TP 0423 digimag

Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.

Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street

Montgomery, AL 36104-3317

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268

Montgomery, AL 36102-2268

Telephone: 334.834.1170

FAX: 334.834.4525

Publisher: David H. Ramsey

Chief Operating Officer: Dianne C. Sullivan

Editor-in-Chief: Rich Donnell

Senior Editor: Dan Shell

Senior Editor: David Abbott

Senior Editor: Jessica Johnson

Publisher/Editor Emeritus: David (DK) Knight

Art Director/Prod. Manager: Cindy Segrest

Ad Production Coordinator: Patti Campbell

Circulation Director: Rhonda Thomas

Online Content/Marketing: Jacqlyn Kirkland

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

Midwest USA, Eastern Canada

John Simmons

29 Bugelli Drive

Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 3B7

905.666.0258

E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.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: twshaddick@gmail.com

Kevin Cook

604.619.1777

E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com

International Murray Brett

58 Aldea de las Cuevas, Buzon 60

03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165

+ 34 96 640 4048

E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net

VISIT

Timber Processing (ISSN 0885-906X, USPS 395-850) is published 11 times annually (monthly except Jan./Feb.) 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: 800-6695613; 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 ® 2023. 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

Jessica Johnson Senior Editor

AGING LIKE A FINE...SAWMILL?

Often I wonder what the future holds. I close my eyes and try to think 10, 15, 20 years down the line—30 years seems like a lifetime. Right now, in this moment, I’m a young mom, with young kids. I am in the thick of long nights at the ballpark and practicing spelling words in the car. It’s hard to think about that in 30 years, my perfect little boys will be older than I am currently. Likely they will have families of their own and little ones of their own who for some astonishing reason can drink three gallons of milk per week without a care in the world.

When I gaze into my crystal ball it is hard to see what is coming down the line. Does the sawmill of the future have digital twins for every machine, like Tesla cars? That sure would make for an interesting maintenance call wouldn’t it.

“Yes, hello, please go pull the headrig for Johnson Lumber in Ruston, La. It’s throwing a code and we aren’t sure why. The robots are spinning on their wheels in circles here.”

Or is the sawmill of the future about not just automation in grading and breakdown, but complete automation, like a small army of robots pulling lumber? Is it like “The Jetsons” but with 2x4s and a robot voice trying to learn how to say “kiln” properly?

One thing I know for certain is that like my children aging, what comes in the immediate next might not be revolutionary: A “mature” industry such as lumber manufacturing many times measures progress in constant innovations rather than leaps and bounds yet remains continually moving forward technologically.

The army of robot operators might be on the horizon, all you need to do is look up the video of welding robots BID Group uses to machine parts to know what innovations they are likely concocting. In the immediate future, we as an industry only need to look at mills like this issue’s cover, Sierra-Pacific in Noti, Ore., to see that keeping up with the times is not only possible but profitable—Jetsons-esque robots optional; complete rebuild optional. Old dogs can be taught new tricks. You don’t have to toss the baby out with the bath water.

Greenfield mills sure are sexy: all bright shiny paint and the latest and greatest machines. Of course, they all run like well-oiled Ferraris, or at least most do…eventually.

But there’s just something about the resilience of a facility that we can all admire, the vintage Porsche 911 that has seen some things, and well you know what I mean. The engine purrs with a good overhaul every so often. And you gotta change the tires.

The mill in Noti has seen ownership changes over its 50-year history and of course machinery changes, but what has remained is the core—a good timber basket, a focus on quality, a niche market in green lumber, and a willingness to try new things. Isn’t that what we all hope for the future? Remaining true to who we are while staying willing to try new things? If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.

The stacker project at Noti is a great example of what I mean: two longtime industry suppliers provide solid and productive innovations that provide benefits to production, working conditions and customer satisfaction. No robots needed. TP

VAAGEN THANKFUL FOR SUPPORT

The outpouring of support for Vaagen Fibre Canada’s Midway, BC sawmill, upon the early January Vaagen family announcement of the mill’s impending closure, was substantial, but apparently hasn’t changed the disappointing outcome, at least for now.

The Vaagen family, whose Vaagen Brothers Lumber headquarters and sawmill is in Colville, Wash., announced on January 6 the Midway mill, which Vaagen had been operating for more than 10 years, was shutting down indefinitely. At the time, Vaagen indicated it was looking for solutions to keep the operation going, and encouraged those impacted throughout the Boundary, West Kootenay, and Okanagan regions to appeal to the Ministry of Forests.

Vaagen Fibre Canada was a non-tenured mill and thus did not have forest licenses to manage Crown forests, which means it purchased all logs on the open market including the procurement of logs from local private landowners and woodlot owners.

“Although our team has been creative for years in finding logs to run our mill, there are a few challenges that have compounded for us. This is an access to wood fiber at market price issue,” the company stated in January. “We have put forward several solutions to the Ministry of Forests.”

However, in a March announcement President & CEO Duane Vaagen said the mill ran through its last log on February 23, “and many of our dedicated employees must seek out new work opportunities. Their commitment and pride over the last several

months, when they knew things were coming to an end, was beyond any of our expectations. We are so proud of our team and want to send out the most heartfelt ‘thank you’ for giving everything until the end.”

Vaagen noted that since the January announcement hundreds of people—employees and their families, contractors and vendors, suppliers, local community leaders, forestry associations, and others— reached out to express their disappointment and asked what they could do to help. Hundreds of letters and messages via social media were sent, and numerous phone calls were made to decisionmakers in Victoria.

The March announcement stated: “Vaagen family are expressing their appreciation to their many partners for their years of relationship, including employees and con-

tractors, local community members, the Osoyoos Indian Band, West Boundary Community Forest, Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ Association, local area Mayors, Councillors, and Regional District Directors, and local Ministry of Forest staff.

“For those of you who called your local MLA or wrote a letter, our collective voices were heard loud and clear, so thank you. You have inspired our family to continue looking for economic opportunities in this community and we will look forward to the time where we can share what those opportunities turn into.”

MERCER GAINS CLT CONTRACT

Mercer International Inc. reported it has signed its first major mass timber project contract with a large consumer

products retailer. The project, which is composed of crosslaminated timber panels, gluelaminated beams and connector elements, is expected to utilize four months of capacity at Mercer’s Spokane, Wash. facility on a one-shift basis over the course of 2023.

Mercer didn’t reveal the name of the customer, but it’s possible it is Walmart for Walmart’s new home office campus in Bentonville, Ark. Walmart and mass timber producer Structurlam recently severed plans for Structurlam as the exclusive supplier to the Walmart multi-building project.

Juan Carlos Bueno, Mercer President and CEO, states, “We are delighted to conclude our first major mass timber contract. Our customer has selected mass timber for its appearance, structural integrity, fire resistance, construction efficiency and carbon footprint that only mass timber construc-

tion can provide. We expect that this is the first of more major projects to come as Mercer’s innovative product line and services become more recognized in the growing mass timber construction space.”

Mercer International Inc. is a global forest products company with operations in the U.S., Germany and Canada with an annual production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes of pulp, 960MMBF of lumber, 140,000 m3 of cross-laminated timber, 17 million pallets and 150,000 tonnes of wood pellets.

Mercer purchased the new high production Spokane CLT facility in 2021 upon the bankruptcy of previous operator, Katerra.

CANFOR REPORT MIRRORS INDUSTRY

Canfor Corp. reported 2022 adjusted operating income of

$1.3 billion, while showing a fourth quarter operating loss of $164 million. The company pointed to a significant weakness in lumber market demand in Q4 that led to a sharp deterioration in lumber pricing late in the year; Q4 lumber production impacted by the continuation of reduced operating schedules in Western Canada; pulp production impacted by fiber shortages and challenging winter weather conditions.

After year end, the company announced a restructuring of lumber and pulp operations in British Columbia to better align manufacturing capacity with available long-term fiber supply and create a stronger and more sustainable footprint.

2022 overall was another strong year for Canfor, with the strength in global lumber market fundamentals experienced late in 2021 continuing well into 2022. Significant lumber demand led by solid

activity in both new home construction and the repair and remodel segment encountered tight supply due to supply chain disruptions. The result was ongoing global pricing pressure and high benchmark lumber prices through the first part of the year.

As the year progressed, rising interest rates and inflation put significant downward pressure on housing affordability and global lumber market demand, leading to a rapid decline in global lumber market pricing in the latter part of the year. In response, the company implemented reduced operating schedules at its Western Canadian operations. The company’s strong earnings, however, reflect the continued benefit of its global diversification strategy which helped to moderate these challenges in British Columbia.

Early in 2023, after an extensive analysis of its pulp

NEWSFEED

mill operating footprint and the long-term supply of economic residual fiber, Canfor Pulp made the decision to permanently close the pulp line at its Prince George Pulp and Paper Mill.

