north carolina’s chainsaw man...

N O R T H C A R O L I N A F O R E S T R Y A S S O C I A T I O N www.ncforestry.org AUGUST 2003 1

August 2003August 2003

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

NORTH CAROLINA’S CHAINSAW MAN

A

W

LEARN HOW TO BE A“FORESTRY SURVIVOR” AT

THE NCFA’S ANNUALMEETING

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST HOMEDEPOT IN CCA CASE IS DENIED

I

(continued onpage 4)

ith the forest products industry facing its mostsevere downturn in decades and unprec-edented pressures from overseas, this year’sNCFA’s Annual Meeting will focus on beinga “Forestry Survivor.” It will answer some of

the industry’s most pressing questions - Where does the indus-try stand? Where is the industry headed? What does the in-dustry need to do to be more competitive? – by showing howcompanies can Outplan, Outwit and Outlast the competition.

The NCFA’s Board of Directors meeting will open the An-nual Meeting on Wednesday morning and will be followed byan afternoon of golf, shooting clays or fishing. That evening,there will be a Shrimp-A-Roo on the U.S.S. North Carolina.

On Thursday morning, Keith McGough, a TheodoreRoosevelt impersonator, will make a special presentation tobegin the speaking program. Bob Slocum will follow and kick-off the Outplan segment by analyzing the forest resources inthe state with a review of the recently completed FIA data, an-swering the question - What is the condition of the resource?Next, Jim McNutt is uniquely qualified through his differentexperiences to provide some insight where the industry isheaded and what to expect from the global market in the fu-ture. Mike Walden will complete the Outplan segment by ex-plaining the role manufacturing plays in the state’s economyand its overall prospects for the future.

The Outwit segment will take a look at what some of theother industries that have come under the same economic pres-(continued on page 5)

round theseparts, he’sknown as thechainsaw man.Now, while he

may not be a famous chainsawcharacter like Leatherface ofthe Texas Chainsaw Massacremovies, Forestry Mutual Insur-ance Company’s chainsawtrainer Bryan Wagner is quitea character in his own regard.

Standing in front of agroup of loggers in a classroomor in the woods, Wagner’s giftof gab is only matched by hisknowledge of chainsaw safety.His pronounced New Englandaccent quickly informs his au-dience that the man in front ofthem did not grow up belowthe Mason-Dixon Line, but itdoesn’t take Wagner long tosoften this distinction.

“Boys, there’s one differ-ence between a Southernredneck and a Northernredneck,” explains Wagnerwith a smirk on his face. “Weall do the same things – we

hunt, fish, trapand everythingelse, but the onlydifference is I canwrite my name inthe snow.”

And whereasL e a t h e r f a c ewielded achainsaw insearch of injuries,Wagner’s mainmission is to pre-vent injuries.Wagner hasserved as thechainsaw trainerfor Forestry Mu-tual since 1996 af-ter spendingsome 18 years asa timber cutter inupstate NewYork.

Working forAttica Package,Wagner was ex-posed to logger

Bryan Wagner of Forestry Mutual detailssome safety tips during a training session.

n a stronglyworded opinion,the United StatesDistrict Court inSouthern Florida

rejected a second attempt byplaintiffs’ attorneys to bring aclass action lawsuit againstHome Depot challenging thesafety of wood treated withchromated copper arsenate(CCA).

The case, Jacobs v. Os-

mose, was originally broughtagainst several CCA manufac-turers, retailers of CCA-treated wood and others.

The first attempt to grantthe case class action status oc-curred in February 2003, andit was denied by the Court. Infact, in the course of oral ar-gument, plaintiffs concededthat there have only been ahandful of personal injurycases filed involving these

products. Soon thereafter, alldefendants, except Home De-pot were dismissed.

No court has ever givenclass action status to a casechallenging the safety of CCA-treated wood. In rejecting theplaintiffs’ arguments onceagain, Judge DonaldMiddlebrooks wrote, “to al-low the matter to proceed as aclass action would be futile.”

NCFA CAMPS COMING UP THIS FALLhe NCFA’s For-estry and Environ-mental Campprogram is sched-uled for camps in

Wilkesboro on September 15-19th, Asheville on September23-25th and Wilmington onOctober 20-24th.

The camp teaches practicalapplication of math, scienceand critical thinking skills

Tthrough a series of hands-onlessons and competitions. Thestudents will learn about landmeasurement, silviculture,ecology, wildlife, dendrology,tree measurement and forestproducts and history.

The camps are an impor-tant element of the NCFA’seducation initiative, raisingthe awareness and under-standing of the state’s forests

and the forest products indus-try. Each year, the NCFAreaches over 3,000 middleschool students through thesecamps.

All instructors at thecamps receive Category 3 CFEcredits. If you would like tovolunteer for one of thecamps, please contact JenniferGrantham at (800) 231-7723.n

(continued on page 6)

“This ruling is a major vindication for thetreated wood industry. This decision is asevere blow to those who have been tryingto make CCA the next asbestos, and toalarm the public to a threat which simplydoes not exist.” - Jim Hale, executivedirector of the Wood Preservative ScienceCouncil, on the Home Depot decision.

2N O R T H C A R O L I N A F O R E S T R Y A S S O C I A T I O N www.ncforestry.org AUGUST 2003

Jack SwannerChairman of the Board

Bob SchaeferPresident

Jim WelbornPresident Elect-Treasurer

Larry TombaughFirst Vice President

R.C. KingEastern Vice President

NCFA EXECUTIVECOMMITTEE

Chip MillerPiedmont Vice PresidentDale ThrashWestern Vice PresidentGeorge PaceChairman of the BoardForestry Mutual InsuranceCo.Bob SlocumExecutive Vice President

NCFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TreeLine is the monthly newsletter of the North CarolinaForestry Association, 1600 Glenwood Ave., Suite I, Raleigh,NC 27608. Telephone (919) 834-3943 or (800) 231-7723. Fax(919) 832-6188. News items and photographs should besent to the TreeLine Editor by the first business day of themonth for publication the following month. The NCFA, thestate’s oldest conservation organization, is a private, non-profit partnership of forest managers, landowners, mill op-erators, loggers, furniture manufacturers and others con-cerned about the long-term health and productivity of thestate’s forest resources and the industries they support.

