PLC Logger's Voice Winter 2017

Volume 11 Issue 1 | Winter 2017 

A Quarterly Publication of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine 

State of the Union 2 

Director’s Report 3 

Supporting 

Member 

Spotlight 

Canadian 

Chains 

Page 7 

PLC Member Spotlight 4 

New Members 6 

Award Nominations 10 

Logger Leadership 11 

Safety First 12

Cover photo: PLC Member John Khiel & Sons job site in Manchester, ME in 

early December, 2016. Story page 4. 

President’s Message 

THE LOGGER'S 

VOICE 

A Quarterly Publication of the 

Professional Logging Contractors of 

Maine 

Executive Board 

Scott Madden 

President 

Jim Nichols 

1 st Vice President 

Tony Madden 

2 nd Vice President 

Chuck Ames 

Secretary 

Andy Irish 

Treasurer 

Brian Souers 

Past President 

Board of Directors 

Greg Adams 

Kurt Babineau 

Donald Cole 

William Cole 

Tom Cushman 

Brent Day 

Wes Dube 

Steve Hanington 

Duane Jordan 

Robert Linkletter 

Andrew Madden 

Ron Ridley 

Wayne Tripp 

State of Our Union 

Scott Madden 

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and we look 

forward to having a prosperous new year. It's hard to 

believe another year has come and gone. Seems like we've 

had the best weather conditions we've seen in the last five 

years; also, the worst market conditions some loggers have 

ever seen. 

PLC has been very busy this year doing what we 

do best - helping PLC loggers. I think one of the best things 

Members can do for themselves and the industry is to 

become more involved with PLC and its Members. Just 

think about how many years’ experience we have as a 

group; especially if we all work together. PLC needs 

volunteers for the many projects we have going on. Any 

Members that could spare a little time to contact 

representatives, senators, insurance agents and/or 

government agencies to put a personal touch on whatever 

project PLC is trying to move forward would be greatly 

appreciated. (Remember the equipment sales tax and the off 

-road fuel tax). 

As we head into our winter season PLC Members' 

priority should be safety. With all the problems loggers are 

facing, we need to make sure everyone goes home safe. It's 

easy to overlook safety when times are hard; especially 

since many of us have a reduced workforce. 

Many employees are doing different tasks than they 

typically do, usually for shorter than normal times, and this 

can increase risk. We all need to remember injuries have 

many hidden costs that hurt employers such as medical 

expenses, lost wages, and lost production. And again, most 

importantly - potential harm to employees. PLC has and 

will continue to work on safety, but it's up to PLC members 

to follow through. 

At the present time, PLC is trying to improve our 

safety training, making it more than one day a year. With 

the help of the Cross Agency, PLC will be hiring a fulltime 

safety person. If we could get a few volunteers to help 

guide this project with some fresh ideas that would be 

great. PLC has some safety meetings coming up before 

spring so please help if you can by contacting Dana or Jess. 

Have a safe and hopefully productive winter. 

Log on, 

Scott 

Gary Voisine 

Dana Doran 

Executive Director 

Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995 

110 Sewall St., P.O. Box 1036 

Augusta, ME 04332 

Phone: 207.688.8195 

2 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

Executive Director’s Message 

New Beginnings 

Dana Doran 

2016 was a year that many in this industry would 

like to forget. A year of market reductions, lower prices, 

increased operational costs and too much wood for too little 

demand. The closures of Old Town and Lincoln and the 

reduction in capacity at Verso Androscoggin in 2015 bled 

into 2016 and started a chain reaction that turned a bad 

dream into a nightmare. 

As we look to 2017, most are anxious for what the 

future may hold because of the experience of 2016. I can’t 

say that I disagree with them at this precise moment, but 

I’m hopeful that the new year brings a fresh opportunity for 

greater investment and new beginnings. 

Winter has always proven itself to be our go time. 

A time that energizes this industry to exceed expectations 

and prove time and time again why Maine loggers and 

truckers are the best in the world. Winter is generally the 

most profitable time of year since markets have been 

starved from a fall/early winter slow down and the 

operating conditions provide an opportunity for peak 

production. That said, something this winter not only feels 

different, but is different. 

There is simply too much wood in yards across the 

state and some see a very short winter on the horizon; 

which is too bad since we had the driest summer that any of 

us can remember and the winter is off to a good start with 

cold temperatures, snow and frozen ground. 

As I have been out visiting and talking to our 

membership throughout the state this fall and early winter, 

the majority feel that 2017 will bring much of the same and 

are already predicting a major industry contraction in the 

spring and summer of 2017. There is probably too much 

logging capacity for the markets that we have available and 

inevitably, something must give. Businesses will contract, 

some will leave the industry altogether and this transition 

will lead to a major transformation in 2016-17 and maybe 

beyond. However, in down times we cannot just sit back 

idly and wait for something new to save our industry. 

Loggers do what loggers need to do to survive, we know no 

other way. 

As I look at the role of the PLC right now, I would 

like to think that we are taking the same approach as our 

membership. We need to fight, scratch and claw our way 

out of this, working smarter and not harder collectively 

because there is too much on the line. Our membership has 

payments to make, employees that rely upon them and 

mouths to feed. The reality of this transformation is 

sobering and just as loggers and truckers deal with this 

adversity, the PLC will do the same. 

I know that many of you feel like you are working 

harder right now than you ever have to protect what 

remains. On many a recent day, it has been challenging to 

find a ray of sunshine that will keep you going. I can 

empathize with you since it feels that we are doing the 

same thing. 

The PLC recognized this market shift in 2015 in a 

very public way and works every day to protect the future 

for logging and trucking, trying to find opportunities for 

cost savings and eliminating impediments so that when 

new opportunities present themselves, the foundation will 

be cracked but not dismantled. There are positives that we 

can point to which will help rebuild our future, and more on 

the horizon every day. 

As this issue goes to press, two of our 

achievements from 2016 are now creating positive change 

for our industry, saving you money and sustaining 

important markets. 

On January 1, 2017, off road fuel used in logging 

operations became tax exempt in the state of Maine. This 

crowning achievement was passed in the 2 nd session of the 

127 th Legislature in April 2016 and was signed into law by 

Governor LePage with enthusiastic support. This new tax 

exemption will provide immediate cost savings and it 

couldn’t come at a better time. Information regarding how 

to take advantage of this new exemption has been in our 

weekly emails but if you need further information, please 

contact the office and we can help you. 

On Tuesday, December 13 th , the Maine Public 

Utilities Commission approved the allocation of $13.4 

million to ReEnergy and Stored Solar, LLC for the 

sustainability of the biomass electric industry and in turn, 

loggers and truckers. The funding for this subsidy was 

approved by the Legislature and the Governor after they 

worked collaboratively with the PLC in the spring of 2016. 

ReEnergy’s facilities in Ashland and Fort Fairfield will be 

sustained for the next two years and the former Covanta 

facilities in West Enfield and Jonesboro, which were 

purchased by Stored Solar, LLC, are in the process of 

restarting. This also means that the fuel purchased for these 

four facilities must come from Maine landowners and must 

be harvested and trucked by Maine loggers. Good news like 

this couldn’t have come at a better time and this initiative 

wouldn’t have moved forward without the PLC and its 

membership at the table every step of the way. 

As we all know, there are no quick and easy 

solutions to improve our floundering markets. To right size 

our ship and put Maine back on the map for the long term, 

active planning of a long-term strategy to ensure the health 

of our industry as well as the entire forest products value 

chain has never been done before and there is no better 

time than the present. 

Now, for the first time, a comprehensive strategy 

for the state’s forest products industry is in the early stages 

of development through the efforts of a federal Economic 

Development Assessment Team (EDAT) task force that the 

PLC has played a critical role in. 

At the same time, a special Commission to Study 

New Beginnings Continued Page 9 

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Winter 2017 

3

M 

ANCHESTER - It’s a cold December 

morning, snow is falling lightly, and in the 

woods west of Augusta you can hear the 

steady sounds of grapple skidders and a 

slasher/loader working to keep logs moving onto trucks and 

out of the woods. 

This is a John Khiel III Logging & Chipping, Inc. 

job site at the Jamie’s Pond Wildlife Management Area, a 

900-acre property managed by Maine’s Department of 

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and used for a variety of 

recreational activities. 

It’s been a good year for this job. Dry ground 

followed by frozen ground; big machines moving big loads 

with low impact on the land, just the way it needs to be for 

a site like this where many citizens weren’t excited about 

the idea of logging it in the first place. 

“The harvest is in the middle of a popular 

recreational area where there are a lot of people and hiking 

trails. This makes it a sensitive area,” Travis Khiel, who 

has managed the company for his father for the past 

decade, said. “The state wants the majority of the job done 

with a processor, but there were some areas that they 

wanted a whole tree crew on. We are working those areas 

now with a buncher and grapple skidders, and plan to move 

a cut-to-length crew up here soon.” 

Mark Martin is the state forester on the job. He 

freely admits he’s not an easy guy to please but says he has 

to give credit to Khiel Logging for being among the best 

and most professional logging contractors he’s worked 

with. 

“This crew that (Travis) has here for me is 

awesome, I give them challenges and they love it,” Martin 

said. 

It is that kind of reputation and professionalism 

that the Khiels - Travis; his brother, Greg; his father, John; 

and the rest of the family - have been working to build for 


many years. That and the adaptability to handle jobs of all 

kinds including ones like 

this, managing a harvest for 

wildlife and recreation 

needs as well as forest 

health or profit. 

The company got its 

start when John Khiel began 

cutting wood while still in 

high school and went to 

work full time in the woods 

as soon as he graduated, 

running a cable skidder and 

a chainsaw. It grew and 

diversified over the years 

under his guidance, and was 

incorporated in the mid 

1990s. Growing up, Travis 

and Greg worked summers 

and whenever they could 

during the year with their father. 

Greg joined the company full-time out of high 

school, running the excavation side of the business. Travis 

eventually did too, moving up to take over management 

duties from his father in 2006. His wife, Rebecca, runs the 

company office in Denmark, ME. 

“We got into cut-to-length two years ago and Greg 

decided to leave the excavation department to run 

processor full-time then,” Travis said. “My dad still works 

pretty much full-time. Over the past 10 years he’s done 

everything from run equipment to drive truck; he’s driving 

truck right now.” 

There are 45 employees on the company payroll 

now. The Khiels own more than 100 pieces of equipment, 

including trucks and trailers. The company has three or 

four whole-tree crews working at any one time depending 

on markets and the season, and one cut-to-length crew. The 

excavation side of the business 

is very busy in the warmer 

months with residential and 

commercial site packages. Then 

there’s trucking, chipping, 

firewood, road building, 

plowing – you name it, Khiel 

does it. 

That diversity and a 

solid reputation have served the 

company well in the last year 

and a half, as pulp and paper 

mills have shut down and biomass markets weakened. 

Travis says they are lucky to work primarily in an area of 

the state that still has paper mills and other consumers of 

wood and to be close to New Hampshire where more 

markets exist as well as work – the company is about to 

start a major job in the White Mountain National Forest 

there. 

The company joined the Professional Logging 

Contractors of Maine (PLC) a couple of years ago and 

hosted one of the PLC’s annual safety trainings at their 

facility in Denmark not long afterward. Benefits of PLC 

membership have included 

the Acadia Insurance safety 

dividend program, 

membership discounts, and 

the PLC, “giving loggers a 

voice and a presence in 

Augusta, which is very 

important right now,” 

Travis said. 

The Khiels 

continually invest in the 

company to maintain 

competitiveness and good 

working conditions for their 

employees, and that 

includes operating good 

equipment. Travis’ favorite 

piece right now is the 

Timberpro 830 forwarder 

that they purchased two years when they got into cut-tolength 

logging; “It’s just so versatile, you can do so much 

with it, and it has been very reliable, we have had hardly 

any issues with it,” he said. 

More than anything else, it’s the high-quality 

employees that the company works hard to find and retain 

that make the difference between success and failure, 

Travis says. 

“We’re fortunate to have great employees and they 

really define our success. Everyone from our operators to 

our truck drivers to the people we have in the office,” 

Travis said. “We can go out and get the work and buy the 

best equipment we can, but if we don’t have the right 

employees, none of it really matters. They’re the ones that 

give us a good name.” 

The future of the company depends largely on 

markets, but the Khiels plan to add a second cut-to-length 

crew at some point in the near 

future. More general goals 

include, “to build upon 

relationships we have now with 

industry professionals and build 

new relationships with people 

that have the same values as we 

do, that want things done right. 

We also want to continue to be 

diversified and able to shift 

with changing market 

conditions as well as the needs 

and expectations of foresters and landowners,” Travis said. 

The family business has been a good one for the 

Khiels, and there’s no place he’d rather be, Travis said. 

“I like being in the woods. There are lot of 

challenges that we have to deal with and I like problem 

solving and figuring out the best way to do things,” Travis 

said. “There are no long days. They all go by quickly and it 

seems like I do something different every day. I also enjoy 

working with the people that we work with – good, honest, 

and hardworking people.” 

Travis Khiel 


5

Welcome New Members 

PLC Members 

Bushwacker and Sons Logging Inc. of Cary Plt., ME 

joined the PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. 

Bushwacker and Sons Logging is Master Logger certified 

and has a professional staff of eight. For more information, 

contact Ron at (207)-532-4079 or email: 

bushwackerandsons@hotmail.com. 

Cunningham Bros. Inc. of Benedicta, ME joined the PLC 

as a new Member in December of 2016. Cunningham Bros. 

is Master Logger certified and has a professional staff of 

three. For more information, contact James Cunningham at 

(207)-631-7683. 

Doyon Logging Inc. of Jackman, ME joined the PLC as 

a new Member in November of 2016. Doyon has a 

professional staff of four. For more information contact 

Yves Doyon at (207) 280-0269 or email: 

doyonlogging@globetrotter.net. 

Edmond Roy & Sons Inc. of Jackman, ME joined the 

PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. Edmond Roy 

& Sons has a professional staff of 14. For more 

information, contact Stephane Roy at (418)-625-8491 or 

email edmondroy@sogetel.net. 

J.E. Shelley Logging & Excavation of Jackman, ME 

joined the PLC as a new Member in November of 2016. 

J.E. has a professional staff of five. For more 

information contact Valerie Shelley at (207) 668-7737 or 

email: valric80@hotmail.com. 

Richard Wing & Son Logging, Inc. of Standish, ME 

joined the PLC as a new Member in November of 2016. 

Richard Wing & Son has a professional staff of nine. For 

more information contact Lynn Wing at (207) 642-6181 or 

email: winglogging@roadrunner.com. 

Up North Corporation of Fort Kent Mills, ME joined 

the PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. Up North 

Corporation has a professional staff of six. For more 

information, contact Joel Desjardins or Matthew Martin at 

(207)-834-6178 or email joeldesjardins@yahoo.com. 

B&D Trucking, LLC of Cornish, ME joined the PLC as 

a new Forest Contractor in December of 2016. B&D has a 

professional staff of one. For more information contact Dan 

Dunnells at (207) 793-3706 or email: 

bdtruckingllc@yahoo.com. 

Pascal Lessard Inc. of Rangeley, ME joined the PLC as a 

new Forest Contractor in November of 2016.The trucking 

company has a professional staff of six. For more 

information contact Guylaine Bisier at (207) 864-2855 or 

email: pascallessard@myfairpoint.net. 

Rob Elliot Trucking and Excavation of Strong, ME 

joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in December of 

2016. Rob Elliot Trucking and Excavation has a 

professional staff of three. For more information, 

contact Rob Elliot at (207) 684-5558 or email: 

rlhenterprise@tds.net. 

Seth McCoy's Trucking & Excavating, LLC of Alfred, 

ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in 

November of 2016.The trucking and excavating company 

has a professional staff of 2-3 employees in summer and 3- 

5 in winter. For more information contact Seth McCoy 

at (207) 289-0497 or email: seth.mccoy@ymail.com. 

W.W. London & Son Trucking, LLC of Milo, ME joined 

the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in November of 

2016.The trucking company has a professional staff of 

eight. For more information contact Molly London at (207) 

944-4708 or email: molly.e.london@gmail.com 

W.W. London & Son Inc. of Milo, ME joined the PLC 

as a new Forest Contractor in November of 2016. The road 

construction company has a professional staff of eight. For 

more information contact Molly London at (207) 944-4708 

or email: molly.e.london@gmail.com. 

PLC Supporting Members 

Labonville Inc. of Gorham, NH joined the PLC as a 

new Enhanced Supporting Member in December of 2016. 

Labonville Inc. has five locations in Maine and New 

Hampshire providing high quality logging and forestry 

supplies and work apparel for all your logging needs, 

including skidder chains, forestry tracks, log winches, work 

boots and work clothing. For more information, 

contact Alex Labonville at (207) 233-4801 or email: 

alex@labonville.com. 

Please mark your calendars now for the PLC’s 2017 Legislative Breakfast 

Thursday, March 16 2017 

7:30 - 9 a.m. 

Senator Inn & Spa in Augusta 

All Members and Supporting Members are invited! 


PLC Supporting 

Member Spotlight 

S 

KOWHEGAN – The phone rings a lot at Canadian 

Chains. To Jason Carrier, that is a good sound 

because it means business. 

Canadian Chains is a division of Jackman 

Equipment Inc., owned by his father, Mario Carrier, and 

Jason’s management of it started with that phone in 2013. 

“I was doing inventory because I was working here 

and my father came out and gave me the phone and said, 

you’re officially in charge, call me if you have any issues, 

and away he went. That’s how my family does it,” Jason 

laughed. 

Three years later Jason is busier than ever building 

the high-quality traction tire chain company into a brand 

known not just in New England, but nationwide. 

The Carrier family has a reputation for that kind of 

drive to succeed, and it has served them well. The family 

has deep roots in the woods, and Mario Carrier’s 

businesses all depend on logging and forestry to this day. 

For Canadian Chains, that means Jason spends a lot 

of time working with loggers sizing, building, and fitting 

chains for skidders, forwarders and other mechanized 

equipment. And it’s not just logging, the company also 

does a lot of business with farmers, trucking companies, 

construction companies, and other customers in Maine and 

beyond. 

“If it has a tire, we make chains for it,” Jason said. 

Quality of products and service is the top priority 

for Canadian Chains. Another big selling point? The steel, 

the chains, the workmanship is 100 percent made in the 

U.S.A., and that’s how Jason intends to keep it. 

Canadian Chains has its origins in Canaan Maine, 

where founder Roger Gower began making skidder tire 

chains in his backyard in 1963. By 1968 business had 

grown to the point that the company moved manufacturing 

to Skowhegan and expanded four times in the next 12 

years. The company was very successful in those early 

years but by the late 1980s had decided to close its doors, 

then it changed owners twice before Mario Carrier bought 

it in 1999. He quickly built a new manufacturing facility 

Canadian Chains Continued on Page 8 


7

Canadian Chains 

Continued from Page 7 

Production underway on the shop floor in Norridgewock. 

for it in Norridgewock, where it moved within a year and 

has remained ever since. 

Jason went into the family business straight out of 

school in 2005 and first worked in excavation for one of his 

many uncles in Connecticut, returning to Maine in the 

winters when logging-related business was busiest. He 

worked for his father as a mechanic one year, as a welder 

another, and in other roles. By 2007 he was working in 

Maine full-time including helping run the family’s Davco 

store in Farmington. 

Since taking over the management of Canadian 

Chains, Jason has invested heavily in upgrading and 

reorganizing the shop; installing overhead cranes, new 

welders, new saws, respirators and fatigue mats for 

employees, and other things designed to improve efficiency 

and working conditions. 

Production has doubled, and with a great product 

the company is getting business as far away as Oklahoma 

and California. It could expand even more, but Jason wants 

first to concentrate on doing the best job he can with what 

he’s got, and not grow too far too fast. 

“Quality is the number one thing obviously, but as 

much as I want to make money, I want to be a place where 

people want to come work, that’s big for me,” Jason said. 

He has four employees, and they are critical to the 

company’s success. 

It costs more to be able to put that “Made in 

America” label on Canadian Chains products, but in a 

market where cheaper imports often come with cost-cutting 

measures like using case-hardened steel instead of throughhardened 

steel, it pays to make something that lasts. 

Canadian Chains does business with loggers 

throughout Maine and is well aware of the challenges they 

face, so in 2015 the company joined the Professional 

Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) as an Enhanced 

Supporting Member. 

Pulling together and supporting organizations like 

the PLC that fight for the industry is important, Jason said. 

“Anything that has to do with loggers, we want to 

support what they do, because they are more important than 

we are,” Jason said. “If they don’t make money, we don’t.” 

For now, Jason remains focused on growing the 

Canadian Chains brand through offering a superior product 

and service. Down the road, there’s plenty of opportunity to 

expand. Taking something and running with it is certainly a 

family tradition; his father started out with nothing and 

today is the owner of four successful companies. 

The company is a good one and he really enjoys 

the work and the customers Canadian Chains serves, Jason 

said. 

“I’m a fanatic about equipment and I really like the 

industry,” Jason said. “I love excavation, I love logging and 

I love everything that has to do with machinery.” 

Jason Carrier, at right, in the Canadian 

Chains manufacturing facility. 

* See Canadian Chains product at work in 

photo on page 4. 


New Beginnings Continued from Page 3 

the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of the 

Maine Biomass Industry established by the Legislature has 

been exploring a wide range of opportunities and strategies 

for the state biomass market. This past month the 

commission submitted a report to the Legislature outlining 

recommendations for encouraging and expanding the 

market. Several PLC members were not only on the 

Commission but were critical players in the formation of 

the bulk of the Commission’s recommendations. 

The goals of these two initiatives include 

sustaining Maine’s existing forest products businesses; 

attracting capital investments and developing greater 

economic prosperity in the forest products sector across the 

state for both existing and new businesses; supporting the 

revitalization of Maine’s rural communities as places where 

people want to live, work and visit; and supporting and 

encouraging development and commercialization of new 

and existing technologies and uses of wood fiber including 

heat and power, building materials, and biofuels. 

These efforts will take time and none are silver 

bullets, but taken together they can be important to 

revitalizing the forest products economy in Maine. To 

work, they will need the support of the state’s government, 

industries, and citizens. In addition to planning, easing of 

tax and regulatory burdens may be required along with 

changes in existing laws and rules. To succeed, Maine 

needs to be ready to do more than talk and plan, but to act. 

Much of the responsibility for combining these 

efforts into a workable and comprehensive strategy will lie 

with state lawmakers, and their commitment to the task will 

be essential for success. The Maine legislature returns to 

Augusta in early January and what it can accomplish is 

anyone’s best guess. 

Generally, the return of the Legislature brings 

ambivalence and concern, yet like no other time in our 

recent past, the Legislature has proven that it wants to help 

our industry and create a path forward. The PLC has 

already reached out to legislative leadership and the next 

two years should prove to be very productive as the 

Legislature has taken note of the drastic market changes 

and wants to do the right thing. The work that the PLC has 

done with the Legislature in the recent past proves what is 

possible and our leadership will be critical to moving 

policy change forward in 2017. 

Given a chance, there is little doubt that Maine 

loggers and the entire forest products value chain can 

flourish tomorrow if we take the right steps today. The 

planning is in process; the road map is being developed and 

we have eager partners who are willing to help. New 

beginnings are around the corner and they will come 

because of the leadership role that the PLC and our 

membership has taken and will continue to take in the 

future. 

Stay safe out there. 

Dana 

PLC’s 22nd Annual Meeting 

& 

Log-A-Load for Maine Kid’s Auction 


9

22nd PLC Annual Meeting - Call for Award Nominations 

Do you know a person or business involved in the logging industry who ought to be recognized for 

outstanding professionalism, service to the community, commitment to safety, and service to the 

industry? If you do, please nominate them for one of the PLC’s 2017 annual awards. 

Acadia Insurance Safety Award - In 1999, the PLC and Acadia Insurance partnered together to make 

safety a priority in the logging industry by creating a member benefit for PLC contractors, providing 

training and education, reducing claims and increasing profitability. This award will be given to a 

company that continuously demonstrates safety throughout their business. 

PLC IMPACT Award - Each year, the PLC recognizes someone from the public sector that has 

demonstrated a commitment to our industry and has made a significant impact for its improvement. 

PLC Community Service Award - This Award is given annually to a PLC member, Supporting 

Member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to 

their community. 

PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award - The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is 

presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member who has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment 

to logging contractors in Maine. 

PLC Logging Contractor of the Year Award -The PLC Logging Contractor of the Year award 

recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and 

logging as a profession. 

To nominate a candidate for an award: 

Nominations should be received by April 1st, 2017 

1. Attach a separate page to tell us in a few sentences why you think your nominee should receive the award. 

List examples of your nominees’ professionalism, service, safety or support of the industry. 

2. Please include the Nomination form below. 

3. Submit your nomination to executivedirector@maineloggers.com or fax to (207) 620-7516 or mail to 

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine - PO Box 1036 - Augusta, ME 04332 

Each nomination will be reviewed by the PLC Board of Directors and winners will be honored at the PLC 

Annual Meeting on May 5th, 2016. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- 

Nomination Form: 

My Name: __________________________________________ My phone #: ____________________________ 

My Address: _______________________________City: ___________________________Zip Code: _________ 

Award: _______________________________________ 

Name: _______________________________ Address: ______________________________________________ 

City: ___________________________ Zip Code: ______________ Phone #: ____________________________ 


The logging industry in Maine is comprised of many loggers who have 

become managers because of mechanization and new managers that grew 

up in the business and are now assuming management roles. 

