volunteer wire rope and supply company free sample

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In the past (pre 19th century), most heavy haulage and lifting needs were met by bulky chains or big ropes made of fiber. In the early 1830’s, a mine in Germany dropped a mine conveyance full of ore to the bottom of their mine and it was found that the heavy chains they were using to haul the conveyance to the surface suffered from work hardening and became severely brittle, leading to its failure.

As time progressed, other nations and people began to experiment with the fabrication of wire rope and, initially, each of them were essentially drawing hot steel through some dyes to create wires which were then laid helically together to form the wire rope. The type of steel that was readily available at the time was the same steel used to create ploughs for agriculture; thus the “Plough Steel” designation was used to denote what grade of steel was used to fabricate the rope.

Improvements were made to the ingredients of Plough Steel that allowed for a higher tensile strength of the wire rope. This new grade was aptly named, “Improved Plough Steel” or I.P.S. for short. Improved plough steel became the de facto steel to be used until it was once again improved upon, to the point where it is actually difficult to find Plough Steel grade wire rope in inventory at a sling shop.

Speaking of improvements made to the already Improved Plough Steel, once the recipe was perfected and it was found that wire rope could be made to have some extra strength. What did the powers that be name this new and improved wire rope…You guessed it, “Extra Improved Plough Steel.” EIPS offers approximately 10-15% increases in tensile strength over the old IPS depending on diameter. The higher tensile strength improves the minimum breaking strength of the wire rope. This, of course, will change the breaking strengths of the rigging mines and other industrial uses. This makes it important to know what type of wire rope your rigging is constructed from. If for example, a worker is referencing a sling chart for minimum breaking strength of a sling they should:

Currently, most rigging shops have transitioned to EIPS or are in the process of doing so. EIPS wire rope should be the standard in a modern day rigging shop and used for rigging such as wire rope slings, winch lines, and wire rope assemblies.

Northern Strands has been a locally owned company for over 50 years. We carry the largest supply of wire rope and rigging in Saskatchewan. Contact us today for a rigging quote or visit our showroom.

We fabricate wire rope, wire rope slings, chain and chain slings, farm accessories and trailer parts and other materials. Volunteer Wire Rope & Supply is a wholesaler/retailer of a complete line of rigging supplies, as well as synthetic ropes, hose, agricultural tools and safety equipment.

Cable yarding consists of a system that uses cables to transport material from the woods to the landing. Material may be fully or partially suspended for all or a portion of the yarding distance. The cables are strung in corridors through the stand. No yarding equipment other than the cables and a carriage are operated within the stand itself. There are number of different rigging configurations that can be used in cable logging.

There are many different rigging configurations, but they are typically broken down into four distinct types, highlead, standing, running, and live. The highlead system is not a skyline system. The standing, running, and live systems are skyline systems, meaning that they all have a skyline cable.

There are many different ways to rig a standing skyline. The main feature of a standing configuration is the fact that the skyline remains fixed, its length does not change during operation. The type of carriage used and whether a haulback is required determines the number of lines used in a standing skyline. It is capable of operating with a manual, mechanical or motorized slack pulling carriage. Without special rigging, this system is not capable of using a non slackpulling carriage.

When operating with a manual or motorized slackpulling carriage, this system requires a two-drum yarder. It will have a skyline and a mainline. When operating with a mechanical slackpulling carriage, this system requires a three-drum yarder. It will have a skyline, a mainline, and a slackpulling line.

When yarding downhill or on a line slope of less than 20% a haulback line is necessary and the number of drums for each carriage configuration needs to be increased by one.

In a running skyline system, the skyline runs through a block at the tailspar and back to the carriage, so that it effectively acts as both the skyline and the haulback line. Two lines with this setup support the carriage. It has a separate mainline that runs from the yarder to the carriage. In addition to the slackpulling carriages, this system can operate with non-slackpulling carriages since the skyline can be raised and lowered by varying the tension between the skyline and the mainline. This system typically uses interlocking yarding drums. This system is not used with a manual slackpulling carriage.

When operating with a mechanical slackpulling carriage, three drums are required, a mainline, skyline, and slackpulling line. With other carriages there are only two drums required, a mainline and skyline. This system does not require a haulback since the skyline acts in that capacity.

A live skyline is a system in which the skyline itself is raised and lowered to position the carriage. This is similar to the running skyline except the skyline is not also used as the haulback and the carriage is supported by only one cable. This system is operated with non-slackpulling carriages. This system only requires a two-drum yarder when operating uphill. A third drum for a haulback is required for downhill yarding and slopes less than 20%.

A highlead system is not a skyline and consists of a mainline and a haulback cable. It requires a minimum of two drums on the yarder. The only carriage a highlead system is capable of operating with is a grapple, otherwise it usually is configured with a butt rigging and chokers. It is a ground lead system except that lift is provided to the turn of logs by the height of the tower as the logs approach the landing. This system is limited to operating in clearcuts due to the nature of its setup. It may be operated in either an uphill or downhill yarding configuration.

This is not a skyline system and consists of only one line, a mainline. The line either is pulled into the stand manually or is thrown by the yarder. It can operate with either chokers or a grapple. Yarding distances are usually limited to 300 feet or less. The prescription is either a clearcut or a heavy thinning. This is a ground lead system.

Cable yarding consists of many components that affect the planning and design of an operation. The basic components are the yarder and the carriage. The type of yarder and carriage available will determine the type of cable system that can be used.

A rudimentary appreciation of yarder operation is of assistance in understanding the problems a yarding engineer has in running a yarder to operate the various cable yarding systems. This is of special concern when a skyline payload is marginal. There may be a difference between theoretical maximum payload and the actual maximum pay load as governed by yarder and logging system limitations. Some yarding systems are very demanding and require a very skilled yarding engineer to operate them effectively.

