Goodman’s On Track by Jennifer McCary

Goodman began as a sawmill town established in 1907 by the Goodman family. Though that company is long gone, town fathers earned a place in history books as the first lumbermen to adopt “sustainable yield” management practices in their logging operations—a fitting legacy for present day sawmill, Goodman Veneer & Lumber Co., located at the original mill site.

In April, parent company Besse Forest Products Group (BFPG) completed the process of certifying all of its locations under FSC guidelines for controlled wood. The company’s diverse operations encompass a total of 13 mill sites that house eight sawmills, two kiln drying complexes, four veneer mills and two veneer splicing plants. Located in northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, all specialize in Northern hardwood species. Procurement range is primarily Wisconsin and Michigan, but extends to a 1,000 mile radius that encompasses the prime hardwood regions of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ont

Pellets Make Way by Henry Spelter and Daniel Toth

Wood has historically been the primary source of non-food energy for humans. Though its importance ebbed as more convenient alternatives were found, when market disruptions occasionally caused the costs of the alternatives to spike, interest in and use of wood as fuel was rekindled. The most recent surge in energy costs was no different. Additionally, a new impetus arose from the desire, particularly in Europe, to limit carbon dioxide emissions. In that context, the use of wood for energy is regarded as neutral because new tree growth recaptures carbon released from burning it.

To supplement fossil fuels with wood can take several pathways. In addition to being burned for heat, it can be processed into liquid fuels (ethanol through fermentation or hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch process) or burned in power plants to generate electricity. However, in the wood-to-liquid fuel conversion, up to half the embedded energy in the material is lost. When wood is burned to produce

Equipment & Supplier News

Automation and Electronics (A&E) has evolved from a small New Zealand-based organization into a modern, industrious international company.

The company’s roots were established in 1986 in Tauranga, New Zealand. After more than 20 years of steady growth and progress, A&E recently opened an office in the U.S. with a base of operations in Ruston, La.

A&E specializes in commissioning projects ranging from servicing the smallest electronic devices to completion of turnkey projects, including the management of sub-contractors. A&E can provide solutions for any sawmilling industry applications, such as manufacturing, batching, repetitive processes and weighing applications. A&E can design, program, install and commission systems involving measurement and control of flow, positioning, sequencing, density, velocity, counting and timing. A&E has extensive experience commissioning around the world with projects completed in Chile, New Guinea, Australia, South Africa, Fiji and

Hard News In The Making

RWE Innogy, based in Germany, plans to build a wood pellets plant in Waycross, Ga. The plant will produce 750,000 tonnes (826,000 U.S. tons) annually. The project will be carried out in collaboration with BMC Management AB, which specializes in the development of biomass manufacturing solutions and is based in Sweden. The pellets will be used in bio­mass power plants as well as for the co-firing of coal and bio­mass. The pellets plant is due to begin operations in 2011. The investment will be nearly $150 million and create 75 jobs.

The plant will operate as Georgia BioMass, LLC and will be built on a 319 acre site donated by the Okefenokee Area Development Authority.

The Saw Filer

circa 1900. The saw filer was “the” man in a sawmill town and more respected than anyone outside of the mill owner. His craft was considered black magic and revered even though most of his techniques and procedures were based on theory and inclination. Tophats and overcoats were the fashion of the saw filer.

circa 2010. The modern saw filer does not garner the same respect as that beholden to his first generation brother. While some filers are truly appreciated and rewarded with a seat at the management table, a great number are considered a necessary evil and tolerated but not appreciated, even though their training and knowledge could be quantum leaps ahead of their predecessors. What happened to the saw filer’s value and position on the organizational chart? Do we honestly believe that DLI infeeds, curve gang machines with optimization, Shape sawing, CNC sharpeners with robot loaders, automatic tipping machines, and automatic saw levelers can replace the skill and dedicat

New Products & Technologies

The UTMA AL805 CNC programmable carbide saw grinder available from Colonial Saw is designed for professional grinding shops and in-house tool rooms. The machine is fully enclosed for cleanliness and safety, and its rigid machine base provides stability. The machine features standard programs to accommodate all common tooth types on saw blades ranging from 100 to 800 mm (4 to 32") in diameter, pre-mounted face and top grinding wheel allow for face and top grinding in one setup, and a large window provides a clear view of the grinding process.

The CNC controller also allows for free programming of any tooth geometry and combination pattern and includes an internal diagnostic program to identify faults and increase machine up time. The AL805 is capable of running water-soluble or oil coolant. Phone 781-585-4364.

Shoot! No—Don't Shoot! by Dan Shell

Deep in southwest Oregon, where the Coast Range melts into the Siskiyou Mountains, Jim, an out-of-work choker setter, and Scott, a former sawmill green end supervisor, ride in the back of a muddy pickup driven by former yarder operator Dave, rolling through the Rogue River National Forest a couple of hours before sunset.

Jim and Scott both hold shotguns with full choke barrels—the better to reach their targets high up in the forest canopy.

They roll to a stop, and Dave breaks out a boom box playing an electronic owl call, and within 15 minutes two dark feathery forms flit through the treetops and settle onto a limb high above the truck.