Association Overview

South Carolina Timber Producers Association, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(6) independent association dedicated to representing and servicing our state’s professional timber harvesters as well as our timber dealer and timber trucker members. Other associate supporting members include businesses involved in the utilization, manufacture and sale of timber products, private timberland owners, professional foresters and businesses serving our members such as equipment dealers, insurance agencies, tire dealers, truck and trailer dealers, and other product and service providers.

SCTPA has been pursuing its own agenda for the best interests of the timber harvesting segment since January 1, 1999. Previously known as the Palmetto Timber Association, our reorganization allowed more direct focus and attention to the needs primarily of our logging members, as well as timber producing and trucking members.

SCTPA provides our members with the tools, benefits and services to meet the demands and challenges presented to timber harvesting, producing and transporting businesses. We continuously monitor the political scenery and act as your voice and lobbyist in Columbia, as well as your contact to South Carolina’s Washington delegation, to ensure fair and equitable legislation on issues that may affect our members. Likewise, SCTPA monitors and works with local governments to oppose or favor ordinances and laws impacting our industry segment.

We actively pursue association-endorsed benefits and values programs to provide discounted services and products. We encourage Allied Suppliers who provide products and services to support this association as members. We offer Allied Supporting Member status to those who are national forest products companies as well as supporting individuals and companies involved in allied timber businesses, timber ownership, reforestation, and representative associations the opportunity to participate.

As Southern Logging Coalition and American Loggers Council charter members, this allows us the ability to stay at the forefront of regional and national timber harvesting issues. We partner with other organizations such as the Forest Resources Association, Agricultural Transportation Conference, SC Trucking Association, SC Forestry Association, National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition, SC Private Property Rights Coalition, SC Landowners Association, Highway Users Alliance, Tax Relief Coalition, SC Tort Reform Coalition, SC First Alliance, Enrich SC Coalition, Alliance For Energy & Economic Growth, Mobile Machinery Coalition, SC Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Southern Alliance for the Utilization of Biomass Resources, Southern Appalachian Multiple-Use Council, Forest Industry Association Council of the American Forest & Paper Association, Agriculture & Forestry Transportation Reform Coalition (AgHaul) and the SC Biomass Council representing timber harvesting.

SCTPA is a proud charter member of the Wood Supply Research Institute. Since 1999, this research institute initially started is a “joint” logger and wood consumer effort to research the wood supply chain systems and identify areas of improvement. Now WSRI members consist of loggers, wood suppliers, consuming mills, forest landowner companies and associates such as equipment manufacturers, educators and others to provide funding for research projects.

Logger segment funding is achieved through contributions from participating logger association members. Our commitment to the Logger’s Budget is $2,500 each year. Never before has there been such an effort to partner loggers, consuming mills and others to pinpoint wood supply chain problems and determine effective solutions to improve the economics and efficiencies of the industry.

SCTPA’s president served as the WSRI Technical Team Chairman for the selection of research projects to be funded, is a WSRI board member for the logger’s segment and is a two-term WSRI chairman.

Thus far twenty-four research projects have been completed. Examples of some of the projects
completed are Wood Truck Turn Time Cost Penalties to the Wood Supply System, Causes and Costs of Unused Wood Production Capacity, Logging Capacity Survey and Update, Logging Cost Indices, Cost of Log Sorts, Wood Supplier / Wood Consumer Relations, Cost Per Ton Impact Computer Model, Status and Future Sustainability of the U.S. Wood Supply, Decoupled Trucking and What Will It Take To Bring Back Logging Capacity.

Our nine Board of Directors are professional timber harvesters elected by the membership at the annual meeting and serve four-year terms. Association officers are board elected serving two-year terms.

Our goals are to advance the professional, ethical, safe, productive and environmentally responsive harvesting, producing and trucking of South Carolina’s renewable and sustainable forest resources. Our work is providing loggers continuing education for safety, transportation and driver safety, ethics, Best Management Practices, environmental issues, harvesting systems, regulations, business practices and meeting the requirements of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative for loggers to meet the SFI Trained status for South Carolina.

South Carolina Timber Producers Association is proud to be a Charter Member of the American Loggers Council (ALC). ALC’s Professional Logger Code of Practices has been adopted by S.C. Timber Producers Association as our Charter Code of Practices.

SCTPA is dedicated to representing the hard working professionals on the ground… the true stewards of our forests for the 21st century. It is by choice professional loggers work in and with one of God’s great gifts… our most valuable renewable and sustainable resource… our forests.

Our Charge is to harvest our timber resources to provide healthy forests; provide products for our daily lives; enhance environmental balance; and, protect where applicable, conserve where needed and use wisely our renewable and sustainable forest resources so everyone will know and recognize professional loggers as having endeavored to conduct our businesses and perform our jobs with training, safety, stewardship, integrity and professionalism.

