PLC Logger&#039;s Voice Summer 2020 PROOF

Volume 14 Issue 3 | Summer 2020

A Quarterly Publication of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

Logging

in

Crisis

Board of Directors

Cover: Pixelle Specialty Solutions pulp mill explosion,

April 15, 2020.

Jim Nicols, President

Tony Madden, 1 st Vice President

Chuck Ames, 2 nd Vice President

Will Cole, Secretary

Andy Irish, Treasurer

Scott Madden, Past President

Aaron Adams

Kurt Babineau

A quarterly publication of:

The Professional Logging

Contractors of Maine

Donald Cole

Tom Cushman

Brent Day

Marc Greaney

Steve Hanington

Duane Jordan

Robert Linkletter

Randy Kimball

Ron Ridley

10

108 Sewall St., P.O. Box 1036

Augusta, ME 04332

Phone: 207.688.8195

www.maineloggers.com

In-Depth

Logging in Crisis

Wayne Tripp

Gary Voisine

PLC Staff

Executive Director

Dana Doran ▪ executivedirector@maineloggers.com

Membership Services Coordinator

Jessica Clark ▪ jessica@maineloggers.com

Safety and Training Coordinator

Donald Burr ▪ safety@maineloggers.com

The Logger’s Voice

Editor and Designer

Jon Humphrey Communications and Photography

▪ jehumphreycommunications@gmail.com

Advertising

Jessica Clark ▪ jessica@maineloggers.com

Email news, notices, and correspondence

▪ jehumphreycommunications@gmail.com

28

Supporting Member Spotlight

Daigle & Houghton Inc.

Also Inside

4 Calendar and Updates

6 President’s Report

7 New Members

8 Executive Director’s Report

20 Log A Load Golf Tournament

(Southern Maine)

22 Log A Load Golf Tournament

(Northern Maine)

24 Trucking

33 MLOP Summer 2020

34 Safety

39 Master Logger

40 Maine Forest Service

45 Wood Heat Marketing Campaign

46 ALC Updates

48 Congressional Updates

Event

Calendar

4 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

Updates

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

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2020

5

From the President

By Jim Nicols

Hello Everyone

I hope everyone is doing fine and staying healthy. These sure are unprecedented times and

something that we have never seen and hopefully will not see again in our lifetimes.

Since I wrote my last article so much has changed. COVID-19 was just beginning to affect our

lives. The Pixelle Mill digester hadn’t blown up yet. The perfect storm for very uncertain times for

logging and trucking companies and our employees all across the state.

As I write my quarterly articles for our newsletter, I try to be positive and look at the good

things happening, which are many. I don’t want to sugarcoat the situation that our industry is in right

now though. I believe that the next year is very important for the survival of many logging and trucking

companies across the state. There is so much uncertainty right now: loss of markets due to COVID-19

and Pixelle; quotas due to so much wood out there on the market and not enough manufacturing to use

it; price reductions that are unprecedented due to market conditions; or no market at all for some

products.

I believe that the infrastructure for logging and trucking across the state is at risk. If and when

markets rebound, and hopefully they will, we need to be ready to service those markets at the same

level before all of these changes took place.

We must all work together publicly and privately, federally and at the state level to ensure

these small businesses survive so that they will be there when the need arises, which hopefully will be

sooner rather than later. These are unprecedented times and certainly require unprecedented measures.

The PLC Board, Dana and the staff have been working tremendously hard over the last couple

of months to help ensure the success of our members moving forward. One of the big items that they

are working on is to convince our Congressional Delegation that loggers are in desperate need of their

help, similar to what has already been done for farmers and fishermen.

The good news is that the Maine Delegation is in full support of the request and they are

working hard with their colleagues across the country to move this into the next stimulus bill in late

July. We are very thankful to have such champions for our industry. If you have questions or can

reach out to our Delegation to let them know how important this is to your business, please reach out to

Dana and let him know.

In other thoughts, hopefully within the next few weeks as restrictions start to ease up, the PLC

can announce details on our annual meeting, the one that was postponed this spring.

It looks like the next MLOP class is going to be held in and around the Bangor area and will

start in early July. If you have time, stop by and check it out when it gets up and running, you will be

impressed.

Over the last few months we have added a lot of safety training information and programs

online for those in need. Check them out if you haven’t already or call the office and they will guide

you to how to get the information needed.

Lastly, as we move forward into the summer and fall months ahead, lets hope that markets

stabilize and improve. Maybe Pixelle is able to announce a direction that they will go by the end of the

year. This will help loggers and truckers make the business decisions needed to continue for the long

run. In the meantime, hang in there as we have no direction to go but up in these very uncertain times.

Be safe and healthy.

Jimmy


Burbank Logging & Trucking

Inc. of Weld, ME joined the PLC as

a new Contractor Member in June

2020. The company has a

professional staff of 3. For more

information contact Chris Burbank

at (207) 491-8434 or email

BurbankLogging@yahoo.com.

Ricker Logging and Trucking,

LLC, of Greenville Junction, ME

joined the PLC as a new Contractor

Member in April of 2020. The

company has a professional staff of

1. For more information

contact Shaina Buhler at (814) 594-

4994 or

email Rickerloggingandtrucking@g

mail.com.

Dead Eye Trucking, Inc. of St.

John Plt., ME joined the PLC as a

new Forest Contractor in April of


Welcome New Members


information contact Martin

McBreairty at 207-316-7238 or

email

deadeyetrucking@outlook.com

Fox Forestry, LLC of Orland, ME

joined the PLC as a new Affiliated

Contractor Member in April of



information contact Thomas Fox

at (207) 479-7908 or

email tom@foxforestry.com.

JCG Logging Inc., of Fort Kent,

ME joined the PLC as a new

Affiliated Contractor Member in

June of 2020. The company has a


information contact Jesse Guimond

at (207) 231-1003 or email

jesseguimond92@gmail.com.

Not a member but interested in joining the

PLC?

Contact Jessica at (207) 688-8195 or email

jessica@maineloggers.com


7

From the Executive

Director

Loggers are Farmers and Fishermen Too

By Dana Doran

B

ack in March 2018, my story

for the Logger’s Voice was

strikingly similar to that

which appears in this issue.

The difference is, that story was about

what should happen in the future and

not what has to happen now. It’s

unfortunate that the events of the last

three months brought about my

retrospective inflection, but here we are.

In review so you don’t have to

search out that article, In March of

2018, things were getting better out

there for all of you. Sappi and the then

Verso mill in Jay had announced major

changes to their mills and new

investment was starting to pop up in

other areas as well such as Pleasant

River Lumber’s mills in Jackman and

Dover Foxcroft. We were also nearing

the end of the LePage Administration

and won a major victory at the

Legislature with an override of a veto on

the six-week work search waiver for

unemployment insurance. All in all,

things weren’t great, but they were

looking and feeling better. Right now, I

bet all of you are longing for that period

of time rather than where we are right

now.

The last three months have

probably felt like an eternity to all of

you. Even though the winter was rough

weather wise, I heard many positives in

terms of how things went for operations

and profitability. Now, just like that, all

of your companies have changed, or

soon will.


This spring, while you held out

hope that wood fiber products were in

demand and you were told that you were

“essential”, reality started to set in.

Certain paper products were in demand,

but for those made here in Maine and in

states/provinces nearby, the bottom has

fallen out quickly.

I guess we should have seen a

trend almost a year ago, but no one can

predict the future in great detail. Last

summer and fall, it didn’t appear that

loggers could keep up with demand.

Also, the weather last summer and fall

was extremely poor with constant rain

and you couldn’t catch a break.

In 2018 and 2019 in Aroostook

County, two biomass electric facilities

were torn down in the space of a year

and those who had invested in their

companies to produce a product that was

in demand just a year before were gone

in the blink of an eye.

Add to that the demand for labor

and the lack of supply and we had the

recipe for disaster but lacked all of the

ingredients to bake it.

Earlier this year, we saw the first

strike of COVID 19 with the Woodland

mill. As the Asian market started to shut

down in January and February, logging

operations were told to shutter earlier

than the year before. There was too

much wood on the market and with

nowhere for Woodland to sell their

product, there was inevitably no way

they could justify purchasing more

wood. This was a very explainable and

predictable situation. Then, the bottom

fell out with the second and third strikes.

In early April, the Pixelle mill

blew up and with it came sheer panic.

Prices dropped precipitously across

almost every commodity. Part of it was

due to COVID 19, but most of it was

due to the impact of the Pixelle mill. As

Doran Continued Page 16


9

J

AY - Dale Mills is a driver for PLC Member R.C.

McLucas of Porter, and at midday on April 15 he was

in his red Peterbilt truck on the outbound scales at the

Pixelle Specialty Solutions mill in Jay, when a

digester in the pulp mill exploded.

“I couldn’t think what in the hell was happening,

there was a big bang, everything going up in the air,” Dale

recalled. “The truck was on the scale, I thought it was

something on the other side and I couldn’t really see.”

