LUMBERMENOnline.com’s Latest Industry News & Articles

Morbark, Inc., is pleased to announce the promotion of Larry Voelker to Vice President of Engineering and Product Development. Over the past 2½ years, Voelker has served as Director of Engineering responsible for the planning and implementation of all engineering activities and providing the strategic technical leadership in continuous improvement of equipment and process capability. Voelker commented upon receiving the promotion, “We will continue to focus on product designs driven by engineering principles and enhanced design quality, which will build on the strong legacy of high performance and durable products that Morbark is known for.” Prior to joining Morbark, Voelker’s extensive experience includes Engineering, Program and Business Manager positions at Moog – QuickSet International; IMM, Inc.; and AAR Mobility Systems. In recognition of Larry’s promotion, Jim Shoemaker Jr., Morbark President, stated, “Larry has worked tirelessly to establish a solid engineering footprint for Morbark. His leadership and technical expertise has transformed our engineering capabilities to meet the changing needs of both our valued employees and customers.”

Export sales of American softwood lumber nearly doubled in the past five years, reaching $1.1 billion and the highest level in 16 years, reports the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA). Meanwhile, exports of pressure-treated lumber, a key value-added item promoted by the association, reached an all-time sales record of $79 million in 2013. Exports have jumped sharply to regions targeted by the association’s international market development efforts, and are continuing to rise this year. “There’s no doubt that global demand for U.S. softwood lumber is on the rise, and there’s an undeniable link between rising demand and our promotional efforts,” says Richard Kleiner, SFPA’s senior director of international markets. SFPA partners with the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA) to unite the common export objectives of Southern Pine producers under the promotional banner of the Southern Pine Council (SPC). More than 60% of Southern Pine lumber products are manufactured by these SPC sawmills. For more than 30 years, SFPA has leveraged USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) grants to promote Southern Pine lumber exports. FAS-administered grants, including both the Foreign Market Development (FMD) and Market Access Program (MAP), allowing SFPA to reach emerging markets that were untapped until recently. “Many SPC operations are small to medium enterprises, many family-owned mills,” Kleiner notes. “FMD and MAP funds give these independent firms assistance needed to access new export markets,” he adds. On a cost share basis, MAP and FMD funding helps sponsor trade show exhibits and trade missions aimed at lumber importers, distributors and design-build professionals in key export markets. SFPA reports that companies participating in its FMD- and MAP-funded missions last year exported $43 million in Southern Pine lumber as a direct result of sales leads and contacts obtained at events around the globe. As a return on investment, this equates to a $42 to $1 yield – for every federal dollar spent assisting these businesses at developing export markets for Southern Pine, the U.S. exported $42. This strong return is consistent with an independent study conducted for USDA that found that between 2002 and 2009, for every additional $1 expended by government and industry on market development, U.S. food and agricultural exports increased by $35.

Wood-Mizer LLC, the world’s leading sawmill manufacturer, introduces the Green Chain, Roll Case Conveyor, and Cross Roller Table as part of their growing line of industrial material handling equipment. By expanding equipment options for material handling, Wood-Mizer is enhancing efficiency, automation, and customization for industrial sawmill operations around the world. Green Chain Loaded with extra features, the Green Chain will move sawn lumber to its destination at a controlled rate. With a deck height of 33”, the Green Chain is a three or four-strand, modular design that can be extended to 60’ using 10’ extensions. Roll Case Conveyor The powered Roll Case Conveyor facilitates the transfer of material to other operations downstream of the sawmill. The legs are adjustable from 35” up to 50” tall in order to match existing equipment and a wired remote control comes standard for optimum convenience and safety. Cross Roller Table Available for the Smart Log Processing line (SLP) and HR500 Resaw, the Cross Roller Table is a straight-forward, heavy-duty table for cross transferring boards back into the material flow for additional processing such as resawing and edging. “An efficient lumber operation only begins with the sawmill,” said Wood-Mizer Chief Operations Officer, Darryl Floyd. “By expanding our material handling equipment line, we are creating more opportunities and solutions for the efficient production of lumber in an industrial setting.” The Green Chain, Roll Case Conveyor, and Cross Roller Table will join Wood-Mizer’s industrial line of equipment which includes headrigs, resaws, edgers, and material handling equipment. Wood-Mizer’s industrial line is designed to produce accurate lumber while reducing capital, labor, material, energy, and maintenance costs. For more information on Wood-Mizer industrial equipment, visit www.woodmizer.com/industrial. ### As the leading manufacturer of portable band sawmills for more than 30 years, Wood-Mizer offers an extensive line of portable and industrial sawmill equipment. The company supports its equipment with legendary customer service, blades, and blade maintenance equipment. For more information about Wood-Mizer, call 800.553.0182 or visit www.woodmizer.com.

