treeline - Tennessee Forestry Association

Volume 8,Issue 4
TREELINE,
TENNESSEE FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
November, 2012
LETTER FROM TFA PRESIDENT
By: Michael Morris, Domtar, Kingsport
Thank you for the opportunity to be TFA President
for this coming year. I want to thank you for giving
me his opportunity to lead a great organization. I
sincerely appreciate the trust that you have placed
upon me. And also I want to thank Domtar Paper
Company and Kingsport’s Mill Manager - Charlie
Floyd for allowing me the time to serve as TFA
president.
Annual Meeting Edition
IN THIS ISSUE!!
LETTER FROM TFA PRESIDENT………………….
FRONT PAGE
REGIONAL MEETING DATES….……………….
FRONT PAGE
2012 TFA SELECTIVE WORKERS COMPENSATION GROUP UPDATE……………..PAGE 02
2012 UT FORESTRY, WILDLIFE & FISHERIES UPDATE............................FRONT PAGE
2012 TFA COUNTY FORESTRY
ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR…………PAGE 04
TFA CALENDAR OF EVENTS…………..PAGE 05
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS &
EXHIBITORS………………………………..PAGE 06
We have a great organization. TFA is the voice of
Forestry for the state, from here in the mountains
of east TN to the plateau in middle TN and out to
the flatlands of the west. TFA is the organization that supports it’s members through outreach and education, such as Project Learning Tree, the County Forestry Associations
and the Master Logger program.
TFA supports our members through the endorsement of affordable insurance alternatives:
the Selective Worker’s Comp Group, Outdoor Underwriters, Forestry Mutual and Van Meter Agency. And importantly TFA is your voice in Nashville when legislation is developed
that may impact your business.
As the new TFA president, I want to encourage all of our members to continue to support
our legislative outreach by being actively involved with our TFA Day at the Legislature
this March and through your monetary support of our TFA Political Action Committee. All
politics are local and we need to continue to support those elected officials who are
friendly to TFA. Let your local lawmakers and other elected officials in our great state
know how important your local business and good forestry is for Tennessee.
Again, thank you for allowing me to be TFA President for 2012-2013.
2012 TFA’S AWARD & OTHER
RECOGNITIONS …………………….……PAGE 06
2012-2013 TFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
………………………………………………….PAGE 07
REGIONAL MEETINGS
12/4
Knoxville/Ye Olde Steak House
Dinner: 5:30 P.M. (ET) Social Hour: 6:00 P.M. (ET)
Program: GOOD Reasons to STAY in the Timber Business
Presenter: Dr. Adam Taylor, UT Registration: $30.00, Pay at the Door
12/6
Dover/Bauers Catfish Restaurant (Fomerly Cindy”s)
Dinner: 6:00 P.M. (CT)
Program: GOOD Reasons to STAY in the Timber Business
Presenter: Dr. Adam Taylor, UT Registration: $15.00, Pay at the Door
12/12
Crossville/Cumberland Mtn. State Park
Dinner: 5:00 P.M. (CT) Social Hour: 6:00 P.M. (CT)
Program: Cost Share Programs for Landowners & Loggers
Presenter: John Woodcock, TDF Staff Registration: $15.00, Pay at the Door
2012 LOGGER OF THE YEAR…………PAGE 08
2012 TFA’S AWARD & OTHER RECOGNITIONS PHOTOS…………………………...PAGE 09
TFA’S 2012 OUTSTANDING TREE FARMER
OF THE OF THE YEAR…………………..PAGE 11
2012 MASTER LOGGER UPDATE…...PAGE 14
ANATOMY OF AN ACCIDENT……….. PAGE 15
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ………………..PAGE 16
2012 TFA SELECTIVE WORKERS COMPENSATION GROUP UPDATE
By: Mike Whitley, TFASWCG, Executive Director
2012-2013 TFASWCG
As 2013 approaches I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the milestones and accomplishments of the Tennessee Forestry Association Selective
Workers’ Compensation Group and thank those who shared the vision, honor those
that serve, and express gratitude to the membership that is the foundation of the
TFASWCG.
What began as an idea in the early nineties within the Tennessee Forestry Association as a solution to combat the grossly increasing cost of workers’ compensation
insurance for sawmills and forest products manufacturing…the TFASWCG became
one of the largest and successful self-insured groups in Tennessee. Through the
endless dedication of members of the Tennessee Forestry Association, current and
past TFASWCG Trustees, TFASWCG staff, independent sales agents, our excellent claims and loss control representatives, and the founding members of the
group, today’s members are provided with a viable option for their workers’ compensation insurance needs in an often deteriorating marketplace.
