PLC Loggers Voice Summer 2017

Volume 11 Issue 3 | Summer 2017 

A Quarterly Publication of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine 

State of the Union 2 

Director’s Report 3 

PLC Member Spotlight 4 

Supporting 

Member 

Spotlight 

Pride 

Manufacturing 

Page 8 

New Members 6 

Safety F irst 10 

Trucking Member 

Spotlight 13 

Annual Meeting 14

Cover photo: Gavin McClain, co-owner of PLC Member CTL Land Management 

Services, leads a harvest tour in the Sewall Woods Preserve in Bath. 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 

Hopefully this article finds the rain has at least slowed down enough 

for everyone to get back in the woods. 

With the exception of a very few saw mills, it seems like pulp mills 

still have plenty of inventory. Moving biomass also seems to still be a 

struggle. 

Thanks to all who helped out with our spring training sessions. Every 

year our safety program has increased the number of people going through the 

classes. It is always a struggle to come up with new topics, but our committee 

never ceases to amaze. Thanks to our Safety Committee for a job well done. 

As always, we need members with fresh ideas – please volunteer and get 

involved. Later this summer, we will hire a safety program coordinator and the 

value we add to our membership is only going to increase. The involvement of 

our membership is an absolute must. 

By now, barring any final issues, our new mechanized logger training 

program should have started. I would like to thank all those involved with the 

operator training program. Especially MiltonCat (Peter Collins), and Nortrax 

(Kevin Fowler). A down economy is exactly the time we want to start this 

new program and I can’t wait to see the first group finish in September. 

Even though it’s underway, there is still plenty that can be done to help 

out. Maybe some of our members can volunteer a day to go spend with the 

class; give a short talk on their expertise on a given topic; or give some one-on 

-one time with individual students. It is important to our industry that this 

program succeed. I am sure there will be plenty of people and agencies looking 

this program over. We will need our members to pull together; especially at 

the end of this program. I am sure we can generate an employment ad through 

our website for the students to apply for jobs. We as members can give these 

students the first chance on any job we might have. At the very least, we can 

give them an interview. 

And lastly, the PLC and its importance continues to grow by leaps and 

bounds. It is times like these that make this organization more important than 

ever to our industry. The generosity of our membership was overwhelming at 

the annual meeting back in May as we raised over $44,000 for Log A Load. 

Additionally, our voice is being heard at the state legislature and it is gratifying 

to know that legislators look to us for our opinion on so many things related to 

our industry. 

I couldn’t be prouder to be President at this point in our history and I 

know there are so many more good things on the horizon. Stay involved, stay 

in touch, and advocate for loggers because if you don’t, no one else will!! 

Log on, 

Scott 

State of Our Union 

Scott Madden 

Wayne Tripp 

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 

Members, supporters, and 

friends of PLC, you should all 

be very proud of the funds we 

raised for Children’s Miracle 

Network Hospitals at the 

Annual Meeting. Our Log A 

Load fund-raisers are hugely 

important to CMN. Thanks to 

all for your generosity. 

Story page 14. 

2 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

Executive Director’s Message 

One of the things that I enjoy the most in this 

position is helping our members reduce cost, increase their 

profitability and protect family based businesses so the next 

generation can continue on. Even if this is simply getting 

someone an answer to a question by navigating the 

bureaucracy in Augusta, it means that the PLC is doing its 

job and empowering loggers to do theirs. 

At the end of the day, it’s about eliminating 

barriers and making this industry more sustainable for the 

long term. Every day, I think I’m one of the luckiest 

people in the world to have this job and work on behalf of 

the best loggers in the world. 

One of the greatest responsibilities that we have is 

advocating for our industry right here in Augusta and in 

Washington, DC (with the help of the American Loggers 

Council). 

As I write this article, the legislature is just across 

the street negotiating a budget and preparing to argue a 

laundry list of bills. The current session of the legislature is 

nearing its statutory adjournment and there is still much to 

be done in the next two weeks. 

Over the course of a typical legislative session (two 

years), we track and participate in the disposition of almost 

100 bills. If you review our weekly email updates on 

current legislative happenings, you probably have a good 

idea what we are involved with. 

This session is no different. As of this writing, we 

are tracking 47 bills and there may be one or two more 

before all is said and done as the Governor has the 

authority to introduce a bill at any time while the legislature 

is in session. 

Many of these bills could directly impact loggers 

and truckers throughout the state, adding cost and creating 

more regulatory hurdles. As much as we try to educate the 

legislature on our industry and ask them to do no harm, 

there is always the law of unintended consequences. 

While it is a daunting task each year to stay on top 

of these issues, it has represented such a strong opportunity 

for our membership and our industry. With each one of 

these bills and the process that unfolds for their disposition 

comes an opportunity to spread our message and inform a 

large community about our impact. While it is easy to get 

wrapped up in the politics of the moment, this is a 

marathon and not a sprint, and we should value each 

opportunity to tell our story because of its long-term 

impact. In the end, the legislature does value what you do 

every day and the more we tell them about what you do, the 

more impact we can have to ensure long-term success. 

This session has proven to be no different. With 

each one of the 47 bills, we have had a chance to tell our 

story and inform not only the legislature, but those from the 

public, about the impact these bills have on this industry. 

This session, we have focused the bulk of our 

Adding Value 

Dana Doran 

attention on five legislative committees because of the 

subject matter presented by each one of the 

bills: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; Energy, 

Utilities and Technology; Labor, Commerce Research and 

Economic Development; State and Local Government; and 

Transportation. After spending the last three years here in 

Augusta, it is easy to see that if the PLC was not involved 

in issues related to logging and trucking, you would have 

much more to deal with out there than just depleted 

markets. As the old saying goes, if you’re not at the table, 

you’re on it. 

Our efforts have been focused on logger training, 

logger protection, biomass, trucking and unemployment. 

With only two weeks to go in the session, much of what we 

pushed for a legislative agenda this session has been carried 

over to 2018, due to the complexity of the issues, but there 

are still four primary bills alive that we are involved with 

that we expect to be in play until the very end. 

Here is a quick summary of our primary legislative 

agenda efforts to date: 

LD 131 An Act to Protect the Biomass Industry. This 

was the primary vehicle for the recommendations of the 

2016 biomass commission. Because of the complexity and 

late introduction of the bill, the sponsor, Senator Saviello, 

asked the committee to carry the bill over to the 2 nd session 

of the legislature in 2018. 

LD 194 An Act to Ensure Equity in the Awarding of 

Compensation for Tort Claims. Joint and several liability 

adds significant cost to insurance for companies that have 

any kind of transportation exposure, because Maine law 

provides that if a defendant is 1% liable for an accident, 

they can be held responsible for 100% of the 

damages. This bill provided that, if two or more defendants 

are found to be liable for a plaintiff's injury, then the 

defendants are jointly and severally liable for the plaintiff's 

pecuniary damages, but each defendant is only severally 

liable for nonpecuniary damages proportional to the 

percentage of fault attributable to that defendant. If the 

defendants acted in concert, they are jointly and severally 

liable for the nonpecuniary damages as well. The bill was 

defeated in committee on a 7 to 6 party line vote. 

