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Team Safe Trucking is looking for a Special Projects Coordinator
Team Safe Trucking is looking for a Special Projects Coordinator
The position will support the Team Safe Trucking Executive Committee on a variety of projects and initiatives across the organization, with a focus on the development & completion of a clear training curriculum that focuses on improving the forestry transportation sector.
Salary is based on experience. PTO, along with other benefits are included.
EMAIL QUESTIONS AND RESUMES TO: admin@teamsafetrucking.com
How's Your Log Supply Chain?
In between looking for extra employees to fill out another shift or solidify the one or two already in place, or perhaps looking for larger vaults to hold the cash they’ve been putting away thanks to record lumber prices, lumber suppliers would be smart to take a look at the health of the supply chain feeding their mills. Ensuring all those nice equipment investments meet projections and ROI numbers requires a consistent flow of quality timber.
A mill’s relationship with its contractors or log sources can vary widely as well, from gatewood contractors to “closely held” contractors who work almost exclusively for a given mill or mills. There are also all sorts of financial arrangements with contractors, from cosigning loans to outright buying equipment to fronting repair work—we’ve heard it all.
Most of the time it works as suppliers, customers, vendors, and markets mesh. Of course, loggers will quickly say they’re getting paid the same prices as 20+ years ago, while procurement people will point out timber is a commodity product. Years ago, I remember a forester say the true cost of logging lies somewhere between a company crew and lean-running independent contractor. Probably so.
But no matter how you look at it, both loggers and mills have the same logistical goal: Get the logs to the mills. And just as mills have been hit with labor and supply chain issues, loggers have as well as the entire industry grapples with pandemic impacts that continue, no matter how much we believe and want to be “over it.”
Add the recent inflation run-up and loggers are taking it on the chin: According to a recent survey by the American Loggers Council, in the past year logging contractors have seen an average 25% cost increase across 20 items such as parts and equipment, and some items like fuel much more. Also, more than two thirds (69%) of loggers have seen labor price increases of 20% or more.
Meanwhile, a recent Timber Harvesting Magazine 2022 Logging Business Survey shows 40% of loggers either broke even or lost money the past two years, and one out of five loggers (21%) rated their business health as poor to very poor. From a list of a dozen different issues, logging rates and log markets finished #1 and #2, respectively, when loggers were asked their top business concerns.
This is not to make the mills out as the bad guys, as almost half (49%) of logger’s report price increases the past two years. While it shows some mills are stepping up, it may not be enough across the supply chain. Even with the rate increases almost two-thirds of loggers (60%) reported passing up opportunities to expand in the past two years because of labor issues.
Looking ahead, even more ominous trends are on the horizon: Almost half (46%) of logging contractors are age 60 or over, and almost three-fourths (71%) are 50 or older. It’s those ages that are driving the results of another question, as 37% of those who responded say they are planning to get out of logging in the next five years.
One issue for loggers is there’s no clear path for growth, from the commodity price structure to the inability to pass along cost increases. As one logger commented, what business would make the kind of million-dollar investments that loggers do with returns of barely 3% and an inability to pass along costs? Not many.
At TP we’re all about exploring the latest technology and noting the investments mills make to apply it. There’s the old saw among old time sawmillers that the best log is the cheapest log, but as the industry continues to grapple with labor and supply chain issues, perhaps the best log is a healthier one for all segments of the forest industry.
A Shot Across the Bow: New Legislation Requires Tow Companies to Provide Information on Virginia Division of Consumer Counsel
One of the few successes that the trucking industry has enjoyed in recent years in its continuing effort to curtail the piratical practices of towing companies came in the most recent General Assembly session. The legislature passed, and the Governor signed, Senate Bill 705, which creates a new statute, Code section 46.2-1217.1. The statute becomes effective on July 1, 2022, and will provide:
On any invoice charging $10,000 or more for towing and recovery services rendered pursuant to a lawful request for towing by a law[1]enforcement officer or other uniformed employee of a law-enforcement agency who specifically is authorized to make a request for towing by the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee for towing and recovery of a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds, the towing and recovery operator shall include the telephone number and website address for the Division of Consumer Counsel within the Office of the Attorney General.
Any towing and recovery operator in violation of the provisions of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation. Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-1217.1.
