Matt Farr on Logging, Log Trucking, and Log Buying

In this episode, we check in with roadside buyer Matt Farr of Port Leyden, in New York’s North Country. He’s been in the industry since graduating high school, starting out as a logger, turned log trucker, and recently he was hired by Tupper Lake Pine mill as a log buyer. We talk about his journey over the years, the ups and downs of logging and log hauling, pine markets, impending tariffs, and more.

This podcast episode is sponsored by Bandit. What chipper is right for you? With the most diverse line in the industry, Bandit has you covered with a variety of models. To learn more about Bandit equipment contact a local authorized Bandit dealer or visit www.banditchippers.com.

To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

How to Love a Forest

In this month’s episode, we speak to Ethan Tapper, a Vermont forester who has spent the last eight years as the Chittendon County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation. This June, he embarked on his own journey as a consulting forester, establishing his own company, Bear Island Forestry. In our interview we discuss the nuances of forestry and managing natural resources, educating the public about what good forestry really means, and his social media outreach. Ethan also talks about his new book, How to Love a Forest, which comes out this September.

To learn more about Ethan Tapper and his book How to Love a Forest, visit ethantapper.com. You can also find him on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.

To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

The Next Generation: Eryk Thurber

In this month’s episode, we speak to Eryk Thurber, the sole proprietor of a small cable skidder operation in Etna, Maine. Eryk graduated from the University of Maine in Orono in 2020 and is just starting out in his career. We often hear about the current workforce challenges and the lack of “younger people” getting into logging and forestry. How can a young person get into timber harvesting without much backing or taking out millions of dollars in loans?  In our conversation, Eryk describes his education, both formal and informal, how starting out small has helped him gain footing in this tough sector of the forest industry, and some of the differences between logging in Rhode Island and Maine. 

You can read our companion article featuring more young professionals representing the next generation in the July 2024 issue of The Northern Logger.

To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Staying Safe in the Woods with Safety Coordinator Donald Burr

Winter is here, and with the cold, snow, and ice forming across the northern US, there is no better time to be reminded of the dangers of working in the woods and what to do to avoid accidents and injuries.

This month on the podcast, we talk to Donald Burr, the Safety and Training Coordinator for the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC). Burr is also the lead instructor and coordinator for the 20-week Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program (MLOFT) courses, held in the central Maine region. 

Donald Burr is also the recipient of the NELA Award for Outstanding Contributions to Safety for 2022.

In this episode, he talks about the essentials of staying safe and healthy while working in the woods. 

You can check out our companion article on Donald Burr’s safety tips in the November 2023 issue of The Northern Logger and Timber Processor. Please consider sharing this show with a friend or family member if you think they can get something out of it. Thanks for your continued support and stay safe out there!

To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Voices of the Lake States

Earlier in September, The Northern Logger attended the Great Lakes Logging and Heavy Equipment Expo in Escanaba, Michigan. The show is organized by the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLPTA) and alternates between Escanaba and Green Bay, Wisconsin every year. Thousands of loggers, foresters, and others attended the show, and there were over 163 exhibitors selling all kinds of equipment, from skidders and forwarders to feller bunchers and cut-to-length harvesters.

It’s not too often that you get so many forest industry professionals gathered all in one place, and we took advantage of that. To get a sense of the show and the current business climate of the Great Lakes and mid-west region, we interviewed several attendees and exhibitors, from Menominee Tribal Enterprises to the Director of Forest Sales and Marketing for Komatsu Forest, who talked about the Forwarder Operator Challenge. 

Interviews are with: 

1. Bob Edwards – Resource Manager, Timber Products Company 

2. Dan Maruszczak – independent timber hauling owner-operator

3. Rainer Shooter and Jason Swartz – Menominee Tribal Industries 

4. Aaron Beishlag, independent logger, and John (Jusse), retired power saw operator 

5. Marcus Stiegerwaldt – Director of Forest Sales and Marketing, Komatsu Forest 

Read our article in the October issue of the Northern Logger entitled “Great Lakes Logging” for more information. To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Vertical Integration Part 2: Pleasant River Lumber and A&A Brochu Logging

In this episode, Part 2 of our series on vertical integration, we interview Jason Brochu, who along with his brother and co-president Chris Brochu, have revived their family’s logging business after a 20-year hiatus under the umbrella of Pleasant River Lumber Company in central Maine. We’re also joined by Toby Pineo, the general manager of A&A Brochu logging. 

