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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 40 • Number 2 • March 2015 Founded in 1976 • Our 411th 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 Classified Advertising: Bridget DeVane • 1.800.669.5613

6 10 14 24

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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THE ISSUES

Hardwood Checkoff Saga

NEWSFEED

Pleasant River Lumber Buys Moose River

HARDWOOD CHECKOFF

Hardwood Lumbermen Take Sides

COMING OF AGE

Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods

FLOORING TO PELLETS

Hassell & Hughes Lumber

CURVE-SAW OPTIMIZATION

Jordan Lumber Upgrades At Barnesville

DOWNSTREAM

Developments After The Primary

COVER: Since its founding in 1993, Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods has quietly and steadily built an impressive hardwood lumber operation based in Huntland, Tenn. Story begins on PAGE 14. (David Abbott photo)

Midwest USA, Eastern Canada 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 Member Verified Audit Circulation

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 International Murray Brett Aldea de las Cuevas 66, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 • FAX: +34 96 640 4022 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 ® 2015. 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 Publications Mail Agreement No. 41359535 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to PO Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6 Other Hatton-Brown publications: Timber Harvesting • Southern Loggin’ Times Wood Bioenergy • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade

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THEISSUES

Rich Donnell Editor-in-Chief

GETTING A HANDLE ON HARDWOOD CHECKOFF

e didn’t intend to include an article on the hardwood checkoff situation in this issue. But beginning on page 10, there it is. As much as our articles are meant to inform you, this was one of those cases where the development of an article has helped to educate us as well. We had followed, to some degree, the establishment of a softwood checkoff program in the past few years. We were aware that a hardwood checkoff program was under consideration, but we had lost touch with it as of late. Then in our previous issue we ran a press release from the Hardwood Checkoff Committee that indicated the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture had given hardwood checkoff a “green light.” Not so fast my friends. We were quickly informed by the Hardwood Lumber Industry Coalition, by way of the Missouri Forest Products Assn., that this wasn’t true; that the USDA and its Agricultural Marketing Service was not inclined to proceed on the proposal given the significant amount of opposition to it, as exemplified in the public comments to the proposal when it was published in the Federal Register in November 2013. But then when we called a representative from the Hardwood Checkoff Committee, we were told that it was still very much alive. What the heck is going on? we asked, and do we really know what a checkoff program is? As indicated on the USDA AMS web site: “Commodity research and promotion programs, also known as checkoff programs, are established under Federal law at the request of their industries. Checkoff programs are funded by the industries themselves, with the goal to increase the success of the businesses that produce and sell certain commodities.” Sounds harmless enough, we thought, a lot of other industries have done it, so why is it causing a major rift in the hardwood lumber industry, between the “pro” forces as represented by the Hardwood Checkoff Committee and the “anti” forces behind the Hardwood Lumber Industry Coalition? Thus began several days of researching and interviewing conducted by our writer, Dan Shell. Many questions came to mind: Is this simply a matter of some companies wanting to pay the checkoff fees that would be involved and others not wanting to? Is this a big producers versus small producers story? Does the inclusion of the hardwood plywood industry with the hardwood lumber industry in this proposal muddy up the water? Are some companies unhappy with the voting process, and how the final result is tallied, if indeed it comes to a vote? Are some companies simply coming at it from a “we don’t need to get more involved with the federal government” point of view? How effective are these checkoff programs anyway? And perhaps the most important question of all: Is this thing dead or alive? That’s a lot to delve into, but Dan has given it a shot. And if you want more TP information, visit hardwoodcheckoff.com and nohardwoodcheckoff.com.

Contact Rich Donnell, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail: rich@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING

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NEWSFEED

PLEASANT RIVER LUMBER BUYS MOOSE RIVER LUMBER

Moose River Lumber has been a solid operator for several decades.

Pleasant River Lumber, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, is purchasing Moose River Lumber Co., Jackman, Me. Moose River Lumber produces more than 85MMBF annually of kiln-dried, dimension spruce lumber. The company is known for its red moose logo on its lumber packaging. Pleasant River Lumber is owned by members of the Brochu family who formerly owned Stratton Lumber, before selling out and purchasing Pleasant River Lumber in 2004. The Brochu’s subsequently purchased operations in West Enfield, Me. in 2008, Hancock, Me. in 2011 and Sanford, Me. in 2012. With the addition of Moose River Lumber, the Pleasant River Lumber business encompasses five locations throughout Maine, employing 275, with an annual production of 175MMBF of eastern SPF and 35MMBF of eastern white pine. Moose River Lumber has been owned by the Charles Lumbert family and Kruger Inc. The company did a major planer mill expansion in 2007. The sawmill operates large and small log breakdown sides. “Moose River Lumber and the Lumbert family have been producing lumber in the Jackman area for 40+ years and have established an exceptional reputation throughout the industry and their community,” according to a statement from Pleasant River 6

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Lumber. “PRL and the Brochu family are honored to be able to continue the tradition in the Jackman area and appreciate the opportunity to work with the people of MRL to continue to grow and strengthen the company.”

HOUSING STARTS TOPPED 1 MILLION U.S. housing starts in 2014 totaled 1,005,800 million units, up 9% from 2013, marking the first time housing starts have surpassed 1 million since 2007 when starts exceeded 1.4 million units, according to a report by APA—The Engineered Wood Assn. Beginning with 2008 and running through 2014, housing starts averaged 776,000 units per year. Single family starts in 2014 were 648,000 up 4.9% from 2013, while multifamily starts came in at 357,800 units, up 16.4% from 2013. Sustained increases in home values drove down the share of

homeowners that are in a negative equity position on their mortgage to 16.9%. About half of those who are underwater owe at least 20% more on their mortgage than the current estimated value of their home. For the year, the number of homeowners that started the foreclosure process totaled 1.2 million, down 18% from 2013 and down 61% from the peak of 2.87 million reached in 2010. APA forecasts 1.210,000 housing starts in the U.S. in 2015 and 1,365,000 in 2016. The APA report also lists forecasts from six other banking and housing concerns, which range from 1.1 million to 1.3 million for 2015 and 1.28 million to 1.65 million for 2016. Housing starts in Canada in 2014 were 189,400, a gain of 0.7% from 2013.

PLYWOOD MILL HAS NEW LIFE Officials with Swanson Group Mfg. LLC announced plans to rebuild the company’s Springfield, Ore. plywood plant after it was destroyed by fire in mid-July 2014. Plans are to have the new mill finished and ready to start up by mid 2016. The new plant will employ 190 and operate similar to the old facility in terms of capacity and product lines. The hiring process is expected to start late in the first quarter, or early in the second quarter of 2016. “Of our 250 employees displaced by the

Housing starts topped 1 million for first time since 2007.

fire, approximately 43 chose to take positions at our more southern locations, which hasn’t always been easy,” states Chuck Wert, Chief Operating Officer of Swanson Group. “These folks have gone through a lot, and made many personal sacrifices. We greatly appreciate this and are delighted to be able to offer them, as well as many of our other displaced employees, an opportunity to return home.”

TWO MORE PELLET MILLS PLANNED Two ventures have announced they plan to build wood pellet mills in similar areas of north central Florida, west of Jacksonville. PHI Group, Inc., a company focused on energy and natural resources, announced it has signed an agreement with AG Materials, LLC, an Alabama company, to jointly set up a 200,000 metric tons annual production wood pellet mill in Live Oak, Suwannee County; and Enerpellets Group, a Portugal-based producer of wood pellets, announced it will build a 250,000 tons per year pellet mill in Hamilton County.

WINSTON HOSTS GROUNDBREAKING Winston Plywood and Veneer held a groundbreaking ceremony January 30 at the site of the company’s future plywood facility in Louisville, Miss. The project represents an investment of approximately $50 million and will create 400 jobs. In April 2014, a tornado destroyed the facility in Louisville. It’s anticipated that by early 2016, Winston Plywood & Veneer will produce and distribute a full-range of specialty and commodity plywood products. Over time, the mill’s annual capacity could reach 400MMSF.

