Timber Tempo introduces Critical Chain Project Management to the forestry and forest products world. Through vivid case stories — from sawmill operations and timber procurement to land management and agency work — this book shows how strategic planning, task synchronization, and smarter resource management lead to smoother operations and better outcomes.
Whether you're dealing with log shortages, equipment bottlenecks, multi-site coordination, or simply too many projects at once, the principles in this book offer a clear path forward.
In the woods, "busy" does not always mean "productive."
Equipment payments continue even when machines wait on wood. Delays in the woods starve the mill.
High-value timber stains and loses grade while sitting on landings. Time kills value after the tree is down.
Friction creates conflict between mill managers and foresters. When flow breaks down, relationships break down with it.
Cliff mistakenly thought he had a band, but this lumber company was largely a collection of solo artists. — From the Skanawan Lumber Story
Practical heuristics for keeping the project moving.
Stop juggling. Finish what others are waiting for.
Don't start without permits, layout, and markets.
Triage priorities before they triage you.
Synchronize tasks, people, and iron.
Increase the dosage — apply the right resource to break the constraint.
Fix the root cause, not just the error.
Standardize the routine so you can improvise the crisis.
Abolish local optimums. Protect the global goal.
The book teaches you to diagnose the "diseases" that kill project flow — and how to treat them.
Waiting until the last minute to start, then scrambling when something goes wrong.
Switching between tasks creates friction. Sporadic log flow means the mill starts and stops.
Work expands to fill the time allotted. Seven weeks budgeted means seven weeks spent.
One delay cascades through the chain. When one person is late, everyone downstream is stuck.
'Dosage' isn't always more people. It is applying the right iron to break the specific constraint. The sooner something is fixed, the better it works.
Anyone in the forestry and forest products sectors who runs projects — or gets stuck in them.
Keep logs flowing, reduce downtime, and synchronize procurement with production.
Coordinate contractors, permits, and harvest schedules without the chaos.
Stop fighting bottlenecks. Finish one block before moving iron to the next.
Understand where project value leaks and how to protect it.
Manage multi-stakeholder forestry projects with clearer priorities and less friction.
A case-driven introduction to Critical Chain thinking in a natural resource context.
Available in print, Kindle, and audiobook editions.