A swing boom yarder will provide more deflection for uphill yarding than is available to a fixed tower of the same height if the fixed tower has to set a log length back of the fill slope. On the other hand, fixed towers are usually taller than the booms on swing boom yarders.

The carrier is the chassis of the yarder. Its function is to support the yarder equipment and allow transportation. The carrier can be categorized in four ways:

Skid - this type either is mounted on skids, or has a flat bottom, that allows the yarder to slide along the ground. This type often moves through the woods by winching themselves through the stand. This is the modern equivalent of the donkey engine.

The ability to swing - a swing yarder is capable of rotating on its base allowing it to swing the load out of the way on the landing or to place the load onto a log deck.

The functions of the tower are to keep the cable off the ground and provide lift to the stems, especially near the landing. Towers can be categorized by the following

Undercarriages for steel towers are designed for efficiency in yarding but they also have to be designed to meet highway load limits and to traverse steep, narrow, winding logging roads. The larger the yarder and tower the more complicated the design. Some of the largest machines have to be equipped with jeeps and pups, or must be disassembled to meet highway load limits and to traverse winding roads. A loader or crane is needed to disassemble a large yarder tower.

These undercarriages are relatively inexpensive but require a log truck or highway tractor to move them any distance. They can be moved short distances by a crawler tractor if they are properly equipped.

These undercarriages speed up moves to new landings, units or sales. They eliminate the need for a log truck or highway tractor to make the move. However, they cost more than TRLM or SPCM undercarriages.

Grade ability in the SPRM carriers is normally considered to be 25 percent and the minimum turning radius is approximately 50 feet. They have been moved on slopes up to 35 percent on occasion. A smooth grade with very little side slope is needed when moving a SPRM yarder tower off regular truck roads

The function of the winch sets on a yarder is to transfers the power from the power-train to the cables to do the work. A yarder can have 1 - 12 working winches. The more winches on the yarder the more versatile it is. The drum on the winch set stores the cable. While older yarders typically used mechanical drives to power the winches, modern yarders are all hydraulic for smoother and more continuous transfer of power. In many instances a cable needs to be held, or if gravity is pulling a cable off the drum then it needs to be slowed, hence the need for good brakes. When slowing a drum, the brake must dissipate a large amount of energy as heat. The older brakes were typically air cooled, but most modern yarders have water cooled brakes.

The function of the cab and controls is to safely ‘house’ the operator and control the operation of the yarder. For older and/or smaller yarders, the operator may be standing next to the yarder during operation. On modern mobile yarders the cab is mounted high on the chassis to provide the best possible visibility for the operator.

The cable used will determine the load capacity of the system and the maintenance schedule. Cable, or wire rope, is made up of wires that are wound into strands. The strands are then wound into the finished wire rope. There are many different configurations of wire rope. The direction in which the wires are wound into strands, the number of wires in each strand, the direction the strands are wound, the number of strands in the rope, and the material the rope is made of classify wire rope.

The core is an axial member around which strands are laid to form a wire rope. It may be either steel, natural fibers, polypropylene, or even a small-diameter wire rope.

The number of strands and the number of wires per strand classify wire rope. For example, a 6x19 IWRC rope that has six strands, each of which is made up of 19 wires. It also has an independent wire rope core, IWRC. The number of wires per strand directly affects the flexibility and resistance to abrasion, the more wires per strand the more flexible and the higher abrasion resistance.

The direction in which the strands are laid is the lay. A regular lay aligns the wires along the length of the rope for improved abrasion resistance. A lang lay aligns the wires at an angle to the length of the rope.

Much of the wire rope used today is swaged. Swaging compresses the wire rope axially which improves the life of the rope and increases the load capacity. The advantages of swaged rope are:

Manufacturers provide tables with breaking strengths for their ropes. The safe working load, SWL, is a fraction of the breaking strength, usually one third. This is referred to as having a factor of safety of 3. As an example, a wire rope with a breaking strength of 103400 lbs has a SWL of 34500 lbs when the factor of safety is 3.

A skyline carriage is a wheeled device that rides back and forth on the skyline for yarding. Carriages are described as either slackpulling or non slackpulling. Slackpulling refers to the ability to pull slack in the skidding line or have the skidding line pulled through the carriage, by hand or mechanically. A non-slackpulling carriage has no means of allowing the skidding line to be contained in or pass through it. Without special rigging, this prevents lateral yarding. A slackpulling carriage either permits the mainline to be used as a skid line and pulled through the carriage, or it has its own drum with a skid line that can be pulled out of the carriage to permit lateral yarding.

A unique option for a carriage type is the grapple - shown in the chart as being a non-slack-pulling carriage. Using a grapple carriage eliminates the need for a choker setter and can save a lot of time. However there are quite a few limitations associated with the grapple - you can only pick up trees/logs directly under the skyline, and in most cases you are limited to picking up one tree/log at a time.

This type of carriage can have a self-contained skidding line or a mechanism to permit the skidding line to be pulled through it by hand or mechanically. The carriage may be further classified as to how the slack is actually pulled.

This type of carriage uses a two drum yarder. The mainline passes through the carriage and becomes the skidding line. The carriage, after it is clamped to the skyline, acts as a block through which the mainline is pulled by the choker setter. A slack kicker may be used on the yarder to assist the choker setter in pulling slack.

This type of carriage uses some type of power device in the carriage for pulling slack. The power may be in the form of mechanical springs, hydraulic motors, or diesel or propane-fueled engines. The carriage will clamp to the skyline and is remotely controlled by radio or by mechanical springs.

