU Stage IV emissions standards, leverages the same emissions technology as numerous other Cat machines, including the use of diesel exhaust fluid. The C7.1 engine
provides maximum power and response while minimizing total fluid consumption. The D Series features the patented PowerDirect Plus system, which optimizes machine efficiency. Caterpillar has enhanced PowerDirect Plus. The second generation system provides greater travel power and saw recovery, and advanced hydraulics provide fast multi-functioning and cycle times to further increase productivity. Coupled with the patented transverse-mounted engine, the D Series models cut and carry more wood than ever so they can build larger, easy to reach bundles, which improves skidder efficiency. Other upgrades enhance the operator’s work station, including a wider seat with more legroom for greater comfort. A rearview video camera now is standard. The camera is activated automatically when the operator presses the reverse pedal, and the video is shown on the new display monitor. Visit caterpillar.com.
Heavy-Haul Planetary Axle
Meritor, Inc. offers the P600 Series Tridem heavy-haul planetary axle for heavy-duty, long-haul, oil field, mining and logging applications. Built to operate in extreme conditions, the P600 Tridem is compatible with industry-leading suspension options and offers a best-in-class gross axle weight rating (GAWR) of 126,000 lbs. and gross combination weight of 560,000 lbs.. Meritor’s new proportioning inter-axle differential delivers even torque split between the three axles for improved traction, maximum load capacity and increased longevity of the drivetrain. Visit meritor.com.
Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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SelectCuts As We (ALC) See It
Future Logging Careers Act: Training The Next Generation DANNY DRUCTOR American Loggers Council has made passing the Future Logging Careers Act a top priority in the 115th Congress. We’re very pleased with the bipartisan support it is receiving in both the House and Senate. This is a credit to the hundreds of loggers who have contacted Dructor their representatives in support of the legislation. Keep making calls and sending e-mails. It’s become clear over the past several weeks that some in the news media, and some who follow ALC’s Facebook page, don’t have a clear understanding of what the Future Logging Careers Act (FLCA) actually does, and what it
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doesn’t do. For example, a Washington, DC reporter wrote a story last month attempting to link our bill to a very tragic accident involving an 18-year-old logger in Washington State. FLCA is intended to give 16- and 17-year-olds hands-on training in mechanized timber harvesting in a safe and legal setting, under parental supervision. The bill is aimed at helping family-owned logging companies that wish to keep their sons and daughters in the profession. FLCA, as its name suggests, is all about recruiting and retaining the next generation and to help families continue to run professional logging businesses. The text of the legislation is straightforward. It extends an existing agricultural exemption—now enjoyed by family farmers and ranchers—specifically
to family-owned logging companies. For the purpose of amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, the bill defines logging as “the felling, skidding, yarding, loading and processing of timber by equipment other than manually operated chain saws and cable skidders; the felling of timber in mechanized operations; the bucking or converting of timber into logs, poles, ties, bolts, pulpwood, chemical wood, excelsior wood, cordwood, fence posts, or similar products; the collecting, skidding, yarding, loading, transporting and unloading of such products in connection with logging; the constructing, repairing and maintaining of roads or camps used in connection with logging; the constructing, repairing, and maintenance of machinery or equipment used in logging; and other work performed in connection with logging.” The bill does not permit 16- and 17-year-olds “the manual use of chain saws to fell and process timber and the use of cable skidders to bring the timber to the landing.” Unfortunately, this important point was missed in the
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SelectCuts news story that misinterpreted our bill. Safety is an issue that should unite all professional timber harvesters. ALC is deeply committed to promoting safety in the woods, and on the roads, in the hope that someday logging will not be included in the annual list of “America’s Most Dangerous Professions.” Nobody wants to put young and inexperienced loggers in dangerous situations. FLCA is one solution to promote safety for the future and help young loggers learn the trade in a supervised setting. The bill is gaining support as more members of Congress learn about it, and understand why supporting family-owned logging businesses and recruiting and retaining the next generation is so important. If you haven’t already, contact your House and Senate members and ask them to sponsor and support the bill. You can do this by visiting https:// www.votervoice.net/iframes/HFHC/Campaigns/48964/ Respond. Together, we can pass this simple measure as one way to strengthen our profession for the future.
www.timberharvesting.com
Dructor is Executive Vice President of the American Loggers Council, with headquarters in Hemphill, Texas. Visit amloggers.com.
