A large federal contract awarded last week by the U.S. Forest Service comes at a good time for Smith Crane and Logging of Mound House, says owner Chad Smith.
The $1.96 million contract to provide tree thinning and fuels reduction in the Modoc National Forest should keep the company busy for nearly two years, Smith says.
Smith Crane and Logging expects to start the work this winter once the ground freezes.
"There is a transition period from fall to winter where the ground is too wet to work, Smith says. "I like winter logging there are a lot of advantages. It doesn't disturb the soil as much, and the cleanup isn't that extreme."
The contract with the Forest Service is for 250 working days. Smith expects to employ six workers from the Carson City/Mound House area and will hire five to six additional truck drivers and laborers from areas closer to the job sites.
With logging revenues down and the company's crane and rigging business off about 75 percent from two years ago due to the construction downturn, Smith, a logger for 31 years, says the job is a blessing to his company.
"It has been a tough couple of years for us. Over the years I have seen ups and downs, but I have never seen it down like this before," he says.
Smith Crane and Logging has operated out of a 9,000-square-foot facility in Mound House since 2008.
Trees that are removed from the work areas will be chipped and used to generate power at the Honey Lake Power Company plant in Wendel, Calif., Smith says.
The 30-megawatt plant converts almost 1,300 tons of wood waste per day and also uses geothermal wells to produce energy. Smith says the job will produce more than 50,000 tons of chipped fuel.
