In the January/February 2014 edition of My Take, Timber Harvesting magazine Executive Editor D.K. Knight discusses way that loggers can counter negative public perception. Knight writes, “Those who make up the forest industry acknowledge the industry has a longstanding public relations problem, but apparently few are doing much of anything today to counter the negative perception. At one time, heavyweights like IP and Weyerhaeuser took the offensive by publishing magazines and buying TV time to tell the forestry story, but they have retreated in recent years. Perhaps they believe web sites alone are sufficient. At any rate, consolidation has thinned the heavyweight ranks and, at the same time, none of the larger TIMOs that have emerged in the last 25 years has stepped into the yawning promotional breech.”

We Energies Begins Commercial Operation; Bandit Industries, Alamo Back Away From Deal; Woody Biomass Will Be Part Of Biochemtex Mix; West Fraser Reacts To Pine Beetle Infestation; Bioenergy Conference Opens Registration; Hardwood Sawmill Planned For Gaffney

Timber Harvesting magazine Contributing Editor Tom Watson visits A-1 Timber in Kodiak, Alaska. Alaska is known as the “Last Frontier,” a state where every effort is challenged, given its very few roads and an expanse of wilderness twice the size of Texas. Lying off the coast some 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, at the head of the Aleutian Chain, is Kodiak, a large island of even fewer roads, desolate and rugged mountainous terrain, and the largest brown bears on earth. Kodiak Island is also the westernmost range for Sitka spruce, the largest of its species and among the largest of the world’s confiers. For Tom Loushin, 54, Kodiak Island a challenging place to run a timber harvesting operation. Loushin is the owner and president of A-1 Timber, based in the tiny island village of Kodiak. Together with his son, Rick, 24, they head the company’s first ever timber harvesting venture in Alaska, and one of only three logging companies harvesting timber there.

Timber Harvesting magazine Contributing Editor Wendy Farrand travels to Lincoln, Maine to visit Treeline, Inc. There is a culture in which keen leaders strive to create an empowering work environment where ideas are honored and respected; a place where there is a sense of family; a place where people who want to thrive can reach their potential on the job; a place where responsibility is shared; one where corrections are made in private, and confidence is reinforced over and over again. This place, where fine-tuning leadership skills and building trust are just as important as carefully carrying out a harvest prescription or rigorously abiding by a machine care program, is found in the small town of Lincoln, Me., located just north of Bangor. This place—evidently a great place to work—is known as Treeline, Inc., and the man who runs the show is Brian Souers, 56.

Timber Harvesting magazine Western Editor Dan Shell travels to John Day, Oregon to spend some time with Iron Triangle Logging. After submitting the winning bid to the Malheur National Forest (MNF) and being awarded the contract to perform an ambitious 10-year forest stewardship and ecological restoration program, Iron Triangle Logging President Russ Young called the move a great opportunity not only for his company but also for the community of John Day, Ore. Truly understanding what Young means requires understanding the John Day valley and its economy. Ten years ago in John Day and nearby Prairie City, three sawmills and a biomass power plant were in operation. Today, only the Malheur Lumber sawmill and its new wood heating pellet plant remain. The area’s remote location—more than 100 miles from any major market for both finished products or logs and chips—has always factored into business plans for any forest products entity operating in John Day.

The January/February 2014 issue of Timber Harvesting magazine features the annual Equipment Directory, the industry’s most comprehensive list of timber harvesting products, services, supplies, manufacturers, and dealers.

Ultimate Laziness; Cop With A Collar; God And The Spider; Who’s Your Doctor?; A Bad Day; Ode To Old Loggers

1961 Allis-Chalmers Ad Featured Henry Sanders; New Crossett Logo, 1960; 1907 Lumber Production Was 40.256 Billion BF; Nasty Winter Weather Impacted Timber Trade

Risley Multi-Purpose Machine; Chain-Serts Saw Chain; Truck Weight Wireless Sensor; Southstar Multi-Stemming Processors; JD’s Intelligent Boom Control; Bandit Land Clearing Machine; Tigercat 875 Logger

UNH Thompson School Gets New Cat Forwarder

As We See It: SFI: The “Striving” Continues After 20 Years; December Services Held For Brenda Semmes Wood; Logging Cost Indexes In Works For South, West; Arkansas Forestry Group Honors James Wilson; Brazilian Forestry Fair Scheduled May 21-23