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CHECKOFF: THE GREAT DIVIDE Hardwood lumber industry debates promotional program. By Dan Shell

roups of hardwood lumber producers who are respectively in favor and against a “Hardwood Checkoff” self-funded marketing program for the industry are making competing claims about the future of the program after one of the groups issued a statement saying the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture had given the program a “green light for further action,” leading the opposing group to release a statement claiming instead that USDA was ready to drop program development due to the lack of industry support and several major concerns with the Hardwood Checkoff proposal itself. Essentially, a USDA Hardwood Checkoff proposal notice and public comment process remains in place, thanks to an expiring letter of credit that was extended by the independent Hardwood Checkoff Committee to reimburse the USDA for ongoing legal and clerical work in modifying the proposal, with the ultimate goal of putting it to a referendum vote among qualified industry members. To avoid improper influence, USDA frowns on communication among the agency and parties to a proposal, and press updates are virtually non-existent. However, following an early 2015 round of “dueling press releases” between the Hardwood Checkoff Committee and the U.S. Hardwood Lumber Industry Coalition concerning the future of the Hardwood Checkoff proposal, the USDA was compelled to release a statement clarifying the two groups’ claims: “Recently, it appears there may have been some confusion regarding the cur-

rent status of the proposed research and promotion program for hardwood lumber. To clarify, USDA is still in the process of evaluating the voluminous comments received on the proposed rules for the Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research and Information Order and Referendum Procedures. We hope to complete our review shortly. (The Agricultural Marketing Service) intends to publish any next step in this rulemaking process in the Federal Register, and, if appropriate, provide an opportunity for public comment.” Officials on both sides of the issue have no idea exactly what the USDA will do next but expect an announcement some time from March to June. The proposal could move to the referendum phase for voting, or a modified version of the original proposal incorporating suggestions from the initial public comment process could be published for another round of public comment.

BACKGROUND In place in many agricultural industries, checkoff programs are administered by the USDA to self-fund promotional, research or other development initiatives to boost industry growth. Fees collected from qualified industry companies (usually based on sales or production volume) are used to fund programs to promote that industry. Some of the most well-known examples are the “Incredible, Edible Egg,” “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner” and “Got Milk?” marketing campaigns for the poultry, beef and dairy industries, respectively. Established by Congress in the mid

’90s, USDA checkoff programs are designed to increase commodity demand and long-term growth of all sectors of a given industry, and officials work to assure no single industry segment gains more from such a program than other segments. The hardwood lumber industry’s work with potential checkoff programs dates to the mid ’90s, when producers debated it, but ultimately decided against taking a proposal to the USDA. The current effort dates to 2011 when a group of hardwood lumber producers and others formed the Blue Ribbon Committee to promote the idea, working initially to research the program’s feasibility with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities that also worked on the successful softwood lumber checkoff program. Members of the group had seen the effects of the economic downturn that drastically reduced hardwood lumber production and the loss of market share to other products and sought to find a way to turn the tide. “Our diverse industry produces some of the most beautiful and desirable wood products available, but we’ve never mounted a sustained research, education and promotion program to ensure consumers are armed with sound information about the many performance, environmental and economic benefits they provide,” said Ted Rossi of Rossi Lumber Group and co-chair of the initial Blue Ribbon Committee when the initial proposal came out. “A hardwood checkoff program will be a game-changer for our future.” That’s the draw for checkoff program supporters: a promotional program with

Checkoff program proposal has backers seeking more support and opponents looking for a different referendum process.

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Hardwood checkoff proposal efforts date to the mid '90s.

the resources it needs, plus research to find new markets and applications. Checkoff program supporter Bob Uglow of Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, NY, says, “The hardwood story must be told to a larger audience. The research component of checkoff alone has real potential to help our industry develop new markets for hardwoods, and new

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markets and products are key to any healthy, growing industry.” Uglow adds that hardwood lumber is a nonfactor in ongoing LEED discussions and development, and “outside groups” have defined hardwood sustainability. A checkoff program will provide the resources to do better on both fronts and more, he believes.

CURRENT PROPOSAL After much research and gauging hardwood lumber industry sentiment, the committee (which changed its name to Hardwood Checkoff Committee) took a proposal to the USDA, which in November 2013 placed it in the Federal Register for a public comment period that was

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eventually extended to February 2014. Almost 1,000 comments were received, the majority against the checkoff proposal. Noting concerns raised through public comments, members of the Hardwood Checkoff Committee asked USDA (in the group’s own comment) to modify the proposal with multiple changes, among them to exclude industrial lumber (pallets and stock primarily) from the program, include export sales as a defining factor in eligibility, and reduce paperwork requirements for smaller mills that are included. (Mills with less than $2 million in annual sales are exempt from the checkoff but will still benefit from it, supporters say.) While such changes may help push the vote toward ultimate approval, many mill operators are against the way the potential hardwood checkoff vote is structured. The current proposal states that the program would not go into effect unless it is approved by a majority of hardwood manufacturers and hardwood plywood manufacturers who represent a majority of the volume of covered hardwood lumber represented in the referendum, as opposed to a majority of eligible mills voting for it. (In other words, among the mills that are eligible to vote, several larger producers who make up 50% or more of volume could “outvote” a larger number of smaller mills that are against it.) The softwood lumber checkoff vote required a majority of both volume and mills voting for it to pass, says Jeff Hanks, President of Bill Hanks Lumber, Danbury, NC, who’s worked closely with the coalition group against the proposal and would support such an approach for the hardwood checkoff. In fact, the softwood lumber checkoff program passed in June 2011 supported by 67% of voters, representing 80% of the volume of softwood lumber manufactured. Another big sticking point among those against the proposal is the inclusion of hardwood plywood in the proposed program. Many coalition members view hardwood plywood as a competing product, not an allied one, Hanks says, adding that including those companies adds to the perception—not necessarily accurate—that the program stands to benefit big businesses. Hanks also points to research showing several industry characteristics for a successful checkoff program that the hardwood industry doesn’t meet, such as product similarity, product identity maintenance and high barrier to entry, among others. Besides restructuring the voting process, checkoff promoters might gain

more support by providing a better idea of exactly how checkoff revenues would be spent and a cost-benefit analysis of any such programs. “It’s hard to be against promotion of your products and your industry,” Hanks says, “but there’s a strong feeling among the coalition that marketing is the mill’s responsibility and not volunteers in DC.” The urge to do something combined with more details about program specifics may be one area those on both

sides can find common ground. Hugh Overmyer, President of Linden Lumber in Linden, Ala., notes that the proposed program may not be perfect but past promotional efforts weren’t either. “There never was enough money to make a real significant impact. Now is our chance for the entire industry to participate.” Overmyer says. “I am sure the proposed program is not perfect, but there never will be a perfect program. Let’s try something different for our industry and TP hopefully move it forward.”

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FAMILY

AT WORK By David Abbott

A familiar name in the southern hardwood lumber industry has built a global operation based in Tennessee.

HUNTLAND, Tenn. ordeck Thompson, President, CEO and founder of Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods, Inc. is at his core a family man, and his business reflects that fact. He grew up at his father’s company, Thompson Hardwoods, Inc. in Hazlehurst, Ga. (that mill was purchased by Nordeck’s sister and brother-in-law Phyllis and Steve Johnson and later sold to the Beasley group). “That’s where I was trained and where I toiled and labored through many a long hot summer day in my teenage years, in college and for about 12 years after,” Thompson, now 55, recalls. By his early 30s, Nordeck felt the need to start something of his own. His wife, Mary, had family in Tennessee, so

The family, left to right: Drew Getty, Claire Thompson Getty, Mary Claire Thompson, Nordeck Thompson, Mary Lee Thompson McConnell, Robert McConnell, Laura Ann Thompson Howell (not pictured: Nick Thompson)

they relocated there. In 1993, Thompson saw an opportunity to acquire the company assets of what is now Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods, Inc. “My father was gracious to help my wife and I put together capital,” Nordeck says. “We could not have accomplished what we have without his help from the start. And not just my father; quite a few people were pivotal for us.” The early days

weren’t easy. “Our family had just had our sixth child, at the same time as we were moving to a new place, and starting a new mill, with a house full of little kids.” Today, most of those kids, and some of their spouses, work with their father, running various parts of the company. “They are making it easier on me as I get a little whiter in the beard,” Thompson smiles.

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Oldest daughter Claire Getty is the company’s CFO, while her husband Drew works as Procurement Manager. Thompson’s son Nick is the Vice President of Operations. Another daughter, Laura Ann Howell, serves as Vice President of Risk Management. A third daughter, Mary Lee McConnell, has just come on board in the last two months as Human Resources Manager, a job for which she trained at UTK—the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Her husband Rob works as Lumber Yard Manager. In addition, Thompson has a brother-in-law, David Pruett, Dry Kiln Operator, and a nephew, William Faircloth, who works in sales and purchasing alongside Vice PresidentSales, Todd Nelson. Many employees have been there 15+ years and have become like family as well. “With the rapid growth of our company over the past few years, our goal is to not only provide top-quality hardwood lumber products, but to also become one of the best employers in our part of the state,” Laura Ann says. “We love Huntland, Tennessee and want to continue to build a strong and supportive workplace community here.” Following the path of her older sister Mary Lee, youngest daughter Caroline— the one just being born when Thompson was starting the company 22 years ago— is now a junior at UTK. It brings up a mildly sore subject for their father. He and his wife are graduates and fans of the University of Georgia—accounting for the Bulldogs decorations in their Tennessee offices (both schools play in the Southeastern Conference). Four of their kids also went to UGA, but thanks to an influx of new family members these UGA parents now have a family full of Georgia Tech, Clemson and Tennessee grads. “I can almost sing Rocky Top now without getting sick to my stomach, because I’ve been writing those tuition checks,” Thompson says. He’s joking…sort of.

