March 2020 Issue
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Vol.4 Issue 9
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In this issue:
Wood products industry declared “essential,” a brief look at the 82
nd
Annual OLC held in February, 2020/2021 OLC Officers announced, and deadline is extended to May 15
th
for Oregon Logging Conference Foundation scholarships.
"Save The Dates" for the 83rd OLC, February 25, 26, & 27, 2021.
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Message from the Oregon Logging Conference
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If we look back to New Year’s Day 2020, who would have imagined that just a little over two months later, we would be facing the uncertainties and sometimes overwhelming realities of the COVID-19 situation.
The Oregon Logging Conference family is taking this one day at a time, doing all we can to be safe and stay well. We will come through this!
Just over a week ago the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the wood products industry as an “essential critical infrastructure workforce” in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically mentioned are “workers who support the manufacture and distribution of forest products, including but not limited to timber, paper, and other wood products.”
We have often repeated the word essential role the wood products industry plays in society. Now is no different than in the past, except the public has quite literally been reminded how much they depend on the products we produce, not the least of which is toilet paper!
The 82
nd
Annual Oregon Logging Conference took place February 20 – 22, 2020, just weekend before the pandemic was declared, many states issued stay at home orders, and large events were cancelled, such as our “sister” conferences in the Redwood and Intermountain regions. The Olympic Logging Conference was postponed until September of this year.
The 82
nd
Annual OLC was a successful event and we appreciate the support we received to make it such. We send our thoughts and support as well to those conferences who were forced to cancel or postpone.
The wood products industry will continue to harvest and replant trees, manufacture building and paper products, and meet the essential needs of society during this time. We are all in this together, and together we will weather this storm. We will emerge on the other side, stronger than ever and dedicated to continuing our work in providing America with products from the timber industry!
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Highlights from 82nd Annual
Oregon Logging Conference
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Some of the most beautiful weather in recent years was found at the 82
nd
Annual Oregon Logging Conference (OLC), held February 20 – 22, 2020 in Eugene, OR. Thousands of people visited the three-day show, including over 1,500 high school and elementary school students and educators. Click on photo to view a time lapse video.
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Oregon Women in Timber (OWIT) annual dinner and auction which corresponds with the kick-off meet and greet of the Oregon Logging Conference, raised $93,000, which will benefit OWIT’s award-winning Talk About Trees program.
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The title of Keynote Speaker Dr. Patrick Moore’s presentation was
Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom.
“Trees are involved, but the central theme is about how we are being duped into so many supposed ‘crises’ that cannot be verified by the average person because they are invisible like CO2, or so remote, like polar bears, that activists with no scruples can make up just about any story and make headlines around the world,” Dr. Moore said.
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The 3
rd
Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day included more than 825 high school students and educators representing 37 schools, learning about a variety of career opportunities in logging, forestry, and natural resource businesses. Forestry and reforestation, wildland fire fighting, trucking, heavy equipment operations, diesel mechanics, and welding were some of the career fields highlighted.
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The High School Skills Competition was combined with the Future Forestry Workers Career Day, as a live demonstration of some of the skills needed to work in the woods. More than 100 high school students from 10 schools in Oregon demonstrated crosscut sawing, choker setting, axe throwing, and power sawing.
The top four teams received awards, as did the top individual in each category. The relay team award winners were:
1
st
Place – Clatskanie Middle/High Schools; 2
nd
Place – Waldport High School; 3
rd
Place – Philomath High School; 4
th
Place – Crook County High School
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865 Elementary School students and teachers from 14 schools visited the Oregon Logging Conference on Thursday, February 20
th
. The Oregon Logging Conference Foundation partners with Oregon Forest Resources Institute and…to offer this up-close look at logging machinery and an opportunity to learn more about the logging business.
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Drone use in logging and forestry, log scaling, and new technology were a few of the current issues addressed during the seminars, panel discussions, and hands-on presentations at the OLC.
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Family Day with the focus on education was held on Saturday February 22, the final day of the OLC. Hundreds of families participated in activities including building bird houses, observing live wildlife and receiving free tree seedlings. This event was held at the Wheeler Pavilion on the Lane County Fairgrounds.