Similarly, in order to create a more sustainable operating footprint in BC and to better align manufacturing capacity with the available long-term fiber supply, the company made the difficult decision to restructure its BC lumber operations by permanently closing its Chetwynd sawmill and pellet plant and temporarily closing its Houston sawmill for an extended period to facilitate a major redevelopment on the site. The company intends to build a new, modern, globally competitive manufacturing facility that employs state-of-the-art technology to produce high value products from the sustainable timber supply in that region.

The company is currently undertaking an evaluation of the availability of economic fiber and a thorough project financial analysis, and is targeting a final investment decision by the end of the second quarter of 2023.

Specifically in the lumber segment, adjusted results decreased $295.6 million in the fourth quarter, principally driven by a significant decline in global lumber market prices, with the average North American Random Lengths Western Spruce/Pine/Fir (SPF) 2x4 2&Btr price down US$170 per MBF, or 29%, quarter-over-quarter, the average Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) East 2x4 #2 down US$271 per MBF or 38%, and moderately lower market pricing in Europe. This material drop in global lumber pricing was combined with a 17% decline in North American shipment volumes and the continu-

ation of production curtailments in Western Canada, which lowered SPF production by approximately 250MMBF in the fourth quarter. These factors were partially offset by the benefit of higher production and shipments in Europe following the seasonal downtime taken in the prior quarter.

Looking ahead, global lumber market conditions are anticipated to remain under pressure through the first quarter of 2023. High inflation and interest rates are projected to continue to weigh on housing affordability and slow down demand for new home construction, especially in the singlefamily sector. On the other hand, the repair and remodeling sector is anticipated to improve as existing homeowners look to “fix-up” in lieu of “moving-up” in a high interest rate environment.

In the longer term, underlying global lumber market fun-

damentals are projected to be solid, principally reflecting strong demographic trends, consistent demand driven by an aging housing stock and low inventories of new homes available.

The weakness in offshore lumber demand in Asia that was experienced in the fourth quarter of 2022 is forecast to continue through the first quarter of 2023. However, this softness is anticipated to be mitigated in part by the introduction of government incentive packages in key Asian markets intended to revive economies in those regions. Lower lumber demand is also anticipated in Europe.

FORISK REVEALS TOP 10 PRODUCERS

After reaching unprecedented highs the past two years, softwood lumber prices cor-

rected by the end of 2022. Lumber producers shifted and expanded capacity to deploy capital and position themselves for future growth. Who are the top lumber producers today?

The top 10 softwood lumber firms in North America can produce 37.6 billion BF of lumber and represent 49% of total North American capacity. Several of these companies actively acquired or opened new assets in 2022; in total, the top 10 added 2 billion BF of capacity, according to Forisk Research Quarterly

West Fraser is the largest softwood lumber producer in North America at more than 7 billion BF of capacity. The firm slightly reduced capacity in 2022 by permanently curtailing 170MMBF of production at BC sawmills Fraser Lake and Williams Lake in August 2022. Also, in January 2023, West Fraser indefinitely

curtailed the Perry, Fla. sawmill, which would reduce capacity in 2023.

Canfor rises to the #2 slot for 2022 with the purchase of two sawmills and a specialty mill in Alberta, Can. from Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. Also, Canfor permanently reduced the capacity at the Plateau sawmill in BC by 150MMBF in 2022.

Interfor actively expanded capacity and grew the most of any top 10 firm. Interfor added 1.3 billion BF of capacity (34% increase in 2022), mostly through acquisitions in Eastern Canada with the purchases of EACOM Timber and Chaleur Forest Products. The company also reopened the Dequincy, La. sawmill. Hampton Affiliates reopened the former Conifex sawmill in Fort St. James, BC. In addition, Idaho Forest Group gained 250MMBF of capacity by opening the Lumberton, Miss. sawmill.

The top 10 softwood lumber producers in the U.S. have the capacity to produce 24.7 billion BF of lumber, which represents 53% of the total U.S. industry. Weyerhaeuser tops the list at 4.4 billion BF of capacity, followed by West Fraser at 3.7 billion. Biewer Lumber is new to the top 10 list and comes in at #10 with the opening of the Winona, Miss. sawmill in 2022.

GP CONTRIBUTES TO CLT PROJECT

Georgia-Pacific is partnering with Jamestown, SmartLam North America and the Georgia Forestry Foundation to support construction of the first Georgia-grown mass timber project, 619 Ponce. Delivery of the first beams arrived at Ponce City Market in Atlanta where vertical construction began on the four-story mass

timber loft office building. The building’s columns, beams, and floor slabs are made of local southern yellow pine sawtimber harvested from Georgia forests owned by Jamestown. GP reports this marks the first time southern yellow pine, a species plentiful across the Southern U.S., has been used in a mass timber project.

Georgia-Pacific worked with Jamestown and SmartLam to engineer the use of this species instead of species from the Pacific Northwest or Europe.

“Since starting as a small lumber manufacturer in 1927, Georgia-Pacific has a rich history of innovation in the building products industry,” says Fritz Mason, president of Georgia-Pacific Lumber. “As pioneers in the use of southern yellow pine, we’re proud to support Jamestown and SmartLam as they work to

usher in the evolution of southern yellow pine in mass timber construction.”

The southern yellow pine sawtimber for 619 Ponce was transported to Georgia-Pacific’s sawmill in Albany, Ga., where it was converted into lumber. The lumber was later transported to SmartLam’s mass timber plant in Dothan, Ala., where it was manufactured into crosslaminated timber (CLT) panels. The CLT panels are being erected onsite at

Ponce City Market by StructureCraft and J.E. Dunn, with building completion expected in 2024.

“Mass timber is a sustainable building material with a low carbon footprint, relative to traditional materials like concrete and steel,” says Catherine Pfeiffenberger, Managing Director and Head of Development & Construction at Jamestown. “Mass timber is also cleaner to construct, which aids in reducing carbon emissions during

construction. Of equal importance, mass timber provides a warm, healthy, and welcoming work environment for the people who will occupy the space.”

619 Ponce is part of Ponce City Market’s next phase, which also includes a flexible-stay hospitality living building featuring 405 furnished units with shortterm and long-term stay options, and Signal House, a multi-family rental building designed for active adults and the 55 and over community. The building will include more than 800 residences.

The building will include 85,000 square feet of office space and 25,000 square feet of retail space for up to 100 businesses employing more than 5,750 people when the project is complete and fully activated.

NEW PELLET MILLS EYE SAWMILL BYPRODUCTS

Some Georgia sawmills and possibly Northwest U.S. mills will have new markets for their byproducts as Spectrum Energy Georgia LLC plans to begin construction this summer of the largest industrial wood pellet facility in the world at Adel, Ga., and Drax is moving forward to develop a 450,000 tonnes per year wood pellet facility in Longview, Wash., including the development of a new port facility there.

Spectrum Energy expects to commission its plant in summer 2024. The plant will operate at the site of an idled particleboard facility. The plant will have the ability to receive and process all forms of biomass, including sawmill residues (chips, sawdust and shavings), pulpwood, top wood, and in-woods chips.

Weyerhaeuser built the particleboard mill in 1968 and operated until Weyerhaeuser sold it to SierraPine in 1999, before the plant shut down in 2014 upon SierraPine’s sale to Flakeboard.

Phase I of the project will build a 600,000 tons annual production capacity plant that will be increased during a Phase 2 construction to 1.32 million tons annually.

Much of the Spectrum leadership team is no stranger the wood industry, including members of the former British Columbia-based Ainsworth Lumber family. Michael Ainsworth serves as CEO & President of Spectrum and Douglas Ainsworth is VP Operations.

Recently, Spectrum Energy Georgia and Concerned Citizens of Cook County

(4C) signed a settlement and cooperation agreement, following 4C’s concerns about the air permit issued last July by Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Div. to Spectrum for the two-phase construction of the wood pellet facility in Adel.

The agreement basically allows Spectrum to increase transparency to the community in a number of ways, including regular reporting of construction ac-

tivity, air emission and dust control enhancements and reporting thereof, noise abatement and public listening sessions.

“We listened to 4C’s concerns and we realized that addressing those concerns is fully consistent with our desire to construct and operate a facility that will be the gold standard in the pellet industry,” Ainsworth says.

Meanwhile Drax Group say the development of the plant at Longview will

provide Drax with access to a new fiber basket. The U.S. Pacific Northwest will be Drax’s fourth major area of fiber supply along with the U.S. South, British Columbia and Alberta. Drax is also adding 130 tonnes per year of production capacity at its facility in Aliceville, Ala.