In 1993 it was out of necessity for a better way that the partnership between the
TFA, TFASAWCG, its service agents, and members that the idea for a solution was
made reality. On April 15th, 1993 there were six companies that were the first members to have their workers’ compensation insurance coverage written by the
TFASWCG, a newly formed self-insured group in Tennessee. Of those six original
members, three still have their coverage with TFASWCG today. That is an impressive indication of membership loyalty and testament as to the quality of service and
products offered by TFASWCG. On April 15, 2013 TFASWCG will celebrate 20years of providing cost effective insurance solutions to its members.
With the TFASWCG membership now over ninety members strong, we will move
into the future keeping our reputation of excellence foremost. A core goal built solidly on the foundation of our membership and history of leadership by our Trustees.
We will remain focused on safety programs and management practices that not
only protect the assets of the program but ensure safe workplace environments for
our insured’s.
I ask that the membership of the TFA and TFASWCG join me and be proud of
YOUR program… we are allowed this privilege by its heritage and those that laid
the cornerstone for us.
BOARD MEMBERS
BOBBY CUNNINGHAM, JR.
SPARTA, TENNESSEE—WHITE COUNTY
DON MILLER
CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE—BRADLEY COUNTY
MICHAEL BARNES
THE SAWMILL, LLC
HOHENWALD, TENNESSEE—LEWIS COUNTY
PHIL AVERITT
J.V. AVERITT LUMBER COMPANY, INC
ERIN, TENNESSEE—HOUSTON COUNTY
STEVE COLLIE
HASSELL & HUGHES LUMBER COMPANY, INC
COLLINWOOD, TENNESSEE—WAYNE COUNTY
RANDY ROBERTS
R & R LUMBER COMPANY
HARRIMAN, TENNESSEE—ROANE COUNTY
2012 UT FORESTRY, WILDLIFE & FISHERIES UPDATE
By: Dr. Keith Belli, Professor, Department Head
Unlike previous “updates” on the recent activities of the faculty in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries at UT, this installment in the series will be focused on two faculty members who have been with the department for very long and distinguished careers. Both faculty have announced their intentions to retire in the near future, so this will be the last opportunity to recognize them
in TreeLine.
David Ostermeier
Dr. David Ostermeier is our Professor of Forest and Natural Resource Policy. He will officially retire from UT at the end of December, 2012, having served the department since 1971. After retirement, Dave will return on a part-time basis as the Coordinator for
the College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources’ study abroad program.
Dr. Ostermeier’s international experience and work began in Latin America in the early 1980s as a leader in a USAID strengthening
grant for departmental faculty in Honduras and Peru. He advised the Peruvian government regarding the establishment of a Peruvian Soil and Water Conservation Service, and investigated the institutional linkages of forestry programs with Chilean Universities.
After a Group Fulbright in Thailand in 1988, he taught forest policy and administration short courses at Regional Community Forestry Training Center in Thailand for three consecutive years, 1988-1991. In 1991 he took a two-year post as the Natural Resource
Policy Advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Indonesia where he did analytical work on forest, marine and
pollution abatement policy. Upon returning to the university, he continued to work with the Office of International Agriculture and
(Continued on page 4)
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 2
Phone: 615-883-3832
Fax: 615-883-0414
Email: mwhitley@tnforestry.com
Mike Whitley, Director
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 3
2012 UT FORESTRY, WILDLIFE & FISHERIES UPDATE CONTINUED
By: Dr. Keith Belli, Professor, Department Head
(Continued from page 2)
Natural Resources, where he has been a primary instructor for short courses on Sustainable Natural Resource Use and Management.
Dave’s research and outreach goals have been to evaluate and improve natural resource governing structures, including networks
comprised of government policy makers and agencies, and multiple stakeholders with diverse interests. His focus has been on
governing processes, structures, and participant behaviors with an objective of determining network sustainability as well as the
sustainable use of natural resources. His overall aims have been to help society build innovative institutions and policy that will
sustain natural ecosystems and human communities while building sustainable economies, social institutions and human capacities. His recent research activities include: (1) Analyzing the potential of Habitat Conservation Planning as a policy tool in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee; (2) Analyzing regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to governing water use and management;
and (3) Evaluating innovative network partnerships to help Tennessee in its transition to an increasingly urbanizing state.
J. Larry Wilson
Dr. Larry Wilson, one of our two fisheries professors, has been with UT even longer than Dave Ostermeier – he came to the university in 1968 as a graduate teaching assistant, was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Biology and
moved to Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries in 1977. During the four years prior to the move, he was instrumental in the establishment
of the Wildlife and Fisheries Science degree program (1974) and the development of a fisheries research program. A native of
West Tennessee, Larry earned a B.S. in Biology and a Certificate in Education from Union University in 1964. He continued his
education by obtaining a M.S. in Zoology (Animal Behavior) from the University of Florida in 1967. During this time, he spent two
summers in Costa Rica working with the University and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation in the green sea turtle conservation program. Following the M.S. and a brief period as a research technician at the U.T. Memorial Research Center and Hospital, he
entered the doctoral program in aquatic biology at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He received his Ph.D. in Zoology in 1970
after completing a fisheries management research project.
