Happy New Year & My Optimistic Wishes for 2014
That Oregon and Washington landowners who have been aggressively pushing increasing raw log volumes into the Chinese market wake up and realize the advantages of providing a reliable supply of logs to locally-owned domestic sawmills that provide family wage jobs and economic benefits to the communities in which they operate. These sawmills are good long-term […]
More Public Money Wasted
It was with a mix of sadness and “I told you so” when I read the November 13th article by Amelia Templeton of OPB documenting the local battle in Newport over the potential Asian raw log export yard largely for the benefit of a few out-of-state land owners. I testified last year at the Oregon […]
Where is the Crisis?
Recently Hampton has been hosting tours for the Oregon Board of Forestry members on our Big Creek tree farm. We observed healthy ecosystems where trees are growing, water conditions are perfect for fish and public needs, and other wildlife habitat is being preserved or enhanced. This outstanding tree farm does not come without hard work […]
Put out the fires and put our rural communities back to work!
The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Doc Hastings (WA), just approved legislation (H.R. 1526) that re-institutes the Federal government’s commitment to actively manage our forests for sustainable and environmentally responsible timber harvests. Kudos to Congressmen Walden and Schrader (OR) for their leadership on this issue and to Congressman DeFazio (OR) for his bipartisan […]
Wood is good! And now wood is skyscraper strong!
The Softwood Lumber Board (“SLB”) sponsored an initiative with a prominent Chicago architectural firm, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (“SOM”), to establish the structural viability of a prototype 42-story mass timber framed building. The SLB is all about promoting the benefits and uses of softwood lumber in outdoor, residential, and non-residential construction and this project was […]
Take a hint from our Northern Neighbors!
Christy Clark pulled a rabbit out of a hat according to many political pundits when she was re-elected B.C. Premier in May. I think her focus and message on job creation won the day for her in a surprising victory for the Liberal Party. Her new cabinet will continue to focus on creating jobs and […]
Another One Bites the Dust…
We all received the terrible news this morning that Rough & Ready Lumber Company in Cave Junction, Oregon, was closing its doors after 90 years of doing business. They are unable to secure a sufficient supply of logs from the surrounding Federal forests to remain competitive. This is a family-owned company run by Jennifer and Linc […]
Hampton “Roots”
February 10th marked the birthday of the man who modestly built our company to what it is today. Not a day passes that I am not reminded of how grateful I am for the culture that John Hampton instilled in the way we conduct business. He brought his own personal morals, convictions, and work ethic […]
The Way Forward…
What a breath of fresh air. I didn’t misplace my love for lumber, sawmills, and the smell of sawdust: It just seems like for the last six years we have been getting nothing but bad news. The daily grind has been all about not enough logs, radical environmental lawsuits, a poor economy with zip for […]
A New Year’s Message
Incomprehensible acts of violence leaving families traumatized and heightening our questions about gun control and mental health care… the fiscal cliff and inaction by the politicians who represent us… it’s hard to hold your head up in the aftermath of these headline events. Can these and other dark events that usher us out of 2012 […]
