MEET THE OREGON LOGGING CONFERENCE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

July 2020 Issue ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><>< Vol. 5 Issue 1

In this issue: A little background on each of the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship recipients, and industry news and happenings.

Easy Quick Links to the tentative 2021 OLC program schedule and other activities can be found on the last page of this newsletter.

The OLC Foundation Scholarship

Recipients for 2020-2021 College Year

20 Oregon and Washington college students, representing the next generation of logging and forestry related leaders, have received scholarships from the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF). These students received a total of $40,000 worth of financial assistance for their education.

This article will introduce you to each scholarship recipient and why they are pursuing a career in the logging and forestry industry.

If you or someone you know would like to apply for an OLCF scholarship, click here to download the application. Applications are accepted each year beginning on December 1st. The deadline for filing an application is April 1st of following year.

Ashley Backen

Attending Oregon State University - Received a $3,000 OLCF Scholarship.

After graduation from OSU in the Spring of 2021, Backen plans to go to work in forestry for a company “that has similar values and a family-like atmosphere.” She sees that goal as “key to my happiness and (will also) increase my success in my vocation.” She has chosen to pursue a career in forestry because of a love of the outdoors and a recommendation from the President of the Umpqua Community College Forestry Club. Backen is hoping to find a job near Roseburg, OR because her family lives there. “I am very close to my family,” she said, “and I want my job/career to be near them.” She describes Roseburg as the “timber capital of the world.” She is a two-time OLCF scholarship recipient.

Daniel Virtue

Attending Oregon State University – received $3,000 OLCF and $500 Thompson Family scholarships

Virtue will be a senior this year at Oregon State University (OSU) and is slated to graduate in the spring of 2021. “I chose to study forest engineering because I love outdoor activities like hunting and fishing and I also like math,” Virtue said. He has been working for Cascade Timber Consulting during his college career, learning how to cruise timber, survey, layout roads, and timber sales. “After I graduate, I plan to work as a forest engineer for a private timber company,” Virtue said. He said the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation and other scholarships have helped him focus on school, rather than how to pay for college. “I can’t thank the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF) enough for helping me achieve my goals,” Virtue said. He has received OLCF scholarships for all his four years at OSU.

Maya Greydanus

Attending Oregon State University – received a $1,000 Thompson Family scholarship.

Greydanus has just finished her Freshman year studying forest management at the Oregon State University Honors College. “While forestry has not originally been on my radar as a potential major, I have always loved the forests of Oregon,” Greydanus said. “The more research I did on forestry and all it encompassed,” she added, “the more I realized it was something I would love.” She is looking forward to working outdoors and getting to know the intricacies of trees and their ecosystems. Her goal is to become a manager of a federal forest.

Hunter Hutchins

Attending Linn Benton Community College - Received a $2,000 OLCF Scholarship.

Hutchins was valedictorian in his high school class and his teacher recommended he pursue his higher education at a four-year college. Instead Hutchins knew his calling was in heavy equipment/diesel technology and is now participating in Linn Benton College’s Heavy Equipment/Diesel Technology program. Hutchins is currently working as a service technician at Ag Resolutions in Shedd, OR. He enjoys his job there “because we work on any piece of equipment imaginable. I have worked on everything from a large pressure washer to a large Cat bulldozer,” he added. His goal for the future is to become a mobile field technician with a service truck and he hopes to achieve this goal within a few years after he graduates. “I want to be a well-known, reliable, and knowledgeable technician that is referred by others to fix equipment,” Hutchins said.

Ben Bressel

Attending Portland Community College – received a $1,500 OLCF scholarship.

Bressel will enroll this fall in Portland Community College’s Diesel Technology program. “I chose to go into this field because I love working on cars and trucks,” Bressel said. “I spent four years in high school in the automotive program, and at graduation, was presented with the outstanding automotive student of the year award,” he added. During his senior year of high school Bressel worked as an intern in a local diesel shop, and that helped influence his career choice course of study. After he obtains his degree in Diesel and also Electric Power Generation Bressel plans to work in a diesel shop and one day possibly have his own business. He is also interested in doing restoration work on older cars and trucks.

