2000 HONOREES
Don and Willie Cole of Trees Ltd In Sidney, Maine nominated by Thomas Ruksznis, International Paper in Augusta Maine. The Cole brothers run a cut-to-length harvesting and trucking operation. The nomination was for (1) doing excellent public outreach, (2) completing a high profile activity, and (3) developing a lightweight truck/trailer. A harvest was done on the shores of a local municipality water resource. The feat was done under close public scrutiny and regulatory oversight. They receive many accolades for this effort. They do a lot of outreach by hosting students and teacher tours and giving presentations in schools. The Cole brothers do technical presentations for logging groups such as improved harvesting/hauling techniques. The Cole brothers have spent considerable effort in developing hauling rig that is 9000 lbs lighter than conventional rigs which has significantly improved hauling efficiency. They are Maine Certified Loggers and have received many awards.
2002 HONOREE
Marvin “Bud” Van Norman, owner of Van Norman Logging, Inc., Glendale, Oregon, graduated from The Oregon Institute of Technology and formed his own logging company, specializing in complex cable operations. Mr. Van Norman has consistently applied and developed ways to improve timber harvesting in the steep, rugged country of Southwestern Oregon. He was one of the first contract loggers in the 1970s to apply multi-span systems. In addition to equipment development, he developed numerous techniques for cable logging.
2003 HONOREE
Jack Frost is the owner of Forests for the Future, Inc. a contracting firm logging with cable skidders and a cut-to-length system in central Maine. Mr. Frost is a consummate professional who is active in many professional organizations including Maine’s Certified Logging Professional Program (CLP), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, and the Maine Master Logging Program. He is proactive in new harvesting systems applications and particularly sensitive to landowner/logger relations.
2004 HONOREE
Rex Lawrence is President of Lawrence Land & Timber. Rex was hired by Weyerhaeuser in 1990 as a new Contractor in their Thinning and Woods Chipping operation. Rex made a significant investment in new logging equipment (Feller Bunchers, Grapple Skidders with 43″ tires, a dozer, a chain flail, a chipper and many trucks and chip vans). Rex has always run a highly productive operation that endeavored to produce a quality thinning job and high quality chips. Rex’s orientation for people has led to an organization of conscientious operators, loyal to their team and leader. Rex’s production never took place ahead of Safety or Environmental Quality. In 2002, when Weyerhaeuser’s planned thinning acres declined significantly, Rex agreed to change his equipment mix to begin producing tree length and cut-to-length logs. His willingness to adapt and be flexible has added value to his operation. In 2003, Rex was recognized by the Arkansas Forestry Association as the “2003 Logger of the Year.”
2005 HONOREE
Pete Bailey is the owner/operator of Skyline Thinning Company, Springfield, Oregon. He has over 35 years of logging experience. His early years of logging began in the Reedsport, Oregon area, then 8 years in Alaska logging camps, and returning to Oregon for logging supervision for several contractors. His area of expertise focuses on skyline logging operations on steep terrain in the Pacific Northwest region. In 1993, he started his own company. Pete is a Professional Certified Logger and has been a member of the Associated Oregon Logging Contractors for the last 14 years. He has been an active participant on safety committees with the revisions to the Forest Activities Code. His logging contracts involve working with a wide range of public/private landowners and different mills throughout Oregon.
2006 HONOREE
Roy Lawson is a logging contractor based in northern Idaho, running his logging contracting business the last 33 years. His business started with a used crawler in 1972. Today it employs 45 people that are equipped with highly mechanized ground-based and skyline systems. He has been actively providing the service of timber harvesting and road construction to major forest companies, government agencies and private landowners in the interior Northwest.
2007 HONOREE
Coopérative Forestière des Hautes-Laurentides represented by its general manager, Mr. Ghislain Clavel. Coopérative Forestière des Hautes-Laurentides (CFHL) is a business regrouping of a number of forest operators who pool their resources to conduct a range of forestry activities. Founded in 1978, CFHL operates in the Hautes-Laurentides region and provides logging, forest planning, forest management and seedling production services. The CFHL has developed a unique turnkey concept that consists of providing a full range of services to wood processing companies as a single supplier. It is considered by forest industry members as a leader when it comes to research and development of new methods for the activities it carries out. The CFHL now has 360 trained and specialized members who have skills and qualifications that go far beyond what forest contractors normally have. They are always prepared to do things differently to improve the economics of their operations, minimize the impact of their activities on the environment and promote a healthy forest for the future.
2008 HONOREE
Joe Young and his family own Low Country Forest Products, Inc. in Georgetown, South Carolina, and produce roundwood and chips for International Paper and Smurfit Stone. Joe was a founder of the South Carolina Timber Producers and the American Loggers Council and has served in leadership positions in both organizations. He served as the first president of the South Carolina Timber Producers. Joe is a member of the SFI Sustainable Forestry Board, is on the Board of Directors of the Forest Resources Association, and was one of the founders of the Wood Supply Research Institute. He also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Joe and his business have been honored many times, including being the recipient of the Hatton Brown National Logger of the Year Award in 2004.
2009 HONOREE
Mike Anderson grew up in a logging family on the north coast of California and attended Humboldt State University where he graduated with a forestry degree in 1976. Upon graduation Mike and his father started a cable logging operation based in Fort Bragg. Mike became a Registered Professional Forester in 1980 while steadily growing his logging business which expanded to the Sierra’s in the late 80’s, employing around 150 people in the forestry sector. In 1990, Mike was appointed by Governor George Deukmejian to the California State Board of Forestry. Mike has served as President of Associated California Loggers and the California Forestry Association. Currently Mike is President of the Mendocino County Farm Bureau and has a seat on their statewide Forestry Committee. Mike was one of the first to master cable logging in the rugged slopes of Northern California and continues to apply his hard work and determination to the betterment of the forest industry.
2010 HONOREE (None Awarded)
2011 HONOREE
Réjean Paré is the president of Groupe Rémabec located in La Tuque, Quebec. From its head office in La Tuque, the group oversees all the activities that take place in three major forest regions of Québec: Mauricie, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and the North Shore. Today, Rébec handles more than 10 % of all the wood harvested in Quebec. They harvested 2,4 million cubic meters in 2010-2011, and they expect a total volume of three million cubic meters for next year. Of note is that Mr. Paré’s company employs more than 15 forest engineers. Groupe Rémabec is composed of over thirty subsidiary companies with an innovative co-ownership model. This unique business model has proven be highly efficient. It has provided unique technical and logistical solutions to reduce production cost. The contribution of Mr. Paré to the field of forest operations is significant. He has been a major player and driving force behind the development of efficient forest operations in Quebec.
2012 HONOREE (None Awarded)