There are many names for the lines used in the different cable configurations. The basic terms are mainline, skyline, haulback, slackpulling, and dropline or skidding line. The skyline is the cable on which the carriage rides. All skyline systems contain a skyline. The mainline is the line that runs from the tower to the carriage. This cable pulls the carriage back to the landing. The haulback is used in downhill operations and where the line slope is less than 20% and the carriage requires assistance to get into the unit. A slackpulling line is used with mechanical slackpulling carriages that require a separate line to raise and lower the dropline. The dropline, or skidding line, is the line to which the grapple or chokers are attached. It may be attached to the mainline, as in a mechanical slackpulling carriage, or it may be mounted on a drum in the carriage.

The haywire or strawline is used when rigging a cable road, which is a small, light cable that can be more easily pulled into the unit. It is then attached to the larger operating lines to pull them into position.

Guylines are used to support the tower and any tail trees, tail spars, or intermediate supports. Yarders are equipped with drums holding the guylines necessary to support the tower.

The number of lines used in the system will dictate the number of drums required on the yarder. The most basic setup requires just a mainline and one drum on the yarder. The most drums used are four and will contain a skyline, mainline, haulback, and slackpulling line.

Rigging Slinger - The person that supervises the choker setting operation, selecting logs to be choked and sending radio signals to the yarder operator.

Skyline configurations require adequate deflection in order to carry a load. Deflection refers to the amount of sag in the skyline. Tension is required to suspend the skyline over its length. The more tension required to achieve suspension over obstacles, the lower the payload that can be carried by the line. Higher tensions also require stronger anchors. Deflection is affected by the lay of the ground under the skyline and slope over which the skyline is run. A convex slope will limit the amount of deflection that can be achieved and will often require intermediate supports.

Cable operations, other than tong throwers, are limited by the availability of suitable anchors. Anchors are necessary to support the yarder, intermediate supports, and tailholds. Standing trees or stumps are often used as anchors. Suitable trees are determined by tree size, soil holding capacity, and their locations in respect to the equipment being anchored. Where suitable stump or tree anchors are not present, deadman anchors or equipment may be used. Deadman anchors are logs buried in the ground to provide an anchor. Equipment, such as a heavy crawler tractor, may be used as a mobile anchor where available and necessary.

Highlead cable operations are used in clearcut treatments due to the rigging requirements. Skyline configurations can be used in either clearcutting or thinning operations. Corridors, normally 8 to 12 feet wide, must be cut in the stand to allow free passage of the logs. In visually sensitive areas, parallel corridors should be used. Radial parallels result in clearcut areas where the corridors converge at the landing.

There are a number of safety issues when working around cable operations. Anchor failure can be mitigated using solid anchors and proper anchor building techniques. Cable failures can result from inadequate deflection, poorly maintained cables, trying to haul loads larger than the safe working load of the cables, and numerous other factors.

Downhill yarding landings should be designed with adequate runout space to prevent logs and debris from rolling downhill into the landing area where people and equipment are working.

Manual felling is often used with cable extraction due to the inability to operate mechanical equipment in the stand. In some cases, mechanical felling and processing may be used where soil conditions and terrain permit. Mechanized felling equipment may not have the same restrictions as extraction equipment since ground disturbance can be minimized using slash mats and fewer passes over the same ground. Mechanized equipment has the advantage of locating turns of logs in one place, decreasing the amount of time required to choke a turn. Mechanized felling does increase the number of corridors required to yard the stand.

The following is a selection of representative research studies and reports done on harvest systems that include cable extraction. These reports may be used to get an idea of productivity and impacts of different systems and uses of cable extraction as well as some of their limitations. When reading these reports, keep in mind that they describe specific systems and stand treatments. Trying to apply the lessons learned from these reports to systems and treatments outside of the studies’ scope may have unintended or unforeseen consequences.

This is not a complete listing of research on the use of cable systems. Additional information can be found at the USDA Forest Service Treesearch website. This site provides reports on research performed by Forest Service Research and Development scientists and their collaborators.

Description: This paper describes results from field studies and simulation that can be used to estimate the yarding cost for the Koller K300 cable yarder. Yarding costs can be estimated for clearcuts and light and heavy thinnings in eastern hardwoods. Yarding costs can be estimated with a handheld calculator, or the data can be incorporated into stump-to-mill desktop PC and mainframe computer programs. The results can be a valuable tool for loggers, managers, and planners considering the use of small- to medium-size cable yarders to extract timber from eastern hardwood stands.

Description: Due to large area disturbed and great deal of energy cost during-its operations, introducing or applying the appropriate timber extracting techniques could significantly reduce the impact of timber extraction operations to forest environment while pursuing the reasonable operation costs. Four environmentally sound timber extraction techniques for small tree harvesting, particularly for thinning operations, were presented and introduced in this paper. These techniques included animal skidding and animal-machine, single circulating cable yarding system, small farming tractor, and mini forwarder. The results of evaluation, test or practices indicated that these timber extracting techniques are feasible, applicable and reasonable in small tree harvesting with a relatively low impact to environment and a moderate operation cost.

Description: Managing Appalachian hardwood forests to satisfy the growing and diverse demands on this resource will require alternatives to traditional silvicultural methods and harvesting systems. Determining the relative economic efficiency of these alternative methods and systems with respect to harvest cash flows is essential. The effects of silvicultural methods and roundwood prices on harvesting revenue are presented for skyline and conventional skidder logging. Silvicultural methods evaluated include single-tree selection, group selection, even-age management, two-age management, diameter-limit cutting, and commercial thinning. Results indicate that harvesting systems had less impact on harvesting revenue than silvicultural methods or roundwood prices, and that hardwood markets can significantly affect economic trade-offs associated with forest management alternatives.

