The first Northern Cheyenne employees at newly re-opened Ashland sawmill. Back row: Morris Bement Jr.; Merrilee Red Robe; Randall Lei. Front row: Sam Demoray and Nick Olson. Photo by Clara Caufield
Northern Cheyenne sawmill re-opening
Producing product and jobs
By Clara Caufield
Native Sun News Correspondent ASHLAND, Mont. –– The tang of freshly-harvested Ponderosa pine sweetens the air; a mammoth “dogging” saw whines, punctuating the still autumn Montana days; heavy equipment rumbles and a bevy of local workers hustle like busy ants. The long defunct Ashland Sawmill, owned the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, located just off the reservation and recently leased by Fox Lumber, Hamilton, Mont. is coming back to life. In the initial stages of resurrection, the first skeleton crew has its “nose to the grindstone,” said Quintin Apedaile, Director of Operations for Fox Lumber. “Ashland Wood Products is a large venture for southeastern Montana and we have a lot at stake. But, we’re going to make this a successful and profitable operation.” Steve Small, Tribal EDA Coordinator provided background about this development. “The Tribe was very fortunate to attract the Fox Lumber Company and get them to lease this facility on a long-term basis because they were considering other options in the Sheridan, Wyo. area and they are one of the few companies with the experience and capital to re-open the mill." "The sawmill will utilize tribal salvage timber from the Ash Creek Fires of 2012 and provide some very good jobs," Small said. "Because of that, we entered into an initial low-cost lease, recognizing that the company has to make a considerable investment to get the operation up and running.” President Llevando “Cowboy” Fisher concurred. “Most of the Tribal Council agreed with us that the creation of jobs for our members was a critical factor. After the first phase, Fox has the opportunity to re-new the lease which will then bring in at least $5,000 per month to the Tribe," Fisher said. "But right now, I’m more excited about the employment opportunities for our people, about fifteen jobs will be created. We have an experienced and very capable tribal workforce and they will now once again be able to provide for their families by working at the mill.” The mill, first established in the 1950’s by non-Indians has a long history. Acquired by the Tribe in the 1980’s, it was then a tribal operation for many years, producing and marketing rough lumber as a major employer in the small Ashland community, worked primarily by Northern Cheyenne. However, sharply declining timber markets and some questionable management practices led to its closure. The mill, vacant for over a decade was vandalized during that time, much of the high dollar equipment stolen or damaged. Huge piles of remaining sawdust were deemed a hazard by EPA and while the Tribe issued a contract for removal of that debris to a local contractor, that job was not completed, an additional problem at the site. Over the past couple of years, salvage logging possibilities from the devastating 2012 Ash Creek fires in the Ashland area spurred interest in the facility. With the assistance of the Southeastern Montana Development Corporation (SEMDC), Colstrip, Mont., tribal leaders and Steve Small EDA Coordinator negotiated a lease of the facility with Fox Lumber, finalized in May, 2014. The initial source of timber for the mill comes from a salvage timber lease that Fox has with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to harvest and utilize salvage timber under a short window of opportunity before the timber goes bad. Jim Atchison, SEMDC Executive Director who helped facilitate the deal along with Steve Small (also serves a SEMDC Board member) said: “I want to commend the Northern Cheyenne Tribe for getting this done. It is one of the biggest lumber deals in southeastern Montana. The Ash Creek Fires of 2012 were a terrible disaster, but provided an opportunity for the Tribe and private industry to turn a 'lemon into lemonade.' In our role as a regional economic development group, we are very excited about the results so far. It goes along with our development philosophy: 'Growing Montana one job at a time.'" Atchison noted that the sawmill operation will create many jobs, with a huge economic impact on the Ashland area. Sam Demorary, Northern Cheyenne, Ashland resident and new mill manager echoed that sentiment. ”This is a very much needed shot-in-the arm for our community," he said. "When we are at full capacity there will be about 15 full-time employees, earning from $10-15 an hour.” The operation, currently in a “test-run” phase is not yet producing product but has already hired six full-time employees, all but one, tribal members who live within a fifty mile radius of the mill, the preference standard agreed upon by the Tribe and Fox Lumber for employment including Demorary, mill manager, Merrilee “Mouse” Red Robe, office manager and Morris Bement, Jr., Randal Lei, Nick Olson, John Ray current crew members. Apendaile who oversees all of the Fox Lumber operations plans to be on site on a regular basis, especially during the start-up phase. “We’re going to build a strong work ethic,” he and Demorary emphasized. “That will make or break the mill.” As the mill expands operations and becomes operational, additional employees will be hired, possibly within the month, including millwrights, mechanics, operators and laborers. “We shouldn’t have any trouble finding experienced and dedicated workers,” Demorary, a former contractor and master carpenter experienced with log construction noted. “Reliability and accountability will lead to our success.” Apedaile, Director explained that the Ashland Wood Products will produce rough green lumber, often used for oil field platforms or by landscapers. The Baaken Oil Field will be a major market he said. Fox Lumber has been in business for about 40 years, one of a handful of surviving forest product producers in Montana. “In the 1990’s there were many more in the State, but now opening a new sawmill in Montana is a rarity” said Apedaile. He oversees other Fox manufacturing operations located in Laurel, Mont., Hauserlake, Idaho, Forrest Grove, Ore. and Hamilton, Mont. which produce pallets and crude low-grade lumber, products with a slim profit margin. The Ashland site becomes their 5th operation. “We’ve had to move equipment from other sites and do a lot of work here in Ashland. The site was in a state of great disrepair,” he noted while pointing to a huge “dogging” saw, used for initial cuts, a piece of equipment transported from Utah. “It is very expensive to get the mill up and running, hauling and setting up equipment.” he remarked. Other equipment currently being transported from other Fox Lumber sites include splitters, edgers and heavy equipment. Salvage logging has been contracted to Powder River Logging, Ashland operated by Abel Mesa, long term Ashland resident who operates his own small sawmill, employing a crew of experienced woodsmen, some from Mexico, where Mesa, now a U.S. citizen originated. Currently, between 3-6 loads of the ponderosa pine logs are being delivered to Ashland Wood Products each day with that total to reach 8-10 loads when the mill is at full capacity. Each load contains from 6,000-7,000 feet of board lumber. Mesa will eventually subcontract with additional logging truckers to transport the lumber to the mill estimated at 1,000 trucks loads from the current salvage unit. “We have also been contacted by individual land owners, both tribal and area ranchers who are interested in selling their timber,” Apedaile added. Interested applicants can contact Merrilee “Mouse” Red Robe, Office Manager by either going to the Ashland office located just off Highway 212 or by calling (406) 375-4291. Applications are currently being accepted for future hiring. “We are excited about putting Cheyennes to work," Red Robe said. (Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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