[5]Associated Oregon Loggers [6],
Earth First! Criminal Log Spiking: Radical environmentalists reported online that in early June they had driven metal spikes into logs at the Swanson Brothers sawmill in Noti, west of Eugene. This criminally dangerous act was explained by the perpetrators to “target the mill because it specializes in processing the oldest & largest trees.” During the 1990s, protestors had illegally spiked standing trees
Counties Suffer Lack of Federal Timber: Four Oregon county governments remain on the insolvency watch list, as reported in a June audit by the Oregon Secretary of State. The common factor in county fiscal shortfall is the declining federal timber revenue. Curry, Douglas, Josephine, and Polk Counties are being monitored by the state continues due to their weak financial condition. Since 2014, five other fiscally-weak counties were removed from the watch list—primarily due to deep county service reductions and increased property taxes on residents.
Timber Shortage Shuts MT Mills: Weyerhaeuser Co. announced the September closure of its Columbia Falls, MT sawmill and plywood plant—facilities recently acquired from Plum Creek LLC. The permanent shutdown became necessary due to short timber supply, following two decades of declining Montana national forest timber harvest. Weyco continues to operate three MT mills: its Kalispell sawmill & plywood mill, and its Columbia Falls medium-density fiberboard mill.