Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Associate Editor Jay Donnell travels to Garland, North Carolina to spend some time with Smith Timber Company. When David Smith was just a teenager, he knew he wanted to take over the family logging business. After he graduated from high school, that dream became a reality. His grandfather, Johnny Smith, had started the business in the early 1980s after working for International Paper for most of his life. A motorcycle accident left Johnny with a broken leg and a cast for two years and he eventually lost his job with IP. That’s when he decided to move into logging. His first piece of equipment was the classic orange 225 Timberjack skidder. “It was worn out when we bought it so we rebuilt it, and the first loader we bought was a Logger’s Dream and he kept inching up from there,” David recalls. As the business grew and after Johnny’s passing in 1995, David’s father, Wayne Smith, took over the company. Wayne and his brother, Mike, ran the business up until 2004 when David graduated high school.

Featured Story: “Taking Control”

Written By: Jay Donnell
Company: Smith Timber Company
Location: Garland, North Carolina
SLT Issue: July 2014

Check out other featured articles in the July 2014 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times magazine.
Southern Loggin’ Times magazine’s July 2014 issue features Garland, North Carolina’s Smith Timber Co. and Robert L. Rich Timber Harvesting, and Livingston, Tennessee’s C&L Logging. Also highlighted is recent Southeastern Wood Producers Association’s annual meeting and first-ever logging expo, held last month in Georgia. Other articles discuss forestry tire tread designs, Georgia’s Yancey Bros. 100^th anniversary, and the grand opening of Forest Pro, Inc.’ new Virginia location.