January / February 2024

ESTACADA, Oregon – Looking back on the many years he’s spent working with his family’ s business-first as a youth following in his father’s footsteps and now operating his own diversified, multi-crew company-Jon Greenup says a commitment to top quality work and the skills and capabilities of his experienced employees are key factors in growing and diversifying Greenup Enterprises the past 20 years.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

COVER STORY
  • Greenup Positions Company As Top Quality Supplier
How Payroll Inflation

How much do you pay your logging equipment operators and log truck drivers? How did you decide how much to pay them? When it comes to employee wages, there are several factors to consider. For brevity, unless referring to a specific type of worker, I will refer to drivers and equipment operators as logging employees. I want to focus on two things: 1) trends in logging employee wages, and 2) the impact of wages on cost per ton.

2024 Oregon Logging Conference

Drawing loggers from around the Pacific Northwest and some much farther, the 86th Oregon Logging Conference (OLC) February 22-24 provides key resources for logging contractors including sessions covering the latest in regulatory issues and business management topics along with the big draw: Hundreds of exhibits and displays highlighting the latest in logging technology, equipment, machinery and services to help loggers operate more efficiently and most important-profitably.

New Technology 2024
  • Air Burner: Innovative Biomass Solution
  • Bandit Blends Technology, Durability
  • Caribou Android Log Scaler
  • Deere Delivers Productive Technology
  • Forest Chain Protection
  • Oregon EnduraMax Guide Bars
  • pewag Tracks: Innovation design, Material
  • ProLenc Log Load Binders
  • Skidderwindows.com Innovates Repair
  • TRYGG Netlink Forestry Chain
  • Western Trailer: Forest Fiber Hauling
Select Cuts

As We (ALC) See It
“That Was Then… This Is Now”
A Tale of Two Fires

I’d like to start with a “thank you” to those of you taking the time to read this, and to keep you reading, I’ll share a quick joke that is pertinent to this topic… you’ll see why at the end.

My Take

Southern Pulpwood Rroducers Should Watch Markets Closely

Going into the holidays after a fall of extremely dry weather from Labor Day to Thanksgiving that left wood yards and log yards as full as they wanted to be, pulpwood producers in the primary pulp and paper region of the Southeast struggle with mill and machine closures that are leading to a historic reset in U.S. paper- packaging manufacturing and especially a reduction in roundwood utilization that has broad implications for raw material supply chains.

Newslines
  • Two West Fraser Sawmills Take Hit
  • MAT Planning New Michigan Forest Show
  • Study Shows Site, Rotation Affect Carbon Sequestration
  • Weyerhauser Completes Carbon Credit Sale
  • Survey: Weather Damages Vermont Loggers In 2023
  • Administration Focuses On Old-Growth
  • THRIVE Program Launches In Louisiana
  • Virginia Logger Survey Focuses On Sustainability
Dust N Rust

Day or night. in open areas or dense growth, in fair, sunny weather or in fog, rain, or snow, the new Tree Farmer safety color has unexcelled visibility. Recent research and test after test in the field have determined that this new color far exceeds, any other color for around-the clock visibility. Another safety feature, added to the already long list of safety features offered as standard on Tree Farmer Skidders!

Innovation Way
  • Morbark Brush Chipper
  • ASV Attachments
  • Husqvarna Chain Saws

Oregon’s Greenup Embraces Diverse Business Operations

Articles by Dan Shell, Managing Editor, Timber Harvesting

ESTACADA, Oregon – Looking back on the many years he’s spent working with his fam­ily’ s business – first as a youth following in his father’s footsteps and now operating his own diversified, multi-crew company – Jon Greenup says a commitment to top quality work and the skills and capabilities of his experienced employees are key factors in growing and diversifying Greenup Enterprises the past 20 years. Greenup has taken a single crew contract logging business acquired from his father and developed it into a full service forestry company that pro­vides not only logging and hauling but also road construction, chipping and grinding, land clearing for develop­ment and even firewood. Greenup says if anything the experience has taught him to be ready to turn to new oppor­tunities and operate more strategically as conditions constantly change.

Like many contractors who have grown up in logging families, Greenup says he always felt he was “raised to be there” on his father’s logging job, following him to the woods every time he could and ended up loading his first truck at age 11.

While he was happy being a one­crew logger, one thing Mark Greenup did to help his son was make him start his own company at age 20, buy a truck and do some contract hauling so he could begin learning what it was like to run your own business and keep a close eye on operations and costs. After starting the company in 2001, Greenup still uses it as his in­house trucking wing today.

Greenup had bought his mother out and became his father’s partner, then took over the business in 2004-5 after his father experienced health issues (he died in 2008).

Greenup says when he took over the business he wasn’t looking to make any changes. “I was just looking to survive, really,” he remembers. ”We had-and still have-a great re­lationship with Hancock Timber. But then 2008 happened.”

As the Great Recession went on, Greenup found another market, then Hancock’s activity returned as condi­tions improved so he added a second crew, then another mill he worked for had multiple sales coming up so he added a third. Along the way he had hired a forester, and Greenup liked the dynamic that added to the company in terms of management and looking ahead for new tracts and laying out current jobs such as the company’s extensive thinning work load. He currently operates with two foresters.

Greenup Enterprises now has around 50 employees, operating six to as many as 10 crews in the busy season. “We have a good reputation, and we were able to keep growing,” he says.

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