Brad Clemens of B & M Timber LLC fells a tree. His company was named Eastern Oregon Area Operator of the Year for 2018.

Harney County logger Brad Clemens of B & M Timber LLC in Burns has been chosen as 2018 Operator of the Year for the Eastern Oregon Area. The Oregon Board of Forestry will honor Clemens at its March 9 meeting in Salem. Other awardees are Jay Browning, J.M. Browning Logging Inc. of Astoria, for Northwest Oregon and Dave Wilkerson, Dave Wilkerson Logging LLC in Eagle Point, for Southern Oregon.

The board gives the Operator of the Year awards to recognize those who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. That law requires people to harvest responsibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat and reduce landslide risks. The law also requires landowners to replant forests after harvesting.

Private Forests Division Chief Lena Tucker said, “These operators have shown how they can harvest needed wood products in Oregon forests while protecting natural resources. We’re pleased to honor the excellent care and diligence they demonstrate, often in challenging circumstances.”

Clemens earned the Eastern Oregon Operator of the Year award for minimizing soil disturbance during a winter harvest in a narrow valley while also protecting a fish-bearing stream that runs through the valley. Clemens has also been recognized for helping multiple landowners by careful salvage logging of their properties after a devastating 2015 wildfire in Eastern Oregon.