Bryan Humphreys started his own logging business in 2002, and by 2005, he had already won the West Virginia Forestry Association’s Logger of the Year Award—an award that he won for the second time in 2014.

 

From the start, B.T. Humphreys Logging impresses any visitors to the operation: Bryan displays a "Welcome to a B.T. Humphreys Timber Harvest – Safety Protection Required" sign near the log deck. Bryan expects his truck drivers to be courteous to the general public and to everyone. All of Bryan’s crew members are West Virginia Certified Loggers, which means they have all received training in chainsaw safety, BMPs and first aid. The crew communicates via CB radios and company-provided cell phones. Furthermore, Bryan has installed a cell phone signal booster in his pickup truck, which maintains cell phone access even in remote areas—an excellent safety feature. In fact, Bryan’s safety performance is unequaled in West Virginia:  It is believed that he is the only West Virginia logger that has been inspected by a very tough OSHA compliance officer in the past without receiving a single infraction or citation.

 

Bryan’s attention to safety parallels his attention to environmental practices. His crew is proactive when it comes to treating the residual timber stand with care and making sure that all Best Management Practices are followed. Bryan serves as a member of the three-person BMP Compliance Appeals Board, which includes on-site follow-up inspection of any BMP-related complaints that might be received on BMP-related timber harvests in his part of the state.

 

Bryan Humphreys and his crew are clearly proud of their work, and they do not shy away from public scrutiny of their operation.

 

FRA’s Outstanding Logger Award program is designed to raise the visibility of professional logging contractors and to encourage other loggers to adopt the performance of the award winners. The Regional Award winner becomes a nominee for FRA’s National Outstanding Logger recognition.