THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015
Business & Ag
Cutter’s Edge trains first
responders to use new rescue saw
• SAW WAS
DONATED TO
GREATER BOWEN
VALLEY LAST
MONTH
Prices trended generally steady compared to the
same quality last week. Trade activity and demand
was slow this week. Most producers are sold out for
the season.
Price Range
Wtd Avg
Alfalfa
Large Square - Good
400 190.00-190.00 190.00
Alfalfa/Timothy Mix
Large Square - Premium
25 200.00-200.00 200.00
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 542
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Volunteers from the Greater Bowen Valley Fire and Rescue got lessons last
week from Tom Ruzich (front, second from right) on using rescue saws.
chainsaw, he said. This is
a product that was recently
developed especially for
cutting through aircraft
metal, Ruzich said.
He said that the saw
heads (the main body of
the saws) are modified
with a larger air intake, in-
creasing horse power, and
providing other benefits,
since the saws would be
used in harsh environ-
ments, where a normal
internal combustion engine
would have issues.
A specially developed
metal depth gauge, the
D-8, placed on the chain-
saw, was demonstrated.
The gauge, which requires
no tools to remove or
install, allows the saw to
cut through a roof, for
example, without acci-
dentally cutting too deep,
through rafters. It also
serves as a chain guard to
protect the user. Ruzich
said this gauge was another
development gained from
experience over the last
30 years. His background
is in firefighting, having
served as a volunteer all
his life, he said.
He said there are two
Cutters Edge facilities—
the Corporate Headquarters
and Factory in Baker City,
with nine employees, and
the other, the Authorized
Service Center, in New
Cumberland, Pennsylvania,
with eleven employees.
At about 6 p.m., the
group headed to the train-
ing grounds, just west of
the 7,500 square foot Cut-
ters Edge facility on 23rd
Street. Donning nearly
100% of the gear they
would normally wear, the
exception being oxygen
masks, they listened to
Ruzich as he explained
the operation of the saws
and the training scenarios
(Keith Jensen was in plain
clothes due to a previous
injury).
They had several cut-
ting scenarios, set up by
Ruzich and Brown, which
included a variety of
materials. The first was a
steel pipe, which Ruzich
cut through with the rotary
blade, demonstrating the
cutting operation for the
group. Devlin was the first
to volunteer after that to
cut the pipe, followed by
the rest.
The next scenario in-
volved a metal guard rail,
attached to a concrete bar-
rier and pipe with straps.
Each one in the group took
turns cutting the rail, after
it was first demonstrated
by Ruzich.
He demonstrated the next
cut, through the concrete
pipe, with the water-cooled
rotary saw. This scenario
required that the user cut
through half of the pipe
from one side, and then
finish the cut from the
other side.
Two metal doors were
the focus of the next
scenario, and each member
of the group took turns
cutting through replaceable
plates on the latch side of
the doors. Upon comple-
tion of each cut, they pried
open the doors.
A wooden building locat-
ed on the training grounds
was used to demonstrate
cutting through exterior
walls, with the chain-
saw and the rotary saw.
Devlin and Allen Jensen
volunteered to make both
vertical cuts and horizontal
cuts in order to remove
sections of the wall, using
both saws.
After that, both the
rotary and chain saws were
demonstrated on layers
of asphalt shingles which
were strapped to a wooden
pallet.
This session was a por-
tion of the training the
Greater Bowen Valley Fire
and Rescue volunteers will
receive from Cutters Edge,
and another session is
tentatively scheduled later
in the summer.
Forest supervisors issue open
letter to forest users
Dear Citizens of the
Blue Mountains National
Forests,
The Malheur, Umatilla
and Wallowa-Whitman
National Forests are com-
mitted to keeping an open
dialogue continuing with
the communities we serve
and as such would like
to update you all on our
progress in the Blue Moun-
tains Forest Plans revision
process.
We want to thank many
of you for your recent
efforts in helping us think
through and develop a
re-engagement strategy
for the communities in the
Blue Mountains.
As we announced last
month, we have met with a
broad spectrum of stake-
holders so far this year
to discuss the best ways
to reengage with folks in
the Blues. Through their
council and advice we
are exploring a range of
re-engagement activities
including community,
stakeholder and Forest
Service hosted meetings.
We want to be clear that
Friday, May 29, 2015 — Eastern Oregon
Tons
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Last Wednesday eve-
ning, May 27, volunteers
with the Greater Bowen
Valley Fire and Rescue
department assembled for
a training session provided
by Tom Ruzich, President
of Cutters Edge in Baker
City, who gifted the group
a fire rescue saw, men-
tioned in the May 8, 2015
issue of The Baker County
Press.
The group from the
department included Fire
Chief Jim Devlin, Assistant
Fire Chief Keith Jensen,
Allen and Tabbitha Jensen,
Cal Foster, Chris Galisze-
wski, Brent Kragness,
and Rick Badgley. Steve
Brown, Head of Produc-
tion for Cutters Edge,
assisted Ruzich with the
training.