DILLARD LUMBER WINS ROSEBURG SAFETY AWARD

Every year Roseburg recognizes its highest performing manufacturing locations and business groups for their safety achievements, presenting three Safety Excellence awards and one Safety Improvement award. These winning teams receive the trophies to hold for the year as well as a recognition event to thank each team member within those teams.

The Safety Excellence awards evaluate a mixture of proactive actions such as near-miss reporting, behavior-based safety observations, closure of safety corrective action items, as well as results, including D.A.R.T and RIR rates. The Safety Improvement award recognizes the plant that has shown the greatest safety improvement over a three-year period.

The winners for 2022 are:

l Safety Excellence (Manufacturing): First Place: Dillard Lumber (Oregon); Second Place: Pembroke MDF (Ontario); Non-Manufacturing: Resources.

l Safety Improvement (All Manufacturing): Simsboro Particleboard (Louisiana)

“Our teams have continued to persevere after enduring and overcoming many challenges over the past few years,” the company states. “All of our team members continue to stay strong on their commitment to step up, take on new challenges, and continue the upward trajectory of preforming better and better each year as a company. We put in the important work on safety and take on these challenges ‘Because We Care’ about each other and getting back home to our families each day.”

Roseburg’s Dillard Lumber sawmill received the company’s award for Safety Excellence in manufacturing.

SORT STACK STRAP UPGRADE

By Dan Shell

NOTI, Ore.

Recent improvements at Sierra-Pacific’s Noti mill 25 miles west of Eugene, Ore. have boosted efficiency and quality at the facility that produces all-green, 100% Douglas fir products, primarily dimension lumber along with timbers.

During the past four years, the mill has added a new Lucidyne (now owned by Microtec) grade scanner, new USNR trimmer infinite fence system and most recently a Hogue Industries high speed dual fork stacking line with end-tamping

feature. A Samuel strapping system with innovative batten feeding feature was added to the line shortly after.

The mill’s finishing end had been a bottleneck for the operation, says Mill Manager John Simington, adding that improvements in the area the past few years — grader, fence and new stacking-strapping line—have boosted overall efficiency.

PROJECT

The largest of the projects included an all-electric Hogue Industries high speed dual fork stacker with secondary hoist

Sierra-Pacific Industries’ all-green Oregon sawmill boosts finishing end speed and efficiency.

system and Samuel strapping system. The project helped speed up the planer mill and added more precision and efficiency on the stacking-strapping end, contributing to a 25% overall increase in stacking capacity.

Simington says he really likes the indexing and sequencing features of the stacker’s control system, which also allows pre-programming for every individual product the mill stacks.

“The previous stacker would take up to a minute and a half for each package,” Simington says. “But this unit will do it in 47 seconds.” He adds that the secondary hoist that takes the first few courses of a unit while the primary hoist cycles down to exit a full unit has helped speed up throughput at the planer mill even more.

The Samuel strapping system including batten feeding and strapping was a significant upgrade, Simington says, because it automated a process that had formerly been done manually by forklift drivers, resulting in a win for the mill on

Strapping system with batten feeder has helped make operations smoother, safer. Noti mill produces primarily dimension lumber, with some crossties and timbers.

New stacker project has benefited the mill in multiple ways.

ning to demand it,” he adds.

The new stacker installation in 2021 went smoothly, with good teamwork between SPI in-house personnel and supplier and contractor employees, Simington says. Once the new stacker started up the first of January 2022, “Within two or three days we were already at 50%, and within a week we were keeping up with the planer,” he adds.

Changeovers at the stacker are quick and clean, about 15 minutes, and the sorter setup along with grade focus enables the sorter to handle two different products at the same time,

Twin band handles larger cants and tie-timber production.

Mill Manager John Simington

further boosting efficiency.

Incoming log loads are all Douglas fir, with 26 in. maximum log size. Columbia River Scaling Bureau handles scaling duties. The facility takes around 90-100 loads a day.

Logs are unloaded with a LeTourneau unit and handled with Cat 980 and Komatsu 500 wheel loaders that also feed the mill. Outside of a small sort for obvious tie logs, there are no species sorts at the all Douglas fir mill, and the goal is to feed

a consistent log size to the canter line.

At the infeed deck, a log shovel helps orient logs and blends incoming log sizes to maintain an even flow. Logs are debarked with a Valon-Kone 27 in. debarker.

The primary breakdown system at the mill is an Optimil canter with USNR dual zone scanning and optimization and log turning system. (USNR scanning and optimization packages using the Mill Expert platform handle primary and secondary breakdown at the canter, double

arbor gang, board edger and trimmer.) The canter handles logs up to 26 in.

From the canter, much of the mill’s output goes through a Schurman 15 in. double arbor gang that’s been modified over the years. The gang is “an amazing production machine,” says Simington of the machine’s consistency and accuracy. Cants 15 in. and under are routed to the gang from the canter. Cants that are larger than 15 in. flow straight to a Kockums twin band resaw.

FLEXIBILITY

Exiting the canter, cants receive a spray-on code from a Diagraph ink jet system that corresponds to their sawing solutions. Cants going to the double arbor receive a number representing one of 24 cutting patterns. Cants destined for the twin receive a three-digit tracking number that allows visual verification that the cant about to be sawn aligns with the cut pattern sent by the canter optimizer. The twin also receives a data packet that allows automation of feed rate, guide height settings, pass count, rotation and destination. According to Simington, the system allows the operator to focus more intently on flow control and efficiency.

The twin band handles material destined to produce ties and timbers, which are routed to a timber deck on the north side of the mill, and also can route cants back to the double arbor gang after removing sideboards.

“We run with a lot of flexibility,” Simington says. “You can’t focus on just recovery or just highest value. We have

Double-arbor gang handles 70%-75% of output: ‘an amazing production machine’

to find a cross section between those to get to the best bottom line we can.”

Generally, the plan is to keep the double arbor gang, with its five sawlines, as busy as possible. The twin band produces most of the mill’s higher value products, but as much as 70%-75% of output goes through the gang.

The double arbor feeds into a standard linebar gang or to a 6 in. board edger. Lumber flows to USNR trimmer and USNR 18 bin sorter and USNR rough stacker, with USNR trimmersorter controls.

The planer mill features a Newman machine that’s been well modified, with pineapple roll tensioning and upgraded electric drive system. Lumber exiting the planer goes through the Lucidyne grade scanner, then past a check grader before flowing to the Newnes trimmer with USNR infinite fence upgrade, and on to a 42 bin LSI sorter. The finishing end trim-sort line is controlled by Lucidyne’s sorter control package.

The Noti mill produces dimension lumber in 8-24 ft. lengths, 2x4 thru 2x12. Roughly 10% of total volume is tie/timber products (not surfaced). Noting the all-green production, Simington says drying material has been discussed, but the facility has been a strong green producer for decades, and the product is a good complement to SPI’s strong KD lumber product manufactured at other sawmills. While not as large overall, the green market also provides premium

pricing for many of the items produced at the Noti mill, he adds.

Simington points out the recent finishing end improvements not only put the mill in a more competitive position, but have also created better, more productive working conditions for employees as well.

These upgrades produce a good product at a faster rate, while doing it safer with less hands-on labor. “That’s good for everybody, especially the employees,” Simington says, noting the facility is approaching two years without a losttime accident. The mill currently employs 112 and is running two shifts.

The mill’s history and background date to the 1950s when it was operated by one of the founders of what eventually became the Swanson Group in Glendale (now Roseburg), Ore.

Seneca Sawmill Co. purchased the Noti sawmill from Swanson Group Manufacturing in October 2011. Ten years later, the Noti sawmill was part of the Sierra Pacific Industries acquisition of Seneca Sawmill Co. in October 2021. The acquisition included a 175,000-acre tree farm, and the Eugene, Ore. site with three sawmills and a biomass power plant.

Including its Oregon operations, SPI owns and sustainably manages more than 2 million acres of timberlands, 18 sawmills and eight renewable biomass energy cogeneration facilities across three states. SPI also owns and operates millwork, remanufacturing and windows operations.

Better working conditions boost job satisfaction, retention.

FRONTEND

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed elsewhere in this issue. Please refer to those advertisements for web site and contact information. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.

BID GROUP

Backed by several decades of experience, BID Group has all it takes to offer high-performance and innovative technologies. BID understands that quick and efficient equipment is an integral part of the optimal solution. BID’s new Variable Tool Opening (VTO) debarker has enabled sawmills to increase productivity and profitability.

The VTO debarker is the only integrated debarking system currently available on the market. This system allows the debarking tools to be positioned in real time, which is a unique feature. Moreover, the VTO debarker operates at the highest speed, with a capacity of up to 40% higher, reaching 600 FPM+. This high performance is achieved because the VTO debarker has no air seal friction, which would otherwise limit the ring RPM or tool positioning. In addition, the VTO debarker is designed with ultra-robust parts and a strong structure, which ensures its durability. Furthermore, it is designed for easy maintenance.