LD 586 - An Act to Implement the Recommendations 

of the Commission to Study the Public Reserved Lands 

Management Fund. The timber revenue generated from 

harvests on Maine Public Reserved Lands could help our 

high school logging programs purchase newer and better 

equipment to train students for the professional logging 

industry of today. The bill provides the opportunity for 

schools with logging/forestry programs to apply for 

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2017 

Adding Value Continued Page 23 

3

Kyle Overlock at the controls of a Ponsse Scorpion King harvester. 

BATH – It’s a late spring morning in the forest 

north of the city, and this close to the ocean 

the fog is still lifting as a group of all ages 

gathers on a woods road next to freshly cut 

pine logs and a Ponsse Scorpion King 

harvester. 

This is the Sewall Woods Preserve, 

a recreation area for many in the group, and 

while it’s not the sort of harvesting site 

most people think of when they picture 

logging in Maine, it is becoming an 

increasingly common type for contractors 

like PLC Member CTL Land Management 

Services of Washington. 

CTL is co-owned by Kyle Overlock 

and Gavin McClain. Kyle has an 

appointment elsewhere today, so Gavin is 

handling this walking tour of the harvest 

site organized by the Kennebec Estuary 

Land Trust (KELT) to show the public what 

is happening on the property and why. 

Talking to landowners about a harvest is nothing 

Firewood rolling off the 

production line at Hobby Hill 

Firewood, CTL’s kiln dried 

firewood business. 

new for loggers, but this sort of event where the logger 

becomes an educator and an ambassador 

for the logging industry was once rare. 

Now, for many, it’s expected, as more and 

more professional loggers are finding 

themselves logging in areas unfamiliar with 

timber harvesting, and under close scrutiny 

by a public not always comfortable with it. 

“I think the awareness that this is a 

good thing for the forest is becoming more 

and more prominent with these types of 

groups,” Gavin said. “This is a pretty 

positive group, they’re willing to be open 

minded and put the effort into 

understanding what you’re doing. We as 

loggers sometimes need to be more open 

minded, and figure out ways to make these 

jobs work.” 

On this day where KELT is 

showing the public the new Sewall Woods 

Preserve Demonstration Forest, Gavin 

describes the advantages of cut-to-length harvesting on a 


CTL Land Management Services 

sensitive site like this one. CTL started cutting wood here 

two days earlier, and he goes over some of the varieties of 

trees on the lot, explains the workings of the Ponsse, the 

thinking and planning that goes into the harvest, and the 

methods loggers use to minimize impacts on the land and 

to strike a balance between meeting 

the harvest needs and making the 

job economically viable. Then he 

fires up the machine and gives the 

group a demonstration. 

Most of the group have 

never seen mechanized harvesting 

up close, let alone an agile 50,000 

pound eight-wheeled monster like 

the Scorpion King in action. They 

are suitably impressed with its 

speed, capabilities, and relatively 

low ground impact considering its 

size. Before the walk ends forester 

Barrie Brusila praises CTL and the 

approach the company takes to 

logging. After the demonstration 

one of the group wants to talk to 

Gavin about a potential harvesting 

job, the others leave with a greater 

understanding and comfort with modern logging. 

The profit margin on an improvement harvest like 

this one is slim with many of the high value trees left 

standing, and working around hiking trails is challenging, 

but Gavin is optimistic about the benefits the job offers in 

terms of good exposure for the company and a better image 

for loggers. 

It took that kind of optimism to bring CTL from its 

humble beginnings in 1998 

to the company it is today, 

with five employees running 

two cut-to-length operations, 

plus a kiln-dried firewood 

business, Hobby Hill 

Firewood, that is anything 

but a hobby – the business 

churns out hundreds of cords 

of perfectly seasoned stove 

wood using advanced and 

efficient cutting and drying 

systems. 

CTL also 

subcontracts portions of 

some jobs out to logger Jeff 

Moran, who runs a 

traditional one-man cable 

skidder operation, for 

difficult terrain and large diameter, high-value veneer 

timber where cutting by hand is the best way to ensure no 

damage to the wood. 

It all adds up to a company that can handle almost 

Kyle Overlock, at left, and Gavin McClain, coowners 

of CTL Land Management Services. 

Gavin McClain leading a harvest tour in Sewall Woods Preserve 

in Bath. 

any logging job for a client. 

Gavin and Kyle first met working for a landscaping 

company in the mid-1990s. At that time, Kyle was cutting 

wood in the winters and landscaping in the summers, and 

following his example Gavin began cutting on his own land 

in the off-season to make 

additional money. By 1996 the two 

had begun logging together, each 

with their own cable skidder, but it 

was in 1998 that they officially 

joined forces and went into cut-tolength 

harvesting, which was being 

encouraged by some of the larger 

wood buyers in the market and 

becoming popular among 

landowners. 

CTL joined the PLC about 

15 years ago as part of its drive to 

become a more professional 

operation. 

“We joined to become 

more involved overall and to be 

better informed on what’s going on 

politically,” Gavin said. 

CTL became a Master Logger company in 2003. 

The mid-coast Maine area in which CTL is based 

has a great deal of untapped logging potential with many 

private landowners uncertain about whether to harvest their 

lands and wary of logging. This makes it a competitive area 

in which to operate, with a mix of independent logging 

companies vying with others organized and backed by 

industry buyers. A logging firm has to remain adaptable 

and professional to succeed. 

Handling jobs like 

the one in Sewall Woods 

Preserve are one way CTL 

finds new clients while 

building a professional image 

for the company. In the 

process, companies like CTL 

are leading the way in 

educating the public about 

the value and importance of 

logging to Maine’s forests 

and economy. 

“The idea is to look 

at the long term, maybe a 

client like this leads to a 

client with harvest objectives 

that are more profitable for 

the logger,” Gavin said. “As 

loggers, I think that we have 

that outward appearance of being gruff and uncooperative 

and doing only what we want to do, and that’s the image 

that we’re trying to 

dispel.” 


5

Welcome New Members 

PLC Members 

Johnny Castonguay Logging and Trucking of 

Livermore, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in May 

of 2017. Johnny Castonguay Logging and Trucking is a 

Master Logger company and has a professional staff of six. 

For more information contact Johnny at (207) 897-5945 

or johnny@jclogging.com. 

Morneau Logging Inc. of Chapman, ME joined the PLC 

as a new Member in May of 2017. Morneau Logging 

Inc. has a professional staff of one. For more information 

contact Carl at (207) 768-6505 or morneau78@live.com. 

Morris Logging Inc. of Fort Kent, ME joined the PLC as a 

new Member in May of 2017. Morris Logging Inc. is a 

Master Logger company and has a professional staff of 11. 

For more information contact Sherbey at (207) 834-6210 or 

sherbey@pivot.net. 

Northeast Tree Harvesting Inc. of Easton, ME joined the 

PLC as a new Member in May of 2017. Northeast Tree 

Harvesting Inc. has a professional staff of two. For 

more information contact Steve at (207) 316-3356 or 

stevenadeau274@msn.com. 