Then the contents of the digester rained down

across a large area including the outbound scales, covering

his log truck in 2 inches of chemical and fiber slurry that

eventually ate into the aluminum of the truck. The truck

suffered no other damage and, like many across the state

who were there or saw the videos of the powerful

explosion, Dale said, “I’m just surprised nobody got killed,

I can’t believe that.”

As news of the disaster spread, loggers’ first

concern was for the safety of workers and truckers who

were at the mill at the time of the explosion, many their

family members and friends. Once the word went out that

no one had died, concerns immediately shifted to the loss

of the mill.

As soon as the scale of the damage became clear,

Dale and every other driver at the mill that day knew there

was big trouble ahead for the state’s logging and forest

trucking industry. Within hours the entire industry knew

the same thing.

FROM BAD TO WORSE


By the time the Pixelle mill exploded, Maine loggers were just beginning to grapple with the trickle down

economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, a short, warm winter in many areas of the state

had already limited harvesting in those areas. Wood prices overall were not strong, leaving profit margins thin as

operating expenses continued to rise. Many companies were struggling.

The effect of the pandemic on the industry was gradual. As the world began locking down, the global economy

slowed. Export markets dried up and demand for many wood based products dropped as consumer and business

spending plummeted. Soon, mills began slowing their wood purchases, and prices suffered. As Maine went into its own

lockdown, loggers were deemed “essential” and permitted to continue operating, but freedom to work didn’t always

mean the work was there.

Then the mill exploded.

The explosion in Jay would have been a major challenge to Maine’s logging industry at the best of times, but

happening when it did it quickly turned a bad situation into a crisis: In just a few seconds, a mill that had consumed

about 20 percent of Maine’s total pulpwood harvest vanished. Suddenly, nearly every logger in the state was left

wondering, what now?

More than two months later, they are still wondering.

Crisis Continued Page 12


11

Crisis Continued from Page 11 16

THE PANDEMIC BY THE NUMBERS

A survey of the membership of the Professional

Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) conducted in May

2020 on the impact of COVID-19 on Maine's logging and

forest trucking companies revealed 88 percent of

respondents had been negatively impacted by the

pandemic.

Eighty-six contractors representing 44 percent of

the total membership of the PLC responded to the survey.

Among the 88 percent of respondents who reported being

negatively impacted by the pandemic, operational

uncertainty and inability to plan for the future was cited

as an impact by 67.1 percent, business/revenue losses by

65.8 percent, loss of clients by 32.9 percent, staffing cuts/

layoffs by 23.7 percent, and reduced productivity from

staff by 21.1 percent. 36.8 percent reported all as impacts.

Among those contractors impacted by the

pandemic, 42.5 percent expected harvest losses of 20,000

tons or more. The remainder expected losses ranging

from 1,000 tons to 10,000 tons. In total, contractors

expected to lose a minimum of 812,000 tons (this

represents estimates from only 86 companies), which

would translate to a loss of 6.8 percent of the total Maine

wood harvest (11,817,367 tons) in 2018.

The survey was conducted a little over two

months after the pandemic officially began. Since then,

the situation has worsened for many contractors.

PLC Membership Survey: COVID-19 Impacts

OPERATING BELOW COST

Gavin McLain of PLC Member CTL Land

Management Services, a Master Logger company based

in Washington, ME, depended heavily on the Pixelle pulp

mill for business. During a typical week, his company

would deliver 30-40 loads of wood to the Jay mill. When it

exploded, that went to zero.

“We were right

in the middle of a

sizable harvest when it

happened, and that

basically stopped all the

wheels from turning for

two straight weeks as

we scrambled around

kind of in panic mode to

see what was available

for other markets,”

Gavin McLain

Gavin said. He reached

out to other mills and

while they offered to buy the wood, “The prices that were

offered for the products were basically below my cost

structure, so the price per ton that they were offering was

less than what it cost me to produce the wood.”

CTL sold the wood at a loss to keep some cash

flow going and to complete the project, and then Gavin got

in touch with all the company’s lenders.

“We’ve started laying the groundwork for a

shutdown here, because every day that we work I’m taking

equity out of equipment and I’m taking money out of the

bank and giving it to the pulp mills so that I can deliver

wood below cost,” Gavin said. “There’s no efficiency that

you can bring to the table to allow a contractor to match

efficiencies to the prices that are in the market right now

for the pulpwood. The only solution to that is to stop

logging in my opinion.”

CTL had 21 people on the payroll the day of the

explosion. The company had three of its own cut-to-length

crews and two subcontracted crews working in the woods,

two out of four of its own trucks, and two subcontracted

trucks. CTL is diversified, with operations including kiln

dried firewood and a sawmill in addition to its logging


crews, but it has already begun idling crews and trucks and

it looks likely that only one cut-to-length crew will

continue to operate, mainly to focus on jobs that can yield

product for the firewood and sawmill operations. Longterm,

even that is uncertain, Gavin said.

“I don’t believe that I’ve seen the full ramifications

of this financially, I think that’s yet to

come, I think this fall and this winter

is probably going to be the real

issue,” Gavin said. “We could

continue to operate on reduced

quotas, a reduced quota is acceptable,

but the reduced price per unit is

unacceptable because it’s below our

operating cost, that’s the part that’s

killing me.”

While most of his time and

concern right now is focused on

trying to save as much of his business

and as many of the workers who

depend on it as he can, Gavin also foresees problems ahead

for the health of Maine’s forests if the current situation

does not improve. That’s because to properly manage a

forest, loggers need markets for a variety of tree species

and for both high-grade and low-grade wood, which allows

them to cut what needs to be cut for the health of the forest

and still make money for both the landowner and

themselves.

Unless mills can start paying what they were

paying for pulp wood before the loss of Jay and the impact

of the pandemic, that kind of logging will become

impossible, Gavin said.

“It’s expensive to practice good forestry,” Gavin

said. “If we’re going to do it correctly we have to be paid to

do it.”

DIFFICULT DECISIONS

Mike Nadeau, whose PLC Member and Master

Logger company White Oak Inc. is based in St. Francis on

Maine’s northern border, did not do business with the Jay

mill, but its loss has hurt his company anyway.

When Jay was operating, other mills buying pulp in

the southern half of Maine had to buy some from loggers in

far northern Maine like White Oak to ensure a steady

supply. With Jay’s pulp mill gone, those mills now have

more than enough supply from loggers who are closer.

“They don’t have to buy any far wood because

they’ve got enough close wood, so basically they shut

down the far wood up here, so it hurt us in an indirect

way.” Mike said.

Because his operation is so far from Jay, Mike has

been better able than most Maine loggers to separate the

R.C. McLucas truck on the road.

effects of the pandemic on his company from the effects of

the Jay mill loss. What he is seeing has convinced him the

logging industry would be in deep trouble even if Jay were

still operating: Many mills are slowing operations due to

decreased demand for products, and how soon and even

whether that demand - say for office paper - returns, is

questionable. Meanwhile, prices for

wood are down, and contracts that

were in the pipeline are being

canceled.

“You could put 14 mills in

the state right now, but product is not

selling. The market is that bad, and I

don’t think it’s going to come back

fully,” Mike said. “I’m just looking at

one crew this morning and between

the hardwood and the softwood cuts

this year there is going to be

$211,000 less gross revenue on just

one crew alone. All four crews this

year I’m looking close to a million dollars less revenue

between production volume and price decreases. Do I shut

everything down for the year and tell the guys to go home

and just pay the interest on what I’ve got? And then what

happens next year?”

Like every logger the PLC spoke to for this story,

these are hard decisions for Mike, affecting not only a

family business that he has poured a lifetime of effort and

profit into, but also the lives of his workers and their

families.

“I’ve got 20 families here,” Mike said. “What do I

do?”

IT MAY GET WORSE

Three hundred miles to the south of Mike in Porter,

Richard McLucas also worries about the families who

depend on his business, PLC Member and Master Logger

company, R.C. McLucas. These days, there is a lot to

worry about.

Richard has also seen some mills and markets

slowing down and shutting down due to the economic

effects of the pandemic. On top of that the effect of the Jay

mill loss has been “devastating” to his company, which he

estimates sent 90 percent of its softwood pulp to Pixelle

before the explosion.

“Every time my phone rings and it’s a wood buyer

I prepare for the worst, because you never know what it’s

going to be on the other end, and its usually bad news,”

Richard said.

The market for saw logs has been holding up for

the most part, but with Maine’s biomass market already

weak and the pulp market flooded by the loss of Jay, it is

Crisis cont. Page 14


13

Crisis Continued from Page 1316

the lack of a low-grade wood market, and the prices you

get when you manage to sell low-grade, that is hurting his

business the most, Richard said.

“What we’re cutting and yarding and trucking

some of this wood for, it’s a joke. You’ve got to kind of

keep going but could we do this all the time? No, we

couldn’t,” Richard said. “It may get worse before this

year’s over, we’re only halfway through and I hate to say it

but I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of this for us.”

The future is hard to plan for and for the first time

since he’s been in business, Richard said he will be unable

to give his workers a raise this year. He is trying to remain

upbeat and has no plans to get out of logging, but right now

the business is tougher he can ever remember.

“Do I lay awake a lot of nights worrying about 40-

some odd families? Yes, I do,” Richard said.

