Ron Cluster, vice president of Tri-Pro™ Cedar Products and Tri-Pro™ Forest Products stands in front of Cedar logs in Orofino, Idaho where the sawmill is located.
TRI-PROTM CEDARTM and TRI-PROTM FORESTTM Expand Product Lines
By Terry Miller
Orofino, Idaho—After making capital improvements in 2008 with a new headrig and debarker system, Tri-ProTM Forest Products, headquartered here, is now able to offer many new products that include Doug-Fir and White-Fir timbers from 4x4 to 12x12.
The timbers are cut from Select logs and used in treading and post or beam interior applications. The innovative operation had the ability to cut up to 32’ and dimensions up to 24”x24”.
Tri-Pro Forest Products offers a large assortment of specialty products and species. “The species we produce are Western Red Cedar, White-Fir and Doug-Fir/Larch,” vice president Ron Cluster said. “We want to be known for all the different specialties and the different species we offer. If you have a need, give us a call.”
Tri-Pro Forest Products and Tri-Pro Cedar Products are both owned by Steve and Jill Linton of the Merritt family, which has a long history in the forest products industry.
Tri-Pro also offers 2x4 through 2x12, 6- feet through 20-feet, kiln-dried, S4S dimension (Standard and Better, No. 2 and Better, industrials and low grade) with S4S capabilities up to 6x12. Tri-Pro Forest Products is located on 35 acres adjacent to Orofino Creek in Orofino, Idaho, the company has two headrig/debarker systems, two re-saws, four dry kilns and a planer system.
Key employees at Tri-Pro Forest Products include Steve Linton, president; Ron Cluster, vice president; Mike Boeck, resource manager; Lance Hubener, sales manager; and Tim Denton, plant manager.
From Western Red Cedar, Tri-Pro Cedar ProductsTM manufactures tongue and groove pattern stock for exterior applications along with interior use. Four, six and eight-inch patterns are available with specifications such as fine line center matching.
Bevel siding is also manufactured from Western Red Cedar and is re-sawn at an angle to produce tapered pieces from a state-of-the-art siding manufacturing facility. “The bevels provided are both plain and rabbeted. The thicknesses we produce in plain bevel are 11/16” in 6- inch and 8-inch and in 3/4-inch thicknesses we offer 6-, 8- and 10-inch widths,” Cluster said. “As for rabbeted bevel in 5/4 we offer 6-, 8- and 10-inch widths and have the capabilities to do up to 12-inch widths.
Western Red Cedar cants are stacked behind Ron Cluster, who is the vice president of both Tri-Pro Cedar Products and Tri-Pro Forest Products.
Western Red Cedar decking, fascia and boards are also available in a wide range of grades and sizes at competitive prices. “We do all the pattern stock, decking, siding, fascia and boards which can be viewed on our website, www.triprocedar.com.”
Tri-Pro Cedar also offers special packaging, unit sizes and, if required, bar coding. They can effectively handle everything from 1x2 to 1x12, 8’, 10’ and 12’ on the custom packaging line. It gives Tri-Pro the capability to meet customers’ custom package specifications on all the species and products they produce.
Situated on 30 acres that overlooks the Pend Oreille River in Oldtown, Idaho, Tri-Pro Cedar’s production facility includes 10 dry kilns with 70,000 board foot capacity each, four planers, seven re-saws, an automatic stickering machine and 100,000 square feet of covered storage.
Key employees at Tri-Pro Cedar Products include Steve Linton, president; Ron Cluster, vice president; Terry Baker, sales manger; Julie Anderson, sales and traffic; and Karen Phillips, administration.
At the new Signode packaging station, 2x4s are packaged and bar coded.
Between the two facilities, Tri-Pro has the capability of producing approximately 72 million board feet annually.
The people at Tri-Pro recognize the economic situation of today but want customers to know that products will still be available as needed. “Production in the wood products industry has come to a halt. Our intentions are to be innovative and maintain the supply of demanded products. We at Tri-Pro want to ensure our customers that Cedar production will be available from Tri-Pro as they need it,” Cluster said.
Tri-Pro markets its products through wholesalers and wholesale distributors, and has customers throughout North America. The company ships by BN or UP rail, truck or van and can export prep and container load.
“Wholesale distribution makes it easier for our customers to handle our product. Recently we’ve been asked to sell more split loads to different customers and here at Tri-Pro we pride ourselves in having a large range of different products and we do highly mixed truckloads,” Cluster explained. “We are also doing a lot of work on a custom basis at both facilities.”
The plant manager at Tri-Pro Forest Products in Orofino is Tim Denton.
Tri-Pro Forest Products recently became a new mill member of the Inland umber Producers Assoc. Inc. and Tri- Pro Cedar Products is a member of the North American Wholesale Lumber Assoc. (NAWLA).
Sales for both operations are handled out of the Oldtown, Idaho, office at 208- 437-2412.
For more information about Tri-Pro Cedar Products or Tri-Pro Forest Products, visit them at www.triprocedar. com or contact directly at 208- 437-2412.
Tri-Pro’s sales team includes Terry Baker, sales manager; Julie Anderson, sales representative, Tri-Pro Cedar Products, Oldtown, Idaho; and Lance Hubener, sales manager for Tri-Pro Forest Products, Orofino, Idaho.
A Cedar cant proceeds to the company’s edger/optimizer.
A Cedar log is being processed at Tri-Pro Forest Products’ bandmill. Cedar comprises approximately 50 percent of all lumber products made at this operation.