West Plains thin-kerf horizontal resaw takes larger cants from Comact headrig.

Nordeck Thompson talks with employees, staying on top of mill operations.

UPGRADES When Thompson bought the plant in 1993 it had been shut down for more than 10 years. It took no small measure of hard work to get it back into operational condition, and that work has continued ever since. “We have been in a constant state of improvement since the day we bought this place,” he says. Basically the mill has been completely rebuilt over 22 years. The original mill building doesn’t exist anymore. “It took 20 years to get it where we wanted it, and now it is capable of running the pro-

Lumber flows from headrig to Schurman (USNR) edger with Nelson Bros. optimization. TIMBER PROCESSING

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Tigercat knuckleboom loader with articulating carrier sorts and organizes log yard.

duction we want,” Thompson says. This year they project 18MMBF of production, including a budget of 12MMBF of kiln-dried product. To date the facility processes no outside lumber. Just three years ago, the company was only operating two electric kilns with 160,000 feet of capacity. Increased drying capacity was important to Thompson; if they wanted to continue competing for

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raw material in the area, Thompson knew they had to move away from focusing exclusively on green lumber sales. In 2012, the company purchased a neighboring property, formerly Gilbert Hardwoods. That acquisition included six dry kilns heated by a waste-fired boiler system. In addition, the purchase of Gilbert Hardwoods included a Yates American B24 double surfacer. The Gilbert acquisition

meant a continuation of the constant state of improvements. Thompson has recently added three new Nyle dry kilns, bringing total drying capacity to 800MMBF across 11 dry kilns. Additionally, with the expansion of the drying and sawmill divisions, the company’s procurement division has also grown to include a larger standing timber program and treelength log merchandising. Thompson Appalachian contracts with logging crews to harvest its timber tracts and deliver this timber treelength to the mill. “With multiple grades, species and lengths, there is a lot going on in the log yard,” Nordeck says. “With this added capacity coming onto our log yard, we decided to invest in a knuckleboom system, a Tigercat 250D equipped with the AC16 carrier. This equipment allowed us to optimize the space on the log yard – we can go vertical with our log piles now. We unload log trucks with wheeled loaders and organize our yard with the Tigercat equipment.” All of this growth has meant a rapid increase in the number of people involved; the employee roster doubled in three years. “With just under 100 employees now, we have learned a lot about the lumber business and Human Resources com-

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With all the expansion of recent years, the mill expects 18MMBF of production this year.

pliance as well,” Thompson says. “Our Human Resources department has focused heavily on compliance related issues regarding employee benefits and other employment matters, and they have done an excellent job,” he adds.

PRODUCTION The mill was built to cut multiple thicknesses of high grade hardwood. The process begins with a Nicholson A2 ring de-

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barker following a MDI metal detector. A Salem linear positioning carriage features USNR YieldMaster G3 StereoScan optimization. A Comact double cut 7 ft. bandmill headrig makes the initial breakdown. Lumber flows from the headrig to a Schurman (USNR) four-saw board edger, optimized with a Nelson Bros. system, while cants go to either a Schurman thinkerf top arbor gang saw for smaller logs or a West Plains thin-kerf horizontal resaw for larger ones. Thompson recruited

some engineers to help him design the custom-built double end trimmer, through which every piece flows. Filing room is equipped with Armstrong grinder for the headrig band saw, Armstrong bench, Wright face and side grinding machine for circle saws, and an Armstrong grinder for the resaw. Downstream, NHLA-certified inspectors work at a grading station, after which all lumber is sorted by grade, thickness and length. Some of it is packaged green for shipment, while the rest is dipped and staged for the drying process. An Irvington Moore (USNR) blade-arm stacker is the starting point for the dry kiln division - green lumber is put on sticks for the air drying process. After a period of air drying in a covered shed or in the air drying yard, lumber is then transferred to one of 11 dry kilns. Once dried, lumber is regraded by a team of NHLA-certified inspectors and is finally sorted and packaged for shipment. The existing air drying yard and covered dry sheds combine for a 4.5MMBF capacity. About 50MBF is processed daily through the de-stick line. The facility is set to dry about 12MMBF this year. Thompson Appalachian utilizes a real-time inventory control system and bar coding for all logs and lumber.

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All saws are maintained in-house with Armstrong and Wright equipment.

REBRANDING Alongside the ongoing expansion projects since the Gilbert acquisition in 2012, Thompson Appalachian completed a rebranding for its 20th anniversary in 2013. This included a new logo, new web site and corporate identity package as part of an effort to market the company and its products to a global marketplace, especially given the increased drying capacity. “For us it’s about our family brand,”

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Thompson says. “Who we are and what we believe about the integrity of our product. We are striving every day to put out the kind of product people want. Sometimes it’s not about price, but it’s always about quality. Price may have to be negotiable, but quality is never negotiable.” The company has gotten a lot of traction, Laura Ann says, from its online presence. “We have been able to showcase our family’s story, the products and our corporate culture,” she says. “We

have experienced growing demand for our products domestically and globally because people can access Thompson Appalachian more easily. Not only that, we have had much success attracting great talent. Once someone hits our website, they can get a good feel for our company culture.” “From my perspective, it is about engaging our industry globally,” her dad adds. “If we have a quality product but we don’t embrace the marketing and technology to get the word out there...how can one little family in Huntland have a global presence?” He continues: “The market is 24/7, it never closes, whether it’s in Melbourne, Dubai, Mexico City. We operate in those markets. We get a lot of traction from the online presence.” Laura Ann adds the accessibility online and a quality, recognizable brand has reduced the company’s travel demands of not so many years ago. A global marketplace does offer its own challenges. “Global stability has major impacts on all marketplaces, including the hardwood lumber industry,” Laura Ann says. “Varying currency valuations, fuel prices, political unrest and international violence each affects the

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psychology of a marketplace.” The family owns a separate company, Thompson Transport, LLC, which hauls lumber out and logs in, as well as other goods, nationwide. It includes 10 company trucks and also contracts with owneroperators. The over-the-road fleet is predominantly Freightliner Coronados pulling flatbeds equipped with Quick Draw Tarp Systems—seven for lumber and three for logs. “Thompson Transport has given Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods better control of its supply chain and eliminates some of the logistical problems associated with transportation equipment availability for our lumber products,” Laura Ann says. Top species for Thompson Appalachian are red oak, white oak, poplar and ash, with some walnut and cherry in the mix. The procurement team includes four full-time foresters and one part-time land manager for the company’s timberlands, as well as two full-time log scalers. “They have a substantial number of years of experience, and they are out there every day shaking hands and building relationships, always trying to increase our volume,” Thompson says. The procurement team also uses GIS—geographic information system—

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mapping. “That’s really been a driver for our procurement team in the last year,” Claire says. “With GIS, they can take spatial analysis to show where we get the best logs—answering questions like, Where do they grow? Where are they in relation to existing infrastructure and roads? How far will it be to the mill? Who are the landowners?—and lay all that information together to pinpoint the best and how to acquire it.” Timber supply comes from within a 150-mile radius, including gatewood and standing timber. “We are always trying to provide the best market for loggers and landowners,” Claire says. “In the last two years we have taken strides to expand our standing timber inventory.” They have five contract logging crews who regularly work the timber the company purchases. “We buy timber tracts with 24-36 month harvest contracts, because we like to get at least two cutting seasons in that contract period,” Claire notes. Depending on species and market demand, a log might be processed almost immediately or it might sit on the log yard for several months. Thompson has a recirculating pond sprinkler system. The plant normally stores about 1.5 million feet of logs under water at any given

time, and another 750,000 feet not under sprinklers. In 2014, log inventory topped 2.5 million feet. This winter, Thompson reports, log inventory depletion is about 25% less than normal. Over the years Thompson says the company has been very involved in the NHLA (National Hardwood Lumber Assn.) and HMA (Hardwood Manufacturers Assn.). “We have found great value in being involved in those associations because of the relationships we’ve built. There has been a willingness from others to share with us and help us learn great lessons from them,” he says. “There are some wonderful people out there we get to compete with, and we are just privileged to get to operate in this industry.” Thompson has served on the board for both NHLA and HMA, and Claire serves on the HMA Millennial Council, whose purpose is to engage the next generation of leadership in HMA member companies and the industry, and to seek their input as to how the HMA can better serve the professional development of future leaders. “If you give to the industry unselfishly, the industry will give back to you. The benefits greatly outweigh the cost,” TP the Thompsons state.

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REALLY

GOODMIX By Jessica Johnson

Hassell & Hughes Lumber makes the most of a diversified product base.