Our newsletter, Timber Talk, is published six times yearly to keep members informed of current issues. We are actively involved in local, state and federal governmental lobbying for timber harvesting issues. We work with local governments and state agencies such as the State Transport Police, OSHA and DHEC to ensure positive and interactive communications are maintained for the benefit of our members and timber harvesting industry.

We are active in the education of school children and teachers through our Sustainable Forestry & Professional Timber Harvesting Education Program that is an interactive classroom video, discussion presentation by SCTPA’s president and a professional logger member tailored to meet any particular school grade.

Over 1,500 students from elementary to high school have seen our program. Education is an important function so teachers, students and the critical public better understand our timber harvesting profession and sustainable forestry. SCTPA actively participates yearly in the SC Teachers Tour where teachers are educated about SC sustainable forestry, forest products industry and professional timber harvesting.

Speaking engagements are welcomed and have been presented to such groups as the Lexington Lions Club, Columbia Downtown Optimist Club, Newberry Exchange Club, Ladies Garden Club of Summerton, Mid-Carolina High School, Society of American Foresters and Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Association, Society of American Foresters, Association of Consulting Foresters and others. Our president personally planted over 200 trees at Forest Heights Elementary in Columbia and serves as the school’s Environmental Science Program Mentor under a state-sponsored education program. We are active in other educational programs such as the Wood Magic Forest Fair for fourth-grade students and teachers for logging, sustainable forestry, forest products and environmental education.

Master Logger Certification (MLC) through the American Loggers Council is only available to members. Our president chairs the ALC’s National Master Logger Certification Committee. Master Logger Certification is the American Loggers Council’s copyrighted and trademarked program using third-party audits of what a logger is doing in their business and on the ground to meet the performance standards approved for South Carolina. Master Logger Certification covers the Seven Areas of Responsibility as dictated by the National ALC MLC template. MLC is being recognized as the common denominator for landowners to have certified wood delivered to SFI and other certification participating wood-consuming mills. This credible program is helping meet the demands of forest products certification programs and has been recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. While the program is available as SCTPA has an approved MLC template, the program is not active due to inadequate funding. However, there are future plans to implement the SCTPA MLC program.

Our Annual Membership and Business Meeting conducted in February is a program of speakers, workshops and activities to benefit our members. Elections for board members, the association’s financial and business review, bylaws changes, awards presentations, and other activities occur at the annual meeting.

Our president, Crad Jaynes, serves on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative State Implementation Committee and Timber Operations Professional (TOP) Task Force Committee. He also teaches in the TOP 2-Day class for the initial SFI Trained status. He is a member of the Timber Equipment Applications Management committee to improve logging equipment design to reduce fire risks, improve fire suppression systems and reduce equipment insurance rates. He also represents timber harvesting on the SC Biomass Council to establish alternative woody biomass markets in SC.

Member services include our Endorsed Property & Casualty Insurance Program administered through Swamp Fox Agency, Inc., Pinopolis, SC, SCTPA Endorses Forestry Mutual Insurance Company, Raleigh, NC, as our Workers Compensation & Employers Liability Insurer for members. SCTPA has our own Timber Producers Insurance Agency, LLC, but Swamp Fox Agency administers our program.

Our member Health Insurance Program is effective with plans tailored to meet the health coverage needs of timber harvesting businesses. Independent broker Mark Snelson is our Endorsed provider and administers plans available through BlueCross BlueShield and his other markets. Other Allied Supplier Members provide Employee Supplemental Benefits programs and insurance products.

Our Endorsed Member Only Program for Baldwin Filters provides members a 45% discount on Baldwin filters purchased through Baldwin Warehouse Distributors.

Our Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Roadmaster brand truck and trailer tire discount program is available to qualified members.

Other services and benefits include statewide district meetings to update attendees on legislation, regulatory changes, association activities, etc. and provide a program of interest for attendees. SFI Trained status workshops are conducted to assist members in maintaining their current SFI Trained status. Our WilcoHess fuel program is available to current members and our Hertz Rental Car discount can save members money. Truck Driver Training and Chainsaw Training Workshops are offered to enhance professionalism, safety and efficiency. Our Cold Fire fire suppression products save members money.

Our board of directors served as the Advisory Board for the Timber Harvesting Operators Certification Course through Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s Georgetown campus to train and certify timber harvesting heavy equipment operators. We are proud this course graduated four classes since beginning in January 2006. Now the program is offered as part of the Forestry program at HGTC with an emphasis on operator training.

SCTPA participates on the Statewide Trucking Task Force providing representation for the Unmanufactured Forest Products Trucking Segment to improve the services of the Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles Services and State Transport Police.

