Save the Dates for the 82nd Oregon Logging Conference

May 2019 Issue <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Vol.3 Issue 11

In this issue: We wish you and your family a safe Memorial Day weekend. New Oregon Logging Conference Board Members are introduced. Scholarship recipients will be announced soon, planning underway for 82 ^nd Annual OLC, and more photos of 2019 OLC.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces.

The holiday, which is currently observed every year on the last Monday of May, originated as Decoration Day after the American Civil War in 1868, when the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans founded in Decatur, Illinois, established it as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Union war dead with flowers.

By the 20th century, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions, celebrated on different days, had merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service.

It marks the start of the unofficial summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

F ive New Members for

Oregon Logging Conference Board of Directors

"When selecting directors the nominating committee looks for individual who are knowledgeable and represent themselves well in our industry", says 2nd Vice President and directors nominating committee chair Craig Olson, Weyerhaeuser, Longview, WA.

The knowledge and experience of each member of the Board of Directors is extremely valuable to the OLC. Board members are encouraged to lend their experience and wisdom to the OLC and the staff to improve the logging conference and the logging industry.

A vital part of the duties of an OLC director is to stimulate interest and enthusiasm for the conference in the director’s local area. Each director works as part of the OLC membership team to strengthen the conference.

This is an all-volunteer board, and each director is responsible for their own expenses. Conference Manager Rikki Wellman said, “The Oregon Logging Conference appreciates each director and their efforts, and the many hours and input each person contributes the success of the OLC every year.

Jaime Yraguen is co-owner of Basco Logging Inc., a third generation logging company out of Sutherlin Oregon. Jaime has been an auctioneer since 1995 serving Oregon and Washington. He is married to his wife Betsy of thirty six years. They have two children.

Jaime is passionate about improving the lifestyle of the hard working men and women in the Oregon timber industry. He understands the importance of a sustainable forest industry and how it empowers communities, states and nations.

Jaime served for eight years on the board of directors of the Roseburg County club which included president for three years. He served on the Josh Bidwell Foundation, a nonprofit for youth sports, for six years. He is a past president of Associated Oregon Loggers and currently serving on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Board, representing the voice of loggers across the USA.

Jaime is currently a member of and served many nonprofit organizations such as Rocky Mountain Elk, Oregon Hunters Association, Safari Club International, and National Rifle Association. He is a Life member of Coastal Conservation Association and a life member of the Roseburg Rod and Gun club. Jaime donated his time for eight years as the color commentator for Roseburg High School football on KQEN radio.

He is a member of Redeemers Fellowship in Roseburg Oregon and serves Young Life, and Youth for Christ. He also enjoys the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and golfing.

Rick Schott grew up in Creswell, Oregon and started working for Peterson Cat in February, 2005 for the Cat Rental Store as a Rental Consultant.

In 2010, we moved to Tualatin after the Halton Cat acquisition and I became the Rental Sales Manager working out of the Portland store location on Columbia Blvd. In the fall of 2015, I changed roles to become the Regional Sales Manager for new Cat sales and work out of our new Hillsboro store location. My wife is Dawn and we have three children....Tori, Seth and Carson.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Western Oregon State College..

Heidi Leib a fter graduating from OSU, Heidi continued her career in forestry working for the state of Idaho and Washington before settling in Colville,Washington with Hancock Forest Management. After four years in Colville, she was eager to return to the Willamette Valley and her home state.

In August 2017, she accepted the position as Logging Contract Coordinator for Boise Cascade West Oregon district and returned home. Heidi now resides in Albany, and you will often see her rolling around with her sidekick Lake, an exuberant black lab. She is happy to be back in Oregon and enjoys sharing what she knows about the logging industry with the general public.

Tim Ferreira is the President/Owner of Timberland Logging in Ashland, OR. He graduated from Oregon Institute of Technology with a degree in diesel engineering, and has worked in the industry for 33 years. He currently operates several mechanical sides and offers contract cutting and grinding services.

He holds a current CCB license in Oregon and is a Licensed Timber Operator in California. He is a former Board Member and President of the Southern Oregon Timber Industry Association.

Ferreira was born and raised in Ashland, OR and currently lives there with his wife Jennifer of 25 years, son TJ, a student at Oregon State University, and son Jonathan who will graduate from Ashland High School this year.

Outside of work, Ferreira enjoys hunting, shooting, and camping with family in Southern Oregon.

Lefi Tausaga grew up in Cave Junction. He was drawn to forestry at an early age, whether peeling logs for a local furniture shop, helping mill boards with a portable sawmill, or setting chokers behind a CAT (all while attending high school), the woods kept Tausaga out of trouble and money in his pocket.

