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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

Volume 43 • Number 1 • January/February 2018 Founded in 1976 • Our 440th Consecutive Issue

Renew or subscribe on the web: www.timberprocessing.com

Executive Editor David (DK) Knight Editor-in-Chief: Rich Donnell Managing Editor: Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor: David Abbott Associate Editor: Jessica Johnson Associate Editor: Jay Donnell Art Director/Prod. Manager: Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator: Patti Campbell Circulation Director: Rhonda Thomas Marketing/Media: Jordan Anderson Classified Advertising: Bridget DeVane • 334.699.7837 800.669.5613 • bdevane7@hotmail.com Advertising Sales Representatives: Southern USA Randy Reagor P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 904.393.7968 • FAX: 334.834.4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net

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NEWSFEED

The Heart Of The Sawmill Atlanta Conference Will Look At CLT

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PERSON OF THE YEAR

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WADING THROUGH

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SECOND LOOK

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MILL ROOTS

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COLLABORATION

Tommy Battle Has A Clear Vision Flooding Doesn’t Deter Diaz Forest Products More Photos Of Mackeys Ferry Sawmill Collum’s Lumber Has Traveled Far Can The Forest Service Turn The Corner?

Midwest USA, Eastern Canada

COVER: Maybe the most knowledgeable hardwood lumberman in the world, Tommy Battle continues to lead family-heavy Battle Lumber of Wadley, Ga. Story begins on PAGE 14. (Jessica Johnson photo)

John Simmons 32 Foster Cres.

Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 905.666.0258 • FAX: 905.666.0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.timberprocessing.com Western USA, Western Canada Tim Shaddick 4056 West 10th Avenue Vancouver BC Canada V6L 1Z1 604.910.1826 • FAX: 604.264.1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca

Member Verified Audit Circulation

Kevin Cook 604.619.1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com

International Murray Brett Aldea de las Cuevas 66, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 • +34 96 640 4331 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net

Timber Processing (ISSN 0885-906X, USPS 395-850) is published 10 times annually (January/February and July/August issues are combined) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—TP is free to qualified owners, operators, managers, purchasing agents, supervisors, foremen and other key personnel at sawmills, pallet plants, chip mills, treating plants, specialty plants, lumber finishing operations, corporate industrial woodlands officials and machinery manufacturers and distributors in the U.S. All non-qualified U.S. Subscriptions are $55 annually: $65 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.timberprocessing.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Processing 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 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 endorse nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Processing.

Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate.

Copyright ® 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A.

Postmaster: Please send address changes to Timber Processing, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, Alabama 36102-2419 Other Hatton-Brown publications: Timber Harvesting • Southern Loggin’ Times Wood Bioenergy • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade

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THEISSUES

Jessica Johnson Associate Editor

A DIFFERENT TAKE 14

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hen I started with Timber Processing, I was as green as they come. Fresh from the University of Alabama’s English department, I’d never heard of a sawmill, let alone been in one. I’ve come a long way in seven years—but, to this day, I still have a little chant I repeat thanks to Managing Editor Dan Shell: “side boards flow to the edger, side boards flow to the edger…”

Since I had no technical knowledge whatsoever, one of the series of articles that intrigued me most in my early days with Hatton-Brown was Man of the Year. I really enjoyed getting to know these special men in a different light than the more traditional mill-focused articles that are the bread and butter of Timber Processing.

When it became apparent that the frontrunner in 2016 was Snider Industries’ Jill Snider Brewer, I felt so fortunate to be the one selected to tell her story of serving her community and the industry as one of the only, if not the only, woman at the table.

All of the editors have written Man of the Year stories, and to have Jill be my first, and for her to be the first female so designated, felt extra special. In fact, it was because of Jill Snider Brewer that the TP Man of the Year title, awarded since 1989, was changed to Person of the Year, something long overdue in my opinion.

The following year I was also tapped to tell Tim Biewer’s story, our 2017 Person of the Year. Meeting him at Biewer Lumber headquarters in Michigan right before Christmas while snow blanketed his town by the river felt special in a different way; as he walked me through a history of family businesses dating back to pre-Prohibition and how a family of brewmeisters from Germany would transition to owning four sawmills with a combined capacity of 550MMBF. This year, Tommy Battle gives a glimpse of himself as TP’s Person of the Year. This was my second visit to his operation in Wadley, Ga. The first time, in 2014, was in the meaty part of a Southern summer when Battle’s new timber mill had just started up. It was in the middle of a heat wave, and I was eight months pregnant with twin boys, finding myself clambering up catwalks to get the perfect shots of the mill in action.

This recent visit, in the middle of a freak cold snap in early January that brought snow and ice to Georgia, I sat with Tommy for the better part of two hours talking about life, his great love of the sawmill and how he got interested in taking machines designed for pine and making them work for hardwood, laughing along the way at the times someone told him he was out of his damned mind for trying this or that.

We, the editorial board, have had our eye on Tommy for several years as a possible Person of the Year. After calling around the industry and doing some research, we voted unanimously to pass the honor to him. And I once again found myself lucky enough to tell the story of another great person and his family making a difference not only in the industry but in their community.

Maybe our society is losing some traditions, but Timber Processing certainly isn’t losing its annual award—that’s why I am proud to say we’re adding TP the deserving name of Tommy Battle as number 30 on the list.

Contact Jessica Johnson, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail: jessica@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING

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NEWSFEED ATLANTA CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS CLT, MASS TIMBER ed up a mass plywood panel (MPP) plant in Lyons, Ore. Freres touts MPP as an alternative product to CLT. MPP uses veneer/plywood in its makeup.

Rob Freres, executive vice president, will present “From Rob Freres Tyler Freres Steve Lieberman Karl Aicher Bob Glowinski Concept to Plant Opening, A Learning Experience: Mass Cross laminated timber and mass timber construction will Plywood Panel Manufacturing in Oregon.” Tyler Freres, vice be the subject of one of the sessions at the Panel & Engipresident of sales, will speak on “The Technologies Behind neered Lumber International Conference & Expo to be held Mass Plywood Panel Manufacturing.”

April 13-14 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Ga. The Saturday morning keynote session will also include The event, which is held every other year, is produced Bob Glowinski, president and CEO of American Wood Counby Panel World magazine, an affiliate of Timber Processcil. He’ll address mass timber construction as part of his talk, ing magazine.

“Rising to New Opportunities: Regulations for Increased On the second morning of the conference, Saturday, April Wood Construction.”

14, two representatives of IB X-LAM USA and two from FrKicking off the Saturday morning session will be Roger eres Lumber will give presentations on their respective proTutterow, Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State Unijects and products. versity, who is highly regarded for his economics and housIB X-LAM USA is building a cross laminated timber ing forecast models. plant in Dothan, Ala. Steve Lieberman, Senior Product EnCost for attendance to the second day of the conference, ingineer, will speak on “Cross Laminated Timber Manufaccluding a food function, is $299. It includes access to all of the turing in the Southeast U.S.,” and Karl Aicher, Operations speaking sessions, to the exhibit floor in the Grand Ballroom Manager, IB X-Lam USA, will talk about “Cross Laminated North and to a special brunch that will celebrate the 10th anTimber Facility Startup.” niversary of the event.

The IB X-LAM plant will be the first CLT plant in the The cost to attend the Saturday sessions, walk the exhibit world that uses southern pine lumber. foor but not participate in the brunch is $150.

Oregon-based Freres Lumber, which operates sawmill Visit www.pelice-expo.com, or e-mail Ashley Whitus, ashand veneer and plywood plants, has already built and start- ley@hattonbrown.com, to register or for more information.

USNR PURCHASES MID-SOUTH USNR has acquired consulting and engineering firm, Mid-South Engineering. “This marks a significant step forward for both companies, reinforcing and building upon both USNR’s and MidSouth’s capabilities for the execution of large scale turnkey projects,” USNR states.

For decades USNR has delivered turnkey projects to its customers around the world, but it has not had all of the internal resources it felt it needed to manage and run multiple turnkey projects on a large scale. “We’re taking the extensive experience, expertise, capabilities and knowledge about the industry that both USNR and Mid-South pos6

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sess, and establishing a combined force that can build a better result for our customers,” USNR says.

USNR and Mid-South have worked together on sawmill and plywood mill projects for many years. MidSouth is a large full-service consulting engineering company, established in 1969. It employs more than 100 multi-disciplined personnel, with a particular expertise around the building products industry. The company is based in Hot Springs, Ark. and has offices near Raleigh, NC and Bangor, Maine.

Mid-South’s services fall into the categories of engineering, project development, project management and construction. Its extensive list of services include mechanical engineering and design, indus-

trial project planning and development, electrical engineering, project management, production process development, civil engineering, construction, and structural engineering.

The company boasts a who’swho of clients in the lumber and panel industries.

Mid-South is also well versed in projects relating to biomass, pellets, power generation, pulp and paper, and mining.

USNR has four manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada, and Sweden, and more than a dozen regional engineering, service and sales offices across North America and Europe.

Employing around 1,000 worldwide, USNR is best known for providing end-toend solutions for sawmills and planer mills, including log lines, curve-sawing gangs,

edger lines, trim-sort-stack systems, dry kilns, and the optimization and control technologies to maximize the output and performance of that equipment. USNR is also known for its Söderhamn Eriksson debarker, sawlines, and high-speed edger systems, and its Coe- and Ventekbranded products used in the manufacture of plywood and other panel products.

“There is a trend in the industry toward more interest in turnkey capital projects,” USNR states. “Wood processors are looking to concentrate more of their efforts on their business, their products and markets. They want to take less of a hands-on approach to project execution and let experts take care of the details.”

While USNR and MidSouth will collaborate on

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NEWSFEED many projects, Mid-South will still be available to serve its clients as an independent consultant. Similarly, USNR will be able to work with other engineering firms according to customer preference.

SIMONDS, BURTON FORM SAW GIANT Major cutting tools companies Simonds International and Burton Saw have merged and formed, Wood Fiber Holdings, Inc. This new entity will operate in the U.S. and Canada with 12 facilities located in the major wood fiber regions of North America.

All products and customers segments currently served by Burton, Simonds and B.G.R. Saws will continue uninterrupted during the integration

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process and thereafter.

Ray Martino, president and CEO of Simonds, comments, “This merger will combine the two leading companies in our industry with a deep history of product innovation, quality products and customer focused organizations providing value-added services to our customers. The cultures of the two companies are similar and will strengthen our service to the industry. The Burton, Simonds and B.G.R. brands are prominent in the industry and will remain a core part of the combined company in the future.”

Craig Tompkins, president and CEO of Burton Saw, adds, “The merger brings together the strengths of two great companies with a common goal, efficient and inno-

vative solutions to the industry we serve. The products and services offered by the merger will enable both companies to go beyond current offerings and bring a complete solution through products, services and equipment that reflect the needs of the marketplace.”

Simonds International and BGR merged in May 2017.

Burton Saw acquired Cut Technologies in 2015.

