The start of the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference on Thursday in Anderson, is evidence that forestry is a big business in the North State.
But in the last few years, the industry has been hurt by the down economy.
The health of the logging business rises and falls with construction and since the housing market has been down in recent years, things have also been slow in forests.
“The industry is improving, I cant say it is great, its improved over what it has been for the last couple of years, it still has a long way to go,” said Mark Lathrop, President of this years logging conference. Lathrop also works for Sierra Pacific, the largest timber producer in California.
“In places where we may have been running 9 hour shifts, we are now running 8 and sometimes we have taken some time off we have had to take some crews off for a week or two at a time. So it has effected us as well,” said Lathrop.
According to the employment development department, logging and mining employed over 800 people in the North State in 2010, 400 of them in Shasta County alone.
But profits show that the industry is suffering. 43 million dollars worth of timber was pulled out of Shasta County in 2007. In 2010, just 16 million dollars worth.
“One of our biggest emphasis this year has been the educational component that is a huge part of the conference,” said Lathrop.
Instead of hiding from public scrutiny, industry leaders are trying to be open about what happens out in the forest.
“This logger, helped in a healthy way, harvest this tree that helped build my house, but there is a face to the product. But that is what has been lost and that is what I am trying to bring back,” said Jeff Fowle, a North State agriculture advocate.
Industry leaders say educating kids about a sustainable forest is at the forefront of their goals. On Thursday, 800 4th graders visited the conference.
“We would like students to walk away with a better understanding of the cycle of forestry and all the different professionals involved in that,” said Shaney Emerson, with the Forestry Foundation.
Aside from timber, forest products, meaning things made from the left over parts of the tree are also a big business in Shasta County. 22 million dollars of product in the year 2010.