PLC Affiliated Contractor Members 

Corey Harper Logging Inc. of Mattamiscontis, ME joined 

the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor in May of 2017. 

Corey Harper Logging has a professional staff of two. For 

more information contact Corey at (207) 478-8912. 

PLC Preferred Supporting Members 

Maine Trailer Inc. of Hampden, ME joined the PLC as a 

new Preferred Supporting Member in May of 2017. With 

more than 35 years of experience serving professional 

drivers in the Northeast, Maine Trailer is your local 

problem solver. Maine Trailer is the recognized expert on 

Maine trailer registration, trailer sales and leasing, trailer 

parts and trailer service. The company has locations in 

Hamden and Auburn. For more information call Rod 

Hathaway at 207-848-5718 or email 

rod@mainetrailer.com. 

PLC Enhanced Supporting Members 

Maine Biomass Exports, Inc. of Searsport, ME joined the 

PLC as a new Enhanced Supporting Member in March of 

2017. The company is an exporter of forest products to the 

European Union for biomass use and for MDF or paper 

manufacturing. The company is also an exporter of logs to 

various countries via Searsport. For more information 

contact Arthur House at 207-930-5168. 

PLC Supporting Members 

Katahdin Trust Company of Presque Isle, ME joined the 

PLC as a new Supporting Member in April of 

2017. Katahdin Trust Company provides community 

banking at its best and is a locally owned and managed 

Maine bank working for the financial success of 

individuals and businesses since 1918. Katahdin 

Trust offers checking accounts and savings; loans of all 

types and for all purposes plus the convenience of 24/7 

services with online banking, bill pay, mobile banking, 

Apple Pay and more. For more information contact David 

Cambridge at (207) 764-2361 or email 

d.cambridge@katahdintrust.com. 

PLC Supporting Members 

Pine Tree Safety of Brewer, ME joined the PLC as a new 

Supporting Member in May of 2017. Pine Tree Safety has 

been providing monthly onsite safety meetings and 

trainings since 1995 to logging contractors all over the state 

of Maine. Trainings that bring you into compliance with 

OSHA and that are required by your insurance company. 

Benefits include less workplace injuries, lowered insurance 

rates and OSHA compliance paperwork. The company has 

been mentioned in several logging magazines throughout 


New England in articles about PLC Members. For more 

information call Scott Lowell at (207)-794-5154 or email 

slowell813@hotmail.com. 

PLC Nonprofit Members 

Acadia Federal Credit Union of Northern Maine, joined 

the PLC as a new Nonprofit Member in April of 2017. 

Acadia FCU was created through the merger of smaller 

community credit unions over the past century, and today 

the company has five branch locations, over 10,000 

members, and assets totaling over $152 million. For more 

information call Brian Stoliker at (207) 834-6167 or email 

bstoliker@acadiafcu.org. 

PLC Individual Members 

Donny Reaves of Virginia joined the PLC as a new 

Individual Member in May of 2017. For more information, 

call Donny Reaves at (434)-660-9272 or 

email nanareaves1@aol.com. 

Scott Morrison of New Sharon, ME joined the PLC as a 

new Individual Member in April of 2017. For more 

information, contact Scott Morrison at (207) 592-1544 or 

email s.morrison@myfairpoint.net. 

Supporting members without an advertisement. 

Thank you for your support of the PLC. 

Peterson Corp. 

Canadian Chains 

JP Rivard 

Manac 

Nortrax, Inc. 

The Land Brothers 

Bangor Tire Company 

Carl's Auto Parts Inc. 

E.D. Bessey and Son 

Enviro-mats Inc. 

Hogan Tire Co. 

Huber Engineered Woods 

Kennebec Savings Bank 

KeyBank 

NH Bragg 

Seven Islands Land Company 

TR Dillon Logging Inc. 

Verso Corporation 

Weyerhaeuser 

Whitten's 2-Way Service, 

Inc. 

PLC’s 21st Annual 

Log-A-Load for Maine Kids Golf Tournament 

Friday, Sept. 15 2017 

JATO Highlands Golf Course, Lincoln 

Do you have news to share? 

The PLC is always seeking 

news from our Members that 

showcases our industry’s 

professionalism, generosity, 

and ingenuity. 

Send ideas to 

jonathan@maineloggers.com 


7

PLC Supporting Member Spotlight: 

BURNHAM, ME – Only one place in the world 

manufactures Lincoln Logs for children today, and it is 

right here in Maine. 

The place is the Pride Manufacturing Co. LLC 

facility on Route 100, where Pride – a 

global American corporation 

headquartered in Tennessee – 

manufactures tens of millions of Lincoln 

Logs, golf tees, and cigar tips each year 

and employs 140 workers. 

That kind of employment and 

economic impact is a huge benefit to 

Maine, but for Maine loggers the bigger 

benefit is Pride’s demand for timber, as 

its production lines in Burnham consume 

8.5 million board feet of wood each year. 

Scott Taylor, wood purchaser for Pride, 

said the company depends on good 

relationships and communication with Maine loggers to get 

the quality, types and size logs it needs to keep production 

Pride depends on experienced 

employees and advanced technology 

to achieve its production speed and 

product quality. 

going. Joining the Professional Logging Contractors of 

Maine as a Supporting Member in 2016 was one way Pride 

sought to support those loggers and an organization 

fighting for them and the forest economy in the state. 

“We need to support the loggers 

to get the logs to the mill,” Taylor said. 

“There’s all sorts of associations out 

there, but you’ve got to pick the ones that 

are going to help you the most and have 

the most impact.” 

Pride started in Tampa, Florida 

in 1930 as a manufacturer of wooden 

cigar tips. It expanded over the years, 

and by 1956 the company moved to 

Maine to get closer to the white birch 

trees used to make the cigar tips. The 

clear white wood from the birches went 

into cigar tips leaving the red or “heart 

wood” available for other uses, which Pride soon utilized 

for golf tees. As time went on Pride expanded into other 


golf products including cleats, and today is a world leader 

in all these products, Randy Dicker, senior director of 

manufacturing at Pride, said. 

The 

Burnham mill is 

located in what 

was once an 

Ethan Allen 

facility before 

Pride purchased it 

in 1992 and 

moved its Maine 

manufacturing 

there from 

Guilford. The 

Pride shop where 

the custom 

machines to 

manufacture 

everything from 

Lincoln logs to 

cigar tips are built remained in Guilford, and Pride has 

warehouses and other facilities in Wisconsin, Canada, 

Europe, and Asia. 

From the road, the Burnham facility looks smaller 

than it is. Inside it is a vast well-lit space humming with 

activity and surrounded by log yards, storage, and shipping 

facilities. 

The contract to produce Lincoln Logs for the 

company licensed to distribute 

them has made the facility 

even busier than it already 

was, and pushed the company 

into new areas of 

manufacturing. 

“We felt we had tight 

tolerances with golf tees and 

cigar tips, but then we had to 

deal with toy standards and 

that was a totally different ball 

game,” Randy said. “Rock 

maple proved to be the best 

species, it’s harder to cut, we had to really work hard on 

feed speeds and saw designs, but it doesn’t splinter as 

much. Being made out of rock maple these Lincoln Logs 

are gonna last awhile, kids will be a long time breaking 

those.” 