The legislation is notable for a couple of reasons. Primarily, for the first time Virginia law provides a monetary civil penalty for a towing company’s failure to provide specific information to a “consumer” (if that is the right term) of towing services imposed upon the consumer by law enforcement officials, whenever the invoice for those services exceeds a certain amount. The enactment of a civil penalty for which a towing company may become liable based upon its invoice is itself noteworthy: for too long, towing companies have operated in Virginia as if the sky was virtually the limit on the amounts they could charge, and the services for which they could demand payment. With little but the common law to point to in opposing predatory towing charges, the trucking industry has had difficulty in holding tow companies to account.
Second, the fact that the information a tow company must now provide to a party invoiced consists of contact information for Virginia’s Division of Consumer Counsel sends a message to the towing industry: Big Brother (or, more accurately, Aunt Virginia) is now watching them, with a particular eye to how the towing industry’s billing practices are affecting those using its services. Trucking companies and others who have been dealing with ever[1]increasing invoices for heavy towing in recent years are no longer left to their own devices in battling excessive bills and piratical billing practices. From now on, whenever a towing invoice exceeds $10,000, the Commonwealth anticipates its direct involvement in examining such invoices and in determining whether the amounts charged, and the services provided, are lawful and appropriate.
And third, the fact that the statute sets a monetary threshold – $10,000 – for invoices before tow companies are required to provide consumer-protection information is notable, too. The statute could easily have required that all towing invoices include contact information for the Division of Consumer Services, but instead the General Assembly set $10,000 as the amount above which invoices are required to provide this information. In an era when heavy towing invoices are regularly exceeding $10,000 (and usually, by a significant degree), that threshold figure is striking. That fact implies, without expressly stating so, that $10,000 constitutes a presumptive reasonable maximum for a heavy towing invoice. Any amount exceeding $10,000 merits special scrutiny; hence, the requirement to advise consumers of how they can contact the Division of Consumer Services in connection with the charges. And the statute mandates such scrutiny, as a tow company’s failure to include the required information in its invoice implicates a $1,000 penalty.
The statute does not make clear, unfortunately, whether individual consumers may institute proceedings to enforce the penalty, or whether such proceedings are the sole province of the Attorney General’s Office. That is one of the first issues likely to be litigated once section 46.2-1217.1 goes into effect in July of this year. How the towing industry responds to this first mild step toward its regulation remains to be seen. Hopefully, Senate Bill 705 portends closer legislative attention to that industry’s practices in the near future, and a building political will to curtail the industry’s excesses.
If you have questions on this point or others, please do not hesitate to contact Kevin Streit (kstreit@setlifflaw.com) at 804-377-1270, or Steve Setliff (ssetliff@setlifflaw.com) at 804-377-1261.
PONSSE Scorpion Future Cabin received the internationally acclaimed iF DESIGN AWARD 2022
Since 1954, the iF DESIGN AWARD has been an internationally recognised indication of excellent design and one of the world’s most prestigious design awards. The iF brand is internationally recognised as the symbol of design excellence. The award winners will be celebrated at the iF DESIGN AWARD NIGHT 2022 event at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin in Germany on Monday, 16 May 2022.
The jury praised the design of PONSSE Scorpion Future Cabin especially for its improved ergonomics and for providing forest machine operators with a comfortable work environment. One of the most prominent changes in Future Cabin is the new one-piece windscreen that extends to the roof of the cabin. It offers even better visibility and work safety in varying conditions.
“The development of the new Scorpion model series started from forest machine operators’ feedback. Development was carried out based on this feedback, and its results were then successfully entered in production. The cabin workspace was modified to make it more practical, and now the cabin is like a quiet office with a view, developed to support the operator’s comfort and wellbeing. says Juha Inberg, Technology and R&D Director at Ponsse.
“We are more than pleased that our Future Cabin was ranked this high in the iF DESIGN AWARD competition. Thanks for this achievement go to our customers, the project team for their excellent work, and design agency Aivan,” Inberg says.
A total of 10,776 products and projects from 57 different countries were sent to the competition. This year’s iF jury consisted of 132 high-profile design specialists from more than 20 countries.
Further information: Juha Inberg, Technology and R&D Director, Ponsse Plc, +358 400 661 368, juha.inberg@ponsse.com
Canary in the Woods
Like the proverbial “canary in the mine” that alerted miners to dangerous conditions and warned them, loggers are the “canary in the woods” regarding the timber and forest products industry. Loggers and truckers are “dropping” like canaries. This should be a warning to the timber and forest products industry.
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Well, a large tree recently fell in the woods, and it made a sound! Bobby and Lori Goodson of the acclaimed series “Swamp Loggers” recently announced that after more than 40 years they have decided to shut down their logging and trucking businesses due to the fact that it was no longer profitable under the current conditions.
