Iron Horse Logging, Based In Lane County, Earns Operator Of The Year Honor From The Oregon Dept. Of Forestry (Photo) - 11/10/26
MAPLETON, Ore. – Iron Horse Logging, Inc., is one of three logging companies chosen recently as Operator of the Year for their respective region of Oregon. The Southwest Oregon regional advisory committee to the Oregon Board of Forestry selected Iron Horse Logging last month. The company and other recipients will be recognized in Salem at the January meeting of the Board. The other honorees are:
- Eastern Oregon — Wood River Timber, Inc., headquartered in Klamath Falls, Ore.
- Southwest Oregon — Lone Rock Logging based in Roseburg, Ore.
The award recognizes forest operators who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, have a track record of protecting natural resources and improving forest health at a level that consistently meets or exceeds requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act *. The Act 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
Recognition earned for logging work in Northwest Oregon
Iron Horse Logging was able to keep trees intact in multiple buffers on a unit right above a wetland and fish-bearing stream, both of which were protected from any sediment runoff. The buffers that were protected included new ones in draws leading to that fish-bearing stream that are now required under revisions to the Oregon Forest Practices Act. Iron Horse uses tall yarders to bring logs up to a landing with minimal damage to soils. Because equipment to handle big trees has become rarer in recent years, Iron Horse serves many landowners with difficult harvesting jobs other loggers often turn down.
Iron Horse’s careful attention to protecting forest resources was also cited by the selection committee, which cited the firm’s consistently good work over many years logging in heavy rainfall areas of the Coast Range.
ODF Forest Resources Division Chief Josh Barnard said, “The selection committees had excellent candidates this year when choosing who they would honor, all of whom showed they went to great lengths to protect the forest environment.”
Barnard said nominees showed they could meet the challenge of working under new harvesting rules. The updated Oregon Forest Practices Act rules provide more protection for forest resources, such as wider buffers for fish-bearing streams and retaining more trees in especially steep areas.
“Many of the harvest sites this year had terrain that was quite challenging,” said Barnard. “The Operators of the Year showed extraordinary care and diligence to protect slopes and streams. We’re proud to recognize those efforts.”
Merit Awards
Merit Awards were also given to three other companies.
- Northwest Oregon – Perrigo Timber, LLC, based in Warrenton, Ore.
- Eastern Oregon – J and J Timber Resources based in Haines in Baker County
- Southwest Oregon – C and M Timberland Resources, LLC, headquartered in Glide, Ore., east of Roseburg. preventing sediment from reaching a nearby stream.
* 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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