External Environmental Factors In Tassler Timber Operations

Tassler Timber Operations (TTO) rely heavily on external environmental factors, in order to stay in business. Not being able to control these factors makes it hard to do so, because they are not internal, but rather external. Various environmental factors impact TTO as a small business, from relying on multiple regulations imposed by the industry and government, like road limits and hiring guidelines, to leaving a job site if they see an endangered species or an active wolf den, to not being able to cut specific trees, or not being able to bring infected trees over county lines; environmental conditions such as the weather, temperature, and road conditions; economical challenges such as paying insurance premiums and receiving no benefits or
workers compensation; and from the technological aspect, working with 12 year old machinery leads to more repairs that need to be done, and being able to find a business that is willing and can work on those machines. All of those things need to be considered when accepting a job site. Most competition have more workers, better machinery, and with those things, work at a faster rate and make more money.
When considering the customers of the wood that is chopped, different mills pay different prices for specific types of lumber. When considering those you are working for on their land, they also need to understand that time is of the essence, and doing the job right away might not be most beneficial. Sociocultural trends have put the lumber industry at a bottom priority, when in reality, the Tomahawk area was founded on that same industry. This has made it very hard to work in the area, because keeping snowmobile trails open are more important than the industry itself, and because it is known as one of the more dangerous jobs in the nation. Advocacy groups such as ‘Stopping Deforestation’ are against the lumbering business, and may interfere with getting jobs and such. Wisconsin business owners rely on these factors to determine whether or not they make a living, they’re going out of business, or how much they provide to the community. Looking at the General and Specific Environments diagram below, all of these things interfere and makes Mr. Tassler’s job more
challenging. One external factor that creates a big impact on Mr. Tassler’s business is the weather. This factor ultimately plays a huge part in his business. He has what he calls his summer and winter season.
In the summer, rain determines when he works. If it rains, it makes the wood he has already chopped soggy, which will rot out the wood, and won’t sell for as much money.
In the winter, Mr. Tassler has to worry about the snow. Will the ground be frozen? Will it make it harder to get his machinery into a job site? Will the roads be too slippery from the ice? The winter also slows his production.
The real problem comes when spring time hits and the snow begins to melt, and the ground begins to defrost. Since the soil is tender, his machines may not be able to move, and his truck that transports his wood has a higher chance to wreck roads because only part of the ground (the top layer) has defrosted.
I do not predict any major changes in the weather over the next five years.
ClimateWisconsin.org says however that the state’s annual average temperature will warm by 4-9 degrees fahrenheit by midcentury.
They also state that one average, there are six fewer days of ice cover on Wisconsin’s lakes for every decade for the last half century.
There has been a trend recently where the winters have been shorter and the temperature has been slightly higher, this may mean that Mr. Tassler will have longer summer seasons, produce more product, and make more money.
In order to stay competitive, Mr. Tassler needs to remain:
Flexible, and ready to deal with whatever condition mother nature throws at him. He can stay ahead of the game by watching local news weather reports, and looking at the predictions ahead of time.
Mr. Tassler’s machines are 12 years old. His competitors are working with machines that are much newer and technologically advanced than his, making their job faster and more efficient.
Because his machines are so old, they tend to break down more often than not.
It is hard to find people who know how to fix the 12 year old machines for a reasonable price with hard-to-find components, since these people are usually focussed on the new technological advancements.
Functions that were previously performed manually with chainsaws can now be performed by machines.
Since logging operations often occur on soft ground conditions, the ground pressure that is exerted by the equipment is often a key factor, therefore controlling the weight of the machine as well as changing the area of the machine that contacts the ground is essential. This can be done by providing wider and larger tires or track assemblies on tracked equipment.
As stated by heavyequipment.com, a forwarder is a forestry vehicle that carries felled logs from the stump to a roadside landing, carrying logs clear of the ground, which can reduce soil impacts but tends to limit the size of the logs it can move. A harvester is a type of heavy forestry vehicle employed in cut-to-length logging operations for felling, delimbing and bucking trees. Mr. Tassler often uses both of these machines to do his daily logging work, although he does use a chainsaw when see fit, which most competitors stray away
from.
They also state that in order to remain relevant in the logging business, updated machinery is an essential. Since technology is ever changing, it is important
Over the next five years, Mr. Tassler will probably have to make some major changes according to his report on his current machinery.
He will need to purchase new machinery. Although this will cost him money, he will not need to go in as often to get his machinery fixed, and it will make wood production more efficient and faster.

Mr. Tassler asks himself every day about the external environmental factors previously mentioned. If he didn’t take all of these into consideration, his business would not be as successful and be a worthy competitor against the other lumbering businesses in the area. Just one of these external environmental factors can cause his business to collapse, or just the opposite, cause his business to thrive. He needs to be flexible with the challenges that are thrown his way, and be able to adapt to his environment in the most productive way possible, so he can make a profit.
This is because there are so many other businesses that are logging and hauling the wood. The other people have newer machines and tools.