Stan AdamsKenny Allen

Ray AllenMark Barford

Dianne BeasleyNat Black

Art CooperRandy Denman

Coleman DoggettAnn Duff

Carroll EdwardsRandall EllerTom Ellis, Jr.

Bob EmoryCharles Green

David GuggenheimSteve HensonWayne Horn

Carl JessupCharles Jones

Ed KesslerR.C. King

Ed ListermanBill Lock

Parker LumpkinChip Miller

Larry NielsenTommy NorrisJon OrtSteve OwenDan OwensDonna PerisonBarbara PerryBob PippenPat PowellJohn RameyJim ReavisGene RobbinsCliff SextonJim ShotwellJerry SmathersDennis StoneJack SwannerBob ThomasDale ThrashTucker VeachGlen WatkinsJim WellbornJo Ann WhiteStephen WhitfieldMark WisemanDave Woodmansee

STATE LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS...ANOTHER GOOD YEAR FOR FORESTRY INTERESTS

OThe NCFA will once again offer hunting lease liabil-ity insurance for 2003. The policy will run fromAugust 1, 2003 to July 31, 2004. The insurance isdesigned to offer liability insurance to both a land-owner and hunt club(s). The landowner and the

hunt club(s) must be members of the NCFA in good standing.The membership fee for hunt clubs is $55.00 while the land-

owner membership fee is $40.00 plus two cents per acre over500 acres. The hunting lease liability insurance rate is 25 centsper acre. The liability limits are as follows: Bodily Injury -$1,000,000; General Aggregate - $2,000,000; Fire Damage Liabil-ity - $100,000 and Medical Payment - $1,000.

The application form is available on the NCFA’s websiteunder the ‘programs’ button or the ‘more information’ buttonin the landowners section (www.ncforestry.org/docs/Land-owners/more_info/index.htm). For any additional questions,please contact Deborah Tilley at the NCFA office at (800) 231-7723.n

HUNTING LEASE LIABILITYINSURANCE EXPANDS TO

INCLUDE SOUTH CAROLINAAND VIRGINIA

USDA SAYS IT WILL RETAIN ROADLESS RULERELIEF PROVISIONS PROPOSED

I

n Sunday, July 20th, the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned for 2003. How-ever, it’s likely that they will come back in session later this year to deal with re-districting and draw new legislative district maps. In many ways the 2003 sessionwas a session of firsts. It was the first time that the House was ruled by Co-Speak-ers. It was the first time (at least in a long time) that both Houses produced a budget

by June. It also was the first time that the House generally dictated the legislative agenda.The NCFA made sure that

the various tree ordinance billsthat were introduced to give cer-tain municipalities the authorityto develop tree protection ordi-nances contained an exemptionfor normal forestry activities car-ried out under a managementplan prepared by a forester or onland enrolled under the use-valuetax program (H.516, H.517 andH.679).

We were part of a broad busi-ness coalition that successfullypushed for changes to the stateAdministrative Procedures Actthat makes it more difficult foragencies and regulatory bodies toenact temporary rules without ju-dicial and legislative oversight(H.1151).

This same coalition success-fully blocked proposed legisla-tion that would have increasedworkers compensation insurancerates by dramatically increasingthe payment schedule.

Finally, the NCFA joined with the North Carolina Ports Authority to successfully support a 60-month extension of the state ports tax credit program (H.1294). This provides an incentive toNorth Carolina companies that import or export through North Carolina ports.

The General Assembly was unable to agree on both a legislative studies bill and an appoint-ments bill. The studies bill impacts what legislative studies would take place between now and thenext session of the General Assembly that is scheduled to begin in May of 2004. The appointmentsbill affects appointments by the House and Senate to various boards and commissions such as theEnvironmental Management Commission or the Wildlife Resources Commission. As it standsnow, the Governor may appoint individuals to these Boards/Commissions, but only when one ofthe member’s term has expired. He may appoint only someone recommended by either the Co-Speakers of the House or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. He may also let these individu-als continue to serve until replaced.

Also there was good news on the appropriations side. Thanks to the hard work of DianneBeasley, Assistant State Forester, funding was restored to the Forest Development Program and tothe Division of Forest Resource’s operating budget.

This past year proved to be a pretty good year in the legislature for forestry, particularly inlight of the severe budget problems faced by the state. Much of the credit goes to the many of youwho called, e-mailed or wrote your legislators on these issues. The 2004 session of the GeneralAssembly will begin in May, 2004.n

n early June, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said the U.S. Department of Ag-riculture will retain the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule) adoptedduring the Clinton Administration. The rule set aside more than 58 million acres offederal forestland identified as “roadless.” As part of this announcement, the Depart-ment of Justice announced that the State of Alaska agreed to settle its legal challenge to

the application of the 2001 rule in Alaska.“We will move forward with a responsible and balanced approach that protects the envi-

ronment and is responsive to the needs of rural communities,” Veneman said. “We are committedto maintaining the character of designated, authentic roadless areas.”

The Forest Service will propose for public review an amendment to the rule to identifyhow Governors may seek relief from exceptional circumstances, such as to protect public healthand safety or reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical wildlife habitat. These exceptionswill clarify and augment exceptions already present in the rule. The rule would remain unchangedin states where Governors choose not to seek relief for exceptional circumstances.

(l-r) NCFA Executive Vice President Bob Slocum poses with Rep.Leo Daughtry (R-District 28) and Rep. Bill Daughtridge (R-

District 25) at the NCFA’s Forestry Day in the Legislature thispast year. Rep. Daughtridge is also a NCFA member.