NOT SO FAST, MY FRIENDS Rentech’s previously reported sale of its chip mill manufacturer and operator business under Fulghum Fibres to an affiliate of Scott Davis Co. apparently ran into a snag. Rentech had reported the agreement along with an

announcement that Rentech had filed for bankruptcy. But as the agreement entered the official disclosure and approval process with the bankruptcy court, The Price Companies, Inc., which is also a chip mill operator and contractor, filed an objection with the court in January, contesting Rentech’s disclosure statements for not containing enough information on the transaction, why certain affiliate properties of Rentech had filed for bankruptcy and some hadn’t, and why it would be acceptable for Rentech to sell Fulghum Fibres for $2 million less than what The Price Companies reports it had earlier offered to buy Fulghum Fibres.

The Price Companies, based in Monticello, Ark., referred to itself as a creditor of Rentech in the objection. A court hear-

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NEWSFEED ing was expected to be held on the objection in late January.

Rentech had reported that its subsidiary had sold the Fulghum Fibres business to an affiliate of Scott Davis Chip Co., Inc. of Brent, Ala., subject to specified closing conditions including the approval of the bankruptcy court, for $28 million, including the assumption of $20 million of debt.

Scott Davis Chip Co. is a family owned business that operates a chip mill, trucking firm and other assets.

Rentech purchased Fulghum Fibres in 2013 for $112 million, including 32 wood chip mills, six of which were in South America.

Rentech also reported that its subsidiary had sold its New England Wood Pellet business to Lignetics of New England, Inc., a subsidiary of Lignetics,

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Inc., for $33 million, again subject to approval of the court. Lignetics is the largest residential wood pellet manufacturing company in the U.S. Rentech acquired New England Wood Pellet and its three pellet manufacturing facilities in 2014 for $35 million.

CANADA NOT SITTING STILL Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, announced that Canada has begun legal challenges under NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and through WTO (World Trade Organization), contesting the U.S. government imposition of countervailing and dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber companies

that export softwood lumber to the U.S. “U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber are unfair, unwarranted and troubling,” Freeland says. “They are harmful to Canada’s lumber producers, workers and communities, and they add to the cost of home building, renovations and other projects for American middle-class families. Canada will also continue to engage with the U.S. Administration and with American legislators to come to a new agreement on softwood lumber.”

In November the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determined that the U.S. softwood lumber industry is materially injured by reason of imports of softwood lumber from Canada. This determination confirmed earlier rulings

by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce that Canadian softwood lumber is subsidized through Canada’s timber pricing policies and also sold in the U.S. at less than fair value, otherwise known as dumping.

The combined (subsidization and dumping) duty rates that Canadian companies must now pay range from 9% to 24% depending on the company. The U.S. government has instructed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from these importers based on the final rates.

In 2016, the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations (COALITION) petitioned the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission to restore the condi-

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NEWSFEED tions of fair trade in softwood lumber between the U.S. and Canada.

The COALITION members include: U.S. Lumber Coalition, Inc. (DC), Collum’s Lumber Products, L.L.C. (SC), Hankins, Inc. (MS), Potlatch Corp. (WA), Rex Lumber Co. (FL), Seneca Sawmill Co. (OR), Sierra Pacific Industries (CA), Stimson Lumber Co. (OR), Swanson Group (OR), Weyerhaeuser Co. (WA), Carpenters Industrial Council (OR), Giustina Land and Timber Co. (OR), and Sullivan Forestry Consultants, Inc. (GA).

In 2016, imports of softwood lumber from Canada were valued at an estimated $5.66 billion.

A countervailable subsidy is financial assistance from foreign governments that benefits

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the production of goods from foreign companies.

“The massive subsidies that the Canadian government provides to its lumber industry and the dumping of lumber products into the U.S. market

by Canadian companies cause real harm to U.S. producers and workers,” says U.S. Lumber Coalition Co-Chair and Co-President of Pleasant River Lumber Co., Jason Brochu.

“Now, with a level playing field, the U.S. lumber industry, and the 350,000 hard-working men and women who support it can have the chance to compete fairly.”

The COALITION brought its petition in the immediate aftermath of the expiration of the 2006-2015 U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Trade Agreement, as the volume of imports from Canada surged in 2016

after the agreement expired.

The previous agreement had kicked in in 2006, when the Commerce Dept. dropped the collection of countervailing and dumping duties (as much as 27%) that had been ongoing for more than four years. The agreement allowed the Canadian government to charge an export tax on softwood lumber bound for the U.S. The sevenyear agreement also allowed for a two-year renewal, which is what happened into 2015.

The previous agreement called for Canadian softwood lumber exporters to pay an export charge when the price of lumber was at or below US$355 per MBF based on the Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price.

They could choose one of two options. Option A called for an export charge with the charge

varying with price. Option B was an export charge plus volume restraint, where both the rate and volume restraint varied with the price. Export charge revenues collected by the Government of Canada were distributed to the provinces.

Following the expiration of that agreement, as part of that agreement, a 12-month standstill period kicked in when no trade actions could be taken.

When that period expired and no ensuing agreement was struck, the COALITION petitioned the Commerce Dept., leading to the recent duty impositions.

The U.S.-Canada softwood lumber dispute goes back to at least the Great Depression, and really gained steam in the early 1980s, resulting in a series of petitions, rulings ➤ 23

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WAY

OFLIFE

By Jessica Johnson

A Southern lumberman personified, Tommy Battle, President of Battle Lumber Co., has been named the 2018 Timber Processing Person of the Year.

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WADLEY, Ga. ommy Battle, a quiet family man who spends his days serving his community and managing his family sawmill legacy, is in line with most designated Timber Processing Persons of the Year. Battle says he doesn’t feel worthy of the award. Instead he deflects to his late father, his close family business partners and his employees. Battle says he’s envious of real self-made men, like his father, Wayne, and other local industry notables such as the late Billy Cooper

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of Cooper Machine and close family friend, the late Tommy Fulghum of Fulghum Industries.

“These men started from nothing and built it from the ground up,” Battle says.

“I was fortunate enough to have a stable foundation to build upon thanks to the hard work and dedication of my family.

From the start it was always my desire to take our foundation, grow it into a cutting-edge sawmill powerhouse and hand it down to the next generation to keep it moving forward.”

He adds that sharing the same love

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Battle leaned on Piche to push the envelope with its new trim/sort line in the timbers mill.

and devotion of equipment and sawmilling as his father has provided fuel to accomplish this.

The importance of the strong generational ties to the business is something Battle often speaks of—with more than 10 family members scattered through all aspects of the company. His eldest son, Thomas, serves as Operations Manager, while younger son Drew is a company forester. Battle feels that he has family members in key positions within the company to fuel sustainability and growth.

In this current age of Southern sawmills being sold to large corporate operations, Battle answers to the question of the possibility of selling his family run operations of more than 55 years: “I never dismiss the idea, but this is a way of life for our family.”

In this small town of Wadley, the sawmill, which is the largest employer, keeps the family ties here and together.

A change in ownership would certainly change the Battle family dynamic. Battle adds, “Maybe our mills have reached the

The McDonough horizontal opposing twin resaw was an “out of the box” project for Battle Lumber’s hardwood mill.

point that they could be sold, and we could do well, but there would be a lot that went into that decision. We are a tight knit family operation, so a decision like that would be a family decision.”

For Battle, 57, the sawmill is not just his job, it’s his hobby. And he says after nearly 10 years of having the third generation in the business, it appears to be their hobby, too. Something both generations learned from patriarch Wayne.

Battle remembers spending most Saturday mornings waking before sunrise to head out with his father going to sawmill auctions, buying old pieces of equipment and refurbishing them, a tradition he carried on through his childhood and early years as a sawmiller himself.

Above: From left, Tommy Battle with sons Thomas and Drew

These days Tommy spends a significant amount of time in the office, but his love is out in the sawmill, overseeing the manufacturing of lumber. While machines and technology may have changed over the decades, this sawmill blooded boy has grown into a man who will forever enjoy striving to find new solutions to the common concerns and challenges of sawing hardwood.

“My father started the business in 1962, and I was born in ’60,” Battle explains. When high school graduation came in 1978, Wayne asked his son what he wanted to do for a living, even though both knew what the answer would be. Instead of college, Battle attended lumber grading school in Memphis, Tenn. for

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The Battle family is as big and tight-knit as they come: From left, Rob Swan (Tommy’s nephew); Johnny Dale (Tommy’s nephew); Bob Swan (Tommy’s brother-in-law); Kristin Dale (Tommy’s niece); Craig Miller (Tommy’s brother-in-law); Tommy; Thomas (Tommy’s son); Mandy (Tommy’s daughter-in-law); and Drew (Tommy’s son).

three months. After completion, Battle returned home to start working full-time at Battle Lumber Co., which at the time was a relatively small grade mill and a medium sized pallet manufacturer.

Now, Battle Lumber cuts 175MMBF annually, including 75MMBF with its traditional hardwood grade mill and 90100MMBF (30% being pine) from what the Battles refer to as the timber mill, which Battle Lumber built and started up in 2014. Battle credits an uptick in production yield to the influx of new technology invested in the sawmill, something the younger generation was certainly a driving force behind.

While the idea of constructing a new sawmill was something that the Battles had been discussing for some time, the drive and motivation of the younger generation to expand the company’s presence in the industrial lumber and timber markets pushed Tommy to once again push the limits of technology and design a hardwood sawmill unlike any other in the South.

“I remember at a family dinner (a regular Monday night occurrence at the Battle household) my two sons telling me that we had to think outside the box and that is what we did. We wanted to take proven sawmill technology in the pine 16

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world and use it to produce hardwood lumber and timbers in a very high volume and high yield manner,” Battle says.

GROWTH Well before the timber mill was even a whisper, the business had to grow beyond being a small grade mill. Battle’s brother-in-law, Craig Miller, joined the company soon after Battle did and helped to guide and grow the company’s pallet business through the ’80s and to what it is today. Following the expanded pallet side, Battle says the company saw the need to expand its grade hardwood lumber presence and in the early 1990s installed dry kilns, which led to exporting lumber by the mid-1990s. Tommy’s second brother-in-law, Bob Swan, would join the company along this time as Battle Lumber pushed to grow its grade and export markets. Swan would later take over as VP of the Pallet Operations.

For Battle, the growth opportunities in hardwood production have been the natural driver to grow the business. Demand for products and production yield quickly outpaced the log availability. Battle estimates that if the mill was still only cutting 30,000 feet a day, procurement would still be on a 60-mile radius. How-

ever, production bumps closer to 500,000 feet a day have forced procurement 200 miles out from the mill with four supplemental log yards, each located 100-150 miles from Wadley.

Continuing with the desire to grow all aspects of the company but being conscious of the ever-growing hardwood log supply radius, Battle has begun cutting some pine as well. “We are currently in a good area for buying pine timber and there seems to be stable demand for pine pallets,” he adds. Battle Lumber is currently producing pine pallets out of its lumber production along with chasing a few niche markets. “We aren’t trying to compete on the standard dimensional pine products,” Battle says.

