TimberWest’s private lands wasting good saw timber fyou want to see just one really good reason why public tim- ber lands shouldn’t be privi- tized, go over to some Timber- West logging claims on Vancouver Island. While some indus- try leaders are calling for the privi- tization of B.C. timber, one com- pany who already has private wood is wasting it in spectacular fashion. TimberWest has been “long- butting” both old growth and second growth fir logs in order to hone down prime cuts for export. The ugly result is piles of wood waste that are lit- tering both road and hill sides. Long-butting is a process where the stump end of the log is cut off, to leave a more lucrative and some- times straighter log for loading. TimberWest is doing this, then exporting much of their private wood overseas. On November 20, the Lumber- worker accompanied I.W.A. CAN- ADA Local 1-85 First Vice Presi- dent Monty Mearns to witness some results of the company’s logging practices. Out in the Beaufort range near Port Alberni, at about 2 kilometers past the TO 59 cut block sign head- ing westward on the Wolf Creek log- ging road and about 1 km past spur 13-1, there were impressive piles of wasted second growth fir long-butts (see photos). Brother Mearns stumbled across the piles, many of which contain #1 grade saw logs ends, when he was out hunting one weekend. The long-butting was done by a non-union contractor. The TimberWest claims contrast with nearby settings logged by MacMillan Bloedel’s Sproat Lake division. On MB’s private settings there was no visible long-butting. “Our information is that saw log timber coming from this area is largely going to export where it makes the grade and that long- butting is part of TimberWest’s way of doing business,” said Mearns. The same thing can be said for some of the company’s old growth private wood stands in the Cameron Lake area where the company has encouraged fallers to long-butt on the sidehill so the waste won't be so apparent at road side, said Brother Mearns. The loose pieces of long- butts have caused further safety concerns for helicopter logging crews. On southern Vancouver Island, one TimberWest logger told the Lumberworker that here has been high grading and long-butting in the Caycuse (C-4) area and other settings. Some old growth chunks 3 or more feet have been left out in the bush. “This is pretty deceptive stuff and it sure speaks to the fact that log- ging activities have to be regulated on private lands,” said Mearns. “As soon as we let companies complete- ley control forest management, this is what can happen.” Pointing to the wood waste in his local jurisdication, Mearns said “our information, as you can readily see, is that there appears to be a fine dimension on butt ends in second growth stands where certain butt diameters are targetted for export. The result is long-butting of the log portion that doesn’t meet that tar- et.” a “Tt would appear tht TimberWest’s goal is to harvest and export as much of that private wood as it can,” added Mearns. The Lumberworker saw over 20 piles of long-butts along one portion of logging road, some with 15-20 pieces per pile. Although there were some pulp grade long-butts mixed in, most of the wasted wood was fir saw logs. Many of the pieces measure 14”- 18” in the butt and more. One piece was at least 5 feet long and 20” in the butt. “If this would have been I.W.A. crews, our members would have spoken out against this a long time ago,” added Mearns. ‘The same thing happened in Local 1-80 at Honeymoon Bay division where I.W.A. members spoke out against long butting on private lands. The long-butts are potential safety hazards when they are left on the side hills. Turns of logs can strike and send the long butts down the setting like bowling pins. TimberWest gives their falling crews bucking specifications for both old growth and second growth tim- ber which change from time to time, depending on market conditions. Old growth fir bucking specifica- tions are carefully monitored by a special department in TimberWest called Log Supply. Quality control scalers inform fallers what lengths, diameters and sweeps to buck for ° This wasted piece measured out 20” in the butt and over 5’ long. 12/LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1998 1, TimberWest’s piles of wood waste. out on the logging sidehills. With respect to second growth fir, fallers have been instructed to aim for export log lengths of 11.5 and 12.5 meters with little sweep. For larger second growth logs, the pre- ferred lengths have been 8.3 meters, 11.5 meters and 12.5 meters bucked preferably at about 38 cm. (15 inches) in diameter. Those logs can be sold domesti- cally or offshore. As for gang logs that are between about 8 and 15 inches in the butt, the preferred length is 8.3 meters. ° Port Alberni Local 1-85 First Vice President Monty Mearns discovered “We rarely see long-butting on Crown timber stands any more,” said Mearns. “But on private lands there are a complete lack of controls and these are the results. It’s a lot like how things are done in the United States.” “It may make economic sense for TimberWest to do this, but it makes no sense from a wood utilization point of view or from a safety point of view if the butts are left on side hills where there are rigging crew and landing crews on the claim,” he added.