COLLINWOOD, Tenn. he small town of Collinwood, Tenn. is like many in the forest products sector. Its livelihood is extremely dependent on the timber business. And for Collinwood, that means it is closely tied to Hassell & Hughes Lumber Co., Inc. The company has been around for 85 years. For the last 16 years the company’s main focus has been the manufacturing of hardwood flooring, and then eight 24

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President Jerry Hollis

years ago it saw an opportunity to diversify into pellet production. It is also in the business of both buying and selling green and kiln dried lumber. “Lumber prices are about as high as they have ever been,” says President Jerry

Hollis. “As a result, flooring prices in turn went up as well, because raw materials are the single largest cost associated with manufacturing hardwood flooring.” Raw materials for the pellet plant were initially supplied 100% by residuals from the lumber surfacing operation and flooring plant. Hollis says, “It’s proven to be a good fit for us, since our raw materials are a essentially a byproduct of our hardwood flooring and lumber surfacing operations.” (see story on pellet operation, page 30) The steady stream of business has not only been good for Hassell & Hughes’ bottom line, but also for Hollis who came into the business following two family deaths. He explains that his wife’s grandfather, Ralph Hughes, Sr., co-founder of the company, passed away toward the end of 2012. Hollis’ father in law, Bob Haggard, took over at that time. Unfortunately, soon after taking the helm, Haggard suffered from an inoperable brain tumor and passed away in June 2013. “All of the

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Company-owned acreage supports log procurement purchases.

success we’ve had over the last two years is a result of what these two gentlemen have put in place” Hollis says with conviction. “We’ve taken advantage of the good markets and expanded when given the opportunity.” Hollis adds that a large part of the company’s success during the transition of leadership has been due to the employees. The facility employs 135 across all divisions. Hollis believes that from their foresters to their sales associates, the key people are in place.

PROCUREMENT Senior Forester Johnny Heard, a longtime employee of Hassell & Hughes, procures logs and purchases tracts to keep the sawmill supplied with logs. He is also responsible for the management of the company’s 16,000 acres. Purchased tracts are usually within a 100mile radius of Collinwood, and the company uses three contract logging crews. Hollis says they buy lumber from a lot of mills within a 60 to 70 mile radius, as the flooring operation can’t be

Strip flooring production began in 1999.

The operation maintains up to 6MMBF of outside inventory.

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Machinery investments could be in store, but management isn’t rushing into it.

fed solely from their sawmill. Logs, purchased timber and lumber are composed of mainly red oak, white oak and poplar. Hollis notes that the company typically sells higher-grade lumber, since he believes it’s not really feasible to run it through the flooring mill. He adds, “Most of what we run through the

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flooring mill is a 2A and 3A, red oak and white oak.”

SAWMILL There’s no debating that the Hassell & Hughes sawmill has some years in it. But the machinery is well maintained by

Billy Reid, Head of Maintenance across all three divisions, who runs a fully competent and well-equipped crew. Hollis says they’ve thought about an upgrade, but haven’t bit the bullet. Collinwood is not far from the former International Paper mill in Courtland, Ala. Hollis says that with the closing of that mill, he wasn’t sure what would happen to the logging force in the area. The abolishment of a market for pulpwood concerned him and is something the area has never had to deal with. So when faced with a capital investment that could be upwards of $2 million to overhaul the sawmill, Hollis has been hesitant. “I still don’t know that I’m ready to pull the trigger on that kind of capital investment into our company when I’m not confident we will have the supply to run it and pay for it,” he explains, adding, “If the markets level out and we see that the loggers are going to be able to stay here and we will be able to get the supply that we need, inevitably, that’s our next step, to upgrade our sawmill.” Or even put in a new one. “It’s a lot of money. You don’t want to cripple yourself making the wrong decision on something like that.” Hassell & Hughes saws grade lumber and crossties, producing 40MBF of lumber a day, running one shift. Hollis says since tie markets have been strong over the last year, the company is focusing on 7x9s and cutting most other inventory to dimension lumber or down to cants. The company has two air drying yards where they keep anywhere from 46MMBF in inventory. Inventory tends to go up in the summer when harvesting times are good, allowing a stockpile for

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the slower winter months. The operation also has a dry kiln capacity of 1MMBF and 1.3MMBF of predryer capacity. Hollis reports that the lumber supply has been really good over the last 12 to 14 months and they have as much lumber as they need right now. However, he believes that as the markets continue to increase and sawtimber prices continue to go up, landowners and loggers are going to continue to push a lot harder for timber to be cut and hauled while the prices are where they are.

FLOORING The NOFMA-certified unfinished stripped flooring operation has prospered over the last few years. “The flooring market beat the lumber market to the top and there was a little bit more spread, but the margins are now back to where they typically are. There’s not a huge margin anymore, but there is still a margin, so, we’re thankful for that,” Hollis says. Running one shift, the flooring mill averages 35-40MBF a day in various widths from 2 ¼ in. to 5 in. In the flooring mill, Hassell & Hughes opts for Hasko, Inc. machinery. The company focuses on the domestic market for flooring, where demand is still solid. Hollis notes that unfinished oak flooring prices are softening some but are coming off of some of the highest prices that they’ve seen.

LOCAL The company is acutely aware of its dependence on the local community and does everything it can to participate and assist the community whenever possible. “For where we are located and what we do, our support of the local community is one of the most important things to us,” Hollis says. “Being the largest private employer in the county, we feel that it is our responsibility to support local community efforts.” The company tries very hard not to turn anything down in regards to community events and fundraisers. Hassell & Hughes owns quite a bit of land in Wayne County and generously donates its use to various organizations. For example, company land recently saw a truck and tractor pull fundraiser and the local police department regularly uses it for a gun range. The company also donated property to assist in both the restoration of the old Train Depot and its conversion into a public library, as well as the building of a new Fire Hall for the city of TP Collinwood. 28

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PELLETS BOOST HASSELL & HUGHES Product is marketed as GreenWay Pellets. By Jessica Johnson COLLINWOOD, Tenn. even years ago Hassell & Hughes saw an opportunity to diversify. GreenWay Pellets, a division of Hassell & Hughes Lumber, was born. Since raw materials were initially sup-

plied 100% by residuals from the lumber surfacing operation and flooring plant, GreenWay Pellets has proven to be a good business move. Hassell & Hughes has the capacity to process approximately 140 tons of pellets a day. President Jerry Hollis says that wouldn’t be possible without the

Hamer bagging station

help of Billy Reid, head of maintenance, and Darwin Rich, who is the company’s pellet mill manager. Rees-Memphis provided a dust collection system for Hassell & Hughes, which collects and gathers dust from both the lumber surfacing operation and the flooring mill. Rees-Memphis also provided the pneumatic conveying and wood grinding systems to feed the pellet mill. The dust collection system conveys sawdust to a 7000 cubic ft. Laidig bin with a reclaim auger system. From the storage silo, the wood waste is meter-fed into a Precision vibrating conveyor and is then resized through a Bliss Industries hammermill before passing through the pelletizer. Italian pellet mill maker LaMeccanica provided the 15 KW pelletizer. Finished pellets are then cooled, batch weighed and bagged for distribution with a Hamer 2080 FFS automated bagging system. At the start of 2014, in order to keep up with demand, Hassell & Hughes started running a second shift in the pellet mill. (Currently the flooring operation and sawmill at Hassell & Hughes only run day shifts.) Hollis is happy with the addition of a second shift, saying that it has helped to overcome some of the increased demand. “It got to a point where everyone was out of pellets. Everything was sold and it was still winter and people still needed them,” he adds. Adding a second shift proved a little challenging in terms of raw material availability so Hassell & Hughes had to start buying some dry dust from the outside. Pellets are marketed and sold all over the country. Hollis explains that the fairly different nature of pellet sales is not what he was accustomed to. “When I first came on, I wasn’t accustomed to a business model that had 85% of our sales going to TP only a handful of customers.” 30

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VINTAGE GANG RECEIVES FACELIFT Jordan Lumber gets to the heart of the matter.

leven years ago Jordan Lumber & Supply purchased the southern pine sawmill operation at Barnesville, Ga. from Weyerhaeuser Co. The mill complemented Jordan’s home base sawmill operation at Mt. Gilead, NC. Long known for its machinery innovations at Mt. Gilead, Jordan Lumber quickly set about revamping the Barnesville sawmill and in the past 11 years has swept through the mill with multiple upgrades. But the one area that Jordan Lumber has left largely untouched was downstream at the Newnes-McGehee curvesawing gang. Untouched no more. In 2013 Jordan decided to invest in updating the aging curve-sawing gang line, and today this line boasts new scanning and optimization—switching from transverse to lineal orientation—new infeed and outfeed, and new conical chip heads for putting a fine finish on Jordan’s quality products. The original sawbox has morphed into the centerpiece of a new paradigm for speed, recovery and quality. USNR has developed a strong business relationship with Jordan Lumber. Jordan’s Mt. Gilead operation has invested in merchandizing, log sorting, bucking and carriage line optimization from USNR, as well as a Lineal High Grader (LHG) automated planer grading line. The Barnesville operation, known as Jordan Forest Products, has a variety of USNR equipment, some of which dates back to Weyerhaeuser’s ownership. The existing line featured transverse scanning and optimization on a Newnes-McGehee curve-sawing gang. This was the second curve-sawing ma-

Previous optimizer line looked like this (2011). 34

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Newly revamped curve-sawing gang optimizer station

chine built in this series that took the industry by storm and redefined the cant breakdown concept in the mid-1990s. The sawbox is a double arbor machine built to accommodate 10 in. cant thicknesses. It was fitted with chopper heads at the outfeed that would chop or break up the waste into smaller pieces to fit into the waste conveyor.