NUTS, BOLTS While Battle certainly has his hands full with managing two sawmills, a pallet assembly operation and dry kiln complex, he is never content. He sees potential growth in the pine production and pallet operation. He has his eye on some European technology with advanced robotic in addition to his new Viking machines to aid in this pallet growth.

For the mill overall, Battle says the next major capital expenditure planned is

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Battle Lumber installed a TS Manufacturing multi-tier stacking system in 2016.

an automated log bucking line. This may be the next major capital improvement but there is never a lack of in-house projects that the Battle team is working on.

Since Battle himself is very hands on with equipment design and layout, the company does not have an in-house engineer, electing to use Arkansas-based Tinsley Consulting when the need arises.

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“We don’t see the point in spending money to get even with our competition; we try to get out of the box, think way ahead and do something that puts us ahead of the rest,” Battle says.

He points to the new timber mill and its sharp chain line as an example. When Omega installed the sharp chain in Wadley, no one else in the Southeast was

cutting hardwood logs on a sharp chain.

But for Battle, his whole career has been framed around the latest technology and making it work for hardwood. He remembers the first time he approached his father about installing a curve-sawing gang, even though no one was doing it.

“I explained to him what it was doing, how it was sawing. And he told me, ‘There is no way, there is just no damn way. Have you lost your mind?’”

The Battle crew loaded up with good friend and Hi-Tech Engineering salesman Chris Taylor and traveled to North Carolina to see one running. Battle recalls, “We sat on the catwalk and watched these two-sided logs going through the machine, the box was wiggling, and the lumber came out bowed then relaxed flat. It blew our mind.” The Battles returned to Georgia and made plans to purchase their own curve-sawing gang for its big log hardwood mill.

“We’ve had a few 0001 and 0002 serial numbers on our equipment,” Battle says.

“Although this wasn’t one of the first curve saws, it was one of the few designed around cutting solely hardwood.”

Battle says their success in pushing the limits of hardwood sawing technology is a testament to their vendors.

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Among some of the more out of the box projects, Battle installed an Omega Solutions sharp chain to cut hardwoods in 2014.

“You’ve got to have confidence in who you are working with and share the same desire to succeed,” he says.

Because of the effort and thinking put into the mills, Battle believes their production lines are on the cutting edge of available technology. That doesn’t mean he’s satisfied though.

When the last phase of the timber mill

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was completed, its Piche trim/sort line was installed with USNR BioLuma scanning on it. After a year and a half, Battle made the decision to upgrade to a BioLuma Vision system from USNR, which is proven technology in the pine market. Battle, seeing the opportunity to develop a grade scanner for hardwood, decided that the rewards far outweighed

the risk. In conjunction with USNR the two groups are aiming to gather data and develop a system that can grade both hardwood and pine.

In that same mill, Battle is installing SiCam Systems behind its Cone-Omega canter gang system to verify sawing accuracy. Over the years Battle has used different methods of QC consisting of

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both manual measuring and automated measuring systems but is excited about the potential of what SiCam can deliver.

“Producing the amount of lumber that we produce in our mills, quality and accuracy monitoring are very important.

Even the best, most well-kept equipment in the world gets out of alignment or adjustment from time to time.”

Battle handles most of its construction and equipment maintenance inhouse in collaboration with its longterm partner Purvis Construction.

Barfield Electrical and A-Line Alignment Services have also been heavily involved in recent upgrades and expansions. Battle speaks highly of all equipment vendors that help them push the limits, including, TMT, TS Manufacturing, Piche, Baxley Equipment, ACS Controls, Logitex, Salem Equipment, McDonough, USNR and many others.

“Without good relationships with your vendors successful projects are more difficult,” Battle emphasizes.

Lumber employee, serves as Mill Manager of the grade mill. Bob’s oldest son, Rob Swan, is in pallet sales. Controller Tim Lumpkin, who is like family but not blood, serves as an integral part of dayto-day office operations.

“Family runs pretty deep around here,” Battle says, but it’s not just the Battle family that has deep sawmill roots. A husband-wife-son team, Rusty, Teresa and Stephen Logue, oversee kiln-dried lumber sales and dry kiln operations. “We have a lot of employees that are second and third generation Battle Lumber sawmillers.”

With a third generation coming in fullforce, Battle says he feels that to be his next challenge: Maintaining what they have and growing it into something new; grooming them to carry on.

CHALLENGES “Like all family owned companies and all sawmills for that matter, we have all faced difficult times and challenges,” Battle says. “There are economic downturns, raw material shortages, byproducts challenges that greatly impact our ➤ 66

FAMILY FIRST Tommy recalls one Saturday morning when the land clearing for the new timber mill was under way and he was overseeing the progress. His father pulled up and asked, “Are you sure we need to do this?

We already have a lot of sawmill capacity and a lot to look after.” Tommy replied, “Daddy, you said you wanted a company large and strong enough for all of your grandchildren to have a place to work if they chose to, and with that I don’t know about you but I’m not ready to retire or cut my pay!” Wayne simply laughed and said, “You better get to work!”

In all seriousness, Battle says, the family business has given the family an excellent opportunity to stay together and make an impact in their community.

Ten family members work in the day to day operations including Tommy’s mother, Rebecca, who is still secretary/treasurer of the company.

Tommy serves as President and CEO, a role he officially took on in 2015 when Wayne died. Craig Miller, married to Tommy’s older sister, Teresa, holds the position of VP and CFO; and Bob Swan, who’s married to Tommy’s younger sister, Laura, serves as VP of Pallet Operation. Thomas, oldest son, serves in the capacity of Operations Manager. Drew, youngest son, is one of the leading procurement foresters. Thomas’ wife, Mandy, is in accounts payable. Craig’s daughter, Kristin, oversees export documentation. Kristin’s husband, Johnny Dale, who is a third generation Battle TIMBER PROCESSING

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NEWSFEED 12 ➤ and agreements, the course of which also brought in the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Miss., producing a combined 575MMBF annually.

Rex Lumber, founded in the 1920s by W.D. McRae, continues to be owned and operated by the Finley McRae family of Graceville.

REX LUMBER NEARS SAWMILL DECISON Rex Lumber, headquartered in Graceville, Fla., was expected to announce in late January where it would locate a $110 million greenfield sawmill in the Southeast. The company had looked at several sites for the mill, which will have a minimum annual production of 240MMBF of southern yellow pine.

Rex currently operates three sawmills, two in the Florida Panhandle at Graceville and Bristol, Fla. and one in Brookhaven,

ENVIVA PLANS MORE EXPANSION Giant wood pellet producer Enviva is purchasing the Colombo Energy wood pellet production plant in Greenwood, SC, and has plans to develop and construct wood pellet plants and deep-water marine terminals in the Southeastern U.S. to serve growing Asian and European electricity markets.

Enviva confirmed it planned to develop a deep-water marine terminal at the Port of

Pascagoula, Miss. and build at least two additional wood pellet production facilities.

The first investment will be the acquisition of the Greenwood (Colombo Energy) plant and related assets from The Navigator Company, S.A., a large Portuguese paper and pulp company.

Enviva is also currently constructing a wood pellet plant in Hamlet, NC. Enviva already operates six wood pellet plants in the Southeast that produce nearly 3 million metric tons for export.

GEORGIA TECH THINKING CLT The timber industry, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are

teaming with the University of Georgia Tech to design and build better portable housing for overseas troops.

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the project will explore ways to utilize cross-laminated timber products in the construction of temporary barracks.

The proposed CLT designs use less energy for heating and cooling, and the bunker will be far easier to disassemble and relocate. Both are key attributes for military housing, along with providing adequate protection for troops.

The research team, along with the Georgia Forestry Foundation and WoodWorks Wood Products Council, hosted a symposium in September at Georgia Tech on design and construction using mass timber from the Southeast.

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OBSTACLES

OVERCOME

McDonough resaw installed several years ago greatly enhanced mill flow.

By Jay Donnell

Three floods since 2006 haven’t stopped Diaz Forest Products and its affiliates from continuing to evolve in Pennsylvania.

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M KINGSLEY, Pa.

other nature can often be unkind and Diaz Forest Products knows that first hand.

When a flood occurred at the Diaz Forest Products sawmill in Kinglsey back in 2011 (the second flood since 2006) it obviously created a lot of turmoil and the water level nearly reached five feet in the mill.

It flooded all of the motors, thousands of dollars in equipment needed to be replaced or repaired and obviously a massive cleanup effort was required. After a week of shutdown and rebuilding, the

unthinkable happened, another flood, more cleanup and repair.

It has now been six years since the last flood and the company is going strong.

Its mill manager, Bill Ord, has been with the company since it began. “This is the only nine acres I’ve ever worked on my whole life,” he says.

Ord’s grandfather moved to this region of Pennsylvania in the 1950s and got into the sawmill business at a small operation called Wickizer Lumber Company. Under Ord’s father the company changed its name to Cornerstone Forest Products in the late ’80s and is now known as Diaz Forest Products after

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Logs don’t stay on the yard long before they’re fed to the mill.

Diaz FP offers resale logs in a variety of species.

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Adam Diaz, President and founder of The Diaz Companies, an eight company conglomerate based in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, who bought the business and started the mill back up again in May 2009.

Today Diaz Forest Products produces more than 30,000 bd. ft. per day as it continues to weather the storm, literally, in Kingsley. The past year was extremely wet in that part of the country and it slowed down loggers in the area. Luckily Diaz FP avoided any flooding this time from the adjacent Roaring Creek.

PRODUCTION The operation concentrates on several premium northern hardwood species: red maple, ash, cherry, hard (sugar) maple, red oak and white oak in a variety of grades and thickness, with emphasis on 4/4 commons with a little FAS&BTR, along with 6/4 or 8/4 depending on the markets. It also offers resale logs such as basswood, hickory, poplar, birch and walnut and veneer grade logs. Diaz employs a full time timber buyer, Shawn Galvin.

Logging in the area has declined of late making it difficult, though still manageable, to get logs to the mill. “Loggers

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Bill Ord, left, knows the sawmill like a brother. At right is head sawyer Robert Kamansky.

have definitely decreased since 2009,” Ord explains. “The number of loggers that work full time as loggers has dwindled greatly. In the winter time they log, but in the summers they might do stone or excavation. They’re not the typical logger that is looking for timber constantly, but there are still a handful that do it full-time.”

Log inventory levels fluctuate, but the mill is flexible. Logs typically stay on the site for no more than three to four weeks. “Where we are right now it’s low, but it’s manageable,” Ord says.

“We’ve only turned people away on two different occasions when we were so full we had to slow them down and send them someplace else. That’s a very diffi-

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cult thing to do because loggers have a long memory.”

From the log yard, a John Deere 544K loader moves logs and feeds the mill.