Dr. Wilson served as Advisor for the First International Conference on Warmwater Aquaculture in February 1983 and as CoChairman of the Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) Technical Committee from 1988-2004. He has participated in international activities in Brazil and Thailand in the areas of environmental assessment, water quality, and aquaculture. For the past
decade, Dr. Wilson has spent much of his research effort with the Pigeon River Recovery Project (PRRP). As of 2012, the PRRP
has re-introduced 20 previously extirpated species into the river in Tennessee and North Carolina, and six of those have success-
2012 TFA COUNTY FORESTRY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR
By: David Mercker, University of TN Ext. Service, Extension Forester
We like people that like trees and claim that there is no better company. Such people
sink their roots deep, grow tall, win our hearts and befriend us all. Members of the Humphreys and Houston County Forestry Association (CFA) are these kinds of people,
and as such, have earned the TFA award of CFA of the year. We are very proud of their
accomplishments, how they support sustainable forestry, and how they are improving
forests and wildlife habitat in west-central Tennessee.
Their CFA was launched in the early 2000’s and has developed into a very strong and
active team. With vital support from TFA, the Division of Forestry, UT Extension, local
wood industry and volunteers, this Association has endured and continues to offer valuable educational programs and field days.
Their meetings have covered a variety of interesting topics on land management. During
the most recent field day held September 2012, landowners viewed vegetation responses following prescribed fire in both hardwood and pine, and covering both wildlife and forestry objectives. Landowners also
inspected thinned loblolly pine stands that were exposed to prescribed fire. Stephen Peairs, Area Forester for the TDF, lead the
presentation.
In June of 2012, an indoor meeting was held where methods for marketing timber were addressed. Consulting forester Jonathan
Boggs explained the pros and cons of marketing timber on shares versus the lump-sum method. In January of 2012, Association
members were educated by Larry Tankersley from the University of Tennessee Extension, on timber taxation. During a November
2011 field day, Steven Peairs explained timber stand improvement and crop tree release. On that trip, landowners viewed two areas that had been treated via chemical stem injection. Other beneficial field days involved grading sawlogs, cost-share opportunities, and wildlife habitat management.
So let’s all of us reach out and congratulate our friends in the Humphreys/Houston CFA. They have planted their forest, diligently
tended it, and are now cashing in on their labor. Theirs is a model to follow, confirming that, “One well managed forest (and forestry
association) gradually leads to another!”
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 4
11/22 & 23
TFA Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
Program: GOOD Reasons to STAY in the
Timber Business
11/27 & 28
11/28
Tree Farm Committee Retreat
Presenter: Dr. Adam Taylor, UT
Elora Community Center
Registration: $15.00, Pay at the Door
CE Master Logger Class
12/11
Topic: Logging Cost Analysis & Efficiency
TFA Executive Retreat
Crossville/ Cumberland Mtn. State Park
/Woodyard Safety
Location: Counce/PCA Training Center
12/12
TFA Board Meeting
Crossville/Cumberland Mtn. State Park
11/29
5 Day Master Logger in Elora
Topic: Best Management Practices
12/12
Location: Elora Community Center
Regional Meeting
Crossville/Cumberland Mtn. State Park
Dinner: 5:00 P.M. (CT)
12/4
Regional Meeting
Social Hour: 6:00 P.M. (CT)
Knoxville/Ye Olde Steak House
Program: Cost Share Programs
Dinner: 5:30 P.M. (ET)
for Landowners & Loggers
Social Hour: 6:00 P.M. (ET)
Presenter: John Woodcock, TDF Staff
Program: GOOD Reasons to STAY in the
Registration: $15.00, Pay at the Door
Timber Business
Presenter: Dr. Adam Taylor, UT
12/24-26
TFA Office Closed for Christmas Holiday
1/1/13
TFA Office Closed for New Yrs Day Holiday
3/6/13
Tree Day at the Legislature
Registration: $30.00, Pay at the Door
12/5
TN Paper Council Committee Meeting
TFA Office, Nashville
Legislative Plaza
12/6
5 Day Master Logger
Topic: Business & Graduation
3/6/13
Location: Elora Community Center
12/6
Regional Meeting
Dover/Bauers Catfish Restaurant
TFA Legislative Reception
Downtown Nashville Sheraton
3/7/13
TFA Board of Directors Meeting TFA Office
Nashville
(Fomerly Cindy”s)
Dinner: 6:00 P.M. (CT)
For more information on any of these activities and events, please contact the TFA office.
Volume 9, Issue 3
TreeLine, Page 5
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
Our Sponsors and Exhibitors enable our members to attend the TFA Annual Meeting at a reasonable cost. TFA would
like to recognize these individuals and companies and give them an extra special thanks for their hard work and for
their continued support and promotion of TFA.
President’s / Wednesday Reception
Brown-Forman Cooperage
Evergreen Packaging
Graham Holdings, Inc.
