Taking hold of the ceremonial chairman’s axe, Chris Goodnow of Goodnow Trucking, Winchester, N.H., accepted the position of chairman of the New Hampshire Timber Harvesting Council (THC) at the 25th Annual Loggers & Truckers Convention on October 21, 2017. Goodnow accepted the axe from outgoing chairman Ben Crowell of CCM Logging and Land Clearing, Springfield, N.H., and began his two-year term at the Convention.
The THC, founded in 1993, is sponsored by the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA), the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, and the UNH Thompson School of Applied Sciences’ Forest Technology Program. THC works to provide training, to improve the public’s perception of logging, to recognize their peers, and to improve awareness and compliance with timber harvesting laws.
Among the most important of the THC’s activities is sponsorship, with the NHTOA, of the Professional Loggers Program (PLP), a voluntary certification program for New Hampshire’s loggers. The program teaches basic silviculture, wildlife management, and improving forestland aesthetics. The PLP also teaches forest professionals about laws and regulations governing forestry work. Every PLP participant receives instruction in basic first aid, CPR, AED, and techniques for operating forestry tools safely and productively.
The Loggers & Truckers Convention, held each October, is the THC’s annual gathering. The 26th Annual Loggers & Truckers Convention will be held on Oct. 6, 2018, at the Grappone Center in Concord, N.H.