WE ARE BORDERLINE

Located right in Jay, only a few miles from the

Pixelle mill, PLC Member and Master Logger company L

& A Ridley Inc. is in some ways both worse off and better

off than many other logging operations in Maine.

Worse off because Ron Ridley, who runs the thirdgeneration

business with his son, Corey, estimates Pixelle

was 75-80 percent of his business and he has now lost a

primary market that was right on his doorstep. Better off

because his company is a small father-son operation with

relatively low overhead, and has maintained contracts and

relationships with other area mills over the years so he still

has markets.

“When the mill blew up we were both at the garage

and we had just shut down for the spring, we got all our

loads cleaned out, and so at least we didn’t get stuck with

any 8-foot wood,” Ron said. “For me, losing the mill has

been way worse than the COVID thing, COVID didn’t

affect us as much, all our markets are soft right now but to

me that’s a temporary thing, this could be permanent.”

On a mid-June morning at a job site in Jay, Ron

was looking at softwood that would once have been

processed into 8-foot lengths and trucked a few miles to

Pixelle. Now it would have to go somewhere else, and no

matter where that was, the cost to truck it would be higher

and the price paid lower than what he was getting at

Pixelle.

Ron is both a diesel mechanic and a truck driver,

and Corey has his forestry license, so between them they

bring a lot of value to the job in addition to their logging

skills. That helps keep costs down for their small cut-tolength

operation. Even so, with markets depressed by the

pandemic and the loss of Jay, it is very difficult to turn a

profit.

Like Gavin McLain, Ron sees the problems in the

low-grade market having a negative effect on the ability of

loggers to properly manage forests in Maine. He also sees

serious problems ahead for many logging companies if

profitability continues to suffer, including his own.

“We are borderline, which is sad for a thirdgeneration

business that has been here for over 50 years,”

Ron said. “You’d like to have a business plan that is more

than just, ‘survive.’ This summer is going to be a summer

from hell and we’re going to lose some guys, There’s no

way around it.”

ASKING FOR HELP

At this point, most Maine loggers are just trying to

hang on in hopes that a recovering economy can restore

markets and wood prices before their ability to continue

operating under the current conditions fails.

Of those who responded to the survey conducted

by the PLC in May, 67 percent reported they had applied

for and utilized the federal pandemic relief Paycheck

Protection Program as a way to extend their ability to

continue operating and maintaining their payrolls, but in

discussions with loggers who did so, many said the

program, while helpful, falls far short of what it would take

to save the industry from the challenges it faces right now.

With that in mind, and with a decision by Pixelle

on whether to rebuild the pulp mill in Jay likely many


months away, the PLC led early efforts to mobilize a

national effort to secure federal relief for loggers similar to

that already earmarked for the fishing and farming

industries.

That effort is now centered around a proposal put

forth by the 34 member associations of the

American Loggers Council (ALC) which would reserve

$2.5 billion to provide a loan program for contractors that

harvested/delivered wood to various mills across the

country in 2019.

If it is approved by Congress and President Trump,

contractors would be able to apply for low-interest bridge

loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist

them with their ability to continue business operations for

the next twelve months while markets attempt to recover. If

a company that applies for and receives the funding can

prove that their revenues or volume delivered are down

10% or more from 2019, the funds will be treated as a grant

and forgiven. If company revenues are down less than 10%

than what they declared in 2019, the funds will become a

low interest loan and need to be repaid.

Maine loggers are not the sort to ask for help

lightly, particularly from the government, but with the

industry in an unprecedented crisis threatening their

businesses and the jobs and communities that depend on

them, many now see little option.

“Speaking for myself, we need some assistance out

here somewhere,” Gavin said. “I hate asking for assistance

and I’m not a big fan of handouts, believe me there’s

nothing I hate worse than asking for help with anything, but

we’re truly in a mess as an industry right now, I don’t know

how else to describe it.”

Richard agreed he also does not like the idea of

assistance but wished that something could be done to help

bring back the Jay mill or at least restore that market.

“We don’t need handouts, we need a market, we

need that mill in Jay to run. That’s where I feel that help

from the government or from the state, that’s where it

needs to go,” Richard said.

Up in St. Francis, trying to figure out what to do

for his business and workers in the face of a challenge

beyond anything he and the rest of the industry expected

only a few months ago, Mike agreed he does not want to

ask for help but does not know what else to do at this point.

“I’m looking for anything that can help us get

through this, the banks are doing everything they can, and I

can’t ask anymore from the bankers, it’s the government

I’m looking at saying is there any way you can help?” Mike

said. “We’re proud people, we’ve decided to fight this until

we can’t anymore not just for me but for the 20 families

depending on this business that have become my family,

we don’t want to give up...but every company that’s in the

woods today is going to need some help, and if there is no

help now, there will not be anyone left to help later.”

Ron Ridley processing wood in Jay, ME

Opposite: Corey Ridley (at left) and Ron Ridley on

the job.

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2020 15

Doran Continued from Page 9

is all too common, some mills gouged loggers and

took advantage of the moment. Instead of seeing the

situation as tragic and unfortunate with long-term

ramifications for the supply chain, some mills took it

upon themselves to lower their prices below what any

logger could afford to provide the service at as a way

to buy cheap wood. This sent shock waves

throughout the state and most were left saying, “I

can’t believe this is happening, do they really think

we can survive with these kinds of price drops? The

only way that I can survive is if I shut my crew down

as there is no way I can run this business if this is the

way it’s going to be. There are too many loggers and

too much wood on the market and the best thing I

could do is to shut my business down for the

foreseeable future.”

When most thought it couldn’t get any worse,

it did, and the third strike landed right in the catcher’s

glove. The real impacts of COVID 19 are now being

felt throughout the industry and throughout the

country. Some of the most stable mills in the state are

now struggling for survival. Their markets have

crashed around the globe and this has left the future of

timber harvesting in limbo. Yes, there are some

bright signs in certain commodities like building

products, but in others like packaging and release

paper, markets have dropped precipitously.

This brings me back to where I started.

Back in March of 2018, I compared the

loggers to farmers. After all, you are farmers, just

with a crop that has a much longer life cycle.

In the 1980’s, the farming community in the

United States was going through a crisis. Grain and

corn markets were being decimated by foreign

competition and a movement started to save the

family farm. Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John

Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in

1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms

and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land.

Since that time, farmers in the United States

are still challenged, but they created a movement of

outreach and assistance in states and at the federal

level that has essentially done everything it can do to

protect American agriculture. Farmers are viewed as

heroes and more than just essential. Farmers are also

looked at as the fabric of the rural economy and the

backbone of American society.

Back in March of this year, the work that

farmers started back in 1985 paid huge dividends.

As it was clear that COVID 19 was going to

wreak havoc upon our economy, Congress went to

work on an aid package to help those who they

thought would be the most impacted. The

presumption was that farmers would be devastated by

the pandemic. If restaurants, movie theaters, sporting

events, etc. were shut down, farmers would have no

place to sell their food. If the borders were closed and

shipping lines were shut down, food commodities

would not move. This speculation was partially true,

but also a bit unfounded because American citizens

still needed to eat and they were going to purchase

their food products from grocery stores instead of

from restaurants. Restaurants also learned how to

work with less staff and many turned take out into a

profitable exercise.

Also included in this package of assistance

was money for fisherman, including over $30 million

for fisherman here in Maine, as the same speculation

used for farmers was then applied to fisherman. Sheer

panic set in and because farmers have been at the

table so long, they will receive over $16 billion in aid

across the country.

As all of you know, loggers are not viewed as

farmers even though they harvest a crop every day

and take great care to conserve their surroundings and

Doran Continued Page 18



Doran Continued from Page 16

their environment for future generations. At the same

time, loggers also don’t want to be known as farmers

too because farmers have had to look for government

assistance on so many occasions that it’s far too

common that their business models won’t pass muster

without some kind of federal aid program.

With that in mind, desperate times call for

desperate measures. As much as loggers don’t want

their business to exist because of a subsidy, they also

know that in times like this where there is a

possibility that 20-30% of their market might go away

in 2020 due to no fault of their own, if they are going

to live until tomorrow, they might need some help to

get from here to there.

A survey of the membership of the PLC

conducted in early May 2020 on the impact of

COVID-19 on Maine's loggers/truckers revealed 88

percent of respondents have been negatively impacted

by the pandemic. My guess is that today, this

percentage is probably closer to 100.

Those impacts include revenue losses, layoffs,

loss of clients, reduced productivity, and inability to

plan for the future. Many respondents reported

experiencing all of these effects. The companies

responding to the survey represented 44 percent of the

total membership of the PLC, and the predicted

harvest losses for this subgroup alone would represent

a minimum 6.8 percent of Maine’s total wood harvest

for the most recent year for which data is available,

2018. As time goes on and market impacts are

continuing to spiral, it is our prediction that a

minimum of 20% of the annual timber harvest could

be impacted. A 20% reduction in timber harvesting

means a nearly $86 million direct economic loss for

the Maine economy and over 600 jobs eliminated.

Clearly, a lot is on the line.

