American Loggers Council Sponsors

Focus Outdoors Show

Beginning in January, 2003, the American Loggers Council will be sponsoring “Focus Outdoors”, an outdoor hunting and fishing show to be aired on the Outdoor Channel on Friday nights at 6:30 PM CST.

The show will be informing viewers on the benefits of timber harvesting and other forest management activities to wildlife habitat. The American Loggers Council will be sponsoring the show on a weekly basis and working with other conservation groups such as the Ruffed Grouse Society, the National Wild Turkey Federation and Delta Waterfowl to inform and educate the viewers of the need for forest management, including timber harvesting to promote wildlife and wildlife habitat.

The first episode of the show was filmed during the third week of November near Lufkin, Texas on the North Boggy Slough hunting area owned by Temple Inland. ALC Executive Vice President Danny Dructor and Texas Logger Jerry Burch made the journey to Boggy Slough to be joined by wildlife biologist Don Dietz of Temple Inland. During the hunt, they were able to discuss many of the tools that today’s loggers utilize to promote sustainable harvesting practices as well as provide habitat for many species of wildlife.

ALC President Bob Luoto explains, “The image of today’s professional timber harvester is very important to the survival of our industry in the United States. If we are to gain public acceptance of who we are, what we do, and how we do it, we must promote ourselves through programs such as Focus Outdoors. This is just the beginning of a series of programs that the American Loggers Council hopes to initiate to promote our image.”

Luoto went on to say, “The timber harvesting industry has made many changes over the past two decades which reflect the desires of ALC members to promote sustainable harvesting techniques, but we have not had an effective platform to relay that message to the public. The Focus Outdoors program will give us that opportunity to help educate the public on the professionalism and quality of work that is now being performed on our nation’s forests to provide for forest health and sustainability.”

A second episode of the program was filmed on property owned by Texas Logger Tommy Burch, which involved several of his grandchildren hunting white-tailed deer.

In that episode, Tommy emphasized the importance of taking care of what we have now to provide the same opportunities for future generations. Tommy’s tour of his property included a regeneration harvest area where three year old pines now stand 6 feet tall, as well as Sabine River bottom hardwoods where selective harvesting techniques have produced a quality hardwood forest.

An abundance of wildlife was filmed at both locations which included deer, ducks, hogs and squirrel; with an unexpected encounter with a 5-foot chicken snake by Executive Producer Lee Storbeck and his cameraman Mickey Uzendoski.

A special thanks goes out to the fine folks at Temple Inland including Jim Decozmo, Don Dietz, Jim Brody, Carolyn Elmore and Wayne Russell who helped to make the production go off without a hitch at Boggy Slough. We would also like to acknowledge Tommy and Jerry Burch and the entire Burch family for allowing us the priceless opportunity to spend time with their family on their property and to help create some memories that their grandchildren will cherish forever.

The American Loggers Council would also like to thank John Deere for making the continuation of the Focus Outdoors program possible. While we still seek funding to further improve the program, their generous contributions have allowed us to go on the air.

As for the results of the hunt, you can find out by tuning in to the Outdoor Channel beginning in January on Friday nights at 6:30 PM CST and watching Focus Outdoors. The ALC episode is tentatively scheduled to appear on the third week of January.

For more information about the American Loggers Council, or the Focus Outdoors project, please contact their office at PO Box 2109, Cleveland, Texas 77328 or call 281-432-7167, or visit their website at www.americanloggers.org.

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