Fred Huntress is a log scaler who cares about the forest. He works in the
woods in Maine all day long among black pines, red pines, jack pines and whites.
But Huntress is in an industry that cuts down trees. He is quite aware
of the irony of his life, but also knows that log scalers help to preserve
and limit the amount of forest that's harvested.
Huntress and his colleagues help loggers who are committed to a new type
of logging called selective harvesting. Selective harvesting is the opposite
of -- if not exactly the antidote to -- clear-cutting. Only select trees come
down: genetically inferior as well as older trees that are more susceptible
to disease are harvested, allowing more space for new saplings and genetically
superior trees.
"Selective harvesting increases the sustainability of the forest. Various
criteria determine timber selection and damage to wildlife and habitat is
avoided," says Huntress.
Because there is less total lumber being harvested, the log scaler must
be that much better at identifying and grading the most valuable timber. Selective
harvesting is envisioned as a tool to increase the sustainability of the forest.
It works with the natural life cycle of trees, improves their gene pool and
minimizes the disruption to wildlife and watersheds. It's seen as more
environmentally sound, as well as more potentially profitable over time.
Van Scoffield, vice-president of a professional foresters' association,
explains how lumber is graded. "It depends how free of knots the log is, how
straight the grain is, how tight the grain is and how large the diameter of
the log is. The fewer the knots, the higher the grade; the straighter the
grain, the better; the tighter the grain, the better; and the larger the diameter,
the better."
Needless to say, being able to identify these components of lumber requires
special training and a great deal of experience. It's this experience
that makes log scalers so sought after. Some feel the knowledge only comes
from being on the job, and that schooling is only a small part of the training.
This is the case for Fred LeVering, a scaling manager.
"Accurately judging the value of a log before it's sawn into lumber
is a skill that's acquired only through experience. The ability to recognize
defects in a log is a skill both loggers and woodlot owners rely on you for.
And they'll pay you good money for this skill because the value of a
hardwood log is how they earn their living."
The job also requires a love for challenges, some instability and constant
change. You have to be flexible and need to be good at managing your own finances.
"The current market conditions are unstable," says LeVering. "They vary
from one area of the country to the other. They vary with the species and
grade, and have to be assessed at the beginning of each job according to where
it's located at and what the local market conditions are at the time."
The retail market basically establishes the raw material prices. In turn,
this determines how much the log scaler makes. "If the mills are selling all
they make, they up the retail price and pay a little more for logs until the
market slows down and the process works in reverse."
To be a successful scaler, you have to be hardy. Besides working
in fluctuating price markets and at the whim of economic trends, log scalers
find themselves at the mercy of the weather as well. This means that if the
weather is bad enough, entire logging operations can be shut down for months
on end. To cope with such events, many obtain training or develop skills in
surveying or lumber buying.
"The key is to be really flexible," says LeVering. "You never know what's
going to happen from year to year. And, once an area has been harvested, it's
time to move to another area. That is the fun part about the job. You never
know exactly where you are going to be next. It keeps things exciting."