Skip to main content

WAC Forestry Replaces the Decking on 3 Portable Skidder Bridges

Written By Kris Brown.

Posted on July 28th, 2026.

Share it!
*User must be logged in*
Add to Favorites

The WAC Forestry Program has been busy re-decking their fleet of portable, steel-framed skidder bridges.

When it rains, it pours. And when it pours, portable skidder bridges can help a logger get back to work sooner rather than later. In the spring of 2026, logger Kevin Stearns needed a 40-foot bridge for his logging job in the NYC Watershed. The WAC Forestry Program had one in storage at Josh Construction in Highmount, NY, but the bridge decking needed to be replaced before it could be loaned out. Further inspection at other bridge storage locations revealed two 30-foot bridges that also needed new decking.

The WAC Forestry Program, including Tom Pavlesich, Heather Hilson, Andrew Krutz, and myself met with Stearns Logging on April 23, 2026 to re-deck the 40-footer.

Two 40-foot, steel-framed bridge panels lay in a construction yard with new, light-colored white oak decking.

On June 8, 2026, the WAC Forestry team (with new Watershed Forester Alex Mozes) joined forces with five loggers to re-deck a 30-footer at Dick Robinson’s in Walton, NY.

Two 30-foot, steel-framed bridge panels lay in a construction yard with new, light-colored white oak decking. The trees have fully leafed out. It is early June. A group of forestry professionals shoot the breeze after a job well done.

Finally, we headed back to Josh Construction on June 18, 2026 to re-deck another 30-footer.

Workers install cut-to-length lumber in a metal bridge frame at a construction yard. One 30-foot bridge panel is already complete with new decking. The panel in the foreground is one-fourth finished. 3 people are working, 4 are looking on in the background.

It is quite an endeavor to re-deck one of these bridges and it truly does take a village. I want to thank the 10 loggers that attended a bridge re-decking workshop in spring/summer 2026. Note that each logger earned 1 Trained Logger Certified continuing education credit for helping us re-deck a bridge.

Cannonsville Lumber sawed up the bridge decking orders. Dan Schaefer personally helped load our trailer and he even joined us in Walton to weld and repair the steel frame on a 30-footer.

Brian LaTourette picked up two bridge decking orders at Cannonsville and delivered them to Highmount and Walton, respectively, across two work days.

An operator of a front-end loader with forks lowers a packet of about 50 bridge decking timbers onto a flatbed trailer while a man in high vis green gives directions. The sign on the building in the back says Cannonsville Lumber.

Josh Slater (Josh Construction) and Dick Robinson moved bridges around their yards, prepared spaces for us to work, and they unloaded the bridge decking when it arrived. We couldn’t have done it without the individuals listed above. We are thankful to have such a great community.

An operator in a Caterpillar 289C2 skid steer unloads a packet of bridge decking timbers from a flatbed trailer. There are 3 packets left on the trailer.

We can take a break from re-decking bridges for a few years, but the plan moving forward is to add one more steel-framed bridge to the fleet and then re-deck one bridge per year on rotation.

Now c’mon Watershed loggers and use one of these bridges on your next NYC Watershed job. You can learn more about our Best Management Practice (BMP) program here.

More to Discover