Instead of “not making a sound” the Goodsons took the opportunity to publicly announce their decision via a YouTube video from their kitchen counter. Making this decision was obviously a very difficult personal choice, but like always, Bobby and Lori put the timber industry above their personal privacy and shared this publicly in an effort to bring the current overwhelmingly challenging business environment threat to the attention of those controlling the markets and policies. The Goodsons are the canaries warning the forest products industry that the logging and trucking sector is not sustainable under the current model.
The Forest Products Industry and the Public Policymakers can heed the warning that the Goodsons have shared or ignore it and live with the consequences.
Fuel costs have proven to be the “Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back”. Some mills have been professional and responsive in providing fuel adjustments, but most have not, and many have only provided a portion of the actual increase in production and transportation costs.
Those who feign that they don’t fully know what the additional costs are, employ a tried and true negotiating strategy of requesting that you provide a breakdown so that they can better understand your costs. This is merely a delay tactic that usually results in a response that is:
A Day Late and a Dollar Short
In order to provide loggers and truckers with the resource to respond to this ongoing strategy, the Virginia Loggers Association worked with Dr. Joseph Conrad from the University of Georgia to provide an objective analysis of the incremental (per 10 cents per gallon) additional costs for production and transportation. Unfortunately, this information has not resulted in consistent or adequate fuel adjustments for loggers and truckers from many of the mills.
Ironically, the mill inbound supplies and outbound transportation fuel surcharge is not debated by the mills. The vendor tells the mill what the fuel surcharge is going to be and the mills pay it, otherwise the vendors don’t provide the service. The mills just incorporate that expense into the end product cost which has resulted in record profits for many mills.
The Timber Industry is the only industry that allows the “buyer” to dictate the price even when it results in the supplier losing money.
That has to change. Timber Unity in the Northwest demonstrated the effectiveness of the timber industry rallying together. If loggers and truckers would practice this unity regarding what they get paid (not in collusion or in violation of anti-trust practices) for their services and products, based on what it costs them, things could change.
Loggers and truckers are not indentured servants (although it may seem so with the amount of debt you carry). It is your business, your logging operation, your truck. Nobody can force you to work.
The timber industry model is the same as it has been for 100 years with loggers and truckers, whether in lumber camps or independent logging / trucking companies, being told what to do and if they don’t they will be replaced by a logger or trucker who will. Those days are over, there aren’t enough loggers and truckers to play against one another. If someone wants to work for less than it costs, let them, they won’t be around long.
As the old saying goes “don’t kill the Goose that lays the golden egg”. This refers to killing something that brings one wealth. The loggers and truckers are the “Golden Goose” which has brought record wealth to many in the forest products industry. Those who are benefitting are risking killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
Since there is a proverbial theme to this As We See It column – the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg, the Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back, the Tree Falling in the Woods, and the Canary in the Mine I want to close with a Biblical Proverb:
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight” -Proverbs 11:1
Meaning one should use an honest scale and pay someone a fair amount, because a laborer is worthy of his wages.
John Deere Unveils 900 MH-Series Tracked Harvester with Intelligent Boom Control
MOLINE, IL (May 5, 2022) — John Deere is pleased to announce its latest operator assistance control feature, Intelligent Boom Control (IBC), for the 900 MH-Series Tracked Harvester. The development of this model is a result of global collaboration between the John Deere Wheeled Cut-to-Length and Full-Tree Forestry teams, aiming to implement IBC’s field proven technology into MH-Series of tracked harvesters.
With IBC, operators no longer need to control each independent boom function separately. One joystick moves the boom tip horizontally, while a second guides it vertically, for faster cycle times and more precise control. IBC’s smooth and fluid motion actively dampens functional change of directions, protecting boom structures and increasing wear life. IBC also automatically controls swing speed based on the overall position of the attachment.
“The continuous product development, new features, and the updating of systems and solutions are an integral part of John Deere’s way of operating,” said Jim O’Halloran, product marketing manager, John Deere. “Intelligent Boom Control is an example of an important operator assistance feature that we will continue to evolve throughout full tree forestry. Developing solutions for our customers’ needs are our number one priority and investing in innovation like IBC is an example that helps the overall productivity and profitability for the whole machine life cycle.”
Improved productivity, compared to the same machine without IBC, is another benefit for customers. IBC allows the operator to focus on controlling the attachment, helping improve efficiency. The controls used for reaching and securing trees for harvest intuitively mirror how the equipment might function if it were the operator’s arm.
