LOUDON – The annual meeting of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA) was
held on June 3 at Star Lake Farm in Springfield, N.H. Each year part of the program includes recognizing
noteworthy timberland owners and members of the forest products community. This year’s Outstanding
Logger Award went to Jake and Alyson Bronnenberg of Jake Bronnenberg Forest Services of Loudon.

Jake Bronnenberg has been teaching safe and productive felling courses for the NHTOA for at least 15
years. He has been a certified logger since he was 18 years old. Jake was born into the logging business,
working with his father Jack for many years in Bronnenberg Logging & Trucking. “I started out riding in
the log truck with my dad,” he said.

Jack’s son started his own business eight years ago. He works with his good friend—they have known
each other since the third grade—Wayne Pierce. “We have different equipment, but the same skills,” he
said. “We work together on most jobs. Wayne has his own business and works as sort of a contractor for
me on some jobs, and I do that for him on others.”

Jake’s wife Alyson is “the reins” on the business, taking care of the bookwork and the office work and
“keeping me out of trouble,” Jake laughed. “I really couldn’t do it all without her. We make a great
team, she is an amazing wife and business partner.” Six months ago, his brother-in-law Dan Lagis started
working for the company too.

“I’ve always liked the independence,” Jake said. “I like the test of your skills too. And there’s a sense of
accomplishment. You see what you’ve done every day, every week, and at the end of a job.” There are
perennial challenges, like the weather and market cycles. But those are changing over time too. “The
cycles are quicker,” he said. “The cost of doing business is one of the biggest challenges. The cost of
parts and tires can double overnight.” And there is also the difficulty of just getting parts and tires.

Jake Bronnenberg Forest Services covers much of southeast New Hampshire, between the Maine border
and Jaffrey. He worries about preserving the land base in the region. To that end he regularly works with
conservation groups like Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, Five Rivers Conservation Trust, and the Forest
Society.


Cutline: Jake and Alyson Bronnenberg (either side of the downed tree) with their family. At left is Wayne
Pierce, a close friend of the family. The Bronnenbergs were selected as Outstanding Loggers of the Year
by the N.H. Timberland Owners Association.