Oregon Dept. of Forestry release – Merit Awards also given to Roseburg and Rogue River-based logging firms – SALEM, Ore. – Three Oregon loggers representing southwest, northwest and eastern Oregon have been chosen as 2020 Operators of the Year. The Oregon Board of Forestry will honor the recipients virtually at its Jan. 6 meeting in Salem. The awardees are: Southwest Oregon – D & H Logging Company of Coos Bay; Northwest Oregon – C & C Logging, LLC of Kelso, Wash.; Eastern Oregon – Darrell Jacobs Trucking, Inc. of Klamath Falls. Regional Forest Practices committees select the operators of the year and merit award recipients from among nominees sent in by landowners, Oregon Department of Forestry staff and others. The award recognizes forest operators who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. That law requires people to manage forests responsibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat, and reduce landslide risks. The law also requires landowners to replant forests after harvesting. The awards honor operators who consistently meet or exceed Forest Practices Act regulations. Videos about each of the three Operators of the Year can be viewed on the ODF website at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/default.aspx Private Forests Division Chief Kyle Abraham said, “Oregonians and people nationwide are counting on forest operators to provide the wood products we all need and use in our daily lives. We also count on them while harvesting to protect the soil and water in those forests as well as habitat for threatened and endangered species. These operators have shown an outstanding ability to do both while meeting landowner objectives. We’re pleased to recognize the leadership they show in exercising extraordinary care and diligence during even the most challenging harvest operations.” Southwest Oregon – D & H Logging Company of Coos Bay was recognized as Operator of the Year for Southwest Oregon. Run by three siblings who inherited the company from their parents, this firm successfully harvested a unit using a difficult downhill logging method because steep rocky bluffs made the more traditional uphill yarding method too dangerous. Crews did an excellent job minimizing disruption to traffic on the road below the harvest site, and of protecting trees bordering a nearby salmon-bearing stream. They also worked to finish logging before the start of spring nesting season for three different important bird species in the area. The award also recognizes D & H Logging for a history of consistently applying best management practices to safeguard forest resources, even under challenging circumstances. Recognized with Merit Awards by the Southwest Regional Forest Practices Committee were two other logging firms: Weber Logging & Construction, Inc. of Roseburg; Rocky Wardle Excavating of Rogue River.