Pride is always innovating and seeking new 

products and efficiencies to remain competitive. The 

company is near to marketing a new line of attractive 

wainscoting 

manufactured 

from excess birch 

red heart wood, 

has undertaken 

major energy 

efficiency 

upgrades, and 

generates nearly 

all its heat from 

burning biomass 

waste. Pride also 

guards its trade 

secrets carefully, 

and constantly 

seeks ways to 

produce higher 

quality products 

at greater rates of speed with fewer people to compete with 

Chinese manufacturers. 

Buying high quality logs cut to the most efficient 

lengths for manufacturing is one way Pride is working to 

maintain its edge and become a better company, Scott said. 

“Relationships with loggers are important to 

achieving that,” Scott said. 

Finding good workers, holding down energy costs, 

and maintaining a solid wood 

supply are all challenges for 

the company, but in a state 

where headlines often talk 

about the demise of the wood 

products industry, Pride is an 

example of how good 

companies and good workers 

in Maine can compete 

globally, and this is a 

message the company 

The vast interior of the Pride Manufacturing facility (opposite page and above left). 

Cigar tips being sorted for quality control (at right). 

Lincoln Logs 

Golf tees 

promotes whenever it can. 

“I’ve started doing 

some career days in schools 

and that’s part of what I’ve been trying to do is sell the fact 

that the forest industry isn’t dead, the state of Maine still 

has over 200 wood related businesses,” Randy 

said. 


9

Safety First 

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance 

When I was new to the construction industry, I 

participated in many trainings similar to the PLC Spring 

Safety Training as a student. At the conclusion of these 

trainings, I typically found myself feeling more frustrated 

than educated. The information was always useful and 

relevant but I always found myself leaving the class saying, 

“Wow, my company is so far behind with our safety 

program that we will never come into compliance.” This 

would result in my knee-jerk reaction of developing an 

action plan that involved making drastic changes to 

operations overnight. These changes, that looked so good 

on paper, would last a week (at best), and we would wind 

up going right back to doing things the way we had always 

done them. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day 

Rome wasn’t built in a day 

where your biggest exposures lie and SLOWLY implement 

SMALL changes to affect those. When implemented over 

time, small changes will typically yield much more 

effective results for the long haul. Then, as those changes 

start to become habit, add a couple more small changes and 

continue this pattern until you have developed a safety 

program that is effective and lasting. 

Conclusion 

In the wake of the spring training sessions, it’s easy 

to get caught in the trap of trying to implement major 

changes quickly. While it may seem that this is the only 

way to improve upon company safety programs, I believe 

the most effective programs will be built through a series of 

small changes accomplished over a period of time. 

It took me taking on the task of dismantling and 

rebuilding a safety program before I realized that, like so 

many other projects worth doing, you can build a safety 

program quickly or you can build an effective safety 

program that will last, but you cannot do both. Even the 

best companies out there with seemingly unlimited budgets 

don’t build their safety programs overnight. The fact is, 

good safety programs take years to build and require that 

you not only change policies but also change human 

behavior. 

The opinions expressed in this article are personal to 

the author and may or may not express the views of 

Acadia Insurance. This material is for informational 

purposes only, and readers should utilize their own 

individual professional judgment in implementing 

sound risk management practices and procedures. 

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time 

Human behavior tends to be rooted in years of 

habit and therefore is tremendously challenging to change. 

Where I fell short at the beginning of my construction 

career was this: I wanted to change things immediately. I 

encourage you to learn from my mistakes. Take the time to 

evaluate your program, and then select two to three areas 


2017 Safety Training 

Presented by: 

77 Member companies participate in PLC’s 2017 Safety Trainings 

A record 77 Member companies took 

advantage of the PLC’s 2017 Safety Series, held at 

eight locations around the state in April and May. 

This free training is a benefit of membership and 

provides practical, hands-on instruction to improve 

individual and company safety. 

A total of 620 employees participated in the 

training this year, on topics including truck 

inspections, logger injury response, OSHA shop 

inspections, cab ergonomics, evaluating non-routine 

tasks, and common violations and consequences. 

Responses to the training and the instructors 

who provided it were overwhelmingly positive. 

Thanks to all who donated their facilities for 

this year’s training series: William A. Day Jr. & Sons 

Logging; JL Brochu Inc; Elliot Jordan & Son; 

Madden Timberlands; Richard Carrier Trucking; 

W.C. Tripp Forest Products; Treeline, Inc.; and TNT 

Road Company. 

Thanks also to Presenting Sponsors Acadia 

Insurance and Cross Insurance, Lunch Sponsor Barry 

Equipment Co., Breakfast Sponsor Chalmers 

Insurance Group, Safety Prize Sponsor GH Berlin 

Windward, and Safety Contest and Prize Sponsor 

MEMIC. 

Interested in future trainings or sponsorship 

opportunities? Email jessica@maineloggers.com or 

call (207) 688-8195. 

Safety Training gets underway at JL Brochu Inc. April 14th. 

Logger Injury Response training. 


11

Your 2017 Safety Ideas 

▪ Turn the track so you can use the track as an extra step 

to get down to the ground when exiting the machine. C. Jones , 

Elliot Jordan & Son. 

▪ Maintain total safety awareness at all times - at home 

and at work. R. Pembroke, Sappi. 

▪ Take five minutes every morning with the whole crew 

and go over the plan for the day. E. Ridlon, William A Day Jr. & 

Sons. 

▪ When welding on equipment always have a spotter 

standing by with water or extinguisher. J. Blair, Chopper One. 

▪ Have an escape plan (with longitude and latitude) on 

every job site, machine and vehicle. C. Daigle, Big Timber. 

▪ Never use air to break cylinders apart, they can 

become a projectile. N. Simon, Randall Madden Trucking. 

▪ Install grip tape or expanded metal on areas that are 

often slippery to prevent slips and falls. J. Grady, Grady Forest 

Products. 

▪ Provide reflectors on uniforms, jackets, hats and 

gloves. S. Cahill, Seth McCoy Trucking & Excavating. 

▪ Logging roads should 

have mile markers and good turn 

outs. R. Woodard Sr., Randall 

Madden Trucking. 

▪ Use a pneumatic torque 

multiplier to loosen tight bolts to 

avoid injury with breaker bars. D. 

Knowles, Irish Family Logging. 

▪ Collapsible ladder that 

drivers keep on the headboard to 

avoid climbing up the side of a load 

of wood to dislodge chains, straps 

or cables. A. Morin, Gerald 

Pelletier, Inc. 

▪ Put a picture of your 

family up to remind you to slow 

down and think before you act - to 

ensure you get to return to your 

family. J. Lewis, Dean Young 

Forestry. 

▪ Collaboration on any 

safety issues will help to prevent 

further injury. PLC safety trainings 

are a great start to the discussion. D. 

Wakefield, Madden Timberlands. 

▪ Invest in quality ice 

Congratulations to Adam Jordan of PLC Member Elliot 

Jordan & Son Inc. of Waltham on winning a NE Patriots 

football autographed by Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, 

donated by Cross Insurance, as winner of the Best Safety 

Ideas drawing during PLC Annual Safety Trainings this 

spring! Adam's name was drawn in a raffle from those 

contributing the best safety ideas during the training. 

PLC Executive Director Dana Doran presented the 

football to Adam at this year’s Logger's Expo while his 

father, Duane looked on. 

We asked for your safety ideas during our 

2017 PLC Safety Training Series, with 

prizes awarded for the best ones at each 

training site. Here are the top safety picks 

of 2017 

creepers for boots. F. Briggs, Sappi. 

▪ Put a truck tire between two chains when pulling to 

prevent the chains from flying if they break. D. Qualey, Qualey 

Logging. 

▪ Add skid bars to trailers so you don’t slip when you 

are sweeping them off. M. King, Treeline, Inc. 

▪ If you see someone doing something in an unsafe 

manner take the time to tell them. Use thicker safety glass on 

slashers with a circular saw. S. Sanborn, William A. Day Jr. & 

Sons. 

▪ Don’t throw straps while sitting under tree limbs or 

power lines and wear your hard hat while throwing straps. J. 

Rowe, LA Ridley, Inc. 

▪ Use metal sheets over chain hangers to ensure no one 

slips and falls on the sharp chain hangers. Mix speedy dry with 

paint and use it on cat walks to prevent slips. A. Jipson, Treeline, 

Inc. 

▪ Use pole saws to trim limbs off loads to prevent 

climbing on the load. S. Lowell, Pine Tree Safety. 

▪ Use an oversized hoe to 

clean off trailers, pull not push. 

Ensure the ground is not slippery 

around the trailer. B. Bethune, 

Treeline, Inc. 

▪ Use a satellite 

communicator if there is no cell 

service. J. Grady, Grady Forest 

Products. 

▪ Use a chain that is bigger 

than you need to pull and also use a 

crane to lift a truck that has rolled 

over. C. Pepin, Pepin Lumber. 

▪ When pulling a truck or 

piece of equipment – one person 

should be in charge of hooking and 

unhooking chains to keep the 

number of people involved to a 

minimum. D. Long Jr., Irish Family 

Logging. 

▪ Everyone on the site have 

a 2-way radio for constant 

communication, especially when 

working around hazards. A. Jordan, 

Elliott Jordan & Son. 


PLC Forest Contractor Member: W.W. London & Son Trucking 

From left to right: Bill, Molly, and Alex London. 

MILO – Loggers will tell you that without 

truckers, they’d soon be out of business. Talk to the 

Londons of W.W. London & Son Trucking LLC and 

William W. London & Son Inc., and they will tell you the 

opposite is just as true for them. 

“Almost all of our business is woods related,” Bill 

London said recently at the High Street office and garage 

not far from the town center where the businesses are 

based, on a lot with the space and road frontage to easily 

handle the big rigs rolling in and out. 

The two companies began as one in 1955 when Bill 

London’s father came down from Monticello to Milo on a 

contract to plow snow. London’s Garage grew from there 

and Bill joined the business straight out of high school. 

Eventually, Bill bought his father out in 1980 and London’s 

Garage became William W. London & Son. 

Over the years, the company expanded in size and 

in the jobs it took on, from plowing to forest road building 

to grading to woods bridge construction. Trucking was one 

of the areas the company expanded into, and it grew to the 

point that in 2016 the Londons established a second 

company, W.W. London & Son Trucking LLC, run by 

Bill’s son, Alex London, who has been working in the 

business since he was 15. 

Last year, Alex’s wife, Molly, joined the company 

after several years as a forester for American Forest 

Management (AFM), and it was her familiarity with the 

Professional London Continued Page 19 


13

’ 

BREWER – The Professional Logging Contractors 

(PLC) of Maine held its 22nd Annual Meeting Friday, May 5 

with guests including U.S. Representative Bruce Poliquin, and 

raised a record $44,000 for the Log A Load for Kids Foundation 

to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

The event also included the presentation of awards to 

Congressman Poliquin, Maine State Senator Paul Davis, former 

Maine State Representative Jeff 

McCabe and many PLC members for 

their outstanding contributions to the 

logging industry over the last year. 

Congressman Poliquin 

welcomed the crowd of more than 170 

Maine loggers, supporters, forest 

products industry business owners and 

representatives, lawmakers, and family 

members attending the evening dinner 

and awards ceremony that followed a 

day of meetings, presentations, and the 

auction in support of the Log A Load 

for Kids Foundation. 

Congressman Poliquin noted 

how important the $8 billion forest 

products industry is to Maine, 

accounting for 34,000 jobs including 

more than 7,000 tied to logging, and 

pledged to continue fighting for the logging industry and small 

businesses in Maine. He also noted the opportunities in the 

emerging forest economy for companies that 

can adapt and invest, and vowed to work 

toward a business climate that can help those 

companies succeed. 

The Congressman praised the work 

ethic and generosity of Maine loggers, 

noting the funds raised in the Log A Load 

auction. 

“I know how hard you folks work, I 

know what good people you are, and I know 

this has been a tough patch for your 

businesses,” Congressman Poliquin said. 

“To see the generosity and the love in this room for these kids at 

a time when it’s tough like this - I am really proud to represent 

you.” 

Henry Mallett onstage with his mother, Katie, 

and sister, Rosie, shaking Dana Doran’s hand. 

Gabe and Noah Tibbetts at left. PLC President 

Scott Madden at right. 

Congressman Bruce Poliquin 

PLC members are well known for their generosity in 

supporting charitable causes benefiting children and are strong 

supporters of the Log A Load For Kids annual campaign which 

encourages loggers and others in the forest products community 

to donate the value of one load of logs, or any amount, to local 

Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Log A Load For Kids is a 

national leader in CMN fundraising. 

The PLC and the Eastern Maine 

Healthcare Systems (EMHS) Foundation 

have raised nearly $900,000 since 1996 

for children in Maine. Donations have 

gone to support research and training, 

purchase equipment, and pay for 

uncompensated care, all in support of the 

mission to save and improve the lives of 

as many children as possible. EMHS is a 

CMN hospital. 

The Annual Meeting is one of 

the PLC’s major fund-raisers for Log A 

Load, and last year raised more than 

$36,000 in support of the cause at the 

auction. PLC Members were determined 

to exceed that this year, and they 

succeeded, setting the new record of 

$44,000. 

“The generosity of this 

group despite difficult times in logging never ceases to 

amaze me,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, 

said. “Our members rise to and above any 

challenge, and continue to devote effort, 

time and resources to the Log A Load 

cause.” 

“Our annual meeting is a time to 

reflect, a time to celebrate and a time to 

plan for the future. The PLC has made 

significant strides on behalf of loggers, 

forest contractors, and forest truckers in 

the past 22 years and stands ready to 

continue its work on behalf of the 

industry for years to come. Our members 

should be proud of what they have accomplished this year, 

and especially proud of what was accomplished here for the 

children tonight,” Doran added. 


