association news

Olympic Logging Conference a Success

In April, the 73rd Olympic Logging Conference was held at the Empress Hotel in Victoria B.C. Attendance and energy were high.

There were a host of great speakers including Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz, and Richard Louv, the author of Last Child in the Woods, which helped launch a movement to connect children and families to nature. Following this same theme, the panel Kids in the Woods to Jobs in the Woods touched on a number of issues and answers for getting the next generation into the woods, including some great programs coming out of Grays Harbor College.

The talks were followed by lively dinners, a successful auction that raised money for the Olympic Logging Conference scholarships, as well as ziplining for the adventurous. The Olympic Logging Conference credits its success to the tremendous support from its sponsors, board, members, and this year’s co-chairs, Larry and Darcy Mitchem and Jamie and Jodie Hillery.

FRA Elects Alexander as Chairman

The Forest Resources Association’s Board of Directors elected Lee Alexander, Director of Fiber Supply, Global Sourcing at International Paper, to serve as the association’s chairman for the next two years.

Alexander noted the importance of growing FRA’s influence and continuing to build the organization’s grassroots capabilities on supply chain relations, public policy, and operations.

At International Paper, Lee is responsible for overall strategy and leadership for their fiber supply organization, managing a $3B annual spending budget to source more than 65 million tons of wood fiber and five million tons of recovered fiber to the 24 mills located in the United States. Lee also provides oversight and strategic planning support for International Paper’s global fiber supply organization.

OLC 1993 President, Applebaker, Passes Away

Oregon Logging Conference (OLC) past president Dan Applebaker passed away on April 21, 2018. He was born in Medford, Oregon, on August 12, 1946, and grew up in Jacksonville, Oregon. After graduating from Medford High School, he attended Oregon State University, graduating with a degree in forestry in 1968.

He had a long and illustrious career in the timber industry, having worked for the BLM, Boise, Alpine Veneer, and many years with Modoc Lumber Co., where he retired as the timber manager. 

In 1993, he served as president of the Oregon Logging Conference. He was an avid outdoors man who loved to hunt, fish, and pack with his mules in the mountains.

California Loggers Raise Money for Kids

This spring, the Associated California Loggers Redding Chapter held its annual trap shooting competition to raise money for the Log-A-Load for Kids program.

This year’s fundraiser drew about 40 members of the logging group. Lisa Medici, fundraiser chairwoman, says that over the past 20 years, the Associated California Loggers have raised about $425,000 to help families with sick children.

The association has been working with UC Davis Medical Center, but the program benefits all children, not just those from families affiliated with the Associated California Loggers.

New Instruction Guide for Use with Forest to Frame Publication

The Oregon Forest Resource Institute (OFRI) announced the new publication, Forest to Frame Instruction Guide, is now available.

As a companion to the Forest to Frame publication and video, the instruction guide was created to provide support for teachers who want to explore the benefits of mass timber with their students. It offers ideas and information for using Forest to Frame in the high school classroom and suggests ways to incorporate it into Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, especially those that focus on architecture or construction. The guide also includes a list of additional resources, and it is aligned to state educational standards. Order or download these materials at LearnForests.org.