Loggers Gather For OLC Show
Article by Dan Shell, Managing Editor, Timber Harvesting March/April 2023
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 officials activities there’s always plenty of time for networking and fellowship with fellow loggers. Here are some of the scenes and events from this year’s Oregon Logging Conference.
James Seward of the Columbia River Log Scaling & Grading Bureau shows loggers how fire damaged salvage logs are graded for bug damage and char defects during a loggers “Hands-On Seminar” at the 2023 Oregon Logging Conference. The information is especially helpful: Extended wildfire seasons mean more loggers are handling more salvage logs these days.
The Oregon Logging Conference scholarship auction raised thousands this year for deserving students who are vital to industry’s future. Held over two days during breakfast, the auction featured more than two dozen items including #Stihl and #Husqvarna chain saws, wood carvings, a $1,000 tire gift certificate, an AR-15 rifle and much more. The OLC has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships since 1968.
Students participate in a harvesting and forwarding simulator competition sponsored by the Oregon State University College of Forestry during the Oregon Logging Conference Future Forestry Workers Career Day. More than 300 high school students from area schools attended the event and were given chance to talk with potential future employees in all sectors of the industry including forestry and logging, firefighting, diesel technology, trucking and more. Nygaard Logging and Warrenton Fibre sponsor the career day event.
Looking back at the OLC’s past stretching more than 80 years, an antique saw collection from retired forester Don Wagner of Hull-Oakes Lumber drew lots of onlookers.
Ponsse officials gave a presentation on Ponsse’s firefighting system during an “Exhibitor Hands-On Seminar.” The session also included information on Ponsse’s satellite program and latest digital technology.
De-throning a three-time champion, Bryan Chipps of Green Diamond Resources won the 2023 OLC Log Loader Competition with a time of 4:05. That was almost 10 seconds better than second-place finisher Zane Bryant of Bryant Logging (4:15:37), who had won the competition three years in a row. Ross Cribbs of Black Rock Timber finished third with a time of 4:48:15. The two-day event is sponsored by Link-Belt and Triad Machinery.
Several chain saw carvers in the outdoor demo area drew consistent crowds.
Everyone who was anyone made an appearance at the OLC, including Ponsse!
Hilltop Aerial was one of several drone vendors at the OLC.
Latest News
Oregon Loggers Working To Find, Develop New Employees
Throughout three days of the Oregon Logging Conference (OLC), the effort to reach young people and find new employees from all walks of life was a focus of the show. Of course, everyone loves to prop the little kids in an operator’s cab, but the OLC has refined their show’s outreach to focus primarily on high-school aged students who are soon to be making decisions on work and career choices…
FSC Halts Certification Of Russian Products
In early March the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) suspended trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and announced it would “block wood sourcing” from the two countries as long as the armed conflict in Ukraine continued. According to the FSC announcement, “Wood and forest products from Russia and Belarus cannot be used in FSC products or be sold as FSC-certified anywhere in the world as long as the armed violence continues.” Forest management…
Oregon Logging Conference 2022
Loggers from across the Northwest and parts beyond recently traveled to the Oregon Logging Conference (OLC) here for the first show since 2020 and the 2021 virtual event. The show enjoyed great crowds and weather and lots of the latest in logging equipment and technology. A major theme and focus of the OLC and its supporters is finding and developing new employees for all segments of the industry, from in-woods personnel and equipment operators to diesel technology…
Samsara Camera Connector
Samsara, a pioneer of the Connected Operations Cloud, announces Camera Connector, a new product that connects side, rear and interior vehicle camera feeds to Samsara’s Connected Operations Cloud. By bringing cloud connectivity to third-party cameras for the first time, Camera Connector allows organizations to leverage existing…
WANT MORE CONTENT?
Spanning seven decades since its inception in 1952, Timber Harvesting highlights innovative and successful logging operations across the U.S. and around the world. Timber Harvesting also emphasizes new technology and provides the best marketing vehicle for the industry’s suppliers to reach the largest number of loggers in North America and beyond.
Call Us: 800.669.5613