Logs move through an ‘06 HMC 2116 rosserhead debarker and to a double cut bandmill headrig with an ‘02 63 in. Pinheiro bandmill and HMC carriage. A 2013 54 in. McDonough Airstrain resaw breaks down pieces that combine with pieces from the headrig to feed a 2002 Cornell 748 combo edger. They both feed a HMC trimmer and from there it goes out through the green chain.

Diaz Trucking handles the shipping of logs/lumber as most of what the company is producing goes to Diaz Manufacturing, which is a cabinet door and drawer manufacturing facility, and also runs dry kilns and a planer mill. The remainder goes to distribution yards of larger sawmill/dry kilns looking to complement their production.

A Yale 280 forklift loads the company’s Kenworth trucks and manages lumber inventory. A small Toyota 12,000 lb. tractor cleans out the mill.

An extensive inventory of byproducts for sale includes mulch, chips, pallet lumber, blocks and hemlock.

Head sawyer at Diaz Forest Products

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HMC trimmer completes green end processing.

is Robert Kamansky and he can basically do anything that needs to be done in the mill. Ord himself is the main mechanic and Brian Ritter also serves as mechanic as well as operating machinery. It’s a close-knit group, as Kamansky and Ritter were classmates, not only with each other, but with the owner, Adam Diaz.

The filing room contains all Armstrong equipment, including two #4 grinders, a left and right, and a #5 stretcher/roller bench. Sean Dunn is the filer. They do about one-third to one-half of their own fiing with the rest going to G&M Bandsaw near Williamsport.

The company employs 14 and works

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four 10-hour shifts on week days. The mill starts up at 6:30 each morning and Ord runs forklifts and loads trucks until 9 before returning to his office to manage his reports. He then becomes the chief mechanic.

In 2013 they replaced a 1960 54 in.

McDonough resaw with a new 54 in.

McDonough resaw. “It was a safety production investment,” Ord says. “It updated the mill a lot because the 1960 would break down a lot.”

There has been talk of updating their Cornell edger, but that is still in the works. “Our drop belt cant catcher combination is a little undersized for our production,” Ord explains.

If markets continue to improve then Ord is very confident in the direction of the mill going forward, but he also knows that if the company goes through another session like the one back in 2009 it can be a big hill to climb. “The lumber industry is different than a lot of industries because of the market fluctuation,” Ord says.

OWNER DIAZ Adam Diaz formed Diaz Companies back in 2000 as a Bluestone manufacturer and distributor with a handful of em-

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Pinheiro bandmill and HMC carriage are reliable tandem.

ployees. He has now expanded his business to include many different industries including cabinet door manufacturing, land and property management, forest products, waste disposal services, triaxle services and a variety of services related to the natural gas industry. Diaz’s companies employ more than 250, which

consists of mostly local Kinglsey area residents.

Diaz serves on the Susquehanna County Economic Development board, the Executive Committee for Endless Mountain health systems and the Montrose Chamber of Commerce. His efforts have been very important for the com-

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munity. The jobs he has which results in a solid brought to the area have working environment and been key to the economic the future looks bright for growth.

Diaz Forest Products.

In 2013 Diaz was awardThe mill should have no ed the Northern Tier Enproblem hiring new employtrepreneur of the Year ees as they look to expand in honor as well as the Jobs the future. Mill Manager First Award.

Ord is one of the most “Diaz Companies is a loknowledgeable people cally owned and operated you’ll meet in a sawmill and business in my legislative he knows this one like the district in Susquehanna back of his hand. He creates County,” comments Sandra a nice work environment Major, state representative, and it’s noticeable on the 111th District. “The compamill floor. He remains pasny has a strong reputation sionate about producing for providing goods and ser- Diaz Transport moves much of the sawmill lumber to affiliate Diaz Manulumber. “I still like watching vices to local residents and a log getting broken down. I facturing, a nearby value-added facility. business community. They like to see nice boards that employ many people and contributed range of market fluctuations. are well trimmed and well edged.” greatly to the growing economy.”

Everything was in place for Diaz as For a 14-man operation, the company When Cornerstone Forest Products had the mill was only shut down for a few is doing just fine. Technology improveto close its doors in 2009 Diaz saw an opmonths before he purchased it. He knew ments have allowed for the mill to run portunity to run a successful sawmill and some of the employees because he’s more efficiently and strong management took it. He kept four employees from the from the area so it was a natural fit. practices have led to a foundation of hard previous workforce, which included Ord Eight years later the company appears work. Sawmills can have good times and and which was a smart move on Diaz’s to be doing well, but everybody involved bad times, but in order for them to surpart. Ord had worked in that sawmill since knows they’re a bad hit by Mother Navive, there has to be a solid foundation in he got out of high school, running a loader, ture away from having a real issue. Emplace and that’s exactly what they have TP and had seen the mill experience the total ployees stay upbeat and positive though, at Diaz Forest Products.

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MACKEYS FERRY

SECONDLOOK

Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in Roper, NC was featured in the December issue.

Thirty years after they acquired the mill, the Jones family owners say they have finally upgraded it to their satisfaction, while continuing to build on their hardwood lumber export markets. Given that, a few more photos of the operation are a must. (Jessica Johnson photos)

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Collum’s Lumber Products: American As You’ll Find

By May Donnell ALLENDALE, SC ollum’s Lumber Products in Allendale, South Carolina takes pride in treating its customers like royalty but did you know the company’s founder, U.W. Collum, actually is descended from royalty? His sixth great-grandmother was Lady Janet Jean Campbell of Scotland, the daughter of Archibald Campbell, the 8th Earl of Argyll.

If it all sounds very glamorous, it isn’t.

Some 330 years ago in 1685, in County Argyll, Lady Janet’s brother, the 9th Earl of Argyll, was beheaded for leading a rebellion against King James II. Their father had done the same sort of thing 20 years earlier and received the exact same punishment.

Enter John Neil McCollum (then sometimes spelled McCallum), son of Lady Janet and her husband, Blevin McCollum.

As punishment for helping his Uncle Archibald with the rebellion, John, who would later be referred to as “Old John,” was banished from Scotland and shipped off to be a laborer on the king’s plantation in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Lady Janet, with her father, brother and likely her husband Blevin dead, came along as well.

How many years John McCollum labored on the plantation is not known but he eventually married Mary Bern and had a son, John. Old John died in 1760 at age 103 and penned his own colorful epithet, which can still be read on his gravestone in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church cemetery:

C

“You old, you young, you middle aged, Great & Small. Take my advice; I once was young and many days did see, I died when old, no age from Death being free. I’m now (entombed), in Earth’s dark cavern lie, Conquered by Death.

Make ready all to die.”

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Somewhere over the next generation the family dropped its “Mc” and became

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known as Collum.

Old John’s grandson, William Henry Collum, served for a time as a private in the Continental Army and, according to family records, was granted a parcel of land in Pennsylvania as payment. But like many in the early days of expansion, William sold his property and came South where lands were beginning to open up to white settlers.

After a time in Wilkes County, North Carolina, the Collums kept heading south. By 1778, the family had made it to South Carolina. According to the U.S. Census of 1800, William Henry and his wife, Catherine, and two children were living in the Edgefield District of South Carolina, which was a vast farming area not yet carved into counties. They might have tried their hand at cotton, as did most of their neighbors, but the family owned no slaves.

The first Uriah Collum on record was William Henry’s first child. Uriah married Jamima Johns when he was just 15 years old and the two remained in the Edgefield District until his untimely death at age 33. In his will, he left 110 acres of land “lying (near the) Chinquepin waters of the nearby Lexington District and one feather bed” to his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who no doubt assumed the care of her younger brothers, including two-year-old Uriah Maxwell Collum, after their mother, Jamima, died that same year. The family moved to this inherited land in the Lexington District, near Batesburg, sometime later.

Like his third great-grandfather, “Old John,” Uriah Maxwell left a long colorful epithet on his gravestone in the Gunter family cemetery near Batesburg.

It reads in part: “He was a Deacon of the Baptist Church, a good neighbor, a kind and loving Husband and loving Father.

Servant of God, well done!

Rest from they loved employ!

The battle fought, the victory won, Enter they Master’s joy.”

Uriah Maxwell Collum died in 1870, when the youngest of his eight children, Samuel, was only six years old. It was a rough start for Samuel, having been born with a war going on. Samuel likely stayed on to help his widowed mother run the family farm. He married Sarah Cornelia Hite in 1896 at age 32. When Samuel’s mother died five years later, the local newspaper had the following to say:

Aeriel view of Allendale site, mid-1970s; at right is the same site before the sawmill was constructed.

“Harriet Collum, an aged and highly esteemed Christian lady…had reached the age of 84 years and had been a member of the Baptist Church since the days of her childhood.”

COLLUM’S LUMBER Samuel and Sarah Cornelia’s son, Uriah William Collum (the third Uriah in the line), is listed in the 1930 U.S. Census as an independent lumber salesman.

Apparently, he was a success. He opened his own planer mill in Batesburg in 1936 just a year before his father, Samuel, passed away. This was the official beginning of Collum’s Lumber, which started with around 20 employees. But according to a 1951 article in the local newspaper U. W. started in some aspect of lumber business as early as 1921.

Upon his retirement in 1951, U.W. gathered his employees at the mill and gave a lengthy and impressive farewell speech:

Uriah W. Collum put the company on the “lumber map” in Batesville.

“I want to thank each of you for the fine cooperation you have given me during the thirty years I have been here in what I commonly called the mudhole.

“We have never accomplished anything spectacular but have tried to keep the business in a healthy position, using as our rule, ‘be very, very careful what you promise, and then do on time as near as possible what you promised.’

“If it were possible for me to go over these same thirty years again, with the experiences I have had, selling lumber as low as $7 per M feet in lots to as high as

Mitchell Scott led the development of the company’s first sawmill in Allendale.

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John McCollum was kicked out of Scotland and forced into labor for the royal family in New Jersey.

$95 per M feet for the same grade of pine lumber, together with some labor trouble and threatening lawsuits, I would still choose the lumber game, where I could hear the hum of the planer and sing of the saws.

“My earnest request is that each of you, both white and colored, treat each other with courtesy, which will promote a good working team. I do not know anything better to promote this than to attend some religious service at least once a week.

“In closing I will acknowledge that my errors and mistakes have been many, and you will surely have differences to arise which can usually be settled provided both parties will control their tempers and stop to think.”

And he made it official that he was passing the reins of the business to Mitchell Leon Scott, his son-in-law. Belinda Collum had married Mitchell Scott, who was part of a Tennessee timber family (the Wakefields). Uriah Willam Collum had married local girl Cora Shealy around 1926 and their daughter Belinda came along in 1927. Belinda passed away this past November 19.

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Micky Scott, shown here in 1988, and his two brothers have spearheaded tremendous growth at Collum’s Lumber.

The mill today is flirting with 200MMBF annual production.

