Technological advances in harvesting timber can not only make operations safer and more efficient, but address environmental concerns and help foresters plan for the future.
Seneca Jones Timber Company contracts Philomath-based Miller Timber Services to do the job with Ponsse equipment that is state of the art, computerized machinery meant to have a light touch on the land.
Although he is from the more cosmopolitan area of San Francisco Bay, Matt Mattioda spent much of his time out in the woods, often camping in the forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and spending a lot of time with his extended family in Oregon. His love for the outdoors led him to decide that his career path lay in the woods. He followed through with that outlook, getting his bachelor’s degree in forestry management with a minor in business from Oregon State University in 1995. Looking back, Matt confessed, “When I started at OSU I couldn’t even tell you what a fir tree was.” …
When Lee Miller tossed his chainsaw into the back of his pickup thirty-five years ago, hell bent on creating his own business, little did he realize he had taken the first step in building one of the most dynamic timber operations in the Pacific Northwest. Not one to hang with the pack, Lee has always ventured into unfamiliar territory, searching for new ways to keep Miller Timber Services Inc. and sister company L & B Reforestation on the cutting edge…
Following a log-moving demonstration with a $1.5-million forwarder at Friday morning’s Paul and Genie Mortenson Forestry Expo, Miller Timber Services’ Matthew Mattioda threw out a general question to a group of local eighth-graders.
“Who thought that was cool?”…
Miller Timber was featured in Ford’s “We Own Work” campaign. Miller has used Ford trucks in our forestry operations since we began more than 30 years ago.
PHILOMATH — When he talks about being named the state’s “Logger of the Year” by the Associated Oregon Loggers, Lee Miller talks in terms of “we”:
“This award isn’t about me. It’s about my guys,” said Miller, 55, of Philomath. “Without them, I’d be a broke logger.”
Philomath, Oregon – “Getting the job done whatever it takes” is the Miller Timber Way and that is at the heartbeat of Miller Timber Services, Inc. A 30-year old company, Miller timber is built on the traditions and heritage of the West. Miller Timber prides itself on upholding the Miller family heritage, which began in the small town of Siletz, Ore. Through the years, Miller Timber has relied on Ponsse equipment to power its cut-to-length operations.
Everyone in the company is called to “Ride for the brand.” They look out for one another. They watch each others’ backs.
Lee Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Miller Timber Services, Philomath, OR. Representing the Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Department, Lee Miller received a B.S. degree in Forest Engineering in 1980.
While economic challenges are not new to the logging industry, logging communities in the United States have been particularly hard hit over the past three years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of loggers employed in the U.S. dropped from approximately 59,000 to 47,000 between December 2007 and December 2010 — a workforce reduction of twenty percent. Job losses have slowed in recent months, but the industry remains at extraordinarily low levels of employment. The prospects for recovery may well hinge on the industry learning from the past and adopting new operations and strategies going forward.
For some time now, the timber industry has been debating and experimenting with various approaches to creating and maintaining a sustainable yield as well as a stable market environment. The big challenge, of course, is that not all the factors that contribute to instability in the industry can be easily controlled.
Since there is no guaranteed blueprint for success in this business, each logging company has to look at their own needs and plans in their search to come up with a solution that fits. For Lee Miller of Miller Timber Services out of Philomath, Ore., that has meant focusing on how to create a sustainable business management model for a modern-day logging company as well as how to provide his employees with the kind of stable work environment where they can excel at their jobs without getting burned out.
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