After graduating high school he pursued a degree from Oregon State University. During college, he continued to work in the woods, logging back home during winter and spring breaks, working on the OSU student logging crew, and fighting wildfires during summer months. He graduated from OSU in 2012 with a degree in Forest Operations Management and a minor in Business and Entrepreneurship.

A week after his college graduation he went to work on the Olympic Peninsula working for Pacific Forest Management, a small consulting company. He says it was there that he was immersed in real “dirt forestry.” And learned what being a forester was all about.

Two years of the arid Forks, WA weather was enough to convince Tausaga to look for something else and he was soon hired by Hancock Forest Management as a production forester out of the Orting office, He also took on responsibility for assisting in managing the Snoqualmie Tree Farm.

Two years later (and after the birth of his son) Tausaga was ready to head home, and went to work for a little logger and cutting on wildfires, in addition to starting his own consulting company, Full Circle Forestry, LLC.

In 2017, Lefi joined the procurement team at Boise Cascade in Medford, Oregon. He is currently the Log Buyer for Boise Cascade Southern Oregon Region and responsible for appraising and purchasing timber sales and delivered logs.

He lives in Grants Pass, Oregon with his wife Megan, son Lefi jr. 4 year old and 2 year old daughter Jacqueline.

PLANS ROLLING AHEAD FOR #OLC2020

It won’t be long, in fact by this time next month, a theme will be selected for the 82nd Annual Oregon Logging Conference, taking place February 20, 21, and 22, 2020. It’s not too early to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Planning has already commenced for the many activities that will take place at the OLC, and we have listed just a few reasons why you will want to attend the 82nd Annual Logging, Construction, Trucking, and Heavy Equipment Expo.

Wednesday pre-registration meet & greet at the Graduate Hotel Eugene
Thursday opening breakfast, meetings, and social networking at the well-known OLC Sawdust Bowl.
Friday breakfast, meeting, break-out seminar sessions, and social networking at the OLC Sawdust Bowl (takes place both Thursday and Friday)
An opportunity to sign up to compete in the 11th Annual Log Loader Competition.
The largest equipment show in North America, with millions of dollars of equipment on display.
Attend meetings and earn Pro Logger credits

Important and current topics for the seminars and panel discussions are being discussed and be sure to check the June edition of OLC NEWS for more details.

A complete update will be available and published next month, after the OLC Board meeting, which is scheduled for early June.

We think it is important to continue to celebrate the industry and our history and would love to hear from you about past Oregon Logging Conference’s or events in the timber industry from days gone by. If you have photographs or mementos from the past and would be willing to share them with us, we will write up an article and help tell the story.

Please send photos and historic stories to: rikki@oregonloggingconference.com or mail to P.O. Box 10669, Eugene, OR 97440

Scholarship Recipients Announced Soon

30 scholarship applications for the 2019/2020 academic year were received by the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF). After review by the OLCF scholarship committee, the names will be announced, and included in the June edition of OLC NEWS.

The scholarships will be awarded for the college year beginning in August / September 2019. Since the scholarship program was established in 1968, more than 375 scholarships with a value of $875,000+ have been awarded.

Students studying forestry related subjects such as forest engineering, forest management, forest operations/management, resource management, diesel mechanics/heavy equipment maintenance, and welding are eligible to apply. Both four-year and two-year vocational/trade school/college scholarships are awarded annually.

The Oregon Logging Conference Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable foundation and all donations are tax-deductible. Proceeds from the auction at the OLC are donated to the Foundation for scholarships and other education-related activities.

Click here for details on the OLC Foundation scholarship program.

3 ^rd Annual Future Forestry Workers

Career Day Being Planned

Based on the level of response and the overwhelming success of the past two events, planning is now underway for the 3 ^rd Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day. This event takes place in conjunction with the annual Oregon Logging Conference.

This hands-on career day reaches out to the next generation of loggers, foresters and timber industry leaders.

The number of high school students attending the 2 ^nd annual Career Day was almost double the attendance at the first event, and plans are underway now to improve and further expand this activity.

The event will continue to be held in the Livestock Arena on the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene. The Livestock Arena offers 36,00 square feet of room and plenty of opportunities for hands-on activities, like tree planting, running a small backhoe, learning about firefighting, and more. The high school skills demonstration has also been incorporated into this Career Day, with the Livestock Arena offering ample space for skills such as crosscut sawing, cable splicing, and more.

The possibility of making this a two-day event has also been suggested and is being discussed.

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