Holmes County logger earns Ohio’s top logging honor for 2025

Dennis Nisley of Millcreek Lumber in Millersburg was named Ohio’s Outstanding Logger of the Year for 2025, putting a Holmes County name at the center of the state’s logging industry and the stewardship work that comes with it. The honor was announced April 22 at the Ohio Forestry Association’s annual meeting and awards luncheon in Columbus, where loggers, hardwood manufacturers, forestry professionals and tree farmers gathered for industry updates and service awards.

The recognition goes beyond one company. In an industry often seen only at the mill or lumber yard, an outstanding logger is also a safety manager, a woods steward and a land-use professional. Nisley has built a reputation for emphasizing safety protocols and long-term forest health, two priorities that matter in Holmes County, where logging, hauling, equipment repair and mill work are part of the local economy and where the condition of the woods affects future harvests as much as this year’s payrolls.

That stewardship role is formalized in the Ohio Forestry Association’s Voluntary Master Logging Company Program, which trains loggers in chainsaw safety, Best Management Practices for soil and water protection, and first aid and CPR. The program also requires periodic recertification, and participating companies must belong to both a local logger chapter and the state association. In practice, that means the work reaches well beyond felling trees. It includes protecting streams, keeping erosion in check, and making sure crews can work safely in the woods.

Nisley is also tied directly to the local network that keeps the industry connected. The association’s logger chapter listings place the East Central Ohio Loggers Chapter in Millersburg and list Nisley as vice chairman. That makes his award a Holmes County story as much as a statewide one, because the local chapter is where forestry business, safety practices and regional concerns are discussed among people who live and work here.

Those concerns include exports and regulatory compliance. The association’s April 2026 calendar included a session titled “SLF Requirements Update: What Hasn’t Changed for Shipping Logs Out of Ohio,” a reminder that insect quarantines and shipping rules can shape where logs go and how businesses operate. For mill and logging operators in Holmes County, those issues are not abstract policy debates. They affect routes, customers and the pace of work.

Millcreek Lumber’s longevity adds another layer to the recognition. Ohio business records list Millcreek Lumber, LLC as an active company filed March 20, 2003, with Dennis D. Nisley identified as the registered agent. In a county where forestry and family businesses often overlap, the award highlights a local operator whose work helps sustain both the woods and the wages that depend on them.