SENATE AGRICULTURECOMMITTEE APPROVES

HEALTHY FORESTSINITIATIVE

O

he Citizens for a Sound Economy’s Healthy forestSummit scheduled for July 26, 2003 was postponeduntil the fall due to some scheduling conflicts withspeakers. A new date has yet to be announced. Thesummit will feature local, regional and federal ex-

perts to discuss President George Bush’s Healthy Forests Initia-tive and will be held at the McDowell County Senior Center inMarion, North Carolina.

The Healthy Forests Summit will discuss core componentsof the National Fire Plan’s 10-year Comprehensive Strategy andImplementation Plan. This plan establishes a framework for pro-tecting communities and the environment through local collabo-ration on thinning, planned burns, forest restoration projects andprotection against insects.

It is important for all individuals who are interested in es-tablishing forest policy that is based on sound science be presentat this meeting. Call 1-888-446-5273 for more information or goonline at www.cse.org.n

HEALTHY FOREST SUMMITPOSTPONED TO FALL

T

O

T

n July 24th, the Senate Agriculture Committee votedto approve and report out HR 1904, the HealthyForests Restoration Act.

The approved bill contains some differenceswith the House version but the fundamental pro-

visions remain intact. The Committee agreed to hold off on allamendments until floor consideration of the bill this fall. Sena-tor Leahy remarked that he will be introducing another alterna-tive before the August recess that will set up priorities withinthe eligible projects to ensure the highest priorities receive at-tention as soon as possible.n

n July 14th U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmerstruck down the Clinton-era policy that blockeddevelopment on nearly a third of national forests.The judge said officials had improperly desig-nated wilderness areas. Brimmer’s ruling was the

second injunction issued by a federal judge against the roadlessrule. The first, in 2001, was overturned in December by the SanFrancisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The currentcase is before the Denver-based 10th Circuit.

The decision — which is subject to appeal — prevents therule from being applied in any of the 38 states that have desig-nated roadless areas. The rule had blocked road-building andother development in 58.5 million acres of remote forests, mostlyin the West. The July 14th ruling was the most serious amongseveral setbacks suffered by the roadless rule in recent weeks.

A day after the decision, the Bush administration formallyproposed exempting the nation’s two largest federal forests fromthe roadless policy. The plan would settle a lawsuit brought byAlaska and allow logging and other development in nearly ahalf-million acres of the vast Tongass and Chugach forests, con-sidered by many the crown jewels of the National Forest Sys-tem.

Two days later, the Republican-controlled House defeatedan amendment that would have blocked the Alaska settlementand prevented the Bush administration from allowing gover-nors to request exemptions to the roadless rule.

The timber industry and Republican lawmakers hailed thedevelopments, saying that common-sense land managementappeared to be prevailing over what they called the environ-mental extremism of the Clinton administration.

“The roadless rule would arbitrarily fence off land and throwaway the keys,” said Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., chairman ofthe House Resources Committee, which oversees land use is-sues.

MORE SET-BACKS FORROADLESS RULE


he July 29th Federal Register publishes the final Forest Service regulation establishedthree new Categorical Exclusions (CE’s) from National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) documentation for limited timber harvests. These three CE’s are: allows har-vest of live trees not to exceed 70 acres, allows salvage of dead and dying trees not toexceed 250 acres, requiring no more that 1/2 mile of temporary road construction and

allows removal of any trees necessary to control the spread of insects and disease on no more that250 acres—allows removal of both infested and adjacent live un-infested trees when needed tocontrol.

The Forest Service received over 16,700 comments on the draft rule published in January, anda good share came from the forest products industry as part of postcard and e-mail campaigns.

You can access the final rule at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-19190.pdfn

LIMITED TIMBER HARVEST CATEGORICALEXCLUSION FINALIZED

ontrolling acci-dents within thescope of dailyoperations iscertainly an on-

going challenge for businessowners or safety personnelwithin the company. Thereare many areas that presentthe possibility that an accidentmight occur. Most of theseareas involve operations atthe company’s physical loca-tion; however, the deliverysite is a location that is fre-quently overlooked.

The delivery site offers aunique set of challenges forcontrolling accidents. Be-cause these operations takeplace away from thecompany’s physical location,they are somewhat out of thedirect control of those indi-viduals charged with assuringsafe operating procedures. Inmany cases, safe operatingprocedures do not even ad-dress operations off site.

The fact is that many ac-cidents take place at this time.Accidents associated with de-livery operations represent asignificant number of acci-dents within the overall losshistory for a company. Theseaccidents are not only fre-quent but they are, in toomany cases, severe. In orderto control these accidents, it isimportant to first recognizethat this exposure exists andaddress safety considerationsthat will help prevent acci-dents.

In considering drivers,the company must assure thatonly responsible, properlytrained, and experienceddrivers will be operating thebusiness vehicles. Pre-em-

UNLOADING DELIVERIESBy Mark J Boyles, Technical Service RepresentativePennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company

ployment screening is a veryuseful tool in determiningthis. Drug testing as well asbackground checks will helpassure responsible individu-als will be operating yourequipment. Check the expe-rience of the individual. Doesthis person have adequateexpertise to perform the de-livery safely? ALL DRIVERSARE NOT INTERCHANGE-ABLE! Don’t assume that anygiven driver is familiar withall the safety considerations ofevery type of delivery vehicle.The company must assurethat only qualified drivers/operators are operating theparticular delivery vehicle.