Hassell & Hughes Lumber Company
International Paper
Power Equipment Company
TN Farm Bureau Federation
General Sessions
Cardin Forest Products
ForesTech Resource Solutions
International Forest Company
J.V. Averitt Lumber Co.
Miller Lumber Company
Packaging Corp. of America
Thursday’s Skeet Shoot Clinic & Lunch
Resolute Forest Products
Georgia-Pacific
Hankins Forest Products
International Forest Company
Nortrax
Oak Ridge Hardwoods
Panther Creek Forestry
Steve Bivens & Associates
Quercus Forest Products
RockTenn
The Forestland Group
Thompson Machinery Company
Timber Mart-South
Thursday’s Scenic Cruise, Lunch & Hike
The Lyme Timber Company
Golf Tournament
Michigan Veneer, LLC.
TFASWCG
Van Meter Insurance Company
Silent Auction & Reception
Cooper Marine & Timberlands
Domtar
Forest Management, Inc.
Hankins Forest Products
Nortrax
Steve Bivens & Associates
TN Tree Farm Committee
Thursday Morning Break
Jack Daniels Distillery
Outdoor Underwriters
Pendegrass Supply Rentals
Royal Blue Chipmill
Taylor Machine Works
Friday Morning Breakfast
Clark Lumber Company
Charles R. Page & Associates
Forestry Mutual Insurance Company
Hood Container
Huber Engineered Woods
Koppers
Roach Sawmill
The Sawmill
Walter M. Fields Lumber Company
Award’s Banquet
Cardin Forest Products
Domtar
Forestry Mutual Insurance
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR EXHIBITORS
American Forest Management, Inc.
Log-A-Load for Kids
The Center for Renewable Carbon
ArborGen SuperTree Seedlings
Native Forest Nursery
Thompson Machinery Company
BB&T / National Forestry Products Practice
Nortrax / John Deere
Tennessee Dept. of Ag./Division of Forestry
ForesTech Resource Solutions
Outdoor Underwriters
Tennessee Highway Patrol
Forestry Mutual Insurance Company
Power Equipment Company
USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Serv.
Goodyear Tire Company
Taylor Machine Works
Van Meter Insurance Company
2012 TFA’S AWARD & OTHER RECOGNITIONS
See Page 9 for photos
Tree Farm Awards
Tree Farmer of the Year:
Mr. & Mrs. Elton Coley
Tree Farm in Hardin County
Recruiter of the Year:
Jonathan Boggs, Burns
Inspector of the Year:
Diana Gennett, Hixson
Project Learning Tree Awards
Facilitator of the Year:
Extension Agent of the Year:
Volume 9, Issue 3
Bonnie Ervin, Murfreesboro
Discovery Center
Legislator of the Year:
Rep. Frank Niceley,
Strawberry Plains
TFA Award of Merit:
L.M. Sceals, Waverly
Forest Resource Award:
Steve Scott, Nashville
Retired TN State Forester
Honorary Member:
Steve Scott, Nashville
Master Logger of the Year:
Sam Trott, Shelbyville
CFA of the Year :
Humphreys/Houston CFA
Ty Petty, Unicoi County
TREELINE, Page 6
2012–2013 TFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President:
1st Vice-President:
East TN Vice-President:
Middle TN Vice-President:
West TN Vice-President:
Treasurer:
Michael Morris
Jake Almond
Tom Skaggs
Larry Pitts
Mark Palmer
Mike Witt
Domtar-Kingsport
American Forest Management-Kingston
Outdoor Underwriters, Knoxville
Michigan Veneer-Cunningham
International Paper-Waynesboro
Individual-Cookeville
Directors: Term Expiring 2015
John Ross, Ross Forestry Partnership-Savannah
Harry Bledsoe, RockTenn Company-Stevenson, AL
Jay Smith, Foresty Mutual Insurance –Lexington
Adam Taylor, University of Tennessee -Knoxville
Rob Harrison, Plateau Properties-Crossville
Dwight King, Volunteer Logging - Piney Flats
Joe Pulley, Pulley Logging-Erin
Johnny Heard, Hassell & Hughes Lumber-Collinwood
Tom Frost, Hood Container– New Johnsonville
Directors: Term Expiring 2014
Mike Barnes, The Sawmill-Hohenwald
Randall Roach, Roach Logging-Decaturville
Steve Bond, Forest Management, Inc.-Savannah
Charles Daugherty, Charlin Hollow Tree Farm-Crossville
Pat Elliott, Mayfield Creek Forestry Consultants-Wickliffe, KY
Tommy Graham, Graham Holdings Company-Linden
Ed Clark, Georgia Pacific–Knoxville
Rob Kidd, Huber Engineered Woods-Spring City
George McClary, Thompson Machinery-Camden
Directors: Term Expiring 2013
Kim Rohr, NewPage Corporation-Dover
Tony Gant, American Forest Management-Waynesboro
Neal Carson, Packaging Corporation of America-Counce
Terry Porter, ForesTech Resource Solutions-Castalian Springs
Bill Joyce, Middle Tennessee Lumber Co.-Dickson
Don Page, Charles R. Page & Associates-Chattanooga
Robert Williams, Quercus Forest Products-Hohenwald
Richard Winslow, Consultant-Sewanee
Jay Wolfe, Hankins Forest Products-Savannah
Ex-Officios
Steve Owen, Immediate Past President
Resolute Forest Products-Calhoun
Julius Johnson, Commissioner
TN Dept. of Agriculture
Robert Martineau, Jr., Commissioner
TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation
