Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Associate Editor Jay Donnell travels to Chipley, Florida to spend some time with Panhandle Forestry Services, Inc. The bankruptcy of U.S. Forest Industries, Inc. in 1999 and the closure of its two sawmills left several timber buyers, procurement personnel and contract logging operations wondering what to do next. Barry McGaughey and David Morris were two of those procurement employees for U.S. Forest Industries, and both had extensive experience in corporate timber procurement for sawmills, paper mills and chip mills with several companies. But now what? In a classic case of turning adversity into opportunity, in 2000 McGaughey, Morris and comptroller Cheryl Martin formed Panhandle Forestry Services, Inc. and began working closely with many of the logging contractors that had been “set adrift” by the demise of U.S. Forest Industries. However, it wasn’t as if opportunity came knocking right away.

Featured Story: “Efficiency Is Key”

Written By: Jay Donnell
Company: Panhandle Forestry Services, Inc.
Location: Chipley, Florida
SLT Issue: February 2014

Check out other featured articles in the February 2014 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times magazine.
Southern Loggin’ Times February issue features Dwayne Taylor, Barry McGaughey and David Morris of Florida’s Panhandle Forestry/Chipola Timber. Young logger Jeremy Jones started from scratch and weathered the storms. With no plans to retire, veteran logger Padgette eyes new biomass markets.