Maine is not alone and this story is very

consistent with other timber producing states across

the country where mills have reduced their

consumption of wood during the COVID-19

pandemic as a result of reduced or lost markets.

Combined with high operating costs and low returns

on investments, this collapse in wood demand

threatens the survival of logging and log hauling

businesses and means that capacity throughout the

United States could be deeply reduced by this crisis.

In Maine of course, the loss of the Pixelle pulp mill in

Jay has greatly compounded this issue.

While our Congressional delegation wanted to

be helpful, they also knew that if this was going to be

an option in a future stimulus package, it would take

more than Maine to get it across the finish line. This

had to be a national problem that would be quantified

by data with support and devastation documented

across the country.

Prompted by our Congressional delegation,

the PLC went to work, and we started calling our

colleagues in other fiber producing states. North

Carolina, Minnesota, Oregon. Just as in Maine, folks

in those states were seeing the same thing. As a

result, we reached out to the American Loggers

Council and asked them to take the lead on this effort

and as of today, as a result of the PLC’s leadership,

they have done just that.

As I am writing this article, we are awaiting

final bill language that can be introduced by Senator

Collins and Congressman Golden sometime before

the 4 th of July recess. The bill is also expected to have

full support from the entire Maine delegation,

including Senator King and Congresswoman Pingree

when it is introduced. The leadership of the Maine

delegation on this issue has been unwavering and

once again, Maine has taken the lead just like our

state motto.

Under this proposal, $2.5 billion would be

reserved for contractors that harvested/delivered wood

14 18 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

to various mills across the country in 2019 to apply for

low interest loans/grants through the U.S. Department

of Agriculture to assist them with their ability to

continue business operations for the next twelve

months while their markets attempt to recover, much

like the assistance already given to producers of

agricultural and seafood commodities.

If a company that applies for and receives the

funding can prove that their revenues or volume

delivered are down 10% or more from 2019, the funds

will be treated as a grant and forgiven. If company

revenues are down less than 10% than what they

declared in 2019, the funds will become a low interest

loan and need to be repaid.

If a fourth and final aid package is taken up in

late July, our hope and that of the delegation is that

this request will be fully funded and signed by the

President. That said, we will need the support of our

full membership to get the ball across the goal line.

At this point in time, as much as loggers don’t

want to ask for a handout, there may be no other way.

All of what has transpired has occurred due to no fault

of their own and it might be the first and only time

that they have asked for the government to ensure they

live to see another day.

Loggers represent the fabric of rural areas

across this country, especially in Maine. There are

tremendous similarities and far fewer differences

between loggers, farmers and fisherman, but farmers

and fisherman are generally seen as heroes and

loggers are seen only as necessary.

At this point in time, for loggers, the same type

of decimation that is impacting farmers and fisherman

here in Maine and across the country is also impacting

them.

Maine loggers and forest truckers have seen

what has been done to help their sisters and brothers in

the farming and fishing industries, even before the

impact on those industries had been realized, and now

they hope that their representatives in Washington

D.C. will do the same for them. Loggers and truckers

are only essential to our economy if they are in

business to do the job.

Be well, stay safe and know the PLC is doing

all it can right now to make sure our membership can

survive to do what they do best, farm the forest and

get to work.



21

22

Trucking

Trucking Industry News...

Ohio Street Bridge Project continues…

The Maine Department of Transportation is

replacing the Ohio Street Bridge, which carries Ohio Street

over I-95 in Bangor. Demolition began in February and

will continue through April. The new bridge will be open

by September 2020. During demolition and construction,

local traffic, including pedestrians, will be detoured. After

the new bridge opens, there will be alternating one-way

traffic with flaggers until the project is completed in

November 2020.

There will also be complete interstate closures,

either northbound or southbound, during overnight hours -

between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. These closures are

allowed Monday through Thursday, and detours will be

clearly marked. There will be no interstate closures during

July and August. Regular updates on this project are

posted at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/projects/bangor/

ohiost/

DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance

Notice…

The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, Pub.

L. 115-334, (Farm Bill) removed hemp from the definition

of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. Under

the Farm Bill, hemp-derived products containing a

concentration of up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

are not controlled substances. THC is the primary

psychoactive component of marijuana. Any product,

including “Cannabidiol” (CBD) products, with a

concentration of more than 0.3% THC remains classified

as marijuana, a Schedule I drug under the Controlled

Substances Act. Learn more at https://

content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOT/

bulletins/27bd19f

FMCSA releases Hours of Service Final Rule, making 4

key rule changes

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

(FMCSA) published their long-awaited Hours of Service

Final Rule.

For nearly two years, the FMCSA has been

crafting the changes to current Hours of Service

regulations that were debuted on the morning of May 14.

The agency has promised that the regulation changes will

increase flexibility for U.S. truckers while maintaining

highway safety.

“America’s truckers are doing a heroic job keeping

our supply chains open during this unprecedented time and

these rules will provide them greater flexibility to keep

America moving,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary

Elaine L. Chao.

FMCSA says that they drafted the Final Rule after

consulting more than 8,000 public comments from

industry stakeholders, law enforcement, safety groups, and

drivers themselves.

The Final Rule features four key changes to

existing Hours of Service requirements.

• The Agency will increase safety and flexibility for

the 30-minute break rule by requiring a break after 8 hours

of consecutive driving and allowing the break to be

satisfied by a driver using on-duty, not driving status,

rather than off-duty status.

• The Agency will modify the sleeper-berth

exception to allow drivers to split their required 10 hours


Trucking

off duty into two periods: an 8/2 split, or a 7/3 split—with

neither period counting against the driver’s 14‐hour driving

window.

• The Agency will modify the adverse driving

conditions exception by extending by two hours the

maximum window during which driving is permitted.

The Agency will change the short-haul exception available

to certain commercial drivers by lengthening the drivers’

maximum on‐duty period from 12 to 14 hours and

extending the distance limit within which the driver may

operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles.

Many industry stakeholders had been hoping for a

rule change that would allow drivers to “pause” the 14 hour

clock, but the FMCSA said that they decided against this

change after consulting public comment.

The new Hours of Service rules will be implemented 120

days after the Final Rule is published in the Federal

Register.

The FMCSA says that the new Hours of Service

rules will save American consumers and the U.S. economy

$274 million per year. The agency says that most of these

savings will come from the increased flexibility that the

new 30 minute rest break rule will provide for drivers.

Cross-border Prohibition for CMV drivers with

Insulin Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM) Removed...

The FMCSA is alerting motor carriers and CMV

drivers that cross the U.S.-Canada borderthat on Sept. 24,

2019, FMCSA and Canada formally updated their medical

reciprocity agreement with Canada and removed the crossborder

prohibition for CMV drivers with Insulin

Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM). Letter exchanged by

FMCSA and Transport Canada may be viewed on the

International Safety Programs webpage https://

www.fmcsa.dot.gov/international-programs.

You can find links to both the FMCSA and

Canadian letters reflecting the removal of the cross-border

prohibition for CMV drivers with ITDM, under both

headings Entering Canada and Entering the United States.

Additionally, FMCSA has posted an updated FAQ

on the International Safety Programs related to this change,

under the Frequently Asked Questions-Medical

Qualifications heading, at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/

international-programs/medical-qualificationrequirements.

Anyone with questions may refer to the above link

or may contact Carla Vagnini of the FMCSA North

American Borders Division, via email

at Carla.vagnini@dot.gov, or by phone at (202) 366-3771.

Trucking section Continued Page 26

Need truck

drivers for your

business?

Remember, the

PLC “Logging

Zone” classifieds

can help you

advertise to find

them!

Email

jessica@maineloggers.com!

Free to members!


25

Trucking

Trucking Industry News...

Madawaska/Edmundston International Bridge

Replacement Project…

After nearly 100 years of service, the Madawaska/

Edmundston International Bridge is in poor condition.

Despite efforts to maintain the bridge, the rate of

deterioration has accelerated to the point that the end of the

useful service life is fast approaching. In October 2017, the

bridge was posted at five tons (the equivalent of a

passenger vehicle). Therefore, any substantial investments


Trucking

would be impractical. Since this bridge is nearly 100 years

old, it no longer meets the needs of the communities and

local businesses because of it's width and load capacity. It

would cost more to upgrade the current bridge than to build

a new one.

In May of 2018, the Madawaska/Edmundston

International Bridge and Border Crossing Feasibility Study

was finalized by MaineDOT, the New Brunswick

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NBDTI),

and the US General Services Administration (GSA). The

study recommended that a new bridge connect the existing

border station in Edmundston, NB to a fullymodernized

station in Madawaska. This bridge

will be built approximately 1,300 feet upriver on

the St. John.

The purpose of the proposed project is

to provide for the long-term, safe and efficient

flow of current and projected traffic volumes,

including the movement of goods and people,

between Madawaska and Edmundston. The

project is necessary because:

end of its useful life and is posted at a 5-ton weight limit.

▪ The size and conditions of the existing building and

overall site of the Madawaska border station are

substandard, preventing customs and inspection agencies

from adequately fulfilling their respective missions.

The project is set to advertise in Q4 of 2020, but

physical construction may not begin until 2021, depending

on contract, award, and mobilization timing.