Angus Kjos

Attending Oregon State University - Received a $2,000 OLCF scholarship. Currently a junior at Oregon State University, Kjos is majoring in Forestry Operations Management and minoring in Business. “I have chosen to go to school for Forestry because I enjoy being outdoors and think logging is incredibly interesting,” Kjos said. He said his goal is to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and be debt free, and appreciates the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation’s financial assistance to help accomplish those goals. Kjos plans to work in a logging related field after he graduates and one day have his own business and work for himself.

Alyssa Broaddus

Attending Oregon State University – received a $2,000 OLCF scholarship.

Broaddus this year will be starting her second year at Oregon State University College of Forestry. Broaddus worked two summers on a U.S. Forest Service conservation crew and this summer is working as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. “These work experiences along with my passion for the outdoors have solidified my decision to pursue a career in natural resources,” Broaddus said. “My goal is to work for the Forest Service as a professional forester and have a positive impact on the way forests are managed,” she added. Broaddus is from Bend, OR and her hobbies include hunting, fishing, and backpacking. She expressed her appreciation for being selected as a recipient of an Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship. “This scholarship will help tremendously in assisting me financially for college,” Broaddus said, “and it will help me accomplish my dream of working in the field of forestry.”

Caleb Woods

Attending Lane Community College – received $1,000 OLCF and $2,500 Carl Well Memorial scholarships.

Woods said he has always loved the outdoors and is well acquainted with a lot of forestry land. “I thought it might be interesting to get into the forestry industry and see what it is really about,” Woods said. He said he will use the OLCF scholarship to pay for his college classes. “As for the future,” Woods said, “I’m exploring all sorts of career options and trying to find a career that I love.”

Kaija Olson

Attending Arizona State University – received $1,000 OLCF and $500 Carolyn and Bob Magathan scholarships.

Olson graduated from Woodland, WA High School this year and was also one of three in her class to graduate with an Associate degree from Clark Community College. She will be attending Arizona State University this fall, to begin working toward a bachelor's degree in Operations Management. “This degree will allow me to be diverse in my employment opportunities, ranging from private industry to industrial manufacturing,” Olson said. “I look to lead change and bring new innovative ideas to my workplace while promoting safety and professionalism,” she added. Olson chose her career path because she grew up in and around the wood products industry. “I have had the privilege of meeting and developing lifelong friendships with many talented and hardworking people in this field,” Olson said. “I am proud to follow in their footsteps and make my mark in the field of Operations Management,” she added. She expressed her appreciation for receiving an Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship, saying it would help keep her financially stable and give her the opportunity to graduate from college with minimal debt.

Rachel Villarreal

Attending Oregon State University – received a $2,500 OLCF scholarship

Villarreal grew up in Sweet Home, OR where she said her passion for nature started at an early age. This year she will enter her senior year at Oregon State University, studying Forest Engineering. “Throughout my college career, I have not only become interested in responsible forest management practices, but the technology used to perform these practices,” Villarreal said. “I am currently working towards my bachelor’s degree in Forest Engineering, as well as a certificate in Geospatial Information Systems,” she added. After graduation Villarreal hopes to go to work for a private timber company using her skills to produce more efficient harvest operations. She said the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship will allow her to have a less financially stressful senior year and help her focus on her studies and her future in forestry.

Karissa Hadermann

Attending Oregon State University – received a $2,000 OLCF scholarship

Calling her pursuit of a career in natural resources inevitable, Hadermann grew up between the ocean and the forests of Nehalem, OR. “Nurtured by my innate curiosity of the world, passion for learning, experiences throughout my life thus far, and the people that I have been surrounded by, it was not a difficult choice what direction I would go with my higher education,” Hadermann said. She is studying Natural Resources under the Forest Ecosystems and Society option through Oregon State University and its Honors College. “Dreams of spending my life within a career that allows me to challenge my intellect, have pride of working hard, be within the environment that constantly leaves me in awe, and make a positive difference in the world are all closer with this next step in life and the help of the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship,” Hadermann said.

Justin Helgren

Attending Oregon State University - Received a $1,000 OLCF Scholarship and a $2,000 Pay it Forward Scholarship.

