RDL Northwest, a logging firm headquartered in Lebanon, is one of two companies honored with the Merit Award for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Northwest Oregon Region.
Owner Rick Dennis was honored for his careful planning of units to be logged, ODF said in a statement.
Brian Murray, director of presale for Cascade Timber Consulting, which nominated Dennis, said that although there are multiple firms in the area that could have been nominated, Dennis’ meticulous attention to detail, care for environmental concerns and innovation were reasons why the company decided to nominate him for the award.
“Really, Rick Dennis does a lot of what I would say is detailed planning when given a project,” Murray said. “He looks at lots of different options and evaluates them for resource protection, value for the HIll Family or the landowner we’re working for.”
Murray and others emphasized that RDL often leaves a logged area in better condition than when it arrived.
In a video released by ODF to announce the award, Dennis, who noted he has logged “pretty much all my life – I was babysat at a very young age on (logging) landings,” said that when he leaves a job, he’s thinking about how RDL’s work will impact the next generation “to enjoy the benefits of someone having logged responsibly.”
Jerrin Robbins, of the ODF South Cascade District office based in Sweet Home, said in the video that Dennis has been a local leader in the development of winch assist/tether logging on steep slopes, which, Robbins said, prevents unwanted environmental damage such as trees falling into streams.
He said Dennis is innovative in developing tools necessary to do the tasks that come up in today’s logging environment, and often goes the second mile.
“I’ve seen Rick go above and beyond numerous times in harvest operations,” Robbins said in the video, adding that RDL will rehab old skid trails or fix water bars or crossing that are not working.”
Said Murray: “He will have lengthy discussions with us, trying to turn over every leaf of all of the options, all the possibilities for him to succeed and to protect the resources.”
Videos about each of the three Operators of the Year and five Merit Award winners, including RDL, can be viewed at www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/default.aspx.