Larry Krueger, right, accepts the Wisconsin Merit Award from GLTPA executive director Henry Schienebeck. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Brian Zweifel, Wisconsin DNR Forest Products Specialist

The Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA) held their 2026 Spring Celebration in Harris, Michigan, on April 1.  Each year, loggers and forestry professionals from Wisconsin and Michigan attend this conference to network, see the latest products and technology from over 60 exhibitors, and earn continuing education credits for training provided as part of the conference. This year’s training focused on wilderness first aid, worker’s compensation and chainsaw safety.

The Spring Celebration is also a chance for loggers to recognize leaders in their field. This year, GLTPA honored Larry Krueger of Krueger Lumber Company, Inc. in Valder with GLTPA’s Wisconsin Merit Award. Larry has been a long-time champion of Wisconsin’s forest products industry, most recently advocating fiercely for improved rail service for forest products companies to combat rising costs of shipping via truck.  Larry has also been a key external partner to the DNR Forest Products Services (FPS) team. Larry was instrumental in supplying kiln-dried white pine dimension lumber for FPS’s research and testing of white pine in mass timber panels.

GLTPA’s board met the day before the main event and included an update from DNR Chief State Forester Heather Berklund on current Division of Forestry (DoF) issues, projects and outlook for 2026. Furthermore, questions and concerns that the loggers had about the DNR and DoF were heard and addressed by Heather at the annual meetings. Some of the key themes discussed at the board meeting and in interactions with loggers were:

1. Training and future workforce concerns: continued discussions on how DoF can work with the logging community on training with our staff, UWSP’s Wisconsin Forestry Center and others.
2. Discussing ideas to support forest managers and loggers dealing with the long-term impacts of the loss of markets, as well as the recent impacts from shifting tariff policies and volatility in fuel prices.
3. GLTPA and Henry Schienebeck’s work at the federal and state legislative level, including the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), Secure Rural Schools Program, Wisconsin Forest Industry Roadmap and Strategies for Tomorrow (WI ForestsFIRST) and more.
4. Streamlining the process for loggers to access and utilize the DNR’s Temporary Bridge Program.
5. Recognition of the importance and value of the USFS Wood Innovations Grant program for improving forest product markets.

The Wisconsin Master Logger Certification (WIMLC) program also met the evening before the main event. Forest Products Specialist Brian Zweifel, who acts as WIMLC’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) with the DNR, attended their annual meeting along with Heather Berklund.  During the meeting, Zweifel provided information on how members can sign up for GovDelivery alerts to stay informed on DNR items of interest for loggers, including public input announcements and DNR property master planning updates. Zweifel also highlighted the first anniversary of WIMLC’s latest Green Tier Charter contract renewal, which granted them another five years of membership in the Green Tier program. For those unfamiliar, WIMLC recognizes loggers that meet and exceed the sustainable forest management standards set forth by the American Loggers Council. The program assesses and documents the harvest practices that loggers use in the forest through field audits and ensures that professional loggers are recognized for the excellent work that they do in responsible forest management and safety. WIMLC’s effort to go above and beyond minimum standards has made them a great fit as a Wisconsin DNR Green Tier Charter participant.

This is an increasingly challenging time to be in the forest products industry, but when stakeholders like GLTPA, WIMLC and the DNR can work together to find solutions, Wisconsin’s forests will remain in good hands.