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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2009)
16 community september 2009 Gwin Logging Salvages Timber for Deck of USS Constitution By Scott Laird A local Vernonia logging outfit, Gwin Logging, had the distinction and honor of recently providing three large logs that were used in a very special way-- to re-deck the famous Navy ves- sel, the USS Constitution, one of the most celebrated warships in American history. The ship is undergo- ing a three-year and $7 million renovation that will return “Old Ironsides” to her orig- inal reconfiguration. The three old-growth Douglas Fir logs that are be- ing used, were sal- vaged from the Avery Family Tree Farm: a 12,600 acre expanse of timber near Scio, Oregon, which is managed by Mason, Bruce and Girard, Inc. According to property manager Pete Mastenbroek, his facility was contacted this past February by Ray Haroldson, a specialty log buy- er, who had been tasked with procuring suitable timber for the re-decking proj- ect. “We were wait- ing for spring, but the market was so bad, no one was going out in the woods,” said Har- oldson in a recent in- terview. “The Avery Farm said they would take a look to see if they had any blow- down trees that might be salvageable. The Avery folks called me back and said they thought they had something, and it turned out to be literally the perfect logs,” said Haroldson. Gwin Logging was brought in to buck and yard the old-growth timber. “We were working on the Avery Farm doing selective cutting for transmissions poles. We just happened to be there,” said Rick Gwin of Gwin Log- ging. “It was just one large tree that looked like the roots were rotten and blew over a couple of years ago,” contin- ued Gwin. “It was still sit- ting there as sound as ever.” The Gwin crew cut the tree into the three logs that were hauled out. According to Haroldson, the yield was more than was needed for the deck, and the excess was sold to the US government to be used for other parts of the renovation. The harvested timber was then sent to Glenwood Forest Products, a specialty mill in Washington. “They are very meticulous, really take their time, real artisans in their work,” said Harold- son about Glenwood Forest Products. The deck was installed on the USS Constitution this past summer. Masterbroek, of Mason, Bruce and Girard, Inc., said the tree farm has been in the Avery family for 101 years, and that his com- pany has managed the property for fifty-one years. “The fam- ily has set aside a reserve of old-growth, but we do have a green light to harvest blow-down and dead standing trees,” said Masterbroek. “We like to look holistically at the forest and manage it for sustain- abilbity,” he said. The USS Constitution was originally launched in 1797 and is the oldest com- missioned warship still afloat in the world. It was active during the War of 1812 when the ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” for its seem- ingly-impenetrable wooden hull. The Constitution was involved in 33 battles and never lost an engagement. It has been through numer- ous renovations, the largest beginning in 1992, after which the ship sailed under its own power for the first time in 116 years. The current restoration is expected to be completed by December, 2010, in ad- vance of the 2012 bicentennial of the War of 1812. Phone (503) 429.2617 Kitchen Countertops Fax (503) 429.0941 Fireplace & Furniture ABSOLUTE@AGALIS.NET Tubs & Vanities www.absolutemarbleandgraniteinc.net perfectly s cool reward UP TO $750 VISA PREPAID GIFT CARD by mail with the purchase of qualifying Electrolux Kitchen Appliances until September 20, 2009 NO DOWN PAYMENT & NO INTEREST FOR 12 MONTHS UP TO 2009 Schedule of Meetings with LOW monthly payments on Electrolux Appliances $499 and up until September 20, 2009 $500 VISA PREPAID GIFT CARD by mail with the purchase of TM qualifying Electrolux Wave-Touch Control Laundry until September 20, 2009 Store Hours Monday thru Saturday 9:00am - 6:00pm 512 SE Baseline HILLSBORO 503-648-2813 First Wednesday of each month at the Vernonia Community Learning Center at 9:00 AM. September 2nd October 7th November 4th December 2nd Open to the public, input is welcome. For more information contact: DeAnna Pearl, VPC Director 503-369-7370 Be a piece of the puzzle.