▪ The existing International Bridge is nearing the


27

PLC Supporting Member Spotlight:

Daigle & Houghton Inc.

Above: Daigle & Houghton’s Hermon facility on Coldbrook Road.

Opposite top: Trucks on their way to the Fort Kent dealership in the early 1960s.

Opposite bottom: Staff at work serving customers in Hermon in person, online, and on the phone.

F

ORT KENT - Daigle & Houghton Inc. was

formed in 1951 in the heart of Maine’s northern

forest logging economy, and in the years since

then, the company has

grown into a top truck sales, parts

and service provider serving

loggers and other customers

throughout Maine and New

England.

The company did not start

out serving loggers. Formed by

Leo Daigle, Tom Houghton Sr.,

and Tom’s two sons, Jack and

Tom Jr., Daigle & Houghton

began as a dealer of Massey-Harris farm equipment.

Leo’s son, John, joined the business in 1956 and

by 1959, the decision was made to get out of the farm

equipment business and concentrate on truck sales. By

1964, the Daigle’s had bought out the Houghton’s interest

in the company and were well on their way to becoming

“As Daigle & Houghton Inc.

continues to expand, the

quality service and personal

attention we provide our

customers remains at the very

forefront of what we do.”

the only International truck dealer in Northern Maine.

In 1984, two of John’s sons, Gary and Greg,

joined him in the family business: Gary and Greg returned

to Fort Kent and established what

would become a formidable

business in Maine’s logging

economy with the addition of the

Western Star Trucks franchise to

the Navistar International line in

1985. This fueled the need for more

space at the Fort Kent location, and

an 8,000-square foot addition was

completed in 1987 which added 8

new service bays.

1997 marked a major milestone for the company,

as a goal of expanding to central Maine became a reality

after a Western Star Truck franchise for central Maine was

awarded to Daigle & Houghton and the search for a

suitable location to build began. The final site selected was

a parcel of land across the street from Dysart’s truck stop


on Coldbrook Road in Hermon.

Located just outside of

Bangor, off exit 180 on Interstate

-95, the location is arguably in

the center of the busiest truck

traffic, sales, and service area in

the state, and it has fueled strong

growth for the company.

Construction of a 25,000 square

foot sales, parts, and service

center was completed in 1998 and

it officially opened for business

in December of that year. The

International franchise for the

Hermon dealership was acquired

in 2015, allowing Daigle &

Houghton to further expand its offerings in the central

Maine region.

2018 was another year of big changes and growth,

as Daigle & Houghton was awarded an International

franchise in Scarborough Maine. A new dealership was

established at 154 Pleasant Hill

Road in a newly renovated

building, featuring a full parts,

service and sales department as

well as a large inventory display.

In addition to expanding Daigle

& Houghton’s market with

International, this new location

also sells and services Wabash

National, Transcraft, Benson,

Trout River, and Pelletier

Manufacturing trailers; in

addition to a variety of used units.

With this expansion,

Daigle & Houghton currently has

just under 100 full-time employees across three dealership

locations that service the entire state of Maine and beyond.

“Daigle & Houghton serves and sells to loggers in

northern, central, and southern Maine, as well as customers

Daigle & Houghton Continued Page 30


29

Daigle & Houghton Continued from Page 29

in New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.

Our reputation for knowing the forestry business

coupled with the ability for one-stop truck and

trailer shopping has fueled our growth,” Gary

Daigle, President of D&H, said.

Western Star is of course a familiar and

popular heavy truck brand trusted by many

loggers in Maine and elsewhere, and is often

sighted on logging roads in Maine. International

is also a long established and respected brand

with a line of medium to heavy duty trucks that

can meet a range of needs for logging and forest

trucking companies. Daigle & Houghton also

offers popular top-of-the line products like

Pelletier Manufacturing log trailers.

Isuzu commercial trucks, used medium

and heavy duty trucks, and a commercial truck

body shop round out what Daigle & Houghton

offers.

Daigle & Houghton is currently, proudly

represented by its 4 th generation; Greg’s son

Corey who joined the company in December

2009, and Gary’s son Ryan who came on in

August 2011.

“The next generation of the Daigle

family is providing the energy and leadership to

aid in our continued growth across all markets

including the forestry sector. It is important that

our business culture internally and externally be

built and maintained on a strong product

knowledge, and a dedication to customer service

and support,” Gary said.

Daigle & Houghton enjoys serving

loggers. It is always a challenge to keep up with

markets to stock the right trucks, and meeting

loggers needs in sales, parts and service in a

seasonal business that is highly dependent on

uptime provides the biggest challenge, but

meeting the needs of honest, hard-working

people makes it all worthwhile, Jack Frost,

Salesman for the D&H dealership in Hermon,

said.

“Daigle & Houghton is still family

owned and has done business using a customer

first approach that has gone largely unchanged

Daigle & Houghton Continued Page 32


John R. Daigle 1931-2020

FORT KENT - On May 8, the Professional Logging

Contractors (PLC) of Maine and the state’s logging

community lost a long-time friend and supporter.

John R. Daigle, 88, passed away surrounded by his

loving family after a brief illness on May 8,

2020. He was born in Wallagrass Plantation,

Maine on December 7, 1931, the fourth son of

Leo and Elizabeth (Brown) Daigle.

John attended Wallagrass, Fort Kent

and Presque Isle schools. He worked on the

family farm until he attended the University of

Maine at Orono. This was followed by four

years in the Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi,

and Tacoma, Washington working as a Radar

Technician and achieving the status of Staff

Sargent.

Upon his discharge from the Air

Force, John returned to Maine where he joined the family

business, Daigle & Houghton Inc., focusing his efforts on

truck sales. John ultimately assumed ownership of Daigle &

Houghton developing an excellent reputation in the industry

throughout Maine and beyond. He was well known and

appreciated for his business acumen, generosity, honesty,

and compassion. He was also involved in several other

businesses over the years.

A man of quick wit and humor, John built strong

friendships and a reputation for fair and honest dealing with

the state’s logging and forest trucking industry.

John was an early supporter of the PLC, and when

the organization expanded its membership opportunities

Daigle & Houghton became a Preferred

Supporting Member of the organization.

John’s generous contributions to

charitable causes included many years of

support and sponsorships of the PLC’s Log A

Load for Maine Kids annual fund drive.

A loving husband, father, and

grandfather; John built the very foundation of

what today is recognized as one of the largest

and most successful truck dealerships in the

state of Maine. He viewed his employees and

customers as family, and he was always willing

to lend an ear and a helping hand whenever he

was able. Daigle & Houghton Inc. was built in John’s image

as a family business of honor and integrity, and we have no

doubt the Daigle family will continue to work tirelessly for

their customers every day to honor his memory and make

him proud.

John will be missed. The PLC thanks him for his

many years of support for the logging and forest trucking

industry, and our condolences go out to his

family.


31

Daigle & Houghton Continued from Page 30

since the beginning. A lot of our sales team and employees have

logging backgrounds and know what it is to have payments, repairs

and downtime. Being able to relate to our logging customers and

understand their unique situations gives us a competitive advantage,

and helps us establish trust with our customers,” Jack said.

Daigle & Houghton is a Preferred Supporting Member of the

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) with many

customers who are PLC Members. The company has sponsored and

supported many PLC events and efforts, including the annual PLC Log

A Load for Maine Kids fund drive.

“PLC is a great group of

people and we are happy to support

the logging industry. By being a

member, we can stay on top of what

the industry is doing including

tracking market trends, legislation

that could potentially impact our

business and our customers, and

more. PLC helps us learn what we

can do to keep the logging industry

moving in a positive direction,” Ben

Rioux, Inventory & Marketing

Coordinator for the company, said.

While the COVID-19

pandemic and struggles in the

logging industry brought on by soft

markets for wood and the loss of the

Pixelle Specialty Solutions pulp mill

Trucks being serviced at the

Hermon facility on Coldbrook

Road.

in Jay to an explosion have provided

additional challenges this year,

Daigle & Houghton’s business has

remained strong and the company is

forging ahead and confident the

company’s future is a bright one.

“As Daigle & Houghton Inc. continues to expand, the quality

service and personal attention we provide our customers remains at the

very forefront of what we do. It is our goal now and in the future to

surpass expectations in the truck and trailer industry, keep employee

retention high so our customers can deal with a trained and

knowledgeable staff, and provide excellent customer service across all

aspects of our business,” Ben said.

Early days: Trucks and facilities

in Fort Kent.


Mechanized Logging Operations Program 2020!

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP - The Mechanized

Logging Operations Program (MLOP) will begin its next

class July 6 with a week of online classes before

transitioning to classes in the woods northeast of Old Town

a week later.

Students enrolled in the 12 week certificate

program will spend weeks harvesting timber using

sophisticated state-of-the-art machines like those they will

encounter in the logging industry. The hands-on

experience students gain operating equipment is something

unavailable anywhere else in Maine and neighboring

states.

This summer’s class is the fourth since the

program launched in 2017. Graduation for the class will be

held in October.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing

many postsecondary programs in Maine to postpone or

cancel classes, MLOP will be the first program in the state

to return to regular classes since the pandemic forced

school and college closures this spring.

