Ax Men

Deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, rugged men make their living doing one of the deadliest jobs in the world logging. Their mission is to retrieve timber perched on mountainsides too steep to access with machines, but it's no easy task. Plagued by mechanical failures, relentless weather, and unpredictable terrain, these brave men risk their lives retrieving the timber with which we built our country. Meet four companies trying to survive each day. Pihl Logging a rag-tag group of loggers based in Vernonia, Oregon. Gustafson Logging a close-knit crew working one of the most dangerous jobs in the region. J.M. Browning the best of the best. Stump Branch Logging the young guns with a lot to prove. These are the Ax Men.

Just days into the fall logging season, the Ax Men are already being put to the test. J.M. Browning races to meet a big deadline. Stump Branch Logging tempts fate by jury-rigging their old equipment. The Gustafson Company races mother nature as they attempt to build a road to access their logging site. Father teaches son the lessons of logging as the men of the Pihl Company haul in the forest's cash crop.

As a storm closes in on the Oregon coast, the Ax Men race to stay one step ahead. Jesse continues to push the J.M. Browning crew to meet its looming deadline, while muddy roads trap trucks on their way to the Stump Branch site. Robby battles for control of the Gustafson crew. Pihl Logging feels the effects of the slumping lumber market.

Across Northwest Oregon, the Ax Men continue to grind it out. Storm season arrived with a vengeance shutting some crews down while others struggled to stay afloat. Now a bigger storm is brewing. The stalled housing market's effects are hitting the Ax Men hard. Jobs will be shut down; men will be put out of work. This week, the housing market hits home on "Ax Men".

The Ax Men are reeling from the news of upcoming layoffs. While Gustafson Logging tries to get back on track, Browning races to meet a big deadline. Pihl Logging is now under the gun to finish their Pig Farm job, and to find more work. Despite Melvin's best efforts to keep up with his old equipment, Stump Branch loses one of its most important machines.

Logging giants throughout Oregon are falling. Two of the biggest - J.M. Browning and Gustafson Logging - are fighting to survive. Jay Browning, usually flush with lucrative deals, is forced to make tough decisions. Gustafson Logging is down but not out. Smaller outfits, like Stump Branch and Pihl, find winning strategies in their young leaders.