IBC is now available on the 953MH and 959MH. For more information, please visit www.deere.com/en/tracked-harvesters or contact your local dealer.
About John Deere
Deere & Company (www.JohnDeere.com) is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, construction, and forestry equipment. We help our customers push the boundaries of what’s possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products including John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor, See & Spray™, and E-Power Backhoe are just some of the ways we help meet the world's increasing need for food, shelter, and infrastructure. Deere & Company also provides financial services through John Deere Financial.
Contact: Bria Rooney, VP, Public Relations, imre, briar@imre.com
How to Calculate a Fuel Cost Adjustment by Dr. Joseph Conrad
The Virginia Loggers Association commissioned Dr. Joseph Conrad, Assistant Professor of Forest Operations, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia to conduct a fuel cost analysis, it’s impact on production and transportation costs, and a fuel adjustment formula. This is a comprehensive third-party objective analysis that producers can apply to their particular operations (report modeled southern logging operations and may need to be adjusted for northern logging operation factors) and use as a resource when addressing fuel adjustments needs.
Introduction
I have received several urgent emails recently from loggers, suppliers, and procurement foresters trying to calculate fuel cost adjustments. This is a good sign in that mills and suppliers want to work with loggers to address skyrocketing fuel costs. On the other hand, it suggests that the previous cut-and-haul rates may have been negotiated without careful consideration of the underlying costs involved in harvesting and transportation. Forgive me if I am too cynical. Fortunately, calculating a reasonable fuel cost adjustment is simple math. However, it does require data, or without solid data, reasonable estimates. Loggers should have data while foresters may have to rely on estimates.
Measuring Fuel Consumption
To calculate a fuel cost adjustment, a logger will need to know how much fuel is consumed per ton of wood harvested. Fuel consumption data should include in-woods equipment, support vehicles (i.e., company pickups, fuel trucks, parts trucks, etc.), and log trucks. Fuel consumption by in-woods equipment can be collected easily. Many machines collect fuel consumption data using onboard computers. If machines do not measure fuel consumption, a fuel meter can be purchased for less than $100. Every time a machine is refueled, the operator should record the date, number of gallons pumped, and machine engine hours.
Finally, fuel consumed by log trucks should be measured. It is important to determine the fuel economy of the log trucks. Record miles driven from odometers and gallons of fuel consumed. Log truck fuel consumption per ton will obviously vary by haul distance and so it should be calculated on a tract-by-tract basis. Fuel consumption per ton can be calculated using the formula below. Accurate values for tons per load, miles per gallon, and percent-loaded miles are obviously important. Do not assume 50% loaded miles unless there is data to support this value. Log trucks often average 40–45% loaded miles once trips home and moves between sites are counted.
Divide gallons of fuel consumed by the number of tons produced to calculate gallons per ton. Make sure that fuel consumption data and production data cover the same period. Estimates based on a week or a month’s data will be more accurate than estimates based on daily records.
Several studies have measured fuel consumption by logging equipment (Greene et al. 2014, Kenney et al. 2014). While this data is several years old, it can get a company in the ballpark if they do not have their own data. These studies estimated that logging equipment consumed between 0.4 and 1.0 gallon per ton to cut, skid, and load. Loggers have shared log truck fuel economy data with me in the past several years and they averaged 4.5–5.5 miles per gallon. This included a mix of loaded miles, unloaded miles, and idling (i.e., real-world conditions).
Calculating Per-Ton Fuel Costs
Let’s look at an example using data from one month’s production. During this month the logging crew produced 8,500 tons of timber and consumed 9,909 gallons of diesel (Table 1). Logging equipment consumed 0.38 gal/ton, support vehicles burned 0.05 gal/ton, and log trucks consumed 0.74 gal/ton. All these values will vary from one harvest to another. I would expect in-woods fuel consumption to be most consistent, although it would vary based on skidding distance and site conditions. Log truck fuel consumption per ton will vary considerably based on haul distance.
At $2.60/gal for off-road diesel and $3.00/gal for on-highway diesel, fuel costs accounted for $3.35/ton of delivered wood (Table 2). When fuel prices increase to $4.60/gal for off-road diesel and $5.00/gal for on-road diesel, fuel costs increased to $5.69/ton of delivered wood. For this logger, a $1.00 per gallon increase in fuel prices increased onboard truck costs by approximately $0.43 per ton. A $1.00 per gallon increase in fuel prices would raise cut-and-haul costs by approximately $1.15 per ton. Cut-and-haul costs would increase even more if haul distances exceeded the 50 miles used in this example.
