March 2026
HOLLAND, Ky.— Veteran Kentucky logger Eddie Rich, Jr., 65, has built a family legacy on the foundation handed down to him by his father. Working in a lot of higher elevation hardwood stands, Rich and his small crew keep things simple and traditional, felling big timber with chain saws and setting chokers to drag logs uphill by cable winch. Rich likes to keep overhead down by maintaining older machines; even after accumulating considerable operational hours, his Deere skidder and Tigercat loader still get the job done.
Inside This Issue
COVER: Rich Legacy
HOLLAND, Ky.— Eddie Rich Jr., now 65, grew up tagging along to the woods with his father, who spent most of his life harvesting hardwood timber in south-central Kentucky’s Pennyroyal Plateau region, a fertile agriculture and timber belt just north of the Tennessee state line.
Article by Patrick Dunning, Associate Editor, Southern Loggin’ Times
SOUTHERN STUMPIN': Meet Toni Mcallister
If you’re part of Louisiana’s logging community, there’s a good chance you know Toni McAllister. As Executive Director of the Lousiana Loggers Assn., she works hard on behalf of her state’s loggers to advance their interests at the state and national level. She also works hard in her family business, McManus Timber Co. of Winnfield, along with her parents, Tony and Liz McManus. Six years ago, McManus Timber was the 2020 Logging Business of the Year for Timber Harvesting magazine, a companion periodical to Southern Loggin’ Times. Beyond logging, Toni and family are active leaders in their local community; her husband, Josh McAllister, is the sheriff of Winn Parish.
FROM THE BACKWOODS PEW: When God Sighs
Mondays and sighs go together like mashed potatoes and meatloaf. We all know what a sigh is, and we’re not talking about a popular duck hunter. The sigh can mean a lot of different things depending on the circumstances. Let’s examine a few.
INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP
- As We See It — Carbon Credits: What Are They Actually Worth?
- Komatsu Acquires SRC Assets
- 2027 SFPA EXPO Heads To Savannah
- SFI President/CEO Set To Retire
- Deere Acquires IP, Assets Of Risutec Oy
- Tex. A&M Expands Forest Law Enforcement
MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY
- John Deere L-III Feller-Bunchers
- Kesla Harvester Heads
- Tigercat Mulcher Carrier
- Tigercat Felling Saw
Rich Legacy
Veteran logger Eddie Rich continues family tradition with chain saws and high-hour machines.
Article by Patrick Dunning, Associate Editor, Southern Loggin’ Times
HOLLAND, Ky.— Eddie Rich Jr., now 65, grew up tagging along to the woods with his father, who spent most of his life harvesting hardwood timber in south-central Kentucky’s Pennyroyal Plateau region, a fertile agriculture and timber belt just north of the Tennessee state line. The late Eddie Creo Rich, Sr., born in 1935, started logging in the early 1950s using two-man crosscut saws and mules. He also farmed tobacco and raised cattle in his spare time, among other side projects throughout his life, like pipeline work and helping construct the Barren River Dam in Allen County.
Creo established Rich Logging Co. in Holland as a hardwood operation in 1959 with a Poulan chain saw and a Ford tractor. When Eddie came of age, the Rich duo worked together as partners in the woods and the farm for several decades. Eventually, Creo’s health and mobility began declining after undergoing multiple knee replacement surgeries, leading to his retirement from day-to-day operations, although he still drove a log truck from time to time.
Eddie incorporated Rich Logging LLC in 2010, six years before his dad’s passing in 2016, and has continued his father’s commitment to sustainable, land-conscious logging ever since.
“My father logged on and off his entire life, and I’ve been in it ever since I was big enough to go to the woods with him,” Eddie says. “We split everything evenly — farming tobacco, raising beef and dairy cows and logging.”
Have A Question?
Send Us A Message