Johnson Stood Tall In Alabama Woods Relatives and friends of Hal Johnson gathered in Grove Hill, Ala. on May 3 to pay their respects and to remember the attributes and accomplishments of the retired logger, who died April 30 following a period of declining health. He was 94. Johnson, whose career in the timber business spanned some 70 years, was the only logger ever to serve as president of the Alabama Forestry Assn. (1980). He was named Alabama Logger of the Year in 1994. A native of Mississippi, Johnson Johnson worked around his daddy’s portable sawmill before shipping out for 38 months of duty with the Marine Corps during World War II. He served in the Pacific Theater with the 4th Marine Division—the ‘Fighting Fourth’—which in 13 months made four major amphibious assaults and suffered more than 17,000 casualties. After the war he returned to Mississippi and founded a pulpwood dealership, a business that eventually took him to Grove Hill, Ala. Later, he founded Hal Johnson Timber Co., which he turned over to his son, and subsequently set up shop as Whatley Timber Co., eventually taking in longtime foreman Billy Jackson as his business partner. Very conscientious, outgoing, and blessed with a contagious, uplifting spirit, Johnson was known for his concern for employees, the land he harvested, the owners of that land, the quality of the job at hand, the markets he supplied and the forest industry as a whole. Among other attributes, he was admired for his gentle, gentlemanly manner. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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THExchange
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2012 Tigercat 234 Loader/Delimber 8,328 hrs, good condition ............ $115,000
2011 TIGERCAT 724E Feller-Buncher 6,807 hrs, excellent condition, tires @ 50%, engine warranty through 01/18... $125,000
TED SMITH
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KEVIN MONTGOMERY 256-366-1425
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ENERGY PERFORMANCE SYSTEMS, INC. Patented Technologies for Sale Energy Performance Systems (EPS) seeks to sell three patented technologies to a firm that can commercialize them. It has invested over $6 million in working with the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Forest Service, and Electric Power Research Institute to develop them. Whole Tree Harvester™ The EPS Whole Tree Harvester (WTH) can cut 60 row trees a minute planted at 8-foot intervals and drop them on a trailer behind it. Can be seen in operation at www.energyperformancesystems.com. GPS-Guided Injection Planter The EPS GPS-guided injection planter simultaneously plants 4 to 6 rows of deciduous tree cuttings. Configured using 4 injectors, it can plant 160 tree cuttings a minute. Advanced 90 Degree Steering System The EPS advanced 90 degree steering system enables its WTH or any construction, mining, or agriculture machine to move laterally at up to 90 degrees from its direction of travel. CONTACT T.D. Spaeth at tdspaet@aol.com or 612-802-2586 13390
Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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Hasbargen Logging Selected For FRA Award Now five generations strong, Hasbargen Logging, Inc., Birchdale, Minn., was recognized in early May as the Forest Resources Assn.’s 2017 National Outstanding Logger. Company owners were presented a plaque from FRA and $1,000 check from Stihl Inc. Hasbargen Logging was one of six regional finalists for the honor. Integrity, professionalism and community involvement are some of the principles on which the award is based. Alvin Hasbargen founded the business in 1943 and in 1989 sold it to his sons, Kit, Clarence, and Denton, who carried on the patriarch’s enduring work ethic and strong family values. More recently, three nephews and a son-in-law became part owners of the business, ensuring its additional longevity. Hasbargen Logging was selected 2016 Minnesota Logger of the Year by the Minnesota Sustainable Forestry Initiative Committee. It was singled out
FRA award scene, from left: Tracy and Derek Cook; Melany and Al Hasbargen; Kent Hall (Stihl); Sue, Kit, Clarence, Barb, Zach and Kristi Hasbargen; Deb Hawkinson (FRA President), and Bill Johnson (FRA Chairman)
for its ongoing efforts to promote safety, its commitment to compliance with Minnesota’s Voluntary Site-Level Guidelines, and its longstanding record of protecting riparian zones, cultural and historic sites, and soil productivity. Later that year the UMD Center for Economic Development named the company a recipient of a Joel Labovitz
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EventsMemo Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
June 2-3—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. Trade Show and annual meeting, Jekyll Island Conference Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 904-845-7133; visit swpa.ag. June 14-16— Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com. June 26-28—Forest Products Society annual meeting, Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, Ore. Call 855-475-0291; visit forestprod.org. July 21-23—Georgia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 912-6356400; visit gfagrow.org. July 21-23—Missouri Forest Products Assn./Missouri Loggers Council annual meeting, Lake of the Ozarks, Camdenton, Mo. Call 816-630-5500; visit moforest.org. August 17-20—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, The Inn at Virginia Tech & Sketon Conference Center, Blacksburg, Va. Call 804-677-4290; visit valoggers.org. August 25-26— Southwest Forest Products Expo, Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501224-2232; visit arkloggers.com. 54
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Entrepreneurial Success Award. The award was given because of the continued growth and steady employment of the business despite the challenges of mill closures and unsteady markets. Last September Hasbargen Logging was named FRA’s 2016 Lake States Region Outstanding Logger, automatically qualifying it for the national award.
Easy Access to current advertisers! http://www.timberharvesting.com/advertiser-index/ This issue of Timber Harvesting is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. American Logger’s Council Barko Hydraulics Cannon Bar Works Caribou Software Crisp & Crisp John Deere Forestry Duratech Industries International Forest Chain Hitachi America Intermercato Log A Load for Kids Log Max Logset Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Olofsfors Pape Machinery Peterson Pacific Ponsse North America Prolenc Manufacturing Seppi Southstar Equipment Southwest Forest Products Expo Team Safe Trucking Tigercat Industries TraxPlus Trelleborg Wheel Systems Nordic Waratah Forestry Attachments
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