In 1959, Mitchell built the first Collum’s sawmill in nearby Allendale and in 1966, the company moved its headquarters there. Mitchell and Belinda’s three sons, Hank, Micky and Bill, joined the company in the 1970s and Micky’s two sons, Jake and Justin, and Hank’s daughter, Kimberli, came on board in the late 2000’s.

The family continued to expand the southern pine mill through the years, continuing to implement the latest lumber processing technologies, particularly since

2000. Today the fourth generation familyowned company has 245 employees and is one of the leading producers of southern yellow pine lumber with production of 190 million BF per year. The Allendale site comprises a sawmill, planer mill, dry kilns, pole mill, reman facility, treating plant and is a major producer and exporter of chips.

The Scott family marked 80 years in business in 2016 with a picnic and employee appreciation day. By all accounts, it was a celebration that would make their royal ancestors proud.

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COLLABORATION

FOREST SERVICE IN 2018

differences between what is law and what is policy within the agency itself. Why is this important? It’s the difference between what isn’t possible and what is.

POLICY OR LAW?

By Russ Vaagen

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here has been plenty of news about what has been going on in Washington DC—some of it including federal land, but little to do with the Forest Service except for budgeting for forest fires. It doesn’t mean things haven’t been going on behind the scenes. With new leadership at the top, there seems to be some renewed optimism of accelerated management of our federal forests.

New Forest Service Chief, Tony Tooke, has been making good strides to empower his workforce to execute at a higher level within the laws that currently exist. We have seen an expanded use of retained receipts for planning and other actions that were discouraged in the past.

Conversations with forest level leadership has demonstrated an improved outlook of support from the highest levels.

This comes as great news to someone like myself who has been working closely with Forest Service collaboration. Collaborative groups throughout the West have enjoyed varying levels of support from regional and national leadership. One thing that’s been a challenge is to discern the

If we have leadership that actively reviews and alters policy to make management decisions more efficient, thus more effective, we can start to see real changes.

In many cases this can be done quickly.

Further, if leadership from the top starts to embrace the collaborative successes and build upon them we may be less reliant on Congress to pass effective reforms to achieve the pace and scale of needed forest restoration.

The other major benefit of altering policy necessary to make Forest Service management more effective is that we can focus on the real roadblocks rather than perceived. This will provide needed clarity. It is my belief that the Forest Service can affect management immediately by spending time focusing on the areas recognized of need. Doing this will allow us to get considerably more volume flowing to the mills without compromising the value of collaborative agreements. We might find that we can achieve the kind of results that people are demanding of legislation by simply making policy adjustments that create more action.

Our forests can provide us with the opportunity for ecological and economic vitality. They have before, and they will again. We should start the process of unlocking that opportunity by taking steps in a constant and diligent direction. Chief Tooke has shown that he understands that much of this opportunity lies right in front of him and his team. Making these changes in policy and supporting the implementation of such changes deserves

the support of the forest industry.

We must also be mindful of the problems we faced in the past. We all know that the overreaction of the environmental movement brought a large portion of the forest industry in the U.S. to its knees.

Many great family businesses were lost.

So many communities were devastated. If we don’t learn from that, we will be doomed to repeat it. We need to take the lead from our effective collaboration and design a long-term forest management plan that balances the many interests of the stakeholders on our public lands.

RIGHT-SIZING It’s time to build a right-sized industry that adds value to the byproducts of forest restoration. We need to discover what kinds of materials and how much will be generated over time with a new forest restoration program. Then it needs to align with the mills. These mills are the physical and financial tools needed to get our forests back to health. Many mills already exist, but more will be needed.

Much of this can be done by removing some of the self-imposed Forest Service policy constraints.

My desire is to see the private sector, collaborative groups, and the Forest Service come together to build upon our successes. We need to make projects scalable and adapt them to each unique landscape.

As we do this, we will be building a sustainable supply for the infrastructure of the future.

What does this future infrastructure look like? Many of the dimensional mills in the West are good indicators of what we need more of—mills focused on efficiently using small and medium sized logs. Many of the companies successfully engaged in collaboration and Forest Service contracts have already invested in necessary technologies for the future.

“We need to make projects scalable and adapt them to each unique landscape. As we do this, we will be building a sustainable supply for the infrastructure of the future.”

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COLLABORATION We will need to see this expand.

The mills that are in place need to be provided with enough supply to invest and expand. More success will provide the confidence to invest in areas currently devoid of milling infrastructure. This is the only way to finance wide scale forest restoration. This work should more than pay for itself and current focus needs to be paid to areas that generate the most retained receipts.

providing an incredible service to our public lands. It’s time the Forest Service recognizes that value and puts money and resources behind it.

If we can combine the efforts of collaboratives with new changes to policy, we might have a fighting chance to save our forests. The Forest Service seems like it’s starting to realize this. Chief Tony Tooke needs to continue to apply pressure and focus on changes to make the agency bet-

ter and more confident. Doing this immediately will show us what changes congress needs to make to effectively reTP store our forests.

Russ Vaagen is a third generation sawmiller with his family’s company, Vaagen Bros. Lumber, in Colville, Wash. He is also the founder of www.theforestblog.com that specializes in topics focused on collaboration and the state of forests and industry. E-mail him at: rvaagen@vaagenbros.com.

GROUP EFFORT These companies are also participating in successful collaborative groups. Companies in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana are all making serious headway by spending time with conservation groups and other interested stakeholders to come up with plans that work for everyone. This support is key for the long-term viability of an expanding infrastructure.

In my experience the collaborative groups are eager and ready to go further and faster than the Forest Service. The reasons for this are the typical ones: Not enough budget, not enough staff, waiting to hear back from the regional office, leadership changes. How many of these could be solved or improved with policy changes? Policy is part of it, but attitude is another. Even if we were to see wholesale changes passed in legislation, we still need these people to implement the work to create action.

The last 30 years has created a culture of risk aversion in the Forest Service.

We need to change that and inspire some confidence in people to make decisions and try new things. Collaborative groups have done much of this heavy lifting. We have seen solutions develop that are creating real log volume to mills. Now we need the Forest Service, at the highest levels, to help these collaboratives do more. The volunteer groups have been

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LOW

IMPACT By Dan Shell

Those forecasts of timber supply chain chaos made a decade ago are not coming to fruition.

R

emember those heady days a decade ago, when Green Circle and Dixie Pellets were the first two industrial wood pellet mills to start up in 2008? And soon after, a stream of similar projects were announced, kicked around and in some cases greenlighted, leading to today’s industry that features almost 20 export pellet mills scattered from Virginia to Texas in close proximity to Gulf and Mid Atlantic ports. The industry’s annual production is approaching 5 million tonnes with a collective annual capacity of 6 million tonnes.

As with any major natural resourcebased industrial expansion, there’s bound to be critical assessments from environmental groups, and the pellet industry has seen its share of ginned-up controversy from groups such as the Dogwood Alliance, which has made the most noise over pellet industry harvesting practices.

“For as long as I’ve been in the business, we have had these groups that hate the idea of industrial forestry,” says Dean McCraw, consulting forester and owner of McCraw Energy, who’s worked in Southern fiber management for decades.

“I never understood their campaign of lies and hatred for the industry, as the alternative to forestry is what?”

Yet despite such environmental concerns, recent research shows that after a

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A decade after the first export pellet plant started up, recent research shows the industry operates sustainably.

decade of operations and rapid expansion, the wood fuel pellet export industry has had minimal impact on Southeastern U.S. timber inventories and even less discernable impact on environmental quality.

Research released in 2017 and supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Center for BioEnergy Sustainability and other groups has shown the pellet industry, after a decade of operation and growth, is quite sustainable.

One paper, “Status and prospects for renewable energy using wood pellets from the southeastern United States,” covered a mountain of scientific studies and literature related to the question.

Findings show that pellet production accounted for only 2% of total tree harvest removals in 2014. Additional data shows pellet exports account for less than 1% of U.S. forest products by weight and less than .5% of total export value.

The research also shows that the biggest threat to Southern U.S. timber inventories isn’t logging, it’s land conversion to other uses. While logging can

produce short-term loss of carbon stock and habitat alteration, responsible management is always preferable to non-forest conversion.

Pellet production also provides a key market input by creating demand for lower value timber, which in turn gives landowners more incentive to manage for timber.

With the Forest Service projecting up to a 10% decline in forest area in the Southeastern U.S. by 2060 due to population growth, urban development and conversion to agricultural use, it’s important for landowners to have motivation to retain forested land, researchers say.

Researchers note that in response to future forest product market conditions landowners could go to shorter rotations, higher density planting or more frequent thinning that could affect carbon stock levels, but to date there’s no evidence of any change in stocking density trends according to Forest Service data for counties in areas of high pellet production.

Researchers also report that prices for bioenergy feedstocks are unlikely to in-

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Pellet demand motivates landowners to grow trees.

crease enough to drive major shifts in forest management because low-cost biomass is plentiful across the globe.

One indirect benefit of pellet demand is closer review of current practices by all stakeholders involved in the industry, and an ongoing monitoring of the effects of pellet industry harvests to ensure confidence in forest and habitat management systems.

In its final conclusion on the prospects of using Southeastern wood pellets for renewable energy, researchers stated, “The balance of evidence...suggests that current levels of wood pellet production in the SE USA have had a benign effect on forest ecosystem services.”

Another research study supported by the same groups looked at Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis annual survey data for two timber regions supplying pellet wood to mills feeding the ports of Chesapeake, Va. and Savannah, Ga., from 2002-2014. Both recorded timber inventory increases during that time, including more timber and plantation volume on the Chesapeake area, and larger carbon pools and more areas with large timber in the Savannah area. According to the study, “These results show that benefits accrue when sustainable forest management provides wood pellets for energy that keep fossil fuel in the ground.”

CERTIFICATION Jennifer Jenkins, Enviva Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, notes the Southeastern U.S. provides one-sixth of the timber used globally every year. Pellet producers source raw material as part of a much larger forest products market, and lower-grade material used for pellets generally takes a backseat to other landowner objectives.

“Landowners don’t manage and harvest forests for the lowest value product, which is biomass, and pellet demand does not drive harvest and management decisions,” she says.

“There is a positive relationship between rates of forest harvests on the one hand, and forest regrowth on the other,”

Timber inventories have grown since 2009.

Jenkins emphasizes. “This makes sense, because landowners respond to strong markets for forest products by planting more trees.” She adds that in the areas that supply Enviva’s mills, “Forest acreage and forest inventory have increased, not decreased, since we established our first U.S. plant.”

According to Seth Ginther, Executive Director of the U.S. Industrial Pellet Assn. (USIPA), “Sustainability is the cornerstone of our industry. As providers of renewable fuel, it is critical that we not only utilize sustainable raw material, but that we are able to demonstrate sustainability to our customers throughout the entire supply chain.”

Indeed, maintaining sustainable raw material procurement operations and certifying them through a third-party auditing system is crucial to European power markets, where most pellet exports are destined, and also to define fuel pellets as sustainable in global markets as well.

