In 1974, Cliff Allard opened Allard Lumber Company, a hardwood sawmill, on the site of his family’s former dairy farm in Brattleboro, Vermont. The outfit was a simple, four-man operation with a hand-set circle mill saw that produced custom orders for a few local customers. In the ensuing 48 years, the sawmill has experienced its share of ups and downs. As with many other family-run Vermont businesses, it has had to adjust to rising costs, foreign competition, new technology, and the realities of a changing economy.
Today, the company is a sprawling, modern hardwood processing sawmill that employs 50 people and is ranked one of Vermont’s top 30 manufacturers, based on revenues. The mill processes 10 million board feet of lumber annually. While the company has grown significantly, its basic work remains the same. The mill includes a log yard where logs are delivered and sorted; a de-barker (a machine that removes bark from logs); a band saw (“resaw”) that cuts logs into lumber; kilns for drying the lumber; and a packing line where workers bundle processed lumber and prepare it for shipment.
Cliff said that the relatively small size of his mill and the fact that it is independently owned have allowed Allard Lumber to pivot and adapt to environmental changes, as well as dynamic economic and trade demands. For example, currently there is a call for construction mats used at power line work; due to an abundant supply of beech logs, Allard Lumber is able to fill the orders quickly and efficiently. Some woodlot owners are opting to cut beech in anticipation of beech leaf disease reaching Vermont.
Allard Lumber sells eight species of hardwood: red oak, soft maple, hard maple, cherry, ash, beech, hickory, and basswood. In addition to its Brattleboro location, the mill has two satellite log yards – in Pawlet, Vermont, and Haverhill, New Hampshire – that receive logs and ship them to the mill. The company employs a team of foresters who lay out harvesting plans and assess a property’s potential stumpage for a landowner. They also monitor the logging process.
“Some of these logs are 100 years old,” said Cliff, describing his company’s commitment to minimal waste. “I feel we have a moral responsibility to recover every board foot of material in that log and direct it to its highest and best market.”
In addition to furniture-grade lumber, Allard sells planed kiln-dried lumber, rough green and kiln-dried lumber, veneer logs, construction mats, railroad ties, and byproducts such as sawdust, shavings, mulch, and wood chips. The company also uses wood chips to provide about a third of the energy needed to power the plant and to fuel the seven huge kilns.
Continued modernization has helped the mill minimize waste and reduce opportunities for human error. For example, debarked logs are placed on a carriage and scanned by a computer to determine where the saw blade should cut to produce optimal yield. After the log is squared on four faces, it is conveyed to a computerized, automated resaw line. Here, one operator in an atmosphere-controlled booth uses a screen and joysticks to saw up to 45,000 board feet of lumber in a single shift.
While Allard Lumber has had success, some other sawmills have not fared as well. Consider the mill’s home state as an example. According to records from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, in 1970 there were about 137 commercial sawmills – not including small farm mills or small portable mills. In 2016, there were only 17. According to Paul Frederick, the state’s forest economy program manager, the decline in mills is a complicated matter and includes many extenuating factors such as modernization costs and a reduction in products once made from wood that now are made from other materials such as plastic. Global markets have also played a role, as competition from overseas manufacturers has increased, meaning greater domestic consumption of imported wood products.
In 2015, Cliff Allard’s son Trevor, 34, joined the business. Looking ahead, Cliff and Trevor see two major challenges to continued success for Allard Lumber. One is the interruption in the global supply chain as a result of the pandemic. For example, before the pandemic, the Allards could expect that an order for a front-end loader meeting their specific requirements would be fulfilled in three to four months. Now, delivery may require a year and a half. Delivery of common machine parts such as nuts and bolts, that previously only required a week from date of order, now take upward of three months.
While the scarcity of parts and machinery may be a temporary challenge, Trevor believes that an ongoing decline in the number of independent loggers working in the woods is a trend that will plague the lumber business for years to come.
“The problem is fewer people going into logging,” said Trevor. “It’s a high capital investment business. Today’s mechanized operation is a million-dollar investment. Not everyone wants to jump in business and be on the hook for that much. It’s super hard work, too. There are much easier ways to make a living.”
Paul Frederick agrees. “With the increased housing market some loggers have left the business and applied their heavy equipment–operating skills to excavation for building projects,” he said.
To help reduce workman’s compensation insurance costs, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR), in partnership with the state Department of Financial Regulation, Department of Labor, and the Logger Education to Advance Professionalism (LEAP) program, has created a safety training program for loggers that includes an onsite inspection component to improve safety and to establish premium discounts for participants.
“FPR and LEAP are also working to support vocational forestry and natural resource programs for high school students to encourage them to get into logging as a career,” said Paul. “However, it is tough for a young person to get started. With an initial equipment investment that can exceed $1 million, the finances are just not realistic for many young adults.”
In spite of the many challenges ahead, Cliff and Trevor Allard are proud of their sawmill and the contributions that it makes to the local economy. Allard Lumber annually purchases approximately $8.5 million in logs from a 100-mile radius.
“Those are dollars going to local loggers, trucking contractors, landowners, and other businesses related to the purchase of logs,” explained Trevor. “That’s money that supports the local economy.”
In an era when retaining skilled workers is challenging, Allard Lumber also employs several people who have been with the company for decades. Their log scaler, Kyle Chase, just celebrated his 34th anniversary at Allard Lumber. They also work diligently at maintaining long-lasting relationships with landowners and other business associates.
“I’ve been working with Allard Lumber for 46 years and they make a great product,” said Jim Woodberry, a broker who purchases wood from Allard for manufacturers. “Allard has treated me fairly, and I treat them fairly and that’s what keeps a business relationship strong and healthy for the long haul.”
“I don’t play games,” said Cliff. “We want our customers to buy from us again. We have a responsibility to produce a product that meets customer requests at a fair price. There should be a symbiotic relationship between customer and supplier. Both should win.”