TimberWest Magazine

09/03/2026

The July/August/September 2026 issue of TimberWest Magazine is online now! 🌲

Inside this issue:

• The new Patrick Lumber mill and cutting Oregon hardwoods
• Green Diamond increases mechanization and technology in California
• Why forestry contractors may be key to protecting communities
• The 2026–27 Buyer’s Guide, your complete directory of products, services, manufacturers and distributors supporting the forest products industry in the Western U.S.

Read the full issue www.forestnet.com

08/31/2026

Will the FireSlug light a wet pile? We put it to the test.⁠
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One gallon of water. One soaked slash pile. See how the Fire Slug performed.⁠
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Watch more on the Forestnet YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/yUUjnwCWa74?si=-u5UJGiTJQ0dstSe
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Forrest Technical Coatings
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08/21/2026

The tough love mentality that family-run businesses need.

Hear more from Greg Hildebrandt in the full Pierce Pacific Manufacturing video: https://youtu.be/zsiJ70sUF4w

08/06/2026

With 20 employees, three owner-operators and every stage of the operation handled in-house, Boulder Ridge Trucking & Logging has built a business focused on efficiency. From cutting and processing to loading and hauling, the company relies on its own crews, equipment and fleet of Peterbilt log trucks to keep wood moving.

Boulder Ridge continues to invest in newer equipment, operating Komatsu and Timbco feller bunchers, Caterpillar skidders, John Deere and Link-Belt machines paired with Waratah processors. The company also performs nearly all equipment repairs and truck maintenance in-house, with only major engine repairs completed externally.

Recently named the 2025 Eastern Oregon Operator of the Year, Boulder Ridge was recognized for a thinning project that reduced wildfire risk while improving the health of overcrowded ponderosa pine stands.

Pictured: A Caterpillar 525D skidder brings in a turn of ponderosa pine to a landing on a U.S. Forest Service timber sale. A John Deere 2954 machine is shown in the background.

Read the full story in the latest issue of TimberWest Magazine: https://forestnet.com/oregon-family-finds-success-with-total-control-from-felling-to-trucking/

08/05/2026

Wildfires are getting impossible to stop.

As fuel loads continue to build and more communities border forests, stopping a wildfire becomes increasingly difficult. Charles Vennat, CEO of CMI Mulching explains why wildfire behaviour is changing and why proactive fuel management is more important than ever.

Watch the full conversation on the Forestnet YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9iKB4XgIGU

CMI The Mulching Specialists

07/31/2026

Would you want your kids to do this job?

For generations, many loggers loved the work but wouldn’t have wanted their children to face the same risks. Today, safer equipment is changing that, bringing the next generation back into the industry.

Watch the full conversation with Frank Chandler and Vince Wilbur from Technical Forest Solutions here: https://youtu.be/_IAu0iKBmXU?si=0l361dEWwuHwDcRJ

07/23/2026

A day's work done in five minutes.

See how Technical Forest Solutions is using drone technology to string lines across steep terrain faster, safer, and with less environmental impact.

🎥 Watch the full video on the Forestnet YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/_IAu0iKBmXU?si=IjYZiiw_-cz21ZD9

07/23/2026

07/22/2026

Why are so many homes becoming uninsurable?

Charles Vennat, CEO of CMI Mulching, explains how rising wildfire risk is making fire insurance harder to obtain in parts of North America, and why proactive fuel management is more important than ever.

Watch the full conversation now on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/U9iKB4XgIGU?si=1_iyG31Cka5dcFUL

07/15/2026

What if the company your family built was almost sold?

Greg Hildebrandt shares the story of the family dinner that changed everything and why the deal that never happened ended up shaping the future of Pierce Pacific Manufacturing.

From sweeping floors to becoming CEO, Greg reflects on the lessons learned through decades of leadership, the challenges of running a family business, and what it takes to build a company that lasts.

Watch the full conversation now on the Forestnet YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/zsiJ70sUF4w?si=R7DXZLEl-zrasU4A