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Morbark, a leading manufacturer of equipment used in forestry, recycling, tree care, landscaping, sawmill and biomass markets, has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Walt Niziolek as the new Vice President of Operations & Supply Chain. Niziolek joins Morbark at a time of continued business growth to take charge of supply chain and site operational requirements. This includes managing local, U.S. and overseas vendors and suppliers, all warehouse and distribution activities, quality initiatives and liaising with business unit engineering support. Niziolek’s extensive expertise includes holding many previous senior leadership roles in manufacturing with companies such as CPG Building Products and Pride Mobility Products, where he specialized in deploying standardized work and other lean initiatives to improve safety, quality, delivery, supply chain management and cost. “I’m excited to bring Walt to the Morbark team,” said Dave Herr, Morbark CEO. “Walt has a proven track record of driving change through lean manufacturing and continuous improvement techniques. This, along with his experience in complex manufacturing environments producing customized, engineered products, makes him a great fit for Morbark.” Prior to his 20-plus years in manufacturing operations, Niziolek served as a captain in the U.S. Army, where he held multiple leadership and staff positions, both in peacetime and periods of conflict. “Working with Morbark is an exciting opportunity to take a solid company to new heights,” said Niziolek. “I look forward to developing many productive working relationships with both internal personnel and external suppliers and stakeholders.” Niziolek earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Southern Illinois University, as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Wood-Mizer, the world’s leading portable sawmill manufacturer, introduces new wide sawmill head options on their high production LT40, LT50 and LT70 hydraulic model portable sawmills. The wide saw head increases the maximum width of cut from 28” on the standard models to 34” on the wide head models. The new Wood-Mizer sawmill options increase cutting capacity for mobile sawyers that require extra cutting width. Before now, this expanded width of cut was only available from specialized Wood-Mizer stationary sawmills such as the LT15WIDE sawmill with manual log handling and the industrial-sized WM1000 sawmill. Cutting Capacity of Wide Head LT40, LT50, and LT70 Sawmills -36" maximum log diameter -34" maximum width of cut -21' standard log length on LT40/LT50 and 20'2" on LT70 sawmills “Wood-Mizer is always committed to providing timber processors with the best available products and features in the industry,” said Darryl Floyd, Wood-Mizer COO. “The new wide head sawmills give our sawyers more capacity for sawing wider slabs without sacrificing needs for mill mobility or lumber production.” Wood-Mizer will offer the LT40 and LT50 wide head option for an additional $795 USD. The LT70 wide head option will be available for an additional $895 USD. The wide head option is currently available on new sawmills ordered in North and South America. Visit www.woodmizer.com or call 800.553.0182 to order. About Wood-Mizer Since 1982, Wood-Mizer has earned the reputation as the world’s largest manufacturer of portable band sawmills with tens of thousands of bandmills sold around the globe. Today, Wood-Mizer offers an extensive line of portable sawmills, industrial headrigs, resaws, edgers, kilns, log splitters, material handling equipment, bandsaw blades and blade maintenance equipment for woodworking hobbyists and forestry professionals all over the world. For 35 years, Wood-Mizer has provided top quality wood processing equipment and exceptional customer service for people who want the freedom of sawing their own lumber for projects or production. For more information about Wood-Mizer, call 800.553.0182 or visit www.woodmizer.com.

Is it revolutionary? You be the judge – the new WSM Pin Chipper™ is a high capacity fiber preparation machine that converts lower value mill residuals (shavings and hogged wood) and alternate fiber supply sources into a high percentage of “pin chips” with long fiber length for use in the Pulp & Paper Industry. The WSM Pin Chipper™ is available in rotor diameters of 42”, 48”, and 60” and rotor lengths from 36” to 88” long and typically operates with 200 – 800 HP. Modular and adjustable tooling includes either rigid or swing hammers with replaceable tips, combined with modular sizing screens allow adjustment to product sizing. Field proven performance at rates up to 75 tph, and when combined with a WSM pre-screen the processing rate is confirmed at rates of 150+ tph. System integration into your woodyard is no problem – WSM offers complete infeed and outfeed options to help you supplement your chip supply with lower cost fiber from the WSM Pin Chipper™. Need to see it to believe it? WSM’s test lab can process your material to demonstrate how the WSM Pin Chipper™ performs on your specific low cost fiber materials. This machine isn’t for everyone – but where it’s a “fit” – it’s a game changer. If you are looking for a way to reduce incoming fiber cost and can handle a percentage of “pins” and “fines” in your pulping process, then the WSM Pin Chipper™ can deliver substantial value by expanding your sources of wood fiber, reducing hauling costs, and substituting high cost fiber with low cost fiber. To learn more about WSM’s Pin Chipper™ and how it might benefit your operation, visit www.westsalem.com, email us at [email protected], or call your WSM technical specialist at 800 722 3530 to discuss your application in more detail, or schedule a test on your materials.

Indianapolis, IN – Wood-Mizer LLC, the world’s leading portable sawmill manufacturer, introduces the unique and aggressive Turbo 7 blade profile in the high-performance Wood-Mizer Bi-Metal blade product line. With increased air flow and higher tooth penetration while sawing hardwoods, the Turbo 7 degree profile has received positive reports from high production, high horsepower, and high feed rate sawmilling operations throughout the world since its introduction in 2013. Previously only available in a standard 10 degree profile, the Bi-Metal blade product line now offers the Turbo 7 profile for a higher cut quality, faster feed rate, and longer-lasting blade especially when cutting abrasive and exotic wood species. Due to the high-alloy backing material and hardened tooth tip, Bi-Metal blades offer a combination of durability and fatigue resistance, enabling a sharp life that is up to 3 times longer than carbon blades. “While Wood-Mizer is the world’s leading portable sawmill manufacturer, we also have a commitment to provide a variety of high-quality bandsaw blades to the market,” said John Storm, Wood-Mizer Blades Manager. “The Bi-Metal Turbo 7 blade is our latest addition in our extensive blade lineup and is ideal for sawing exotic and frozen hardwoods in a production sawmilling operation.” The Wood-Mizer Bi-Metal Turbo 7 blade is now available to order in .042 x 1 ¼ and .050 x 1 ½ in a variety of lengths. Call 800.522.5760 or visit www.woodmizer.com/bimetal to order. Offering more than 60 basic blade profiles, Wood-Mizer makes blades for any type of sawing application from softwoods to hardwoods. About Wood-Mizer Since 1982, Wood-Mizer has earned the reputation as the world’s largest manufacturer of portable band sawmills with tens of thousands of bandmills sold around the globe. Today, Wood-Mizer offers an extensive line of portable sawmills, industrial headrigs, resaws, edgers, kilns, log splitters, material handling equipment, bandsaw blades and blade maintenance equipment for woodworking hobbyists and forestry professionals all over the world. For 35 years, Wood-Mizer has provided top quality wood processing equipment and exceptional customer service for people who want the freedom of sawing their own lumber for projects or production. For

Put away your pickeroons! CRD Metalworks introduces it's newest innovation- creating more safety and efficiency on the woodlot- our patent-pending RPS Technology (Rapid Positioning System). Our innovative push button system, allows bi-rotational positioning of cut blocks in the splitting hopper automatically. Our RPS allows for complete, hands-free positioning of a block of wood prior to splitting. Expect an increase in production while increasing operator safety! Currently standard on Woodbine PRO and Rapido Loco models, RPS marks a bold step forward by industry leader CRD Metalworks in firewood processing systems. Contact them at 888-667-8580 for more information or visit their website at www.crdmetalworks.com