Ruzich explained that
three different saws are
assembled and internation-
ally sold by Cutters Edge.
One is a chainsaw, with a
carbide-tipped chain, the
Bullet Chain, Cutters Edge
developed nearly 30 years
ago, he said. The saw is
capable of cutting every
type of building material
except structural concrete.
Another chainsaw,
equipped with a diamond-
tipped chain, is lubricated
with water, and is capable
of cutting up to 16 inches
of reinforced concrete.
The third saw, a rotary
saw, uses a diamond blade
that can cut through virtu-
ally any material, and can
also use a special chain,
the Bullet Chain, attached
to a rotary blade, the Bul-
let Blade, a set up that‘s
repairable and replaceable,
Ruzich said. Moving three
times faster on the blade,
the chain can cut through
a wider range of mate-
rial than if it were on the
— Weekly Hay Report —
these meetings will be
open to public; Our hope
is that these meetings will
provide opportunities to
discuss and develop ideas
that will help us to improve
the final Revised Forest
Plans, and provide clarity
on our final decisions.
As previously an-
nounced, this past Febru-
ary, we began asking local
organizations, including
counties, tribes, members
of the public at large and
special interest groups, if
they would be interested
in hosting or participating
in public meetings in their
communities on issues
brought forward through
the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement comment
process.
We are working with
those who have responded
to plan and/or participate
in a variety of forums
to be announced soon.
We welcome additional
efforts if there is interest.
We are open to meet with
the public and any entity
interested in discussing the
draft.
We heard a strong desire
for further discussion
around Forest access, back
country, wilderness and the
pace and scale of restora-
tion, so you can anticipate
meetings around these top-
ics, as well as some other
more localized issues.
We hope to identify
some common ground and
create solutions. We look
forward to these discus-
sions
It is important to know
that while the analysis
for the Malheur, Umatilla
and Wallowa-Whitman
National Forests will be
included in one environ-
mental impact statement;
each Forest will have its
own unique plan specific to
the Forest and their com-
munities.
We want Forest Plans
that provide resiliency for
our communities in Eastern
Oregon and Washington;
Plans that support the local
economy and the social
values of the people who
use and depend on them.
We also want resiliency
in ecosystems that can
withstand: drought, floods,
wildfire, invasive species,
human impacts and have
the strength to return to
healthy ecosystems in the
long run. Our Forest Plans
should provide the vision
of how to do just that and
we will continue to need
your help in shaping them.
Please come to a meet-
ing. If you cannot come
to a meeting, contact your
local Forest Service office
with your input. If you are
interested in discussing
or hosting an engagement
event please contact Katy
Gray, Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest, Public
Affairs Officer, kathrynl-
gray@fs.fed.us 541-523-
1246.
We look forward to see-
ing and hearing from you
in the coming months as
we believe together we can
plan for a bright future for
our forests.
Thank you,
Steve Beverlin; Malheur
NF, Kevin Martin; Uma-
tilla NF, Tom Montoya;
Wallowa-Whitman NF
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 257.00 - 284.00 Top 289.00
400-500# Bulk 264.00 - 297.00 Top 313.00
500-600# Bulk 245.00 - 273.00 Top 280.00
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk 237.00 - 258.00 Top 262.00
400-500# Bulk 232.00 - 247.00 Top 259.50
500-600# Bulk 228.00 - 247.00 Top 260.00
Yearling Steers
600-700# Bulk 226.00 - 240.00 Top 241.00
700-800# Bulk 207.00 - 221.00 Top 222.00
800-900# Bulk 193.00 - 202.00 Top 204.00
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 210.00 - 224.00 Top 226.00
700-800# Bulk N/A Top N/A
800-900# Bulk N/A Top N/A
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows 84.00 - 94.00
Butcher Cows 96.00 - 110.00
Butcher Bulls 126.00 - 141.00
Pairs BM N/A
Younger Hfrts. 122.00 - 139.00
Young Pairs - N/A
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
— Log Price Report —
Price per 1,000 board feet: Northeast Oregon
Doug Fir is $415.00/mbf
White fir is $365.00/mbf
Ponderosa Pine is brought sold
on diameter splits
6 to 11 inch dib $300 to $310/MBF
12 to 17 inch dib $350 to $375/MBF
18 to 23 inch dib $400 to $430/MBF
24 inch plus dib $450 to $500/MBF
DIB is diameter inside bark at
small end of log.
MBF is thousand board feet lumber, net scale.
People interested in selling logs
should call and get specific
quotes from saw mills.
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: $1174.60
Silver: $16.17
Platinum: $1,098.24
Palladium: $755.18
Bloomberg.com
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $362.70/bu/USD
Wheat: $519.75/bu/USD
Soybeans: $943.55/bu/USD
Oats: $245.70 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $9.91/cwt/USD
Canola: $494.60 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $150.95/lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $221.60/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $80.93/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com