says Carlson . “ That has been a big part of the technology development .”
Technology has helped improve safety in the harvesting segment of the industry , too . More and more logging companies are making the investment in mechanical equipment to cut down trees .
“ We went from axes to chainsaws to larger saws in which men and women can work in closed cabs with heat and air conditioning and run what they call a feller buncher , which actually cuts the tree , delimbs the tree , cuts it in links and stacks it ,” says Carlson .
Lyme Timber , a timber investment company that acquired land in Logan County , uses a robotic system run by cables to harvest trees .
“ They have eliminated the necessity to build roads and skid trails on the hillside . They simply set the cable logger at the top of the hill , and they can cut the whole hillside to the bottom using basically a robotic system ,” says Carlson . “ It ’ s an extraordinarily safe system , but it ’ s a huge investment .”
Carlson says the WVFA would like to see more companies invest in this technology , but it can be expensive , as many West Virginia forestry companies are familyowned businesses that have been in the industry for generations .
Another way the industry is changing is by recognizing a need for more vocation training programs to train workers on the equipment .
“ To my knowledge , the only training program for the complex harvesting equipment is a new program at Paul Smith ’ s College in the Adirondacks , but there are not a lot of other training programs for the equipment available ,” says Carlson . “ It takes many months for these employees and family members to learn how to use this equipment efficiently . That is a big need we have in the industry — to find both the capital to invest and the skilled workers .”
While the forestry industry makes up a large section of the state ’ s economy , there is still room for it to grow sustainably . Studies by the U . S . Forest Service show that West Virginia ’ s forests have been growing larger and older for decades .
“ We are underutilizing this resource ,” says Carlson . “ We harvest about 0.8 % of
Photo by Allegheny Wood Products .
the total resource on a statewide basis . The U . S . Forest Service ’ s latest forest inventory annual growth of West Virginia ’ s forests exceeds harvesting by three times , and that figure in 2020 was even greater because of the slowdown in harvesting . We will never run out of trees when we harvest , even on a sustainable basis .” •
Congratulations ,
Mary Anne Ketelsen , on being named a 2021 Sharp Shooter by West Virginia Executive from your Mister Bee family !
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE