Stacking Logs
Jerry Okonski stacks logs at the Kootenai Business Park.
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Log yard up and running at old mill site
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
February 12, 2008
The operator of a new log yard in Libby is aiming to fulfill what he sees as “an important mission” by providing a market outlet to encourage responsible forest management.
“The forest is very dynamic, and it needs to be nurtured, not just left idle,” said Timber Tech Inc. owner Jerry Okonski.
Okonski, who has lived and worked in Libby as a forest engineer on and off since 1975, opened the log yard Jan. 18 at the Kootenai Business Park Industrial District, which was previously the site of the Stimson Lumber Co. mill.
Okonski hopes the yard, which accepts logs from 2.5 to 28 inches in diameter, will play a part in promoting projects that improve forest health and reduce fire hazard.
“There’s a lot of land around here that need that kind of work, including on the Forest Service,” he said.
Most of the logs sorted at Okonski’s yard are destined to be turned into cardboard containers, said Kootenai River Development Council director Paul Rumelhart, who provides management services for the industrial district.
“The pulp market is really strong right now, and there’s a lot of pulp logs that need to be brought into this area,” Rumelhart said.
High pulp prices and the availability of a log yard close at hand mean more acres can be treated through stewardship contracts, Rumelhart said.
“It puts so much more value into a stewardship and allows the Forest Service to treat more acres,” he said. “What we’re really doing is developing a market for woody biomass.”
Photo by Kootenai Valley Record
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Editor’s Note: See the February 11, 2008 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Monday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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