The 81st Annual Oregon Logging Conference (OLC) is here and will include a display of millions of dollars of state-of-the-art equipment, along with business seminars, hands-on seminars, panel discussions, and networking events. A full list of events can be found at www.oregonloggingconference.com/program.
2019 OLC President Jim Dudley and the Board of Directors have established this year’s theme as Building Products for Building Futures. President Dudley said, “This theme reflects the power of our industry to grow our nation’s future. We grow trees that are harvested and manufactured into products that we use to provide shelter for a growing nation,” he added, “something we have been doing since our country was founded.
President Dudley said this year the OLC will highlight the efforts underway to educate the next generation of the timber industry workforce and will reintroduce the tim
ber industry to the public through community outreach.
He also expressed his appreciation to the more than two dozen sponsors and friends of the OLC, and to the 325 exhibitors participating in the 2019 OLC.
Guest Speakers
Guest speakers at the 81st Annual OLC will be Dr. Anthony S. Davis and Erin Isselmann. Dr. Davis is the Interim Dean of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, and Isselmann is the Executive Director of the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI)
Dr, Davis will address the Building Products piece of the 2019 OLC theme, and Isselmann will address the Building Futures piece.
The guest speakers will make their presentations on Thursday morning, February 21st at the Wheeler Pavilion on the Lane County Fairgrounds.
2nd Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day
Nearly 800 high School students and educators will take part in a timber and other natural resource industries career planning day on Friday, February 22. This event is taking place in the Livestock Arena on the Lane County Fairgrounds and is being hosted by the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation.
35 Oregon high schools are signed up to participate in this event, which is divided into two sessions, one at 8:30 a.m. and one at 10:30 a.m.
Hands-on exhibits will include forestry, reforestation, and mills, diesel mechanics, welding, and heavy equipment operations, and wildland fire fighting. 17 companies will have exhibits and information available for the students, as well as current employment opportunities in the industries.
The idea behind the Future Forestry Workers Career Day is to attract a younger generation workforce into the logging and other natural resource industries.
Other Education Activities
- Over 900 elementary school students will visit the Oregon Logging Conference on Thursday, February 21st.These tours are presented through a partnership between Oregon Women in Timber, Forests Today & Forever, and the Oregon Logging Conference.
- High School Forestry Skills Exhibition. This event takes place in conjunction with the Future Forestry Workers Career Day in the Livestock Arena on Friday, February 22nd starting at 8:30 a.m.
- Oregon Logging Conference Foundation Auction – proceeds benefit scholarships and educational activities. Items will be auctioned Thursday and Friday mornings, February 21st and 22nd. Auctioneer is Jamie Yraguen, Basco Logging
Last year the OLC Foundation awarded 14 scholarships totaling $21,500 and has awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships since the program was established in 1968.
Conference Seminars and Panel Discussions
Two days of business seminars at the OLC will feature more than 30 speakers/presenters discussing 17 current logging and forestry topics on February 21st and 22nd.
The Better Ideas/New Technology seminar will take place Thursday, February 21st from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Topics covered will include the advantages of grapple logging, new innovations in cable logging, and new technology in the logging industry.
A Life Flight seminar is scheduled for Friday, February 22 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm and will focus on caring for the injured person, prior to the arrival of Life Flight. Topics will include when to call for a Life Flight transport, how to set up a landing zone, loading procedures, and treatments to be provided to the injured party.
Three Business Seminars are planned on Friday, February 22. The first is from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and is titled Tier 4 Engines in Forestry Equipment. Then, from 1 pm to 2 pm, the seminar is titled Agile in the Woods, New for 2019. The final business seminar is from 3 pm to 4 pm and is titled Loggers, Don’t leave Culture to Chance.
Three Hands-on seminars are planned for Thursday and Friday, Feb 21 and 22. The first is Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon and is titled Cedar Logs and their Habits. The other two seminars are planned for Friday, the first from 1 pm to 2 pm and titled Changes in DOT Truck Regulations and the second is from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is titled Feller Buncher Best Practices – Operation, Safety, and Maintenance.
Desserts for Dreams
The delicious 16th Annual Desserts for Dreams will take place Friday, February 22nd from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Playwright Hall at the Hotel Eugene. Hosted by OLC First Lady Michelle Dudley, this fundraising event will include assorted decadent desserts donated by local area bakeries and restaurants. Assorted salads will also be available. First Lady Michelle this year has selected two charities to benefit: the Douglas County Partners for School Success (DCPSS) and the Umpqua Valley STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Hub.
Proceeds will help DCPSS to further expand and promote Career Technical Education by offering career-oriented summer camps to middle and high school students. Proceeds will also provide additional materials and curriculum for Umpqua Valley STEAM Hub’s resource lending library, used by teachers and educators to bring more STEAM activities into schools and classrooms.
Log Loader Competition
The 10th Annual Log Loader Competition will take place Friday, February 22 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday, February 23rd from 10 a.m. to noon. Log loader operators will compete for the title of best operator, by demonstration their abilities of speed, and skill and efficiency in handling a hydraulic log loader. Watch as the operators stack, balance, and then unstack nine log pieces
. Each stack must remain standing for five seconds or the competitor will be disqualified. There is no entry fee and participants are urged to sign up in advance.
Buffet Dinner and Cocktail Party
The grand celebration of the 81st Annual OLC will take place Friday, February 22nd in Playwright Hall at the Hotel Eugene. This will be an evening filled with food, drink, and dancing. The night begins with a beer and wine tasting, including an OLC logo sampler glass, at 7 p.m. A hearty buffet dinner will be served from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and then dance until midnight to the sounds of Classic Country music from the Eugene, OR band, Redneck Mother. Tickets are $55 per person.
Family Day
For more than a decade, families have enjoyed the fun education exhibits and activities on the closing day of the OLC. This year Family Day is Saturday, February23rd, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a free event featuring wildlife exhibits, activities including paper making and building bird feeders, a drone demonstration, wood magic, and face painting. Once the children have sampled all there is to do at the Wheeler Pavilion on the Lane County Fairgrounds, it’s time to head outside and explore the state-of-the-art logging and construction equipment on display.
Chainsaw Carvers
Three chainsaw artists will be turning wood into art during the three-day OLC, February 21st through 23rd. Jay Peppard is a semi-pro wood carver with over six years of experience. He sources his cedar from around Oregon and sometimes works with stumps onsite. Ryan Anderson started his chainsaw carving career in June 2005 after being apprenticed by Tracie Brittenfeld of Packwood, WA. He competes and has received awards throughout the world. Nick Myers grew up in Newport, OR where he learned wood carving from his father Chris Myers. He has been carving as a semi pro for over six years, and now lives in Eugene, OR
The full schedule of events at the 81st Annual Oregon Logging Conference is available online at www.oregonlogging.com/program.
For more information, contact:
Mary Bullwinkel, OLC Media/PR Coordinator (707) 601-6533, bullwinkelm@gmail.com
Rikki Wellman, OLC Conference Manager (541) 954-2477 Cell, (541) 686-9191, office
rikki@oregonloggingconference.com