Curvey Road Sawmill is the name of the company, but don’t let that fool you. This family operation has its boots planted firmly in the woods. Jackie Batey, 66, is the patriarch of the clan, and runs the business along with his sons, Stacey, 43, and Trent, 36. The Bateys run a small sawmill supplied entirely by the logging arm of the business.

Second generation South Carolina logger Norman Arledge has an active nature that was instilled in him as a boy growing up on a farm near Landrum in the state’s northwest region, an area they call the Upper Piedmont.

Highlanders from Scotland, Scotch-Irish from Ireland, and Huguenots from France were among the first white settlers to establish permanent homes in the land of the longleaf pine. Most earlier pioneers had left.

—A man 90 years old was asked to what he attributed his longevity. “I reckon,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye, “it’s because most nights I went to bed and slept when I should have sat up and worried.” —Dorothea Kent

As I am starting to write this article I am returning from Myrtle Beach, SC, where I spoke to the South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. on behalf of ALC. “Forests For Our Future” was the theme for the meeting. I was so impressed that I wanted to put my thoughts into words right away. Crad Jaynes and the SCTPA board and volunteers put on a meeting to be proud of. In some trying times for logging in the South, I was told they had record or near record attendance. With great support from sponsors, interesting speakers and training courses, their meeting was a great success. I had the opportunity to meet many fine loggers and see some familiar faces, too. Their hospitality made me feel very welcome

Caterpillar Forest Products’ 568 Forest Machine (FM) delivers more performance while consuming less fuel than the previous model. Highlights include a 16% increase in horsepower, more efficient hydraulics, longer track frames for more stability, and ground-level accessibility for maintenance. The 568 is available in a general forestry configuration for road building, site prep and processing; and in a loader version for log loading, shoveling, butt-n-top loading and mill yard applications. The 568 is the largest in the four-model FM line.