In December the U.S. Dept. of Commerce reduced the combined anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duty on Canadian softwood lumber coming into the U.S. to 10.81% (8.7% on subsidy and 2.1% on dumping), slightly less than half of what is was and down even further from the original penalty set in summer 2002 when a petition filed by the U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports received favorable rulings from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the International Trade Commission.

From a starting point of almost zero just more than 10 years ago, Chris Ketcham has helped the Yakama Nation in south central Washington State realize its goal of providing sustainable employment for tribal members. It hasn’t been easy, but by remaining committed to a four phase long-term plan, Ketcham has led the tribe-owned Yakama Forest Products (YFP) to annual sales of approximately $90 million.

In recent years, Anthony Forest Products Co. (AFP), headquartered in El Dorado, Ark., has been powering up its lumber production facilities in Atlanta, Tex. and Urbana, Ark. to support its growing lumber market and the company’s two glulam facilities. Production is heavy to wide dimension products, of which 25-30% of the sawmill’s 2x6 and 2x8 grade dimension goes into the production of AFP’s engineered beams and logs marketed as “Power” beams, headers, logs, columns and planks.

We explored two key operating characteristics of saw­mill­ing: the log sizes being processed (small-end diameter) and lumber recoveries (board feet lumber per unit of log). We received information about average sawlog dimensions from 268 mills, accounting for 48.7 million m3 (20.6 billion BF, 28% of total production). Two-hundred thirty-five mills, representing 50.5 million m3 (21.4 billion BF, 29% of production), shared data on recoveries.

Steam used to spew so heavily from kiln condensate tank vents at Boise Cascade’s LaGrande, Ore. sawmill it rained hot condensate and the area had to be cordoned off. With natural gas prices skyrocketing, all Regional Engineer Jared Rogers could see was energy dollars disappearing into thin air. When an Enercon distributor told Boise’s CFO about a permanent steam trap that would save money at all their wood drying facilities, Rogers was asked to look into it.

From maintenance to safety to employee relations, to performance measurement and a range of mill technology presentations, topped off with a keynote address by the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment—the 2006 clinic portion of the Wood Technology Clinic & Show promises to provide information that executives, managers and supervisors can take home and implement in their mill operations.

Here I am in Tombstone and before my eyes is The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Seriously. Within a space of 10 yards you have eight men, most them wearing western slickers and wearing some fashion of cowboy hat. A slight space separates the parties into staggered foursomes facing one another. In the foursome to the left, as you look at them from left to right in the accompanying photo, is Doc Holliday, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp and Virgil Earp.