Using BID’s VTO debarker leads to remarkable results such as unsurpassed debarking speed and exceptional debarking performance. But how are these results achieved?

The debarking process begins on the infeed conveyor, where a scanner determines the diameter of each log. Based on this data, the debarker pressrolls and arms are prepositioned for optimal debarking.

To ensure stability and alignment, there are side, top and bottom rolls that center and hold the log before it enters the ring. These rolls are fluted and shaped like an hourglass. A laser beam provides feedback on the position of each set of rolls, which is used in closed loop with proportional valves for more precise control. Each feed module has one motorization using heavy-duty gear to transmit the power to each roll.

The position and pressure of the debarking tool arms are controlled by a single servo motor for fast and precise responses. The VTO debarking tools are prepositioned and closed according to the log’s diameter as soon as it enters the ring. The force used for debarking is determined based on the log’s diameter and other debarking conditions. Each arm has a pre-charged airbag to ensure it follows the surface of the fiber. The six airbags are plumbed together to ensure constant pressure.

BID debarker rings are available in 17 in., 22 in. 27 in., 31 in. and 35 in..

Learn more on how BID’s VTO debarking tools can improve your sawmill by contacting your sales representative today.

BM&M

BM&M Screening Solutions offers a wide selection of custom high speed gyratory screening machines for wood processing and wood bioenergy industries. A variety of screening machine sizes are available to meet specific capacity requirements. Element areas available range from 12 sq. ft. up to 600 sq. ft.

The CS Model is BM&M’s highest energy high speed gyratory screener. It provides maximum productivity and recovery of clean and acceptable product for the most demanding high-volume applications. It delivers increased capacity and decreased annual energy and maintenance costs.

BM&M engineers provide extensive before and after sales service that includes complementary lifetime factory testing, building load calculations, sub-base engineering, courtesy startup supervision, and stocked aftermarket parts facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

BID Variable Tool Opening debarker

BM&M CS high speed screener

FRONTEND

BRUNETTE

Brunette Retract-to-Load (RTL) Log Singulator is designed to improve production and add profits. The innovative design’s expanding and contracting steps assist in log separation and rotation. In addition, the patented RTL nose piece provides secondary log singulation right at the top of the unit, reducing log gap and improving piece count. The unit is balanced over center at the park or “pre-load” position. At this point all torque is negative creating negative inertia which increases acceleration and significantly reduces energy consumption. The RTL is in motion from the point where inertia is neutral (loading position) to the point where inertia is negative (park position); there is virtually no start and stop impact force on the drive components.

The patented RTL technology and the Negative Inertia Drive System are the two main advantages of the RTL log singulator. Other key features include improved log singulation; pre-staged log positioning; widths to suit 8-24 ft. log lengths; minimized shock loading; heavy duty frame construction; electric drive—outboard; lockable top/bottom stages; oversized bearings; heavy duty crank arm assembly; reinforced steps; easy to replace, heavy duty mechanical components. The robust heavy duty construction and innovative design of the Brunette RTL Log Singulator helps improve mill efficiency, reduce downtime, and lower operating costs.

COOPER MACHINE

Cooper Machine has been “Home of the Scragg” for more than 40 years. While we are best known for our overhead and chain scraggs, we also like to keep up with the times and technology to supply what our customers need to make their mills more profitable and efficient.

We offer a large variety of labor saving equipment to process both hardwoods and softwoods. We cover from merchandising logs to producing lumber, cants, ties, mats and pallets to sorting these products.

Cooper Machine is offering a merchandising line with single or multiple saws to cut treelength logs into specific sizes. This can be used for both logs as well as other round materials such as posts, poles etc. We also have a sorting system for round products as well to either sort onto the ground, in a bunk or a pocket. This can be modified to fit the customer’s specific needs.

And now we are partnering with EWD to provide more quality equipment that will open up even more production and efficiencies for some of our customers including high production edgers, sash gangs, chipper canters and band

give us a call and give us a chance to show you what Cooper,

FIBERPRO

FiberPro specializes in high speed/high recovery merchandising/ roundwood handling systems for corporate and independent clients as well as softwood and hardwood applications. The company’s history and expertise reflect a customized approach so each client has a system designed for their specific needs and future mill production/recovery expansion plans. Our priority is to supply our clients with the highest performing engineered solution that has the highest safety standards and reliability standards in the industry.

FiberPro’s latest generation of merchandiser systems have redundant safety systems integrated into the design and oversized components for increased reliability/uptime compared to past designs. It has taken more than 25 years of constant development and improvements to reach the speeds and productivity the latest generation systems are currently achieving.

The latest design changes are new stem and log singulation systems that utilize an innovative new drive design and are now self-cleaning on the infeed side of the feeder system with either a full plated design or screw technology.

The Log Trimmer saw gallery has an updated lineal guide system that allows the traveling saw modules to be guided on a large center mounted solid steel roundway assembly with a single high efficiency direct interlocking mechanical drive system that allows the modules to travel at speeds in excess of 100 FPM and accel/decel times in less than a quarter of a second for unparalleled shifting performance, safety and repeatable accuracy. Saw modules are designed with such advanced materials as aluminum and advanced drives like servos for added speed/strength with less mass to move.

FiberPro’s goal is to help the industry with solutions through experience and new innovative designs allowing Fiberpro to be the go-to guys for wood yard technology and lumber handling solutions.

saws. Whether a single machine or a whole mill,

and EWD, can do for you.

Brunette RTL log singulator

FiberPro constantly enhances its merchandiser design.

Cooper Machine multi-saw merchandiser

FRONTEND

JOHN KING CHAINS

What drives a debarker? A chosen method is using a heavy drive chain and, dependent on lumber production capacities, this can vary in chain size and selection.

We like to think of the debarker as the “mouth” of the lumber mill, where logs are fed into the machine. Therefore, it’s one of the most critical applications—if this equipment runs into problems, whole mill production can grind to a halt.

It is also very difficult to control or prevent overloading. Logs double the intended size can find their way into the process, adding extra strain on the drive and system. In the accompanying photo this is exactly what was experienced from newly installed equipment. A large drive chain was experiencing premature wear and stretch with links being removed weekly. They were utilizing a local machine shop to desperately weld up the links and pins. Chain manufacturers were turning away from this as it was not a common drive chain.

When John King Chains was called and asked if we could help, the immediate answer was “yes!” With our unique chosen specifications we were able to enhance the chain life by over a year. Some of the key specifications were as follows: uprated through hardened side plates for strength, but maintaining ductility. This is fundamental to resisting shock loading; through hardened pin followed by additional surface induction hardened casing. The combination allows for optimum material and heat treatment specifications that maximize the chain service life.

John King has a wealth of knowledge in chain selection. We can assist you with all applications whether it entails upgrades, problem solving and fault finding.

LINDEN

The Linden Quadrant Feeder singulates one stem at a time with simple mechanical design—and only two moving parts. It is easy to install and requires very little space with no assembly required as it ships in one piece. The fixed and movable sections act as two continuous dams to accumulate, unscramble and separate a deep pile of stems. As the moveable section singulates stems, it also sweeps the entire fixed section, constantly clearing the feed area of debris.

The constant pressure of stems against the solid face of the quadrant feeder aligns and straightens the flow. Dual tempo follower cylinders ensure accurate feedback for tailoring controls requirements. The quadrant feeder handles extremely long and very crooked stems up to 60 ft. long, 3-30 in., 4-40 in. and 5-50 in. diameter, with automatic operation where stems are deep piled and crisscrossed.

Another popular model is Liden’s Self-Cleaning Double Acting step feeder which cleans debris as it unscrambles and singulates logs. It never misses a log and feeds one at a time up to 50 cycles per minute. Options include even ending systems, laser gap control and mechanical electric drives that eliminate hydraulics. Models are available in sizes to suit log lengths from 8-24 ft. and log diameters from 3-30 in. The self-cleaning double-acting step feeder will out-perform all other log singulating systems and will significantly improve the performance of any log handling system feeding a production line.

MEBOR

Mebor, one of the biggest European manufacturers of sawmilling machinery, offers a wide range of machinery for small, medium and bigger scale sawmills—from horizontal band saws to complete sawing lines, as well as the log debarking machine Mebor SLH 1200.

The heavy-duty, high-capacity machine features remote control and automatic operation, so constant presence of the operator is not required. The 12 t (27,000 lb.) machine is equipped with a scanner to recognize the position and diameter of the log. According to the log diameter the log is debarked automatically with suitable speed. After the log is debarked, the debarking head returns to its initial position automatically. The debarking process is therefore entirely automatic and does not require an operator to be present full time. In case of badshaped logs, manual intervention from the operator is possible. Large, toothed wheels provide good grip. The teeth on the wheels can also be replaced.