Nantong Fasten Metals Products Co., LTD is located in the coastal open city—Nantong which is in the lower area of the Yangtze River. We are a professional corporation which produces a variety of standards and types of galvanized steel wire rope, ungalvanized steel wire rope, steel-wire, stranded wire and spring steel wire. Our products mainly exported to Southeast Asia, the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and other countries.

Asbestos Exposure Program - This Asbestos Operations and Maintenance Program has been developed to eliminate and control hazards associated with asbestos containing materials located at your site.

Chemical Hygiene Plan - Non-production laboratories where small scale chemical experiments are conducted must have a chemical hygiene plan, under OSHA"s Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450). This sample plan is for secondary schools.

Confined Space Alternate Procedure Checklist - Provides employors and employees with a list of hazards that need to assessed prior to entering a Confined Space other that a PRCS.

Confined Space Permit Form (Sample Two) - Provides employers and employees with permits that are requied to enter PRCS. Air quality, rescue needs and addresses other hazards

Energized Electrical Work Permit - When live electrical must be performed all vested parties must be notified. All questions must be answered by the qualified electrician on this permit and turned over to the supervisor for approval.

Fire Department and EMS Blood Borne Exposure Plan - Provides fire department and EMS with a guide for all areas that are required to be part of a BBP exposure plan.

Lock Out / Tag Out Program - Program to assist employers in ensuring employees are using procedures to isolate energy sources prior to maintenance and other duties of equipment in the workplace.

Lockout Tagout Training Form - Ensures that training has been received on the Mandatory Lockout - Tagout Program. Provides checklist of items to be trained on.

Maine"s 301 Injury Illness Incident Report - If there is a pubic sector injury or illness incident that needs to be reported, and the workers compensation first report of injury is not available, this form may be used.

Respiratory Plan for Fire Departments - This sample plan concerns respirator use in general industry and construction workplaces as regulated in 29 CFR 1910.134 .

Responding to Domestic Violence Abusers in the Workplace - This toolkit was designed to help employers and workers create a comprehensive response to domestic violence in the workplace.

Safety Harness Inspection Checklist - Provides a safety checklist for fall protection body harnesses. Check stitching,D-rings and other critical items of harnesses and lanyards.

Volunteer Firefighter Model Policy - Public Law 296 provides volunteer firefighters protection from discipline or discharge, in certain employment situations, on the grounds that the volunteer firefighter arrives late or does not arrive to work because the volunteer firefighter is responding to certain emergencies to which the fire department is called to respond. The law allows written agreements between employees and employers to supersede the terms of the proposed law. This model policy / agreement has been developed as an option for employers to use.

Many municipal tree commissions and volunteer organizations benefit their communities by working on trees, streams, parks, and open spaces, but news of their successes and needs often fails to reach the public. By working with the media, including newspapers and radio and television stations, these organizations can deliver important messages to the public. Because the media can exert enormous influence on peoples" attitudes and actions, a well-planned public relations effort can focus public attention, raise awareness and support, and favorably affect funding and other policy decisions.

The media"s main functions include reporting the news, commenting, and editorializing. The average daily newspaper, radio, or television station in the United States carries four kinds of news: national, regional, state, and local. National, regional, and state news typically comes from large wire services, such as the Associated Press, and syndicates. Local news involves local events and may be generated by local public relations and publicity sources using news releases and other tools.

Local news is truly local in nature: it involves and reaches local government, community organizations, businesses, and residents. Your public relations efforts will achieve the best results when local editors and reporters are familiar with your organization, are accessible to you, and are interested in your local news angle. Maintaining good relationships with these reporters and editors is important, and takes work on your part.

In the newsroom, many activities and issues are ignored. Every day, reporters discard a bulk of news releases for one major reason: the stories have no local interest or angle. That"s why it is important to carefully craft your message to increase its local appeal to a particular medium. You must look for something that sets your actions or news apart from competing stories, and that stresses the impact of your efforts on a local neighborhood or municipality.

For example, if you are planting new trees downtown, think about who will benefit from the trees (local businesses and shoppers), how they will benefit  (attracting shoppers to the area, increasing shopping there, boosting revenues), who will be involved in the planting (volunteers from schools and businesspeople), who supported and funded the planting (borough council and local businesses), and the need to plant and manage trees in other parts of the municipality. These types of local angles and interests will help get your story in the news.

When you communicate with the media about trees and other natural resources, be sure to provide important facts and relevant resources. If you don"t, reporters may not be interested. Such facts and resources might include:

According to recent figures, 75 percent of the U.S. population lives in cities and towns. Again and again, scientific studies have demonstrated that trees provide a number of economic and other benefits for our communities. These benefits include:

By conserving open space rather than allowing intensive development, municipalities may reduce costs for public services such as police and fire, road maintenance, and education.

Communication is essential in building a favorable image for your organization and your issues. The abilities, service, contributions, and needs of your commission or organization mean little when people do not know about them.

The goal of public relations is to favorably influence peoples" opinions. Good public relations uses a communications process that promotes peoples" understanding of and sup-port for issues and activities. Successful public relations is hard work. It requires good writing skills, the ability to work well with people, a good visual sense, and the courage and initiative to contact and speak with a wide variety of people, including reporters and editors.

Good public relations is a prerequisite of political success: political success requires public support, and good communications helps develop that support.  To be successful politically, you must identify and communicate with the people who are interested, have the power to influence outcomes, and are affected by your issues, as well as the general public.

Remember that public relations means more than just working to get your news stories covered by newspapers, radio, and television stations. While the media are important, there are many ways to reach people without depending on a news organization to deliver your message. Your public relations effort can include identifying and communicating directly with organizations, volunteer groups, and community leaders and officials through personal contacts, correspondence, postcards, and newsletters.

