Spilyay Tymoo
July 13,1979
Page 5
WSFPI construction program nearing midway point
Brand new machinery lies in
waiting around the mill, poised
fo r in s ta lla tio n in th e
surrounding plants. With a
minimum of fanfare, WSFPI is
carrying out its $5.5 million
renovation, replacing old,
worn equipment and streamlin
ing manufacturing systems.
The most visible change has
been the erection of a new
plywood plant at the Warm
Springs site, utilizing some
equipment from the existing
Madras plant and adding an
automatic lay-up line. Many of
the other improvements are not
im m ediately ap p aren t but
should result in substantial
savings by cutting manufactur
ing waste.
W SFPI m anager Ralph
DeMoisy reports that of the 34
items budgeted for renovation,
14 are complete. Most phases
of the operation, from log
handling to veneer peeling, are
undergoing m odernization
with hardly a skip in the
production beat. The usual
June or July shutdowns are;
scheduled for two consecutive
weeks at the end of August,
when a good part of the
remaining construction will
take place, said DeMoisy.
But a number of changes
have already been made, he
reported. Out in the log yard
one new sorting shovel is doing
the work of two LeTourneaus
and one decking shovel. A
water truck and road grader
have been added to the forest
operations.
Engineering in the sawmill is
75% complete and construction
10%. All the major equipment
has arrived, including a new
carriage, head rig and edger.
One structural change will be
the opening up of the building
to eliminate the bottleneck at
the trimmer. Another change
will be the installation of a
hand-pull green chain in the
sawmill to replace the edge
so rte r, which has been
re s p o n s ib le fo r lu m b e r
breakage.
In the aged stud mill,
renovation is 85% complete.
New saw systems have been
installed to increase lumber
recovery. Yet to be installed is a
remanufacturing edger that
will cut 2" x 3" and 1 " x 4" pieces
in addition to the 2" x 4" studs
now being produced.
WSFPI was selling cores
through the w inter, said
DeMoisy, because marketing
them was more economical
than processing them for studs.
Now the lathe in the veneer
plant has been modernized to
peel cores to 5%” instead of the
current 7”.
The transfer of the plywood
plant from Madras to Warm
Springs, about 50%,complete,
is being accomplished without
an interruption in production,
DeMoisy explained. While one
of the hot presses is being
installed in the new building,
the other press in Madras is
being operated around the
clock. When the Warm Springs
press is operational, the second
press will be moved down.
Plywood production should
be streamlined with the new
automatic lay-up line, which
awaits only electrical wiring.
The line will sandwich veneer
and apply glue automatically,
speeding p ro d u c tio n and
r e q u ir in g few er p e o p le .
DeMoisy noted that workers
are not being laid off as a result
of the renovations, but rather
that some positions will not be
re-filled when they are vacated.
By the first of August the
plywood plant should be ready
fo r “ s h a k e - d o w n ,” said
DeMoisy, a start-up period
designed to rid the new system
of bugs.
W SFPI’s major renovation
was launched as a result of a
nine-month study of mill
o p e ra tio n s co n d u c te d by
consultants last year. The study
recommended that existing
systems be updated before
expansion is considered.
Construction workers aligned
the 2500-pound plates on one
of two presses being moved to
Warm Springs fro m the
WSFPI plyw ood plant in
Madras. The new plywood
plant should be operational by
the first o f August for “shake-
down. ”
Spilyay Tymoo Photo by CDS
Smith president
Timber council will provide forum for tribes
Timbered tribes from Maine
to Alaska now have an official
association to represent their
interests and Warm Springs is
playing a key role. The
Intertribal Timber Council was
born June 28 in Seattle when
thirteen tribes agreed on
proposed articles of organiza
tion and elected a nine-member
executive board.
Ken Smith, Warm Springs
general manager, was chosen to
be the first president of the
timber council. Smith was
instrumental in the council’s
formation and during the past
two years has encouraged'
timbered tribes to gather and
share their concerns.
Encouraging Communication
■ A m o n g th e c o u n c i l ’s
ongoing activities will be to
carry on the established
tradition,of an annual timber
symposium. Previous sympos
ia have brought together tribal,
g o v ern m en t and p riv a te
interests to pool their expertise
and explore solutions to timber
management problems.
Other functions of the timber
council will be to monitor
legislation affecting Indian
timber, advise and work with
the Bureau of Indian Affairs in
developing the full potential of
tribal forest resources, assist
tribes in the establishment of
tim b e r e n te r p r is e s , a n d
encourage the training and
d e v e lo p m e n t o f I n d ia n
foresters.
The timber council may
eventually become a lobby
group for timbered tribes, said
Smith. Also being considered
are a newsletter to keep
members informed and a
staffed office to handle council
business.
valuable and renewable natural but he would like to see that
resources not only provides involvement increase at all
incom e and em ploym ent levels.
Timber council president
opportunities for our people,
but also affects our lives in Sm ith is joined by vice
m an y o th e r w ays. T he president Keith Little (Navajo),
harmony of man, trees and secretary Tom Loder (Coeur
other vegetation, soil, water d ’Alene) and treasurer Gary
and wildlife which collectively Morishima (Quinault). Other
comprise the forest community board members elected to
influence our very emotional staggered terms of one and two
y e a rs a re : J e r r y L ucas
and spiritual well-being.
“The Intertribal Timber (Makah), Andy Jack (Colville),
Council is hereby established to Lawrence Latham (Hoopa),
pursue and prom ote the Gene Bell (Flathead), and
conservation and development Danny Gutnerrez (Santa Clara
of our timber resources for the Pueblo).
The rem ain in g c h a rte r
benefit of our people.”
Smith sees the council as an members include Spokane,
advisory body to timbered Metlakatla Indian Community
tribes. “We can’t tell them what of Alaska, and the Penobscot
to do,” he said, “but we can a n d P a s s a m a q u o d d y of
show them what’s possible.” Maine.
Membership is extended to
Tribes are “more involved in
setting policy and making “any Indian tribe or Native
decisions,“ observed Smith, Alaska Corporation with a
But for now, Smith and his
board will volunteer their time,
doing what they can to
fa c ilita te c o m m u n ic a tio n
among member tribes. “It’s
time well spent.” said Smith,
“ because we d o n ’t spend
enough time on this important
resource.”
One of the board’s initial
concerns will be the location of
funding. The council’s only
income derives from member
ship dues ($100 per year for
each member) and the funds
supplied by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs for the annual
symposium. Smith indicated
that the board planned to
a p p r o a c h th e E c o n o m ic
Development Administration
as a potential source.
Dollars and Conservation
f
“ W e’re dealing with a
resource th a t should be
generating more dollars,” said
Smith. Many tribes feel that the
Bureau of Indian Affairs has
been conservative in its harvest
allowances, failing to maximize
the resource while it slowly
loses its value. But the timbered
tribes are also committed to |
conserving the resource.
I
In the preamble to the timber
council’s articles of organiza
tion, the tribes’ concerns are
clearly stated. Calling theforest I
re s o u rc e s “ v ita l to th e
economic and social welfare of
many Indian nations and
Alaska Native Corporations,”
the preamble goes on to say,
“The management of these
demonstrable . interest in the
management of Indian timber
resources,” as stated in the
articles of organization. Non
voting associate membership is
also available to anyone
“supporting the purposes of the
Intertribal Timber Council.”
Among the first associate
members are Weyerhauser and
N avajo F o re st P ro d u c ts
Industries.
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