Wisconsin based Multitek North America expands its forestry machinery lineup with recent acquisition of Wood Beaver Forestry. In continuing with the company’s growth and diversification strategy, Multitek North America, LLC announced today the acquisition of Hartford, Wisconsin based Wood Beaver Forestry. Established in 2007 Wood Beaver Forestry manufactures a lineup of wood processing machinery including firewood conveyors, bundling equipment, firewood processors and support equipment related to firewood production. Company President, Douglas Kamps states “Our addition of Wood Beaver will further grow our forestry machinery line and enable us to better serve both small and large producers of firewood. This addition will enable Multitek to add industry leading service, support, and sales throughout its new Wood Beaver line. Scott Eifler, former President of Wood Beaver Forestry said he sees Multitek as the ideal suitor to take his business forward. “We have worked with Wisconsin based Multitek on many occasions in the past and we feel that our clients will benefit greatly from Multitek’s focus and deep roots in the firewood processor industry.” Multitek’s global footprint and additional expertise in engineering, hydraulics, manufacturing, and sourcing will benefit Wood Beavers growing lineup of firewood processors and accessories. Multitek’s full service production facility and manufacturing aligns the two companies for continued product and service expansion and will harmonize best in class offerings from smaller producers of firewood on up to the largest in the world. Manufacturing of the Wood Beaver line is moving to Multitek’s Tomahawk and Prentice, Wisconsin facilities immediately to bring additional advanced manufacturing techniques and abilities to further harmonize the two product lines. About Multitek: Multitek North America, LLC was founded in the 1970’s by the forest industry legend, Leo Heikkinen. Multitek from its early beginning has had a strong focus on the production of firewood and related support equipment. Very early designs incorporated advanced hydraulic technologies and new concepts for the moving of materials and machine components. Early machines that are still in use today still use Multitek’s patented shuttle grapple log infeed system to enable the user to process low-grade logs into profitable firewood. Multitek has continually stayed at the forefront of hydraulic advancements and engineering abilities to produce industry leading machinery for the production of firewood. Multitek has a global customer network and ships machines around the world providing suppliers small and large cost effective solutions to meet the demands of their forestry business. Multitek has firewood processors on 6 of the 7 continents worldwide. The addition of the Wood Beaver line provides a line-up of firewood processors comparable to none. The Wood Beaver little beaver 13 is an entry level model starting under $10,000 and ideal for personal and acreage use. Multitek’s flagship models 2040 and 3040 products offer firewood production up to 7 cords per hour that serve the largest suppliers worldwide. The two product lines offer a combined 14 different models of firewood processors with many additional options to make a truly customized solution. In addition to Multitek’s forestry machinery line-up, Multitek manufactures and distributes machinery for the oil & gas industry and also the power generation industry. Portable flameless heaters, and diesel powered generators are also manufactured at Multitek’s Wisconsin facilities and distributed worldwide. For additional information on Multitek and Wood Beaver Forestry, please visit www.multitekinc.com and www.woodbeaver.net. You can also reach Multitek at 800-243-5438.

New from Woodcracker is a New and Larger Whole Log Splitter, the L1200. Expanding the line of “L” series splitters suitable as a stand alone machine, or mounted on a loader, The L1200 brings 33 tons of splitting force with an opening of over 47 inches.

Woodcracker releases new products for 2017, announces new relationship with Mecalac of North America. Engineered and manufactured in Austria, Woodcracker extends its line of land clearing tree shears with its’ model CL 190, a compact, affordable shear designed for mini excavators in the 2.5 – 7.5 ton range. Suitable for harvesting bushes and small trees up to 10 inches in diameter. Lorusso Heavy Equipment of Walpole, MA, Woodcracker’s newest dealer in New England, is expecting its first CL 190 in early January to mate to the Mecalac 6MCR. According to AJ Lorusso, president of Lorusso Heavy Equipment, “the Woodcracker CL190 is a perfect complement to the Mecalac 6MCR , as it is compatible with the Mecalac quick coupling system, and the extra high reach of the Mecalac boom makes the combination a natural for tree work, while not losing any functionality as an excavator.”

Looking for a buncher or harvester that can handle today’s large cutting attachments without sacrificing performance? Look no further than the TimberPro 765 series. Our 765 series is the pinnacle of large bunchers featuring our legendary closed loop hydrostatic track drive system with stump pulling torque, hydrostatic swing featuring dual motors for the ultimate in swing torque and pin point accuracy. With the 765 series you can expect to get more wood on the ground, faster. All this with class leading serviceability and the best factory support in the industry makes the TimberPro 765 the machine to beat. More information is available at www.timberpro.com.

