FRA HONORS BAKER FOR TECHNICAL WRITING

RELEASE: March 17, 2010

CONTACT: Neil Ward (301-838-9385)
nward@forestresources.org

Rockville, MD — The Forest Resources Association conferred its 2010 Technical Writing Award on Shawn Baker, of the University of Georgia, at FRA's March 14 Annual Awards Luncheon in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Baker authored the finest Technical Release FRA published during the previous year.

FRA Chairman Dave Liebetreu congratulated Baker, commenting, "On behalf of all FRA, congratulations for your writing and for your award."

Baker's Technical Release, In-Woods Loader Operation Impacts Productivity, reports the results of a field comparison of two approaches to processing timber and loading trucks on a "hot basis." In one configuration, the operator piled wood for sorting as soon as it was skidded, optimizing skidders' productive time but creating a loading bottleneck that increased trucking turn-times. In the other configuration, the operator processed skidded wood immediately, reducing truck turn-time but increasing skidders' wait time.

Baker's study quantifies the average delay each configuration creates in turning around trucks waiting at the landing and notes the special relevance of this delay on operations in which more than five products are sorted. The study also suggests situations in which loader operators can anticipate slack and undertake appropriate tasks for optimum deployment of assets.

Single copies of the winning publication are available at no charge from FRA at 301/838-9385. Requests should refer to stock number 09-R-16.

The Forest Resources Association Inc. is a nonprofit trade association concerned with the safe, efficient, and sustainable harvest of forest products and their transport from woods to mill. FRA represents wood consumers, independent logging contractors, wood dealers, and landowners, as well as businesses providing products and services to the forest resource-based industries.

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Caption for photo: "FRA Chairman Dave Liebetreu (left) congratulates Shawn Baker of the University of Georgia, winner of FRA's 2010 Technical Writing Award."

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