(Rockville, MD) – STIHL
Inc. congratulated David and Kurt Babineau,
owners of West Enfield, Maine’s Babineau
Logging, Inc., as the 2008 National Outstanding
Logger at the Forest Resources Association’s
(FRA) Annual Awards Luncheon, April 13 in Myrtle
Beach, S.C.. STIHL’s Kent Hall congratulated
the Babineaus, their families, and their crews,
and presented them with a $1,000 check.
Kurt Babineau thanked STIHL and FRA for the Award,
commenting, “This is a tremendous honor
for us. Our being here today is not only due
to our effort. We have a lot of people backing
us up.” He praised the support of their
wives, their crews, and American Forest Management’s
Allen LeBrun, “He’s just the kind
of guy you want to give 110% to.”
Since 1995, David and Kurt Babineau have used
cut-to-length harvesting equipment and are known
widely as one of the premier contractors in Maine.
Babineau Logging often hosts the Maine TREE Foundation’s
summer teachers’ tours and is a favorite
place for American Forest Management’s
clients and investors to visit during woods tours.
Why? They are American Forest Management’s “go-to” contractor
for harvesting in environmentally sensitive sites,
such as riparian zones, deeryards, and aesthetically
important areas. Carefully selecting and handling
each harvested tree results in accurate tree
selection, optimal utilization, and minimal residual
damage. Products are sorted three times: when
the tree is processed, when the forwarder piles
the logs at roadside, and when trucks are loaded—resulting
in nearly flawless merchandising.
To boost harvesting efficiency, three operators
will either run one shift on the processor and
two shifts on the forwarder or two shifts on
the processor and one shift on the forwarder
each day, as needed. Trucking is handled by custom-built,
center-mounted loader trucks using lightweight
components and equipped with on-board scales,
which allow for hauling the maximum legal load.
Safety is also a top priority for Babineau Logging.
Due to its effective safety program, the company
has never experienced a serious injury.
FRA has honored 18 National Outstanding Loggers
since establishing the national award in 1990.
Recent National Outstanding Loggers include Ken
and Lynetta Griner of Florida (2003), John and
Nipper Bunn of Georgia (2004), Mitchell and Wanda
Presley of Alabama (2005), Adrian Bishop, of
South Carolina (2006), and Tommy Barnes and David
Cox, of Edgemoor, South Carolina last year. Nominees
for this year’s award passed through state-level
recognition to regional award programs administered
through FRA’s Regional Division structure.
A jury of 25 national-level leaders in forestry
and conservation selected the winner.
The other nominees for this year’s National
award were:
- Johnny and Michelle Kynard, Kynard
Logging, Inc., Greensboro, Ala.
- Henry Schienebeck, Schienebeck Renewable
Resource Management, Butternut,
Wisc.
- Josephy Seckinger, Seckinger Forest Products,
Hampton, S.C.
- Shawn Sexton, Sexton’s Excavating,
Jackson, Ohio
The Outstanding Logger program is designed:
-
to recognize outstanding logging contractor
performance;
- to raise the visibility of competent,
professional independent logging contractors
in the forestry community;
- to encourage other independent logging
contractors to emulate the outstanding
performance of the award winners;
and
- to improve forester-logger relations
by publicly recognizing outstanding
logging performance as an essential element of every planned
timber harvest.
About Forest Resources Association Inc.
The Forest Resources Association Inc. is
a nonprofit trade association concerned with
the safe, efficient, and sustainable harvest
of forest
products and their transport from woods to mill. FRA represents wood
consumers,
independent logging contractors, and wood dealers, as well as businesses
providing products and services to the forest resource-based industries. |
