[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 57 (Thursday, April 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S2543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING WEST BRANCH HERITAGE TIMBER, LLC

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, my home State of Maine, with its 
vast acres of trees, has traditionally been a hub for the lumber 
industry since the advent of wood pulp in paper making. In recent 
years, the lumber industry has suffered due to the economic downturn, 
and the resulting decline in the housing market has reduced the need 
for wood products to build homes such as hardwood flooring and cabinet 
construction. Despite this, there are companies that persevere in the 
face of such hardships, confronting economic challenges with innovation 
and creativity. Today, I rise to commend and recognize one such 
company, West Branch Heritage Timber, for helping to revive the lumber 
industry while creating a beautiful and artistic product inscribed with 
Maine's rich history.
  Since 2010, West Branch Heritage Timber located in Millinocket, ME, 
has harvested 20,000 tons of wood from Quakish Lake--part of the 
Penobscot River system--which became a repository for thousands of tons 
of lost timber cut by river-driving loggers over a century ago. The 
extensive wood inventory remained preserved under the water for over 
100 years, until coowners Steve Saunders and Tom Shafer developed an 
idea to retrieve the unique and magnificent lumber. To put it simply, 
these two innovators have been ``fishing'' this timber from the bottom 
of the lake for the commercial value it holds today.
  Currently, West Branch Heritage Timber is in the process of 
reclaiming an estimated 1 million cord of timber at the bottom of the 
West Branch of the Penobscot River, making it the largest timber 
reclamation project ever conducted in New England. The quality of their 
product has not gone unnoticed as this small firm was recently selected 
by another local business, Shaw & Tenney of Orono, as the primary wood 
supplier for the paddles they are producing for L.L. Bean's 100-year 
anniversary. Lake wood contains aesthetically impressive designs which 
develop and evolve as minerals from the lake's water seeps deep into 
the wood over many years, creating rich earth tones. Shaw & Tenney saw 
an opportunity to utilize this niche-commodity offered by West Branch 
Heritage Timber to demonstrate the beauty of Maine in L.L. Bean's 
commemorative paddles.
  However, the artistic preservation of history is only one purpose 
that the wood of Quakish Lake serves. Steve hopes that the business 
will soon obtain a paper mill contract as West Branch would be able to 
provide pulping wood at a substantially less cost than competitors. 
Steve has attested to the feasibility and value of such a venture by 
estimating the potential to produce 40,000 tons of wood annually for 
the next 20 years. While the company currently employs nine full-time 
employees, obtaining a pulp contract would allow for expansion and job 
creation.
  The ingenuity and creativity of the West Branch Heritage Timber team 
embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of our country's history and serves 
as an exemplary small business that so ardently comprises the backbone 
of the American economy. I am proud to extend my congratulations to 
Steve and Tom, as well as everyone at West Branch Heritage Timber, for 
their hard work in providing a product that is both beautiful and vital 
to the resurgence of Maine's lumber industry.

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