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Pilot logging program has possibilities
By
Carol L. Spence
 LEXINGTON, Ky., (Jan. 23, 2008) – In a competitive marketplace,
what sets some firms apart from others? It could be solid
business practices, an outstanding safety record or
environmental stewardship. Or, as is apparent from the
curriculum of a pilot certification program for loggers overseen
by University of Kentucky Forestry Professor Jeff Stringer, it
could be all of the above.
Stringer developed the Certified Master Logging Program as an
outgrowth of the existing Kentucky Master Logger program, a
joint effort between UK, the Kentucky Forest Industries
Association and the Kentucky Division of Forestry. The 1998
Kentucky Forest Conservation Act mandated that all commercial
timber harvesting jobs in Kentucky had to have a Master Logger
on-site and in charge. The Master Logger Program consists of a
three-day workshop where loggers are trained in safety issues
and Best Management Practices designed to prevent water
pollution. Other than the Division of Forestry visiting logging
sites to make sure that loggers are following BMPs, there is no
on-site follow up to make sure that loggers are taking proper
safety precautions and practicing sound business techniques.
The Certified Master Logger Program differs from its predecessor
in that it is performance-based and completely voluntary.
Stringer sees it as a means to maintain or improve the
competitiveness of the state’s logging industry in a global and
environmentally conscious marketplace. The impetus for the
program came from NewPage Corporation, a paper manufacturer
whose pulp mill in Wickliffe produces white, glossy paper stock
for the likes of Time Warner Inc., publisher of Time Magazine
and Sports Illustrated. Stringer said Time Warner wanted to be
proactive on the environmental end of things and assure people
that the paper in their magazines was produced in an
environmentally sound manner.
Meeting with NewPage and Time Warner representatives, Stringer
devised a pilot program that would produce the green certified
timber the businesses were seeking. But in his mind, it is more
than just meeting corporate demands.
“I looked at it and constructed it in such a way that it could
be used statewide – that it was something that eventually our
whole logging industry would potentially be interested in,” he
said. “I look at this as a means for trying to maintain or
improve the competitiveness of our logging industry.”
NewPage Corporation is funding this initial stage of the program
in the western regions of Kentucky and Tennessee. To-date, 39
logging firms have been certified. These are firms that
voluntarily agreed to abide by the standards of the program and
allowed field audits of their logging operations to verify that
they are using good logging practices when it comes to water
quality and safety issues, as well as sound business practices.
“So where the regular Master Logger Program is a training,
education program, the Certified Master Logger Program is
actually a performance-based program,” Stringer said. “So we can
say we certify that these guys are actually using all the things
that we talk about in the Master Logger Program. They’re
actually going out there and doing it. It’s a phenomenally big
difference.”
The standards of the program cover five subject areas: Best
Management Practices, local, state and federal laws and
regulations, pre-harvest practices, harvest operations and
business viability. Within each subject area is a set of
indicators for which the logging firms are audited. Stringer
said firms are audited in 38 specific areas including making
sure they’re doing such things as meeting OSHA regulations,
following child labor laws and transportation laws and following
a written contract or a harvest agreement with the landowner.
Auditors are also looking to ensure that the trees remaining
after harvest and the land are minimally impacted.
It may mean extra work for a logging firm to receive the
Certified Master Logger designation, but Stringer and Bob Bauer,
executive director of Kentucky Forest Industries Association see
benefits to such a program, including the potential for
increased income and recognition. Stringer sent the list of 39
certified loggers to county agents in western Tennessee and
Kentucky. When landowners call their agent for a recommendation
on a logging firm, the agents have this list at their
fingertips.
“As more landowners become informed, that logger could say,
‘I’ve been through this,’ and he could get business above
someone who hadn’t,” Bauer said. “If they promote themselves,
they can say, ‘We’re not just a master logger, but we’re
certified and field-checked.’”
NewPage offers financial incentives to loggers who pass and
participate in the Certified Master Logger Program. The
corporation also offers preferred supplier status to certified
loggers as well as professional assistance to the loggers in
laying out roads and other parts of the harvesting operation.
“That’s an automatic guarantee that this program’s having an
impact to the loggers involved and direct economic impact for
the rural communities they live and work in,” Stringer said.
Bauer thinks the move toward more environmentally friendly
products might change the face of the market for Kentucky
loggers in the future. A certification program such as this
could give the state’s loggers the competitive edge they’ll need
to receive top dollar for their product.
“Most of our industry’s hardwood sawmills are not selling
directly to the consumer. But whether they’re selling to a
flooring manufacturer or a cabinet manufacturer, these people
are asking for a little more information so they can tell their
end consumers that this wood is coming from sustainably managed
forests,” he said.
Bauer is also working with the state’s workmen’s compensation
board in an effort to reduce rates for certified firms. Stringer
said this could have a huge impact on a small firm.
The rate for mechanical harvesting operations, Stringer said, is
approximately 20 to 21 cents on a dollar, which is fairly in
line with construction work. But those firms that are cutting
trees with chainsaws can pay a rate that is one dollar for every
dollar of payroll.
“These rates are so high, it keeps your firm small; it keeps
everybody a partner. It keeps guys from hiring someone as an
employee because they can’t afford it legally, or if they do
hire someone, they run under the radar screen. And none of that
is good. It’s not good for the industry,” he said. “So when this
opportunity came up to deal with this NewPage situation, I saw
an opportunity to develop a system that can improve the business
climate and the business ability for our logging firms in the
state.”
Forest industries are responsible for funneling close to $6
billion a year into the Kentucky economy. Of that, logging
directly accounts for $1 billion. Improvements in this sector
can ripple positively through the state. At least, that’s
Stringer’s vision for Kentucky and the logging industry.
For more information about the Certified Master Logger Program,
contact Stringer at 859-257-5994.
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Contact: Jeff Stringer, 859-257-5994
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