November 30, 2022 10:50 a.m.
A Florence logging firm has been named Operator of the year for Southwest Oregon by one of three regional advisory committees of the Oregon Board of Forestry.
They selected R and R Logging, which is owned by Bobby King.
A release from the Oregon Department of Forestry said the award recognizes operators who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that consistently meets or goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. That law requires people to manage forests responsibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat and reduce landslide risks. The law also requires landowners to replant forests after harvesting.
Information from ODF said Bobby King comes from a logging family and has worked for more than 30 years protecting natural resources during harvests. He is often called upon by landowners to tackle difficult harvests in the steep terrain of the Southern Oregon Coast Range. King was nominated for work he did protecting water quality in a forest unit that was bounded by a fish-bearing stream and a meandering tidal slough. He used a drone to string yarding cables from a high point across a slough, allowing him to hoist logs above the protected trees buffering the slough and creek without damaging any. King also succeeded in logging around a stand of trees along a strip of neighboring land without damaging those.
Jon Laine, ODF Stewardship Forester who inspected the harvest unit, said King and his crew’s experience helped them also protect soils and keep neighbor’s happy. Laine said, “They have the expertise and know how to take on these challenging projects and protect nearby waters and the land”.
Strain Excavating and Trucking of Coos Bay earned an Award of Merit from the selection committee for replacing a failing tube culvert with a larger box culvert that opened up on Weyerhaeuser land about three miles of habitat for native cutthroat trout that had not been reachable by fish for more that 50 years.
King and two other recipients from other parts of the state will be recognized in Salem at the Board of Forestry’s January 4th meeting:
*Eastern Oregon – Chuck Sarrett of Full Circle Consulting of LaGrande
*Northwest Oregon – Mike Falleur of F and B Logging of Warrenton.