FRA’s regional and national awards programs recognize outstanding loggers and authors of excellent FRA Technical Releases. These award winners often implement or describe innovative ideas to make forest operations more efficient, more productive, safer, or better environmentally. This year’s Appalachian Region award winners certainly meet these criteria:

FRA’s 2020 Appalachian Region Outstanding Logger is Bruce Barnes, owner of Barnes Logging in Clements, Maryland. Bruce works in a somewhat rural area of southern Maryland, but is close enough to the Washington, DC and Annapolis metro area where there is extra public scrutiny–and not always wholehearted acceptance of–timber harvesting operations. Bruce enhances his public image by keeping his logging equipment immaculately clean. He purchases his own timber and merchandises all of it for best value to the landowner. Bruce also manages his own log yard where he scales and grades the higher-quality logs for export markets. Bruce is well known in his community and has served as a mentor to other loggers. (Thanks to STIHL for sponsoring FRA’s outstanding logger awards!

FRA’s Appalachian Region (AR) awards a first and second place Technical Writing Award for the best Technical Releases that originated in the AR. This year’s second place award winner is Mark McCarthy, the Certification and Education Manager for the Missouri Forest Products Association (MFPA). Mark wrote Technical Release 20-R-2, Missouri Forest Products Association Logging School. It describes MFPA’s logging school that trains students to gain the operational, environmental, and management skills needed to become productive members of a logging business. The graduates of this ten-week program receive MFPA Professional Timber Harvester credentials. The MFPA program is an innovative approach to meeting current and future logging workforce needs.

FRA’s First-Place Appalachian Region Technical Writing Award winner is Ryan Redoutey, owner of Redoutey Logging in McDermott, Ohio. Ryan, a former (2009) FRA National Outstanding Logger Award winner, wrote Technical Release 20-R-4, Dozer “Carry-All” Transports Hay and Straw Bales Through the Woods. His Technical Release describes and illustrates how he fabricated a metal platform (“carry-all”) to fit onto the front of his bulldozer blade. Ryan uses it to transport hay or straw bales and other materials needed for Best Management Practices (BMP) work in the woods when closing out a harvesting operation. Ryan’s Technical Release is another excellent example of a logger coming up with a useful invention to meet an in-woods need.

Complete News Releases of these three Appalachian Region Award winners can be found on the Appalachian Region page of the FRA website.

FRA members may link to Technical Releases 20-R-2 and 20-R-4 here (member login required).