Once classes move

into the woods, MLOP

instructors and students

will observe proper social

distancing and other

protocols to operate safely

while preserving the

machine operation and

harvesting experience that

is key to the program’s

success.

“Logging is the

original social distancing

profession, and with the

program being primarily outdoor based with the class split

into two small groups and individual students spending the

majority of class time operating alone in pieces of

equipment and communicating via radios, we are able to

preserve the experience while maintaining safety,” Donald

Burr, Coordinator of MLOP, said.

The latest class to complete the program graduated

in Sept. 2019. All 15 students enrolled in the program

completed it successfully and all received job offers in the

logging industry. Despite the many recruiting,

organizational and economic issues brought on by the

pandemic, this summer’s class is also full.

The Mechanized Logging Operations Program was

created thanks to a partnership between three Maine

community colleges, the PLC, and industry partners.

The program gives 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

also includes a strong emphasis on safety.

Students who are accepted into the program pay no

tuition, but are responsible for transportation, housing, and

food costs. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is

provided by the program.

Mechanized logging operators are among the

highest paid members of the logging workforce. Demand

for skilled operators of the feller bunchers, harvesters,

grapple skidders, forwarders, delimbers, and other

mechanized logging equipment that now harvests more

than 95 percent of all timber in Maine is strong and getting

stronger. Many current operators are reaching retirement

age and the steep costs of training new operators is driving

up demand and wages.

The program is working in tandem with the state’s

current vocational training system and so far has drawn

many of its students from within the logging industry itself

as well as from Maine’s four Career and Technical High

School logging programs in Dyer Brook, Farmington,

MLOP Graduation 2019

Norway/South Paris and Rumford/Mexico. For the first

time, logging operators are being trained similarly to other

advanced trade occupations with a high school and

postsecondary pathway approach.

The PLC partnered with the Maine Community

College System and industry to create the program. It was

jointly developed by the PLC and Northern Maine

Community College (NMCC), Eastern Maine Community

College (EMCC), and Washington County Community

College (WCCC) with generous support from Milton CAT/

CAT Forest Products and Nortrax Inc./John Deere. Other

industry supporters include Weiler, Pro Pac, Labonville

Inc., Davco, Katahdin Fire Company, Waratah, American

Forest Management, Randall Madden Trucking, and

Madden Timberland Inc.

The program has been supported since its

inception by Maine Quality Centers, a program to develop

and support skilled in-demand and high wage occupations

in Maine.


33

Safety

Training options

By Donald Burr

PLC Safety & Training Coordinator

safety@maineloggers.com

In this new world we live in you need options to

get safety training for you and your employees. May I

suggest that you work on keeping your toe and your

employees’ toes in the safety training waters. This takes

effort, interest and buy-in by everybody. I have said over

and over again that the biggest issues around safety are

thinking, and I want with this

article to present that there are

ways to keep your employees

thinking about safety so then by

default when they are working

they will be thinking, “is what I

am doing safe?” I am convinced

if we asked this question more

often, we would be hurt less.

We have options today to

get safety training like at no other

time in our lifetimes. This means

that your employees have options

to find what safety training works

for them and it no longer needs to be one size fits all.

Because let’s be fair, it is one size fits the few in reality.

One type of training may work for one, and then the same

topic presented in a different way fits another employee.

Here are some of the options.

Webinars are training that you can watch online in

a live format where you can ask questions, usually

accomplished in less than an hour. This format is also

normally recorded and can be

viewed later at the employees

convivence. This is a great

option; I recommend that you

watch a wide variety of trainings

and then you can pass along to

your employees the webinars that

you think they could learn from.

It is powerful when you are

watching the webinar live and you

ask a question and your employees

see that you are engaged and care

about what is being taught.

Blogs are a written format where a trainer takes on

a topic in a couple of short paragraphs. These are typically

short and to the point. Again, here is good place to keep

your toe in and you can also pass along the appropriate

If you are checking out trainings and passing

on good and relevant trainings to your

employees, this screams to them that you care

about safety and their well-being and they

will take it seriously (over time). The

opposite of this is having your employees

take training that you know is no good but

checks the box, this will breed a resentment

to safety and training.

information.

Vlogs, are the same as blogs except done by video

instead of in written format.

Podcast: Same as the above two, but done in

audio format. The one difference is these can be in a

longer format. I have listened to podcasts that are three

hours long. It was hard to listen

for that long and I think that the

presenters lost their way near the

end. Start with shorter

presentations.

Online training with a

learning management system

(LMS): These are courses set up

online that are formal, and usually

come with tests & quizzes and a

certificate of completion and

possible continuing education

credits (sometimes referred to as

Continue Education Hours

(CEH)). These are customarily a paid service. But not

always.

Where to find trainings?

The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands

(TCNEF) has a host of training options. Log onto

tcnef.org and look at the different possibilities.

Insurance companies also have a plethora of

options. Check with your insurance company about

logging into their safety training

systems. Have a topic in mind

ahead of time, because there are

so many safety training selections

if you don’t have a plan of what

you are looking for be prepared to

get lost in the possible options.

These training are free for the

policy holders and their

employees.

To quote J. R. R. Tolkien,

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find

something. You certainly usually find something, if you

look”

Stay Safe.


Safety

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance

Quarterly Safety Meeting: Cardiac Arrest

Each year, an estimated 475,000 people die from

cardiac arrest in the United states alone. Globally, cardiac

arrest claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast

cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto

accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined. As one

of the leading causes of death annually, cardiac arrest is a

medical condition that will likely touch all of us in one way

or another. On a positive note, as medical research and

technology advances, the survival rate for cardiac patients

continues to improve if the symptoms are recognized early

and the patient receives Advanced Life Support (ALS)

quickly. While there are many symptoms of a heart attack

that you may experience, during this safety meeting we

will discuss the most common signs and symptoms and the

steps you can take to improve the patient’s likelihood of

survival.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the

top 5 most common symptoms of cardiac arrest include:

Chest pain, chest tightness or pressure – People

who have suffered a heart attack report that the level of

chest pain can vary significantly from minor tightness to, to

quote one survivor, “someone holding a blow torch against

my chest.”

Feeling weak, light-headed or dizziness –

Sweating, at times profuse, and nausea may often

accompany this symptom.

Pain radiating to the jaw, neck or back – similar

to chest pain, the level of severity has been reported to vary

significantly.

Pain or discomfort in one or both arms – In the

past, many people have been taught that arm pain is always

on the left side but, while typically the case, some patients

note pain in the right arm or even both arms.

Shortness of breath – This often accompanies

chest pain but may also precede it, providing an early

indicator of cardiac problems.

It can be challenging to evaluate a patient who is

experiencing a cardiac event because the symptoms may

manifest themselves in different ways and each patient may

experience different symptoms with varying levels of

severity. An additional challenge for the person performing

the evaluation is that many patients will deny the need for

medical help, making excuses for the symptoms they are

experiencing.

As someone who may be working with, or

spending time with someone who experiences a cardiac

event, here are several steps you can take to help increase

the patient’s odds of survival:

Early recognition of the symptoms – Far too

often people wait for the symptoms to get worse but the

quicker you can recognize them and take decisive action,

the more likely you are to improve the outcome for the

patient.

Call for help – The quicker you get the person to

help, the higher the chance of survival. As mentioned

above, if experiencing relatively minor symptoms, the

patient will likely argue that help is not needed. It is

important to allow a medical professional to make the

decision on whether help is necessary or not.

Keep the person calm and comfortable –

Patients typically feel like a burden or are embarrassed

about their medical condition. As someone there to help,

you can address this by reassuring the person, reducing the

amount of onlookers, and talking to the patient about

something that makes them happy.

Give the person a single adult dose aspirin (if

not allergic) – The National Safety Council’s first aid

curriculum recommends that the person chews a single

adult dose aspirin before swallowing it. Aspirin can often

buy some time in a cardiac event by thinning the blood out

so it flows more freely through partial blockages. As a side

note, this would be a good time to verify that your first aid

kits have aspirin and the aspirin is not out of date.

Do not allow the person to drive or perform

work tasks – Patients will often offer to “drive themselves

to the hospital” so they are not a nuisance, this can be

incredibly hazardous to both the patient as well as anyone

else on the road.

Cardiac arrest continues to be one of the leading

causes of death in the United States. Thankfully, as we

continue to advance the way we treat cardiac problems, the

likelihood of survival continues to increase, in many

instances without permanent life changes. One of the most

critical aspects in the cardiac chain of events is the early

recognition of symptoms and decisive actions taken by

bystanders to get the person to Advanced Life Support.

Taking the information from today’s safety meeting, you

may be able to make a difference in the life of a loved one

or a coworker.

Acadia is pleased to share this material for the benefit

of its customers. Please note, however, that nothing herein

should be construed as either legal advice or the provision of

professional consulting services. This material is for

informational purposes only, and while reasonable care has been

utilized in compiling this information, no warranty or

representation is made as to accuracy or completeness .

