12 The Global Trade War

Music credit:

Bensound.com

A Note to Interested Advertisers:

As Northern Logger Podcast listenership is growing, we are opening up slots for interested advertisers. If you would like the logging industry to hear about your business, organization or even health PSA, please contact The Northern Logger Editor, Eileen@northernlogger.com.

09 Can Larch Make It?!

A small group of researchers and industry leaders are exploring the viability of hybrid larch in the Northeast by searching out long forgotten stands.

Benefits of Larch:

  • Grows in 20 to 30 year cycles, equivalent to Southern Yellow Pine and coastal Douglas Fir and has the potential to act as a nurse crop for oak and other hardwoods, not to mention other plants.

  • Grows well on marginal lands that fail to support other, more sensitive, species. Because it drops its needles every fall, and the nutrients from those needles are absorbed into the soil, hybrid larch improves the soil where it grows over time.

  • The species is especially strong, comparable to spruce. It doesn’t deteriorate easily, and so is ideal for use in decking and greenhouses.

  • Larch grows straight and the trees produce few branches when grown together. Because of this and because it sheds its needles in the fall, its propagation could play a role in what climate scientists call the “albedo effect”, a term that refers to the ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere. Light surfaces reflect sunlight (good for the environment) and dark surfaces absorb it (bad for the environment.) In larch stands, the winter sun reflects on the snow, creating potentially positive effects from a climate change standpoint.

Music credit:

Bensound.com

French-Canadian fiddle tunes off the Alan Lomax recordings from the Library of Congress

A Note to Interested Advertisers:

As Northern Logger Podcast listenership is growing, we are opening up slots for interested advertisers. If you would like the logging industry to hear about your business, organization or even health PSA, please contact The Northern Logger Editor, Eileen@northernlogger.com.

08 A Veteran's Story: From the military to logging

In this mini episode of the Northern Logger, we talk with David Jarzab about his journey from a career in the military to Paul Smith’s to the exciting beginnings of his business. Enjoy!

Music credit:

Bensound.com

A Note to Interested Advertisers:

As Northern Logger Podcast listenership is growing, we are opening up slots for interested advertisers. If you would like the logging industry to hear about your business, organization or even health PSA, please contact The Northern Logger Editor, Eileen@northernlogger.com.

07 The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine and Beyond

This month we explore folklore that is more fact than lore by looking into the mysterious phenomena of the Jumping Frenchman of Maine. Your editor, Eileen Townsend, also brings you interviews from some of the youngest members of the industry and their thoughts on the future and safety.

Music credit:

Chainsaw Calligraphy by 16 Bit

French American Folk Music (MIWI) French-Canadian fiddle tunes from Library of Congress Lomax Collection

A Note to Interested Advertisers:

As Northern Logger Podcast listenership is growing, we are opening up slots for interested advertisers. If you would like the logging industry to hear about your business, organization or even health PSA, please contact The Northern Logger Editor, Eileen@northernlogger.com.

06 The Patchwork State of Workers' Comp

As anyone who works in this industry knows, workers’ compensation rates vary widely from state to state. While Maine and New York have high participation in workplace payouts, states like Vermont are struggling to keep insurance rates low due to the scale of the industry and low participation rates.

Experts in the forestry and insurance industry weigh-in on the successes and short comings of workers' comp in Maine, New York, and Vermont in this month's episode.

A Note to Interested Advertisers:

As Northern Logger Podcast listenership is growing, we are opening up slots for interested advertisers. If you would like the logging industry to hear about your business, organization or even health PSA, please contact The Northern Logger Editor, Eileen@northerlogger.com.

05 The Export Episode

This month we address a few different aspects of the lumber and log export business. We hear from a handful of Northeast wood product exporters. We learn how they broke into international trade, as well as about their successes and challenges.

As the phrase "trade war with China" haunts national headlines, it's hard not to think how this might affect the logging and timber industry. Several of our exporters also dive into the new inspection processes and tariffs that are having very real impacts on the industry.

04 Live from the Loggers Expo

The Logging Expo means two things, big iron and familiar faces. This month, Editor Eileen Townsend meanders through the Expo and speaks with many different parts of our industry. We hear again and again that the logging industry is a family.

03 Young People in Our Industry

This month on the Northern Logger Podcast, we are talking to the youngest members of our industry to find out more about their daily challenges and what the future of the industry holds. All of our guests this month are 29 year old and younger.

Many industry veterans will say that this is an aging industry. While there’s some truth to that, there are still plenty of passionate young timber harvesters pursuing a career. Many have figured out how to start their own businesses, whether they be fully mechanized or chainsaw and skidder operations.

References, Tips and Links from Young Professionals: