PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles-based Rygaard Logging will look to defend its “Ax Men” crown as the third season of the hit reality logging show begins today.

The first episode of “Ax Men” airs on the History Channel today at 9 p.m.

The show features Rygaard president Gabe Rygaard and his father, Craig Rygaard, and their crews falling timber on the North Olympic Peninsula.

In last year’s second season, Rygaard beat four other Pacific Northwest outfits in the number of truck loads it harvested.

The show keeps track of each company in the competition. It is well-edited and moves quickly from one job site to the next.

“Ax Men” chronicles a tough and dangerous occupation and adds some comedic drama as rookie greenhorns try to keep up with seasoned vets like the Rygaards.

Craig Rygaard is a life-long logger who learned the trade from his father, Ed, a former Port Angeles businessman.

He formed Rygaard Logging in 1993 with help from his sons, Gabe and Jason.

Gabe Rygaard became president of the company in 1996. All three are part-owners.

Craig and Gabe Rygaard were two of the most colorful characters in “Ax Men” last season.

Repeated attempts to reach the Rygaards this week were unsuccessful.

Filmed last summer

The third season of “Ax Men” was filmed last summer. Six teams will vie for bragging rights and respect from their peers.

Rygaard’s crew will feature two greenhorn, Travis Davis and David Schroeder.

Schroeder, 22, of Port Angeles, is the single father of a 4-year-old son.

He is a carpenter struggling to find work who decided to try logging to support his family.

“I’m always one of the best,” Schroeder boasts on the “Ax Men” Web site at www.history.com.

“I like to show people what I got. You just have to see me in action.”

Davis, 23, was raised in the woods. He says he was called to work in the environment rather than go to college like his parents wanted him to do.

The show promotes Davis as upbeat but a slow worker, which won’t sit well with the Rygaards.

Last season’s greenhorn, Bradley Hewitt, then 24, walked off the job site midway through the season. He struggled to learn the job and got the worst of flare-ups with Gabe and Craig Rygaard.

“Ax Men” became a hit in its first season.

The Rygaards, who first appeared on national television in the fall of 2008 on an episode of “America’s Toughest Jobs,” joined the series in its second season.

The History Channel, channel 42 on the Wave cable system, will air “Ax Men” reruns all day today leading up to the 9 p.m. premier of Season 3.

This season, Rygaard will compete against the same four companies as Season 2 plus one new one: Shelby Stanga of New Orleans.

Stanga recovers Sinker Cypress logs in alligator-infested swamps in the Louisiana bayou.

Likewise, Aberdeen-based S&S Logging recovers underwater logs, which are valuable because they are highly preserved.

Helicopter hauling

Montana-based R&R Conner Aviation adds another element of danger to logging by hauling logs away with a helicopter.

Season 1 champion J.M. Browning of Astoria, Ore., ran neck-and-neck with the Rygaards in Season 2 and will look to avenge their loss.

The Rygaard and Browning crews played practical jokes on each other in last season’s episodes.

Pihl Logging of Vernonia, Ore., rounds out the competition in Season 3 of “Ax Men.”

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.