For this logger, a fuel cost adjustment should add at least $0.43 per ton to the base cut-and-load rate for every $1.00 per gallon increase in the fuel price, or approximately 4 cents per ton for every 10-cent per gallon increase in the fuel price. The cut-and-haul rate should be increased by approximately $1.17 per ton for every $1.00 per gallon increase in the fuel price, or 12 cents per ton for every 10-cent per gallon increase in the fuel price.
The impact of rising fuel prices on hauling costs varies substantially by haul distance. At a 30-mile haul distance, a $1.00 per gallon increase in the fuel price increased hauling costs by approximately $0.45 per ton, whereas at a haul distance of 70 miles the same increase in the fuel price increased hauling costs by approximately $1.04 per ton (Table 3). If haul distances are highly variable, the fuel cost adjustment should be structured accordingly. A one-size-fits-all fuel cost adjustment may be lucrative at short haul distances and insufficient at long haul distances.
Conclusion
The first step to negotiating a fuel cost adjustment is to prepare for the negotiation. Having accurate and up-to-date data is essential to calculating a fair fuel cost adjustment. As my father used to tell me, the devil is in the details. Measuring the fuel consumption of each machine and truck is worth the trouble to make sure that the business owner understands his costs. Tracking fuel consumption can also help a business owner detect mechanical issues or even theft.
Table 1: Fuel consumption by equipment, support vehicles, and log trucks during one month while harvesting 8,500 tons of timber. Average one-way haul distance was 50 miles and log trucks averaged 45% loaded miles.
Table 2: Fuel cost per ton for in-woods equipment, support vehicles, and log trucks at three fuel prices. This analysis assumes a $0.40/gal difference between off-road diesel and on-highway diesel. This will vary by state – be sure to use local values.
Table 3: Fuel costs per ton at one-way haul distances from 10–100 miles, assuming 45% loaded miles, 5.0 miles per gallon, and 30 tons per load.
Formulas
References
Greene, W.D., E. Biang, and S.A. Baker. 2014. Fuel consumption rates of southern timber harvesting equipment. In: Proceedings of the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering. Available online at https://cofe.org/pdfs/COFE_2014.pdf.
Kenney, J., T. Gallagher, M. Smidt, D. Mitchell, and T. McDonald. 2014. Factors that affect fuel consumption in logging systems. In: Proceedings of the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering. Available online at https://cofe.org/pdfs/COFE_2014.pdf.
Pewag completes the acquisition of forestry specialist Wallingford’s and BABAC
Combination of pewag group and Wallingford’s/BABAC results in a leading position in
forestry traction and supplies as well as snow chain traction devices in North America
Pewag Group, a global leading company in traction chain devices and industrial chain solutions (founded 1479), today announced that is has completed the acquisition of Wallingford’s Inc. and BABAC Inc, a leading U.S.-based provider of forestry traction devices, forestry supplies and snow chains. Wallingford’s and BABAC have been consolidated as part of pewag’s Traction and Forestry segment as of December 17th, 2021.
The acquisition of Wallingford’s and BABAC is a strong fit with pewag’s North American forestry business and in particular its forestry traction devices business. It is part of the strategy of pewag to be a leader in this segment globally. Moreover, the high-quality forestry traction devices, developed and manufactured by pewag in Austria and Czech Republic will be integrated in the portfolio of Wallingford’s.
Pewag has hundreds of years of experience in the manufacturing of chains and their components. Since the first documented reference of its forging plant in Brueckl, Austria 1479, pewag group became one of the leading chain manufacturers worldwide. Today its success is based on well engineered state-of-the-art quality products. Pewag's business areas are mainly snow chains, forestry traction, hoist and conveyor chains, do-it-yourself products, engineering, lifting and lashing chains and accessories and tire protection chains. Modern impressive chain production facilities in Europe and in Pueblo, Colorado allow for this variety of high-quality products.
