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January, 2006
SUCCESS STORY:
SBS WOOD SHAVINGS
Who is SBS Wood Shavings?
Recently named one of New Mexico’s Outstanding Entrepreneurs by the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers, and located in Lincoln County; SBS Wood Shavings is a wood shavings company that is owned and operated by Sherry and Glen Barrow. They are a community-based enterprise dedicated to the “value added” utilization of wood derived from forest and watershed restoration projects in Southeastern New Mexico. Since starting production in January 2003, this innovative business has been producing a high quality wood shaving through a specialized shaving process. Some of the products they make include animal bedding. This includes supplying material for pig operations, animal shows, and fairs. SBS contracts workers to cut small diameter trees where forest and watershed restoration projects are underway. The company then transports the logs to the processing facility, where they employ ten full-time employees. The high-quality bagged animal bedding is regularly shipped, usually by semi-truck load, to wholesale and retail locations in multiple states.
Making a Difference
Why you ask – has one business made a difference when it comes to forest restoration and community protection? Simply put, prior to the Barrow’s operation starting in 2003, little to no infrastructure existed in Lincoln and Otero County to process large amounts of small diameter material into a value-added product. This left local agencies such as the Village of Ruidoso, the Forest Service, and state and private forestry without an outlet for the small diameter material that needs to be removed in order to protect the local communities as well as improve watersheds and forest health. Being able to utilize the material in a value-added method has been instrumental in making this business a success. On average, SBS utilizes over 3,140 cords of wood per year which equates to approximately 780 acres of forest treatment and restoration per year. Seven percent of the shavings are utilized locally; the remainder is shipped out to multiple states.
Although they seem small in terms of employees, SBS Wood Shavings has had a tremendous impact on utilizing the local resource and helping to protect communities. Touted as “ecological entrepreneurs,” the Barrow’s business has proven to be a “win-win” situation for everyone involved. Being located in and around the counties where the majority of community protection and restoration work is taking place, it gives local agencies a ready resource when letting out bids for forest restoration projects. In addition, the Barrows have been very willing to work with local agencies to continually research and try different techniques of thinning to find the method that works best and is the lowest cost to implement. In essence, they are truly practicing adaptive management. The Barrow’s feel it is very important to make the necessary adjustments as the land management situation changes. As posted on the wall of their office “It’s my responsibility to be successful under conditions as I find them.”
Creating a Sustainable Business
After operating for a while, the Barrow’s quickly realized that to be sustainable in the long-term and to offer the most to their clients as a business, they were going to need to expand into a wider variety of wood products and markets. Once the logs have been cut into shavings, they must go through a drying process before being packaged. SBS’s innovative shaving process burns waste sawdust at high temperatures (twelve million BTU) to create thermal heat, which is then used to dry the animal bedding product. This off-grid co-generation is evidence of the company’s commitment to sustainability. Seeing that much of heat produced was underutilized and escaped into the atmosphere, SBS recently retrofit their heating system to capture and redirect the wasted heat into a small portable kiln. This kiln provided another key element to further increasing the success of their business.
With the kiln incorporated, SBS Wood Shavings has been able to pursue other wood ventures such as integrating a small portable sawmill. Realizing the importance of receiving the highest value from the different size material, the Barrows started sorting the material, thus only using the smaller, less valued material for shavings. They are utilizing the larger material to produce rough sawn dimensional lumber and custom timbers and beams. With the addition of the kiln, they can produce these products and then dry them to commercial standards.
Why it Continues to Work?
Not only have Glen and Sherry created a successful wood products business, they have recognized the importance of the social aspects of forestry with their continued cooperation and collaboration at local, state, and regional levels. Since opening their doors in 2003, SBS Wood Shavings has become a familiar face at the table when it comes to planning and implementing local projects. SBS is interested in the "wholeness of the land." This means utilizing all of the land's value, including timber, wildlife habitat, watershed functionality, recreational opportunities, and aesthetics. If the citizens, working together with state and federal governments, are ever going to succeed in solving the current problems of overcrowding, dense, and unhealthy forests, it is essential that everyone involved is looking at the big picture.
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Furthermore, Sherry is very active in the local Ruidoso Wildland Urban Interface Group. This is a local, collaborative problem-solving body that includes the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, the Village of Ruidoso, and other local groups. The objective of this group is to address the health, safety, welfare, and economic security of communities at risk of wildfire in the urban interface while respecting the natural interdependence of the ecosystem. Although the group may not always agree on each and every project, they collaborate to reach a decision that will benefit all. As SBS Wood Shavings is one of the few small wood industries in the area, Sherry has played a major role in the group understanding the business dynamics of forest restoration.
Partnerships with Local Businesses
This is an example of furniture that Shangri-La Woodworks had made from forest restoration projects. Before being utilized by Shangri-La Woodworks, this wood would have normally been used for firewood or animal bedding.
www.shangrilawoodworks.com
With her passion and conviction to continue to improve and help the local ecosystem and economy, Sherry believes it is also very important to address the social aspects of sustainability. The Barrows have worked closely with Sierra Contracting, Inc., a local composting operation as well as other small businesses. They have also teamed up with a local furniture maker to further utilize the wood being removed from forest restoration projects. Scott Shangraw with Shangri-La Woodworks is a community based enterprise that works with SBS Wood Shavings to find those interesting, and unusual pieces of wood that can be used to make beautiful furniture. Scott is using his experience of working with hardwoods to turn these gnarled jewels of ponderosa pine and juniper into a style of furniture he calls "fine rustic." Sherry believes Shangri-La Woodworks provides one more piece in the forest restoration and recovery puzzle. Sherry says "that in order to complete the circle, and provide the economic incentive for private companies to attack vegetation-clogged forests – SBS needs these value-added companies."
Looking to the Future
As Sherry and Glen continue on with their business adventure, they have some exciting plans for the upcoming years. They are hoping to add more specialized equipment to their mix, creating more diversity in their value-added product line. Regardless of their growth, the Barrows are committed long-term to creating a safer, healthier ecosystem. The couple believes their work must begin with ecosystem health as a priority. That said, they believe their job is to identify higher value marketable products for each size class and species of restoration wood. The key is to integrate those products into local processing system(s) at an appropriate scale; thus demonstrating sustainable community-based forestry.
Southwest Sustainable Forest Partnership Contact
Information
New Mexico Forestry Division - Kim Kostelnik
P.O. Box 1948 Santa Fe, NM 87504
(505-476-3337)
Little Colorado River Plateau RC&D
- Herb Hopper
51 W. Vista, #4 Holbrook, AZ 86025
(928-524-6063 ext. 5)
BIA SW Regional Office - John Waconda
P.O. Box 26567 Albuquerque, NM 87125
(505-563-3360)
**Written by Molly Pitts, Executive Director of the Northern Arizona Wood Products Association (NAWPA). NAWPA is a non-profit group that promotes the utilization of small diameter wood.
CONTACT Sherry Barrow Strategies: 505-653-4980 or email: sherry@sbswoodshavings.com
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