From member feedback, it is clear there is a need for management and 

leadership training that is customized to the logging industry in Maine. 

To date, a specialized leadership development program tailored to 

Maine’s loggers has never been developed or offered. The PLC has 

answered this call and developed this class as an introduction to those 

topics. Additional classes will follow to assist with the improvement of 

today’s continuingly evolving logging businesses. 

Class Dates: 

Tuesday, January 31st 2017, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm - Lincoln, HAN Office, 175 W. Broadway Lincoln ME 04457 

Thursday, February 2nd 2017, 8:00 am- 4:30 pm - Auburn, Farm Credit East Office -615 Minot Avenue, 

Auburn, ME 04210 

(Feb. 3rd- Snow date for either training) 

Reactive: Risk -> Loss -> Company Cost = Real cost across the local industry Proactive: It is important to make changes 

to prevent risk and lower the real cost. 

Schedule: 

Lynne Richards, Leading Generations 8:00 am – 12:00 pm 

Leadership - What makes a good leader? 

Effective Communication and sharing company information-macro and micro. How much should you share? 

Empowerment and Employee Buy-in - How to get it and why it's important. 

Steve Bick, Northeast Forests, LLC – 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm 

Personnel Management - What do you need to know? 

Organizational Design - Who is responsible for what? 

Financial Management - What is at stake? 

Details: 

Limited to 20 participants per location. First come first served - reserve your space today. $50 for first attendee and $40 

for each additional. This training is designed for owners, managers, future managers and foremen. Breakfast and Lunch 

included. 

Please go online to 

to register today! 

Training brought to you in part by: The PLC of Maine, Acadia Insurance, Cross Insurance, Bangor Tire, 

F.A. Peabody, Farm Credit East and G.H. Berlin Windward. 


11

Safety First 

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance 

Although production is critical to the lifeblood of a company, it’s important to recognize the cost and loss of 

production associated with seemingly simple incidents like a slip, trip or fall. With all the uncertainty in the industry 

today, it seems near impossible to worry about something as simple as a slip and fall. However, slips and falls are a 

hazard that increases significantly with the ice and long hours that accompany the winter months. These costs can be 

detrimental to the profitability of your business. 

We talk about slips and falls a lot because it is an exposure that plagues many industries, including logging, and 

the injuries that occur can have severe, lasting effects. The following information is what I have learned from my time in 

the field with you. 

SPECIFIC AREAS, DIFFERENT APPROACH 

Three points of contact is an industry buzzword that continues to ring true. When climbing on and off vehicles 

and equipment the employee must have both hands free so they can always have three limbs in contact with the machine. 

This means the operator should place their lunch box and coffee into the cab from the ground before climbing up into the 

machine. 

There is no arguing that forestry equipment is generally not user friendly when it comes to getting into the cab or 

accessing the engine compartments. The best solutions I have found are from companies who encourage their operators 

to come up with ideas on how to prevent slips and make access easier. Typically these changes are as simple as adding a 

step or hand hold with some scrap metal and a couple of hours labor; a cheap solution when you consider the cost of 

losing an employee due to a fall off the equipment. 

Truck drivers are perhaps the most susceptible to injuries from slips on a logging operation. The driver jumps 

out of the warm truck into the freezing cold, he’s in a hurry, he’s been sitting in the seat for potentially hours, and he 

may not be in the best physical shape. As soon as he gets out he starts unraveling straps and hurling 50 feet of nylon or 

cable as hard as he can to get it up and over the load. The road is glare ice, and when he moves his body he slips and falls 

and tweaks his back. Sound about right? How do we prevent this? 

First we need to understand what causes accidents like these. Without going into excruciating detail, when you 

sit in the same position for an extended period of time (like a truck seat), your body’s muscles stretch into that position 

and become tense. When you jump out of your truck and start throwing straps, your muscles haven’t had a chance to 

warm up which significantly decreases your ability to stay on your feet and increases your chances of being injured when 

you take a fall. Your best defense from slip injuries is to educate your drivers and implement a basic stretch program that 

requires the driver to take a minute and stretch his back out when he exits the truck. This may not prevent the fall itself, 

but it will significantly reduce the chance of being injured when you do take the fall. 

YOUR FEET COUNT 

It shouldn’t go unsaid that there are some manufactured options that can assist in reducing the likelihood of slip, 

trip or fall. This includes products such as cleats designed to fit over your boots that will provide excellent traction. As 

always though, it does present some new hazards when you use them so I would encourage you to weigh the pros and 

cons before spending a lot of money. 

It’s important to consider what your employees are wearing on their feet. Experience confirms that the “logger” 

style boots with the elevated heels on them are about the worst thing you can wear in the winter. The soles are much 

harder than a traditional boot and the style gives you little control over weight distribution when on ice. A more 

traditional style work boot with a lower heel and a softer sole is a better option. It is worth researching which boots 

would serve this purpose, then encourage employees to purchase them by offering to pay for a portion of the cost when 

they present you with a receipt. 

CONCLUSION 

This article has presented several ideas that I have seen in the field and believe could be effective in helping you 

prevent accidents from occurring. Slips trips and fall claims have haunted the logging industry since the first time an ax 

was placed to wood. Preventing these types of losses will start with recognizing that the way we have always dealt with 

the issue may not be the best way. Listen to your employees, learn from others, and don’t be afraid to try something out 

of the box. It just may work. 


PLC Safety Updates 

Safety Consultant: The PLC will soon be hiring a full-time safety consultant to 

provide free safety consultations for Members beginning in the second quarter of 

2017. 

Safety Trainings: The 2017 PLC Safety Trainings will begin on April 7. The full 

schedule will be available shortly. 

*watch your weekly email updates for more information on both of these important 

safety initiatives. 


13

Tumultuous year for Biomass ends with hope 

2016 has been a pivotal year for Maine’s embattled 

biomass industry, during which the PLC and its Members 

and Supporting Members led the way in the fight to 

stabilize the industry to buy time for efforts that can 

strengthen it in the future. 

One year ago, the industry was in free fall, 

hammered by a mild winter, cheap natural gas, and a 

tighter renewable energy standard that took effect Jan. 1 in 

Massachusetts. Those pressures hurt all Maine biomasselectric 

producers, and resulted in the shutdown of the two 

Covanta Energy plants in Maine. 

The effects on loggers and sawmills were 

immediate and severe: Combined with the drop in demand 

for pulp brought on by pulp and paper mill closures, the 

biomass situation created a revenue crisis for loggers and 

sawmills, and a forest management crisis for loggers and 

foresters who needed those markets to properly harvest 

trees of all kinds to create healthy forests. 

As the biomass market began to weaken, the PLC 

rallied lawmakers, Members, and Supporting Members 

including ReEnergy Holdings with its four standalone 

biomass plants in Maine to lead an effort in the Legislature 

and in the public eye to save the industry. For months, the 

group worked at every level to win support. In the end, that 

support was bipartisan, and the biomass market got shortterm 

incentivized contracts to stabilize the industry as well 

as the first state-level effort to examine the opportunities 

for the market and come up with a plan to capitalize on 

them to ensure the industry stays strong in the future. 

One year later, the industry remains challenged, 

but there is hope. 

On Dec. 13, the Maine Public Utilities Commission 

(MPUC) voted to split $13.4 million in incentives between 

ReEnergy Holdings and Stored Solar - a subsidiary of 

French energy firm Capergy - for two-year biomass-electric 

contracts. The contracts will benefit ReEnergy's Ashland 

and Fort Fairfield plants as well as the former 

Covanta biomass plants in West Enfield and Jonesboro 

that were purchased by Stored Solar in October after being 

shut down for months. Stored Solar has applied for federal 

permission to restart both plants and sell electricity to the 

regional grid again. 

At the same time, The Commission to Study the 

Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of the 

Maine Biomass Industry that was established by Maine 

lawmakers to conduct the first in-depth assessment of 

biomass opportunities for Maine has been hard at work for 

months. In late December, the commission submitted a 

series of recommendations to the Legislature in a draft 

report. 

Some of the recommendations urged by PLC and 

industry partners included: 

Biomass continued page 15 


Biomass continued from page 14 

* Amending Maine’s Renewable Portfolio 

Standards to include a thermal class similar to that used in 

states like New Hampshire and Massachusetts, to 

incentivize increased biomass use for thermal energy. 

* Creating biomass energy policy that fits within 

the state’s comprehensive energy plan, including Maine’s 

federal Clean Power Plan. 

* Enabling and encouraging co-located 

manufacturing facilities to stand-alone biomass electric 

facilities. Encouraging net metering/microgrids and 

distributed generation to lower transmission and 

distribution costs and incentivize manufacturing growth. 

* Encouraging combined heat and power (CHP) 

system investments and creating incentives for 

Work to develop a comprehensive strategy to 

address the ongoing crisis in Maine’s forest products 

economy has been proceeding since a three day visit by a 

U.S. Commerce Department Economic Development 

Assessment Team (EDAT) in the summer of 2016 that 

began the process. 

Regional leaders and economic development 

experts, alongside officials from federal agencies, 

participated in a series of economic development sessions, 

tours, and briefings during the visit to analyze strengths, 

opportunities and weaknesses in the Maine forest products 

economy. 

The PLC is one of five industry organizations to 

have a seat on the EDAT steering committee to help guide 

the process and ensure that industry’s voice is part of it. 

The visit was followed by extensive deliberations and 

analysis to chart a roadmap for the future. 

Goals and recommendations of the group over the next 

three years include: 

Priority A. Conduct a global market assessment to assess 

future demand for Maine wood products. 

Priority B. Conduct a statewide wood supply analysis to 

attract new markets. 

Priority C. Conduct a transportation analysis to determine 

where infrastructure improvements are necessary to 

increase profitability for the forest products value chain. 

Priority D. Support and grow markets for low-value wood 

and biomass utilizing CHP(Combined Heat and Power) 

biomass plants, micro-grids, and modern thermal systems. 

Priority E. Invest in the research, development and 

commercialization of emerging wood technologies such as 

forest bioproducts as an opportunity for the utilization of 

low value fiber. 

EDAT Update 

development of smaller CHP applications connected to 

public and private institutions and wood manufacturers. 

* Promoting use of local wood – similar to the 

Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and 

Forestry “Get Real Get Maine” campaign; support a “Heat 

Local” campaign among Maine residents. 

The next phase of the ongoing fight for Maine’s 

biomass market will include working with lawmakers to 

implement recommendations that can aid the industry and 

the loggers and sawmills that depend on it. The PLC will 

continue its efforts with the aid of our Members and 

Supporting Members who were so key to success in 

2016. 

Priority F. Support small landowners who want to grow 

and harvest more wood. 

Priority G. Invest in Logger and Forest Products Workforce 

Development. 

Priority H. Redevelop and reutilize or repurpose Maine’s 

closed pulp and paper mill industrial sites. 

Priority I. Diversify and strengthen Maine’s rural economy. 

Announcements regarding these recommendations 

and plans for securing funding to accomplish them are 

planned for early 2017 with action to follow. 

The PLC and its Members and Supporting 

Members have been closely involved with the process and 

will continue to represent the interests of Maine loggers 

and related industries as the work proceeds. 


15

As We See It—November 2016 

“November” 

By Ken Martin 

First I would like to thank Richard Schwab for his 

Leadership of ALC during the last year and the great job he 

has done. Richard is always interesting in his thought 

process as well as entertaining in the delivery of those 

thoughts. He was certainly born “Out of the Box” 

As 2016 moves right along, Thanksgiving and 

Christmas are fast approaching. We have a lot of serious 

decisions to make in the coming months that will affect us, 

not only as individuals, but our country for years to come. 

I am sure most of us remember 9-11. Our country was 

united, as we have never seen it before, following this 

tragic event. Being united is what America has done for 

more than 200 years. We became the nation that the world 

looked to for Leadership, Financial Stability, and a Model 

Democratic Government. 

Today America is as divided as most of us have 

ever seen in our Lifetime. We appear to have run low on 

leadership at every level of government. We stall 

meaningful legislation in Congress because we are so 

divided. Where is the humility that our founding fathers 

had when writing a document that has served us for more 

than 200 years? Our very presence as a Democratic 

Society is at stake. This may very well be the most 

important election of our lifetime. 

When we go to the polls in November, we must 

elect Leaders who will bring Americans back together. 

Leaders that truly want to inspire and serve the people and 

not their own financial interests. We must elect Leadership 

that will pass Laws that will create an environment 

encouraging entrepreneurs to develop new, productive 

technology and equipment, to exert the U.S. in global trade, 

and allow American industry to once again lead the World 

with our ability to produce quality products at a 

competitive price while employing American workers. We 

must select Leaders that inspire us to be the very best we 

can be. 

