Loggers Garner Stewardship Honors

Crown Pacific gave out seven stewardship awards this spring to recognize good logging practices on company land.

“Our livelihood depends on being able to take some logs out of the forest, said Stieg Gabrielsen, land manager here for Crown Pacific.

“A quality logging job, done correctly, enhances most pieces of the puzzle that go into making up a forest ecosystem.”

About 100 contract loggers provide timber to Crown Pacific’s mills in Coeur d’Alene and Bonners Ferry.

Loggers were evaluated on their compliance with state forest practices acts and erosion control to prevent soil sediments from running into streams.

Judges also considered whether the loggers damaged the remaining stands of trees during harvest and the size of the logging equipment used. In general, smaller equipment is gentler on the land, Gabrielsen said.

Mike Tremholm of Laclede, Idaho, and Troy Joiner of Fernwood, Idaho, were named overall winners of the stewardship award.

Also honored were Verton Kienke of Post Falls; Rusty Young of St. Maries; Ed Burnham of Thompson Falls, Mont.; Tom and Tim Foust of Foust Inc. in Bonners Ferry; and Kelvin Horner of Elk, Wash.

The winners split $10,000 in award money.

For several years, Crown Pacific has given awards to loggers whose logs most closely matched log specifications at the mills.

Gabrielsen suggested the stewardship award, which is new this year, to recognize the contract loggers who took the best care of the land.

Declines in housing starts and slower economic growth will end a three-year run of record lumber demand, according to forecasts by the Western Wood Products Association.

Lumber demand will decline to 52.55 billion board feet this year, a 3.3 percent decline from last year’s record numbers, the Portland-based trade association said.

The association based its predictions on declining housing starts and higher interest rates. Home construction accounts for about 40 percent of lumber use annually.