A 50 HP butt-end reducing unit is available as an option. The depth of the reduction is set automatically. Both operations, de-

JKC maximizes chain service life.

Linden double-acting step feeder

Mebor log debarking machine SLH 1200

barking and butt-end reducing, can be executed simultaneously and work in fully automatic.

The Mebor SLH 1200 can process logs up to 1200 mm (4 ft.) in diameter. The debarking head with knives is powered by 30 HP motor. Hydraulic pressure and debarking depth can be adjusted. Wide range of additional options and equipment includes log loading decks, log sorting and cross cutting systems, metal detecting systems, waste conveyors and more.

All Mebor machines are equipped with high quality and reliable components from worldwide and renowned manufacturers.

MELLOTT

Mellott Manufacturing, known for its brand of log and lumber handling equipment, has been expanding its product line to offer more complete systems.

Mellott offers several models and sizes of rosserhead debarkers. Like the rest of the company, over the years Mellott debarkers have continued to evolve. The company’s most popular models are the LMR 48 in. and LMR 36 in. debarkers. Mellott debarkers are ruggedly built and are of heavy-duty construction. Features include cast steel alloy bull wheels, 3-7/16 in. shafts with urethane lined bearings and replaceable inserts, and remote lubrication system. The shock cord arrangement on the head and proportional joysticks allow smooth control to follow the contour of the log.

Mellott is now offering the Model 70E log flare butt reducer. It is designed and built with the same rugged quality as the LMR debarkers and all the Mellott product lines. The log flare butt reducer is designed to be added to a mill infeed system to reduce log handling problems and improve productivity. The butt reducer has an automatic control system with the option of a wireless remote control.

With ring debarkers gaining popularity due to their increased production, the Mellott LMR debarker as well as the log flare butt reducer are being used in conjunction with some ring debarkers. Installed ahead of the ring debarker the removal of butt flares and oversized knots provides a more efficient debarking system. Then the log is transferred through Mellott heavy duty log decks to infeed and outfeed log troughs specifically designed to work with the ring debarker. A belt conveyor with a MDI metal detector system is an option that can be added to the conveyor line. Mellott engineers design a custom layout for each project.

Whether your company is replacing a machine or putting in a new system, Mellott Manufacturing can supply quality, rugged equipment that is designed and built to provide reliable, durable performance. All Mellott equipment is designed and built by Mellott with an experienced staff of sales, mechanical and controls engineering along with a knowledgeable customer service team.

METAL DETECTORS INC.

The most advanced metal detector MDI has ever produced to date is the TWA5000-X. The new technology provides more consistent targeting of contaminants, better interference rejections due to environmental noise and product effect.

The TWA5000-X most important new feature is the highly successful MDI View-Link Remote Diagnostic Module, which allows MDI to remotely connect to your MDI metal detector to monitor, diagnose and calibrate your system. This optimizes your metal detector for maximum sensitivity and stability right in your own unique mill infeed.

Customers say: “It’s like having an MDI technician right in your mill, but only a phone call away!”

The TWA5000 can scan up to 60 in. diameter softwood or hardwood logs and comes with a three-year product warranty and a threeyear ViewLink remote service package. In addition, MDI offers unlimited lifetime telephone technical support for all of its products at no additional charge.

Mellott log flare butt reducer

MDI TWA5000-X advanced metal detection

FRONTEND

SENNEBOGEN

When it comes to material handling machines for logging and wood processing industries, the Sennebogen purpose-built 830 M-T is a 91,000 lb. (41,400 kg), 225 HP (168 kW) front-runner. It’s a machine built specifically for log handling and trailer-pulling applications. A specially reinforced undercarriage features dual transmissions, providing powerful 4-wheel traction to handle the stresses of pulling heavy log trailers loaded with up to 64,000 lbs. through muddy yard conditions.

Its high-stacking capability instantly increases your operation’s capacity and simplifies inventory management. The compact footprint with stable 360o lift radius allows efficient loading and faster mobility between tight rows. The exclusive Maxcab elevating operator station allows a clear view to the top of infeed decks, trailer loads, and log piles for accurate, smooth loading and sorting. It offers a wealth of features that are ideal for a variety of businesses including:

l Log Yards

—Excellent stability, even while moving, to load, sort and stack both treelength and CTL wood

—Fast, powerful duty cycles to feed debarking, engineered wood, and pole processing equipment

—Nimble, cost-effective pick & carry machines

l Milling

—High mobility to stack and move material for infeed for sawmills

—High volume loading of chips for infeed at pulp mills

—Precise feed to chipping and grinding equipment

—Clear jams safely and quickly from conveyors and feed decks

l Biomass

—Efficient infeed of logs and bulk materials for chippers and grinders

—Sorts material and loads conveyors for energy production

Whatever your operation needs, a Sennebogen 830 M-T can make a big difference, especially when it comes to uptime. The HydroClean 3-micron filtration system cleans hydraulic oil with 99.95% efficiency to protect hydraulic components from contamination by water or particulates, and extends oil change intervals. Special engine mounts isolate vibration, leading to less wear on components as well as lower sound levels. Intelligent cooling technology with fast, large-dimensioned reversing fans extend machine life in tough environments. It all adds up to productivity.

USNR

USNR’s LogPro-brand log cranes provide maximum ROI by reducing fuel costs, manpower, fiber breakage, and wood yard maintenance costs. Our high-production cranes are flexible, energy-efficient, and easy to maintain, able to dramatically increase consistency and throughput in your operation.

Our radial log crane is designed for continuous off-loading of treelength and shortwood from trucks for wood storage, log processing decks, or directly into a debarking infeed system. The optional trolley allows maximum use of the wood storage area. Models range from 25-ton, 125 ft. units to 45ton, 175 ft. units.

USNR also manufactures lineal log cranes, which are expandable and offer the possibility for multiple truck unloading areas, as well as multiple cranes to access the same storage/loading areas if needed. Unlike other systems, our rail and support structure is elevated off-grade allowing the use of a buss bar electrical feed system. This eliminates the need for a traveling power cable and powered cable reel system. Other benefits greatly improve safety and uptime.

USNR’s LogPro-brand drum debarking systems are custom engineered to geographic location and fiber supply and operating in more than 150 wood yard operations. With XXHD design, premium efficiency electric drives, and various lifter arrangements, this flexible system allows for debarking perfection while reducing white wood losses in an easily maintainable power system. Available in 915 ft. diameter sizes and lengths from 15-120 ft., our drums meet the industry’s highest quality specifications with up to 1.5 in. shell thickness; 5-11% bark slot area; 30,000 lb. rated axle assemblies; plus maintenance and safety features that cost extra on competitive systems.

USNR’s complete line of patented LogPro log and stem singulation equipment is custom engineered to handle your specific fiber supply in the most efficient way possible, including deep pile handling of logs/stems from a crane or rubber tire loader. Balanced reciprocating motion eliminates issues of vines and bark wrapping around the pivot tube, found with other continuous rotation feeders. USNR designs, manufactures and services our wood yard equipment from state-of-the-art facilities located in the Southeast U.S.

Sennebogen material handler increases capacity and log yard efficiency.

USNR provides everything you need to build an impressive and productive wood yard operation.

AND FALL RISE

By DK Knight

—Second of Three Parts—

Amajor breakthrough in the naval stores sector occurred around 1902 when University of Georgia chemist Charles Herty designed and patented the cup-and-gutter gum collection system, a big improvement over the traditional box (cavity) method. Herty’s invention was less intrusive and thus helped prolong tree life while making gum collection easier, faster, cleaner and less wasteful. Initially made of clay and later metal, the cup was suspended from a nail driven into the tree. Gum oozed into one or more metal gutters tacked to the tree at an angle, then into the cup.

Box-related tree mortality ran high and could be direct or indirect. Trees became less vigorous and more susceptible to insect attack. Writer Robert Outland noted that one forest owner lost 750,000 trees in a beetle outbreak in 1848! Another owner reported losing 130,000 the same year. Also, storms and hurricanes felled boxed trees more readily than unboxed ones.

Fire outbreaks were common and often destructive. Even though longleaf and slash pines are very tolerant of surface fire, boxes were natural flash points and were difficult to put out. Major damage or early death were often the result. Further, under pressure to meet quota, boxers at times overdid it, cutting deeper and wider than recommended.

Judge Harley Langdale, Sr. was at the forefront of the turpentine movement.

Charles Herty’s cup-and-gutter system was a big improvement in gum harvesting.