European bandsaw producer Metamob has relocated into a new facility combining production and commercial activities under one roof. The new facility with 50,000 square feet of space houses new production equipment from Iseli capable of meeting the increased demands from USA markets. Earlier this year Metamob formally annouced an exclusive distribution agreement with Union Grove Saw & Knife. Under the terms of this agreement, Union Grove handles all sales and service of bandsaw blades produced by Metamob in the U.S. Istvan Hutton co-founded Metamob in 1994 to meet demand for woodworking tools in their local markets. In 1997 the company started producing various configurations of extremely high quality bandsaw and frame saw blades at compeitive prices. Professional sharpening services followed in the same year. Today production is extremely focused on the niche market of wide and narrow bandsaw blades for the sawmill industry. The new facility is the cumulative efforts of many individuals but special thanks was given to Production manager and Head Engineer Vasile Sav whom with support from engineer Oana Silaghi developed detailed plans for the facility layout and relocation. The move was officially complete with a cerimonal opening in October attended by nearly 100 employees of the operation. Metamob has the largest installed base of Iseli machines, world reknown as the premium basis for bandsaw production globally. Hutton expressed, ”Customers Metamob can now expect an even higher quality and delivery time as a result of consolidating all operations under one roof.” ”To further complement our growing demand, we are now able to inventory larger amounts of raw material in various sizes to support the U.S. market demands,” Hutton added. Union Grove Saw and Knife, Inc. was founded in 1983 by Ed Bissell. Today it services over 300 customers. Most importantly the company still services and maintains its original 10 accounts. In 2016 a new management team was established with Anthony DeHart leading the expansion efforts. Union Grove has built a reputation for being competitively priced while delivering a consistently high standard of workmanship and quality products, and maintaining timely deliveries in ever changing market conditions. ”Union Grove recognizes that in order to provide customers with the highest possible product quality for every cutting application, unique partnerships with wolrd-class producers have to be established. This relationship with Metamob exemplifies this type of partnering relationship”, stated Anthony DeHart. ”Our goal is to form long-term partnering relationships with customers who seek to gain a competitive advantage through better management of their cutting tool resources. We are committed to helping you achieve better management and efficiency of your tooling which results in a lower total cost of ownership and utilization.” Dehart added. For more information on Metamob or Union Grove, contact Anthony DeHart at 828-217-3739 or [email protected]. Additional details can also be found at: www.sawandknife.com or www.metamob.ro

INVESTORS ARE PREPARING EASTPORT AND SEARSPORT TO SEND CHIPS TO EUROPE TO FEED BIOMASS GENERATORS THERE. Maine is poised to finally begin shipping wood chips to Europe for power generation next year if plans underway at Eastport and Searsport stay on schedule. After years of false starts, these developments would be especially welcome now, as the ongoing decline of the paper and in-state biomass power industries has hit hundreds of loggers and truckers who used to harvest and move fiber to Maine mills and generators. The value of U.S.-based wood fuel sent to the European Union in 2015 exceeded $684 million, according to export research firm WISERtrade, but none of it came from Maine. The state’s first opportunity could come next year in Eastport, where the port authority has been working on export plans since 2009. A company it has partnered with is building special equipment that processes the chips to standards required in Europe. Chris Gardner, the authority’s director, said that while the equipment may be ready by year’s end, he thinks it’s more realistic to begin exporting wood chips in 2017. “We have been reluctant to talk about this in the press,” he said. “We don’t want to put a lot of false hope into the market.” Meanwhile, Arthur House, president and chief executive of Maine Woods Biomass Exports LLC, has begun making railroad ties and other wood products in Millinocket along a rail line that connects the North Woods with Searsport. The ties are being sent by rail to Quebec, but the work is a prelude to shipping logs through Searsport to India in January, and wood chips to Europe in early 2018. “We want to make Searsport a fiber hub,” House said. Behind the optimism is an EU mandate that member countries get 20 percent of their overall energy supply from renewables in 2020. Part of that means converting coal-burning power plants to wood pellets and chips. But wood can carry invasive insects, so European Union regulations require all imported wood to be heat-treated to kill bugs. Suppliers need to receive government certification of their process, called phytosanitation. In Eastport, the port authority has been working with Maine-based Phyto Charter, a company that has been working with the University of Maine to develop a patent-pending system of heating the wood after it’s loaded into the hulls of chip carriers. Once loaded into cargo ships, the chip containers are hooked up to a blower system that delivers heated air that kills any stowaway pests. Maine Woods Biomass, meanwhile, plans to build a phytosanitation plant in Stockton Springs. It plans to start construction early next year, House said. The technology was proven during a test shipment of fiber for papermaking in Germany. House has ambitious plans for developing a supply chain network that will process and heat-treat chips, logs and other wood products, with a goal of exporting 600,000 metric tons per year. House said the company has signed long-term contracts for this volume with utilities in Europe. Roughly three-quarters of the fiber would arrive in rail cars over the Central Maine & Quebec Railway, which connects Millinocket with Searsport, as well as Lac-Megantic, Quebec. The company also has space at the terminal in Searsport to handle the material. A recent story in Biomass magazine outlined technical details of the proposal, which it said carried a price tag of $25 million. House told the Portland Press Herald the company has raised that much through a combination of equity and investor financing. LESS COMPETITION FOR WOOD FIBER Wood pellet and chip cargoes from the United States to Europe and the United Kingdom have been soaring in recent years, but most of it comes from the Southeast. Both House and Gardner say Maine has an advantage over Southeast ports because it’s closer to Europe and buyers can save on shipping costs. But plans to export wood fuel from Maine have repeatedly been delayed over the years for a variety of reasons that include competing for fiber supply with papermaking. Those worries have largely receded in most of Maine following the closures and cutbacks at mills. That has people who work in the woods watching the Eastport and Searsport proposals with interest. “Anything is going to help at this point,” said Brain Souers, president of Treeline Inc. in Lincoln, a logging and forest products company. “I don’t think we can go down any further.” Souers, a past president of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, has visited the Maine Woods Biomass operation in Millinocket. He said he has been talking to House about supplying chips or logs. Souers and other loggers have been reeling from repeated bad news in the forest products industry. Last week, Verso Corp. announced more layoffs at its Jay paper mill. Loggers estimate that will cut fiber demand by 500,000 tons. Within the past two years, the Expera pulp mill in Old Town, Verso’s Bucksport mill, the Lincoln Paper and Tissue mill, and the Madison Paper Industries mill have closed, along with two biomass power plants. These and other losses have led to creation of a federal task force seeking solutions, as well as a state study of the biomass industry. John Henshaw, director of the Maine Port Authority, said it’s too early to say to what degree wood-fuel exports can offset losses in other markets, but that the state could be entering an era in which chip exports become a regular occurrence. “I think there’s a potential for that,” he said. “I’m cautiously optimistic.” By Tux Turkel, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald Link to original article - http://www.pressherald.com/2016/11/08/ports-gearing-up-for-chip-exports-to-eu/

