2017 International Forest Industries Magazines IFI Aug Sept 2017 v2 | Page 68

McGowin Logging at
home in Chapman
Alabama
PHOTOS: TODD DACQUISTO
TEXT: KEVIN ORFIELD
C
hapman Forest near
Montgomery, Alabama, is
one of the best pine-growing
timberlands in the Southeastern
U.S. Located in a basin between
hills to the north and swamps to
the south, this flatter area is easier
to log and rich in red clay, perfect
for growing trees.
Tall, majestic longleaf pines are
less common in this region than
they once were, largely replaced by
loblolly and shortleaf pine through
the introduction of plantation
logging a few decades ago. You’ll
still see a few longleaf pines at
the office of McGowin Logging
Company, where you’ll find owner
John McGowin up before dawn.
This is McGowin’s favorite time
of day. “All the animals are getting
up. The sun is rising. It’s beautiful
outside. I’ve loved the outdoors
since I was young and would hunt
and fish.” McGowin is eager to get
out to the logging site, where today
he has both of his crews working
on a clearcut. He is passionate
66 International Forest Industries | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2017
about his work. He found his
calling when he was a young man
and sees no reason for slowing
down. “I am fortunate to be able to
get up and do what I’m intended to
do. I have turpentine in my blood. I
can’t see ever retiring.”
History channeled
The region around Chapman,
Alabama, has a rich logging history,
dating back almost to the Civil
War (see sidebar on page 17).
The McGowin family settled in
Chapman at the beginning of the
20th century and ran a logging
operation until the 1960s, when it
sold its holdings to Union Camp
Corporation in 1966.
It was at Union Camp that
McGowin got his start in logging
in the late 1970s. He worked for
15 years as operations supervisor,
overseeing 20 logging crews for
the Rocky Creek Logging Company
subsidiary.
Although his family tree is rich
in logging tradition, McGowin