Three Wisconsin and Michigan forestry organizations have merged to form the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association.
The association, based in Rhinelander, is the amalgamation of Wisconsin Professional Loggers Association, Timber Producers Association of Wisconsin and Michigan, and Forest Industry Safety & Training Alliance.
"The whole idea of bringing the group together is so that we would have a little more diversity in our organization and bring our resources together," said Gene Francisco, executive director of the new 850-member association.
Francisco said the annual Lake States Logging Congress, founded by the Timber Producers Association, will continue. "We are hoping we can make it a better event," Francisco said.
The congress, which will be in Escanaba, Mich., this year, was held in Green Bay in 2006, drawing about 15,000 people and contributing $2.5 million to the area, according to the Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Beth Peters, director of sales for the bureau, said Monday she had just mailed the proposal for the 2008 convention, expected to be held in Green Bay.
Francisco, former chief state forester for Wisconsin, said the goal of the association is to keep the forest products industry sustainable.
"The forest products industry in the Great Lakes region continues to struggle under the weight of an ever-changing global economy and mismatched regulations," he said. "We can successfully practice and promote sustainable forest management by combining training, professional development and encouraging an open exchange of ideas within forest products industry professions."
According to the association, the forest products industry generates $28 billion in revenue and is responsible for 260,000 jobs in Wisconsin, $12 billion in revenue and 200,000 jobs in Michigan and $9.6 billion and 41,000 jobs in Minnesota.
Francisco said the association hopes to attract more small landowners to its membership.
He said the association offers a Certified Master Logger program to provide standards for the industry.
"People who hire a (certified) logging contractor can expect those standards to be met on their property," he said. "Before this, there hasn't been a lot of standards."
He said they recently got technical colleges to offer a mechanized harvester certificate. Like many industries, the forest products business requires more highly-skilled employees than in the past.
"We have to get people to spend some time in school and spend some time on machines before we can hire them," he said.Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
