In the April 2016 edition of Southern Stumpin’, Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Managing Editor David Abbott talks about his change of plans. Abbott writes, “One of the most important things a logger needs is a good woman to put up with you.” That’s according to Mitchell Carter, featured in the story beginning on page 28 this issue. Marriage is hard, and running a small business as stressful and time-consuming as logging adds extra difficulty. Yet, some couples figure out how to how to integrate their marriage and business in such a way as to strengthen both. Well that’s the intro I had written to what I had planned to write about this month. I’ll let you in on a secret: I’ve never felt qualified to write this column. Like I tell my friend Tommy, who thinks I should write a blog—who cares what I think about anything? What do I know? With Southern Stumpin’, I never feel like I have anything to say worth saying that hasn’t been said before, and better.”

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Managing Editor David Abbott travels to Bryson City, North Carolina to visit Kirkland’s Logging, Inc. Leonard Kirkland worked the hills of western North Carolina for 40 years, healthy as an ox the entire time, according to his son Jason—or Jay, as nearly everyone calls him. The father and son duo have worked together in their company, Kirkland’s Logging, Inc., for the last twenty of those years. Like a lot of loggers, Leonard never went to the doctor and never even had health insurance—he never needed it. “When he got sick, it hit him like a ton of bricks,” Jay recalls. Leonard had known something was wrong but, for whatever reason, took his time in having it checked out. Maybe he thought it was nothing or hoped it would go away on its own. Maybe he just didn’t want to know. “It was almost too late by the time they discovered it,” his son says.

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Associate Editor Jessica Johnson has the opportunity to visit Greg King Logging in Selmer, Tennessee. Sitting on 450 acres, Greg King is currently cutting his biggest tract ever. So it seems like a natural fit that he would have a brand new ginormous 555C Caterpillar skidder. King says that he used to stick with smaller skidders, but once he got into the bigger one, it was clear which one he needed to buy. “Bigger is better, that’s what I always thought.” Illustrating the reason for this mentality, King says that two good drags of wood from the 555C will load a truck, upping skidder production tremendously. King has a magnetic personality that shoots straight with a big dose of humor—he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Maintaining a positive outlook and a happy go lucky personality isn’t always easy when you’re a logger, but somehow King makes it work.

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Associate Editor Jay Donnell visits Mark & Kason Lott Timber, Inc. located in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Kason Lott was just 20 years old when his father, Mark, died in July 2014, but he knew he had to be tough and resilient in order for the company he watched his dad work so hard to build survive. Mark Lott spent his whole life logging, operating as Mark Lott Timber Co. since 1989, having followed in his own father’s footsteps. Kason wasn’t going to allow this logging legacy to drift away. When Kason was just a teenager his father would pick him up from school and they would go out to the woods and work. “My dad taught me how to log and he was pretty much my best friend,” Kason says. “He taught me almost everything I know about this business.” Mark died on a Sunday and Kason was back at work on Monday morning fixing a skidder that was needed for a job that week.

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Managing Editor David Abbott recounts his recent trip to Florence, South Carolina to visit Carter Brothers Logging. The name of the company is Carter Bros. Logging, but that could be a bit misleading. Indeed there are quite a few in this bunch with the last name Carter, including a few brothers, but only one who has his name on the paperwork. Mitchell Carter, 46, says he’s the only one “tied up as the owner,” but his brothers Robert, Elton, Billy and Steve Carter, son Jacob Carter, nephews Hank and Dale Carter, and cousin Randy Carter are all on the crew. Another cousin, David Carter, is a contract trucker who sometimes hauls for Mitchell’s crew. In addition, several of his other kin also own separate logging outfits in the area. Family is clearly the heart of the company. Unfortunately the family’s heart was broken last year when it suffered its greatest hardship.

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Associate Editor Jay Donnell pays a visit to Big John Trailers in Folkston, Georgia. John Drury started out as a logger and a welder. He worked his way into building log trailers and lowboys for his own use, but to understand his story you have to go back to when he was just a boy. Drury (nicknamed “Big John”) had to quit school in order to help provide for his family. His boyhood days consisted of working with his father and brother, cutting down trees and running yoke oxen to pull out logs for railroad ties. His family lived in a log cabin in a place known as Pine Island, Georgia. At age nine he lost his mother. Drury’s dad was an alcoholic and spent nearly every dime he made on liquor. “My dad went to bed many nights cold and hungry,” Drury’s son, Pedro, recalls. “He would have given anything just to have a biscuit.” In 1940, Drury’s father died of a heart attack.

An Oddity From Another Era

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Editor-in-Chief Rich Donnell reports on his recent visit to Gloster, Mississippi’s Amite BioEnergy, owned by Drax Biomass. Drax Biomass, a North American subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Drax Group, continues to fine-tune operation of its 450,000 metric tons annual production capacity wood pellet plant here, known as Amite BioEnergy, while a nearly identical Drax wood pellet plant at Bastrop, La., called Morehouse BioEnergy, is in a similar phase of production. Amite BioEnergy broke ground in 2013, produced its first pellet in December 2014 and was commissioned in August 2015. The Gloster operation trucks its pellets—about 57 trailer loads daily at peak production—to Drax’s new Baton Rouge Transit LLC facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, which is 60 miles south of Gloster.

As We See It: The Importance Of Relationships; Equity Firm Plans To Beef Up Morbark; SWPA Equipment Expo Planned For Valdosta; “Tremendous Year” For SLC In 2015; SYP Industry Suffers Loss; Celebration Service Honors Glen Yake, Jr.; Exhibitors Signing Up For Mid-South Show; Morbark Praises Top Four Dealers; Pellet Operation Files For Bankruptcy; AFEX, John Deere Tackle Fire Protection

At The Margins is designed to help loggers manage and/or operate their business better. Each month an expert provides information, tips or advice on how to maximize profitability, enhance efficiency or increase business knowledge. This month’s column is provided by Jari Mennala with John Deere Forestry. The article is titled, “Creating A Safe Work Environment.” Click here to view the full article.

John Deere E-Series Loader; Tigercat Steep Slope Feller-Buncher; Tigercat D-Series Shovel Loggers