Each delivery site maypresent different circum-stances. Delivery locationscan vary from another retaillocation to a raw job site.Safety procedures need to beestablished by the companyto address these different cir-cumstances and the driversneed to be charged with com-pliance to these safety proce-dures. Consider some of thefollowing:Ø Insure proper location andplacement of the delivery ve-hicle to assure adequate clear-ance of other vehicles andobstacles.Ø Assure adequate founda-tion for the delivery vehicle.Take note of thin concrete orsoft ground. These can causethe vehicle to shift.Ø Allow adequate clearancearound the delivery vehicle.Road hazard markers such ascones may need to be usedwhen located in a traffic area.Ø Load placement, althoughpossibly directed by the cus-tomer, must only be in a safe

location, on solid ground andclear of creating an obstacle fortraffic or pedestrians, and beplaced in a manor that does notrisk shifting or falling over.Ø Boom operations present themost significant exposure foraccidents. The operator musthave completed the requiredsafety training for such equip-ment. The boom needs to beproperly maintained.Outriggers need to be placedon secure foundation. Properclearance must be maintainedfrom overhead power lines,trees, and structural obstacles.Load placement is critical. Thedrop site must be secure andable to support the load. Ifthere is any doubt on the partof the driver, the load shouldnot be placed there. Elevatedplacement (such as rooftops) isextremely dangerous. Place-ment to these areas should beavoided. Truss placement toany area other than groundlevel is not recommended!Ø Arrival and departure activ-ity may require the assistanceof another individual. It maybe necessary to have a respon-sible person direct the deliveryvehicle into place as well as de-parting the site. Controllingtraffic or maneuvering ob-stacles is required in many in-stances. Get assistance!

Take a look at yourcompany’s accident history.You may be surprised at thenumber of losses associatedwith your delivery operations.These may result in auto claimsas well as general liabilityclaims. In either case, theseaccidents have a significantimpact on your bottom line.Not only are insurance costs(continued on page 6)

C


he NCFA’s Safety, Logging and Transportation Commit-tee has selected a site in Vass, North Carolina on the PaulBurn’s property for the 2003 Carolina Log’n Demo andForestry Show which will take place on Saturday, Sep-tember 20, 2003.

In 2001, over 1,300 people passed through the gates of the CarolinaLog’ n Demo & Forestry Show on the family farm of Fred Taylor, owner ofTroy Lumber Company and a NCFA member. Some 50 exhibitors displayed their latest lines of

equipment, accessories and services. Gates opened at 7:00 a.m. andthe show wrapped up by 4:00 p.m. Patrons were able to see thelatest in logging equipment including trucks, safety equipment, trail-ers, chain saws, cleaning equipment and supplies and custom ap-parel with accessories. This year’s show promises to be just asexciting. Visit www.ncforestry.org for details.n

SITE SELECTED FOR CAROLINALOG’N DEMO

T

Map of Log’N Demo Site

The Carolina Log’ N Demo andForestry Show attracted morethan 1,300 visitors in 2001.

D

North Carolina’s Chainsaw Man...(from page 1)


safety training through his in-volvement with the New YorkLogger Training Committee(NYLTC). Wagner, who is aformer board member andpresident of the NYLTC,graduated from SorenEriksson’s Game of Logging,which is a hands-on trainingprogram that emphasizes theopen face cut technique.

It was Wagner’s first real-ization about Eriksson’s pro-gram – that his productionimproved by employingproper felling techniques –that really sold him on thewhole principle of incorporat-ing safety and proper tech-nique into his daily workschedule.

“I was paid 100% on aproduction pay scale,” ex-plained Wagner. “The more Icut, the more I made. This iswhere the training reallyhelped me. It picked up myproduction. By using propertechnique, I wasn’t makingmistakes. I wasn’t gettingtrees hung up. I wasn’t get-ting my saw stuck. My direc-tional felling improved so Icould drop trees in one spotfor the skidder. That’s why Ireally grabbed it.”

He not only grabbed it,but he picked it up and took it

south to North Carolina.Wagner was approached bythe North Carolina ForestryAssociation Self-InsurersFund, which is now ForestryMutual, to start a training pro-gram in North Carolina thatwould reduce the amount ofclaims that were generatedfrom the logging field.

“At the time,” statedWagner, “out of all the lossesbeing paid out, logging ac-counted for 61% of the claimslosses. Historically, the log-ging was where the moneywas going out of the com-pany.”

Hired to address loggingsafety, Wagner set out as afull-time chainsaw trainer toensure that all North Carolinaloggers improved their safetyawareness and techniques.

“Forestry Mutual’s losscontrol effort is based on asimple principle – reducerisk,” explained Wagner.“The more you can slowthings down out here in thewoods, the less risk you arelooking at. The open face tech-nique which stresses a con-trolled release lets you achievethis.”

Wagner teaches the openface technique when fellingtrees. The open face technique

is a five-step procedure thatcombines basic safety skillsand sawing techniques. Thefollowing is a breakdown ofthe five-steps: 1) Check foroverhead hazards 2) Check/Evaluate the lean on the tree3) Plan an escape route 4) Cal-culate the hinge thickness 5)Make the proper back-cut.

Wagner emphasizes thecontrolled release back-cut. Itcalls for the timber cutter tomake a bore cut into the treeto create hinge wood, which isa small portion of wood acrossthe diameter of the tree that isnot cut. This hinge wood actslike any hinge, holding thetree to a controlled course onits way to the ground. Thecutter then cuts towards theback of the tree. The tree willremain stable until the ‘trig-ger’, which is the remainingfiber at the back of the cut, issevered. This allows the tim-ber cutter more time to escapewhen the tree begins to fall.

This cut also leaves a sig-nature stump that Wagnerand Forestry Mutual field rep-resentatives are trained to de-tect. Since a proper back-cutleaves hinge wood, all stumpscut in this manner shouldshow a narrow line of wood

oes it reallymatter? Everyyear, manyworkers aredisabled or fa-

tally injured because thewheels of trailers and pow-ered industrial trucks (fork-lifts, frontend loaders,skidders, fellerbuncher, etc.)were not properly chocked orblocked. A number of theseaccidents occurred in our for-est products industry. All ofthem occurred because of im-proper work practices.

An essential part of a safeworking environment is theproper design and mainte-nance of equipment, includingchocks and blocks. Manyrollaway accidents are causedby an operator’s failure tochock the wheels. In some in-stances, their own rigs crushdrivers; while in others pow-ered industrial truck (PIT) op-erators are disabled because atrailer rolled away from adock or forklifts rolling oroverturning on an inclined ter-rain.

A trailer at a dock mustalways be properlychocked. PIT opera-tors should never entera trailer without firstverifying that it hasbeen chocked. Like-wise, never leave anunattended PIT on aninclined terrain with-out chocking thewheels.