Make no mistake, the men and women we elect in 

November will set the tone in Washington, while the world 

evaluates our decision. The next President will most likely 

have the opportunity to appoint several Supreme Court 

Justices for life, to make appointments that shape the 

attitude for Clean Air and Clean Water Standards, and 

transform our Transportation Industry, just to name a few. 

These are serious times, do not take your choice of 

elected official lightly. Become an informed voter before 

you go to vote this year and vote for candidates that will 

unite us and inspire us, to once again, be the best that we 

can be. 

Ken Martin is the current President of the 

American Loggers Council and owns and operates 

MarCal, Inc. based out of Mendenhall, Mississippi. 

The American Loggers Council is a 501 (c)(6) not for profit 

trade organization representing professional timber 

harvesters in 32 states across the United States. If you 

would like to learn more about the ALC, please visit their 

web site at www.amloggers.com, or contact their office at 

409-625-0206. 


As We See It—December 2016 

“Happy Holidays” 

By Danny Dructor 

It is always difficult to try and speculate what 

might happen between the time that this editorial is written 

and then goes to print 30 to 45 days later, and this is one of 

those particularly difficult times when the elections have 

been held and yet as of this writing we do not know the 

outcome. 

Regardless, we will have to work with whatever 

President and administration that is elected, and our issues 

will not go away simply because one political party 

defeated the other in the Presidential race. Let’s just hope 

that whomever is elected will listen to the will of the people 

and place their values and needs over that of any party. 

As you read this, the staff of the American Loggers 

Council has already made plans to visit DC in mid- 

December to get an idea of what the transition might look 

like from one administration to the next, and to see if there 

is a better opportunity to work across the aisle in 

completing legislation in the 215th Congress set to begin 

work in January. 

Just because the American Loggers Council is 

working for you, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be 

involved in what’s happening. Regardless of the results in 

the November election, we need all hands on deck with 

loggers engaged at the grassroots level to get the policy 

changes we need and ensure our industry is prosperous for 

the future. 

We have many issues to deal with for the industry, 

including truck weight reform on the Federal Interstate 

Highway System, attracting and retaining employees to the 

logging and log trucking industry, working to develop and 

support markets for the products and services we provide, 

and ensuring that our Federal Timber lands are sustainably 

managed to support a viable timber sale program that 

would help the many timber dependent communities across 

the Nation. 

While these are some of the issues, we know that 

there will be many more to contend with in the future as we 

strive to tell our story to the public where they will have a 

better understanding of what we do and why we do it. Here 

at the American Loggers Council, we will do our best to 

keep the public informed of your professionalism in 

harvesting timber and dedication to protecting the 

environment as you continue to provide the fiber that is 

consumed on a daily basis by those that do not know it’s 

true source or the people that work tirelessly to provide it. 

Many of you will be able to be with family and 

friends this Christmas, and it is justifiably right that you, as 

a member of this invisible industry, come out of the woods 

and take the opportunity to enjoy the companionship and 

fellowship of those that appreciate what you do and keep 

you going. 

God bless, and have a Safe and Merry Christmas! 

Log safe! 

Danny Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the 

American Loggers Council with offices near Hemphill, 

Texas. 


17

As I look at our Logging Profession, I reflect on 

the change through the years. Remember when you knew 

in January the product you would be cutting and the price 

you would be paid for the next 12 months? Remember 

when that changed to six months, three months, monthly 

and even weekly? As a southern logger, I have seen the 

change from the chain saw felling days and cable skidding 

equipment to fully mechanized operations. Along with 

these changes came lower worker compensation insurance 

costs and reduced chain saw accidents. 

While it has been a very interesting 40 plus years 

of change, there has also been a great deal of improvement 

in the utilization of forest products, to a point any waste is 

almost human error. During this time, the forest products 

industry has worked through performance and efficiency 

issues at mills while local markets have evolved into world 

markets, thus requiring us to operate under a whole new set 

of rules. 

Who would have ever thought that truck drivers 

would be at higher risk than woods workers as related to 

workers compensation insurance costs? Who would have 

ever thought that equipment to harvest timber would come 

with the current price tags on it? Or be as operator 

friendly, ergonomically comfortable, and productive as it is 

today. 

During all these industry adjustments, we have 

seen trade policies debated, a changing U.S. dollar, mills 

shuttered as well as laws enacted by Congress that have 

had far reaching effects on our industry. Our adjustment as 

loggers is we have learned to operate wiser and leaner. 

Logging professionals have learned to become advocates 

for our industry by telling our story. We must not sit back 

and complain, but offer up solutions for the array of 

problems we face. 

The only thing consistent in our industry is change. 

We can accept change and with it, take advantage of the 

situations and opportunities we find ourselves in, or we can 

be left sitting and wondering what the tag number was on 

that truck that ran over us. The logging and forest products 

industry has always adapted - we will continue to adapt. 

The American Loggers Council exists to help us 

transition through some of these changes. We are taking a 

greater role in both regulatory and logging and trucking 

safety issues, and have set a goal of having the logging 

As We See It—January 2017 

“Election Results Bring New Opportunities, 

But Old Challenges Remain” 

By Nick Smith 

industry disappear from the top “2” list for the most 

dangerous occupations by the year 2021. 

You can help us to achieve those goals by being 

active. Adapt, change, and overcome. 

Nick Smith is Communications Specialist for 

American Loggers Council and founder of Healthy Forests, 

Healthy Communities, a non-profit, non-partisan 

organization that advocates for active forest management 

on federal forest lands. 


Information for upcoming tax year from Sales, Fuel, and Special Tax Division 

Maine Revenue Services on exemptions including the new sales tax exemption for off-road fuel for commercial wood 

harvesters 

*In April of 2016, the Maine Legislature voted to include the PLC’s bill to exempt off highway fuel used in commercial 

logging and commercial agriculture from sales tax in an omnibus bill that was subsequently signed into law by Governor Paul 

LePage. The exemption was implemented on January 1, 2017. 

Businesses that currently have an exemption card that they use for equipment and parts exemption will get a notice for retailers 

for the expanded exemption. Businesses that don't have a card can apply for a new one that they can use. The link below is for 

the exemption affidavits that must be presented along with a copy of the card when making qualifying tax free purchases. The 

applications are not changing. The correct link to the application for wood harvesters is: 

Commercial Wood Harvesting: 

http://www.maine.gov/revenue/salesuse/exemptions/New%20Exemptions%20Documents/APP-154%20Woodharvesting% 

20Application%2008012016.pdf 

A new combined affidavit of exemption for farmers, fishermen, and wood harvesters is also now available that can be used by 

all three groups for all of their qualifying purchases. The top portion requires checking off the type of exempt activity (For 

example, wood harvesting). The lower portion requires checking off the type of exempt purchase (For example, fuel). 