Growing up in Elkton, OR, Helgren has always had a passion for forestry and the outdoors. He has worked in different aspects of the industry, including logging and log scaling, and those experiences convinced him to pursue a degree in Forest Management at OSU, where he is currently a junior. “With the degree my goal is to become a forester in the Pacific Northwest,” Helgren said. “My secondary goal,” he added,” is to continue to work with community outreach programs to spread the message that tree farming and sustainable forestry practices are benefits, not only to our community through economic and recreational benefits, but a benefit to the entire world in that safe and effective tree farming allows us to reduce our carbon footprint and promotes a healthier and cleaner planet.” Helgren expressed his appreciation to the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation for awarding him a scholarship.

Carter Kunert

Attending Lane Community College – received a $1,000 OLCF scholarship.

Kunert is studying Forest Engineering and has just completed his first year of college. “Forest Engineering is a culmination of all my interests – mathematics, science, and the great outdoors,” Kunert said. “What interests me the most about this study is how unique it is,” he added. “One has the ability to practice engineering techniques, only better, because it’s in the forest,” Kunert said. His goal is to have a positive impact on the forest sector. “I want to find a job that allows me to apply my knowledge and skills,” he said. “Even more so,” he continued,” one that contributes to taking wood from our forests and turning it into well finished products.” At Lane Community College Kunert is also part of the Cross Country and Track & Field teams. He plans to transfer to a university after completing community college.

Andrea Knudson

Attending Oregon State University – received a $1,500 Thomas Family scholarship.

Knudson is entering her senior year at Oregon State University and she is studying Forest Operations Management. She is the daughter of Rick Knudson, owner-operator of Knudson Logging Inc. “As a kid I spent countless days on the job with my dad, watching him operate equipment and making some of the best memories,” Knudson said. “As I got older, my love for the outdoors grew stronger,” she added. When she was in high school, she was able to job shadow a forest engineer. “Doing so confirmed that I wanted to pursue a career in forestry with a focus on forest operations where I can do timber sale layouts, road design, and interact with contractors,” Knudson said. She says her future goal is to become a harvest manager and have the opportunity to educate the public about sustainable forest management. She said the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation Scholarship will be helpful during her senior year at OSU. “It is an honor to be a recipient of the OLC Foundation scholarship and I am extremely grateful to have been selected,” Knudson said.

Matthew Scheuber

Attending Oregon State University – received a $3,500 OLCF scholarship.

Scheuber is studying forest and civil engineering at Oregon State University and says since elementary school, he knew he wanted to be an engineer. He has chosen his educational pathway because it combines his interest in designing and creating projects to solve challenges in the outdoor environment that he enjoys. “Participating in multiple job shadows with forest engineers only served to confirm my desire to pursue it as a career,” Scheuber said. He has worked two summers as a wildland firefighter and plans to participate in internships related to his studies during summers from this point on. “After graduation, I plan to work for either a private company or a government agency,” he said.

Samantha Mitchell

Attending Linn Benton Community College – received $1,000 Boise Cascade and $500 Thompson Family scholarships.

Mitchell decided she wanted to pursue a career in forestry while she was participating in the Sweet Home High School Forestry Club. She says it “opened a door of happiness for me. I am very passionate about this industry and ways kids can get their way into the industry,” she added. She said the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarship will help her get a full college degree and not just a certification.

Jacob Payne

Attending Oregon State University – received a $2,000 Bell Lumber and Pole (John Ottovani) scholarship.

Payne is spending the summer as an intern forester for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and says he is looking forward to working in the field of forestry for his entire career. Payne said the timber industry is important to his family history and traditions. “My dad logged for 20 years and owned a logging company, my brother is a timber faller, and my uncle is a forester who graduated from Umpqua Community College,” he said. His experiences as he was growing up helped shape his value and respect for the timber industry and the forests. “I want to work as a forester in Oregon because this area is very important to me,” Payne said. “I am excited for the future of the timber industry in Oregon and I hope to take part in causing and influencing positive change,” he added.

Luke Mehlschau

Attending Linn Benton Community College – received a $1,000 Starker Forests scholarship.

Ethan Winter

Attending Umpqua Community College – received $500 OLC Foundation and $500 Hap and Lory Huffman scholarships.

Kent Burkholder

Attending Linn Benton Community College – received a $1,500 Thompson Family scholarship.

OLC FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER AUCTION BENEFITING INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIPS

Generous donations and proceeds from the two-day annual auction at the Oregon Logging Conference allows the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation to award scholarships and support other educational programs.

