From the President's Desk

Thanks to Troy Brown, past presidents, board members, and staff for the leadership that has made GLTPA so successful. Our board is unique, with expertise from all areas. This was evident when we had a personality test with the group from Dignify at our board meeting a few winters ago in Escanaba. As I move up to president, I look forward to assisting our members whenever needed. While I may not have all the answers, someone in our organization surely does.

I have been involved with the Michigan forest industry in some capacity since the late '90s, including participation in the Society of American Foresters, Michigan Forester Association, Michigan Association of Timbermen, as well as the Michigan and Wisconsin Master Logger program. I was relatively young when Pete Grieves and Judy Augustine influenced me to engage in Michigan forestry politics. My earliest memory of meeting Henry Schienebeck was when we were both testifying on wide load permits in Michigan. Naturally, I was nervous and stumbled over my words. Henry testified after me, and it was at that moment I knew I wanted to be involved with him and the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA).

My work experience spans all aspects of forestry and trucking, including DOT compliance, whole tree chipping, and cut-to-length logging. I have also been through the Game of Logging and consider myself a proficient chainsaw operator.

Markets are constantly changing. Gone are the days of large stable pulp markets such as Champion. Pulp is now a global commodity, making it challenging for the Great Lakes Region to compete with pulp mills such as in Brazil, which have less regulation, smaller procurement areas, and quicker tree rotations. We need to support the Timber Professionals Cooperative as well as new and emerging markets, including wood fiber insulation, mass timber, and sawmills investing in technology. Many loggers believe that small increases in markets won't help but investing in and increasing markets in the Great Lakes Region, no matter how small, benefits all members.

As mentioned, we have excellent leadership. Our executive director is probably the most respected director in our industry, and this is the best board I have been a part of. My goals for the next two years are to help increase markets for loggers in the region and to help create a succession plan for the Great Lakes Timber Professionals, ensuring success for the next 70 years.

Feel free to contact me for anything. My contact information is in the magazine or on the Michigan/Wisconsin Master Logger websites. I look forward to serving everyone.

Mike Elenz

GLTPA President