SUMMERFIELD, North Carolina – Forestry Systems has been a constant in the hardwood industry, finding new ways to adapt, innovate, and keep the industry moving forward. The company developed the first handheld Timber Cruiser™ in 1987. More than three decades later, Forestry Systems continues to create new, innovative ways to scale logs and tally lumber.
Forestry Systems specializes in data measuring and collecting technology for the log and hardwood lumber industries. The company offers solutions for timber cruising, log scaling, and lumber inventory management. Its products are used in forests, log yards, sawmills, stave mills and veneer mills, and at lumber companies and secondary processors such as flooring, cabinet, and pallet manufacturers, from Canada to the deep South.
Forestry Systems offers touch technology, Bluetooth scale pads, and handheld scanners to make recording inventory accurate and easy. Inventory captured and recorded by handheld tallying and scaling software can be accessed anywhere with the Forestry Systems Yard Master™, a cloud-based inventory system.
“We’re the largest provider of software and hardware to wood products companies,” said Forestry Systems owner and president Patrick Jenks. “We believe we have a solution for whatever your company may need.”
The company recently began developing and manufacturing its own hardware. Forestry Systems introduced its Lazer Scale™ proprietary input/output (I/O) device to the market early this year. Deploying laser and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology, the hand-held device uses three dedicated lasers to capture log length and diameter with the single press of a button. It has been demonstrated to be accurate to within 1/64-inch. The Lazer Scale is so versatile that it can interface with all Android devices that support Bluetooth versions 4.2 and 5.1. In short, it can be meshed with other quantification tools.
Pat originally planned to be a forester. He studied forestry at Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, N.C. He immediately realized that methods of cruising and tallying timber could be speeded up with automation. He had noticed that even grocery stores were speeding up inventory control with remote hand-held devices.
Pat comes from a family with a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship. His 16th great-grandfather built the first ironworks in North America. His 15th great-grandfather, Joseph Jenks, built the first sawmill in North America.
Forestry Systems has 14 employees, many of them members of the team for more than 20 years. The company is based in Summerfield, N.C., which is just north of Greensboro.
Forestry Systems is a family-owned and operated company spanning three generations. “I like the structure of my company – as a family-based company,” said Pat. “I’m able to come up with an idea based on customer needs and pull employees together to come up with solutions.”
Pat started Forestry Systems while working with his father. It was a spin-off of the parent company, Createc, a software business that specialized in developing handheld computer programs.
The first handheld timber cruising program developed by Forestry Systems revolutionized the industry, and Forestry Systems quickly became a leading provider of software systems for log and lumber data. Just two years later Forestry Systems focused on the hardwood industry, introducing its most successful product to date, Logscaler™, a first of its kind program.
“We are the only company that offers a total business solution for a hardwood operation,” noted Pat. “We address every step in the process, from standing timber, to the management of cut logs, to the production and sales of fine hardwood lumber. Our solutions will save valuable time and money.”
Hundreds of businesses have gained efficiencies and improved profitability by implementing handheld software solutions from Forestry Systems. “We’ve combined industry-specific software with the latest hardware technologies to deliver the blended solution that’s right for forest products businesses,” said Pat. “You know your company’s needs best, and we supply the tools to help make your operation more successful.”
Forestry Systems has continued to pioneer new, cutting edge technologies to help the hardwood industry advance. The YardMaster™ system was upgraded to a cloud-based server in 2015. This transition moved away from PC-based software that required programs to be tethered to a single office device. The most current version of YardMaster™ provides a live inventory stream that is accessible from any device, any time, anywhere in the world.
The latest proprietary products from Forestry Systems include EZ Scale™, End Tally Saber™, and Laser Scale™.
End Tally Saber™ is a mobile device – a proprietary touch ruler – that tallies lumber to pinpoint accuracy, within 0.001-inch. The user simply holds it up to a pack of lumber and touches it.
Completely wireless and weatherproof, it is the fastest way to tally lumber. End Tally Saber™ also can generate a Graphic Tally Report™ – a graphic representation of a tallied pack of lumber, including piece count, species, thickness, footage, and more.
