SALEM, Ore. – Two loggers and a forestry consultant have been chosen as Operator of the Year for their respective region of Oregon. Three regional advisory committees to the Oregon Board of Forestry selected the trio last month. The recipients will be recognized in Salem at the January 4 meeting of the Board. The selected firms are:
- Eastern Oregon – Chuck Sarrett of Full Circle Consulting of La Grande, Ore.
- Northwest Oregon – Mike Falleur of F and B Logging of Warrenton, Ore.
- Southwest Oregon – Bobby King of R and R King Logging of Florence, Ore.
The award recognizes forest operators who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that consistently meets or 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. Videos about each of the three Operators of the Year and three Merit Award winners can be viewed on the ODF website at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/default.aspx
Eastern Oregon
Chuck Sarrett has worked for decades in forestry in eastern Oregon, where he was born and raised. After a long career with Boise Cascade, he became a forestry consultant, starting his own firm called Full Circle Consulting. Sarrett came up with a much easier-to-use application to help forest landowners obtain federal assistance grants to manage their forestlands. He has helped scores of landowners develop forest management plans, a pre-requisite for obtaining federal funds. The plans make clear the landowner’s goals for the property, such as improving grazing, generating future income or enhancing wildlife habitat. In addition, he helps connect landowners with logging firms to carry out the work. In many cases he oversees the work at the request of the landowner, helping them improve the health and beauty of their forest and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. He has also helped mentor and train others to become forest consultants, who are scarce in northeast Oregon.
“Chuck is well respected and liked by the landowners in and around Union County,” said ODF Stewardship Forester Travis Lowe, who works with Chuck in the Northeast Oregon District. “His depth of knowledge and experience about what makes forests in northeast Oregon healthy helps him write management plans that leave the lands he consults about at less at risk from catastrophic wildfire, pests and diseases.”
Northwest Oregon
Clatsop County-based logger Mike Falleur logs in the north Coast Range. Rainfall in the county averages 87 inches a year, about twice the amount that falls on Portland. Falleur was honored for protecting streams against sediment from clearcuts by an elaborate system of settling ponds and pumps. The pumps spread rain runoff onto vegetation on the forest floor so it can trap dirt and debris and keep it out of streams.
“Controlling runoff protects water quality for drinking water and fish that live in the streams,” said retired ODF Stewardship Forester Ashley Lertora, who nominated Falleur for Operator of the Year. “Mike is very conscientious about protecting water quality and makes pre-harvesting site visits to carefully plan how to manage runoff from the site. There’s never an issue because of that.”
Southwest Oregon
Bobby King of R and R King Logging in Florence comes from a logging family and has more than 30 years of doing great work protecting natural resources. He is often called upon by landowners to tackle difficult harvests in the steep terrain of the southern Oregon Coast Range. He was nominated for work he did protecting water quality in a forest unit that was bounded by a fish-bearing stream and a meandering tidal slough. Using a drone to run yarding cables from a high point across the slough allowed him to hoist logs above the protected trees buffering the slough and creek without damaging any. He also succeeded in logging around a stand of trees along a strip of neighboring land without damaging those.
Jon Laine, ODF Stewardship Forester who inspected the harvest unit, said King and his crew’s experience helped them also protect soils and keep neighbors happy. “They have the expertise and know how to take on these challenging projects and protect nearby waters and the land,” said Laine.
Merit Awards were also given to three other companies.
Eastern Oregon
- Chiloquin Lawn Care for helping small landowners in Klamath County remove overgrown brush to reduce fire danger on their property while protecting an aspen grove for wildlife.
- Wolfco Timber Services for an economically risky salvage harvest near Sisters, Ore., in the wake of the devastating Green Ridge Fire.
Southwest Oregon
- Strain Excavating and Trucking of Coos Bay for replacing a failing tube culvert with a larger box culvert that opened up about three miles of habitat on Weyerhaeuser land for native cutthroat trout that had not been reachable by fish for more than 50 years.
ODF Forest Resources Division Chief Josh Barnard said, “The honorees this year innovated to protect water quality, and helped landowners be able to improve the health of their forests and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire through careful management planning. They have shown extraordinary care and diligence in challenging harvesting situations. We’re pleased to recognize the community spirit and leadership these operators have shown.”
* Oregon enacted the Forest Practices Act in 1971 as a national model for forest management laws. The law focuses on ensuring responsible forest operations and protecting natural resources in forestland. The Act has been updated many times based on new scientific information and values to create a balanced approach to natural resource management.
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