“European sustainability regulations apply to every shipment of wood pellets for energy that cross the Atlantic,” Ginther says, noting that the U.S. industry uses internationally-recognized forestry certification programs for chain of custody and supply chain certification,

including FSC, SFI, PEFC and SBP. Each program requires regular audits by independent, third-party auditors. This information, plus the greenhouse gas emissions calculations for sourcing, production and transport, are then reported to European regulators who determine compliance with laws and regulations.

In addition to sustainability certification programs, industry also relies on an extensive network of state and federal forestry and environmental laws to ensure sustainability and limited environmental impact. In the U.S., both industrial and non-industrial private landowners operate and manage their forests according to state forestry best management practices (BMPs) and are also subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations, including the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. Ginther also cites recent research showing that wood fuel pellet harvests make up a small amount of overall logging activity and the FS FIA Program that has shown stable and increasing timber inventories in many regions despite population growth and urban development. “This is thanks to strong markets for wood fiber, which make forest land more valuable, and lead to more forests

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and healthier forests overall as landowners are incentivized to replant and sustainably manage their lands,” he says.

Developing a truly sustainable energy source is key to reducing carbon emissions, he adds. “The industrial pellet industry has tapped into an underutilized natural resource in the U.S. South and developed a sustainable, innovative supply chain that can take this raw material and deliver it to the world in the form of densified renewable fuel that provides a low-carbon, baseload substitute for coal,” Ginther says.

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INVESTMENTS As the world’s largest industrial wood pellets producer, Enviva is making major investments in sustainability. Here, Enviva’s Jenkins details some of the company’s programs and efforts: “As businesspeople, the last thing we want to do is reduce the long-term productivity of the forests in our sourcing regions, and as responsible forest stewards, we work hard to ensure that ecologically sensitive forests stay intact,” she says. “We strive to be leaders in environ-

mental stewardship and we know we can always do better. Our Track & Trace (T&T) supply chain transparency program is a one-of-a-kind system that makes it possible for us to track every ton of wood we buy back to its origin in the forest or at a sawmill.”

The T&T program is audited by NSF International (an independent third party) and provides stakeholders with unmatched supply chain transparency, Jenkins says. “We are able to continuously monitor the types of forests and harvests from which we source in order to ensure our feedstock aligns with the value we place on people and forests.”

T&T features a Forest Trend Map based on time-series data from the U.S. Forest Service that displays changes in overall forest conditions in the Southeastern U.S. and in each of Enviva’s forest supply areas. T&T also features the Enviva Wood Supply Map, which provides detailed information on actual timber harvests around each of Enviva’s facilities, including harvest site, landowner type, forest type, harvest type, years since last harvest, the number of acres harvested and the percentage of the harvest volume provided to Enviva for wood pellet production. The information is available at www.envivabiomass.com/ sustainability/track-and-trace/.

“As the T&T system matures, we expect to learn more and incorporate our findings into our operations and procedures,” Jenkins says, adding the T&T online data is updated quarterly, with six months’ worth of data always being available, and historical summaries posted as well.

Jenkins notes that Enviva does not source wood from sensitive ecosystems.

Working with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Enviva decided not to accept biomass from four sensitive types of bottomland hardwood forests—certain cypress-tupelo swamps, Atlantic white cedar stands, low pocosins, and Carolina bays.

And to help preserve some of the most special tracts of bottomland forests, Enviva started the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, managed by the Endowment.

Enviva is investing $5 million into the Fund over 10 years. Counting additional investments and grants, Enviva and Endowment officials hope to support the protection of at least 35,000 acres of bottomland forests.

Thanks to the 2016 Enviva Forest Conservation Fund grants, more than 1,200 acres of bottomland forests have already been preserved with perpetual easements, and counting grants made in 2016 and

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2017, the Fund has already made possible the preservation of about 4,000 additional acres of bottomland forests.

In 2016, Enviva and the Endowment convened a panel of experts from NGOs, state agencies, private industry, and landowners to recommend enhanced bottomland forest management practices and ways to increase implementation and also identify research or knowledge gaps.

A significant outcome from the panel process was the augmentation of high conservation values (HCV) protection using a tract-by-tract assessment, Jenkins says. “Before buying any biomass, Enviva assesses each tract to make sure it’s not a high conservation-value forest as well as to ensure that it meets our other high standards for sustainability.”

According to Jenkins, the Enviva Forest Conservation Funds Request For Proposal (RFP) for 2018 announced an expansion to include more counties in the coastal plain of North Carolina, which will help preserve critical habitats in the Cape Fear River and Pee Dee watersheds.

Jenkins adds that she has “no doubt that the growing wood pellet industry is a positive development for forests and for people, and we at Enviva work hard every day to make sure that continues to be true.”

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Operations monitoring is key.

FUTURE Looking ahead, it’s important to maintain and expand efforts to promote sustainability. McCraw notes that pellet

producers need to be proactive and not reactive in the face of increased scrutiny. He cites the landowner assistance programs that were popular during the era of integrated forest industry companies. Landowners would sign right of first refusal contracts with mills that would in turn offer landowners forest management assistance, discounted seedlings or other benefits.

“This would assure that the harvested stands are regenerated, which is the real backbone of sustainability,” McCraw says.

Jenkins believes an emphasis on transparency reflects a sustainability commitment, as evidenced by Enviva’s Track & Trace program, and she’d like to see more producers adopt similar systems as a boost to overall industry.

Using Track & Trace, “We can now provide stakeholders with unmatched supply chain transparency and are able to continuously monitor our feedstock sourcing in order to ensure that we are sourcing wood in a way that is consistent with the value we place on people and forests,” Jenkins says.

TP This article earlier appeared in Wood Bioenergy magazine, an affiliate of Timber Processing.

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MACHINERYROW

Fiskarheden Buys CT Log System It has always been a sawmiller’s dream to be capable of seeing inside logs before they are sawn, explains Olle Larsson, CEO of Swedish sawmilling company, Fiskarheden.

Fiskarheden decided to implement a comprehensive investment plan, starting with a Microtec CT Log system for its sawmill in Transtrand. The company’s main goal is to increase the value of each log and to reduce waste.

Fiskarheden will use Microtec’s scanning technology not only in the sawmill itself but also in the green sorter and the dry sorting mill. A Goldeneye 900 board quality scanner will be implemented in the existing dry sorting mill. “Using Microtec technology and especially the internal information of the logs will allow us to improve our partnership with the forest owners as well as creating the best possible products for our customers,” states Magnus Larsson, CEO of Fiskarheden.

The installation starts in July 2018. At the log yard, the CT Log will be installed and started up. At the same time, a new wane scanning system will be installed in the green sorter. In the second half of 2018, the newest version of the Goldeneye 900 board quality scanner will be implemented in the dry sorting mill.

“We are renowned for timely and accurate project implementations. Our team is upfront and on-site until the production line runs smoothly. We are looking forward to this exciting project that has the potential of opening new horizons in sawmilling,” says Jörn Rathke, technical sales at Microtec.

As for Fiskarheden, the investment is seen as a huge step toward digitalization of the sawmilling industry.

forward development in lumber drying,” says Robert Larsson, CEO of Valutec.

The fact that 2017 was a record year is the result of several interacting and positive factors, Larsson notes, including significantly increased import of sawed lumber products to the U.S. and increased construction throughout Europe.

“Increased demand for cross-laminated, glulam and the increased need

for drying sideboards has also played a huge part in our success,” Larsson says.

“To dry the sideboards, our new TC continuous kiln has been a competitive option that meets the sawmill’s needs for flexible and efficient drying that is high quality.”

Valutec reports that in 2017 more than 36 million m3 (15 billion BF) of lumber was dried in kilns supplied by Valutec.

Valutec Enters 2018 With Momentum Valutec ended 2017 on a high note, reporting that in the last three months sawmills in Sweden, Finland and Norway invested in 25 kilns from Valutec. The company total for the year was more than 40 kilns sold throughout Europe, with a total drying capacity of 2 million m3 (850MMBF).

“For the first time in our history, we will likely end up with a total turnover of over SEK 300 million. This is a milestone and proof that we are continuing to push TIMBER PROCESSING

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MACHINERYROW The volume is equivalent to the total production more than two years from all of Sweden’s sawmills.

Valutec’s headquarters is in Skellefteå, Sweden, with around 28 employees. The company also has 10 employees based in Riihimäki, Finland, five in St Petersburg, Russia, and one employee in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

“We are making long-term investments in the Nordic countries as well as central

Europe and Russia. We have recently taken the step across the Atlantic to launch ourselves in North America. They have a completely different culture in terms of how they produce wood-based items, but we are secure and happy with the quality of our solutions,” Larsson says. “There is a lot to indicate that the strong economy will last. I can already dare to say that 2018 will be just as good a year, if not better.”

Simonds Plans Facility In SC Simonds International is establishing a new customer focused facility in Florence, SC. The facility will consolidate some distribution and customer service activities for the Southeastern U.S. wood fiber markets. In addition, the facility will have a new industry training center and state-of-the-art filing room to assist customers with their education and hands-on training needs.

“The new facility will enable our company to transfer the deep knowledge of our technical employees to the industry and demonstrate the operation of our new filing room technology,” comments Ray Martino, president and CEO of Simonds.

The ultimate objective is to improve the productivity of our customer base.”

Promac Purchases Rockwell Industries Promac Group of Companies has purchased Rockwell Industries. Since 1994, Rockwell Industries has been helping sawmills to enhance performance and improve the ease of maintenance of their primary breakdown equipment.

“Over the years, we’ve become very good at helping mills run faster, smoother and better. Essentially, we help our mill customers turn a Chevrolet into a race car.

In fact, we’re helping our mill customers reach speeds of 900 feet a minute,” comments Rockwell founder Dave Carlson.

The Rockwell team will continue to support customers to problem-solve and work with the Promac team to deliver the solution.

Promac has organized into three value streams: Promac Sawmill, Promac Engineering and Promac Equipment “The Rockwell acquisition bolsters our ability to design and manufacture custom machinery solutions, and keeps us firmly in the lead as the top sawmill parts manufacturer for parts such as edger arbors, sleeves, guides and knurled rolls,” comments Gary Powers, president of Promac, which is based in Duncan, BC.

MoistTech Partners With Belgium Firm MoistTech Corp. and Belgium based company Weighing & Inspection have announced a partnership to provide advanced moisture measurement capabilities for manufactured materials to cus54

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MACHINERYROW tomers in the Benelux region. The partnership will deliver a workflow capability focused on improving productivity and efficiency, streamlining operations for customers by implementing Near-Infrared (NIR) technology for moisture measurement and control.

Johan Bauwens, owner and General Manager of Weighing & Inspection, believes that the cooperation with MoistTech is an absolute added value. “Work-

ing together which such a high-level partner with such huge domain-specific knowledge is a delight and will definitely increase our position in the market.”