PLC Logger of the Year Award: This award 

recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their 

commitment to the sustainability of the industry 

and logging as a profession. The winner is: 

Madden Sustainable Forestry Inc. 

PLC Impact Awards: Each year, the PLC 

recognizes someone from the public sector who 

has demonstrated a commitment to the logging 

industry and made a significant impact for its 

improvement. This year the PLC recognized three 

individuals for this award. The winners are: 

U.S. Representative Bruce Poliquin, Maine 

State Senator Paul Davis, and former Maine 

State Representative Jeff McCabe 

Acadia Insurance Safety 

Award: This award is given to 

a company that continuously 

demonstrates safety throughout 

their business. The winner is: 

PLC President’s Award: This award is 

presented to an individual or organization 

within the PLC which has had a significant and 

positive impact on the PLC and the logging 

industry in Maine. The winner is: 

Sappi 

PLC Supporting 

Member Award: This 

award is presented to a 

PLC Supporting Member 

that has demonstrated an 

unprecedented 

commitment to logging 

contractors in Maine. 

This year the winner is: 

Cross Insurance 

J.L. Brochu, Inc. 

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. The winner is: 

Dean Young Forestry 

Congratulations to all 2017 

Award Winners 


15

It is said that opportunity knocks. We have new 

leadership in Washington with the election of President 

Trump. As this new, pro-business administration moves 

forward putting appointments in place, we are very hopeful 

that many of the issues we have talked about and lobbied for, 

may finally be heard and acted upon. 

We see the opportunity for improving the 

management of our forests, including setting new policy that 

directs timber harvest, reducing hazardous fuels, and thinning 

to keep our forests healthy and vigorous for those who enjoy 

hiking, fishing, hunting and other forms of recreation. We 

have seen, for far too long, the effects of not having active 

management of our National Forests and other Public Lands. 

The result is the astronomical cost of fighting wildfires which 

has skyrocketed the last few years. The U.S. Forest Service is 

forced to spend much needed forest management funds on 

fighting wildfires. It is actually pretty simple – the lack of 

forest management is contributing to increase in wildfires and 

the cost of fighting them. As President Trump’s choices 

unfold, we are mostly encouraged by a change in philosophy 

from preservation and setting aside to conservation. We all 

want to enjoy the beauty of our vast natural resources, fully 

expecting that our forests be managed. 

For many years we have seen how interconnected our 

industry is with transportation. We now have the opportunity 

to address an aging and crumbling infrastructure system. We 

must continue to fight for funding for rural roads and bridges 

that are so vital to the transportation of our forest products. 

We need a safe, reliable highway system on the Federal, State 

and Local level. We need reasonable trucking regulations as 

they pertain to logging transportation issues. Our interstate 

system as built to a higher standard to transport heavier loads 

for a better flow of traffic through congested areas. We need a 

federal standard for the transportation of forest products on 

our interstate system that takes out local politics. Everyone is 

seeking revenue. We must step up and speak of the impact 

that the neglect of rural roads and bridges is having on the 

forest products industry. 

With the change in administration, opportunity will 

hopefully come with leadership understanding the 

consequences of overregulation. It has been said that 

government regulations are the biggest obstacle and cost to 

business growth and expansion. Put simply, regulations cost 

businesses millions of dollars each year. 

Take advantage of this new opportunity to let your 

thoughts be heard. America was once a world leader in 

technology, manufacturing, and military strength. Today we 

stand at the threshold of a new day with an opportunity to step 

forward and renew our leadership in the world. This is our 

chance to stand up and be heard. Opportunity has knocked. 

Become proactive for issues affecting our forest products 

industry. Do not let opportunity pass you by. 

As We See It—May 2017 

“Opportunity Knocks ” 

By Ken Martin 

Ken Martin is the President of the American Loggers 

Council. Ken, his wife Sandy and sons Brent and Brad own 

and operate Mar-Cal, Inc. with headquarters in Mendenhall, 

Mississippi. Brent and Brad having much of the day-to-day 

management of the family-owned timber management/ 

harvesting operations. 

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

profit trade association representing professional timber 

harvesters and log truckers in 32 states across the United 

States with headquarters near Hemphill, Texas. 


As We See It—June 2017 

“Future Logging Careers Act: Training the Next Generation, 

Safely and Legally” 

By Danny Dructor 

The American Loggers Council has made passing the 

Future Logging Careers Act a top priority in the 115th United 

States Congress. We're very pleased with the bipartisan support 

it is receiving in both the U.S. House and Senate. This is a credit 

to the hundreds of loggers who have contacted their 

representatives in support of the legislation. We need to keep 

up the calls and emails to Congress. In a moment I'll tell you 

how you can get involved. 

It's become clear over the past several weeks that some 

in the news media, and some who follow ALC's Facebook page, 

don't have a clear understanding of what the Future Logging 

Careers Act actually does, and what it doesn't do. For example, 

a Washington D.C. reporter wrote a story last month attempting 

to link our bill to a very tragic accident involving an 18-year-old 

logger in Washington State. 

Simply put, the Future Logging Careers Act is intended 

to give 16- and 17-year-olds hands-on training in mechanized 

timber harvesting in a safe and legal setting, under parental 

supervision. The bill is aimed at helping family-owned logging 

companies that wish to keep their sons and daughters in the 

profession. The Future Logging Careers Act, as its name 

suggests, is all about recruiting and retaining the next generation 

and to help families continue to run professional logging 

businesses. 

The text of the legislation is straightforward. It extends 

an existing agricultural exemption-- now enjoyed by family 

farmers and ranchers-- specifically to family-owned logging 

companies. 

For the purpose of amending the Fair Labor Standards 

Act, the bill defines logging as "the felling, skidding, yarding, 

loading and processing of timber by equipment other than 

manually operated chainsaws and cable skidders; the felling of 

timber in mechanized operations; the bucking or converting of 

timber into logs, poles, ties, bolts, pulpwood, chemical wood, 

excelsior wood, cordwood, fence posts, or similar products; the 

collecting, skidding, yarding, loading, transporting and 

unloading of such products in connection with logging; the 

constructing, repairing and maintaining of roads or camps used 

in connection with logging; the constructing, repairing, and 

maintenance of machinery or equipment used in logging; and 

other work performed in connection with logging." 

Now for what the bill doesn't do: the Future Logging 

Careers Act does not permit 16- and 17-year-olds "the manual 

use of chain saws to fell and process timber and the use of cable 

skidders to bring the timber to the landing." Unfortunately, this 

important point was missed in the news story that misinterpreted 

our bill. 

Safety is an issue that should unite all professional 

timber harvesters. ALC is deeply committed to promoting safety 

in the woods, and on the roads, in the hope that someday 

logging is not included in the annual list of "America's Most 

Dangerous Professions." Nobody wants to put young and 

inexperienced loggers in dangerous situations. The Future 

Logging Careers Act is one solution to promote safety for the 

future, and help young loggers learn the trade in a supervised 

setting. 