THE ISSUES Upstream is a double length infeed with a sharp chain feeding the mill’s two gang lines. In addition to the curvesawing line Jordan has an older straightsawing, double arbor machine that had been decommissioned. In order to speed up the primary end Jordan bought a used feed table for the straight-saw gang and put it back into service. The mill performed all the mechanical and PLC retrofits to this line in-

house. While this did help improve throughput, it also hurt recovery with a larger quantity of cants being processed without the benefits of curve-sawing. Tom Van Horn, project manager for Jordan, comments, “We tried to pick out straighter logs to send to the straight-sawing gang, but a lot of times it just had to take the overflow that the curve line couldn’t handle.” The sharp chain was running at 15-16 logs per minute, while the curve line peaked out at 12. It was time to bring this machine center up to current standards for product processing, efficiency and throughput. Van Horn explains the reasons for the retrofit were many: to improve on lumber quality and recovery, equipment reliability and supportability, and production throughput. “There had been no real improvements on that machine since it was installed in the

Vintage sawbox, shown here in 2011, stayed put.

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mid-1990s. We knew the optimization and PLC were at the end of their life cycles for parts support and service,” he says. He adds that the chopper heads were failing mechanically and causing a lot of downtime and defect in the lumber quality. To further improve efficiency and feed rate, the mill also wanted to transition the line from transverse to lineal scanning. Van Horn explains, “We wanted to leave the gang sawbox where it was located, and USNR was the only vendor that was able to make the changes we needed without relocating the New conical chipper head gang.” Having acquired the Newnes-McGehee product line and intraditional straight sawing to complex tellectual property, USNR was well poshifting pockets, arch sawing, curvesitioned to upgrade this line with sawing, versa gang and numerical retrofits that were specifically built to shape sawing machines. It is configaccommodate the original design. urable for single or multiple scan zone applications where space is limited. A unique feature, this system utilizes exREDESIGNING haustive-fit optimization, meaning no The project USNR undertook for lookup tables, pattern fits, profiles or the curve-sawing gang line entailed matrices, to ensure the highest value supplying a new lineal scanning sysbreakdown solutions possible. tem, new infeed and outfeed pressroll The lineal scanning system is based modules on the sawbox, and a new on the USNR QuickScan concept. The feedroll module in front of new coniscanner is configured with dual scan cal shape chippers. The conical chip zones fitted with Smart TriCam senheads offer a larger depth of cut, sors. It delivers high density scanning cleaner lumber finishing, and are cain a shorter footprint than a typical linpable of higher piece counts. Conical eal scan configuration, and features heads also reduce overfeeding since the additional flexibility to feed cants the cutting forces point down rather from either or both sides. Cants are than forward toward the saws as is the centered on the scan table. The first case with cylindrical heads. scanner can be positioned a mere 18 The new optimization package choin. from the lumber line, and with a sen for the line was MillExpert, stansecond scan zone (system is available dardizing with the upstream and downwith up to three) it accommodates a stream processes. MillExpert optimizashorter infeed while capturing densely tion is proven on virtually every type of accurate scan data. With two scan cant breakdown configuration, from zones the cant is fully scanned once it

Latest modifications are shown with red text. 36

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travels half its length, lineally. QuickScan is capable of the highest piece counts available because gaps can be aggressively resized by ramping up or down the feed chain speed. This allows adequate time for resetting the sawbox cutting tools between cants. The sawing solutions are transferred to the PLC controls system via Ethernet communication protocols. As part of the project, the old PLC5 controls platform was replaced with ControlLogix. As for the original McGehee curve-sawing gang sawbox itself, the sawbox was rewired and arbor shafts were replaced, but the box and substructure stayed as it was.

THUMBS UP Van Horn says, “It was a very successful project, and the machine is running very well.” Two goals of the project were to increase recovery and throughput. “We’ve already noticed a dramatic increase in recovery. We are now running 15-16 logs/minute through the whole line; that’s an increase of at least four logs/minute through the curve-sawing gang,” he says. Van Horn says it has significantly reduced downtime. When asked how it has affected downstream processes, he comments, laughing, that it has created more burden on that area, “but that’s all good!” The sharp chain and curve-sawing line now run virtually the same speed. “Higher throughput helps our recovery because we are very close to being able to shut down our straight-sawing gang line,” Van Horn says. “We’re seeing improved optimization benefitting recovery, and new chip heads yielding better lumber quality. Now about 95% of our lumber is running through the curve-sawing line, an increase of about 25%.” Because the Jordan personnel are familiar with MillExpert on other machine centers, training was accomplished in a Sunday afternoon session at the mill with USNR startup technicians. Others who were involved in bringing this project to a successful conclusion include Kevin Carpenter, Barnesville plant manager; Sam Johnson, lead electrician; Terry Crole, lead electrician from Mt. Gilead; and Scott TP Laster, sawmill manager.

This article has been slightly altered from the original article that appeared in the USNR publication, Millwide Insider.

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DOWNSTREAM AUTOLOG The Autolog transverse optimizer family of products is continuously being upgraded with new software and improved technology. In 2009, the R&D group came up with the innovative idea of slanting the scanner heads to help improve the boards and cants geometry. Positive results were immediately obtained; scanning the boards at an angle allowed for an improved edge detection and width accuracy; high density/faster scanner sensors combined with slant- Autolog trimmer optimzer ed features allowed for the detection of splits and shake, holes and torn grain. The R&D group worked for several months on extensive software algorithms that were necessary to achieve such positive results. Other benefits were also observed: the slanted heads did not retain dust and debris so the cleaning protocol was reduced to almost nothing. As an additional benefit, the air cleaning system was no longer necessary thus reducing system and maintenance cost. Autolog supplies its transverse optimizer system on Windows 7. Multi-processors architecture, multi-threading applications and SQL database are all standard items within the optimizer systems. Visit autolog.com.

MCDONOUGH The sawmill industry has put its trust in McDonough’s people and products for more than 125 years, a trust that McDonough has earned and kept by keeping quality of construction, solid engineering and customer service above all else on its priority list. McDonough’s Edger Division features a full line of optimized linear and transverse edgers, optimized gang edgers, board edgers and combination machines. McDonough’s latest linear edger system, installed at Ashton Lewis Lumber in Gatesville, NC in December of 2014, has improved throughput and yield for the mill dramatically. Production was at 100% of the edger’s target rate right out of the gate on Day One of startup and focus quickly switched to the trimmer as lumber volumes reached new highs McDonough linear edger system going to the sorter. The new Ashton Lewis edger system features linear geometric scanning with provision for the addition of vision scanning in the near future. A four-saw edger features McDonough’s proven top mounted sawbox design which allows up to seven degrees of rotation in either direction although sawing angles are kept to a minimum by the McDonough infeed table. The engineers at McDonough can now put their name on more than 25 optimized linear edger systems and work hard to make sure McDonough continues to improve its product with each new machine delivered. Details in McDonough engineering have improved this machine’s performance and serviceability over the years in order to keep this edger at the forefront of the industry and the performance speaks for itself. Visit mcdonough-mfg.com.

PHL The innovative design of PHL’s transverse optimized edger is the best on the market for dealing with bowed wood. With the ability to capture the board on all four sides on the infeed table, it is the most successful and versatile transverse optimized edger. But PHL doesn’t stop there. PHL offers a complete line of edgers of all different sizes and capabilities: manually fed board and combination edgers; thin-kerf guided gang edgers either manual, hands free or optimized; manually fed or hands free lineal optimized edgers and many more. PHL also designs your machine to fit your application with piece counts that range from eight pieces per minute all the way to 42 pieces per minute. A new concept for sawmills with a resaw—who are replacing their 38

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PHL edger at Wagner Hardwoods

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DOWNSTREAM board edgers—is to replace it with a small combination edger. By simply making the machine 12 in. wider and adding a small two- or three-saw gang cluster, sawmills can size their cants with their edger and not their resaw, saving hundreds of resaw lines per day, thus bringing in more logs per day with the same overhead. Increased production with no increase to overhead equals a very short payback! When Wagner Hardwoods in Owego, NY had their fire last year, they chose PHL when rebuilding their mill for their optimized edger system, joining the long list of PHL edger customers. April 2015 marks PHL’s 40th anniversary of making high quality machinery. PHL is owned by Comact, one of the largest sawmill and planer mill machinery, optimization and controls suppliers in the world, and is also part of the BID Group of companies. Visit www.phlinc.ca.