The purpose ofthe chock is to pin thewheels and hold themstationary. Therefore,the rearmost axle on atandem-axle trailershould be chocked.The force of the fork-lift entering the trailer exertsa downward force, helping topin the wheels more than if thefront axle is chocked. If thefront axle is chocked, some-times the forward motion of aforklift entering a trailer canmove the chock forward, al-lowing the trailer to pick upmomentum and jump thechock.

Platform parking areasshould be equipped withwheel chocks that can keepvehicles from moving whilebeing loaded or unloaded, es-pecially if forklift trucks areused. Chocks should be avail-

able at all times, fastened totheir respective dock, andstored properly.

Equally important isblocking or securing freightinside trailers and outside forlog hauling operations. Thispractice lessens the chance ofa load shift, which can cause atrailer to turn over or damagematerials. The principle usedin chocking, securing to pre-vent movement, is also usedin blocking. To prevent anymovement, it is necessary toproperly block loads. Cargostraps around log hauling op-erations, steel bands aroundlumber stacks, and polyure-thane plastics securing furni-ture parts are all forms ofblocking practices that insuresafe shipment of wood andwood products but more im-portantly the safety to yourdrivers.

Enforcing proper chock-ing and blocking techniqueswill build a safer working en-vironment and assure thesafety of your employees.Properly training employees isthe sole responsibility of the

employer. Being aware of thehazard(s) associated withloading/unloading trailersand powered industrial trucksis essential. Through propertraining and enforcement ofsafe working practices, em-ployees are more productive,attentive, and safety con-scious. Moreover, employeeswill leave work as they ar-rived, safe and secure, that’swhat matters most.

For more information orto schedule training, call 800-849-7788.n

$AFETY PAY$

CHOCKING/BLOCKINGBy Jim McCraney


sures have done to survive in this globaleconomy. Blanton Godfrey will share thesuccess stories from the textile industry,highlighting what changes that industryhas undergone to be more competitive.Art Raymond will follow with a perspec-tive from the furniture industry, detail-ing how those companies that continueto be successful have altered their busi-ness operations. Finally, KellyMcCloskey will explain the role theWood Promotion Network is playing inraising the profile of wood products.WPN is the first consolidated effort bythe industry to promote wood as thechoice raw material for consumersthrough a national advertising campaign.

The Outlast portion will seek to for-ward recommendations on how compa-nies can be competitive in this new globalmarket. David Ashcraft will share hisfindings and recommendations from a recently completed joint report of the for-est products industry in North Carolina. Ashcraft, in conjunction with the NCFA,gathered the information for this report by completing three information ses-sions with NCFA members and spending considerable time collecting data onthe industry through the North Carolina Industries of the Future program. Thefinal segment of the day will feature the leadership of the North Carolina GeneralAssembly. Co-Speakers of the House of Representatives Jim Black and RichardMorgan and Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight have been invited toshare their views on the findings and recommendations in the NCFA’s report.

During the speakers’ presentations, there will be an opportunity for spousesand guests to enjoy the Wilmington scenery with a tour of Poplar Grove Planta-tion. The NCFA will also be conducting a silent auction that benefits the PublicEducation Initiative from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Thursday.

That evening, the NCFA will host a “Casino Night” that will include a deejayand dancing. Members will be able to play a variety of games, and the top win-ners will be able to bid on prizes with their winnings at the end of the night.

The 2003 meeting will conclude on Friday morning with the awards banquetwhich will feature an address from State Treasurer Richard Moore, who is a NCFAmember. Moore will provide insight to the economic health of North Carolinaand share his views on the NCFA’s report.

Meeting materials, which are currently posted on the website, will be mailedin August. The deadline for early registration is September 12, 2003.n

Learn How to be a Forestry Survivor...(from page 1)

Wednesday, October 18:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Registration Open8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Board of Directors Meeting12:30 p.m. Timber Hacker’s Golf Tournament, Magnolia Greens, Wilmington12:30 p.m. Deep Sea Fishing Trip, Winner Party Boat, Carolina Beach1:00 p.m. Sporting Clays, Honey Hill Hunting Preserve, Hallsboro4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Registration Open6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Shrimp-A-Roo on U.S.S. North CarolinaThursday, October 2 - Outplan, Outwit, Outlast7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Registration Open7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast8:00 a.m.- 8:15 a.m. Convene Meeting and Opening Comments (business attire)8:15 a.m.-8:45 a.m. Keith McGough as President Teddy Roosevelt

Outplan8:50 a.m.-9:20 a.m. Bob Slocum, NCFA9:25 a.m.-9:55 a.m. Jim McNutt, Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Mike Walden, N.C. State University10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Guest Program: Poplar Grove Plantation Tour10:30 a.m.-10:50 a.m. Break

Outwit10:55 a.m.-11:25 a.m. Blanton Godfrey, N.C. State University11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Art Raymond, A.G. Raymond & Company12:00 p.m. Adjourn General Session I12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Lunch on Your Own2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m. Kelly McCloskey, Wood Promotion Network

Outlast2:50 p.m.-3:20 p.m. David Ashcraft, N.C. State University3:25 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Legislative Address (invited) from Marc Basnight, Jim Black,

Richard Morgan4:30 p.m. Adjourn General Session II6:30 p.m. President’s Reception/Casino Night with DeejayFriday, October 38:00 a.m. NCFA Annual Awards Banquet with address from

Richard Moore, State Treasurer (business attire)10:30 a.m. Adjourn 2003 Annual Meeting

AGENDA FOR 2003 ANNUAL MEETING

Keith McGough, the creator of TheodoreRoosevelt Today, will open the Thursday

morning speaking program.

Pombo called the roadless rule a“don’t touch” management plan thatalso would block recreation activitiesand prohibit needed forest mainte-nance to prevent catastrophic wild-fires.

Environmentalists describe themoves as a threat that could perma-nently alter the landscape of thenation’s forests.