BIG LOSSES

Such destruction continued even after the cup-and-gutter system was introduced. According to Outland, by 1909 the turpentine industry was blamed for the loss of an estimated 37 billion BF of timber, more than 10 billion BF in Georgia alone. However, as demand for southern pine lumber increased, sawmills gradually began accepting logs from trees that had been boxed or cupped, even though the catface section was usually cut off and left behind because of rock-hard gum crystallization and the suspected presence of embedded metal.

Historical documents reveal that Georgia became the naval stores production leader by 1890, a position it held until being overtaken by Florida in 1905. Georgia reclaimed the title in 1923 and was never challenged again, leading turpentine proponents and some state legislators from the state’s southern sector to propose nicknaming Georgia the Turpentine State.

STUMP TREASURE

Meanwhile, lumber manufacturers and land speculators had begun competing with turpentiners for trees. Southern pine lumber, particularly from longleaf and slash, had been accepted domestically and internationally and demand was growing. Increasingly, investors bought huge tracts and installed relatively high production sawmills, opting to cut trees for more lucrative lumber rather than delay tree harvesting to extract less valuable naval stores. In so doing, these aggressive logging operations left behind millions of acres of cutover land and millions of resin-saturated stumps.

Seeing potential for this abundant resource, innovator Homer Yaryan developed steam distillation technology for processing stumps and erected plants in Brunswick, Ga. and Gulfport, Miss. to produce, among other items, a product known as ‘wood’ turpentine. Hercules Powder Co. acquired Yaryan’s company in 1920 and quickly became the world’s largest producer of naval stores, according to the U.S. Forest Service. But gum turpentine purists contended that wood turpentine was an inferior product. This could have been correct early on but by the 1930s wood turpentine plants had generally improved both the quality and quantity of their products.

Other manufacturers challenged Hercules over time. By 1953, there were some 15 wood naval stores facilities in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. In 1951 alone, an estimated 2.5

million tons of stumps were processed at these plants.

Amazingly, stump extraction continues to this day, albeit on a small scale, in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Destination for these stumps is the plant Yaryan built at Brunswick in 1911 and today is operated by Pinova, Inc. All other stump consuming plants were shut by 2009.

STICKY PERIOD

The early 1930s found gum naval stores operators under tremendous pressure. There was the millstone of the Great Depression, and the threat of wood turpentine/rosin manufacturing, which was much less labor intensive yet much more productive than gum operations. At the same time, the federal government had amassed a huge naval stores surplus,

which was helping hold prices down. As a result, some gum turpentine operators had gone out of business, and many others were teetering.

Enter Harley Langdale, Sr., better known as Judge Langdale, leader of the Langdale family of Valdosta, Ga. Robert Outland in his book crowned the Langdale family “the world’s largest gum naval stores producer,” reporting that in the 1930s, alone or with partners, Langdale operations stretched from Georgia to North Carolina, involved almost 3 million acres, 315 crops, and 25 camps and stills. Judge Langdale headed the business, which his father, John Wesley Langdale, founded in the late 1800s.

The judge and other gum naval stores participants realized that unity could potentially galvanize gum turpentine producers into an effective force that could stabilize the industry and market.

Conversion of stumps into ‘wood turpentine’ helped accelerate the demise of gum harvesting from live trees.

Other attempts at uniting producers had failed, but Langdale and some 900 fellow members of the gum community created the American Turpentine Farmers Assn. (ATFA) in 1936. As a cooperative, it advocated education, advertising, research, insurance, legislation and marketing. Ultimately, it strived to demonstrate that turpentining was an agricultural process, not industrial.

Langdale and other ATFA figures successfully lobbied the federal government to increase funding for research that led to increased productivity and profitability,

and to help operators secure loans from the newly formed Commodity Credit Corp. in exchange for lowering gum production. They were also able to get exemptions regarding Social Security withholding and minimum wage pay.

One important marketing achievement of the group was making turpentine available in small containers for household use. By 1959, 80% of gum turpentine was sold in bottles and cans, up from only 5% in the late 1930s. In the 1940s, ATFA produced a film about turpentine production and purchased promotional ads on national radio

networks. Along the way, it created a Miss Spirits of Turpentine beauty contest, one of Judge Langdale’s pet projects. By 1955, ATFA membership had reached 4,000.

EXTRAORDINAIRE

Ever the spirited turpentine evangelist, Langdale handed off management of the Langdale family business in 1937 to tirelessly promote the work of the association and to become even more of a turpentine cheerleader by extolling the medicinal virtues of the product. He seemed to believe that turpentine could cure everything from coughs and colds to sore holes.

John Lancaster, who captured the Langdale family history in a 2002 book titled Judge Harley and His Boys, included this snippet:

In an interview with an editor of a national magazine in 1955, he (Langdale) contended that workers at stills rarely caught colds and seemed highly resistant to tuberculosis, perhaps from breathing distillation vapors. He observed that workers also appeared to recover quickly from knife cuts and gunshot wounds.

Since before the time of Christ, Judge reminded his listener, the medicinal qualities of turpentine had been known. “The ancient Greeks,” he declared tongue-incheek, “recognized the healthful properties of pine tree gum. The peasant wine of Greece, called retsina, was made with a rosin base, and I have heard it said that when an old Greek died after drinking retsina all his life, it was necessary to take his stomach out and beat it to death with a stick. Rosin is an excellent preservative.”

While the ATFA and all its lobbying significantly helped gum turpentine producers, it was actually World War II’s attendant demand that rescued gum operators from oversupply and poor prices.

Barrels of rosin await shipment from port of Savannah, Ga.

In the 1950s, gum turpentine production began a steady decline. Competition intensified from wood and sulfate

well as new petroleum-based products.

retain, and wages increased, as did production costs. All this led to the weakening and ultimate demise of gum tur-

pentine harvesting and distillation. Judge Langdale stepped down as ATFA president in 1965 and some 10 years later The Langdale Co. closed its last gum still, an updated facility that used steam. ATFA quietly faded away

Judge Harley Langdale, Sr., was a leading turpentine producer and champion and led in founding ATFA.

His company marketed LANCO branded turpentine.

in the mid 1990s.

Langdale would be pleased to know that at least one small town in Georgia, Portal, in Bulloch County, located some 50 miles west of Savannah, still commemorates the glory days of turpentine with an annual October festival. The town’s scant population swells considerably as visitors check out a small turpentine museum and still, which dates back to the 1930s and is reactivated for the occasion.

Interestingly, the nearby Bulloch County community of Adabelle happens to be where several families of Lumbee Indians

put down roots on the ‘Turpentine Trail’ migration route. Experienced turpentiners in their heartland of Robeson County, NC, they relocated to Adabelle in the late 1800s, establishing their own community and a school, church and cemetery. The Lumbees did not follow the trail any farther, however. Some returned to North Carolina around 1920 while others stayed in Bulloch County and turned to farming.

Langdale would also be happy to know that a small volume of turpentine is still produced in the South. Diamond G Forest Products, located just outside Patterson in Pierce County, Ga., taps thousands of slash pines each year and operates an oldfashioned still. Founded about 10 years ago and farming its own trees, Diamond G initially sold most of its gum to Pinova at nearby Brunswick. Company principal Chip Griner, Jr. reports it now leases some trees and that sales (mostly on-line) for turpentine, soaps, salves, and rosin have increased so much in recent years that it now has no gum left to send to Pinova.

It’s fitting that Griner and his partners continue the turpentine tradition. His great-grandfather, O.W. Raulerson, borrowed money to enter the business in 1924 and stayed at it for 30 years.

Little remains of what once was common in the turpentine belt. A few stills are intact, at least partially, and mostly for display. Remnants of small camp houses, with their rotting wood siding and loose, rusting tin roofs, can be spotted in a few rural settings. And, if you do some research, you’ll learn about the odd landowner who lovingly holds on to some catface-scarred longleaf pines that have somehow survived. TP

(The final part of this series will be carried in May TP and will focus on labor. Note: Some information and illustrations in this article appeared in Naval Stores—A History of an Early Industry Created from the South’s Forests, James P. Barnett, U.S. Forest Service, June 2019.)

Georgia town still commemorates turpentine’s glory days with an annual festival.

MACHINERYROW

NTC Produces Band Saw Filer Program

Northcentral Technical College (NTC) recognized the first group to graduate from its Band Saw Filer Certificate program. Students from Wisconsin,

Offered in-person at NTC’s state-ofthe-art Wood Technology Center of Excellence in Antigo, Wis., the program prepares learners to maintain, align and time band saw grinders; apply tradebased formulas; bench band saws (level and tension); fit band saws (swage, shape and grind); weld band saws using

mill; and practice personal safety when handling saws.

Graduate Jackson Breir says he was motivated to enroll in the training after learning about the opportunity from his employer, Granite Valley Forest Products. “I will use the skills I learned to increase the quality of our saws and hopefully in the future increase production capabilities,” Breir says.

