USNR ’ S BIOVISION CLAIMS VICTORY oN A NEW FRONTIER
Evergreen Forest
Getting the grade out
USNR ’ S BIOVISION CLAIMS VICTORY oN A NEW FRONTIER
Shop and Moulding products are the latest achievements by USNR ’ s BioVision sawmill grade scanning system . For Evergreen Forest value recovery and throughput are up significantly , and new markets are on the horizon .
Producers of Shop and Moulding products have new tools to choose from with the onset of BioVision sawmill grading targeted to these specialized products . Focus was recently brought to this market through cooperation between USNR and Tamarack Mill LLC , Evergreen Forest sawmill of New Meadows , Idaho . Now this expanded capability will benefit other such producers .
Evergreen Forest was established 50 years ago when Maurice Hitchcock bought the mill at New Meadows and rebuilt it . Then 15 years ago it was acquired by Bob Krogh and family . Rodney Krogh and brother Mark are president and general manager , respectively . The family also owns Clearwater Forest Industries , located at Kooskia , Idaho , about two hours away . The Clearwater operation is managed by a third brother , Jeff Krogh . The Evergreen site comprises a sawmill , dry kilns and cogeneration plant . Running two shifts it produces 2x4 through 2x12 , 1x4 through 1x12 , and Shop and Moulding products ; annual capacity is 50-60 mmbf . It processes predominantly Ponderosa pine , with a small percentage of fir and spruce .
Selecting a system
Rodney Krogh relates how he came to the decision to source out a sawmill grading system . “ I was on a sales trip to several cut-up plants and saw the technology they were using to rip for grade in the Shop products . About a year ago I called USNR and we started to investigate the opportunity , looking to see if they could grade pine ; we were looking to rip to produce Moulding , # 1 , # 2 and # 3 Shop .” He explained that the mill ’ s existing edging operation was a manual system , looking at each flitch with the human eye to try to pull the grade out . He recognized that the human element was limiting production and value recovery . “ If we were going to continue to be a major factor in the pine market we needed to find a way to maximize recovery and value out of our pine logs .”
The Evergreen operation has USNR ’ s MillExpert scanning on its two double-cut headrigs , the overhead end-dogging system , on the combination
“ About a year ago I called USNR and we started to investigate the opportunity , looking to see if they could grade pine ; we were looking to rip to produce Moulding , # 1 , # 2 and # 3 Shop .”
8 Millwide INSIDER | ISSUE 3 - 2013