The Future Logging Careers Act is gaining support as 

more members of Congress learn about the bill, and understand 

why supporting family-owned logging businesses and recruiting 

and retaining the next generation of loggers are so important. If 

you haven't already, contact your House and Senate members 

and ask them to sponsor and support the bill. 

Danny Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the 

American Loggers Council. 


17

As We See It—July 2017 

“Making Biomass Viable for the Future” 

By Danny Dructor 

As professional timber harvesters we understand 

the importance of biomass energy to the future of our 

industry. Not only does it help open and expand markets 

for our businesses, it helps makes operations and logging 

jobs more economical. 

Yet the future of the biomass industry is uncertain 

given the current regulatory environment and the 

fluctuating costs of natural gas and other energies. As 

companies consider making large investments in new or 

existing biomass facilities, they need stability and certainty 

to ensure those investments pencil out. 

Earlier this year the U.S. Congress took the first 

step toward providing that needed stability and certainty. 

The 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill included language 

clarifying federal regulatory policy to reflect the carbonneutrality 

of forest-based biomass, a policy that ensures 

biomass plays a part in government energy standards. 

But that is probably not enough. The Biomass 

Power Association wants to go further to make this 

renewable energy more viable, as well as promote and 

protect the development of facilities throughout the 

country. 

At the ALC Spring Fly-In BPA's Bob Cleaves 

asked us to support the reintroduction of legislation to 

extend the Renewable Electricity Production Credit 

(“PTC”) for existing "open loop" biomass facilities for the 

10 year period that was originally granted for new 

facilities. The legislation is expected to be brought forward 

by U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey with bipartisan 

co-sponsors. 

The PTC works as an income tax credit allowing 

for the production of electricity from qualified energy 

resources at qualified facilities, which can be used by the 

facility or the power purchaser. Those that commenced 

construction prior to December 31, 2016 were eligible to 

claim the PTC for 10 years after the qualifying facility is 

placed in service, but that provision has now expired with 

no extension. 

The PTC also offered different benefits for certain 

open- and closed loop facilities, which only served to favor 

some industries over others. A multi-year deal would help 

correct the tilted policies that have awarded some 

renewable technologies billions of dollars – helping them 

become independently successful – and others a small 

fraction of the PTC. 

Many biomass facilities began production decades 

before the PTC began – meaning that they haven’t had the 

opportunity to qualify for the full 10-year credit received 

by newer technologies. Additionally, low natural gas 

prices are making it difficult for utilities to sign new 

contracts with biomass facilities. The extension of the PTC 

to biomass facilities would help offset the cost of fuel, 

keeping the supply chain operating. It would also help keep 

loggers employed by preserving an important revenue 

stream. 

Stay tuned for more updates on this proposed 

legislation. Here at ALC, we are looking forward to seeing 

the language of the bill, and we will keep you informed of 

the bill’s status and other opportunities to support the 

biomass sector. 

Danny Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the 

American Loggers Council. 


London Continued from Page 13 

Logging 

Contractors of Maine that led the Londons to become PLC 

Forest Contractor Members in 2016. 

“I like knowing we’re supporting an organization 

that is working hard for us,” Molly said. 

The Londons have 16 full-time employees 

including themselves, with additional seasonal help as 

needed. They operate nine trucks – Peterbilts and 

Kenworths – in addition to the many excavators, the two 

graders, the dump trucks, and other equipment rolling on 

the construction side of the business. 

W.W. London trucks spend almost all their time 

hauling wood and woods-related material. That includes 

plenty of roundwood, bark, and increasingly; logging 

equipment on low beds. 

The closure of pulp and paper mills has hit the 

Londons just as it has most forest-related businesses in 

Maine, but their central location has helped them weather 

the ups and downs. They’ve also begun operating across 

the Canadian border in the past year, which has added 

business. 

Forest trucking is a challenging business at the best 

of times, due to liability, regulations, seasonal road 

conditions, and rising costs. Finding experienced 

professional drivers can also be difficult. But the Londons 

have been able to keep veteran employees and attract 

newer, younger workers as well, including younger drivers. 

They place an emphasis on treating their employees well, 

including providing benefits and competitive wages. 

The quality of their employees and the effort they 

put into running a professional operation makes a big 

difference in getting and keeping business, Alex 

said. 

“I think it’s the employees,” Alex said, when asked 

what makes the companies special. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on June 9 

announced two proposals that would take steps toward 

responding to a national shortage of qualified truck and 

bus drivers. These proposed processes would simplify 

obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL) for qualified 

veterans and active duty personnel and reduce 

administrative expenses to both the driver applicant and 

state driver licensing agencies. 


19

Mechanized Logging Operations Training 

Program begins June 26 

First of its kind program will rotate to 

locations around Maine each semester 

Maine’s first post-secondary training program for 

future operators of mechanized logging equipment 

launched this summer thanks to a partnership between three 

Maine community colleges, the Professional Logging 

Contractors (PLC) of Maine, and industry partners. 

The 12-week certificate program began June 26 in 

Millinocket in space provided by PLC Member Gerald 

Pelletier Inc. The program will rotate to other locations 

around the state as each class completes it. The supervised 

training will be hands-on, putting students in modern 

equipment, in the woods, under actual logging conditions 

to better prepare them for good paying careers in the 

logging industry. Land for operations is being provided by 

Katahdin Forest Management and training space will be 

provided by PLC founding member Gerald Pelletier, Inc. 

“This program is critical to the future of Maine’s 

logging industry and it is equally critical to let young 

people know that despite the transition of the forest 

products industry, there is in fact a future for this industry,” 

PLC Executive Director Dana Doran, said. “Most skilled 

equipment operators are now at or nearing retirement age 

and there is a shortage of skilled operators despite the 

market retractions that have taken place recently.” 

The new program will work in tandem with the 

state’s current vocational training system and is expected to 

draw many of its students from within the logging industry 

itself as well as from Maine’s four high school vocational 

logging programs. For the first time, logging operators will 

be trained similarly to other advanced trade occupations 

with a high school and postsecondary approach. 

The training will give students a broad overview of 

the most common mechanical systems found in modern 

timber harvesting equipment, and an understanding of the 

variables of timber growth, tree species, and markets. It 

will also include a strong emphasis on safety. 

Approximately 95 percent of logging in Maine now 

relies on mechanized equipment including feller bunchers 

and harvesters, delimbers, grapple skidders, and 

forwarders. It generally takes at least a year of training and 

experience before an operator becomes skilled enough to 

run this equipment safely and efficiently. The cost for 

companies to train these operators themselves is 

approximately $100,000 each. 

It was for this reason that the PLC partnered with 

the Maine Community College System and industry to 

create the program. It has been jointly developed by the 

PLC and Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), 

PO Box 337, Milo, ME 04463 

943-7415 

info@lumbrahardwoodsinc.com 


Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC), and 

Washington County Community College (WCCC) with 

generous support from Milton CAT/CAT Forest Products, 

Nortrax Inc./John Deere, and other industry partners. 

Milton CAT has donated the use of a Caterpillar 

521B feller buncher, a Caterpillar 525D grapple skidder, 

and a Cat 324D FM delimber as well as a one-year repair 

warranty for each machine for a total value of $230,000. 

