News & Innovation

Vermeer has redesigned the Vermeer HG4000 horizontal grinder; this new generation delivers powerful performance in various wood waste recycling applications and landscaping material production. It’s equipped with a 536 HP (399.7-kW) CAT C13B T4F/Stage V diesel engine, a Series III duplex drum, an aggressive infeed…

After seeking to sell the Elliott State Forest previously, Oregon’s State Land Board recently voted to convert the 80,000 acre tract into a research forest, de-coupling it from the state’s school funding system. The coast forest isn’t a large timber producer for the state’s Common School Fund, and…

The Red Rock Biofuels project in southern Oregon appears headed for foreclosure according to notices published in the Lake County Examiner newspaper in late December after the company failed to make principal and interest payments on some $300 million in debt. The notice set a February 4 payment deadline with a property auction scheduled for February 9. Originally scheduled for completion in 2017, the…

Officials with the Black Hills Forest Resources Assn. (BHFRA) have prevailed in an appeal of a 2021 decision to drastically reduce future timber harvests on the Black Hills National Forest. In February 2021, the Forest Service (FS) Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins, Colo., issued general technical report (GTR) 422. The report detailed timber inventory assessments and projected growth rates that…

American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), recently released its 18th annual top industry issues report, identifying the leading industry concerns including fuel prices, driver shortage, truck parking, driver compensation, the economy and for the first time, speed limiters…

Out of almost $100 million in overall timber sale revenues in 2022, the state of Oregon has returned $61 million to the counties that have state forest acreage. State law requires two-thirds of forest revenues be distributed to the Forest Trust Land Counties, with the remainder earmarked for state forestry operations…

The U.S. Forest Service recently prevailed in a three-year-old lawsuit seeking to halt a forest health project in coastal California’s Los Padres National Forest that sought to thin timber stands to reduce the threat of crown fires. Forest officials say the Tecuya Ridge Shaded Fuelbreak Project is…

The City of Virginia Beach has announced that Stihl plans to invest $49 million to expand its chain saw guide bar manufacturing facility. The expansion will add 26,000 sq. ft. of space to an existing building, totaling 86,000 sq. ft. upon completion. The project is also expected to create 15 new jobs with an average annual wage of $60,000 to $100,000…

Oregon’s state Board of Forestry recently released the 2022 Forest Operator of the Year awards that honor forest professionals who consistently meet or exceed requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act under challenging project conditions. This year’s award winners are Chuck Sarrett of Full Circle Consulting of La Grande; Mike Falleur of F and B Logging in Warrenton; and Bobby King of R and R King Logging in Florence…

In late October, after a 48-day strike, Weyerhaeuser reported the successful resolution of a work stoppage involving members of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union in Oregon and Washington. Weyerhaeuser has approximately…