Crosscut Hardwoods Boosts Production with New Cooper Scragg Featuring a Cross Cut 8-12' Overhead with Faster Loading and Vertical Edgers. To view online article to go http://www.timberlinemag.com/articledatabase/view.asp?articleID=4133

S & S Manufacturing, Inc of Dorchester, Wisconsin, the parent company of Brute Force Brand firewood processors and wood stoves introduced the 18-24HD firewood processor. This compact but powerful unit produces up to 3 cords per hour and incorporates many unique innovations not found on processors at any price point. Innovations such as a round log trough that allows for larger diameter wood without an increase in overall width or weight, plus the round trough design handles the nastiest crooked wood with ease. Another is the operator controlled hydraulic conveyor system that swivels 3’ side to side to increase the stack size and reduce handling. Standard features on the Brute Force 18-24HD include; torsion axle, 3-strand hydraulic log deck and 14’ hydraulic swivel conveyor, automatic oiler that uses bar oil for increased bar life and lower cost and a powerful 35HP Kohler gas engine. Add the ergonomic control center and you have a unit that is appreciated by experienced operators and simple to learn for first time processor owners. Find out more about the Brute Force Model 18-24HD processor call 715-550-1077

BullDogg Trailers, of Wadley, Alabama recently introduced the latest log trailer to their expanding lineup. The 35’ Puppy Plantation trailer was designed from the ground up to address the issues of longer hauls of shorter tree length logs. By reducing the length and weight the Puppy Plantation trailer is able to haul more payload longer distances while reducing fuel consumption on today’s longer hauls. Guy Kelly, owner of BullDogg Trailers, a lifelong logger with over 30 years of trucking industry experience recently stated, “our new Puppy Plantation trailer is a great addition to our 40’ Plantation and Double bunk trailers bringing weight savings, strength and features to a trailer that costs thousands less than other popular brands”. Every BullDogg Trailer is handcrafted to insure top quality and attention to detail. This manufacturing method delivers a custom trailer every time, simplifies adding customer one-of requests while continuing to keep costs down. If you haven’t looked at BullDogg Trailers yet, now is the time.

Exhibitors are lining up to fill the floor at Expo 2015 – SFPA’s 33rd Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition. Noting their success at the 2013 exposition, several exhibitors have committed to larger spaces to showcase more machinery. Cone-Omega will double their exhibit space at Expo 2015. Taylor Machine Works will add 600 square feet to their exhibit. Comact Equipment US will need 400 additional square feet. Optimil, Wagner Meters, Stringer Industries, Corley Manufacturing and Oleson Saw Technology will all have a significant presence at the show. “There’s a definite uptick across industry sectors; the economy has substantially improved,” noted SFPA’s exposition director Eric Gee. “Interest in the show is also being received from several companies that have not previously participated,” he added. Hurst Boiler & Welding Company returns to the exposition. A direct mail campaign and display ads have created a positive buzz for the show, to be held June 10-12 next year at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center. The sales kit mailed to nearly 1,000 contacts includes a floor plan and the exhibit space application. All materials and details are available online at www.sfpaexpo.com. For more information about EXPO 2015, visit www.sfpaexpo.com. To receive a sales kit and exhibit space application, contact Eric Gee at 504/443-4464 (option 3), or e-mail him at egee@sfpa.org. Follow the show on Twitter: @forestprodexpo.

Fecon advances the forestry mulching industry with the addition of the FTX290 mulching tractor. The FTX290 is a low ground pressure (3.4 psi) tractor with an oscillating steel track undercarriage, providing balanced traction for rough or soft conditions. Like other Fecon tractors, the FTX290 features a spacious cab, operator comfort and ergonomic control layout as well as maintenance friendly service access. Powered by a Cummins QSC8.3 290 hp diesel, the hydraulic flow to the mulching head peaks at 100 gpm. The FTX290 features the Fecon BH120 Forestry Mulcher with variable speed motors and three optional rotor systems including Fecon’s new Depth Controls Rotor (DCR) technology. Fecon DCR rotors feature the reversible Samurai Knife. The Samurai is incorporated into a depth control design that provides fast cutting in all materials and the most efficient use of horsepower. The cutting, slicing and splitting action of the Samurai Knife as it chips is far more productive than straight edge tools or saw teeth. This productivity is further enhanced by the Fecon DCR, depth control rings providing fast cutting durability unlike other knife based rotors. The new FTX290 mid-sized crawler with the BH120 DCR forestry mulcher is the right combination of power, durability size and production capability for the larger jobs in R.O.W., urban interface and land improvement or development.