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Generous supporters of the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation helped raise more than $29,000 during the two days of auctions, held during the Thursday and Friday morning breakfasts. Auction items included truck seats, tires, chainsaw carvings, and a charter fishing trip. Money raised from this auction will help provide scholarships to students pursuing careers in logging and related careers.
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More than 800 entries were submitted in the Guess the Net Scale contest, and only one entry was the exact correct guess. Congratulations to Ric Levanen of RJL Forestry, LLC in Yacolt, WA. The gross scale was 6,460 and the net scale was 5,550. Special thanks to Swanson Bros Lumber for donating the logs, and Leonard Maser Trucking for the log truck on display.
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There were 33 competitors from six states who demonstrated their skills in the 11th Annual Log Loader Competition. First, second, and third place are recognizable as winners from previous years.
For two years in a row, first place goes to Zane Bryant, of Bryant Logging, with a time of 2:35:56. Second place was Ross Cribbs of Van Well Timber with a time of 2:56:50 and third place was Bryan Chipps of Green Diamond Resource Company, with a time of 3:09:35.
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OLC First Lady Cathy Stratton hosted the annual Dessert for Dreams luncheon, held at the Graduate Hotel, featuring delectable desserts and delicious salads. Each year the OLC First Lady chooses a charity to benefit from the proceeds. This year the proceeds will support In Our Backyard, a non-profit anti-human trafficking organization based in central Oregon. Speaker Kristin Campbell told those gathered at the luncheon that awareness is the critical first step to ending human trafficking. In Our Backyard provides training for businesses, service providers, community groups, law enforcement, and other government agencies to recognize and respond to human trafficking. Nearly $10,000 was raised and will be donated to the charity selected.
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Deadline Extended until May 15th
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Applicants for Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF) scholarships have until May 15
th
to turn in their paperwork. This date has been extended from the original April 1
st
deadline. The scholarship must be mailed to the OLCF office by the new deadline of May 15
th
. Mailing address is P.O. Box 10669, Eugene, OR 97440.
Scholarship applications are reviewed by a committee of six to eight members of the OLCF Board of Directors, and recipients will be selected at the Board’s June meeting. Selected students will be notified by mail, and the students will also be featured in the July edition of OLC NEWS.
Scholarships are available to financially assist students who are studying forestry and logging related subjects such as forest engineering, forest management, forest operations/management, diesel mechanics/heavy equipment operation and maintenance, and welding.
This year, the OLCF scholarship fund will increase by more than $29,000 with the money raised from the auction held during the 82
nd
OLC. We send a very special thank you to all donors, bidders, our auctioneer and runners, and staff for making it possible to offer financial assistance to students in need.
The OLCF awarded $26,000 in scholarships to college students in Oregon, for the 2019/2020 college year. Previous year recipients are eligible to receive additional scholarships but must submit a new application each year.
Guidelines and applications are available
click here
to download.
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2020-2021 OFFICERS ANNOUNCED
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The Oregon Logging Conference Board Officers and staff for the 2020-2021 Conference year are:
- Scott Melcher, President (Melcher Logging Co., Sweet Home, OR)
- Craig Olson, First Vice President (Weyerhaeuser Co., Castle Rock, OR)
- Steve Henson, Second Vice President (PotlatchDeltic, St. Maries, ID)
- Eric Gehrke, Third Vice President (Weyerhaeuser Co., Coos Bay, OR)
- Milt Moran, Treasurer (Cascade Timber Consulting, Sweet Home, OR)
- Rikki Wellman, Manager (Oregon Logging Conference, Eugene, OR)
(Photo above: L – R standing: Moran, Melcher. L – R seated: Gehrke, Olson, and Henson)
The 83rd Annual Oregon Logging Conference is scheduled for February 25 – 27, 2021 at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene, OR. Visit the conference website (
www.oregonloggingconference.com
) or call (541) 686-9191 for more details.
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OREGON LOGGING CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY
25th, 26th & 27th, 2021
LANE EVENTS CENTER & FAIRGROUNDS
EUGENE, OREGON
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PUBLISHER / EDITOR / WRITER
Mary Bullwinkel, Freelance
Rikki Wellman, Conference Manager
Office 541.686.9191
Articles and photos are welcome.
Please email rikki@oregonloggingconference.com
If you would like to submit articles or photos.
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Quick Links to OLC Events
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