CAPTURING VALUE IN THE ADIRONDACKS
– Paul Iarocci
Fourth generation logger , Larry Richards talks about his operations in the Adirondacks and leveraging the knowledge and expertise of the team to capture more value – for the company and the landowners .
The Richards Logging team . ( L-R ): Bob Perras , Tony Roy , John Hammond , Brandon Tokarz , Theresa Richards , Larry Richards , Bruce Richards , Cora Mae Richards , Zach Weber , Ed Moehringer , Terry Green , Kerry Amell , Burt West , Mike Corsetti , Willy Godin , Ray Campany .
Richards Logging LLC , based in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains in Tupper Lake , New York , is a modern , innovative and increasingly vertically integrated and diversified timber harvesting company . Its primary focus is prescription thinning and stand improvement for large landowners and timberland management companies . However , under the vision of principal and co-owner Larry Richards , the company continues to adapt and diversify . Between the Branches spent a day touring with Larry , visiting two harvesting sites and the company ’ s wood yard as well as one of Larry ’ s new projects .
Larry is a fourth generation logger . His great-grandfather taught Larry ’ s own father , Bruce , the ropes as a teenager . “ My grandfather was a part-time winter logger ,” Larry explains . “ In 1977 , my father bought a skidder and a loader for $ 60,000 and took it to the next level .” Bruce moved the family and the business from North Creek , NY , to Tupper Lake nearly 25 years ago . “ We were working for a paper mill and a new management company wanted us to move up here ,” explains Larry .
Although starting again in a new region and hiring new employees posed some challenges , it also came with some advantages . Larry points out that there was more timberland and bigger tracts in the Tupper Lake region . “ We work 2,500-3,000 acres [ 1000-1200 ha ] in a year . It is hard to do that on 100 acre parcels .” The industry trend of consolidation and ever larger landowners has continued to favour Richards Logging . A significant customer is Molpus Woodlands Group , the largest landowner in the state . “ They have been phenomenal to work with ,” says Larry .
A century old company , Molpus owns or manages timber resources in several states and like Richards Logging , is taking an innovative and vertically integrated approach to the business – keeping important functions in-house , intensively managing its timberland for optimized biological growth and maximizing value added through alternative land use opportunities and other out-of-the box ideas . Larry considers Richards Logging to be more than just a harvesting contractor . He sees a partnership between his company and the client landowners to make the resource the best it can be – now and more importantly , in the future . With several species of grade logs , pulpwood and firewood sorts , merchandising is crucial . “ It is all the sorts that add value to the landowner ,” says Larry , a laid back and amicable guy who has strong business sense and vast industry knowledge .
With help from Rick Sage who
30 International Forest Industries | DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018