“Ultimately the fate of the roadlessrule is not resting in the hands of thefederal courts; rather it is in the handsof the Bush administration,” said Rob-ert Vandermark, co-director of the

Heritage Forest Campaign, an environ-mental advocacy group.

Mark Rey, the Agricultureundersecretary who oversees the For-est Service, said critics were, as usual,overreacting.

The Tongass settlement wouldmaintain existing protections on 95percent of the 17 million acre forest,Rey said, with only about 300,000 acresopened to development.

“The . . . National Wildlife Federa-tion ought to make me a conservation-ist of the year,” said Rey.n

More setbacks for Roadless Rule...(from page 3)

hen Wayne Hoskinsof Gator Wood, In-corporated in Wilsonwas challenged bythe city of Apex on

the validity of his company’s right toharvest timber on a tract of land, hewas forced to look for some backupsupport. Hoskins originally movedonto the landowner’s tract with theknowledge that local ordinance ex-empted the tree harvesting as part of aforestry activity. Unfortunately, anApex city employee did not believe thisto be the case.

Hoskins called the NCFA, and Ex-ecutive Vice President Bob Slocum metwith Hoskins and Apex officials in anattempt to resolve the situation. Withina week, Gator Wood was back on thetract.

Following the resolution, Hoskinssent a thank you letter to the NCFA.An excerpt of that letter reads:

“The last thing we wanted to do at thispoint was to cause a fight with the city ofApex that could potentially cause future,

more restrictive regulations concerningforestry practices in our industry. How-ever, we did expect the city to follow theU.D.O they set forth. At the time, we felthelpless: small business vs. big city offi-cials. That is when you and the NCFAstepped in, and within a week we were har-vesting again. Without your help wewould still be battling the permitting pro-cess and could potentially have incurred alarge financial loss. You and the NCFAacted quickly and professionally on ourbehalf...I now realize how important it isfor everyone in our industry as well as pri-vate landowners to be financially support-ive members of the NCFA. Joining forcesis the only way we can guarantee the fu-ture survivability of our industry. I wantto again thank you for your time and ef-fort. I am sending a $500.00 check to theNCFA Legal Defense Fund.”

The NCFA would like to remindall its members that they should neverhesitate to call the office (800) 231-7723if they need assistance with a forestryissue.n

GATOR WOOD GETS BACK ON TRACT THANKS TO NCFA

W

NORTH CAROLINA TREE FARMPROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW

n July, the North Caro-lina Tree Farm programheld an organizationalmeeting at the office ofthe North Carolina Farm

Bureau. After being inactive for nearlyten years, the double-W team of DaveWoodmansee and Al Weller has suc-cessfully resurrected the program overthe past three years by updating themailing list, recruiting district coordi-nators and training inspectors.

The first challenge was re-estab-lishing a chain of communication bytrying to contact former tree farmersfrom a list of 3,000 people that was lastupdated in the early 1990’s. Thus far,the North Carolina Tree Farm programhas received some 800 responses frompeople who want to remain in the pro-gram. The program has also receivedcommitments from more than 50 newlandowners to become tree farmers.Secondly, all 13 district coordinatorpositions have been filled. These dis-tricts mirror the districts defined by theNorth Carolina Division of Forest Re-

sources. Finally, roughly 300 forestershave been trained to serve as inspec-tors for the program.

Woodmansee is pleased with whathis small committee has achieved thusfar, however, he is eager to spread theword among landowners that NorthCarolina’s Tree Farm program is back,better than ever, ready to serve thefamily tree farmer.

“No one who wants to be, andqualifies as a tree farmer in North Caro-lina, will be left behind,” statedWoodmansee. “That is our emphasis.”

The American Tree Farm Systemremains a unique entity by today’sstandards because there is no cost tothe landowner for enrolling in the pro-gram. A certified Tree Farm inspectorwill conduct the survey free of charge,updating or creating a managementplan for the landowner which is an es-sential element of the program.

If you would like more informa-tion on the NC Tree Farm program,contact Al Weller at (252) 948-2744.n

I


Roadless Rule...(from page 2)

VOLUNTARY TRUCK INSPECTIONSPROGRAM MADE TWO STOPS IN JULY

T

Unloading Deliveries...(from page 3)

Relief for exceptional circumstances identified in the pro-posed rule would be limited to:® Protecting human health and safety.® Reducing hazardous fuels and restoring essential wildlife

habitats.®Maintaining existing facilities such as dams, or to provide rea-

sonable access to private property or privately owned facili-ties.

®Making technical corrections such as boundary adjustmentsto remove existing roaded areas.

® Exceptions would be prohibited in critical areas such as:National Monuments, National Recreation Areas, WildernessStudy Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Scenic andHistoric Trails and Research Natural Areas.

® Critical roadless habitat for species listed under the Endan-gered Species Act.

® Roadless habitat for other species of concern identified throughNational Forest Management Act regulations.

® Areas of ecological concern such as karsts topography identi-fied in needing protection under the Federal Cave ProtectionAct.

® Sites listed under the National Historic Preservation Act.® Sites identified through consultation with Federally Recog-

nized Tribes under the Indian Religious Freedom Act.® Critical watersheds identified through forest plans for roadless

status.This decision follows the completed evaluation of comments

received on a July 10, 2001 Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Mak-ing for a new Roadless Rule and the recent Ninth Circuit Court ofAppeals decision upholding the rule.

The settlement of the State of Alaska’s case resolves litiga-tion over the application of the Roadless Rule in Alaska. TheState challenged the application of the rule as violating, amongother laws, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act(ANILCA) and said that the economic and social needs of thestate and its people would be jeopardized if the Roadless Rulewere implemented.

Under the agreement, the vast majority of the Alaska Na-tional Forests will remain off limits to development. Timberharvests will be prohibited on more than 95 percent of AlaskaNational Forests as required under existing forest plans.

The settlement will maintain existing protections on 15.6million acres of the 16.9 million acres in the Tongass NationalForest. It will make available for forest management approxi-mately 300,000 roadless acres identified as suitable for harvestin the approved forest plan.