“The combination of pewag’s strong portfolio in forestry with traction devices and the wide distribution network of Wallingford’s in the forestry industry will result in a leadership position in this sector in North-America. Moreover, the skidder and ring skidder traction devices developed and manufactured by BABAC will complete pewag’s global forestry product range.” -Rob Bekkers, CEO Pewag Traction & Forestry
Founded in 1975, Wallingford’s Inc. is an international wholesaler of tire chain, logging and industrial supplies and the largest of its kind. Products are predominantly sold to distributors in North America. The range includes in particular traction systems (tracks/skidder chains/tire chains), cutting systems, logging supplies and industrial supplies. The sales and marketing office is located in Oakland/Maine, with a distribution, assembly and administrative facility in New Hampton, New Hampshire, and Canadian distribution centers in Edmonton, Alberta and in Montreal, Quebec. In the position as President of Wallingford’s Inc., Chip Wallingford will be in charge for the future development and is taking over this position from John J. Wallingford. (Thank you, John, for your efforts and commitment over the past years!)
“We are very excited to be now part of the global pewag group, which will add value and quality to our product portfolio, improve our position in the North-American forestry market and will definitely give a further push to our professional customer service. We have always valued the high-quality European products and we are very pleased to have pewag products in our portfolio. Furthermore, the global leadership of pewag’s snow chain traction devices will be strengthened with Wallingford’s offerings.” -Chip Wallingford, President of Wallingford’s Inc.
With the acquisition of Wallingford’s and BABAC, pewag will continue to:
Strive for Leading in Quality
Take a position as Leading in Responsibility
Use the centuries of expertise to be Leading in Technology
While Leading in Economics.
The coming period, both group of companies will investigate and implement a strategy to optimize its presence on the North American markets with the aim to offer a better, broader product portfolio and further improved services to our clients.
About pewag: www.pewag-group.com
About pewag Traction North America: www.pewagchain.com
About Wallingford’s: www.wallingfords.com
Northern Long-Eared Bat Endangers Loggers
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to change the listing from Threatened to Endangered for the Northern Long-Eared Bat will do nothing to reduce the mortality of the bat, but will contribute to the declining numbers of loggers in the U.S. and threaten the forest products industry.
Let’s examine the facts:
The Northern Long-Eared Bats are dying from being infected with a fungus that causes the White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), while hibernating in caves during the winter.
The mortality rate for bats infected with the fungus is 97%-100%. There is no known cure.
The range of the bats covers 37 states.
WNS is predicted to be in 100% of its U.S. range by 2025.
The Northern-Eared Bat will be the new Spotted Owl.
One of the talking points being promoted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in support of their efforts to change the listing from Threatened to Endangered is that the bats contribute $3 billion annually to the U.S. agricultural economy through pest control and pollination.
The U.S. Forest Products Industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in American, representing nearly 4% of manufacturing GDP, $300 billion in products annually and $109 billion in payroll. Over 100 times the so-called economic contribution of the bat.
If the Northern Long-Eared Bat is listed as Endangered it will result in enhanced habitat (forests) protection restrictions, particularly during the summer (June and July) roosting phase. Since it is impossible to accurately identify roosting trees, this will open up a pandora’s box of overreaching limits and restrictions that will impede forest management activities. Furthermore, after the bats, including newborn bats, return to the caves to hibernate, they will be infected with the fungus and die anyway. This prescription will be equivalent to treating a terminal illness (literally for the bats) with an ineffective focus on extenuating factors while ignoring the source of the illness. The medical field has a fundamental principle of “Do No Harm”. The listing of the Northern Long-Eared Bat as Endangered, and the subsequent actions and restrictions that will result, will do harm, particularly to the timber and forest management sectors. Far more harm than good.
The Endangered Species Act was passed by Congress in 1973. In nearly 50 years over 2,000 species have been listed, with only 54 ever being removed due to recovery, and many (34) removed due to extinction. This constitutes only a 2% recovery rate.
A species must satisfy at least one of five listing criteria in order to qualify for listing as a “threatened” or “endangered” species under the Endangered Species Act:
The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range;
Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
Disease or predation;
The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or
Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.
Based on these criteria the American Logger satisfies more than one and should therefore be considered for listing as “threatened” or “endangered” and afforded the same protections.
Results of Logger Inflation Survey
Modeled after Maine’s Inflation Survey to gauge “real” inflation impacts to the logging industry, the national responses mirrored those found in Maine.
Average inflationary impacts for industry specific items and services found a 25% increase. (Note: there was a survey format limit for Diesel price increase that only allowed for the highest choice of 50%. The majority selected that option, but it is obviously far greater than 50%.)
By contrast, the delivered wood prices increased for only 30% of the respondents, with delivered wood prices remaining the same for 50% of the respondents and declining for 20%.
With tight profit margins the logging industry cannot absorb these increases while wood prices remain flat.
IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.