Truth and honesty are essential in public relations. Efforts to influ-ence public opinion must be based on good character and responsible performance. There are so many good, positive stories that there is simply no need to embellish your story or be untruthful.

When defense is necessary, however, silence is not the best tactic. Silence may be golden, but it will not change the opinion of the public or leaders, and it may confirm a negative perception in the minds of many. Prompt and honest admission of a problem or mistake is often the most successful action. If your public relations effort involves defending your organization or dealing with a conflict, don"t react too hastily or without careful thought. Do your homework to gather all important information. Visualize how your response will look in print or on air and think about the reaction that it will cause. This type of preparation will provide dividends in how you are perceived and treated.

The media can be a powerful tool in public relations. Good public relations includes a process of building good relations with local reporters and editors through persuasive, honest communication and education.

Many municipal commissions and volunteer organizations are unrealistic in their understanding of and dealings with the media. It"s not enough to convince the media that an issue or program is valuable or noble—you must convince them that it is news-worthy. Some commissions and organizations receive good and frequent publicity because they are able to give the media good reasons to cover them.

The media are often faulted for not picking up a potential story, but this may happen because the person or group supplying the story did not understand the rules of the media game.

Good media relations are built on communications, trust, and cooperation. A newspaper editor or television news director will look more favorably upon commissions and organizations they are familiar with and know are easy to deal with. Cultivate your relationships with the media.

The more familiar and comfortable reporters and editors become with you and your organization, the more likely they will be to publish stories about your work. Remember to maintain your good rapport with people in the media, even when you"re not actively promoting an event or issue. In short, become their “source" for interesting and reliable information.

Reporters are always looking for story ideas. Increase your chances of being covered by knowing and working with local reporters. The more familiar you are with reporters and their work, the better your chances of having them cover your organization. Know the names of reporters who cover issues and stories of interest to you. Introduce your commission or volunteer organization by sending a pitch letter (see example on page 21) and calling and asking for a meeting to discuss your issues or projects. Award and recognize reporters who have contributed to your efforts.

Always remember that you are competing with other stories for both time and space. There is generally more news and information each day than can fit in the newspaper or on a TV news broadcast. Also, news must be timely. You must ensure that your story is more interesting than competing stories for an editor to grant the space needed to print it. Provide facts and figures. If a controversy exists, educate the media about it. Controversy makes for a more interesting story.

There is a glut of information and news. The stories we see, hear, or read in the news have withstood a drastic process of elimination, and newsroom trash cans are full of unused correspondence. Editors determine what is news and what is not. Public relations material, such as a news release, will be used some of the time, not used at other times, and can undergo considerable editorial change. If your story doesn"t appear in the news, or isn"t exactly what you wanted, don"t go away mad or give up—continue to communicate with editors and reporters.

However, be careful when dealing with stories you feel were unfair or provided misinformation. Remember, reporters can make honest mistakes. Call the reporter directly and use phrases such as, “I"m sure that wasn"t your intention, but I felt that your story.…" or, “I enjoyed many parts of your story, however.…" Tell them nicely if you are planning to write a letter to the editor with your opinion about their story.

The print media consists of more than daily newspapers. It includes nondaily press, such as county, neighborhood, or ethnic papers; magazines and newsletters, such as those published by the borough and township organizations; and trade publications, such as the newsletter for the Pennsylvania Planning Association. Be sure to identify and use media opportunities both large and small. Local weekly newspapers are generally well-read in most areas.

Gaining the attention of one medium is an achievement, but your message will be more effective if carried by others, too. You can use orchestration—pitching a story effectively to a variety of media outlets—to increase the likelihood of your story being picked up by newspapers, television, and radio. When orchestrating information it is important to understand the deadlines of the different media you are using and to provide news advisories and releases (see examples below) so that each type of news organization has ample time to cover your story. To help increase coverage when pitching your story to television stations, always let them know that their competition and local newspapers are interested.

Provide detailed information, such as the people who are involved and affected, people who are willing to be interviewed, and residents who are willing to provide an opinion.

It is important to think ahead and develop an annual communications plan based on the activities and issues that will be important in the next year, your personal relationships with editors and reporters, and your knowledge of the requirements and interests of the media you want to work with. Successful municipal commissions and volunteer organizations plan to place at least two positive pieces of publicity in the local media each year. The following steps are critical to producing an effective communications plan:

Tools that can be used to implement your communications plan include a press list, pitch letters, media advisories, letters to the editor, editorial-opinion pieces, news conferences, news releases, captioned photographs and photo opportunities, public service announcements, and paid advertisements.

Use every medium possible every time you use one of these tools. You never know what medium may be more interested in what story. Your story may fit as a side story or with one of related interest. Also, working with as many media outlets as possible increases your practice with and awareness of the media.

A press list identifies all the media you intend to send news releases and other materials to. Both print and broadcast media should be included. Identify media, editors, and reporters who are sympathetic to your interests. The list should include postal addresses, office and cell phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

A pitch letter is used when you are requesting something other than straight news coverage, such as editorial support, a feature story, or an interview. A pitch letter should be written to the editor, producer, or reporter you want to work with, so it is important to be aware of their interests and responsibilities before sending the letter. Remember to include your phone number and e-mail address.

The lead sentence of the pitch letter should be compelling. Don"t begin by introducing your organization or issue—instead, open with an interesting statistic or fact that makes the recipient want to keep reading: “Three miles of Spring Creek were threatened by development last year." Keep the letter as short as possible and enclose relevant background material, such as brochures, pictures, or biographical information. Attach a fact or statistical sheet summarizing any pertinent and important facts. Provide a realistic estimate of how long an interview will take. Make follow-up calls a week or so after the letter is mailed to continue your communication process. If there is interest from a print medium, ask if a photographer will be assigned.