Ed Carter, Executive Director
TN Wildlife Resources Agency
Rhedona Rose, Representative
Tennessee Farm Bureau
Volume 9, Issue 3
Dr. Keith Belli
University of Tennessee
Tom Midyett
Tennessee Paper Council
Nathan Wilson
University of the South
Domain Manager
D. JaSal Morris
Cherokee Nat’l Forest
Supervisor
Vacant
State Forester
TN Dept. of Agriculture
County Forestry Representatives:
Mike Cardin
Marion County CFA
East TN CFA Representative
Paul Pickens
McNairy County CFA
West TN CFA Representative
Charles Robertson
Southern Middle TN
CFA Representative
TREELINE, Page 7
2012 LOGGER OF THE YEAR
By: Tom Hall (Retired) & Chris Carney, TDF
Sam Trott, Sam Trott Logging, 2012 Logger of the Year
Sam Trott is a third generation logger after his father and maternal grandfather.
While also farming, his father and grandfather cut White Oak logs into heading bolts.
After his grandfather retired, Sam began working in the woods at a young age with
his father and brothers, cutting mostly cedar. After tossing the idea around for a
while, Sam's father, along with he and his brothers, built a sawmill and started Trott
Lumber Company in 1974. Beginning with a mule and quickly upgrading to a tractor,
Sam, his father, and brother would log 2 or 3 days a week and saw the logs at the
sawmill the other days. They sold out in 1980, however in 1983, Sam was ready to
start up again.
Sam and his wife, Jennifer, purchased another sawmill and re-established Trott Lumber Company. In the beginning, Sam
purchased timber tracts and contracted other logging companies to harvest the timber. By 1993, it was becoming difficult to rely
on other loggers to harvest the timber to the specifications needed for Sam's sawmill. Therefore, Sam purchased a 508 Cat
grapple skidder, a tri-axle tandem bunk log truck, a rubber tire loader, and some chainsaws. Since then, Sam and his logging
crew have supplied the logs for his sawmill, as well as selling various species of high-grade logs to other mills and buyers. Since
Sam spends most of his available time logging, his wife, Jennifer manages the sawmill. She also manages the office by using
Peoples Choice payroll & bookkeeping system.
In 1994, Sam purchased a small Prentice knuckle-boom loader to increase the speed of loading the logs. In 1997, he upgraded
the loader to a Prentice 180E with a CTR bucksaw attachment to eliminate the need for chainsaw work on the landing. Sam has
operated this loader exclusively for 14 years allowing him to personally select the best grade and lengths of logs. In 2007, after
his son Jeremy, a fourth generation logger, graduated from college and joined the logging crew, Sam decided it was time to
upgrade and expand his logging operation. With safety being a high priority, Sam purchased a Hydro-Ax 611EX feller buncher
to speed up felling trees while eliminating the need for a man on the ground felling the trees with a chainsaw. He also upgraded
his skidder to a John Deere 548GIII with a fully enclosed cab.
The Hydro-Ax has been a great asset to the company not only by increasing production tremendously, reducing Worker's Comp
rates due to mechanization of the logging operation, but also by helping practice better forest management. Jeremy uses the
Hydro-Ax to clear-cut the drag roads instead of bulldozing them, minimizing initial ground disturbance. When it is necessary, he
uses the Hydro-Ax to cut and place small trees to skid across branches and streams to eliminate disturbance to the banks.
Another advantage with the Hydro-Ax is the ability to fell the trees in desired directions, which tremendously aids in efficiency in
gathering and dragging as well as eliminates collateral damage to younger timber, since Sam and his crew select cut nearly all of
the tracts. Clear-cut is only done when land is being cleared, when requested, or when a new regeneration (to include artificial
re-planting) of trees is needed.
With his current 5 man logging crew, Sam has over 120 years of combined experience. In addition, Sam and his long time
employee of 25 years, Kenneth Mallard, are both TN Master Loggers. They try to follow the Best Management Practices and
have on occasion called Mr. Tom Hall, our area forester, (now retired), Chris Carney, current area forester, and Mr. Bob Baker
(Retired), Water Quality Forester, for advice. Sam and his crew hauls out over 7500+ ft. of logs per day on his two 3-bunk tractor/
trailer log trucks. Since Sam feels that it is important to utilize as much of the trees as possible, he has his crew to trim the tops
into pulpwood. In doing this, Sam sends at least 2 loads of pulpwood per week to a pulpwood buyer.