SCTPA partners with State Transport Police to ensure fair enforcement of our SC Intrastate Unmanufactured Forest Products Trucking Regulations. Working in a cooperative effort with State Transport Police this association was able to update the regulations in 2006 without encumbering our industry’s businesses with unnecessary regulations. We partnered with the SC Trucking Association to develop a new Weight, Size and Safety Fine System that is much more equitable for our Unmanufactured Forest Products Trucking segment. Without SCTPA in these efforts, loggers and wood truckers would have been hammered.

SCTPA was instrumental in the passage of the New Unmanufactured Forest Products Trucking GVW Increased Tolerance to 15% to allow 84,272 pounds GVW for hauling unprocessed forest products on Non-Interstate SC Highways coupled with the passage of the New Strobe Light requirement for longwood loads extending over 4-feet past the trailer to improve highway safety for our industry and our state motorists. Both effective May 21, 2008.

SCTPA DEFEATED the IRS to have the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax 25% Log Truck Discount Reinstated in SC, The discount was first removed in SC and SCTPA took the fight to the IRS and led the way for this reinstatement through a partnership with the American Loggers Council, Virginia Loggers Association and NC Association of Professional Loggers as those two states were affected as well.

SCTPA worked with the SC Forestry Association and the SC Forestry Commission to gain a SC Attorney General’s opinion letter that disallows local and county governments from enacting and enforcing ordinances affecting sustainable forestry and timber harvesting operations.

SCTPA is actively supports the American Loggers Council initiative to allow state-approved GVW’s to travel the federal interstate system within each state to improve safety, efficiencies and logistics.

Timber is our state’s Number One Cash Crop and our most valuable renewable and sustainable resource. Our state’s forest products industry represents the largest manufacturing economic cluster of our state’s economy for jobs and payrolls. Professional loggers, timber producers and timber truckers play a major role in this important industry via employment, taxes paid, economic development, capital investment and local economic support.

An investment in SCTPA is an investment in your future. This association will continue to be responsive to our members, public concerns and needs, responsive to protect our forests and environment as well as promote wise use, and responsive to consumers to meet the demands for forest products manufactured from sustainably managed forests.

We will conduct training and advocacy programs for responsible timber harvesting. We will be responsive to our own livelihood to protect the independent businesses providing employment opportunities, tax revenues and contributing to our local and state economic development.

We must and will continue to be responsible and accountable for our actions as professionals harvesting, producing and trucking SC’s forest resources. It is our commitment to serve you and be “Your Voice for SC Timber Harvesting!”

As nationally recognized Montana professional logger Bruce Vincent says, “The world is run by those who show up! Professionals harvesting, producing and trucking our sustainable forest resources must become involved with the world existing outside the tract being harvested.

Harvesting, producing and trucking our unmanufactured forest products are our members’ businesses. SCTPA’s business is to represent and service their best interests as well as that of others involved in timber manufacturing, private and public land management, suppliers of products and services and anyone associated with the timber harvesting industry.

SCTPA is dedicated to the long-term success of our members’ businesses and sustainable
timber harvesting and forestry practices here in South Carolina.

SC Timber Producers Association

Mission Statement

 The Mission of the South Carolina Timber Producers Association is to serve as the voice for timber harvesting and allied timber businesses to advance the ability of its members to professionally, ethically, efficiently, safely, environmentally and profitably harvest, produce and transport timber to meet supply demands of our state by providing continuing educational and training opportunities, distributing timber harvesting, hauling, manufacturing and selling information, representing our members in national and statewide legislative activities, supporting and advancing sustainable forestry practices and policies, and aggressively promoting, supporting and conducting programs of state, regional and national advocacy.

Vision Statement

The Vision of the South Carolina Timber Producers Association is to continuously advance our members by:

• Encouraging professional, ethical business practices through education and professional training.
• Promoting efficient, safe, economical and environmentally responsible timber harvesting methods.
• Promoting practical, effective measures for compliance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative SFI), Best Management Practices & Environmental Stewardship.
• Developing active relationships with local, state and federal authorities through cooperative interaction, communications and education.
• Developing improved communications between timber harvesters, timber producers, timber users and timberland owners for supply and demand issues.
• Monitoring local, state and national legislation for support, opposition or amendment and to be an active participant in the political processes affecting professional timber harvesting, producing and transportation.
• Supporting state, regional and national logger, forestry, timberland, transportation, forest products organizations and allied industry associations.
• Improving public image through increased community interaction, service and education.
• Educating our children and the public to understand our profession as Qualified Professional Timber Harvesters and to promote our forest resources and timber as our “most valuable renewable and sustainable resource.”

Association Overview Revised 2-10-16 / bcj