Media advisories are used to invite the media to cover an event or activity. Advisories are usually sent to the city and photo editors of newspapers and to the news assignment desks of radio and television stations a few weeks be-fore the event. They include a simple who, what, why, when, and where in outline form, as well as suggested photo possibilities. Attach a fact or statistical sheet summarizing any pertinent or important facts. Follow up advisories with a telephone call a few days before the activity to find out who is coming. When working with the print media, ask if a photographer will be assigned. If you expect media representatives, be prepared to greet them and direct them to the action. Keep in mind that radio and newspapers can do interviews over the phone if they are not available at the time of an event—offer this to them as an option in the advisory.

A press or media kit should be prepared for major events such as a groundbreaking, large volunteer effort, or award ceremony—and distributed to selected editors and reporters ahead of time. It is a folder of information and materials about the event, its significance, and the people and organizations involved. Both expensive and simple kits can be used, but the event"s news value, not an expensive presentation folder, will determine the amount of coverage it receives. Label the outside of the folder with your organization"s name, address, and contact telephone number. Kits can contain:

Letters to the editor should be brief, concise, and informative, and not based on too much emotion. Organized groups of people, as well as individuals, can be engaged to send letters to the editor. Letters can react to news or editorials, policy or new legislation, or decisions and actions of elected and other officials. A letter to the editor also can clarify important points and positions, correct misinformation, present your organization"s position, tell people about your efforts, and encourage their involvement.

Op-eds are columns written by community members for a newspaper"s editorial page. Op-eds allow you to express your own views and opinions. They usually provide the following information:

The most important point is to hold the reader"s attention. Use a bold opening statement or opinion, such as “Not preserving open space is hurting our municipality" or “Public trees need maintenance to be safe." The column"s sentiment should be forceful and strong and the concept easy to understand. Use supporting opinions and facts throughout the column. Try not to over-generalize—newspapers need facts. If you use a sentence like “Trees are our most important resource," you need to explain why using facts.

Don"t be afraid to be forceful, clever, or use humor in your writing. Imagine you are writing an important letter to a friend.  Be conversational. If you are working hard on an op-ed piece for a paper but don"t know the editor in charge of the editorial page, you"re not working hard enough. Contact, discuss, and cultivate you ideas with editors and work with them on drafts of the piece if they prefer.

Television and radio reach more people than the print media, and also can be used to provide a visual and audio impression of your issue or project. Contact television and radio stations for events by using a news release or media advisory and follow-up phone calls, as you would for newspapers. Also, it is important to get to know the local news directors, reporters, and people responsible for public affairs coverage and public service announcements. Use the community calendar available on most cable television systems to announce meetings and events.

When working with television, choose either action-oriented, visually engaging events or a human interest story. If your organization"s work has provided significant benefits (such as increased public safety, increased beauty, volunteer and educational opportunities, increased quality of life, or increased tourism and visitation), a feature story could highlight these and your organization.

Radio stations are often looking for material and news. They can be used to announce upcoming events and meetings and to engage in conversation and debate. When working with radio stations, offer engaging speakers and topics. When using radio to announce upcoming stories and events, use four-sentence introductions placed on separate sheets for each event. These sheets are called “reader sheets."

Find out how long the interview is expected to last. You can assume that the interview will be taped and edited, but ask to make sure. Occasionally reporters will line you up for a live interview.

Research your topic. Find out if there have been other stories on this issue and be aware of what was printed and who was quoted. Understand that the television and radio reporters are looking for a 10- to 20-second sound bite, so have one or two ready, but don"t expect to read them from a script.

Ask if there is a preferred setting or background for the interview. If the weather is nice and not too windy, outside is usually better for television. If the topic is about something like open space, go to the open space for the interview and pictures. Consider what type of pictures and sound will bring the story to life for the viewers.

Dress professionally, but make sure that you are comfortable. Avoid light-colored clothing, especially white for a television interview. White causes there to be less light on your face, and it looks better when your face is well lit and in contrast to a dark shirt. In addition, avoid shirts with fine or high-contrast stripes, because these can interfere with the television picture.

Have many interview options available, but don"t be offended if the reporter doesn"t want to use some of them. You need to understand the time hole that the reporter is trying to fill with your story. Remember to find out how long the piece will air. If the reporter only needs one sound bite and 40 seconds of pictures, don"t exhaust yourself coming up with different ideas. The reporter won"t have time to use them. The pictures and the stories you are sharing are both important for television.

Feature stories document a person or event that is unique or important. Although commissions and volunteer organizations can write feature stories, the best approach is to use your personal contacts, pitch letter, and news releases to inspire a reporter or editor to do a feature story on your organization or an important issue or project.

When thinking about feature subjects, concentrate on local people and their personal stories. Someone in every volunteer organization or on every municipal commission has a compel-ling story to tell about an issue or opportunity, but most reporters will never find out unless you tell them.

The vital part of any feature story is an interview, and the key question you should look for in any interview is “Why?" Why do you enjoy working with volunteers? Why are trees and parks so important to us? Why is conserving open space important? Why are you concerned about your local creek or river? You should also consider a sidebar or “story within a story" in addition to the feature information. This story tells about an interesting connection or person, and often explores a human-interest angle. Reporters have long recognized that people care about other people and enjoy reading about them.

If a reporter decides to do a feature on a subject you have recommended, be prepared with background information on the nuts and bolts of the organization, issue, or event. For features, taking pictures is almost guaranteed. When features are being written by reporters from daily newspapers, they will always bring along one of their own staff photographers to take pictures, so make the photographs count.

The news release is the most common way to communicate news to the print and broadcast media. News releases are typically 1- or 2-page documents that inform the media about important news or events. News releases can be used to state your position on a particular issue, describe a project or work you are engaged in, publicize recognition you or your organization have received, provide supplemental information on an issue, or announce additions of people or other changes.

