Salvage trees still giving

The Community Log Program, organized by the McKenzie River Locals Helping Locals financial impact the program has had a big impact. To date, it has donated $110,107.84 to local non-profit organizations.

Over the last two years, those numbers include a total of $15,018.70 was donated to the Vida-McKenzie Community Center; $45,045.12 was granted to the O'Brien Memorial Library; and Locals Helping Locals received a total of $50,044.02.

Those amounts are an obviously huge benefit to these three non-profit organizations and it has been made available by the generosity of Joel Zeni and Suulutaaq, Inc. and Jeff Brink, Brinks Land Improvement.

The program was initiated by Joel Zeni. Suulutaaq and Brinks Land Improvement, a way to accept log donations from the community members after the Holiday Farm Fire. Some were people who didn't have enough logs to justify the process of marketing and delivery, etc. on their own. Other log donations came from folks who weren't interested in going through an involved process of securing harvest permits, contracting, and marketing.

To simply things, Joel offered their companies to collect and transport the logs, and Cliff Richardson of Locals Helping Locals agreed to secure the necessary permits and do the marketing with the mills. Suulutaaq did the necessary intake paperwork from the loggers and Richardson did the paperwork on the state timber taxes.

Payment to each non-profit organization was calculated on a percentage basis. Locals Helping Locals held the funds until disbursement each Spring following tax payments.

Speaking for all three of the non-profits, Richardson said "We are very thankful and appreciative to Joel, Jeff, and their businesses."