Submitted photo

Tony Hauth’s H Timber Contracting, based in Hines, earned the Operator of the Year for Eastern Oregon award. 

H Timber Contracting of Hines has been named Operator of the Year for Eastern Oregon. Owner Tony Hauth will be honored by the Oregon Board of Forestry (ODF), along with other recipients at the board’s Jan. 5 meeting in Salem. 

The other regional Operator of the Year awardees are:

• Northwest Oregon: All Around Logging LLC of Stayton in Marion County

• Southwest Oregon: Plikat Logging of Winston in Douglas County

Regional Forest Practices committees select the operators of the year and merit award recipients from among nominees sent in by landowners, ODF staff, and others. The award recognizes forest operators who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. That law requires people to manage forests responsibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat, and reduce landslide risks. 

The law also requires landowners to replant forests after harvesting. The awards honor operators who consistently meet or exceed Forest Practices Act regulations. Videos about each of the three Operators of the Year and five Merit Award winners can be viewed on the ODF website at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/default.aspx

ODF Forest Resources Division Interim Chief Josh Barnard said, “This year’s honorees represent innovation to protect water quality, care in harvesting that leaves an overcrowded forest in a safer, healthier state, and helping others begin to recover in the wake of devastating wildfire. They have shown an outstanding ability to meet landowner objectives, while exercising extraordinary care and diligence in challenging harvesting situations. From protecting streams while logging where it rains 90 inches a year to carefully removing fire-ravaged trees from a beloved family campground, we’re pleased to recognize the leadership and community spirit these operators have shown.”

Eastern Oregon

Tony Hauth’s H Timber Contracting, based in Hines, earned the Operator of the Year for Eastern Oregon award. Hauth received the award for protecting a fish-bearing stream flowing through the middle of a timber stand being harvested near John Day. With no road access to the east bank, Hauth had to install two temporary crossings by placing a 36-inch high culvert and cover it with logs. Timber from the east side of the stream was felled and then passed by a mechanical arm across the stream to minimize any impact to the stream or vegetation along it. Access on the west bank required rebuilding a disused old road close to the stream. Large rocks and several logs were used to armor the bank to prevent sediment from entering the stream. All streamside vegetation was protected from damage through the course of the harvest.

The Eastern Oregon Regional Forest Practices Committee also honored Dave Elpi, owner of Sisters Forest Products in Deschutes County, with a Merit Award.

Oregon enacted the Forest Practices Act in 1971 as a national model for forest management laws. The law focuses on ensuring responsible forest operations and protecting natural resources in forestland. The Act has been updated many times based on new scientific information and values to create a balanced approach to natural resource management.