Sam also holds safety to a high regard. He furnishes his crew with all required safety equipment and enforces that the equipment
be worn at the appropriate times. Trott Lumber Co. Inc. provides worker's compensation insurance on the employees. Worker's
compensation provides the company with material for regular safety meetings and continuous on-the-job training is ongoing.
Sam is happy and thankful that in the past 15+ years, none of his crew members have had any major accidents while logging. A
$1,000,000 liability policy is also in place for the business. Sam believes that one of the reasons he has been successful in
purchasing local timber tracts is because he has worked very hard to build a good name and reputation. He and his crew work
closely with the land owners to make sure their property is left in good condition and making sure the owners are pleased with
the clean-up. When logging on hillsides, he makes sure that the skid roads are left with water bars to prevent erosion. His top
priority is to make sure the land owners are pleased before leaving job site.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
 Sam served 6 years on Bedford Co. Board of Education 1992-1998. During this time he served on the transportation &
building committee, and served as chairman of the building committee for 2 years.
(Continued on page 15)
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 8
2012 TFA’S AWARD & OTHER RECOGNITIONS PHOTOS
TREE FARMER OF THE YEAR
The
TERRY
PORTER
Patricia (Right) & Elton (Left) Coley was
named 2012 Tree Farmer of Year.
FACILITATOR OF THE YEAR
RECRUITER OF THE YEAR
PHOTO
NOT
AVAILABLE
Jonathan Boggs of Burns County was the
recipient of the Tree Farm Recruiter of the
Year award.
Steve Scott (Right), TDF Retired State
Forester received the Forest Resource &
Honorary Member Award.
Diana Gennett (Middle) from Hixson, was
named Inspector of the Year. Steve Owen,
Resolute Forest Products (Left) & Tom Cain,
TF Committee (Right) presented the plaque.
LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR
Bonnie Ervin, Discovery Center in Mur- Rep. Frank Nicely from Strawberry Plains
freesboro, was recognized as PLT
was named Legislator of the Year.
Facilitator of the Year.
FOREST RESOURCE & HONORARY AWARD
INSPECTOR OF THE YEAR
TFA AWARD OF MERIT
L.M. Sceals, TFA Master Logger Coordinator was recognized with the TFA Award of
Merit.
MASTER LOGGER OF THE YEAR
CFA OF THE YEAR
Sam Trott, with his wife and family, of Shel- Bob & Laura Qualman accepted the CFA
byville was presented with 2012 Master of the Year Award for Humphreys/
Logger Award and chainsaw by Stihl.
Houston County Forestry Association.
TFA EXT AGENT OF THE YEAR
TFA PRESIDENT
Ty Petty of Unicoi County, was presented Steve Owen, Resolute Forest Products
with the Ext Agent of the Year Award & a presented gavel to TFA’s 2012-2013 New
Biltmore stick.
President, Michael Morris, Domtar.
Practicing sustainable forestry and providing
markets for Tennessee forest products.
P.O. Box 33
Counce, Tennessee 38326
(731) 689-1295
F&W FORESTRY SERVICES, INC.
Providing management, consulting,
and real estate services to landowner
Clinton Office
Rick Sluss, C.F.
Manager
P.O. Box 328
Clinton, TN 37717
(865) 640-5430
rsluss@fwforestry.com
Ben Myers
benmyers@panthercreekforestry.net
Brenton Berlin
Jbberlin.pcf@gmail.com
Paris Office
Tom Cunningham, C.F.
Manager
P.O. Box 879
Paris, TN 38242
(731) 234-6685
tcunningham@fwforestry.com
210 N. Chancery St.
McMinnville, TN 37110
www.panthercreekforestry.net
www.panthercreekforestry.net
Office: (931) 474-6203
Cell: (931) 259-5478
Fax: (931)
(931)474-6206
668-7281
Fax:
TFA’S 2012 OUTSTANDING TREE FARMER OF THE OF THE YEAR
By: Jay Wolfe, Hankins Forest Products
Mr. and Mrs. Elton Coley & Kosmo, 2012 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year
The Tennessee Tree Farm Committee is pleased to introduce you to Elton and Patricia
Coley, Tennessee’s Tree Farmers of the Year. This annual award recognizes tree farmers who are doing an outstanding job in timber and wildlife management as well as promoting the Tree Farm Program. The Coley’s Indian Creek Tree Farm located in Hardin
County, Tennessee is a working example of dedication and love of the outdoors combined with excellent natural resource management practices. Elton is a practicing consulting forester, as well as wearing many other hats, and Patricia is a retired school
teacher. Spending time on their “dirt” is always a welcome break, and as Aldo Leopold
said, “Footprints of the owners are considered to be the best fertilizer.”