For more background on vertical integration, and to hear my discussion with Lyme Adirondack Forest Company’s general manager Eric Ross about their decision to add an in-house logging and a road-building crew to their working forest conservation easement, check out our previous episode, Vertical Integration Part 1. 

Read our article in the August issue of the Northern Logger entitled “Vertical Integration: A Tale of Two Operations,” for more on the LAFCO and A&A Brochu crews.

To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Vertical Integration Part 1: Interview with LAFCO's Eric Ross

In recent years, in large part due to a lack of logging capacity and also other regional factors including available wood and changing weather patterns, the forest products industry has seen some mills and large forestland management companies bring logging and road crews in-house — examples of taking direct ownership of various stages of a company’s production process rather than relying on external contractors, i.e., vertical integration.

In this episode, The Northern Logger speaks with Eric Ross, general manager of Lyme Adirondack Forest Company (LAFCO), about their recent foray into in-house logging and road crews. LAFCO manages 235,000 acres of land in the Adirondacks, the largest private ownership in New York State.

For more on this topic and to see photos of LAFCO’s crew, read our article in the August issue of the Northern Logger entitled “Vertical Integration: A Tale of Two Operations.”

To subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine or become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association (NELA), visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

The annual Loggers’ Expo returns to Bangor, Maine

From May 19-20, The Northeastern Loggers’ Association hosted the Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo, also known as the Loggers’ Expo, in Bangor, Maine. We had amazing weather and attendance of over 5,000 people. Around 180 exhibitors promoted their products and services to an enthusiastic crowd of loggers, truckers, saw millers, and others who make their living in the Northeast’s forest products industry. At the show, The Northern Logger magazine interviewed some of the exhibitors and attendees. Listen to find out what they had to say.

NELA is looking forward to next year’s Loggers’ Expo in Essex Junction, Vermont May 3-4, 2024.

To become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association or subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine, visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Check out our July issue (The Loggers’ Expo Review Issue) for an Expo recap and to read our Faces of the Industry Feature, where we recognize industry professionals for their outstanding contributions to the industry.

George Bellerose Discusses His New Book — Portrait of a Forest: Men and Machine

On this episode of the Northern Logger Podcast, I speak with photojournalist George Bellerose, from Weybridge Vermont, about his new book Portrait of a Forest: Men and Machine. Bellerose has spent 50 years as a writer, journalist, and photographer, and the last 20 years as a photojournalist documenting the lives of everyday people. In his own words, he says that he is interested in people who are essential to community well-being but who are often overlooked or understood only superficially. Portrait of a Forest: Men and Machine embodies those beliefs. The 304-page book, published by Vermont Folklife, documents how logging has shaped Vermont and examines the economic and environmental challenges facing the forest today.

The book can be purchased from The Vermont Bookshop in Middlebury, VT in-person or online.

We’ll also be selling the book at the Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo (also known as the Logger’s Expo) in Bangor, Maine, held from May 19th to 20th. Stop by The Northern Logger booth to purchase a copy.

As a listener of this month’s podcast, we’d like to offer you a discount for attending the upcoming Loggers’ Expo in Bangor. To register, go to our website – www.northernlogger.com/loggers-expo-2023/  and click on the registration link. Enter the Attendee Discount Code – POD3333 – to get 50% off the entry fee. See you at the Expo!

To become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association or subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine, visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Magazine preview

Industry Leaders Weigh in on How Businesses Can Attract and Retain Top Talent

One of the biggest challenges for forest products businesses is finding good workers and retaining them. The labor shortages across many industries in the US these last few years have made it even harder to attract and retain exceptional employees – essential to running a successful company. On this episode, five leaders in the industry share their thoughts, personal experiences, and the various things they are doing to attract and retain top-quality workers. We hear from Sam Lincoln, Brian Souers, Eric Kingsley, Jed Whiting, and Andy Irish.

To become a member of the Northeastern Loggers' Association or subscribe to The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine, visit https://www.northernlogger.com/

Magazine preview