SPRINGER Springer has developed a well-thought-out new trimmer concept with central drive, electrically actuated saws, beltless and therefore low-maintenance swinging arms and an absolutely new dust-shielding case: ECUT 200. Thanks to electrical actuation, the swinging crosscut saw arms attain higher efficiency levels than all existing alternatives. A controlled and accurate actuation curve allows optimum control of the crosscut saws and high precision positioning of the saw blades in the cross-cutting process. Cutting deviations are within a tolerance of +/- 1.25 mm. Moreover, the E-CUT 200 is the first trimmer to be equipped with saw blades that are set in rotation without a belt. This has a tremendously positive effect on maintenance costs as no belt means no parts exposed to wear and tear. Furthermore, the saw Springer E-CUT 200 beltless trimmer blades can be changed rapidly at anytime as the linear opening mechanism guarantees ease of access to the maintenance walkway. The externally positioned center drive, trouble-free elimination of waste pieces and optimal dust suction with “Chip and Dust Control” enables the customer to achieve highly adaptable and cost-effective lumber production. The system can process all common board thicknesses and lengths and can be employed for all types of softwoods. Hannes Theurl of Austria’s Theurl Holz comments: “We are enthusiastic about the E-CUT 200. It is well-conceived, requires very little maintenance and is highly productive and profitable. We transform a major part of the lumber into planed lumber and glulam in our own plant. That is why a high degree of flexibility and reliability is essential for our production process. These points have always been taken for granted with the systems of our long-term business partner Springer Microtec, both in the past and at present.” Visit springer-microtec.com.

TS MANUFACTURING TS Manufacturing has been designing, building and installing quality systems for the sawmill and lumber handling industry for more than 40 years. TS Mfg. makes a large variety of sawmill equipment for hardwood and softwood mills. Because of this, clients benefit from the enhanced efficiency and reliability inherent in the production line of a single manufacturer. The result is always higher output and higher recovery. TS Manufacturing’s presence is found in every stage of mill production. It manufactures equipment for log handling and merchandising, primary breakdown systems, secondary breakdown systems, grading and lumber sorting and stacking. And TS Mfg. TS Manufacturing downstream processing builds bulk material handling equipment as well: belt, bar and screw conveyors, vibrating conveyors, screening systems, truck loaders and storage bins. All systems can be customized for a new production line, or retrofit into an existing one. TS engineers and installers dedicate themselves to a client’s request for customized equipment and fast installation. Unified sales/engineering/fabrication and installation teams—under one roof in their Lindsay, Ontario plant—can produce individual systems or whole production lines on a shorter time line than most competitors. Clients are up and running sooner, with exceptionally integrated equipment. Visit TS Manufacturing at the following trade shows: IHLA Indianapolis (March 10-12), HMA Nashville (March 25-27), NELMA Boston (April 23-24), LIGNA Hannover (May 11-15), and SFPA in Atlanta (June 10-12). Visit tsman.com. TIMBER PROCESSING

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DOWNSTREAM CATECH Catech is Söderhamn Eriksson’s module-designed edger optimizer that can be easily adapted to the market’s different capacity requirements and sawing patterns. There are machinery setups for both transverse (TS) and inline (IS) scanning of the boards. These high-tech edger optimizers have been developed to satisfy the need for increased availability in modern saw lines, apart from the fact that edger optimizers give the absolutely highest yield from sideboards. The optimizers are equipped with double-sided high-resolution profile scanners and optional automatic grade detection of the upper side of the board to allow full value optimization. The edger optimizer’s board singulator function can be unmanned thanks to integrated systems correcting skewed boards and boards on top of each other. The optimizing system comes with a state-of-the-art, user-friendly interface complete with simulating functions and database for statistics and reports. The Catech 4000 TS sets a new standard for high-performance edger Catech edger optimizer optimizers and its capacity of up to 75 boards/min proves that Söderhamn Eriksson is leading the market for edging technology. BSW Sawmills placed an order for the Catech 4000 TS last year. BSW is the largest sawmiller in the UK with a group capacity of more than 1,000,000 m³. The Catech 4000 TS was installed at one of their seven UK sawmills based in Newbridge-on-Wye, Wales. Installation commenced in early December and timing was very tight with a targeted startup date of January 5. Both SE and BSW are proud that the installation went extremely well which involved a lot of hard work and excellent cooperation between SE’s engineers, BSW’s staff and sub-suppliers. This resulted in the line starting up as planned and also achieving full production within one week. Since then it is being run on a three shift, 24/7 basis at the Newbridge-on-Wye mill, whose production is 150,000 m³. Visit se-saws.com

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DOWNSTREAM

RIAL-LES OPERATES MODERN LINE Üstünkarli provided primary breakdown and edger system.

STÜNKARLI delivered a new sawmill line to the customer OOO “Rial-Les” located in the Krasnodar region of Russia. The line consists of a log carriage, tandem band saw and canter head, automatic aligning infeed conveyor for the edger, automatic hydraulic edger machine and triple crosscutting machine. The sawmill director, Roman Ivan Andreevich, wanted to produce very high quality Siberian pine lumber for Germany and other markets in Europe. He bought the log carriage band saw to gain higher quality cutting and improved recovery by turning the log several times. Automation, minimal labor and reduction of waste were important goals of the project. The canter reducing head processes useful chips and the mill doesn’t have to wrestle with irregular slabs falling down through the conveyors. The mill chose the four headblock UTANH log carriage, which is hydrostatically controlled and features a high acceleration drum winch feeding system allowing the machine to reach easily up to 120 m/min return speed, while an accurate setting system with optimization function controls all three axes—tandem band saw, canter head and headblocks movement. The UHM120/H tandem band saw machine with scoring units allows the mill to produce two boards or cants in one passage with the carriage. The optimization program determines the best possible cutting pattern. An automatic edger infeed conveyor allows the operator, if necessary, to turn and position the board with one multifunction joystick while working with moving laser lines. Edger blades position according to the setting system and optimization function with hundreds of preprepared programs geared to quality, volume, recovery and customer needs. The edger machine has a very robust main frame and operates with one fixed and three movable blades. Maximum cross section of board is 1000 mm x 120 mm and length is 6200 mm. Following edging, four side boards travel to the triple crosscutting machine, which has one fixed and two movable blades. All boards and cants up to 160 mm height pass through the machine. At the infeed of the crosscutting machine is one operator who is marking the boards or cants according to length, thickness or quality for conveying to the Chain conveyor alignment selected boxes.

Edger station at Rial-Les

The complete line works with only three operators for the main machines. The line is able to process log diameters between 150 mm-1200 mm and lengths of 2000 mm-6200 mm. Capacity of the line is 25,000 m3-30,000 m3 logs per year. This capacity can expand to 50,000 m3 of logs per year with a different configuration of edger machines or multi ripsaw machines. TP Article provided by Üstünkarli. Visit ustunkarli.com.

Log primary breakdown with tandem bands and chipper head. TIMBER PROCESSING

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DOWNSTREAM OPTIMIL

TIMBER MACHINE TECHNOLOGIES

Optimil produces in-line profilers for top and bottom board solutions – and side board solutions. Inline profiling of the top and bottom board reduces flow to edgers and provides increased production rates. Optimil in-line profiler Close coupled to a vertical gang, this machine operates with four independent axes to chip a profile solution to the top and bottom board if required. No edger is required. Optimil’s thin-kerf high speed climb cutting circular gangs are manufactured for straight- and/or curve-sawing applications. Frames and components are oven stress relieved and line bored to achieve a finished product with minimal sawing deviation. Clamshell opening facilitates speedy saw changes and better access for maintenance. Press rolls incorporate SmartRoll technology to control the piece while positioning it through the saws. Vertical arbor gang saws are designed for maximum throughput and maximum sawing accuracy. The unique swing out door design enables quick and easy saw changes. Thin-kerf climb cutting saws yield efficient sawing and improved throughput. Superior cant control is achieved through a design incorporating large roll diameters and close roll center. Visit optimal.com.

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The proven product line of Timber Machine Technologies Scan-N-Saw machines consists of curve- and straight-sawing gang systems, manual or edger optimizer systems, chipping canters, headrig slabbers, and trimmer conversions. ScanN-Saw systems are unique TMT gang system to the industry as they process both boards and cants through the same linear scanning system and due to their simplicity and versatility work well in both hardwood and softwood mills without add-ons. Scan-N-Saw systems combine a simple infeed table, linear scan conveyor, linear combination gang/edger and outfeed picker. Once the piece is scanned, the module will place either a battery of gang saws for cants or edging saws for boards into position. One of TMT’s latest systems is an 8 in. linear scanned “Scan-N-Saw” gang system that can process 20 cants per minute. The gang’s machine center has two flying saw clusters within the two-axis positioning module. The 500 FPM gang system has no dedicated operator. The scanning area consists of one single scan belt and two scan heads. There are no hydraulics on the entire system. Visit timbermachine.com.