The most common question asked about news releases by editors is “who cares?" In other words, why is the information you are offering important? News releases must contain a news or “today" angle: why do people care today? The best news releases tell a compelling, interesting story quickly and stylishly. If you do not have a professional writer to prepare a news release, tell your story simply and clearly. Often, busy editors won"t look beyond the title or first line, so make the lead sentence count. Consider the following examples of catchy titles or lead sentences:

Information in the news release should flow from the most important facts to those of lesser significant. The opening paragraph or paragraphs should include the most important facts and answer the “five W"s"—who, what, when, why, and where. They should be accurate, concise, complete, and interesting. Avoid expressing personal opinions or making editorial comments. Keep the story brief and to the point, and use short sentences and paragraphs. Always be accurate when writing releases. Make sure all facts, such as dates, times, places, and spelling of names, are correct. If opposing viewpoints or controversy exist, include a summary in the news release. Controversy makes for a more interesting story.

It is true that “names make the news." Feature the names of speakers, leaders, officials, and sponsoring organizations. Using quotes from people can also be quite effective. If you use quotes, provide contact information for the people quoted so reporters can contact them. If possible, include a “story within a story" about an involved or affected person: “Bob Miller, age 82, has been a member of the tree commission for over 45 years" or “Sharon Gold has fought to conserve open space for the last 25 years."

Ideally, the release will attract reporters to the event or to call you for more information, but releases should provide enough information so that a story can be written even if the reporter does not follow up. Re-leases should have a “hook" or “news peg"—something new or unique that makes readers sit up and take notice.

Releases should be distributed by mail, e-mail, and fax about two weeks before any event. Send it to the editors and reporters you have developed relationships with. You may also want to follow up with telephone calls. Many organizations are active with releases, preparing one every month. Although this may be difficult, it helps keep the media aware of the organization and what it is doing.

A news release should never contain typographical errors. Stylebooks, such as The Chicago Manual of Style, The Associated Press Stylebook, and The New York Times Stylebook provide guidelines for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage. In general, use the following style recommendations when writing releases.

Months containing more than five letters with a specific date are abbreviated: Feb. 9. Months standing alone and the days of the week are capitalized and spelled out: The tree planting will be in May; There will be a rally for the park on Thursday.

If listing a speaker, award winner, or member of an organization, always include the person"s name, title if relevant, and where they live: Sharon Davis, a nurse and resident of Brookline, will be recognized by the Pittsburgh Tree Commission.

Include at the top or bottom of the first page: the full name of the com-mission or organization; address, city, zip code; contact person phone number and e-mail; and release date—indicate “For Immediate Release" or specific release date (“For Release After May 4, 2003").

A news conference is a way to release major news to all the media simultaneously. They are most often used to announce political decisions, general emergencies, and developments in stories and issues that have already attracted broad community attention. If you"re considering holding a news conference, the first questions to ask are what is the subject, is it worthy, and will media be interested enough to attend? Media interest can be hard to predict accurately, and news conferences should be used sparingly. When used, choose the site and time carefully; they must be convenient to invitees. Midmorning between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. is best and allows reporters to visit the office before the conference. In general, reporters do not want to work overtime. Find out the working hours of the stations you are targeting. The conference can be combined with lunch or refreshments.

Remember to identify other events that may conflict with your conference. If local reporters must choose between your news conference and another major event, they will select the option they think will be most interesting to the largest number of people.

It is important to take care of the details. Send invitations one to two weeks beforehand. Be brief and stir interest by detailing the reasons for the conference and why it should be attended. Send the invitees simple news kits containing a basic press release that summarizes the subject and participants of the conference, an agenda, any photographs related to the subject, and a data sheet if the subject is scientific or complicated. The news kit should identify a contact person reporters can follow up with. Have extra news kits on hand at the conference. Remind invitees about the conference by telephone one to two days before the event.

If possible, hold your news conference at a location with good photo opportunities. Make sure adequate parking is available. Have someone greet each member of the media, record their names and the media outlet they represent, and provide them with name tags.

A good photograph or photo opportunity helps your communication efforts and heightens the impact of your story. It provides an important image of your organization or issue. Don"t rely on the newspaper for a photographer—if there is a strong visual component in your event, arrange for someone to capture it with a camera. You will have more success being assigned a photographer from the newspaper if you request one at least two weeks before the event. Work with the person taking the pictures; you know best who and what should be considered.

If you provide photographs to media outlets, they must be in focus and captioned. A caption should be brief and simple and identify the people and activity. The full name and title of people being identified should be provided from left to right. When taking photographs try to avoid the “grip and grin"—a pose where two people are shaking hands over an oversize check or some other object, often surrounded by dozens of unidentified people. Arrange for a scene where people are active or working. Take photographs close enough so that the frame is filled. Check to see if the media you"re working with have photo editors; if so, remember to send advisories and releases to them also.

A public service announcement (PSA) is a free radio or television message similar to a commercial. PSAs air during commercial time, usually in off-peak hours. Producing a PSA can be relatively simple for radio, but difficult for television. Both radio and television PSAs require written scripts, but television stations often require a fully produced videotape. Consultants are most often used to produce television PSAs. Contact the television and radio stations in advance to determine their requirements for a PSA submission.

PSAs should be simple and to the point, focusing on a single issue or event (“Support Altoona"s shade tree commission because..." or “Take part in Johnstown"s Stoney Creek volunteer restoration program because...").

In general, the heading for a PSA script should include the organization"s full name and address, the name and telephone number of the contact person, start and stop dates for events, and the length of the script in seconds. Give radio stations a choice by providing 10- , 20- , 30- , and 60-second versions of your message.

