Oregon Logging Conference

08/29/2026

It is with a very heavy heart that we
share the news of Scott Melcher’s passing on Friday evening, August 28, 2026. As one of our OLC family members, Scott served as the president of the Oregon Logging Conference in 2021 and 2022. He was a man of very few words, but his words had a profound impact on everyone he touched. His legacy will continue to inspire for years to come. We’ll all will miss you dearly!

Our hearts and prayers are with the Melcher family during this incredibly difficult time. We wish them peace and comfort.

08/26/2026

Remembering Dolly Parton - she will be missed but her legacy will live on through her music.

Provided to YouTube by Legacy RecordingsEugene Oregon · Dolly Par...

08/13/2026

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ensign family and friends during this difficult time🙏

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DRVkjJAGp/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Associated Oregon Loggers joins Oregon’s forestry community in mourning the loss of Jason Ensign, a valued member of the Green Diamond Resource Company, who lost his life Thursday while supporting firefighting efforts on the Wrights Spring Fire.

Green Diamond Resource Company is a valued member company of Associated Oregon Loggers. This loss is deeply felt among our members and across Oregon’s forestry community.

Jason’s willingness to step forward and support the firefighting effort reflects the professionalism and commitment found throughout Oregon’s forest sector. When wildfire threatens our forests, livelihoods, and communities, forestry professionals are often among those who answer the call working in difficult and dangerous conditions.

Behind every person working on the fireline is a family, a circle of friends, and coworkers who expect them to come home. Today, those closest to Jason are facing a profound loss.

Our hearts are with Jason’s daughter, family, friends, colleagues, and all those who worked beside him and are grieving his loss.

Jason’s service and sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Associated Oregon Loggers extends our deepest condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy.

07/19/2026

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07/14/2026

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends. ❤️🙏

With the permission and blessing of Timber’s family, we want to share the details of her service with our FFA family and community.

It is with heavy hearts that we continue to mourn the loss of our Vice President, Timber Winegar.

Timber was so much more than an FFA member. She was a leader, a friend, and a light within our chapter. Though she may have been small in stature, her personality was larger than life. She had a way of making people smile, bringing energy into every room, and reminding us what it means to serve others with kindness and heart.

The hole she leaves in our chapter, our school, and our community is immeasurable. She will forever be a part of the Grant Union FFA family, and her impact will continue to be felt in the lives of those who knew and loved her.

Timber’s celebration of life will be held on Friday, July 17, at 2:00 p.m. at Grant Union High School. Interment will immediately follow at Prairie City Cemetery, with a reception afterward at the Grant County Fairgrounds Pavilion in John Day.

We extend our deepest love and prayers to Timber’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone whose life she touched. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts as we honor and remember an incredible young woman who left this world far too soon.

Once an FFA member, always an FFA member. Forever in our hearts, Timber. 💙💛

07/14/2026

🌲 Wood is Good: Forest Sector Career Learning 🌲

Did you know the forest sector offers careers for every interest and skill set? From logging, trucking, and sawmill operations to forestry, engineering, GIS, administration, communications, and more, there are rewarding, high-demand careers right here in Oregon.

Our Wood is Good program is a FREE interactive classroom presentation for high school students that introduces the wide variety of careers available in the forest sector and helps students connect classroom learning to real career opportunities.

📍 Available statewide as a virtual presentation
📍 In-person presentations are available in Lane, Douglas, and Benton counties, along the I-5 corridor to Salem, and in coastal communities from Newport to Reedsport.

If you're an Oregon high school educator interested in bringing this program to your students, we'd love to hear from you!

07/14/2026

Please join us for the celebration of life for Harve Dethlefs on August 22nd, 2026. If you plan on attending, please click the link below to RSVP. You can also find the link in the comments. No need to let us know if you are unable to attend, we just want to ensure that enough seating and food is available. You can read his obituary below:

Harve Robert Dethlefs passed away on June 27, 2026.

Harve was born October 1, 1937 in Hillsboro, Oregon. He grew up in the Cherry Grove-Gaston, Oregon area. He graduated from Gaston High School in 1955 where he was a standout athlete in Football, Basketball, and Baseball. Before enlisting in the U.S. Army, he attended Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon for a year. During his stint in the Army, he served as an Administrative Specialist after attending Quartermaster School. For all his life, he was grateful he learned to type while at Gaston High School. That allowed him to spend his time in the Army stateside at Fort Ord, California honing his business skills and pitching for the 1st Brigade baseball team. Harve had a lifelong love of baseball. He coached Little League for many years in Forest Grove and played ball into his mid 30’s.

After discharge from the Army in 1958, Harve worked as a truck driver for Great Western Chemical Company in Portland, Oregon. In 1960 he was hired by Tektronix in Beaverton, Oregon. He spent 20 years with Tektronix as Warehouse & Transportation manager before taking early retirement in 1980 to venture into the logging business.

In 1981 he established Bighorn Logging in Banks, Oregon and became a full-time timber faller at the age of 43. Harve was still actively involved in the business until just a short time before his passing. Harve was passionate about hunting and fishing but what mattered most to him was Bighorn Logging, the employees, and the legacy they built together.

Harve is survived by his brother Douglas Dethlefs and his wife, Gloria Dethlefs. His children Dean Dethlefs and his wife Richell (Foster) Dethlefs, Denise Dethlefs and her husband, Ruben Trevino, and Dan Dethlefs. As well as his grandchildren Jessie, Dustin, Dillon, Dawson, and Dallas Dethlefs.

He was preceded in death by his wife Lory, his parents Harvey & Olive Dethlefs, his sister Sharon Koberstein and her husband, Cecil Koberstein, and his son Dwayne Dethlefs.

Harve served on the Board of the Camp 18 Loggers Memorial in his later years. Harve’s Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 22, 2026 at Camp 18 Loggers Memorial 42364 Sunset Hwy, Seaside, OR 97138. Please RSVP if you can join us so we have enough seating and food for everyone. https://invitedrop.com/i/harvedethlefs We ask you to please park at the Loggers Memorial rather than at Camp 18 Restaurant.

Harve was a lifetime member of the Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation. If you care to make a remembrance contribution, in lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations to the Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation. https://oregonfnaws.org/donate/donations

07/14/2026

Remembering OLC 1995 Past President Martin Nygaard

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It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Martin Nygaard, who died peacefully at the age of 97.

Martin was a proud logger, a man of unwavering integrity, and a lifelong pillar of Clatsop County. He witnessed nearly a century of change while remaining grounded in the principles that defined him: hard work, honesty, and service to others. His legacy will live on through the family he cherished, and the community he helped build.

His work ethic, humility, and generosity reflected the values he loved so deeply. Whether through his years in the timber industry, his commitment to family and friends, or his quiet kindness, Martin left a lasting mark on countless lives.

The Nygaard family is deeply grateful for the love, prayers, and support we have received during this time. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation in Martin's honor, helping continue the care that means so much to families throughout our community.

Et liv levd med styrke, arbeidsglede og omsorg setter spor som aldri viskes ut.
(Norwegian: A life lived with strength, joy in work, and care for others leaves marks that are never erased.)