“Milton CAT and Caterpillar are excited to support 

this program and ensure the next generation of loggers has 

the skills needed to operate the sophisticated logging 

equipment the industry is dominated by today,” Peter 

Collins, Forestry Industry Manager for Milton CAT, said. 

Nortrax Inc. has donated the use of a forwarder/ 

harvester machine operations simulator, a JD853MH 

tracked harvester, JD1270E rubber tired harvester, and JD 

1210E forwarder for a combined value of $205,000. 

“Nortrax serves professional loggers and shares 

their dedication to Maine’s forest products industry. The 

new mechanized logging operations training program is 

important to the future of the region’s forest products 

industry and will benefit our regional economy,” Kevin 

Fowler, General Manager of Nortrax, said. 

The program would not have been possible without 

the support of Maine’s lawmakers, who made funding 

available for it through the ‘Put ME to Work Program’ to 

support creation of new job training programs at Maine’s 

community colleges. The program enjoyed bipartisan 

support, with former Maine Speaker of the House Mark W. 

Eves (D-North Berwick) and Senate President Michael 

Thibodeau (R-Winterport) speaking at the press conference 

where it was announced in late 2015. 

PLC Board Members like Steve Hanington and 

Gary Voisine say the program will be vital for replacing 

retiring operators. 

“At some point there’s going to be this huge dropoff 

of experienced and trained loggers that are very costeffective 

for the industry, they’re going to disappear and if 

we don’t have a program in place to fill that demand when 

it happens, we’re going to be in a lot worse shape than what 

is being predicted right now,” Steve, President of 

Hanington Brothers Inc. in Macwahoc Plantation, said. 

Those who complete the program will come to 

companies with enough skills to greatly reduce the time it 

will take to bring them up to speed as operators. 

“It’s going to save us a lot of money in the long 

run,” Gary, of Voisine Brothers Inc. in Fort Kent, said. 

For more information on the program contact: 

Donald Burr, Logging Program Coordinator 

dburr@nmcc.edu or 207-356-1541. 

1028 Calais Rd. 

Hodgdon, ME 04730 

207-532-4280 

Excellent product markets for maximum return 

to landowner. 


21

WABI Telethon: PLC presents check for $117,105 to 

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals 

PLC on June 3 presented a check for $117,105 to the EMHS Foundation Children's Miracle Network Hospitals during 

the WABI TV Telethon for CMN! The funds raised in 2016 will go to help children and families served by CMN right 

here in Maine. PLC's contribution is hugely important to this annual effort and the generosity of our members and 

supporters is truly incredible. Thanks to all who contributed and a special thanks to the Madden family for their 

generosity and their presence at the Telethon. 

Locally owned and family run since 1925 

We are here for all your insurance needs—focusing 

on Logging, Lumbering & Trucking 

Farmington: (207) 778-9862 Skowhegan: (207) 474-9561 

Rumford: (207) 369-0171 Livermore Falls: (207) 897-3602 

“Insurance is our only Business” - www.kyesinsurance.com 


Adding Value Continued from Page 3 funding 

each biennium to support their programs. At the time this 

article went to print, this bill was tabled for action in the 

House. 

LD 897 An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue 

to Encourage Efficient Biomass Thermal and Power 

Projects in Maine. The funds provided by this bond issue 

would be used to provide low interest loans for the 

construction of steam piping from existing stand-alone 

biomass generators to adjacent manufacturing facilities, 

construction of biomass combined heat and power 

generation boilers for manufacturing facilities and 

converting fossil fuel boilers in public buildings and 

commercial facilities to biomass boilers. At the time this 

article went to print, the bond bill had not yet been taken up 

by the Appropriations Committee. 

LD 1147 An Act to Modernize the Renewable Portfolio 

Standard. This bill attempts to open the hood regarding 

the existing statute for the Renewable Portfolio Standard 

(RPS) and to continue the RPS at its current percentage 

beyond 2017 for ten years. The sustainability of the RPS is 

very important to the pulp and paper industry as well as to 

the stand-alone biomass electric producers and it could be 

very important to any future project developers that seek to 

use Maine’s RPS to assist with wood to energy related 

projects. At the time this article went to print, this bill was 

tabled for action in the Senate. 

LD 1464 An Act Regarding Unemployment 

Compensation for Full-time Seasonal Workers. This 

was the PLC’s bill to amend the unemployment 

compensation laws to provide that an individual who is laid 

off from work, but has both a return to work date and is 

attached to their employer with full time benefits, is not 

required to engage in work search efforts or training while 

they are collecting unemployment. The bill was carried 

over to the 2018 session and a work group will be put 

together this summer to analyze the amount that is paid into 

the Trust Fund, whether tax changes are required, and 

whether online training can be provided instead of time 

intensive training that is required now. The PLC will be 

part of the working group that will begin its work during 

the summer of 2017. 

LD 1573 An Act to Encourage Development in the 

Logging Industry by Requiring State and Local 

Government Agencies to Give Preference to Lumber 

and Solid Wood Products Harvested in the State. This 

bill requires that a state agency that contracts for timber 

harvesting or acquires wood chips or round wood give 

preference to Maine based contractors. It also states that 

any entity that receives a subsidy (tree growth) and 

conducts a timber harvest, must utilize a Maine based 

contractor to conduct the harvest. At the time this article 

went to print, this bill had not yet come up for floor 

action. 

While it is nearly the end of the session and there is 

still a lot of unfinished business, it is clear that without the 

work of the PLC and the involvement of our members, the 

logging industry would not have a seat at the table here in 

Augusta. We would not be looked to as the voice of 

Maine’s logging industry and we would not have the 

connections that we have to protect and grow one of 

Maine’s legacy industries. These connections and respect 

are vital, regardless of whether it’s when we seek relief 

from the legislature or if we must make a phone call to a 

state agency to get clarification on a regulation, tax filing or 

other issue. 

I am often asked what are the benefits of 

membership in the PLC. While it is very important to talk 

about all the things that we do which give back to our 

membership, the training, the dividends, the member 

discounts and the publications we produce, there is one 

thing that we do which I think adds the most value not only 

to our organization, but to this industry. That is the work 

we do to advocate on behalf of this profession. 

When an issue comes up here in Augusta, the first 

call I receive is about whether an issue will benefit or harm 

loggers and truckers. This is happening because legislators 

have taken the time to learn about our industry and have 

garnered deep respect for the work you do out there every 

day. It is also because our members have taken the time to 

reach out to a legislator, introduced them to what they do 

and ensured that the decisions they make take the best 

interests of our industry into account. 

In the end, this is the value that the PLC adds to 

our industry. The PLC is the voice for loggers in Maine 

and will continue to work on your behalf so the legislature 

and the public understands how important you are to the 

fiber of the state of Maine. The PLC will continue to speak 

on behalf of this industry and we hope you do too. In the 

end, if we don’t speak up, then no one will. 

Stay safe out there, 

Dana 

Next Issue: Fall 2017 to feature Mechanized Logger Training 

Program, 2017 PLC Golf Tournament coverage, and more. 


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 

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 Loggers Voice Summer 2017

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