March / April 2023

RICHBURG, South Carolina – Operating one large “super crew” in northern South Carolina, brothers Will and Wesley Coleman and Coleman Brothers Logging are putting up impressive production numbers, routinely hitting 160-190 loads a week and not infrequently hauling more than 200.

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COVER STORY

S. Carolina’s Coleman Bros. Hauling High Production

MY TAKE: Loggers Gather For OLC Events

EUGENE, Oregon – Loggers across the Pacific Northwest and plenty of points farther away made the trip to Eugene the last weekend of February for the 85th Oregon Logging Conference. The event included everything every logger needs (outside of a better cut-and-haul rate!) when it comes to equipment and tools for getting the job done, including not only the very latest in high performance timber harvesting equipment and machinery, but also the leading edge technology behind it driving production and efficiency gains. Visitors to the show also attended multiple seminars and presentations on technology and business management to make more informed decisions about their businesses and their role in the industry. And along with official activities there’s always plenty of time for networking and fellowship with fellow loggers.

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Article by Dan Shell, Managing Editor, Timber Harvesting

NEWSLINES

Mild Winter Hits Northern Logging Contractors
Log Yard Upgrade Should Be Helpful
Texas Convicts Second Suspect For Timber Theft
Vaagen Closes Midway But Maintains Hope
Study Confirms Forest Carbon Neutrality
OFIC: Oregon Must Overhaul Timber Plan
Red Rock Biofuels Is Up For Auction
Oregon Forest Service Officials Withdraw Project
Court Halts Idaho Forest Health Project
Minnesota Loggers Lose Potential Market

Tracked Access: Skidmore Brothers Mechanize Tough Terrain

FREEBURG, Missouri – Don’t let the name fool you: Skidmore Lumber Co. centers on a mill now, but the family-owned business has its roots in the woods, and today fields a top-notch logging crew, one that’s ahead of the curve in its area. Owners Doug Skidmore, 60, and his brother Howard, 62, have been running the show here together since they took over from their dad Oreal and other brother Odis in the early 90’s, about 30 years ago.

Article by David Abbott, Senior Editor, Timber Harvesting

Safety Roundup 2023: Road, Woods, Service

EDITOR’S NOTE: This section includes a quick roundup of safety news, ideas and food for thought, from loggers’ associations across the nation.

Inspection Blitz Reveals Violations
Loggers On Safety: Sharing What Works
Disconnect Power To Keep Equipment Safe
Hiring A New Driver? Due Diligence Is A Must
New Mississippi Law Simplifies Light Safety
Don’t Think, Just Do It: Seatbelts Save Lives

OLC 2023 Products

EUGENE, Oregon – Nothing draws a crowd of loggers like lots of shiny new equipment and the latest in timber harvesting technology and innovations. Here’s a quick look at just some of the many products on display at this year’s Oregon Logging Conference at the Lane Events Center in Eugene, Oregon on February 23-25.

Associated Oregon Loggers Raise Funds, Awareness

While enjoying their annual meeting, celebrating contributions and raising money for local children’s hospitals, Oregon loggers learned about the challenges contractors face going forward at the Associated Oregon Loggers’ 53rd annual convention in January.

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EQUIPMENT WORLD

Doosan Changes Name To DEVELON
Ponsse Appoints Vidgren To Oversee U.S. Dealers
Stihl Plans Expansion At Virginia Beach
Morbark Selects Brandt As Dealer
Husqvarna 2-Year Pro Saw Warranty

INNOVATION WAY

Cat 558 Forest Machine
Falcon Slash Rake

SELECT CUTS

Florida’s Byrd Rose To Top Of Logging Ranks, Leaves Legacy of ‘Faith, Family, Forestry’
RoyOMartin Goes Back 100 Years, Celebrates Century Of Successes

S. Carolina’s Coleman Bros. Hauling High Production

Article by May Donnell and Dan Shell

Thanks to a timber company relationship that allows the company to run wide open, and three primary markets in relatively close proximity, Coleman Brothers Logging is able to get some serious output from its two-loader, four-skidder, two-cutter configuration.

At age 34, Will Coleman is definitely a member of the younger generation of loggers in an industry where the contractor base is aging—and he’s already been running his own company for a decade.

Wesley, left, and Will Coleman

Will began his career at 18 when he went to work for a logger in the area. His ambition to run his own company eventually kicked in and in 2013 he decided to strike out on his own.

Will and his wife, Katherine, and his brother, Wesley, founded the company and started it up. Together they gradually pieced together two loaders, four skidders and three cutters, all very well used—some might say used up. Will’s father, Tim, joined in to help with maintenance and Will’s uncle, Don “Uncle Stump” Dickson, signed on to drive a truck. “I really rely on my brother, Wes,” Coleman says. “If I’m at work, he’s at work, no matter what. If I’m in the shop, he’s in the shop. And he really takes charge with the skidders. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

Working with the Tigercat dealership in Newberry, SC, Coleman replaced his older equipment, and thanks to a new timber company arrangement that expanded production he’s been able to also upgrade his trucking fleet significantly in the past three years.

A need to reduce expenses on older trucks while at the same time expanding production led Coleman Brothers Logging to extensively upgrade its hauling capacity during the past three years.

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