The property has been under Quality Deer
Management (QDM) guidelines for the past
fifteen years with a goal to create a haven for
both the hunter and the hunted. Timber management and stand improvement are ongoing and never ending tasks. The property
consists of 3,070 acres. There are 865 acres of mature upland hardwood and hardwood plantation. The Coley property also has 2,000 acres of pine plantation, Stream
Management Zones (SMZs), and wildlife openings. Indian Creek flows through the
Grass roadway in pine plantation
property for approximately four miles providing recreational opportunities for fishing,
canoeing, and wildlife observation. Timber management practices include thinning, prescribed burning, mid-rotation release to control undesirable species, fertilization, road
maintenance, and fire break construction. Approximately 80 acres of openings and wildlife food plots are intensively managed to provide both winter and summer food sources.
Supplemental food is provided throughout the year with wildlife feeders strategically
placed throughout the property.
Over the years, Elton and Patricia Coley have opened their property to many groups of
children and adults to provide an outdoor experience. For the past twelve years, they have
sponsored, in cooperation with the Tennessee Thinned and burned pine plantation
Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), a youth
deer hunt that offers 12-15 children in Hardin County the opportunity to spend a day
deer hunting with a mentor from the TWRA. After an early morning hunt, the youth are
instructed on various topics from identifying animal tracts, field dressing deer, to target
practice. After lunch, the hunters return to the stands for an evening hunt. Local processors have contributed to the processing and handling of the meat, thereby providing
food for the youth hunters’ families. Each
spring, up to 3 youth along with a guide visit
Indian Creek flows through property for 4
miles
the property to participate in the Hardin
County St. Jude Hunting for a Cure turkey
hunt. Local 4-H groups also have field days for timber and wildlife studies. Mossy Oak
has filmed turkey hunts on the property in recent years.
The Tennessee Tree Farm Committee is proud of all of Tennessee’s Tree Farmers
and their efforts to provide sustainable forest products and wildlife management to the
great natural resources of Tennessee.
Winter wildlife food plot
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 11
2012 MASTER LOGGER UPDATE
Continuing Education Classes
Date:
Location:
Topic /Instructor:
Attendees:
02/02/12
02/09/12
02/14/12
02/22/12
02/23/12
03/28/12
04/28/12
05/01/12
05/02/12
05/09/12
05/15/12
05/16/12
07/12/12
07/19/12
08/14/12
Calhoun /Bowater Credit Union
Counce / PCA Training Center
Livingston / Chamber of Commerce
Hohenwald / Memorial Park Center
Hohenwald / Memorial Park Center
Fayetteville / Ralph Hastings Bldg.
Parson / Decatur County Convention
Dover / Bauers Restaurant (Cindys)
Dover/ Bauers Restaurant (Cindys)
Wartburg / Lone Mtn. State Forest
Pikeville / Little Mtn. Video Store
Dunlap / Sequel'. Valley Elec. Coop
Collinwood / Chad’s Restaurant
Crossville / Roane State Comm. College
Dover / Bauers Restaurant (Cindy’s)
27
40
15
27
27
06
24
30
14
11
16
16
40
07
14
09/25/12
10/12/12
11/07/12
Red Boiling Springs / Willette Comm. Ctr.
Sharps Chapel / Senior Citizen Center
South Pittsburg / Cardin Forest Products
Safety / B. Wagner, Forestry Mutual
Stream Crossings / M. Sherrill, TDF
Log Bucking / A. Taylor, UT
Log Bucking / A. Taylor, UT
Log Bucking / A. Taylor, UT
Log Bucking / A. Taylor, UT
Safety /THP & J. Smith, Forestry Mutual
Log Bucking / UT & FP Cert / NewPage
Log Bucking / UT & FP Cert / NewPage
Log Bucking / A. Taylor, UT
Forest Roads & Water / W. Clatterbuck, UT
Forest Roads & Water / W. Clatterbuck, UT
Forest Roads & Water / W. Clatterbuck, UT
Safety Cert / J. Smith & G. Helton, Forestry Mutual
Log Cost & Yard Safety / Dr.Abbas,TSU &
W. CIatterbuck, UT
Forest Roads & Water / W. CIatterbuck, UT
Forest Roads & Water / W. CIatterbuck, UT
Log Cost & Yard Safety / Dr.Abbas,TSU &
W. CIatterbuck, UT
CLASS TOTAL: 17
25
13
32
ATTENDEES TOTAL: 384
5-Day Initial Master Logger Course
Dates:
02/01/12 - 03/01/12
02/28/12 - 04/03/12
03/08/12 - 04/05/12
04/26/12 - 06/21/12
07/11/12 - 08/08/12
Location:
Calhoun / Bowater Credit Union
Mooresburg / Mooresburg Community Center
Puryear / Middleton Lumber Company
Oak Ridge / UTFRR
Collinwood / Chad’s Restaurant
COURSE TOTAL: 5
ATTENDEES TOTAL: 80
Attendees:
12
24
22
13
09
ATTENDEES GRAND TOTAL: 464
UPCOMING CLASSES Continuing Education
November 28 Counce / Packaging Corp of America
5-Day Course
Elora @ The Community Center
Tues., October 30th .............................. Safety/OSHA
Thurs., November 8th ........................... Silviculture
Tues., November 13th .......................... CPR/First Aid
Thurs., November 29th ........................ BMP's
Thurs., December 6th .......................... Business/Graduation
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 14
ANATOMY OF AN ACCIDENT
By: JJ Lemire, Forestry Mutual
What will your obituary read like? Will it do justice to your life and your family? How about the three individuals killed in logging
related accidents in the last five weeks in the Summer of 2012? Why did these accidents have to happen? One headlines read,
“Area Man Killed in Logging Accident.” Another headline reads “Father Perishes in Logging Explosion Accident.” And the last
headline reads “Local 19 year old is killed in Logging Mishap.” We have all seen this type of tragedy in the newspaper. But
WHY must we continue reading such headlines?