*Meeting sign-in sheet on the back! Cut along dotted line to left to detach this section. 35

Safety

*This sign-in sheet is intended to be used with the quarterly Safety Training Topic on

page 35. Refer to the cutline on page 35 when removing it from the magazine.


Safety

Keep the focus on Safety!

Members who are part of the PLC Safety

Group Dividend Program,

As you know, the PLC working in

partnership with Acadia Insurance has made

great strides in improving safety and reducing

losses for our members in recent years. Since

1999, Acadia Insurance has returned over $10

million in premium dividends to members,

which is a great testament to your efforts to

mitigate risk in your businesses.

This year, that record of success is at risk.

Early data is showing that the frequency of

claims and the cost of claims are both up

compared to previous years and as we go

forward this trend must be reversed if we are to

have another successful year for the program in

2020.

We encourage you all to review the

summary which has been sent out in your

weekly email updates and which was presented

at our June 4 PLC Board Meeting and to

redouble your efforts on safety. Please feel free

to contact PLC Safety Coordinator Donald Burr

or PLC Executive Director Dana Doran if you

have questions or to explore options for

additional safety training for your employees.

We have no doubt we can have another

successful year for the program if members

pull together on this

issue!


37

Safety

Members, have your foreman and

employees watch Donald Burr (PLC Safety &

Training Coordinator) & Ted Clark (Acadia

Insurance) hold safety tailgate meetings on a

variety of useful topics at your convenience! The

PLC is launching a new online site where you as a

PLC Member can log in to view several separate

tailgate talks, with more to be added soon!

How to use PLC Safety Resources

SHARE, SHARE & SHARE

These videos can be shared with your

employees in a group setting or the log-in

information can be sent to individual employees

by text or email. It is important for employers to

track and document which employees have

watched the videos. Remember, when it comes to

safety training, if it isn’t documented, it didn’t

happen.

Login and password information for the

new Safety Resources Page is being provided to

Members in the PLC Safety Weekly Update on

Wednesdays and the PLC Weekly Update on

Fridays.

If you have any problems accessing the

site, we can help. Contact

jessica@maineloggers.com

Safety tailgate meetings

Now on Demand!

We Support Maine Loggers


TCNEF and PLC offer online safety options

In these unique and uncertain times, the PLC

of Maine and the Trust to Conserve Northeast

Forestlands are collaborating to offer online training

options for contractors to help you achieve higher

level education goals and maintain workers’ comp.

training standards for employees that need it in 2020:

General Industry Courses:

· One online seat per company to access training

for your employees on general industry safety topics

· 33 Topics to choose from

· Unlimited use, unlimited employees

· No certificate of completion will be provided

· Free for PLC Members

8 Hour Certificate:

· 8 hours of online safety content to meet workers’

comp. requalification requirements.

· One week of availability to complete courses

· Training is applicable for current employees who

need 8 hours of training in 2020

· One employee per company free, additional

employees $25/person

· Certificate that provides credit for Maine

Workers’ Comp., OSHA, Master Logger, CLP

NE Safe Logger:

Northeast Safe Logger is an entry level safety and

workers’ comp. compliance training program for new

entrants to the industry. This is a way for your

company to create a culture of safety and reduce

risk with a program created by loggers for loggers.

· 16 hours of interactive online training

· Complete on a computer, tablet or smart phone

· Done at the users’ own pace anytime day or night

Upon completion participants will get the

discounted “certified logger” rate for workers’

compensation insurance in the State of

Maine. Visit www.tcnef.org/nesafelogger/ for

more information on pricing.

Log-ins are limited and will be awarded on a first

come first served basis. Your company will be put on

a wait list if all the log-ins are in use.

LEARN MORE about these training options

by emailing Jessica at jessica@maineloggers.com or

calling (207) 688-8195.

“Being able to have an employee complete this course online was a lifesaver after

all classroom options were cancelled. It was great that they could complete at

their own pace and at their convenience. Module topics covered areas to improve

safety of everyone on the team. It’s definitely worth the time and money to

complete the course to gain extra safety knowledge and certification, while

receiving the lower Worker’s Comp. rate at the same time!

Thanks,

Brittany Paradis, Paradis Logging, LLC

NE Safe Logger Review


A Word From

Patty Cormier

Maine Forest

Service

Director

All the terms we are hearing these days-

“uncertain times,”- “Zoom,”- “Teams,”- “social

distancing,” and “the new normal.” I’m not sure what

normal means anymore. And this is especially

relevant with the forest products industry at every

level. Prices are down; landowners are facing the

decision as to whether to stockpile their wood on the

stump; sawmill residues need a home; and, inventory

is high while demand remains low in many areas of

forest products. Add to this an explosion at a key mill.

While this paints a depressing picture, there

are some glimmers of light. We are used to roller

coaster rides in the forest products industry. Forest

Products workers are considered essential both in

Maine and nationally; we have a great network as far

as markets go; and, as Eric Kingsley of Innovative

Natural Resource Solutions LLC put it, “We have the

forest resource and supply infrastructure (landowners,

loggers, entire forest industry ecosystem) that would

make other regions jealous.” If you ever get a chance

to see his presentation on current markets, check it out,

it is good.

Within the Maine Forest Service (MFS), we

continue to serve our clients, the taxpayers. Foresters

have never stopped working with loggers, consultants,

and landowners in the field; our entomologists and

pathologist continue to answer calls for insect and

disease issues; our inventory crew is well into

completing the 600+ plots which give us the data we

need to see how our forests are doing and supply; and

our rangers are looking at the second highest fire count

in ten years and it is only June. I am humbled by all

their work for Maine people. I am also humbled by the

good work you all do. We appreciate the opportunity

to submit articles to the Loggers Voice, as well as

assisting with Master Logger hosted road building and

BMP workshops.

I continue to advocate for relief funding for

loggers and truckers, especially in light of the Jay

explosion, and support Executive Director Doran in his

efforts as he works tirelessly for you. This support is at

the state level and federally along with my

counterparts throughout the country. As you can

imagine, many other states are facing similar

challenges. It is important to note as well that within

our department, support and advocacy for loggers and

truckers in Maine is at the commissioner level too.

None of us know the future, but I remain

hopeful as you are all such a resilient group and we

have that infrastructure and we have a great pool of

consumers. My overall point is that it is important for

us to remain cohesive in our efforts to support each

other, that is how we will get results.


Introducing

your District

Foresters

Meet Terri Coolong

Old Town and Greenville

District Forester

Terri Coolong is the Maine Forest Service’s Old

Town District Forester and is currently covering the

Greenville District as well. She works in parts of

Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, Hancock, and

Somerset counties, comprising over 7.5 million acres. She

is a graduate of the University of Maine’s Forest

Engineering program.

She began her career at Great Northern Paper, then

left to start a land surveying business with her husband. She

was active on the advisory committee for the forestry

program at Northern Penobscot Tech Region III Vocational

School in Lincoln for over a decade until the decision was

made to close the program. Terri most recently spent 15

years with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, managing

lands in Eastern and Coastal Maine, including overseeing

harvests and recreational opportunities. She also maintained

the Bureau’s GIS datalayers.

In her nearly 6 years at Maine Forest Service, she

has enjoyed providing one-on-one talks with landowners,

adult education, and outreach to loggers regarding forestry

rules and regulations. She is an active member of the

boards of directors for Maine Forest and Logging Museum,

Maine Woodland Owners, and Certified Logging

Professionals, Inc.

Like all District Foresters, Terri responds to

requests for assistance from all audiences, including

loggers. Many of the most common questions deal with

timber harvesting, both in the planning stage and once

operations are underway. Did you know you can ask a

District Forester to visit a site before, during or after

logging? Understanding harvest regulations and identifying

ways to apply Best Management Practices (BMPs) that

protect water quality are two of the most common requests.

Every situation is different so it’s often helpful to have

Terri come out to a site – ideally before work begins - to

help determine if and how the rules apply, or to talk about

different ways to control water and prevent soil movement

using BMPs. Terri and other DFs also teach classes about a

range of forestry topics, from forest management to BMPs

to wildlife considerations in forestry to the Tree Growth

Tax Program. Terri and the other DFs are a great resource –

please use them!

In addition to all things “forest-y”, she has a

passion for music, dancing and quilting. Terri directs an

District Forester Terri Coolong.

Thank you to the Maine Forest Service for contributing

this article and photos.

English Handbell Choir at First Congregational Church in

Lincoln, and also sings in the choir. She is an active clogger

with “Rattle the Windows” in Lee and quilts whenever she

has spare time. She also enjoys spending as much time as

she can with granddaughter Aspyn.

Terri is also a licensed Land Surveyor and

continues to work in their family business with husband

Roger and son Rob, both also licensed land surveyors.

Daughter Becka is a kitchen and bath designer in

Holden.


The Maine Forest Service (MFS) has released

the results of a study on the use and effectiveness of

forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) at

timber harvests across the state from 2018-2019.

BMPs are voluntary measures used to protect water

quality. BMP use and effectiveness at timber

harvesting operations is monitored regularly by the

Maine Forest Service’s 10 District Foresters and

Water Resources Specialist. The results of these

monitoring efforts are reported biannually.

