Anthony Cary Continues Tradition With A&A Forest Products

Anthony Cary founded A&A Forest Products about three years ago, but his time working in the woods goes back much further. The fourth-generation logger spent significant amounts of time helping whenever and however he could.

"My great-grandfather moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from Idaho many years ago to cut timber for a paper company, and my grandfather, father and uncles have all cut timber for another paper manufacturer," said Cary, of Daggett, Mich. "I've been out here as long as I can remember. The appeal is being in nature all the time. This is my office."

With the financial backing of his stepfather Al Nelson — the other A in A&A Forest Products — Cary went out on his own in early 2022 after working for another timber producer for several years.

"I felt going out on my own was a way to better myself by building equity in my own business," said Cary. "I had some help along the way, and I credit those who helped me get started and continue to support me. I'm subcontracting to another logging company right now."

Cary cuts a variety of species for a local customer, including cedar posts and hard maple logs, from 2 in. to 36 in. in diameter. For a recent project, he cut European larch, which will be used for bolts and pulpwood.

Great Combinations

Cary harvests with himself and one employee, Elijah Boerschinger. Cary cuts timber with a Komatsu 931XC-3 harvester and Boerschinger operates a Komatsu 855-3 forwarder. Brad Jackson, Roland Machinery Company territory manager, assisted Cary with the machinery purchases.

"I really knew what I needed in terms of equipment, and Brad and Roland Machinery were good about helping me get it and worked with me on financing through Komatsu," said Cary. "Dealer service is very important, and fortunately we haven't really had to call on Brad or Roland Machinery because the machines haven't had any issues with downtime. I've mostly called them for technical support, and they have been great about helping me through that."

Cary handles a variety of wood sizes and species throughout the Upper Peninsula, so he appreciates the versatility of the 255-hp 931XC-3 harvester, which has 44,962 lbs. of tractive force. It's equipped with a Komatsu C144 harvesting head with a maximum cutting diameter of 29.5 in. and a 20-in. maximum delimbing diameter.

"I can move from stand to stand, whether it's cutting young timber or fully matured hard maple, and I am confident I can handle it," said Cary. "I get the specs from the customer and know that I'll be able to meet their needs. I can fell and cut to length with one machine, so it's efficient. The harvester and head are a great combination. I can say the same for the harvester and forwarder, too.

"I also really like the comfort — I'm in the machine 10 hours a day, and its top notch. There are times that we're on very steep ground, so having a machine with the power to climb and get to where we need is a great benefit. No matter the angle of the machine, I always have good visibility to what I'm cutting with the Autolev cab, which always keeps the cab level."

After Cary fells the trees, Boerschinger picks them up and stacks them in the bunk of the 30,856-lb. 855-3 forwarder, moving them from the forest to landing sites where they are stockpiled before being loaded onto logging trucks for transport to local mills.

"There are a lot of buttons, which can be intimidating at first, but once you understand and get used to it, it's really simple to operate, which is great for a newer operator like me," said Boerschinger. "The controls are set up great. I can do multiple functions at once. With the swivel seat, I can turn 180 degrees, so I can face the bunk while picking up and loading timber, then turn back to face forward when driving out of the woods and to the landing. It rides nice, too."

Eye On Roadbuilding

Cary is not looking for massive growth for A&A Forest Products, but he is hoping to expand the services it provides. This year, he plans to add a Komatsu D39 dozer.

"I'm comfortable with one harvester and one forwarder," Cary said. "My ambition is to add the dozer for roadbuilding, which is something I want to offer that we don't currently do. I also am looking to add my own logging truck. In addition, I want to continue to ensure we do quality work and keep customers happy. I think that's been the foundation for success, and I want to build on that."

*The opinions expressed here are from the end user as quoted. The results described herein are those of these end users under certain conditions. Individual results may vary.

(This story was reprinted with permission of Roland Machinery.)