Equipment Linc Reps For Barko In Alabama Barko Hydraulics has added Equipment Linc, Inc. as its new dealer in Alabama.

Located in Maplesville, Ala., Equip-

ment Linc will handle sales and service of Barko knuckleboom loaders, industrial wheeled tractors, harvesters and fellerbunchers. The dealership boasts a new maintenance facility and personnel with decades of forestry industry experience, both in equipment sales and as timber producers.

“We are thrilled about this tremendous opportunity to promote the Barko brand,” says Tommy Moore, president of Equipment Linc. “They’re a great company with a great product line that continues to grow, and we look forward to a fruitful partnership going forward.”

Komatsu Southwest Offers Sennebogen Komatsu Southwest, the new Komatsu dealership serving New Mexico and west Texas, has added Sennebogen purposebuilt material handlers to its flagship line.

Grant Adams is president of Komatsu Southwest. He says the dealership plans to build its business in scrap, recycling and waste facilities, quarries, log yards and sawmills, demolition, and pipe-handling applications.

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MACHINERYROW

Dubai WoodShow Set March 12-14

Wood and wood-based furniture and household accessories products is expected to get a solid boost from US2.4 trillion (Dh8.8 trillion) worth of construction activities in the GCC at a time hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world showcase their latest products and innovations at the Dubai WoodShow at the Dubai World Trade Centre during March 12-14.

Dubai WoodShow is the largest such exhibition in the Middle East, showcasing wide-ranging wood-based products. More than 300 exhibitors from 100 countries are set to display their innovative solu-

tions, designs, styles and products.

“The growth in the housing market will drive the wood, wood-related and timber business across the region and this creates a great opportunity for the industry,” Dawood Al Shezawi, CEO, Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions, organizer of the Dubai WoodShow, says.

“As families move to their new freehold homes, they will require fresh supply of furniture and due to the tastes and trend, most families look out for authentic wooden furniture and products—wherein lies the new demand.

“However, consumers are also looking for replacing new, innovative products to replace the old furniture, especially those

More than 300 exhibitors will be on hand at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

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innovative furniture that help families to manage space in a better way. Those products will be in solid demand.”

More than 35,000 residential units are slated for delivery in the Dubai area in 2018. Demand for wood products is also expected to be driven by the new hotel projects. Dubai will add 40,000 hotel rooms and service apartments to meet the growing demand of tourists as part of the buildup to Expo 2020.

Last year’s Dubai WoodShow was its largest in terms of visitors, exhibitors and exhibition space. The total area of the exhibition this year is 17,388 square meters, offering exhibiting companies a chance to display their products and offerings in a vast setting.

Dubai WoodShow, which began in 2006, has grown to become the only dedicated trade show in the Middle East for the wood and woodworking machinery industry. The vast range of products showcased include wood products, woodworking machinery, blades and knives, tools, abrasives, industry solutions, and much more. The show, being highly specialized, provides the perfect opportunity for regional and international companies to showcase and learn about wood and woodworking and to build new strategic relationships with buyers, traders and investors.

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Timber Products Output Survey Coming Since 1936, the Timber Products Output (TPO) Survey has provided regular updates on the status of the forest industry. Completed every two years, the TPO Survey is scheduled to begin in January 2018. This survey will document the level of harvesting and forest product production for the 2017 calendar year. Individual mill data are confidential, and the resulting report summarizes timber production by product sector.

Across the South, state forestry agencies take the lead in meeting with their local mills to gather 2017 production data. States have agreed upon best practices for conducting the survey, including greater efforts to raise the awareness of the survey’s value, personal mill visits, and industry support to minimize non-responses. A goal of 100% response for all mills has been embraced by all participating Southern states.

The TPO survey is the most reliable

ATLARGE

source of timber production data collected in the U.S. and is valued by the forest community and associated groups. Along with forest growth and inventory data from the Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) Program, harvest removal data from TPO paint a complete picture of forest sustainability. It is essential that all mills, large and small, participate in the survey, as incomplete harvest data can result in the appearance of greater wood availability than is the case.

More than 1,600 forest product mills will be surveyed across the South, with an average of 150 mills per state. All mill surveys should be completed by mid-summer 2018. Every mill is encouraged to schedule their TPO meeting as soon as their 2017 production data have been summarized.

The TPO Program is the responsibility of the USDA Forest Service.

State forestry agencies conduct the field survey while the U.S. Forest Service processes the data for online and hard copy access.

Hazard Project Will Mix Coal, Sawdust

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) has received a $1.6 million U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) grant to develop an innovative partnership in Hazard, Kentucky that could serve as a model for future energy projects in rural eastern Kentucky communities.

DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) funded the project, which is titled Gasification Combined Heat and Power from Coal Fines. Funding for 20% of the project cost is provided by the UK Research Foundation, Arq Coal Technologies LLC, and Beijing Baota Sanju Energy Science and Technology Co. Ltd. The grant will allow CAER and its community partners to complete a front end engineering design (FEED) study for a 5 MW electric equivalent polygenerating unit utilizing waste coal fines and biomass as feedstocks.

CAER will be recycling two Eastern Kentucky products—sawdust and coal

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ATLARGE fines—to help create localized power generation in Perry County.

“I’ve always believed that localized and regional power generation would work well in many Kentucky communities, particularly throughout rural Kentucky,” says Jack Groppo, a principal research engineer at CAER and faculty member in the UK Dept. of Mining Engineering, who is working on this project.

“We have a tremendous amount of coal fines left over throughout Kentucky coal fields as well as a strong, vibrant lumber industry that has industrial waste as well.

This project will allow us to combine those two products to create fuel that will help power rural Kentucky communities for years to come.”

As part of the project, CAER will partner with several businesses based in Hazard, including Gay Brothers Lumber, Blackhawk Mining and the Hazard-Perry County Economic Development Alliance.

CAER will use biomass (sawdust) from Gay Brothers Lumber and will utilize waste coal fines from Blackhawk Mining.

The model location will be located at the Coal Fields Regional Industrial Park in Hazard.

The center will also collaborate with Beijing Baota Sanju Energy Science and Technology Co. Ltd. in China to conduct a preliminary design on the 5 MW gasifier, as the project seeks to find out how best to optimize how much heat and power can be generated. The grant will fund a cultural impact study in the region to help determine the community and financial benefits of local, gasified power generation.

Timber Activist, Logger Buzz Eades Eulogized A memorial service for California timber activist and former logger Sherill (Buzz) Eades was held December 16 at the Redding First Church of the Nazarene.

Eades, a resident of Palo Cedro, and who had suffered from cancer for many months, died on November 25.

The son of a logging camp worker, Eades logged for several years before earning a forestry degree from Humbolt State University. He joined Kimberly Clark Corp. in Anderson, Calif. in 1972 and spent many years in land management before forming his own logging company, Eades Forestry Resources, and eventually bringing his three sons—Kevin, Kelly and Cory—into the business.

Very active in industry affairs, Eades served as president of the Sierra Cascade

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ATLARGE Logging Conference, president of the Pacific Logging Congress and in recent years managed the Loggers Assn. of Northern California.

One of his career highlights was participating in a high-level forestry summit in 1993 in Portland, Ore., where he enlightened President Bill Clinton about forestry and trees. “They are like you and I. You and I are going to be old-growth one day, Mr. President.” To which Clinton responded, “I thought I was this morning when I was dressing.” This humorous exchange was picked up by the media worldwide and friends always let Eades know they had heard it.

After closing Eades Forestry Resources, Eades helped form Mountain Valley Realty and served as the broker.

God and family were priorities for Eades. The family joined the First Church of the Nazarene in Redding and he was very active there. Eades and his wife, Muriel (they were married for 57 years), participated in numerous mission projects.

Is Young Poplar The Biofuel Answer?

In the quest to produce affordable biofuels, poplar trees are one of the Pacific Northwest’s best bets—the trees are abundant, fast-growing, adaptable to many terrains and their wood can be transformed into substances used in biofuel and highvalue chemicals relied on in daily lives.

But even as researchers test poplars’ potential to morph into everything from ethanol to chemicals in cosmetics and detergents, a commercial-scale processing plant for poplars has yet to be achieved.

This is mainly because production costs

Northwest poplars less than three years old

still are not competitive with the current price of oil.

A University of Washington team is trying to make poplar a viable competitor by testing the production of younger poplar trees that could be harvested more frequently—after only two or three years—instead of the usual 10- to 20-year cycle. These trees, essentially juveniles compared with fully grown adults, are planted closer together and cut in such a way that more branches sprout up from the stump after each harvest, using the same root systems for up to 20 years. This method is called “coppicing,” and the trees are known as poplar coppice.

The team is the first to try converting the entire young tree—including leaves, bark and stems—into bio oil, a biologically derived oil product, and ethanol using two separate processes. Their results, published this summer in two papers, point to a promising future for using poplar coppice for biofuel.

“Our research proved that poplar coppice can be a good option to meet the cheap, high-volume criteria of biofuel feedstock,” says lead author Chang Dou on both papers, a doctoral student in the UW’s Bioresource Science and Engineering program. “Our findings are significant for the future biofuel industry, and the ultimate goal is to make poplar coppice biofuel a step closer to the pump.”

Poplar wood chips from older trees have been the focus of most research, mainly because wood parts contain the highest concentration of sugar, which is important for making ethanol and chemicals. Earlier studies show that poplar wood chips are a viable biofuel source, but costs still don’t pencil out, especially since trees

are cut just once every 10-plus years. Additionally, other tree parts go to waste when only the trunk is used, making the process more inefficient and wasteful.

However, if poplar were planted close together like an agriculture crop, and whole trees were harvested on a much quicker cycle, it could make sense from a cost perspective and offer a short return on investment—and be more attractive for farmers.

“We have the environmental incentives to produce fuels and chemicals from renewable resources, but right now they aren’t enough to compete with low oil prices. That’s the problem,” says Renata Bura, a UW associate professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and the senior author.

Bura’s research is part of the Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest project funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The project, directed by UW professor Rick Gustafson, is a consortium of universities and industries led by the UW whose goal is to lay the foundation for a Pacific Northwest biofuels and bio-based industry based on poplar feedstock.

For this study, trees in Jefferson, Ore.—one of the four study sites—were planted in rows close together in spring of 2012 and harvested less than two years later before the leaves had fallen. The UW team first tested whether entire young poplar trees could be converted into sugar by a process that uses high temperature, pressure and enzymes to break down the wood materials into sugar. From there, it is possible to make ethanol, acetic acid, lactic acid and other valuable chemicals by fermenting the sugar.

After processing the trees, the researchers found that leaves are poor performers and lowered the overall sugar output, not just because leaves are naturally low in sugar, but they also contain other chemicals that impede the sugar-releasing process. When scaled up to a commercial operation, leaves should be removed and may be used for other purposes, such as feed for animals.

They also tested whole poplar trees from the same plot in another conversion process that uses much higher heat—upwards of 500 degrees Celsius—to transform the tree materials directly to bio oil in a process called “pyrolysis.” Research is under way to convert this dark brown oil to a transportation fuel that resembles gasoline or diesel.

