Page 14 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer - Miller Publishing ...

July/August 2011 Page 23APA NEWS -Continued from page 2bolts, to attach the bottom plate ofwalls to the concrete or masonry foundation.Another common theme observedalong the tornado paths is that homesconstructed with non-structural exteriorwall sheathing, especially if used inconjunction with vinyl siding, failed atwind speeds much lower than calledfor in the building codes. Roof gableendsare a common failure location forthese systems because they are notbacked by drywall as walls are withinthe living space. Walls that are fullysheathed with OSB or plywood andconstructed with proper connectionshave stronger resistance to the damagingforces of high winds. Findingsfrom the damage assessment arebeing reviewed with APA’s technicalstaff and will be posted on the APAwebsite. Contact: Tom Kositzky•WASHINGTON SCENE -Continued from page 2developing a new marbled murreletmanagement plan.Russ Taylor with Wood Markets Groupgave a presentation on global log andlumber markets. An authority on theglobal wood market, he focused onthe impacts that Russia and Chinaare having on local log and lumbersupply. According to AFRC, over 1 billionboard feet of logs were exportedfrom Northwest ports in 2010 andmore are expected in 2011. Taylor presentedan outline of existing andfuture impacts to the industry.A legal panel of attorneys who representAFRC and the industry closedout the meeting. Mark Rutzick whospoke about ESA issues impactingthe management of public forests;Elaine Spencer, Graham and Dunn,made a presentation regarding theDNR trust beneficiary duties and howthat impacts the timber sale programin Washington State currently and inthe future; and Scott Horngren, AFRCstaff attorney, who discussed some ofthe recent cases he has been involvedwith on behalf of AFRC.For more information visit www.amforest.org.•the concept a step further when hebought the company.“Because we are now owned by abuilder, we can build from the groundup,” said Nevins. “The market as awhole has since evolved into turnkeyoptions, and we were ahead of thecurve on that evolution.”Nevins also credited Holland Log &Cedar Homes’ employees with helpingto keep the company on track and ingrowth mode throughout even thetoughest economic times. “We havethe best employees, hands down,”said Nevins, who estimated the staff’saverage years of service to be about20 years. “Every one of them is knowledgeable,courteous and customerserviceoriented.”Expect to see Holland Log & CedarHomes expand into timber and“hybrid” home construction in the nearfuture, the latter of which is particularlycompelling during a time whenmore consumers become “green” andenvironmentally conscious. “We’ll beusing more reclaimed lumber,” saidNevins, “while also helping our customersachieve even higher energyefficiency from their homes.”•COLLINS -Continued from page 6the Portland headquarters for Collins.According to Lee Jimerson, CollinsPacific Albus Product Manager, thequality of the product is consistent,uniform and always available. “Theseproducts are FSC ‘Pure’ certifiedunder the principles and criteria of theFSC,” he said.The Collins Cos. is an investor inGTFF and was hired by GTFF to buildand operate the state-of-the-artsawmill, Upper Columbia Mill (UCM).As detailed in this unique agreement,The Collins Companies also marketsthe lumber products produced.Managing Director of Resource forGreenWood Resources Don Rice saidthe Boardman Tree Farm, which consistsof approximately 25,000 acres, iscontinually planted and managed on ashort rotation basis, targeting around12 years harvest age. “The UpperColumbia Mill, which is managed byour partner, The Collins Companies, islocated in the middle of the plantation,”Rice said, “so we are an off-highwayhaul from the farm to the sawmilland the average haul distance is threeor four miles.”The log yard at the mill is limitedbecause when the trees are cut, theynormally go directly into the sawmill.“The tree is literally cut down on dayone and could be processed on thesame day or at the latest on the thirdday,” Rice explained.Managed by GreenWood Resources,the Boardman Tree Farm utilizes 18employees on site that are primarilyirrigation specialists. “Many of ouractivities are done by contractors sothere are about 60 full time contractoremployees associated with the farm,”Rice said. “That total includes thefarming site, site prep, planting, cropcare and harvesting activities.”Galen Smith, Quality ControlSupervisor for the Upper ColumbiaMill, said current production for thesawmill, which includes a board andtimber line, is approximately 3.5 millionboard feet per month. “We’re averagingabout 125,000 feet through theboard trimmer and usually 60,000 feetof timbers each day,” he explained.Operating currently with 70 employeeswith a capacity for 100 on twoshifts, Jimerson said the operationincludes two sorting systems,” one forthe timber side, cutting 3x4’s, 4x6’sContinued on page 26HOLLAND -Continued from page 4cutbacks that have taken place overthe last year. “The downturn wasabrupt, and no one is stocking or buyingwhat they used to,” he explained.“A lot of the mills are now holding backand waiting, and that wait-and-seeapproach is impacting our industry.”One way Holland Log & CedarHomes differentiates itself in theindustry is by providing customerswith a concept-to-completion homepackage. This differs greatly from the1980s and 1990s business strategiesthat were largely rooted in “log homekit” sales. Those kits basically compriseda package or “list” of buildingmaterials that was handed off to anindependent contractor selected bythe new homeowner.“Our founder bought one of thesekits, and quickly learned how hard itwas to take two semi-tractor trailers oflogs – which were not even precut –and turn those materials into a loghome,” explained Nevins. “He felt hecould do a better job than that, andhence Holland Log & Cedar Homeswas born.” As the owner of a constructionfirm, Scott Christopher took