Brewco Inc., headquartered in Central City, Kentucky has announced the recent completion and shipment of the Big Jake 6000 Sharp Chain Scragg System to Charles City Timber and Mat, Inc. located in Enfield, North Carolina. The Big Jake 6000 is the latest generation scragg system based upon the Big Jake 4000 from the former Timberland Machinery. Brewco Inc. purchased the manufacturing rights to the Big Jake Scragg line in August of 2015. Since then, Brewco personnel have visited and interviewed Big Jake owners in order to discover what they liked about their Big Jake Scraggs and what improvements and refinements should be made. From those interviews Brewco was able to implement many improvements into this classic scragg, notably structural improvements to make the system more durable. Brewco was able to perform structural analysis on the design by utilizing Solidworks® 3D CAD software. This newest generation scragg system, the Big Jake 6000 is designed to handle logs from 8’ to 20’ in length. In order to facilitate the long log length, this system is over 120’ long. This long length required it to be manufactured in seven different and distinct sections. Once the system’s fabrication was completed, it was set up at Brewco’s headquarters and assembled and tested with logs in order to minimize troubleshooting at start-up at the customer’s site. All of the automation of the various functions of the Big Jake 6000 was designed and the PLC coding was written in-house by Brewco’s Automation Engineer by following the original Big Jake software protocols. The setworks allows the operator to measure the log diameter and enter a cut value into the first set of circle saws. After the log is rolled and set on the sharp chain, the computer system takes over and automates the rest of the processes throughout the system. Both the front set of circle saws and the back set of circle saws allow for cut sets from 6” to 16”. Once the log is cut by the first set of saws a two-sided cant is produced. This two-sided cant is moved downstream and automatically turned 90 degrees, then centered, clamped, and scanned. From there, the second set of circle saws is automatically set based upon the width. Once the saws are set, the cant is re-leased and made into a four-sided cant. The customer, Charles City Timber and Mat, Inc. owns a Big Jake 4000 Scragg System at its other facility in Providence Forge, VA. The location of the Big Jake 6000 in Enfield, NC is a completely new mill for Charles City Timber and Mat. Patrick Evelyn, president of Charles City Timber and Mat states “As I observed the five tractor trailers being unloaded here with my new Big Jake 6000 I was immediately impressed. I could not believe how much beefier and heavier this system is. I know how great my 4000 is, I cannot wait to get my 6000 in place and up and running. This is my first time working with the folks at Brewco so I was a little apprehensive. But from how well they communicated and interacted with me, what I’ve heard from other Brewco customers, and from what I’ve seen with my own eyes, I already know this is the best decision I’ve ever made”. For more information on the Big Jake 6000 please visit us at www.brewcoinc.com or call 800-237-6880.