ALC President sees new opportunity for loggers By James Ronald Skains In American Logging Council President Mike Wiedeman's acceptance speech as president for the coming year, he said, "For too long, the loggers in this country have been treated like a poor stepchild. A necessary evil played one against for the profit of the large land owners and mills. We are but a simple piece in a monopoly game where the dice are loaded and there are no get out of jail free cards." Speaking at the ALC September 26 annual convention in Flagstaff Arizona, where Travis Taylor of Louisana was elected ALC Secretary, Wiedeman said, a past President of the Oregon Logger Association, "The landscape is changing. Never before has a greater opportunity presented itself to the American loggers!" Wiedeman, a past president of the Oregon Logger Association, said "As the industrialized world begrudgingly shifts to renewable energy, we loggers are the point of the spear. The old adage to `think outside the box' has never been more true. Remember, if you keep doing what you have always done, you are going to get what you have gotten." "We are part of a global economy and we have to be able to establish the value of our products no matter where it is marketed," said Wiedeman, who has been an officer in the ALC for the past three years. "A US ton of densified wood is roughly worth $115 US Dollars at the Port of Rotterdam in Europe." "Whether you know it or not, everything that goes on in this global economy affects you and me," Wiedeman explained. "The Cap and Trade, Carbon Offsets, The Kyoto Accord, Trade Deficits, Value of the Dollar to the Euro, and the price of tea in China." "No longer can we be content waiting for the mill to call telling us where our next job is and what we will be paid," Wiedeman noted. "We need to step up and take charge of our future." Mike Wiedeman is the owner/operator of BTO Logging of Enterprise, Oregon. He has long-time experience with innovative techniques. Wiedeman specializes in Oregon's dryer Eastside mixed conifer and pine forest where he creatively employs cable and skyline logging systems for both thinning and clear-cut harvest operations. "I have three goals for the coming year," said Wiedeman, who is headquartered in Easter Oregon not far from the Idaho State line and just south of the Washington State line. "These are to build strategic alliances, strengthen our membership, and provide value of our members and partners." "As the wood products business transitions to include renewable energy, our need for partners and new alliances increase as well." Wiedman continued. "As a national organization, we must speak with one voice," Wiedeman added. "We need to develop a better way to exchange information and share experiences." "In conclusion," said Wiedeman, who will host the ALC 2009 Conference in Pendleton, Oregon, "we are all in this together. The one constant is that the logging business is that change is inevitable." Much of Wiedeman's work takes place on steep slopes, and his company's ability to carry whole trees above the ground to a mountaintop landing - sometimes as much as three quarter of a mile - keeps machinery off the hills and minimizes the impact on the landscape. Wiedeman is a strong advocate of using the most sophisticated equipment and techniques, like a "dangle-head" processor that will delimb an entire tree and cut it into log lengths as it comes off the cable. Also, part of his operation is the cable "yander" machine and the radio-controlled carriage that lifts and carries the harvested trees. Weideman's area of logging operation is bounded on the west by the Wallowa Mountains, the Umatilla National Forest to the northwest. To the northeast of his home base is the Wallowa Whiteman National Forest and due east is the Hells Canyon Wilderness area along the Idaho border. The 1st Vice President of the ALC in 2009-2010 and the President-elect for 2010-2011 is Matt Jensen of White Tail Logging headquartered in Crandon, Wisconsin. This area is referred to as the North Woods of Wisconsin and is some forty miles from the upper Michigan Peninsula. Green Bay is some ninety miles to the southeast of White Tail Logging's home base. The general area of White Tail's logging operation is in and around the Cheouamegon National Forest. White Tail Logging is a father son operation with a combined 58 years experience in forestry and logging. The company was started in 1987 by Pete and Matt Jensen. They received their Master Logger Certification in 2003. White Tail uses cut-to-length logging equipment and prides itself on professional ethical logging and timber management for healthier forest. Matt Jensen is a Past President of the Wisconsin Professional Loggers Association. He has held two prior offices in the ALC before moving up to 1st VP and President-elect. Matt is also active in the Log-A-Load for Kids organization. With Wiedeman's emphasis on biomass a legitimate opportunity for loggers all across the United States, the next year could mark a turning point in the tough financial struggles in the logging industry. |