Oregon Logging Conference 2026: equipment skills and the next workforce
Heavy equipment, operator skill and career development came together at the 88th Oregon Logging Conference.
A forestry machine is part of a working system that includes operators, mechanics and a supply of new skills. The Oregon Logging Conference offered a useful view of that wider equipment story, extending beyond the machines displayed on the grounds.
Three days in Eugene
The 88th conference took place February 19–21 at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds. Organizers reported increased exhibitor participation and attendance, but their recap did not give an overall visitor total.
That distinction is worth preserving: a positive organizer assessment describes the event’s momentum without supplying a precise measure of its audience.
A place for the industry to meet
Conference president Mike McKibbin described a gathering centered on technology, current issues, educational outreach and family participation.
For an equipment business, the value of such a gathering is the opportunity to discuss how machines are used, repaired and supported. A conversation with another operator can reveal questions that are easy to miss in a sales presentation.
Career development in practical form
More than 700 students, educators and industry professionals participated in Future Forestry Workers Career Day. Activities introduced fields including diesel mechanics, heavy-equipment operation, reforestation and sawmills.
The useful connection is between equipment investment and the people needed to keep it productive. Showing a student what a technician or operator actually does makes a career pathway more concrete than a job title alone.
Operator skill on display
Jeremy Staats of Bryant Logging won the log-loader competition, followed by colleague Zane Bryant and Rice Logging’s Justin Jakola. Competitors used a Link-Belt 4040-B. The conference foundation’s auction also raised more than $26,000 for scholarships.
A timed competition is a demonstration of skill under its own rules, rather than a universal comparison of productivity between machines or crews.
Following up on equipment discussions
A useful equipment review should bring the operator and maintenance team into the discussion early. Ask about service access, parts availability, training and the support required for the intended work. The conference’s workforce emphasis reinforces a practical point: machinery and the skills around it need to be planned together.
Source: Oregon Logging Conference 2026 recap; image: Oregon Logging Conference archive, edition unspecified