PLC Logger's Voice - Summer 2019

Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine welcomes
Patty Cormier as new Director of Maine Forest Service
In May, the Professional Logging Contractors (PLC)
of Maine welcomed the news that veteran District Forester
Patty Cormier of Farmington had been named the new
Director of the Maine Forest Service.
Cormier, who has more than 30 years of experience
as a forester, replaced Douglas Denico, who had served in
the post for the past 8 years. Dana Doran, Executive Director
of the PLC, said Cormier is well known to the PLC and its
members through her work as a district forester and as a
representative of the Maine Forest Service.
“We believe that Ms. Cormier is a terrific choice to
lead the agency as she is objective, mission driven, has
integrity, values the agency and its people and will ensure
that the Maine Forest Service assists the logging industry
Q & A
Patty Cormier
with its success,” Doran said. “We have always found her to
be a professional in her dealings with the PLC and its
members and we look forward to a strong working
relationship with the agency.”
“Professional loggers in Maine need the Maine
Forest Service to work as a partner with them for the
betterment of our working forests and the rural communities,
loggers, and truckers who depend on them. We are confident
that Ms. Cormier will bring competence, experience, and
fairness to this task,” Doran added.
Below, Ms. Cormier answered a few questions from
the PLC about her plans, background, and approach to the
job. We thank her for taking the time to speak with the
PLC.
a matter of keeping that balance.
How do you see your role and the role of Maine Forest
Service when it comes to supporting Maine’s logging
industry and the forest products economy?
Maine Forest
Service
Director
What can you tell us about your experience and background
related to Maine’s logging industry?
During part of the 10 years I worked at Georgia Pacific out of
Baileyville, I was a Landowner Assistance Forester and hit the
ground running in the position working with multiple logging
contractors with all ranges of equipment, through every aspect of
harvesting on private lots and company ground. The acreage of
these lots ranged from 10 to 5000. This was where I really got my
ears wet, and through the school of hard knocks learned the
perspective of the logger, the challenges loggers face and the
good work that can be gained by everyone working together and
respecting each others knowledge base and strengths. It was
also a lesson on markets and the sometimes-fickle nature of
landowner expectations. I especially appreciated the one logger
who would cook me shrimp on his manifold when he knew I was
going to visit the job. This was a great spring board for working as
a District Forester for MFS for 20 years. In that role came the
regulatory side of things as well as educating and assisting
loggers and landowners on forest management, the laws etc. It
was always very satisfying to have a logger call before going on a
job to get my advice; I took that as a compliment. I so respect the
job loggers/contractors and all the employees involved in the
logging business, it isn’t easy, and I certainly felt it wasn’t my
place to make it any more difficult and that trying to always find
that balance of on the ground reality in logging when dealing with
the laws can be a challenge. I just want to assure anyone on the
logging industry, I am an advocate for you and the forest; It is just
“The MFS has a long history of protecting Maine’s forests from
wildfires, insect and disease outbreaks, poor forest practices and
providing timely information to help foster informed decisions.
These various MFS activities focus on having Maine’s forests
more enjoyable, productive, healthy and well managed.” This is
off our website. I see our role as keeping the forest engine
running if you will. There are many pieces to the puzzle that
makes up the Maine forest Industry and I will do everything I can
to facilitate who needs to get with who to expand the industry.
The Maine logging industry is part of our brand of the past,
present and future. A big part of that is we will continue our
outreach to landowners about working with their land, we need to
get across to landowners that it is not a scary event, it should be a
satisfying one that employs resource professionals such as
loggers to achieve their goals. This is all adds to the supply part
of things. A question that always needs to be reviewed is are we
treating everyone fairly in the regulatory side of the house. Our
role is to try to intervene with any issues first to assist with
compliance. I also see my (MFS) role as supporting the
entomology staff to monitor the insect invasions that have the
potential to affect all aspects of forest uses from the forest
products industry to recreational uses, to support the forest
protection folks with respect to protecting Maine’s forests from
fires and to support the management staff in their efforts of logger/
landowner/forester education. It is all connected and we all have
a dog in the fight, as you said, forest products industry/logging
industry is Maine and we all need to fight for it.
What can our industry do to work with you to strengthen
Maine’s forest economy for the benefit of our rural
communities and forest health?
36 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995