Current Happenings at

Forestry Mutual

FORESTRY MUTUAL NAMES WINNERS OF THE 2010 

E. K. PITTMAN SAFETY AWARD FOR NORTH CAROLINA

The  Forestry Mutual Insurance Company has named the winners of it's annual E. K. Pittman Safety Award. The award is named in honor of the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Forestry Mutual and presented to those companies chosen by the president and staff of  Forestry Mutual based on their safety record and continued emphasis on safety in the work place.

The awards were presented at the 2010 North Carolina Forestry Association Annual Meeting in Pinehurst, NC.

MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

COOK BROTHERS LUMBER COMPANY

Franklin, N.C.

LOGGER OF THE YEAR

 MONTGOMERY LOGGING, INC.

Troy, N.C.

Congratulations to the owners and employees of the above companies!

CHAINSAW COMPETITION HELD

Forestry Mutual  once again held a chainsaw competition at the 2009 Carolina Logging Demo in Raleigh on August 15.

*  Eleven timber-cutters from NC and VA competed for 6 slots in the finals, the tree felling.  The qualifying round was hotly contested, all competitors exhibited their skills in a very professional manner.  Four of the six competitors earned an additional $100 each for hitting the target of a bag of cornmeal during their felling.   *  The qualifying events were training tools used in the woods to reduce risk and increase skill levels.  Each event has a specific purpose to reduce risk, avoid injury, and increase productivity.   *  Precision Bore Cut-  Teaches saw control and the reactive forces of the bar and chain.  The event is used to introduce the controlled-release back-cut.    *  Precision Bucking-  Teaches saw control.  This event is used to avoid hitting foreign obstacles while in the process of bucking, such obstacles can cause injury by saw kick-back.   *  Timed event-  The event is used to gauge the proficiency of the competitors in chainsaw maintenance and assembly.   *  Finals--Tree felling--  Trees were felled for accuracy and stump safety.  Each stump was scored for the accuracy of the notch and hingewood.  The contestants were scored for their felling plan, a step by step detail on how the tree was going to be cut.  "Remember, an accident is an UN-planned event!"  Felling accuracy was determined by inches away from the desired target.

Stihl Chainsaws provided personal protective equipment for each participant and a new 441 chainsaw for the first place contestant. Cash prizes were awarded to the second thru sixth place finishers.

Special thanks to our event sponsors:

  Stihl Chainsaws

Special thanks also to all the competitors and their respective companies.

JIMMIE LOCKLEAR, FMIC AGENCY AGENT,  RECEIVES AMERICAN LOGGERS COUNCIL "PRESIDENTS AWARD"

Photo left to right (Danny Dructer ALC Exec. Director, Jimmie Locklear,
Ezzel Castleberry, ALC 2008 President)
 

Below is the speech presented by Mr. Ezzel Castleberry, President of the ALC, when he recognized Jimmie Locklear with this years Presidents Award.

One of the hardest decisions to make as your President is to decide who is to be the recipient of the
President’s Award.
Every year, we try and recognize individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty to serve the
ALC. There are so many of you who unselfishly give your time and resources to help this
organization grow and be effective, that really, you all qualify. Past recipients include those who have
answered the call and shown leadership when leadership was needed. Past recipients have come
from both the logger members and the association executives who have supported the ALC.
Last year, Charles recognized two of the leaders in the publishing field by giving awards to DK Knight
of Hatton-Brown Publications and Mike Crouse of Loggers’ World. Both worthy recipients and both
are here with us today, doing what they do best, covering our meeting and reporting it out to the
public.
This year, I would like to again recognize two individuals that have exhibited the team spirit and have
over the past several years dedicated themselves to our industry.
The first recipient that I would like to honor this afternoon has not been involved with us for all of that
long, but his involvement over the past three years has helped the American Loggers Council grow.
He is without a doubt proven himself to be truly concerned with the safety of our profession, and with
the encouragement from his boss, has been instrumental in putting a rare group of people in the
same room, discussing in a civil manner, the need to look at improving safety and fire detection and
suppression systems on our equipment. In fact the group is known as TEAM. He was also
instrumental in bringing together a group of professional timber harvesters by hosting them at
organizational meetings in his offices to form the North Carolina Association of Professional Loggers,
who this year became the latest voting member of the American Loggers Council. He has logging in
his blood, and a can do mindset. With that, I would ask that Jimmie Locklear please come forward
and accept this award.