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The 83rd annual Intermountain Logging Conference and Equipment Show is being held this week, April 12-13, in Spokane Valley, Washington. The theme of this year’s show is “It’s a New Day in the Woods,” focusing on the latest advances in the Timber Harvesting industry.
On the opening day of the conference, MLA Northwest Regional Representative Tim McEntire will be a moderator for the Trucking Focus panel, where industry leaders will discuss the future of Electric Log Trucks.
Like many industries, the logging industry is exploring how electric trucks can benefit its members in the future. However, the future is not that far off. It is just around the bend, and an electric log truck will soon be rolling into a mill near you!
In December 2021, Edison Motors, a Canadian company, was the first to announce that it had built North America’s first electric log truck. They started production in November 2022, and since then, over 330 companies have reserved an Edison electric log truck. (Woodtransport & Logistics 2023)
Edison Motors
Other conference events include hands-on technical training and panels focused on business topics, such as production strategies and the log trucking shortage, and topics exploring mechanization and automation in the woods, such as truck platooning and heavy lift drones.
Heavy lift drones are already hard at work in forests throughout North America. Multiple companies are experimenting with using these drones for reforestation after wildfires. Learn more: How drones are replanting B.C.s burned forests.