The affidavit can be found on http://www.maine.gov/revenue/forms/sales/salesforms.htm 


19

Empty Low Bed Pilot Project Nov. 2016 - April 2018 

This August, the Professional Logging Contractors 

of Maine and PLC Member Voisine Bros. Inc. of Fort Kent 

conducted a road test in partnership with Maine State 

Police Troop K and the Maine Department of 

Transportation for a potential pilot project to allow empty 

low beds (greater than 8'6") to move at night in Aroostook 

County. This project has now been approved for 

any company operating in the County. The company does 

not need to be based in Aroostook County to qualify. 

This is an 18-month pilot program for any 

company that operates an empty low bed in Aroostook 

County. 

Companies 

with existing overwidth 

permits must 

contact the Bureau of 

Motor Vehicles (BMV) 

and notify them of their 

intent to utilize this new 

pilot program. They 

must receive a new 

permit with revised 

language to be eligible. 

Companies that 

wish to get a new 

permit, whether as a 

result of an expiration 

or because of new 

equipment, must also 

notify the BMV of their 

intent to utilize the new pilot program. 

Any incidents, whether crash related or other, 

should be communicated to Maine State Police Lt. Robert 

Nichols at 207-624-8939 or robert.n.nichols@maine.gov 

PLC Members and other contractors must do their 

best to minimize risk, promote safety and mitigate any 

possible issues that might arise from this pilot project. We 

must put our best foot forward, take advantage of the 

opportunity, and prove that we are deserving of this pilot 

project.. 

See photo below showing placement of lighting at 

the extreme corners of the trailer for reference purposes. 

*FEDERAL UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

(FMCSA) has announced a final rule that establishes a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse for commercial truck and bus 

drivers. The clearinghouse database will serve as a central repository containing records of violations of FMCSA’s drug and 

alcohol testing program by commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders. 


ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICE (ELD) MANDATE: 

By December 18, 2017, most commercial vehicle operators who are required to keep Hours-of-Service (HOS) Records of 

Duty Status (RODS) will also be required to use Electronic Logging Devices (ELD). 

What are the key requirements of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule? 

The ELD rule: 

 

Requires ELD use by commercial drivers who are required to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status 

(RODS). 

 

 

 

Sets ELD performance and design standards, and requires ELDs to be certified and registered with FMCSA. 

Establishes what supporting documents drivers and carriers are required to keep. 

Prohibits harassment of drivers based on ELD data or connected technology (such as fleet management system). The 

rule also provides recourse for drivers who believe they have been harassed. 

When and how will the ELD rule be implemented? 

The ELD mandate which was enacted in 2015 applies to all drivers of a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV), beginning 

December 18, 2017. A court appeal challenging the mandate was denied in October 2016, and at this point there is no 

reason to believe the mandate will not be implemented in three phases. 

Phase 1: Awareness and Transition Phase: This is the phase we are currently in - a two-year period following publication of 

the ELD rule February 16, 2016 to December 18, 2017. 

During this time, carriers and drivers subject to the rule should prepare to comply, and may voluntarily use ELDs. 

Carriers and drivers subject to the rule can use any of the following for records of duty status (RODS): 

 

 

 

 

Paper logs 

Logging software 

AOBRDS (Automatic On Board Recording Devices) 

ELDs that are registered and listed on the FMCSA website 

Phase 2: Phased-In Compliance Phase: The two-year period from the Compliance Date to the Full Compliance 

Phase, December 18, 2017 to December 16, 2019. 

Carriers and drivers subject to the rule can use: 

AOBRDS that were installed prior to December 18, 2017. 

Certified, registered ELDs following rule publication December 16, 2015. 

Phase 3: Full Compliance Phase: After December 16, 2019, all drivers and carriers subject to the rule must use certified, 

registered ELDs that comply with requirements of the ELD regulations. 

Who is exempt from the ELD rule? 

According to the FMSCA, drivers who use the timecard exception are not required to keep records of duty status (RODS) or 

use ELDs. Additionally, the following drivers are not required to use ELDs; however, they are still bound by the RODS 

requirements in 49 CFR 395 and must prepare logs on paper, using an Automatic On-Board Recording Device (AOBRD), or 

with a logging software program when required: 

 

 

Drivers who use paper RODS for not more than 8 days out of every 30-day period. 

Drivers who conduct drive-away-tow-away operations, where the vehicle being driven is the commodity being delivered. 

Drivers of vehicles manufactured before 2000. 

In addition, the FRA is advising that if a driver qualifies for the 100 air-mile radius (short haul) general exemption or 150 

air-mile ag exemption from HOS, they are not required to have an ELD. This includes Interstate transport (e.g., a log trucker 

who meets the 100 air-mile exemption from HOS will not be required to use an ELD, even if hauling across state lines.) 

For more details, see the FMCSA website’s ELD Frequently Asked Questions section: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hoursservice/elds/faqs 


21

Norway spruce, a wood species extensively tested at the Advanced 

Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, was 

approved this fall for use as construction-grade dimensional lumber. 

The American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) approved the 

inclusion of Norway spruce in the Spruce-Pine-Fir South grouping of 

wood species for home construction and industrial applications. 

Above, Pleasant River Lumber co-president Jason Brochu speaks at a 

press conference announcing the decision. Pleasant River Lumber is a 

PLC Supporting Member. 



23

Professional Logging 

Contractors of Maine 

110 Sewall St. 

P.O. Box 1036 

Augusta, ME 04332 

2017 Meeting Schedule 

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and 

Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands 

Executive Board and Full Board 

January 2017: No meeting 

February 16, 2017: Executive Board, HO Bouchard/Comstock, Hampden 

March 16, 2017: Legislative Breakfast, Full Board, Senator Inn & Spa, Augusta 

April 2017: No Meeting 

May 5, 2017: Annual Meeting, Jeff’s Catering, Brewer 

June 15, 2017: Executive Board, PLC, Augusta 

July 2017: No Meeting 

August 17, 2017: Executive Board, HO Bouchard/Comstock, Hampden 

September 21, 2017: Full Board, Augusta - TBD 

October 2017: No Meeting 

November 9, 2017, Executive Board, PLC, Augusta 

December 14, 2017: Full Board, Bangor - TBD 

This newsletter is printed on FLO Gloss Digital Text paper 

produced in Maine and donated by Sappi North America.

PLC Logger's Voice Winter 2017

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?