According to Kretz Lumber Co. President Troy Brown, the Saw Filer Certificate is vital to the continued success of the sawmill industry. “The industry has been requesting NTC to provide filer training for a number of years, and NTC has been able to come through and help the industry once again by providing the only accredited saw filling program in the United States,” Brown says. “Saw filing is a highly technical skill and NTC’s saw filing program provides a comprehensive training program that we cannot provide on our own.”

Saw filing expert Mitch White, with 45 years of experience encompassing both the softwood and hardwood sawmilling industries, teaches the Band Saw Filer

Students from Northcentral Technical College’s first group of graduates of the Band Saw Filer Certificate program gather around machinery needed to develop the skills that are taught during the four-week session.

Certificate program. Coming from a large family of saw filers, White learned at an early age the critical benching and fitting techniques required to prepare and repair saws for multiple sawmills.

After 30 years of working as a head saw filer for various mills, Whte joined SawPro Inc. as a saw filing consultant and traveled coast to coast training saw filers, setting up saw filing rooms, and solving complex sawing related problems. White was heavily involved in the development of NTC’s new Band Saw Filer program and enjoys sharing his knowledge and proven saw filing techniques with program students to develop the next generation of saw filers.

“Our sawmilling industry has needed a formal training program for many years, and I am very honored to be able to instruct the class,” White says. “We are now training our next generation of saw filers.”

After having more interest than spots in the first class, NTC began be offering the same four-week program in February.

“I have known Mitch White for several years and appreciate his high filing standards and abilities. We are excited

about this new training opportunity and are planning on sending an employee to the upcoming February program,” adds Scott Erickson, US Saw Filing Superintendent, Interfor.

NTC recognizes the industry need for expanded saw filing training and additional programs are in development. Starting Summer 2023, NTC will be adding an accredited circular saw certificate to their saw filing program lineup.

For additional information or to get started in NTC’s Band Saw Filer Certificate, visit: www.ntc.edu/academics-training/programs/all/certificate/band-saw-filer

Cooper Machine Partners With EWD

Cooper Machine Co., a long-established manufacturer of quality sawmill equipment located in Wadley, Ga., an-

nounced that it is partnering with German-based sawmill machine manufacturer EWD Sagetechnik.

Cooper Machine has been offering equipment for sawmill, pallet, and post and pole mills since 1965. The company is in its third generation of successful management.

EWD dates back to 1862 and today employs 250 in Germany. The partnership with EWD allows Cooper Machine to offer an expanded range of sawmill equipment.

“In the future, with labor getting more expensive and harder to find, we want to offer our customers fully automated sawmills. With the same shared beliefs, we believe we have found the ideal partner in EWD Sagetechnik,” explains Frances Cooper, CEO of Cooper Machine.

Working with EWD will offer many advantages for Cooper Machine customers since it will be able to offer a wide array of well-designed, German engineered sawmill equipment, along with service and parts located in the U.S. Cooper Machine has committed to providing customer service on all EWD

equipment it sells and will stock the parts needed to back the service.

Con-Vey Names Buck As Product Manager

Con-Vey has announced the promotion of Joe Buck from sales engineer to Product Manager, having been with the company for nearly four years. In his new role, Buck will lead the strategy development and execution of several products at ConVey, and will be working closely with the engineering, sales and marketing teams. Buck’s extensive experience in both sales and engineering makes him especially qualified to drive the growth and success of these product lines for Con-Vey.

Dave Larecy, CEO of Con-Vey, comments, “Joe has been a valuable member of our team these last few years, and we’re excited to see him take on this new role. His expertise and dedication to our customers make him the perfect fit for Product Manager, and we’re confident he will excel in this position.”

Jeremy Goebel, Vice President at Con-Vey, also shared his excitement

about Buck’s promotion: “Joe’s deep understanding of our customers’ needs will be invaluable in driving our product strategy forward.”

Canfor DeRidder Has Log Cranes In Place

Fulghum Industries, Inc. reports the commission of two recently installed 170 ft. 45-ton log cranes for Canfor. The cranes will be feeding the new $160 million, 250MMBF sawmill at DeRidder, La. The log cranes were commissioned and certified for operation on January 31.

New sawmill comes into focus at DeRidder.

Homan Industries Names Reaves CEO

Homan Industries, which operates a SYP sawmill, dry kilns, planer, pressure treating facility, reman operations and a logistics company in Fulton, Miss., named Bud Reaves as CEO, succeeding Larry Homan, who after 56 years in this position assumes the role of Chairman of the Board.

Reaves becomes responsible for the four business operations of Homan Industries: Homan Forest Products, TriState Lumber, Homan Logistics, and Homan Wood Products. Reaves has more than 20 years of wood products experience and has been with Homan Industries for 16 years, holding leadership positions as COO and plant controller.

A native of Mississippi, Reaves holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Delta State University. He currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Assn.

SNA Adds Rupp As Senior Recruiter

Search North America (SNA), a leading wood products-based search, recruiting and placement firm, named Dave Rupp as a new Senior Recruiter, mainly focusing on the Western U.S. and Canada. He joins the SNA team with more than 40 years of experience in the wood products industry, working with Fortune 500 companies in North America and abroad. Rupp has extensive experience developing strategic alliances within all levels of the business, government, and environmental communities.

Rupp’s home office will be based out of the Vancouver, Wash. area, while SNA’s main office will remain located in North Carolina. Rupp graduated from The Ohio State University and most recently was a business development director at Advanced Nano Adhesives. While there, he leveraged industry contacts in pressure-treated wood, OSB, particleboard, MDF, EWP, and resin suppliers/industries to move the company forward, promoting a patented technology that improves board properties and water resistance while reducing resin costs.

Founded in 1982, Search North America has placed professionals in every area of the wood products and related industries. From entry-level positions and skilled trades to executive-level roles,

SNA helps companies find the talent they need and can help individuals with their next career move.

Richard Poindexter, SNA President and Owner, will continue to specialize in client and candidate relationships in the Eastern and Southern parts of the U.S. and Canada. Carl Jansen, SNA founder, will be stepping into a role as recruiting consultant and business developer.

Rupp can be reached at 360-601-3717; daver@searchna.com

Hunt FP Supports Forest Products Center

Hunt Forest Products LLC has pledged $500,000 to support the new Forest Products Innovation Center on Louisiana Tech University’s South Campus at Ruston. The Forest Products Innovation Center is slated to become a hub for discovering new methods to capture, produce and utilize the state’s renewable and sustainable forests for generations to come. It was developed in response to the University’s Tech 2030 strategic initiative to create programs and research that bolster collaboration and partnerships within academic areas.

“As co-owner and chairman of the Board of Directors for Hunt Forest Products, we value our current partnership with Louisiana Tech University,” Trott Hunt comments. “We know the collaboration between industry and academia is key to catalyzing innovation, research and growth. Realizing the knowledgebased opportunities the Center will provide for the forestry industry, as well as the important role it will play within the state and local economies, we are happy to expand this relationship by investing in the new state of the art center.”

The facility will bring together faculty and students from diverse areas like Forestry, Chemical and Industrial Engineering, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, as well as other disciplines, to collaborate on the challenges that will face the State of Louisiana in the future.

“We anticipate research in new uses of our vast forests to create greater economic opportunities for our state by focusing on more effective and efficient processing of forest products while also contributing to sustainability and a low carbon future,” says Dr. Les Guice, Louisiana Tech President. “This new building will also provide space for research collaborations with the industry and other partners, and each of these ini-

tiatives will help our students be better prepared for careers in the forest products and other industries.”

“We believe this Center will have a tremendous impact on the forestry industry by connecting people, ideas, research and resources,” adds Jimmy Hunt, co-owner and vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of Hunt Forest Products. “Louisiana Tech has a discovery-driven culture, and we are thrilled to be a collaborating advisor in the development of the Forest Products Innovation Center.”

Hunt Forest Products (HFP) was founded in 1978 as a full-service wood products company. HFP manufactures plywood, lumber and other specialty wood products. Mike Walpole of Ruston has been chosen as the designer for this phase of the building construction.

Roseburg Enhances Executive Team

Roseburg named Matt Lawless as Vice President-General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. He joins the company’s Executive Team and will help set strategy and overall direction for the business.

“Matt is an accomplished legal strategist and litigator, and we are fortunate to have him on the team,” Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulbery says. “He has shown a passion for the business and our industry, and a clear understanding of our strategic objectives. We look forward to his continued contribution to Roseburg’s growth and success.”

Lawless joined Roseburg in November 2019 as Assistant General Counsel. His scope of responsibility expanded in January 2022, when Stuart Gray moved out of the General Counsel role to become Chief Operating Officer for Roseburg.

