After 40 remarkable years in the timber industry, Buddy Douglas has officially retired as Plant Manager of Scotch Plywood. “Over his career, Buddy exemplified dedication, leadership and resilience, especially in the face of challenges like the devastating fire in 2021. His commitment to rebuilding and supporting our employees during that time was a testament to his character,” according to a statement from Scotch Plywood, referring to the fire at the facility in Waynesboro, Miss. and the ensuing rebuild and startup.

Douglas joined Scotch Plywood in 1994 and became Plant Manager in 2008. He always credited the outstanding team around him, saying, “I have had so many people who have made my job easier. They are dedicated folks, and I give them all the credit.” 

“His humility, passion and vision have left an indelible mark on our company and community,” the company stated. “Thank you, Buddy, for everything you’ve done for Scotch Plywood and the timber industry. Wishing you a well-deserved, fulfilling retirement!”

As Douglas steps into retirement, he looks forward to working on his 850+ acres of land and traveling with his wife, Mary. 

Scotch Plywood, headquartered in Fulton, Ala., named Nathan Ferguson as the new Plant Manager.

• Kendrick McBride returns to Dillard Lumber in Roseburg, Ore., to serve as plant manager. McBride began his career with Roseburg as a technical manager in 2017 at Dillard. More recently, he served as Production Manager at Roseburg’s Roanoke Valley Lumber in Weldon, N.C., leading the plant’s technical start up, oversaw team growth and has set the mill on track to expand operations in 2025.
 
• Casey Redwine assumes formal leadership at Medford MDF after working his way up through the mill since 2015 and, most recently, serving nine months as Operations Manager. The mill produces specialty MDF panels for the installer-friendly Armorite exterior trim product line.
 
• Brent Siegel manages Riddle Plywood, having assumed this role when he joined Roseburg in September. Siegel brings nearly 30 years of plywood manufacturing and leadership experience, most recently as plant manager at Georgia-Pacific’s Emporia, Va., plywood mill.

Peak Renewables U.S. Inc. has received required permitting for the construction and operation of a greenfield 650MMSF oriented strandboard plant in Enterprise (Coffee County), Ala.

Last February, the Enterprise City Council approved ordinances to convert a 300 acre property into an industrial property. Shortly thereafter, ACES Consulting Group, on behalf of Peak, submitted the permitting application to Alabama Dept. of Environmental Management (ADEM). ADEM subsequently granted permits for the various development and production processes during the latter quarter of 2024.

The operation calls for SYP logs to be delivered to the site by truck, followed by three rotary drum debarkers and three stranders, two parallel single-pass rotary drum dryers (along with a Biomass Energy System using two biomass-fired combustion furnaces), two blenders for mixing liquid phenol formaldehyde resin and wax emulsion, four-layer mat forming station, multi-opening press, and finishing line.

Exhaust from both dryers would be routed to a wet ESP and to an RTO. Emissions from the press would be directed through an RCO.

Some early work is being done at the site.

Peak Renewables operates an industrial wood pellet facility and cross-laminated timber and glulam facility in Dothan, Ala.

  A federal judge has ruled against Freres Lumber Co. and subsidiary Freres Timber of Lyons, Ore., dismissing the company’s lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service (FS) over its response to the Beachie Creek Fire in 2020. Over Labor Day weekend, the fire started on federal land and spread to private timberlands and towns along the North Santiam River east of Salem and caused five deaths and massive damage to timberlands and property.

       The lawsuit, which sought $33 million in damages, alleged the Forest Service was negligent in battling the Beachie Creek Fire in the Willamette National Forest. The complaint said officials did not put their full aerial firefighting arsenal or other resources to work in the first 14 days of the fire before it spread and became part of a complex of fires in the Santiam Canyon fueled by high winds and downed power lines.

       The Beachie Creek Fire eventually covered 193,000 acres, mostly in the Willamette National Forest, and destroyed dozens of homes in the towns of Detroit, Gates and Mill City. Rob Freres, President of Freres Engineered Wood (the company changed names in early 2024) and Freres Timber, said the ruling would be appealed and cited the FS’ “misconduct, negligence and failure to act” in responding to the fire and said they had brought the suit to change FS approach to wildfire fighting.

       Freres said the company had lost 7,000 acres of timberland in the fire, worth $30 million, and another $3 million in timber sales that were destroyed.

After a remarkable 50-year career, Allan McClure has stepped down from his role as General Manager of Altec Manufacturing, effective December 31, 2024.

“Those familiar with the veneer and plywood industry know that Allan is among the best when it comes to maintaining and installing veneer lathes. Few possess his depth of knowledge and many veneer facilities have sought his advice on optimizing operations and improving efficiency,” according to a statement from Altec. “While he takes a well-deserved break to spend time with his family, fish and travel, don’t be surprised if you still see him on site, sharing his expertise.”

McClure will continue to play a key role in the company, transitioning to mentorship and consulting where he will focus on guiding the team and contributing to product development. He will remain a valuable resource, offering support in troubleshooting, sales, and customer relations.

McClure’s career started in the mills on the green end, followed by lathe service management at Calvert Engineering, and then co-partnering in the rotary veneer lathe specialist company, Feltham-McClure, before joining Altec in 2019.

• Altec also announced David Helm as the new General Manager and assumes responsibility for day-to-day operations of the manufacturing facility in Diboll, Texas. Helm has more than 20 years of experience in the plywood industry with a background as a layup line and green end superintendent at facilities in Alabama and Texas.

“Having worked alongside Allan for more than a year in preparation for this transition, we are confident that David will be integral to the continued growth of Altec for many years to come and are thrilled to have him on our management team,” the company states.