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MACHINERYROW

Ten Oaks Modernizes Crosscut Line

The Ten Oaks hardwood flooring company plant is situated in Stuart, Va. in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where they source the finest Appalachian hardwoods. The state-of-the art manufacturing facilities produce traditional quality flooring with an eye to the future through their Six

Side Seal, which is a moisture barrier that coats each surface immediately after machining, keeping the floor “manufacture fresh” and allowing for the best side match available. On a new crosscut line, the mill produces hardwood strip flooring in red and white oak. It consists of a Microtec Goldeneye 502 Multi-Sensor scanner that optimizes the quality sorting of boards for chop application. The scanner features x-

ray technology that detects defects and quality of the wood before the crosscut saws in longitudinal feeding. The Goldeneye 500 series is designed as a compact and modular quality scanner system for wood components. The scanner features the identification of board properties and wood defects based on artificial vision process. The visualization of the identified board properties and wood defects are realized in real time, which are transferred with high-speed to the optimization device. After the scanner the work pieces are automatically divided between three optimizing crosscut saws, Opti-Kap 5003, from System TM. “The solution from System TM/Microtec was customized for our production.We were satisfied with every step, from design, to logistics management, to installation,” says Adam Birkett of Ten Oaks. “This was a large project for us, and all the partners, primarily Microtec and System TM, worked with us through every obstacle we encountered. Their aftersales service has been exceptional.”

Cut Tech Reps For Berotech PLC of Quebec, Canada has announced that Cut Technologies, Penticton, BC, is the new sales representative for its knife grinding division, Berotech Equipment. Cut Technologies will provide Berotech with a sales network spanning across the U.S. and Canada. Berotech knife grinders are high-quality, automated machines built and designed using the latest technology.

Kiwi Lumber Goes With BioVision Kiwi Lumber is joining many of its peers with a new USNR BioVision edger optimization package at its Masterton, New Zealand operation. The system will utilize color vision technology for grade classification for the mill’s radiata pine structural framing products.

It’s A Samuel Strapper At Culp Lumber The January/February issue of Timber Processing mistakenly identified the brand of a strapper in place at H.W. Culp Lumber. It is actually a Samuel Strapper. You can read more about that installation in the October 2014 issue of Timber Processing. 48

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ATLARGE Key Hampton Officer Ivanoff Retires Hampton Affiliates announced the retirement of senior officer, Dave Ivanoff, who has been president of Hampton Tree Farms, Inc. and Vice President-Resources for Hampton’s affiliated timberland and log procurement companies. Steve Zika, Hampton CEO, comments, “We are indebted to Dave for his strong leadership and wealth of knowledge on business and natural resource issues. His work on state and federal timber supply has been significant to Hampton’s past and future success as well as the overall health of the forest products industry in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past 22 years, Dave has spent a substantial amount of time working to create healthy forest policies and has tirelessly fought for economic and social balance in sustainable timber harvest levels. We will miss his modest demeanor, integrity, and his devotion to the company and the industry, but we wish him the very best in a well-deserved retirement.” Hampton has selected Doug Cooper to succeed Ivanoff as Vice President-Resources. Cooper has been with Hampton for eight years as residuals and energy manager.

Martco Launches Safety Campaign RoyOMartin has launched a six-month, company-wide campaign to increase safety awareness among employees and their family members. Coming on the heels of the organization’s safest year in its 91-year history, 2014, this campaign,

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ATLARGE titled “I Believe in Zero,” strengthens executive leadership’s continued commitment to striving for a workplace with zero injuries. With one of the lowest total incident rates in the wood-products manufacturing industry, RoyOMartin has received national recognition by various industry groups for its employee safety, health and wellness programs. “The idea behind ‘I Believe in Zero’ is to focus on the personal responsibility

factor of our safety culture,” says RoyOMartin Senior Vice President and COO Scott Poole. “While teamwork and the buddy system are essential to an effective safety program, we must each believe that it is our individual responsibility to take the necessary steps to follow safety precautions—both at work and at home— and otherwise stay safe.” RoyOMartin employees and family members will be exposed to a variety of

multimedia communications designed to reinforce the message that all injuries can be prevented. Keys to this program’s success will include the personal commitment of each team member, as well as increased near-miss reporting, performing quality safety audits and making daily safety contacts at each RoyOMartin operation.

Steen To Lead Pike Lumber James Steen is the new president of Pike Lumber Co., Akron, Ind., replacing long-time president John Brown, who is stepping down. Steen has served as executive vice president for the past seven years. Included in the staffing change is Craig Brouyette, who will take over as the new executive vice president and sales manager. Brown will take on a part-time role as director of corporate development, working on capital project planning, recruiting, training and succession planning while continuing to serve as a member of the company’s board of directors. Steen has worked for Pike Lumber in various roles starting as a production management trainee in 1982. He has served on a number of association boards including Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Assn., Hardwood Federation, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center Advisory Committee, Purdue Dean of Agriculture Deans Advisory Council. He currently serves as a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Assn. Board of Managers. In other changes, Richard Solano, marketing manager, has been promoted to corporate treasurer, and Samantha Howard, vice president of administration, has been promoted to corporate secretary.

Swanson Founded Superior Lumber Rodney Gale Swanson, who co-founded Oregon-based Superior Lumber (now Swanson Group, Inc.), died January 16. He was 91. Swanson was born in 1923 in Santa Clara, Ore. His father, Helga, started Swanson & May Lumber Co. at Noti, Ore. in 1937, an experience which helped to prepare Swanson in his future endeavors. In 1943 he joined the Army, leaving 52

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ATLARGE his studies at the University of Oregon, to get into WWII. He was a light machine gunner for the year he was overseas, often driving the company jeep hoarding his rations under his seat. While stationed in France he met and married his first wife, Olesia. He left the Army in 1946, receiving two Bronze Stars for his service in Europe. Upon returning to the United States, he earned his Chemical Engineer Degree at

OSU, built a few houses with his brother to earn extra money, and started his family. In 1951 he founded Superior Lumber Co. (now Swanson Group, Inc.) in Glendale, Ore. with two of his brothers. Rod and his brother Dean would continue to run that company for the rest of their working days. In 1988 Rod married his second wife and adopted her children. Papa Rod, as he was called, had a great sense of ad-

venture. He was a pilot for a number of years, he sailed the world in a sailboat and later a powerboat, crossing the Atlantic twice and going through the Panama Canal numerous times. He was an avid traveler visiting all of Europe as well as Africa, China, India and Russia. He is survived by his wife, six children, 17 grandchildren, and 14 greatgrandchildren. Donations can be made to Alzheimer’s Assn. of Oregon, 1650 NW Naito Parkway Suite 190, Portland OR 97209 or Oregon Commission for the Blind, 228 North Holly St., Medford, OR 97501.

Former Lumberman Buchanan Dies Bill Buchanan, who was part of the Buchanan family lumber operations based in Alabama, died February 2 at his home in Mobile. He was 84. A statement from the family emphasized Buchanan’s devotion to “his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” and added, “He treated everyone with love and compassion...rich, poor, U.S. Congressman and the homeless. He had a huge tender heart. He was a devoted giver of his time and his money to those in need. He loved his family unendingly and was characterized by his laughter and boundless joy.” He was preceded in death by his parents, R. W. Buchanan Sr. and Sarah Buchanan; and his brothers, Wallace Buchanan and Richard Buchanan, Jr.