In the experiment, the re➤ 64

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ATLARGE 63 ➤ searchers found that including leaves didn’t make a big difference to the quality of the resulting bio oil. When scaled up, producers could ultimately save time and money by not separating leaves from branches to achieve similar quality oil.

The young poplars used in the study have similar properties to shoots that would sprout from a stump in a true coppicing operation. Using that cutting method, it is possible to harvest trees every two years for up to 20 years without the added effort and cost of pulling up roots, preparing the soil and planting new trees that is required in usual planting regimes.

Ultimately, the researchers say that coppice poplar is likely the best balance of cost and reliability for Pacific Northwest growers to produce biofuel.

“Currently, we are looking at how we can grow poplar for monetized ecosystem services,” Bura says. “In the future, we envision a bio-based industry that will provide multiple environmental benefits, will invigorate rural communities and will

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serve as a bridge to a fully developed biofuels industry.”

Other co-authors on the papers are Fernando Resende, a UW assistant professor of environmental and forest sciences; Devin Chandler, a UW graduate student in the Bioresource Science and Engineering program; Wilian Marcondes, a UW exchange student from the University of São Paulo-Brazil; and Jessica Djaja, a UW undergraduate student. The research was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

This article was written by Mchelle Ma for University of Washington News web site.

RoyOMartin Recognizes Woodlands Manager Mickey Rachal, woodlands manager, has been named the recipient of the 2017 RoyOMartin Innovation Award. Rachal and his team have successfully developed methods of forest renewal through opti-stands.

Company-wide foresters continuously

research and develop new forestry tools and techniques to improve the return on investments in forest-management activities. One of the largest investments Louisiana-based RoyOMartin makes is in forest regeneration, which is the preparation and replanting of harvest areas to begin the next generation of familyowned forests.

In 2015, RoyOMartin joined the Western Gulf Tree Improvement Program, based at Texas A&M University. This membership provides foresters with valuable information needed to select the best tree families for seedling procurement and deployment decisions. Over time, Rachal and his woodlands group have found a way to optimize the use of the best trees, with new plantations called opti-stands. In reality, RoyOMartin foresters are growing two crops in one stand, targeting the appropriate families and seedling cost to each crop.

RoyOMartin’s forest-renewal program strives to improve plantation productivity and quality with each successive generation.

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Rebecca and Wayne Battle, in 2014

21 ➤ business decisions.”

Even through the recessions, probably the biggest hurdle Battle Lumber has faced was an I-9 audit several years ago.

As a result, Battle was forced to terminate employment of nearly 60% of his work force. “Most of these employees were long-standing employees and mem-

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bers of the community,” Battle reflects.

These were trying and difficult times for the company, losing raw material suppliers and customers along the way.

But the Battle team pulled together and rebuilt its work force. After many long months of seven-day weeks and 16-hour days, they got things back on track.

“Labor will always be a concern of sawmills,” Battle says, “but even the most advanced equipment in the world can’t run itself.”

Never one to live in the past, Battle continues to look at ways to be innovative to increase production and yield. His love for the industry and the appreciation of seeing equipment run at peak efficiency is enough to keep him motivated to continue growing and expanding.

“We are always looking at areas to expand and grow but I have to remind the ambitious younger generation that you must run what you have at peak efficiency before you look elsewhere. I remember a time when there were six or seven mills that I thought were better mills than mine, but they didn’t change with the times and now they are gone. You’ve got to keep growing and pressing forward, but you can’t lose track of what got you to where you are today.”

Battle still wakes every morning looking forward to getting to the mill and diving into the challenges. He feels that he has built a strong enough team to TP overcome any adversity.

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Call Toll-Free: 1-800-669-5613

EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES SEARCH NORTH AMERICA, INC. FOREST PRODUCTS RECRUITING SINCE 1978

The Jobs You Want — The People You Need

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IT'S YOUR MOVE...

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CONTACT CARL JANSEN AT 541-593-2777 OR Carlj@SearchNA.com

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Specializing in confidential career opportunities in the Forest Products industry

Management Recruiters of Houston Northeast

Gates Copeland 281-359-7940 • fax 866-253-7032 gcopeland@mrihouston.com • www.mrihouston.com

Recruiting Services Executive – Managerial – Technical - Sales

JOHN GANDEE

& ASSOCIATES, INC Contingency or Retainer Depending on Circumstances / Needs

“Your Success Is Our Business” Serving the Wood Products and Building Materials Industries For more than 21 years.

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Toll Free 1-800-536-3884 www.johngandee.com Austin, Texas

3220

Top Wood Jobs Recruiting and Staffing George Meek geo@TopWoodJobs.com www.TopWoodJobs.com (360) 263-3371

3779

LUMBERWORKS WORN OR MISALIGNED CARRIAGE RAILS? A Proven Process • Rails straightened & ground in-place at a fraction of the cost of rail replacement • No down time for the mill • Restores carriage rails to optimum sawing efficiency

Contact Us Office 541.760.5086 Cell 541.760.7173 Fax 971.216.4994 www.acculine-rails.com george@acculine-rails.com

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•Precision Laser Alignment • Machining and Grinding • Carriage and Bandmill Alignment 489

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GREENWOOD KILN STICKS Importers and Distributors of Tropical Hardwood Kiln Sticks “The lowest cost per cycle” GW Industries www.gwi.us.com

127

PROFESSIONALSERVICES

Dennis Krueger 866-771-5040

Jackie Paolo 866-504-9095

greenwoodimportsllc@gmail.com

jackie@gwi.us.com

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WOOD PRODUCTS marketplace NORTH AMERICA

■ Minnesota

■ United States

■ Tennessee

STACKING STICKS

FOR SALE

■ Georgia

AIR-O-FLOW profiled & FLAT sticks available Imported & Domestic

Beasley Forest Products, Inc. P.O. Box 788 Hazlehurst, GA 31539 beasleyforestproducts.com

DHM Company - Troy, TN 38260 731-538-2722 Fax: 707-982-7689 email: kelvin@kilnsticks.com www.KILNSTICKS.com

Manufactures Kiln-Dried 4/4 Red and White Oak, Poplar, Ash and Cypress Contact: Linwood Truitt Phone (912) 253-9000 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 linwood.truitt@beasleyforestproducts.com

Pallet components, X-ties, Timbers and Crane Mats Contact: Ray Turner Phone (912) 253-9001 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 ray.turner@beasleyforestproducts.com

■ North Carolina Cook Brothers Lumber Co., Inc.

Manufacturer of Appalachian Hardwood Lumber LEONARD COOK, Sales (828) 524-4857 • cell: (828) 342-0997 residential: (828) 369-7740 P.O. Box 699 • Frankin, NC 28744 NATIONAL HARDWOOD LUMBER ASSOCIATION

Next closing: July 5, 2018

■ Kentucky

WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE?

HAROLD WHITE LUMBER, INC. MANUFACTURER OF FINE APPALACHIAN HARDWOODS

(606) 784-7573 • Fax: (606) 784-2624 www.haroldwhitelumber.com

Ray White

Domestic & Export Sales rwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com

Green & Kiln Dried, On-Site Export Prep & Loading Complete millworks facility, molding, milling & fingerjoint line

Buyers & Wholesalers We produce quality 4/4 - 8/4 Appalachian hardwoods • Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar •

Green Lumber: Air Dried, Kiln Dried Timbers & Crossties • Hickory, Sycamore, Beech, Gum & Elm • Custom Cut Timbers: Long lengths and wide widths

Call or email Melissa McKenzie 334-834-1170 melissa@hattonbrown.com

Sales/Service: 336-746-5419 336-746-6177 (Fax) • www.kepleyfrank.com

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MAINEVENTS FEBRUARY

OCTOBER

6-8—Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Assn. annual meeting, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, Ind. Call 317875-3660; visit ihla.org.

15-16—28th Annual WMI Workshop on Design, Operation and Maintenance of Saws and Knives, Holiday Inn Portland Airport, Portland, Ore. Call 925-943-5240; visit woodmachining.com.

6-9—Fimma-Maderalia 2016, Feria Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Visit fimma-maderalia.feriavalencia.com/en.

17-19—Timber Processing & Energy Expo, Portland Expo Center, Portland, Ore. Call 334-834-1170; visit timberprocessingandenergyexpo.com.

28-March 1—Ohio Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Dublin, Ohio. Call 614-497-9580; visit ohioforest.org.

MARCH

A

7-9—National Wooden Pallet & Container Assn. Annual Leadership Conference, Marriott Harbor Beach Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Call 703-519-6104; visit palletcentral.com.

8-12—IndiaWood 2018, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bangalore, India. Call +91-80-4250 5000; visit indiawood.com.

22-24—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. 2018 National Conference & Expo, Hyatt Regency Greenville, Greenville, SC. Call 412-244-0440; visit hardwoodinfo.com or hmamembers.org.

APRIL 11-12—Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit bioenergyshow.com.

13-14—Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit pelice-expo.com.

22-24—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Seattle Marriott Waterfront, Seattle, Wash. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com.

MAY 8-10—Western Wood Products Assn. annual meeting, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, Austin, Tex. Call 503-224-3930; visit wwpa.org.

8-12—Xylexpo 2016, Fiera Milano Rho Fairgrounds, Milan, Italy. Phone +39-02-89210200; Visit xylexpo.com/index.php/en.

18-19—Expo Richmond 2018, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.

JUNE 9-12—Assn. of Consulting Foresters of America annual meeting, Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. Visit acf-foresters.org.

AUGUST 22-25—International Woodworking Fair 2018, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 404-693-8333; visit iwfatlanta.com.

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This issue of Timber Processing is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products.

ADVERTISER Andritz Iggesund Tools BM&M Burton Saw-Cut Technologies Chaco Produkte Claussen All-Mark International Cleereman Industries Cone Omega Corley Manufacturing Donaldson Industrial Air Filtration Dubai WoodShow East Coast Sawmill Expo HMC Holtec USA Itipack Systems JoeScan Linck Linden Fabricating Longato Grinding Machines Lucidyne Technologies McDonough Manufacturing Mebor Metal Detectors Metriguard Technologies Microtec SLR GMBH Mid-South Engineering Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show Muhlbock Holztrocknungsanlagen Nelson Bros Engineering Northeastern Loggers Association Oleson Saw Technology Pantron Automation Peninsular Cylinder Piche Pipers Saw Shop Premier Bandwheel Prinz GmbH Rawlings Manufacturing Salem Equipment Samuel Packaging Systems Group Select Sawmill Sennebogen Sering Sawmill Machinery Serra Maschinenbau Gmbh SII Dry Kilns Softwood Lumber Board South Carolina Forestry Commission T S Manufacturing Telco Sensors Timber Automation Tradetec Computer Systems U S Blades USNR Vollmer of America West Coast Industrial Systems Wood-Mizer Woodtech Measurement Solutions

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