Since acquiring the Boxer® Equipment line of compact utility loaders from Mertz Manufacturing, LLC, at the end of 2012, Morbark, Inc., continues to aggressively expand its distributor network domestically and internationally. Boxer Equipment distributors signed in the past eight months are: • Austin Turf & Tractor, with three locations, in Texas and New Mexico • Buck and Knobby Equipment Co., Inc., in Ottawa Lake, Mich. • CAPS Australia PTY LTD, with two locations, in Northern Territory and Western Australia • Cardinal Equipment, with four locations, in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario • Carriere & Poirier Equipment LTD, in Alfred, Ontario, Canada • Direct Edge Inc, in La Verne, Calif. • Encon Equipment LLC, in Nicholasville, Ky. • Endraulic LTD, in Auckland, New Zealand • Goodfellow Corporation, with two locations, in Utah and Nevada • Greenman Machinery Company, with more than 100 locations throughout China • GreenWood Management LTD, in Hamilton, Bermuda • J & J Farm Sales and Service, LLC, in Muskegon, Mich. • Jacobsen West, in Grand Rapids, Mich. • James River Equipment, selling Boxer equipment in six of their locations in North Carolina • Multico (M) SDN BHD, in Malaysia • Multico Equipment & Parts PTE LTD, in Singapore • NCS Equipment Inc, with three locations in Nebraska • Nord Outdoor Power Equipment, in Bloomington, Ill. • Roman S.A., in Uruguay • Savannah Equipment Specialists, in Savannah, Ga. • Southwest Ag, Inc., in Bayfield, Colo. • Super Rafts CC, in South Africa • Tracy Power Equipment, with two locations in California • York Region Equipment Centre, with two locations in Ontario, Canada • Zerkle Diversified Enterprises, in Flat Rock, Ill. Direct Edge Inc, Encon Equipment LLC and Savannah Equipment Specialists are also authorized Morbark tree care equipment dealers; while Goodfellow Corporation, James River Equipment and Roman S.A. carry both Morbark's tree care and industrial equipment product lines; and Cardinal Equipment is an authorized industrial dealer for Morbark. A.E. Sales, Inc., Bob McClelland Sales Company and D.E. Smith Company have signed Manufacturer's Representative Agreements with Morbark to promote the Boxer line. A.E. Sales, Inc., will recruit sales to rental companies throughout the entire country of Canada; while Bob McClelland Sales Company's area of responsibility covers Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and southern Illinois; and D.E. Smith Company is responsible for promoting the line in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan, excluding Isabella County. "We're quickly expanding our Boxer distributor network around the world, adding companies that will give our customers the same high-quality service they know and expect from Morbark," said Mark Rau, Morbark Dealer Development Manager. "The Boxer product line has been a great addition to our equipment portfolio, and we're pleased to see so many companies interested in representing Boxer equipment." About Morbark: Morbark, Inc., based in Winn, Mich., builds equipment that creates opportunities in the forestry, recycling, sawmill, bio-energy and tree care markets. Innovating and manufacturing durable, high-performance equipment for more than 50 years, Morbark offers a full line of whole tree, waste wood and brush chippers, flails, horizontal and tub grinders, sawmill equipment, material handling systems and more. Morbark equipment helps customers harvest, process and convert wood and organic waste materials into valuable, useful and environmentally sound products. Visit www.morbark.com, "Like" us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. About Boxer Equipment: Boxer Equipment has three model series available: the 100 series dedicated trencher and the 300 and 500 series compact utility loaders, built to handle a full complement of more than 50 universal attachments. The Boxer's standard quick-attach system enables the user to quickly and easily switch from a bucket to forks to auger or other tools for optimum on-the-job flexibility and bottom line performance. A feature unique to the Boxer 500 series is its variable-width, rubber track undercarriage, which allows the units to enter through gates as narrow as three feet wide. For complete Boxer Equipment product information, go to www.boxerequipment.com.

