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The Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA) — Spring Logger Celebration, Harris MI.

The Island Resort and Casino in Harris MI. was host of the 2024 GLTPA Spring Logger Celebration, an event not soon forgotten. Despite the fact the forest industry has challenges, especially with sporadic roundwood pulp markets, loggers took time to communicate with one another, industry representatives and speakers to learn about things having an impact on their future.

As in years past, the Hamilton Roddis Foundation once again provided sponsorship for another lineup of exceptional speakers. In fact, several attendees stated this year’s speakers “knocked it out of the park” with quality information. The first keynote speaker, Steve Gould, founder of the “Target-Focused Life,” provided detail on how his professional target shooting exhibition career led him to another career of helping others in their quest to lead a “Target Focused Life” to achieve greater success in their businesses and daily lives.

The second keynote speaker, Margaret Byfield, Executive Director for “American Stewards of Liberty,” provided additional thought-provoking information from a national perspective on private property rights, old growth and mature forests and the temporary demise of Natural Asset Companies with their potential negative impact on Americas natural resources.

After the keynotes, GLTPA honored Michigan House Representative Cam Cavitt with the 2024 Legislator of the Year award. Citing his role in protecting the “future of Michigan’s forest industry.” Board members commended Cavitt’s support for the Billerud mill in Escanaba to receive $200 million per Senate Bill 7 and other policies that “ensure stability for sustainable forest management.”

Just prior to the noon lunch break, certification manager for SAPPI North America Rebecca Barnard, explained the new European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) so that Great Lakes Region wood suppliers may know how to comply. When the regulation takes effect on Dec. 30 of this year, no timber or byproducts harvested from land to be converted to farmland may be sold to the E.U.

The afternoon program was again filled with knowledgeable speakers starting with Scott Dane, Executive Director for the American Loggers Council headquartered in Washington D.C. Based on his recent article “The Dismantling of the American Timber Industry” Dane reported that nationally, within the last 15 months, 50 mills have closed, resulting in the loss of 10,000 jobs.

“We’re not having any less demand for wood products; we’re just importing it from other sources,” Dane said.

Rounding out the afternoon of speakers was Marty Ochs from the Green Bay Innovation Group. Marty addressed at length the perceived need to bring sawmills and logging jobs back to local hands. Ochs spoke specifically about Wisconsin, mostly, but the American Loggers Council (ALC) assured the audience the problem isn’t restricted to the Great Lakes Region.

Troy Brown, President of Kretz Lumber in Antigo WI, and current President of GLTPA stated, “the need for this type of meeting and this caliber of information is needed now more than ever. Things change at the speed of thought, and it is GLTPA’s prerogative to ensure its members are armed with the best information possible to know the now and prepare for the future. Today’s speakers were nothing short of magnificent. We don’t tell members what to think, but we sure provide the information so they can think.”

Dane, along with GLTPA Director Henry Schienebeck and other loggers from around the country, will be heading to Washington, D.C. this week to represent the interests of independent contractors logging throughout the U.S.