As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the New Hampshire Timber Harvesting Council (THC) honored past THC chairmen who helped guide the organization to its present status as one of the premier logger certification groups in the U.S. The past chairman were introduced and acknowledged at the 25th Annual Loggers & Truckers Convention on October 21, 2017, in Lebanon, N.H.
Each former chairman was given a specially engraved hatchet bearing the words, “New Hampshire Timber Harvesting Council Celebrating 25 years, 1992-2017.”
Past chairmen who attended this year’s Loggers & Truckers Convention included: Fred Weld of Fred C. Weld Logging, Cornish, N.H.; Malcolm Washburn of WeLog, Stratford, N.H.; Dan Keniston of North Woodstock, N.H.; Roger Garland Sr. of Garland Lumber Co., North Conway, N.H.; Rocky Bunnell, Rocky Bunnell Logging, Monroe, N.H.; Errol Peters, Peters Logging, Landaff, N.H.; Dick Lewis, Chester Forest Products, Chester, N.H.; Scott Qualls, independent trucker, Berlin, N.H.; Spencer Laramie, Laramie Logging, Canaan, N.H.; and Jeff Eames, Fort Mountain Companies, Allenstown, N.H.
The THC 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.