In a break from his long-standing support of Oregon Forestry Dept. plans and directives, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has objected to a timber sale in central Oregon’s Sun Pass State Forest, claiming the sale is removing too much old-growth timber. According to Kitzhaber, the 500 acre Siderod timber sale removes too many old-growth ponderosa pines, which are increasingly rare in the area.

They all say the same thing, reports Simpson Timber Co. Commencement Bay Operations Superintendent Jim Barnett, who mentions that the mill’s many visitors have included top executives from major competitors: “They say it’s state-of-the-art, one of the nicest mills in North America, and they all realize the potential, that once we get the crews to where they need to be this is going to be a real Cadillac of a sawmill.”

Managers at Joe N. Miles & Sons took a close look at the mill’s wood basket and decided they would need to diversify production capabilities to accommodate the growing volume of second thinnings coming on line in Weyerhaeuser’s pine plantations. Last September the Silver Creek location started up a new merchandising and production line geared to the breakdown of small logs under 10 in. diameter.

It has been said that business is about location—location, location, location. Nestled smartly in the Appalachian foothills of western North Carolina and blessed with outstanding resources for the much demanded hardwood that grows here, Gilkey Lumber Co. has been a supplier (and exporter) of quality hardwood lumber for half a century.

What are the major challenges facing the Forest Service? Bosworth: Some have to do with internal things such as putting our financial house in order, improving accountability, and reconnecting the field to the Washington office, plus reconnecting different parts of the agency. Externally, our biggest challenge has to do with restoring ecosystem health on many acres of lands we manage.

When Iggesund Tools built its offices here in ’87, several years after introducing its TurnKnife technology to the U.S. market, it was designed primarily as a surge operation enabling the Sweden-based company to better handle North American orders. Fifteen years later, the operation is bursting at the seams with equipment and personnel, as the company continues several years of double-digit growth, with sales now totaling more than $30 million annually.

Nicholson’s new A8 high-speed debarker takes the previous limit of 425 FPM to a new feed speed of 550 FPM for a single ring debarker. A key element in the A8 design is the rugged Nicholson Unibloc frame. Heavier than previous designs, this frame is made of solid 3" thick steel plates. No columns are used, increasing the mass and strength of the frame and overall weight and mass of the debarker.