Heavy rains, wet summer slow Wisconsin timber harvest

MADISON — Wisconsin's logging industry is struggling to harvest wood because of the wet summer, leaving loggers with less money while they wait for work during better weather.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the last three months are among the five wettest on record in the state, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Henry Schienebeck is the executive director of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association. He says loggers are moving equipment around to look for drier places where they can work.

He says road closures or roads that are too wet to withstand heavy loads also slow down the harvesting process.

Schienebeck expects that loggers should be able to find a steady stream of work in the fall when the state sees drier weather.