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2010 OLC Review

By Diane Mettler

The Oregon Logging Conference is always a good place to get a sense of the industry. This year, it was obvious everyone is tightening their belts and scaling back -- attendees and exhibitors alike. The industry is used to weathering storms, so scaling back didn't stop the show from being a success.

Attendance this year was over 4,000 during the three day event. "We're finding loggers are attending the show for one or two days, and if they can't take Thursday or Friday off work, they come up to the show on Saturday," says Executive Director Rikki Wellman.

The 204 exhibitors on hand were also scaling back and taking smaller booths. With the smaller booths, all the exhibitors were able to squeeze into the main Convention Center.

"This proved to be a positive move for everyone," says Wellman. "The energy and the crowds inside were very good."

Outdoors, attendees got the opportunity to look up close at the state-of-the-art forest equipment on display. There were also a number of live portable sawmill demonstrations, as well as a live mobile chipper demo by Bruks, a first-time exhibitor.

Log Loader Event

The OLC's new log loader event, held Thursday and Friday afternoon, was a crowd pleaser.

"There were 20 competitors from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, who competed head-to-head to see who was the best log loader operator in the west," says Wellman.

Winners this year were:

First Place -- Kevin Sell, Hill and Blaylock Logging from Coquille, Oregon with a time of 5:54.06 (minutes)

Second Place -- Ross Cribbs, Van Wells Timber, Dallas, Oregon

Third Place -- Dave Wickizer, Wayne Stone Logging, Sandy, Oregon.

"This will be an annual event at the show," says Wellman. And she hopes to see more competitors next year. "Plans are already moving forward for the 2nd Annual Log Loader Competition."

Education

Education is always an important part of the conference, and this year it was no different. On Thursday afternoon, 600 people packed into the Wheeler Pavilion to listen to the "What's New in Biomass" panel. The same crowds attended the keynote address and additional chairs had to be added.

For many, the conference is a great way to maintain their education credits. This year, as in the past, attendees could receive up to 9 credits if they attended all the panels and seminars.

New Machinery at the Show

Times may be tough, but that hasn't stopped companies from creating innovative, new products. The following products were at the show this year:

Koller K702 Power Yarder. The K702 Power yarder is Koller's newest and most powerful track, truck, or trailer mounted yarder. The tower stands 39'-40' with extension. Line pull with the skyline is 26,450 lbs. and, with winch 1 and 2, it's 17,640 lbs. And it's equipped with a self-supporting frame, allowing simple assembly on various trucks and trailers.

Eagle Debuts Electric Choker. Just cock the trigger back and close it to activate this easy-to-use, electronic choker. The cable is attached to the choker and once the load is lifted, the choker can be opened by remote control from up to 30 yards away.

Bruks 805.2 STC Mobile Chipper. The 805.2 STC is the company's multi-function version featuring infeed from the side and a high-dumping chip bin. The machine can be installed on forwarders and trucks, as well as other vehicles. It features a powerful, fuel-efficient 450 HP Scania diesel engine and can easily process logging slash and roundwood up to 20" in diameter

Quadco's Two New Drum Mowers. On display were Quadco's new 44" and 56" heavy-duty direct driver mowers. The mowers mulch vegetation into fine material, discharging directly to the ground. They're simple and easy to use, using only 3 hydraulic lines -- 2 additional hydraulic lines are required for the optional rotator. They are ideal for a 20+-ton excavator and drive-to-tree machines.

Peterson 4300 Drum Chipper. The chipper can handle logs up to 26", brush, and small feedstock. It is powered by a C18 Caterpillar engine and is available in three power ratings -- 630, 700, and 765 HP. The 4300 utilizes a 36" diameter by 44.75" wide drum with wear resistant AR450 wear surfaces on the drum pockets and shell.

Waratah 623C. The head features large, high-torque feed motors, delimbing power, and great balance of feed speed, and it is designed for a 25-ton carrier. The head's hydraulic design provides high-flow characteristics combined with low-pressure drop for increased performance. The butt saw and top saw have a maximum cutting diameter of 30" and 18" respectively. It has three feed rollers with full hydraulic synchro-drive, and various feed roller options are available.

Wintersteiger Banso Bandsaw Blades. Banso bandsaw blades hale from Germany. They are manufactured from C75 -- a special German steel with combined toughness and flexibility. Wintersteiger employs state-of-the-art production methods in tooth-cutting, setting, and sharpening to ensure perfect cutting and long service life for these affordable blades.

Positive Mood -- Successful Show

Despite the challenges the industry is facing, the mood was upbeat.

"The show exceeded my expectations," says Wellman. "With the difficult economy over the past two years,
I felt the 2010 show proved to live up to being a quality equipment show."

She adds, "This year was my 38th conference to be involved with, so I go back to the good ole' days. But with all of the changes our industry has gone through, and will continue to go through, I felt the 2010 OLC "Logging, Construction, Trucking and Heavy Equipment Show" has survived the tough times. The OLC will continue to work to provide the best program topics for our attendees and quality for our exhibitors, and we will continue this direction well into the future."

Dates for the 73rd OLC will be February 24-26, 2011. For ongoing information, visit www.oregonloggingconference.com.