You should use newsletters, brochures, flyers and program announcements, position papers, fact sheets, annual reports, and posters to publicize the good things your commission or organization is doing. Completing an annual report and providing it to elected officials and as a press release to the local media is very important. An annual report should provide information on accomplishments, funding and other resources, difficulties and concerns, plans for next year, and the resources those plans will require.

Use planned and consistent personal contact with elected officials and municipal managers, speeches to service and other organizations, telephone contacts, correspondence and solicitation, testimonials, and displays at fairs and other events to promote understanding of and support for your organization.

Even though you pay for it, advertising guarantees that your message will be placed. Design your advertisements to motivate interested people to follow a course of action. You have control over the script, images, the days the ad will run, and the section of the paper it will be placed in or time of day it will be run. Commercials, print ads, billboards, transit placards, buttons, t-shirts, and bumper stickers are all advertisement opportunities.

In this section you will find examples of letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, news releases, pitch letters, and media advisories. Please feel free to use these samples as templates for your effort. You may copy these examples and change them to meet your needs.

The Internet allows you to bypass traditional  “gatekeepers" in the print and broadcast media (editors and producers) and provide your message directly to people. Here are some tips to keep in mind when using the Internet as a public relations medium.

If your group has a Web site and e-mail address, include them in all press releases, media advisories, letters to the editor, and other documents intended to reach the public. Having a Web site to visit or an e-mail address to write to makes it easier for an interested person to contact you.

Your Web site reflects directly on your organization. Be sure that it is professional and represents you accurately. The entire world can visit your Web site, so make sure it is free of embarrassing errors.

Ask visitors to your Web site to provide their e-mail addresses if they want to become more closely involved or just keep up to date with what your organization is doing. Send the people on your e-mail list a monthly update to make sure they remember your group and what it is doing. Consistent and timely communications convey the impression that your group is highly organized and efficient.

Post news releases, media advisories, and similar documents on your Web site. It makes them accessible to visitors to the site, and also can provide a useful archive that documents your past activities.

Because of the many benefits that public trees provide, the Greensburg tree commission has been working hard to plant, maintain, and remove public trees along the streets of our town, often with limited funding and people. Our efforts to improve the many benefits and reduce tree risks would be expanded by the help of other volunteers, especially those knowledgeable about trees. We need help with tree plantings, simple tree maintenance, and organizing projects. The support of citizens and elected officials to fund the removal and pruning of risky trees on an annual basis is also very important, but has been lacking in the past years.

We look forward to continuing to make Greensburg"s community forest both safe and attractive. The continued and increased support of residents and elected officials would make this work much easier and pave the way for success.

John Oaks" story provided an in-depth look at the issue of open space and greenway conservation in this area. Many studies have demonstrated the aesthetic, recreational, social, economic, and health benefits provided by these passive undeveloped areas. There is also the thought of leaving a pleasant and healthy place to live for those who follow.

I encourage not only our planning commission and local developers, but also our residents and leaders to become involved in conserving open space and greenways in our fast-growing area. Strong public and official support of planning for, regulating for, and funding for open space conservation is needed.

As we wait to act, opportunities for open space conservation are lost to development and land prices continue to escalate. If we do not act soon to plan for and fund open space conservation through referendum or bond issue, much will be lost for ourselves and those that follow.

Today, “growing greener" is a hot topic in Pennsylvania, but planning and providing for the many benefits of open space in growing municipalities is not new.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Frederick Law Olmstead wrote that open space provides people with places for recreation and, because it serves great numbers of citizens regardless of age, sex, race, or class, enhances social democratization. He and others demonstrated these ideals in their designs for New York"s Central Park and other spaces during the America"s City Beautiful Movement.

But beauty is only a small benefit of open space. Planning for and conserving open space in our fast-growing area has many benefits  that must be understood by both leaders and citizens.

Most people recognize open space as places left undeveloped, or mostly free of structures, such as Walnut Creek and Sunset Parks. Some people recognize the importance of public access. People often talk about fishing, walking, hiking, biking, water and air quality, beauty, quality of life, solitude, peace, and a connection with nature as benefits provided by open space. They rarely mention the economic and health benefits that open space provides. These well-recognized benefits are often ignored in discussions of open space.

The ability of open space to raise property values and at-tract people and progressive businesses is well documented. Planned open space systems, such as Cleveland Metro parks, are used as major marketing tools by business and real estate interests. Many studies have shown that open space helps people exercise, relax, reduce stress, stay healthy, and recover more quickly from illness.

Many people believe that land-use planning is not working to conserve open space in growing areas of Pennsylvania. Municipal autonomy in planning and zoning and a lack of cooperation among municipalities are often identified as problems with both land-use planning and open space conservation.

A common question is, “Why don"t Pennsylvania municipalities work more closely on open space and other land use issues?" Things that happened in the past, historical friction, conflicts, grudges, feuds, personality conflicts, and the traditional autonomy of Pennsylvania municipalities are common answers. Regardless, high-quality natural environments and high-quality human recreation experiences require large-scale and connected open space. To obtain this, large-scale planning and funding is required. This type of scale happens only with cooperation among municipalities, businesses, and others.

It seems that there have been many open space efforts in this area, all done separately. An overall strategy among municipalities that would plan for, create, and maintain a connect-ed and shared system of open space that would benefit and be enjoyed by many of us, regardless of the municipality we live in, is lacking. As one concerned person said, “We can"t be members of such a flat society here. Once I walk past a municipal boundary, I don"t fall of the edge of the world."

We will be making a mistake if future open space results only as a residual of current development. The green infra-structure of open space should be planned for and financed in development and growth, just as the Federal Highway Commission and PennDOT plan amon