LE SILLON

A John Deere Publication

Fall 2024

Rising to the Call

Continuing a Logging Legacy

6 MIN READ

According to an old song, it never rains in Southern California. Northern California is a different story. Fortuna is more like Seattle than San Diego. "It's very wet here," says Devin Chambers, vice president of Chambers Logging. "We run our yarder through the entire winter. We have rain gear and work every day as long as it's safe."

Chambers drives her pickup truck up a winding road to check in with the yarder crew. Forecast for today? Rain.

Fittingly a rainbow appears along the route, a symbol of hope and promise. Chambers recalls how six years ago she lost her grandfather and founder of the company, Bob Chambers. "I was next door to my grandparents' house when my grandma came over to tell me something was wrong," she recalls. Devin found her grandfather unconscious. She then called 911 and proceeded to do CPR on him until paramedics arrived. He passed six days later.

Bob was one of a kind. He was always the first person in the forest and the last one to shut the gate to the shop yard. "He was highly respected," says Devin. "He had a heart of gold and loved his employees." She pauses, feeling a lump in her throat. "It makes me emotional to think about it."

Devin was 27 years old. She had just returned to her hometown of Fortuna, California, from Sacramento, where she had earned a degree in criminal justice. Biding her time and plotting her next move, she started working in the office for Chambers Logging again, like she had before college.

Then her life changed in an instant. And soon after, her grandmother Gloria Chambers began talking about selling the business.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Devin pulls up to the logging site where she is greeted by yarder operator Billy Little. Little started working for Bob Chambers when he was eighteen — about a half-century ago. He has run every one of the over 36,000 hours on the machine and is a walking encyclopedia on forestry equipment.

Meanwhile a John Deere 2156G Log Loader is quietly at work sorting massive redwood and Douglas fir logs. The machine truly talks softly and carries a big stick. In 1998 the company purchased its first John Deere machines: three 650G Dozers for skidding wood. They are still in use today. "It's great equipment," Devin observes.

She was raised by her grandparents and grew up around the family logging business. As a young girl she remembers riding around with her grandfather in a quad ATV. She started doing bookwork for the company in high school. "I was here all the time," Devin recalls.

Bob's death came as a shock. "We'd been in business for 60 years, but he hadn't been ill or anything," recalls Gloria.

Devin told Gloria she wanted to carry on the family legacy. "All these families depend on our company. There really wasn't anybody else. I had to be the one. I didn't want to close those gates."

"I wasn't sure how people would react to two women running the business," remembers Gloria. "But we're pretty tough. It worked out really well. I couldn't do it without her, I can tell you that."

Devin spoke with the foresters at the mill who agreed to let her finish their contracts. "I asked them to give me a year," remembers Devin. "So I just jumped in, sink or swim."

Little helped Devin learn the ropes, taking her out to logging sites. "After Grandpa passed away, I remember finding this little cheat sheet with loads per day and the prices they needed to be," she says. "I showed it to Billy and he said, ‘I made that for him.' I said, ‘Oh now I know all your secrets' (laughs)."

It was a steep learning curve, to be sure. The hardest part for Devin was earning the respect of employees, other contractors, landowners, and foresters. "A couple of times people laughed at or talked down to me, but I just shrugged it off," she recalls. "They were used to working with my granddad and figured I didn't know what I was talking about. But once they actually sat down and talked with me, their attitudes would change."

Devin's favorite part of the job? "Proving a woman can succeed in a man's world. My proudest moment is that we were able to survive and keep the business my grandparents built going."

The Main Cog in the Wheel

The company has not only survived but thrived in the six years since Devin took her grandfather's place. Today it's bigger and better than ever, employing 39 people and running a second logging crew.

In 2022, the company purchased its first new pieces of equipment: John Deere 2156G and 2656G Log Loaders. "These are great machines to run," says Gloria. "They're operator friendly and really reliable. Bob wouldn't buy new stuff because that's what the old boys do — keep the old stuff. But old stuff breaks down. And when that happens our whole crew shuts down. You need to have good equipment, believe me."

"Our loaders are critical to our operation," adds Devin. "Durable John Deere loaders provide peace of mind. Outstanding service and support from our local dealer, Papé Machinery, help keep them up and running. And maintenance agreements help us manage maintenance."

Devin believes that success depends not only on finding the right equipment, but putting the right people in the right spot, then staying out of their way. "I couldn't do it without our employees," she says. "It's not easy to find workers who want to do this kind of work, but it pays a decent wage. And there will always be people who take pride in being tough loggers and love working outside. You need to find those people."

Devin brings a lightness to the job that her grandfather didn't. "It always was deadly serious," she recalls. "I'm not like that. We like to have fun. And I keep communications lines open. I tell everyone they can reach me any time with problems."

"Devin just has a way talking with people," says Gloria. "Bob was old school. The atmosphere is different than when we had the old boys. It's more friendly. Today we have good people in the woods who want to come to work. Devin is the main cog in the wheel. It's amazing what she's done."

Chambers Logging is serviced by Papé Machinery, Eureka, California.

A John Deere 948L-II Grapple Skidder rolls down the ridge, clutching freshly cut tree trunks.
Operator in a John Deere 948L-II Grapple Skidder grabbing logs.
Devin Chambers looking out into the distance
Billy Little smiles at the camera.