The EZ Scale™ is the innovative new way to scale logs. It’s an easy-to-use add-on to a scale stick. Set the species and grades to correspond with the EZ Scale’s™ configuration, then select length, diameter, species, grade, and pricing directly from the pad mounted on the scale stick. It is easily integrated with any Android log scaling device and is fully compatible with the entire Forestry Systems family of handhelds, so the EZ Scale™ can be the cornerstone of log procurement operations. This versatile device can even be integrated into timber cruising programs.
“We’ve grown significantly,” said Pat. “We help our customers move forward by providing them with the most efficient solutions possible. We are dedicated to serving the hardwood lumber industry and are thankful for the customers who help make our vision come true.”
Forestry Systems introduced End Tally in 1988, a handheld device that brought log scaling into the digital realm. “End Tally is a real proprietary device,” he said. “It was the first real home-run product of our company.”
Forestry Systems continued to develop new products as needs were identified and solutions were conceived and realized. Among them were Log Scaler™ and Chain Tally™. “Log Scaler is probably our biggest seller today,” said Pat. “It’s used heavily in the veneer industry.”
The company’s products can be integrated and used together. For example, data from Log Scaler™ can be transferred via wi-fi to its Yardmaster 2020™ system for building and controlling inventory.
Forestry Systems has clear and defined goals – to provide the log and lumber industries with:
• Innovative state of the art software technology
• A vision for the future of inventory control
• Ability to meet and surpass customer expectations
• A stable system that is reliable and user friendly
• Flexibility to accommodate industry and customer change
• Confidence that we offer the best in quality inventory control systems
• Development and support teams that strive for the best in customer care
• The tenacity to see every job to the very end
Forestry Systems partners with some of the most advanced and well-known technology companies, such as Honeywell and Hewlett-Packard. “These partnerships ensure that we can offer our customers the best business solutions available,” said Pat. “And our solutions integrate seamlessly with the everyday operations of our customers.”
Forestry Systems proprietary products are conceived, created, tested and produced in-house using U.S.-sourced products and materials. Devices are thoroughly tested to ensure a high degree of reliability. The Forestry Systems technical staff has a wide range of experience, spanning multiple fields and industries. Their expertise enables them to not only create and develop technology products but to produce, service and upgrade them efficiently. Technicians create and build the company’s proprietary hardware and also train customers to use the products. The company has its own dedicated production and technical facility where all development and service takes place.
The people who use the technologies are always in focus when products are under development at Forestry Systems. Programs are intuitive, data entry simple. Reports can be customized. Programs can be used with a device worn on an arm band, hand-held computer, or a touch-screen device.
Members of the Forestry Systems experienced sales staff are available to visit businesses and meet with owners and key staff to learn about their operations and determine which products would be the most beneficial. The company also offers teleconferencing communication services.
Forestry Systems takes pride in providing the highest level of customer service. “Our customer service coordinator will be with you from the moment we’ve received your order to schedule your training, assign your company a technician, and complete your order,” said Pat. “And our phone and online support technicians are dedicated to ensuring our customers have a smooth, efficient experience with our solutions.”
Forestry Systems is a member of numerous national and regional trade organizations representing the forest products industry, including the National Hardwood Lumber Association. “We are the NHLA’s longest tenured exhibitor and are present at every major trade show and event,” observed Pat.
The company also is a member of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, the Southern Forest Products Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, and the Kentucky Forest Industries Association.
“Four years ago, we started wanting to differentiate our company in the industry,” said Pat. “We started dabbling in hardware.” Now, hardware development and manufacturing have been built into the company’s business plan along with cloud-based solutions and options for customers.
As for a philosophy that guides him in his direction of Forestry Systems, Pat cites a succinct one: “Hard work pays off.”
Pat will keep Forestry Systems on a track of innovation. He would like to see the entire wood products industry move even faster to intimately link technology to every step in the process — from timber to finished goods. “I think the industry could be farther than it is in computer technology,” he said.
“We are dedicated to providing the most intuitive and easy to use software, the most cutting edge proprietary hardware, and the most detailed and secure inventory software in the industry,” said Pat.
“We look forward to what the future holds for Forestry Systems, and in turn, the entire log and lumber industries.
(For more information about Forestry Systems and its products, call (800) 868-2559, email Sales@ForestrySystems.com, or visit www.ForestrySystems.com.)