Graduate Scholarship Named For Maloney Washington State University is establishing the Thomas M. Maloney Graduate Scholarship through the Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture. Maloney, who died June 18 in Pullman, Wash. at age 83, was prominent in the development of many facets of the wood based panel industry, especially composite board, through his long association with WSU as professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering and director of the Wood Materials & Engineering Lab. Any questions or for assistance in making a donation contact Bridget Pilcher at pilcher@wsu.edu or call 509-335-0144. Make checks payable to “WSU Foundation” and note “Maloney Scholarship.” Mail to WSU Foundation, Box 641925, Pullman, WA 99164-1925. 54

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BANDMILLS TAKE ON SIBERIA

ake Baikal in the southern region of Siberia is the world’s largest (by volume) freshwater lake containing 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater and also thought to be the world’s oldest lake at 25 million years. Log supply for Veles Temperature ranges between 30° in January to 30° in July. The lake is covered with a thick ice during that period. And then there’s the wind, called Gorny, which comes with speeds of 144 km/hr. The lake region includes abundant wildlife, such as brown bears which weigh 300 kg. You get the picture. It’s a rough environment. Sawing frozen wood while maintaining cutting efficiency and high output requires special machinery. Nearby lumber producer Veles is now operating two Serra sawmills, One of two Serra sawing stations

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Model Montana ME110, with a special cutting length of 4.8 m. Each one had to travel more than 7500 km on a truck (more than two weeks) to reach the site. Before buying the Serra sawmills the company had old technology frame sawmills. The owner was looking for a sawmill that offered flexibility and minimized waste. They contacted Serra dealer Andrey Garusov and bought the first sawmill. After testing it, they decided to buy the second one. Today the operation employs 20 and runs two shifts. Actual production from both machines is 5000 m3. Primary products are construction lumber that’s sold into export markets. For the second machine the producer decided to order Serra’s new chain turner, which not only turns the log, but also works as a board removing system. Serra has installed 10 sawmills in this region and more than 100 in all of Russia, demonstrating that Serra sawmills can work under the most adverse weather conditions. TP Article provided by Serra.

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WOOD PRODUCTS marketplace NORTH AMERICA ■ United States

■ North Carolina

■ Virginia

Cook Brothers Lumber Co., Inc.

Producing Quality Southern Yellow Pine Since 1939

■ Florida CRACKER SAWMILL CYPRESS AND SYP Sawmill, Drying and MillIng facility Custom Cut to Order Lumber, Cants, Specialty Beams to 44’ We will Mill Log Home logs S4S 6”x6” thru 8”x12” T&G Your wood or ours WE DO WHAT OTHERS CANNOT 20253 N.E. 20th Street Williston, Fl 32690 www.Crackersawmill.com Info@Crackersawmill.com

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

(352) 529-2070

Buyers & Wholesalers We produce quality 4/4 - 8/4 Appalachian hardwoods

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

■ Indiana

• 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

Sales/Service: 336-746-5419

336-746-6177 (Fax) • www.kepleyfrank.com

Next closing: July 5, 2015

■ Tennessee

STACKING STICKS

FOR SALE

AIR-O-FLOW profiled & FLAT sticks available Imported & Domestic DHM Company - Troy, TN 38260 731-538-2722 Fax: 707-982-7689 email: kelvin@kilnsticks.com www.KILNSTICKS.com

P.O. BOX 25 • 628 Jeb Stuart Highway Red Oak, VA 23964 Tel: 434-735-8151 • Fax: 434-735-8152 E-mail Sales: john@morganlumber.com Website: www.morganlumber.com Product Mix: ALL KD, HT STAMPED

1x4 D&BETTER, 1x6 D&BETTER, 1x4 #2, 1x6 #2, 1x4 #3/#4, 1x6 #3/#4, 5/4x6 PREMIUM, 5/4x6 STANDARD, 5/4x6 #2/#3/#4,

Do you produce or buy lumber? Here's your #1 source for effectively promoting your hardwood or softwood service to your top prospective buyers.

WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE? Call or email Melissa McKenzie 334-834-1170 melissa@hattonbrown.com

02/15

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

9237

1248

PROFESSIONALSERVICES

VISIT US ONLINE: www.timberprocessing.com

13064

WORN OR MISALIGNED CARRIAGE RAILS? • Contact Us Office 541.760.5086 Cell 541.760.7173 Fax 971.216.4994 www.acculine-rails.com george@acculine-rails.com

A Proven Process

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

LUMBERWORKS ■ LUMBERWORKS

13046

GREENWOOD KILN STICKS Importers and Distributors of Tropical Hardwood Kiln Sticks GW Industries www.gwi.us.com

Dennis Krueger 866-771-5040

Jackie Paolo 866-504-9095

d.krueger11@frontier.net

jackie@gwi.us.com

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“The lowest cost per cycle”

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

EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES Top Wood Jobs Recruiting and Staffing George Meek

SAWMILL EQUIPMENT REPRESENTATIVE: SOUTHERN USA

JOB OPPORTUNITIES SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Lucidyne Technologies is expanding its sales team. The ideal candidate will have strong technical aptitude, experience with the wood product industry, and outstanding oral and written communication skills. Based in Corvallis, Oregon the position requires up to 50% travel time. We are looking for someone who will contribute to our company goals and add to the positive momentum of our team. Apply online at http://www.lucidyne.com/company/ career-opportunities/sales-representative

CONTROL SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Lucidyne Technologies is hiring a Control Systems Engineer with the primary responsibility of designing, developing, and implementing lumber sorter control systems that are sold in conjunction with our scanning systems. A degree in Engineering and/or Computer Science, plus experience with ControlLogix PLC programming, networking, and basic electronics skills are required, with a commitment to understanding customers’ needs and providing the functionality to match. Experience with lumber mills and grading a plus. Travel approximately 25%. Apply online at ttp://www.lucidyne.com/ company/career-opportunities/controlsystems-engineer

SCANNER SPECIALIST

Lucidyne Technologies is seeking a Scanner Specialist who can work with high technology equipment, and our internal teams and our customers. Must have a two year technical degree with an emphasis on electronics, computer science, mechatronics, or networking, good logical sense, outstanding personal and communication skills, and fluency in English. Lumber and quality control a plus. Apply online at http://www.lucidyne.com/company/ career-opportunities/scanner-specialist 298

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Come join our expanding company. TS Manufacturing is hiring. TS Manufacturing has been designing, building and installing rugged and dependable equipment for the sawmill and lumber handling industries for over 40 years. We need a company Sales Representative, in the American South, to help sell corporate awareness and equipment for the company. This position is available immediately. TS Manufacturing is an equal opportunity employer. Responsibilities • Research, initiate and finalize sales of sawmill and lumber handling equipment, based on specific client needs • Represent TS Manufacturing at trade shows and conferences across the US, independently, or as part of a team • Monitor and provide client support, post-sale, of TS equipment, ensuring it is performing to client expectations Qualifications Desired • Comprehensive knowledge of hardwood and softwood sawmill and planer mill production • Desire to work independently and cooperatively with TS staff to prospect and assist new clients interested in our equipment • Competency with new technology including MS Office, tablets and computers • A valid driver's license and the ability to drive as required, to meet clients or attend shows Interested applicants can submit their resume in absolute confidence to EvaC@tsman.com. 3781

Recruiting Services

1606

Specializing in confidential career opportunities in the Forest Products industry 2200

3779

Management Recruiters of Houston Northeast

Gates Copeland 281-359-7940 • fax 866-253-7032

gcopeland@mrihouston.com • www.mrihouston.com SEARCH NORTH AMERICA, INC. IT'S YOUR MOVE...

FOREST PRODUCTS RECRUITING SINCE 1978

The Jobs You Want — The People You Need WWW.SEARCHNA.COM

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

Michael Strickland & Associates, LLC Executive Recruiters Wood Products/Building Materials Industries Mike Strickland mike@woodproductjobs.com 601-529-2157 • www.woodproductjobs.com

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.

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

1615

geo@TopWoodJobs.com www.TopWoodJobs.com (541) 954-8456

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MAINEVENTS 1-3—Western Wood Products Assn. annual meeting, Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, Ore. Call 503-2243930; visit wwpa.org. 11-13—National Wooden Pallet & Container Assn. Annual Leadership Conference, Loews Ventana Canyon, Tucson, Ariz. Call 703-519-6104; visit palletcentral.com.

25-27—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. annual meeting, Omni Nashville Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Call 412-244-0440; visit hardwoodinfo.com or hmamembers.org. 25-27—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org.

APRIL 7-9—American Forest Resource Council annual meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wash. Call 503-222-9505; visit amforest.org. 12-14—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, The Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com. 23-24—Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. annual convention, Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, Boston, Mass. Call 207829-6901; visit nelma.org.

MAY 11-15—Ligna: World Fair For The Forestry And Wood Industries, Hannover, Germany. Call +49 511 89-0; fax +49 511 8932626; visit ligna.de. 15-16—Northeastern Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Cross Insurance Ctr., Bangor, Maine. Call 315-369-3078; visit northernlogger.com.

JUNE 10-12—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com. 16-21—The Vienna International Wood Products/Markets Conference, Expo & Tours, Hotel Savoyen Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Call 604-801-5996; email fredkurpiel@aol.com; visit woodmarkets.com/conference/global-conferences.

JULY 15-19—2015 Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. annual conference, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Orlando, Fla. Call 770-6316701; visit slma.org.

31-August 2—Georgia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island, Ga. Call 478-9928110; visit gfagrow.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

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11-13—2015 Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. Spring Meeting and Expo, Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, La. Call 770-631-6701; visit slma.org.

22-25—AWFS Fair 2015, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Visit awfsfair.org.

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MARCH

Easy access to current advertisers! www.timberprocessing.com/adindex.html Don’t forget to bookmark this link!

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

PG.NO.

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

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