The Forest Service expects to complete the proposed rule bySeptember, 2003.n

reflected in this history, but significant additional expenses tothe company are incurred.

Your customers will respect and appreciate your expertiseand professionalism in the delivery process. Initiative in safetyrelating to the delivery process is a benefit to all concerned.

Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company isthe “Endorsed Carrier” for the NCFA Safety Group DividendPlan open to qualified members of the North Carolina ForestryAssociation. For more information on joining this program,contact Ellen McGurrin at 1-800-752-1895 or via e-mail [email protected]

he North Carolina SFI Implementation Committeeestablished a new toll free number (1-877-271-6531)to report forestry activities that do not comply withthe SFI standard. The program’s monitor, SteveDaniels, of Daniels Consulting Forestry, will inves-

tigate all complaints.The overall purpose of the Inconsistent Practices Process is

to investigate, resolve and record practices reported to be incon-sistent with the SFI Standard. The NC-SFI Committee is also inthe process of drafting plans to advertise the Inconsistent Prac-tices Process and increase awareness of the process among re-source professionals and the general public.n

NC-SFI TOLL FREEPHONE NUMBER

T

REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING AHAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGISTRATION

By Jo Ann White, Arrants Trucking

A

In his earlier decision to deny class action, Judge Middlebrooks cited a previous court orderby the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which stated, “not every mass tort isthe next asbestos.”

“This ruling is a major vindication for the treated wood industry,” said Jim Hale, executivedirector of the Wood Preservative Science Council (WPSC). This decision is a severe blow to thosewho have been trying to make CCA the next asbestos, and to alarm the public to a threat whichsimply does not exist.”n

Class Action Lawsuit Against Home Depot in CCA Case...(from page 1)

he NCFA teamed up withmember companies and thethe North Carolina State High-way Patrol Motor Carrier En-forcement Section to conduct

two voluntary truck inspections in the statein July. On July 23rd, the NCFA welcomedtrucks at Weyerhaeuser’s facility in NewBern. A week earlier, a voluntary truckinspection was held on July 16th atShuford’s Country Store in Old Fort.

Since 1997, over 1,000 trucks have beeninspected through this program.

The NCFA appreciates all the effortsof the volunteers who made the programstops in New Bern and Old Fort extremelysuccessful.n

Dara Demi, the weekend anchor at WCTI News 12,interviews a member of the NC State Highway Patrolduring the voluntary truck inspection in New Bern.

nyone transporting liquids (as listed in the hazardous materials table) as bulk con-tainers with the capacity of 119 gallons or more must register with the Research andSpecial Programs Division (RSPD) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra-tion (FMCSA). Diesel fuel, either off road or highway, is a class III combustible –hazardous material. Skid tanks and other tanks whether hauled on trailers, in backs

of pickups, on loader frames, haul units or log trailers are subject to these regulations as bulkcontainers if the tank capacity is over 119 gallons. It does not matter whether a given tank is full ornot.

IMPORTANT CHECKLIST:n Any hazardous material that exceeds 119 gallons must be placarded.n Placards must be on the container being transported.n A CDL (class A, B or C) with a Hazmat Endorsement is required if the material has to beplacarded. All DOT commercial driver file records including health card, drug test results, etc.are required.n The size and type of the transport vehicle is irrelevant. If a placard is involved you musthave a CDL and Hazmat Endorsement.n A driver must also have a tanker endorsement if the material exceeds 1,000 gallons.n A hazmat registration must accompany the driver and must be accessible at all times.n Shipping papers must be present.n A MSDS sheet on the material being transported must be present.n Emergency response guide in cab – a guidebook for the driver.

The hazmat registration cost is $150.00 yearly or payment may be made for a three-year term.The registration year runs from July 1, through June 30, of the next year. To register on line, go tohttp://hazmat.dot.gov/register.htm You can register by phone at: 1-800-942-6990. A certificate ofregistration with the current registration number will be sent to you. On the application, you willbe asked to provide a six-digit NAICS number. The NAICS number for timber harvesting is113310. This number is a classification group code registered with the Small Business Administra-tion. You can check the SBA website for a complete listing of codes and size standards. The sitecan be accessed by going to: http://www.sba.gov/size/SIC2NAICSmain.html

Agency source of information: http://hazmat.dot.gov For questions about Hazardous Mate-rials Registration requirements call the Hazardous Materials Center at 1-800-467-4922 E-mailquestions to [email protected] Commercial sources of information: J.J. Keller at http://www.jjkeller.com or 1-800-327-1342 Labelmaster at http://www.labelmaster.com or 1-800-621-5808. Driver initial training is also required for the transportation of hazardous materials includ-ing placarding, shipping papers and spill response. These materials for training can be obtained atthe agency and government sites listed above.

The N.C. Forestry Association provides hazmat awareness training through the DOT Compli-ance Workshop offered through the N.C. Community College System. Contact the NCFA [email protected] or call 1-800-231-7723


IMPORTANT DATESSeptember 19-20, 2003 - Carolina Log’N Demo

October 1-3, 2003 - Annual Meeting in Wilmington

North Carolina’s Chainsaw Man...(from page 4)

Member .......................................... City, State ................................................ SponsorColey Logging, Inc. ......................... Nashville ........................ Hodges Ins. Agency, Inc.Davis Timber Co., Inc. .................... Bladenboro ............................................SIA GroupDiversified Wood Products ............ Plymouth ................... Pennsylvania LumbermensFrame Builders, Inc. ........................ Thomasville ........................ Gladwell Ins. AgencyGarland Logging ............................ Green Mountain ....Wood Products IntermediariesJohn Gray. ....................................... Chapel Hill .............................................................Edward Harris III &Gene K. & Camille H. Cannup ....... Raleigh ...................................................................Louver Form Mfg. .......................... Climax ................................. Gladwell Ins. AgencyLoveless Logging Co., Inc. .............. Peachland ........................Aarow Insurance GroupT.D. Moore Logging ....................... Franklinton ............................Hodges Ins. AgencyEllen Parkerson ............................... Marietta, GA .................................. David JeanettePrecision Harvester, LLC ................ Elizabethtown ......... Bladen Ins. & Realty Co., Inc.Southern AccentWoodworking, Inc. ......................... Locust .................................Bear Insurance ServiceSt. Louis Crayon & Soapstone, Inc. . St. Louis, MO .........................................................

across the diameter of the stump.“The logging crew could be gone,

but we still can tell from the stumpsand even from the butt logs on the deckif the trees were properly harvested ornot,” explained Wagner.

