As the frost penetrates the soil and the ground freezes, the forests of the Lake States region become more accessible. From December to March, some mills in the region will harvest more than 60% of their annual wood supply.

Using my social media accounts on Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as an email to about 30 contacts in the forest industry I know and trust, I’m doing some work on trends in the forest industry and decided to ask my network what they saw as the big trends and issues coming in 2019.

Cliff Shermer and his wife Mary are the owners and operators of Shermer Logging. As with many logging businesses in the state of Minnesota, Shermer Logging is located off the beaten path, on a dead-end road in Gheen, a small town with a population of 25. Cliff and Mary reside here on the farmland that Cliff’s parents purchased in 1959.

When did you think that you would like to be a forester or a logger or another type of forest industry worker? And who or what influenced you along the way?