Oregon Department Of Forestry Announces Roseburg Logging Firm Is 2023's Top Forest Operator For SW Oregon (Photo) - 12/04/23

ROSEBURG, Ore. – Roseburg-based logging firm Plikat Logging, Inc., has been chosen as forest Operator of the Year for Southwest Oregon. A regional advisory committee to the Oregon Board of Forestry selected Plikat earlier this fall. The firm and two other recipients representing Northwest Oregon and Eastern Oregon will be recognized in Salem at the January meeting of the Board. The honorees are:

• Eastern Oregon – Leigh Ann Vradenburg with the Klamath Watershed Partnership in Klamath County for her work helping small landowners get work done to improve the health of their forest stands
• Northwest Oregon – Ron Staley of Ron Staley Enterprises, Inc., of Lebanon, Ore., in Linn County for the extraordinary efforts he goes to, to protect stream buffers and prevent sediment from entering streams

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 five Merit Award winners can be viewed on the ODF website at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/default.aspx

Landowner nominated Plikat for honors 

Landowner Roseburg Resources nominated Plikat Logging for Operator of the Year. They pointed out Plikat’s willingness to protect streams by shutting down winter operations unprompted during heavy rainfalls. They also pointed out how Plikat safely logged steep hillsides while carefully protecting buffers around fish-bearing streams by careful placement of rigging corridors where logs were passed over the buffer or through pre-existing gaps in trees. 

ODF Stewardship Forester Donnie Widener said Plikat also maintained access to a popular tourist attraction – the Doerner Fir, also known as the Brummit Fir. At 327 feet tall, the Douglas-fir is one of the tallest trees in the world. “The only road to the fir passed right through Plikat’s logging operation, which they would halt to let visitors pass through safely,” said Widener.

Two other Southern Oregon logging firms were given an Award of Merit:

• Roseburg-based Austin Weber of Weber Logging and Construction, Inc., for consistent employment of innovative logging technology in steep-slope areas to protect fish-bearing streams and minimize soil disturbance and erosion.
• Don Hamman of Don Hamman, Inc. in Butte Falls in Jackson County for assisting small landowners in urban-adjacent, high-visibility areas with thinning to reduce wildfire risk.

Statewide, three other logging firms also won an Award of Merit in their regions:

• Tim Rude of Rude Logging based in John Day was honored for protecting waters of a fish-bearing stream while harvesting in steep forests needing thinning to reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire.
• Olav “Ole” Berg of Big O Logging, Inc., based in Birkenfeld in Columbia County was selected for helping thin overcrowded forestland during ongoing road repair work.
• Greg Pelham of Pelham Cutting, Inc. based in St. Helens, was chosen for consistently high performance in harvesting and reforestation, with care to avoid high landslide-risk areas and identify and leave important old-growth wildlife trees.

ODF Forest Resources Division Chief Josh Barnard said, “This year’s honorees harnessed innovative technology and techniques to protect water quality, and helped small landowners improve the health of their forests and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire through careful planning and coordination. In challenging harvesting sites, they have shown extraordinary care and diligence to protect resources and meet landowner objectives. We’re proud 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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