“Matt has a keen legal mind and deep appreciation of Roseburg’s values and goals as a business,” Roseburg COO Gray adds. “His leadership and skillset have proven invaluable as we address the complex legal issues regarding our timberlands, operations, and ongoing work to expand our geographic footprint in North America.”

Before Roseburg, Lawless practiced law at Arnold Gallagher PC in Eugene, Ore.; and Jones Day in Cleveland, Ohio. He began his career at Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, Angell & Davis PA in Raleigh, NC. He earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C.

Humphreys School of Law, and his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University in Virginia.

Cal-Tex Purchases

and MiCROTEC have a long relationship, with the first Lucidyne Grade Mark Reader being installed in 1991. Over the years, these GMR systems have been upgraded to the latest version.

The Lucidyne scanner will be installed near the beginning of 2024. For more information about the Lucidyne scanner, MiCROTEC Ai, or QC Assist software, visit microtec.us.

McDonough Acquires New Brunswick’s B.I.D.

proximity to the Trans-Canada Highway and various seaports, B.I.D. Canada has been a sought-after manufacturer in the coal, cement, potash, nickel, biomass and pulp and paper industries

ing production processes, minimizing downtime, reducing trim loss, and increasing product consistency with the purchase of a MiCROTEC Lucidyne scanner for installation in its Nacogdoches, Texas facility.

The Lucidyne scanner, equipped with MiCROTEC Ai and the QC Assist quality control tool, offers precision and efficiency in wood processing and quality control, allowing Cal-Tex Lumber to get the most value and recovery out of their system.

Cal-Tex Lumber is committed to investing in the latest technology and processes to remain a leader in the wood processing industry. Cal-Tex Lumber

McDonough Manufacturing has acquired Woodstock, New Brunswickbased B.I.D. Canada Ltd. into the McDonough group of companies. This acquisition partners two of New Brunswick’s premiere manufacturing teams and facilities (McDonough expaneded operations to Mactaquac, New Brunswick in 2017), combining them with McDonough’s flagship location in Eau Claire, Wis. The transaction allows McDonough to increase production capacity, human resources, and product offerings.

“Increasing demand of our machinery has necessitated a further expansion to increase capacity and meet changing market needs,” McDonough stated.

Founded as Basic Industrial Design, B.I.D Canada Ltd. has more than 50 years of experience in the design and manufacturing of bulk material handling systems, making it one of North America’s leaders in the industry. Within close

This acquisition is part of McDonough’s business strategy to continue to offer the best machinery on the market, while employing teams of experts to service its customers. B.I.D. Canada will continue to operate in its facility in Woodstock, New Brunswick, retaining existing team members under the McDonough umbrella. The B.I.D. Canada location will remain focused on its existing customers and projects, while contributing to the production of McDonough sawmill machinery. The experience of the McDonough sales and marketing teams will allow McDonough to further expand B.I.D. Canada’s horizons across North America.

Hampton Gets Busy With The Bees

A Northwest timber company is studying how to support bees among trees. Hampton Lumber, a fourth-generation family business, is building pollinator habitats at its timber harvest sites throughout Oregon and Washington. “I love this project,” says Andony Melathopoulos, Oregon State University’s pollinator health expert. “It’s so innovative. They’re way out ahead of the rest of the industry in the West.” The project, says Melathopoulos, supports

bumble bees, carpenter bees, mason bees and other pollinators.

The idea originated with David Hampton, an owner and board member of Hampton Lumber, after he attended a conference presentation about the decline of native pollinators. Hampton approached Jed Arnold, then the company’s stewardship and community outreach coordinator, about building pollinator habitat in timber stands.

Arnold began researching in 2016. He talked with pollination experts, including OSU researchers, who encouraged him to experiment with ecosystems and track what worked. In 2017, Arnold planted native seed to support pollinators. He also maintained woody debris piles and lightly disturbed topsoil for different bee species to use for nesting.

Each year, he experimented with different types of seed, elevation, planting techniques, timing and other factors. During the winter of 2019-2020, he ran a controlled experiment. In some plots, native flowers struggled to survive; in others, they thrived.

From his experiments, Arnold gleaned four key takeaways:

First, he learned that timing matters. Plots where he planted seed late in the fall or early in the winter—after birds had migrated but snow had not yet fallen—performed best.

Second, he discovered the best places to plant native seed are in the burn scars of slash piles at recently harvested sites. Logging generates woody debris that foresters often clump into slash piles and then burn. These piles can become rich soil for flowers.

Arnold says seeding burn scars is affordable and effective. Planting as little as two ounces of native seed in a 40foot-diameter burn scar can produce a carpet of wildflowers. In some sites, flowers are now naturally re-seeding.

Third, Arnold learned that seed selection is important. He encourages foresters creating pollinator habitat to talk with an extension specialist or reputable seed company about which flowers are best suited to the terrain and microclimate.

Finally, he learned it is important to have an herbicide regimen that complements rather than disrupts the habitat.

In 2021, Arnold accepted a forestry job in Nevada and passed the project on to Lindsay Davis, Hampton Lumber’s new stewardship coordinator for the pollinator project. Davis is planning how to

support bees for years to come.

One of Davis’ goals is to create a plan—like “choreography for a dance”— so that when the canopy eventually closes over a unit, shading out the flowers, the bees can easily transition to a new unit a quarter of a mile away with a trail of plants bridging the sites.

Arnold and Davis say other foresters can replicate Hampton Lumber’s lowcost practices.

“I believe this is a technique that is very replicable,” Arnold says.

Davis agrees: “Whether you’re sitting on one acre or 100 acres, anyone can participate in this.”

Article as appeared on Hampton Lumber web site, written by Sierra McClain of Capital Press (www.capitalpress.com).

Hancock Lumber Expands Executive Team

Hancock Lumber, which operates four sawmills in Maine and New Hampshire, has expanded its executive team, adding

a full-time Chief Financial Officer, Florian Knappe. Knappe joins the Home Office executive team, and will be focused on the financial, legal, technological and structural aspects of the company.

With Knappe’s arrival, Paul Wainman transitions from President and CFO to President and CEO. Kevin Hancock transitions from CEO and Chairman to Chairman.

Born in Germany, Knappe has an extensive geographical and financial background, having held several executive leadership roles in Europe and the U.S. Additionally, he has building products experience having been CFO for a Maine based deck manufacturer. Most recently he served as the Director of Finance for Maine Technical Source, serving surveyors, engineers, and commercial contractors.

“Florian’s arrival expands the capacity of our senior executive team from two people to three,” Hancock says. “This is an intentional investment designed to support the continued growth and expan-

sion of our company.

MAINEVENTS

APRIL

16-18—Western Wood Products Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites PDX - Portland Airport, Portland Ore. Call 503224-3930; visit wwpa.org.

26-28—Virginia Forestry Assn. 2023 Forestry Summit, Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Va. Call 804-278-8733; visit vaforestry.org.

26-28—MSR Annual Workshop, Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, San Antonio, Tex. Call 608-310-6768; visit msrlumber.org.

MAY

15-16— Lumber Quality and Process Control Workshop, Embassy Suites, Perimeter Hotel, Atlanta, Ga. Call 541-7522751; visit lumberquality.com/Southern-Workshops

15-19—Ligna: World Fair For The Forestry And Wood Industries, Hannover Exhibition Center, Hannover, Germany. Call +49 511 89-0; fax +49 511 89-32626; visit ligna.de.

17-18— Lumber Quality Leadership Workshop, Embassy Suites, Perimeter Hotel, Atlanta, Ga. Call 541-752-2751; visit lumberquality.com/Southern-Workshops

19-20—Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo (Loggers’ Expo), Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, Maine. Call 315369-3078; visit northernlogger.com.

JUNE

9-10— PA Timber Show, Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, Pennsylvania Furnace, Penn. Call 814-8632873; visit agsci.psu.edu/timber.

10-13—Assn. of Consulting Foresters of America annual conference, The Graduate Eugene Hotel, Eugene, Ore. Call 703548-0990; visit acf-foresters.org.

JULY

23-26— Walnut Council annual meeting, TBD, Columbia, Mo. Call 765-583-3501; visit walnutcouncil.org.

25-28— AWFS Fair, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. Call 224-563-3761; visit awfsfair.org.

28-30— Georgia Forestry Assn. Annual Conference, Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 478-992-8110; visit gfagrow.org.

AUGUST

23-25— SFPA Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Music City Center, Nashville, Tenn. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com.

29-31—Florida Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Fla. Call 850-222-5646; visit flforest.org.

29-31—Louisiana Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Resort, Lake Charles, La. Call 318443-2558; visit laforestry.com.

SEPTEMBER

5-8—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Marriott Cool Springs, Franklin, Tenn. Call 615-883-3832; visit tnforestry.com.

7-9—Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, UP State Fairground, Escanaba, Mich. Call 715-282-5828; visit gltpa.org.

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

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