MINNESOTA — At the North Star Logging Expo in Grand Rapids, Minn., I got a quick lesson in operating heavy equipment and a more sobering one about the pressures facing the people who make their living with it. Loggers are struggling with something out of their control: the price of diesel fuel. That matters to the whole state because the timber industry doesn’t just cut trees. It’s a key steward of rural Minnesota’s economy and environmental health. If you spent any time worrying about wildfire smoke, climate change or jobs in the past year, you’re invested in figuring this out. …Brady Hasbargen, a fourth-generation logger from Birchdale, Minn., along the Canadian border, said he uses about 100,000 gallons of diesel every year. Last year, he spent about $300,000 on fuel. With diesel now priced above $6 per gallon, that cost will double and could go even higher. That’s well beyond his profit margin.