The key to linear edger performance can be taken right from the machines name, in that everything needs to run on a straight line or in a “linear” fashion. While this is arguably the simplest way to handle the optimized edging process, eliminating all of the starting/stopping, grabbing and positioning that takes place between the scanning and sawing operations of a transverse edger system, linear edger users still need to keep a close eye on their edger system in order to keep things working properly. This is of course in an effort to realize the highest possible recovery of yield and value that their edging system can provide. In particular, mills should pay very close attention to: ¦ Edger infeed belt tracking, making sure that the belt tracks perfectly parallel to the edger system centerline. ¦ There are no humps or twists in the belt path that will cause the board to “walk” or “spin” on the surface of the belt. ¦ Transition areas need to be smooth and level, in particular those: Through the scan zone Between the infeed belt and the edger feed system. Saw calibration to the transfer system. After transfer systems are aligned then saw entry points that are consistent with those planned by the optimizer are established by: ¦ Calibrating one saw (usually the center saw) to the entry points desired by the optimizer. ¦ Each of the remaining saws are then calibrated by sawing more lumber and comparing the sawn piece width to the target piece width. If you need any help with this or any other type edger system maintenance, please don’t hesitate to call McDonough to schedule an appointment. If you have any maintenance tips to share or would like one answered don’t hesitate to contact McDonough today at 715-834-7755.

The NE Forest Products & Equipment EXPO Friday, May 9 & Saturday, May 10 will feature something for everyone interested in the forest products industry. The Game of Logging Nationals will test lumberjack (and JILLS TOO) skills in exciting events daily. Informational Seminars by the leading experts in their respective industry's; Logging Costs w/ Steve Bick, Vermont Forestry Viability Program w/ Ela Chapin & Ian Hartman and IT'S NOT ABOUT THE WOOD w/ Wendy Farrand of WFarrand Consulting on Saturday at 9:30AM. You may register onsite in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion. $10 Donation benefits Log-A-Load for Kids Foundation. Seminars approved for continuing education credits by your state certification/licensing programs - CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT

Winn, Mich. (May 6, 2014) - Morbark, Inc., continues to aggressively expand its dealer network domestically and internationally, signing contracts to establish nine new dealers and expand the equipment offerings of three existing dealers over the past year. New dealers Bobcat of Buffalo, Bobcat of Fort Wayne, Cubex, Ltd., Encon Equipment, Equipment Seekers, Goodfellow Corporation and Greenman Machinery Company, as well as existing Morbark industrial equipment dealer James River Equipment, became authorized dealers of Morbark tree care equipment, selling the company's heavy-duty Beever™ line of brush chippers, as well as Morbark stump grinders. New dealers Suffolk County Brake Service, Goodfellow Corporation and AfrEquip, as well as existing Morbark tree care dealers Alexander Equipment Company and Ness Turf Equipment, are now official industrial equipment dealers, handling Morbark's complete line of recycling and forestry machines, including biomass chippers, Chiparvestors®, flails and tub and horizontal grinders. The exclusive territories for these dealers are: • Bobcat of Buffalo: greater Buffalo, N.Y., area • Bobcat of Fort Wayne: Northeastern Indiana • Cubex, Ltd.: Manitoba, Quebec and Thunder Bay and west in Ontario, Canada • Encon Equipment: Lexington-Fayette, Ky., metro and surrounding areas • Equipment Seekers: Queensland, Australia • Goodfellow Corporation: Utah, Southern Idaho, and Southern and Eastern Nevada • Greenman Machinery Company: China, excluding Taiwan • James River Equipment: Western North Carolina and Chester, Lancaster and York counties in South Carolina • Suffolk County Brake Service: New York City, Long Island, and Rockland and Westchester counties of New York • AfrEquip: South Africa • Alexander Equipment Company: northern Illinois • Ness Turf Equipment: Hawaii, Guam and the following islands of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands: Rota, Tinian and Saipan "Our goal is to have the industry's best customer support, delivered locally by knowledgeable and reputable local dealers," said John Foote, V.P. of Sales & Marketing for Morbark. "To accomplish this goal we are continually looking for high-quality dealers around the world, as well as working to continuously improve our processes for assisting our dealers in delivering an exceptional sales experience, as well as superior equipment service and parts availability." About Morbark: Morbark, Inc., based in Winn, Mich., builds equipment that creates opportunities in the forestry, recycling, sawmill, bio-energy and tree care markets. Innovating and manufacturing durable, high-performance equipment for more than 50 years, Morbark offers a full line of whole tree, waste wood and brush chippers, flails, horizontal and tub grinders, sawmill equipment, material handling systems and more. Morbark equipment helps customers harvest, process and convert wood and organic waste materials into valuable, useful and environmentally sound products.