Send us Fan Mail Freddy and Grant Tidwell of F & C Logging in Alabama share their family’s multi-generational logging story, from cable skidders and hardwood stands to modern pine plantation thinning. They discuss evolving equipment and technology, workforce development through ForestryWorks, advocacy with the American Loggers Council, and the challenges facing loggers, landowners, and the timber industry across the South. They also share why educating the next generation and telling the logging industry’s story has never been more important. GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE Freddy Tidwell, F & C Logging "I’m Freddy Tidwell, a proud third-generation logger with 60 years of life experience and a lifelong passion for the timber industry. Logging isn’t just a career to me. It’s a way of life that has been passed down through my family, and I’m proud to continue that tradition. "After spending more than 10 years in business alongside my dad and brothers, my wife and I took a leap of faith and started our own logging company in 1993. Building that business together has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It has allowed us to continue our family’s logging heritage while creating opportunities for future generations. "I’ve been blessed with a wonderful wife, two children, and two granddaughters, with an especially exciting addition on the way. We’re looking forward to welcoming our third grandchild in late September, and I’m proud to say, my first grandson! When I’m not working, I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family. Family is at the heart of everything I do, and I’m grateful for every opportunity to make memories with them. "I’m also very active in serving and advocating for the logging community. I currently serve on seven boards for the Alabama Forestry Association and am proud to serve as Chairman of the Alabama Loggers Council. On October 1st, I will have the honor of taking over as President of the American Loggers Council. "Being involved in the industry and having the opportunity to speak up for fellow loggers is something I’m deeply passionate about. I believe in supporting our loggers, protecting the future of our industry, and making sure the voices of the men and women who work in the woods are heard. "I’m proud of where I come from, proud of the logging heritage I represent, and excited about what the future holds, not only for my family, but for the logging industry I love." Grant Tidwell, Generations Timber "My name is Grant Tidwell, and I am 26 years old, and am a devoted Christian man that attempts to live by the Bible standard everyday. I have lived in Double Springs, AL for my entire life and have deep ties and roots in this community and with this land. My wife and I are expecting our first son in September of this year and couldn’t be more excited. I am an avid turkey hunter and absolutely love anything to do with the outdoors in any way. "I grew up in a family ran logging business, which I continue to do today. I am a fourth generation logger (which I say with pride), and have all the intentions of carrying that legacy until I physically can’t anymore. "My career in this industry started before I had the capabilities to actually remember anything. I have literally never known another lifestyle other than logging. My dad (Freddy) would leave for work and I remember having an absolute meltdown wanting to go to the woods with him. In the spring of 2011 my dream came true when one of Freddy’s skidder operators quit 2 weeks before the summer to end my 6th grade year. He skidded himself for those two weeks, and once summer vacation got out, I went to work with the main crew. Every summer, and every holiday break, from that point, until I graduated, I could be found in the woods. I enjoyed every minute of it. From graduation I planned on getting my general studies done at Wallace State Community college in Hanceville, and continuing on to Auburn with a buddy of mine to get my degree in forestry, then move back home and help run the family business. That plan lasted a whole 3 months. During my college classes I was absolutely miserable and all I could think about was what I should be doing in the woods. So right before my semester exams I dropped out and went to work with my dad. My mother (Cyndi) was not happy at all about my new found plan. Against her better judgment, I went headfirst into the log woods. Working side by side and directly under Freddy for the next 4 years. I had seen the opportunity to expand and diversify in the spring of 2021 and started my business, Generations Timber. I started out doing small excavation and small clearings for locals around Double Springs during the weekends and continued to work with my dad during the week. I used a 1977 Chevy C60 (bob truck) to haul what trees I cleared to local sawmills. I did that for right at a year and then had the opportunity to buy out his second crew, in 2022, which is the one I was already running. The rest is history, and now it has been a 5 short years since I started Generations Timber. I have been blessed beyond words to get to do something that I am hopelessly obsessed with, right along side my family. I hope that get this industry and my business is still here for my son to grow up with the love and obsession that I’ve had for it."