At this time, plans are to have the auction next year on February 25 ^th and 26 ^th , following the morning breakfasts, and taking place in the Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane Event Center and Fairgrounds. Auctioneer for the fundraiser will be Jaime Yraguen of Basco Logging.

The OLCF is a 501(c)3 charitable organization and all donations and purchases are tax deductible. Scholarships are awarded to students, many of whom go on to play vital roles in the future of the logging and forestry industry.

Donation of auction items are now being accepted and those interested should contact the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation office at 541.686.9191 or complete the donation form . Donations will be updated regularly on the OLC website and watch for updated lists in future issues of the OLC NEWS.

Uncertainty Surrounding 4 ^th Annual

Future Forestry Workers Career Day

Despite the uncertainty of having the 4 ^th Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day, plans are moving forward to be ready to have this hands-on career day if at all possible. If the Oregon Logging Conference is held in February 2021, the 4 ^th Annual high school natural resource career day will be one of the activities that will hopefully also take place.

Since it’s establishment in 2018, interest, student attendance, and industry participation have steadily increased. The number of high school students attending the 3 ^rd Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day in 2020 was nearly double the number of student who participated in 2019.

If the event is held in 2021, it will again take place in the livestock arena on the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene. The livestock arena has 36,000 square feet of room and plenty of opportunities for hands-on activities, like tree planting, running a small backhoe, learning about firefighting, and viewing state of the art equipment. Last year, the high school skills competition/demonstration was incorporated into this career day, with the livestock arena offering ample space for demonstrations such as crosscut sawing, cable splicing, and more.

Stay tuned for details in future issues of the OLC NEWS. For more information, contact the Oregon Logging Conference at 541-686-9191.

Student enjoy talking to industry professionals about forestry career opportunities

Over 825 High School students, teachers, and parents attended the 3rd Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day.

Student learn about heavy equipment operation.

Weyhaeuser talks to the students about Forest Engineering and Reforestation

Student enjoy pizza lunch hosted by OLC Foundation.

Seneca talks to the students about Forest Products Manufacturing Careers.

Professional Logger Credits Available at

Oregon Logging Conference

Those who attend the Oregon Logging Conference every year know they can earn professional logger credits and stay up to date on the most current regulations and logging techniques. This is always a good opportunity to learn more about current issues from knowledgeable presenters at seminars and panel discussions.

This will not change in 2021, if the 83 ^rd Oregon Logging Conference takes place at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene. A level of uncertainty still surrounds the OLC, in light of the continuing COVID-19 health crisis.

All possibilities are being explored as well as contingency plans for providing this and other services normally available at the Oregon Logging Conference. Stay tuned for more details. Check the OLC website for updates (when available) and follow us on Facebook for more regular updates.

Hands On Outside Seminars

Program Panels and Seminars in Main Meeting Pavilion

INDUSTRY NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

Korean researchers say airplane fuel made from wood waste can be mass produced. Read more.

Spotlight on outdoor clothing: Biodegradable fleece made from wood cellulose. Read more.

Oregon firefighters deploying new technology to battle wildfires. Read more.

You grow through what you go through. And through it all, we'll be here. Standing proud. View video.

Johnnie Walker Whisky Reveals New Paper Bottle For 2021. Read more.

Wildfire season is here: How to stay safe and protect your property. Read more.

Timber technology center could bring 100 jobs to Darrington. The Darrington Wood Innovation Center will house manufacturing companies and educational resources. Read more.

New Forest Service Rules Aim To Prevent Wildfires Sparked By Power Lines. Read more.

Shasta College Announces 2020 First Seat Logging Operations Internship. Read more.

The Benson Raft, a cigar-shaped log rafts were first developed in 1906 by Simon Benson, a Portland-based timber magnate. Read more

Why the Next Generation of Hospitals Should Be Made From Mass Timber.

The benefits of mass timber fall perfectly in line with what healthcare clients are asking for in their new buildings. Read more.

Wood was the first drawing material, in the form of charcoal, was the first artistic medium. Read more.

We’re All In This Together

Several regional conferences were canceled or postponed this year due to the pandemic. Now, more than ever, the importance of staying connected cannot be over-emphasized. We are all in this together. We are all one industry and we need to stand together and support each other. It is our livelihood, our culture that we must continue.

To stay connected with the Oregon Logging Conference’s “sister” conferences, please click on the website links below for more information