As we do our investigations of deaths and injuries, we have to ask, “Were they preventable?”
A simple definition of the word accident is an unplanned act. Each of these fatalities had some basic mistakes that lead to these
deaths in the woods. There is always a cause or reason the injury or death occurred.
RECENT FATALITIES
First Fatality: A mountain crew was cutting a hardwood stand. On the morning of the mishap, the Owner hired a new timber cutter. He had about 5 years of experience and demonstrated to the Owner that he could use the directional felling technique. He
was allowed to start working on his own. Within two hours of starting work, he reverted to swing cutting trees and one tree fell
opposite the way he intended it to go. It hit some trees in a river bottom and kicked back and up, crushing him. His reverting
back to a bad habit of swing cutting and it cost him his life.
Second Fatality: A mechanized crew was cutting a mixed pine and hard wood tract. At the end of the day, the ground man was
transferring diesel from a 500 gallon tank to a transfer tank on the back of the service truck. As he was transferring fuel, he
stepped on a hot lead from the welding machine solenoid to a cut-off switch. The line had a bare spot and arced. It ignited a
gas can in the service truck’s bed. The resulting explosion sprayed gasoline and diesel fuel over him. He suffered burns over
75% of his body. He was in the intensive care unit at a burn center and survived approximately 8 days before he passed away.
The modification to the welder set the stage for this mishap.
Third Fatality: A 19-year old topper with 5 months of experience wandered into the area where a feller buncher was cutting a
patch of hickory trees. He was crushed to death when a tree was thrown on top of him by the feller buncher. The skidder driver
and buncher operator last saw the topper working about three hundred yards from the patch of hickory trees. No one saw him
come into the area. He started topping the two hickory trees on the ground. However, the canopies were of sufficient height that
the buncher operator did not see the topper as he was hidden by the branches. Machine operators lost site of the ground man.
Ultimately, injury and death in the woods are caused by decisions. Mistakes or wrong decisions can lead to tragedy. Remember
that risk can be prevented or lessened by training and education. Risk is the main factor in building an “accident”. Training and
education can help you avoid having your name added to the tragic headlines.
2012 LOGGER OF THE YEAR CONTINUED
By: Tom Hall (Retired) & Chris Carney, TDF
Sam Trott, Sam Trott Logging, 2012 Logger of the Year
 He is a member of Shiloh United Methodist Church, serving as the substitute Sunday School Superintendent, on the
Staff Parrish committee as well as the scholarship. He also helps prepare the community breakfast every month.
 The business has been a member of the Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce for 12 years.
 Every year the local Shelbyville Times-Gazette includes an article in the Industry Section on Trott Lumber Co. Inc. which
includes pictures of the operation.For the second year Sam & his wife have had a booth at the Bedford Co. Fair to
distribute literature about their business and show their products as well as show a video promoting the forestry
business.
The following are personal statements by Tom Hall, Area Forester TDF.
I know Mr. Sam Trott to be a man of integrity who always keeps his word. I know of a time that he promised a landowner that he
would come back when the ground dried and smooth skid roads. He came back, smoothed the roads, and did a great job. He
treats landowners well, I received positive verbal comments recently from Randal Crowell, a landowner who recently had timber
harvested by Mr. Trott. I have witnessed firsthand his good logging techniques. He and his crew take precautionary measures to
prevent skinning remaining trees. They keep stump height at a low level. Mr. Trott treats landowners as if he would want to be
treated. It is an honor to nominate him as logger of the year.
Volume 9, Issue 3
TREELINE, Page 15
Tennessee Forestry Association
"The Voice of Forestry"
P.O. Box 290693
Nashville, Tennessee 37229
Phone: 615-883-3832 Fax: 615-883-0515
E-mail: TreeLine@tnforestry.com
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WWW. TNFORESTRY. COM
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warm heart.
Happy
Thanksgiving!!!