If a forestry representative be-lieves that proper techniques are notbeing employed, Wagner is called tomeet with the crew to review the openface technique.

Since 1996, Wagner has been tak-ing his chainsaw show on the road ona regular basis through individualteaching and the North Carolina For-estry Association’s ProLogger Pro-gram. Most recently, Wagner’s loggertraining responsibilities and territoryhave grown since Forestry Mutual hasexpanded its coverage to Virginia andSouth Carolina. He also is the lead in-

structor for the NCFA-OSHA LoggingSafety Training where OSHA officersfrom North Carolina, South Carolinaand Virginia are trained.

During the days Wagner was ac-tively reaching out to loggers in thewoods, he knew he was making a dif-ference in the lives of these loggers, buthe wanted some concrete numbers tovalidate his efforts. In 2001, he ap-proached Forestry Mutual’s PresidentKeith Biggs about tracking the injuryreports over the past five years.

“Keith took the results from thefive years prior to our hands-on train-ing verses the five years that we hadthe hands-on training,” explainedWagner. “What came out of the com-puter made our mouths drop. Treerebound claims were reduced by 77%.Chainsaw kickback injuries were re-duced by 71%. All major class codeswere dropped by at least 60%.”

The figures are impressive, butBiggs, who has served in his role since1997, didn’t need to look at numberson a sheet of paper to gauge Wagner’ssuccess. He is proud of the fact thatForestry Mutual is the only insurancecompany he knows of that employs a

full-time trainer.“Bryan is excellent at what he

does,” explains Biggs. “He has the per-sonal knowledge and training to makea big difference in the lives of our poli-cyholders. Any injury he can prevent -and this has nothing to do with what itwould cost our company – is the mostimportant thing to our company. Ourpolicyholders own our company, andBryan is charged with the responsibil-ity of taking care of them.”

With a focus on safety, many log-gers have moved to more mechanizedcrews over the years in an effort toeliminate an individual with achainsaw, which is often referred to asthe man on the ground. With this ef-fort underway, does Wagner believethat he is one of a dying breed?

“The mechanized equipment isn’t

as effective on the hills and in themountain areas,” explains Wagner. “Alot of the cutting in those areas is stilldone manually with a cable skidder.What we have found is that a lot of thelogging claims are now coming frommechanized crews because they nolonger have a skilled saw person onstaff. Since they may only cut 25 treesa year by hand, the person who doesthat for them may not have the experi-ence that some others may have whodo it all the time.”

This insightful perspective comesfrom a man who has a pulse on the log-ging industry. Bryan, who resides inFarmville, NC with his wife, Lois, anddaughter, Lisa, a junior at East Caro-lina University, continues to travelwherever he is asked or wherever therisk may be without any complaints.

“For me, this is not even a job,”stated Wagner. “If I can save one per-son from getting severely injured orpossibly losing someone to a fatality,that’s what I’m going for. That’s thebottom line for me.”n

(center) Bryan Wagner demonstrates the proper felling technique to a class of OSHACompliance Officers. Wagner is a key figure in the NCFA’s logger training program,

ProLogger and other safety programs designed for loggers.

Janu

ary

2001

Tree

line

Tree

line

NO

N-P

RO

FIT

OR

GA

NIZ

ATI

ON

U.S

. PO

STA

GE

PAID

Ral

eigh

, NC

Perm

it N

o. 4

59

Aug

ust

2003

1600

Gle

nwoo

d A

ve.,

Suite

IR

alei

gh, N

C 2

7608

919-

834-

3943

/ 8

00-2

31-7

723

New

slet

ter

of

the

Nor

th C

arol

ina

For

estr

y A

ssoc

iati

onSe

ptem

ber

1La

bor D

ay (o

ffic

e cl

osed

)10

SFI-

SIC

Mee

ting

at N

CFA

off

ice

at 9

:30

a.m

.15

-19

NC

FA F

ores

try

& E

nvir

onm

enta

l Cam

p in

Wilk

esbo

ro20

Car

olin

a Lo

g’n

Dem

o23

-25

NC

FA F

ores

try

& E

nvir

onm

nent

al C

amp

inA

shev

ille

Oct

ober

1N

CFA

Boa

rd o

f Dir

ecto

rs M

eetin

g in

Wilm

ingt

on a

t 8:3

0 a.

m.

1-3

NC

FA A

nnua

l Mee

ting

in W

ilmin

gton

20-2

4N

CFA

For

estr

y &

Env

iron

men

tal C

amp

inW

ilmin

gton

29PL

T M

eeti

ng a

t NC

FA o

ffic

e at

10:

00 a

.m.

Nov

embe

r5

SFI-

SIC

Mee

ting

at N

CFA

off

ice

at 9

:30

a.m

.12

SLTC

Mee

ting

at Jo

rdan

Lum

ber

18Fo

rest

Man

agem

ent &

Env

iron

men

t Mee

ting

at N

CFA

off

ice

at 9

:30

a.m

.20

Com

mun

icat

ions

Mee

ting

at N

CFA

off

ice

at10

:00

a.m

.27

-28

Than

ksgi

ving

(off

ice

clos

ed)

Dec

embe

r24

-26

Chr

istm

as (o

ffic

e cl

osed

)

The

NC

FAco

nduc

ted

two

Vol

unta

ry T

ruck

Insp

ecti

ons i

nJu

ly, i

nclu

ding

this

one

in O

ld F

ort.

north carolina’s chainsaw man...

Documents