Article by DK Knight
Executive Editor/Co-Publisher
This issue is packed with enlightening and entertaining material, one example being the Forest Family Series piece starting on page 30. For the last two years I’ve wanted this magazine to launch this series, and patiently waited for the appropriate opportunity. I found it in the deep-rooted Wilson family of Rison, Arkansas, whose story is enough to make even the most die-hard pessimist feel good. The Wilsons are honorable, responsible, outgoing folks with a deep, wide forestry footprint and are actively engaged in their industry and community. They set a grand example.
It was a pleasure getting to know the Wilsons a little better, to sense their values and cooperative spirit. Being a pushover for expressions, I was particularly struck by some of the one-liners of Frank, the patriarch. One example: “We’ve covered up lots of mistakes with sweat.” Another: “The only way that equipment is any good is if you work the money out of it.”
You can help TH keep the series going by passing along the names and details of other forest families we may want to visit. See contact info above.
- Logger Mike Wirta, 56, is an interesting study, as revealed by his story on page 14. A year ago he relocated Wirta Logging’s equipment and several employees to Flagstaff, Ariz. after logging for more than 20 years in Plumos County, Calif. He hooked up with a timberland investment management organization that in 2013 was appointed by Good Earth Power Arizona (GEPAZ) to manage the forest restoration operations of the ambitious Phase 1 Four Forest Restoration Initiative.
- Wirta says it cost almost $60,000 to move his equipment the 740 miles, but he evidently had no qualms about doing it as he sought a brighter future. “I’d been wanting to get out of California and this deal came up…California’s just a tough place for a logger.” Wirta is grateful for the opportunity and hopes to expand as the program gains traction.
- For an example of a new timber company that has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2012, check out what Forest Energies LLC is up to and how it gets it done from its base in north Alabama under the management of principals Lenn Morris and Ricky Freeman. As described by the story beginning on page 10, Forest Energies started as a timber brokerage entity but soon began developing logging crews when suitable contractors were hard to find, and later added its own dispatch truck system. Today it operates to scale, applying detailed business discipline, and is looking to expand to other parts of the state and beyond.
- Beginning on page 18, cut-to-length machines, attachments and accessories are highlighted. TH invited some 25 companies to participate and many did, including AFM-Forest, Barko, Bracke Forest, Caterpillar, Custom Machined Specialties, CSI, John Deere, Kesla, Komatsu, Log Max, Logset Oy, Olofsfors, Oregon, Pierce Pacific, Pentin Paja Oy, Ryan’s Equipment, Tigercat and Waratah.
- Wendy Farrand delivers another intriguing People Power column, page 34, in which she underscores the importance of building and maintaining business relationships.
- InWoods Expo, staged near Hot Springs, Ark. June 18-20 and co-sponsored by Hatton-Brown Publishers, TH’s parent company, and the Arkansas Timber Producers Assn. (ATPA), came off well despite threats of heavy rain from tropical depression Bill. It rained several times at the site, but not during show hours, and the summer heat was held in check until the last day. See article, page 26)
While it could have been better, attendance was on par with previous InWoodsExpos, and may have been impacted somewhat by predictions of heavy rain—even the possibility of flash floods. Most exhibitors seemed satisfied with the setup and traffic flow.
At any such exhibition, live or otherwise, it seems there are always a few exhibitors who dwell on the negative. They delay signing up, waiting until sites have been picked over, only to complain about their location. They set up equipment 30 or more feet off the footpath and sit under a tent, waiting for people to stop, when they should set up closer to the footpath and engage those who do come by. Participating in a trade show is much like attending church or belonging to an association: you get out of them about what you put into them.
Some exhibitors would do well to follow the example of David and Elva Royer, a couple who drove down from Goshen, Ind. They were seen on the grounds the better part of all three days. They really got into it. By the time the show wound down, they probably had memorized the serial numbers of all the machinery!
Pulling off such an event takes a lot of planning, preparation, cooperation, patience, and execution. ATPA leader Larry Boccarossa and his team are to be applauded for their efforts.
From what I could learn, business is good for most manufacturers. Several mentioned their production is sold three to six months out.
It’s always good to reconnect with established friends, see people you worked with years ago, and meet new people. For me this group included, but was not limited to the following: Allen, Lou and David Bedell; Sammy Ward; Willie, Don and Chris Wright; Larry Pennington; Dean Crouse; Frank, James and Brad Wilson; Jim Cearley; Greg Jones; Mike Farris; Steve Woodson; Tony Iarocci; Kevin Selby; Judy Brooks; Johnny Boyd; Heinz Pfeifer; Steve Richardson; Doug Patrick; Tom Hirt; Roy Zenor; Dennis and Ryan Andrews; Ray Prevette; Kerry Strasner; Jason Koskinen; Phyllis Pearce; Harold Hooper; Jeff Littlefield; Michael Hartline; Tom Trone; Cliff Caudill, Jr.; Berry Johnson; Sandi Fallowfield; Randy Bowlin; Chip Fennell; Chad Still; Randy Hervey; Danny Dructor; Cliff Hudson; Dale Greene; Alvin Schilling; Marty Scudder; Patrick Dougherty; Johnny Thompson; Misty and Cade Booth; Gale Wilson; Peggy and Cecil Johnson; Ken, Brent and Sandy Martin; Dan Webb; Tedrick Ratcliff, Jr.; and Linda and Sam O’Bryant.TH