The following are key findings of this year’s

report:

▪A substantial majority (78%) of sites had

BMPs applied appropriately on crossings and

approaches, or crossings were avoided. MFS BMPs

emphasize planning harvests to avoid crossing streams

whenever feasible.

▪Eighty-eight percent (88%) of sites

evaluated for sediment input found no sediment

entered a waterbody. A significant goal of BMPs is

keeping sediment from reaching water bodies.

▪Ninety-six percent (96%) of sites showed no

evidence of chemical spills. Properly securing and

storing these chemicals is a vital BMP, as is being

prepared with a plan and the proper equipment if a

spill occurs.

▪When applied appropriately, BMPs were

effective at preventing sedimentation from entering

water bodies. Sedimentation events were strongly

correlated with inadequate application of BMPs, or

lack of maintenance of BMPs.

Maine’s Forestry Community

Continues to Protect Water Quality

During Timber Harvests

By Tom Gilbert

Water Resources Specialist

“On behalf of the Maine Forest Service, thank

you to all that work in the forestry business for your

continued success in protecting our water resources in

Maine,” said Maine Forest Service Director Patty

Cormier. “As the results of this report show, the water

quality guidelines, or Best Management Practices are

being taken seriously and being implemented

successfully. We all need to take care of our natural

resources, and this shows the forestry sector has

stepped up to the plate to do so.”

The full report is available on the Maine Forest

Service website at: http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/

policy_management/water_resources/bmps.html

For more information please contact Maine Forest

Service Water Resources Specialist, Tom Gilbert at

287-1073 or thomas.gilbert@maine.gov

For more information on fundamental

forestry BMPs please see our field friendly

BMP manual, Protecting Maine’s Water

Quality, available on our website:

▪Ninety-four percent (94%) of sample sites

had no wetland crossing. Wetlands were either

avoided, or effective BMPs were used to cross.

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/

policy_management/water_resources/

bmps.html


Forest Operations Notifications

(FONS)

Going All Online in January 2021

For over 30 years, the Forest Operations

Notifications (FONS) system has been paperbased.

Landowners and managers submit paper copies to

the Maine Forest Service (MFS); data is entered by hand;

acknowledgment letters printed and mailed; FONS filed,

etc. Repeat the process with amendments. Then paper

copies of landowner harvest reports are sent out at the end

of the year. More paper, more data entry, more

filing. That’s all about to change.

Starting in January 2021, FONS will become

Forest Online Resource Tool (FOResT), and it will be all

online. Landowners, Designated Agents, Foresters, and

Loggers will need to create individual accounts in FOResT

to participate in harvest notifications.

Some important features include mapping of Forest

Operations Notification activities, digital signatures,

automatic notification of all parties named on a

notification, and automated, end of year landowner reports.

"The Maine Forest Service has a rich history of

ensuring that Maine's forests continue to provide a full

range of benefits to present and future generations of

Maine people," Maine Forest Service Director Patty

Cormier observed. Part of that effort is maintaining a

notification database for harvest activity in Maine. This

database helps the Maine Forest Service develop and

advocate for activities that encourage the sound, long-term

management of Maines forests, and to provide reliable,

timely and accurate information about the forest resource.

This new online harvest notification system will provide

for ease of access, and ready information for forest

FONS Continued Page 44


FONS Continued from Page 43

practitioners. We at the Maine

Forest Service are happy to offer

this online service for your

convenience.

MFS currently is testing

the system with a small set of users

to identify and fix glitches before

the system goes fully live. We will

continue to offer additional

information, including how-to

videos, as the year progresses.

For now, you don’t need to

do anything. Just be aware that

paper FONS are going away soon.

The Maine Forest Service reported on June 28 that Maine is experiencing an

abnormally high number of wildfires. As of that date, Forest Rangers had

already responded to 750 fires. This is already the second-highest fire count

in 10 years, and it's only June.

Recent rains have helped conditions in some areas of the state, but overall

the woods remain drier than normal for this time of year. PLC encourages

members to remain vigilant and watch for fire dangers in your operations.

Stay Safe!


Regional Wood Heat Marketing Campaign

The PLC is participating in an effort to launch a

major regional wood heat marketing campaign developed

by the Northern Forest Center. This effort is benefiting

from a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of

Commerce Economic Development Administration to

promote pellet heating – pellet boilers and also pellet

stoves—in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New

York. This grant award is made possible

because of “matching funds” provided by

our industry, including many businesses

here in Maine.

campaign.

▪Bring on an expert to work with different customer

groups, not on engineering details, but to provide overall

knowledge, including how to capture the funds in the

Thermal Renewable Energy Credits to be available in

Maine next year.

Next Step: Wood Heat Marketing Kickoff

July 17

The goal of project: 50% increase

in the usage of low grade wood being

used for heating.

Steps that are being taken in this effort include:

▪Hire a public relations firm to start countering the negative

publicity circulating about wood energy.

▪Hire a design firm to produce promotional materials.

▪Designate an advertising firm to begin a digital marketing

Invited to this Zoom meeting are

businesses, organizations and individuals

who have made a commitment of cash

and/or in-kind resources to match $300,000 recently

secured by the Northern Forest Center from the U.S.

Economic Development Administration for a regional

wood heat marketing effort (plus several additional

stakeholders). The objective of the meeting is to formally

launch this effort and discuss processes and activities

needed for an active marketing campaign active to be in

place by Fall 2020.

PLC Members and PLC Executive Director Dana

Doran will be attending this meeting.


As We See It July 2020

Help Us Help You

By Shannon Jarvis, President

In order to help you, we need your help

To say that this year has been tough for us is

definitely an understatement. We are finally half way

through the year and I hope it ends better than it started.

I’m not certain what the rest of the year has in store, but

it needs to improve for many of us.

As the COVID-19

pandemic goes on we are seeing

markets slowing down, mills

closing, quotas going into effect

and other pandemic related

disruptions in the supply chain

that are having negative impacts

on many of our businesses.

According to those that responded

to our survey conducted in June,

approximately 72% of the logging

businesses throughout the country

have requested and received some

type of federal assistance, either

through the Payroll Protection

Program or perhaps the Economic Injury Disaster Loan

Program administered by the Small Business

Administration.

While these programs have helped thousands of

small business across the United States to remain

solvent, for many of us in the timber harvesting and

timber hauling business, payroll is a small percentage of

the operating costs that we incur and high fixed costs

from equipment payments to insurance as well as other

operating costs such as fuel and maintenance costs far

outweigh our labor expenses.

I know that all loggers are not facing the same

struggles; however one thing is for sure, when we face

an issue such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the questions


are not if it is impacting us, but how bad are those

impacts going to be and how long will they last.

The ALC has been working with all of our

member States to come up with a relief bill to benefit

loggers and log truckers. We have hired a firm to help

get it introduced into Congress; however, without the

loggers contacting their representative in DC, it does not

stand a chance. They need to know your story and how

this assistance can help you, their constituent.

I know that most of us would rather tackle the

worst day in the woods rather than talking to a politician

for a few minutes, but logging is our business and we

must protect it. Although most loggers are not looking

for handouts, but if we can get a program in place that

offers low interest loans and possibly forgivable loans,

this could prove to be very beneficial for most

logging and log trucking businesses in this

current pandemic.

them to support the Logger Relief Fund so that we

can continue to provide the essential services

including paper products that this country needs.

I thank you in advance for your participation

and time to respond to this urgent request.

Shannon Jarvis owns and operates Jarvis Timber

Company in Potosi, Missouri, and serves as President of

the American Loggers Council.

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

for profit trade association representing professional

timber harvesters and log haulers across the United

States. For more information visit www.amloggers.com.

Again, we cannot do this without

your help. Please copy this link,

https://healthyforests.org/action-center/?

vvsrc=%2Fcampaigns%2F74737%

2Frespond

and paste it into your browser and take the

five minutes that is required to send a letter

to your Senators and Congressmen and

Congresswomen in your district and ask


47

Congressional Delegation Updates

The ‘Andro Strong’ Spirit of the

Androscoggin Mill in Jay

On April 15th, a

tremendous explosion caused

extensive damage to the

Androscoggin Mill in Jay and

scattered debris up to a mile

away. Miraculously, no one was

injured. The courage of the mill

workers who took quick action to

prevent further destruction and of

Sen. Susan Collins

the first responders who rushed to

the scene was inspiring. The “Andro Strong” spirit had

two of the mill’s three paper machines up and running

barely one week after the catastrophe.

I toured the mill in the aftermath of the blast to

receive an update on the current operations as well as the

status of the investigation into the cause of the ruptured

pressure vessel. It was an honor to meet with the

workers to thank them for their bravery and

determination.

I was joined on the tour by Maine State Senators

Russell Black and Jeff Timberlake. We are united at both

the state and federal levels to assist in any way possible

with the rebuilding of the pulp side of the operation. This

is crucial not only to the mill workers but also to the

loggers and truckers who depend on the mill to support

their livelihoods. According to a study conducted by the

University of Southern Maine, an average of one job in

the logging industry is supported by every 3,925 tons of

wood that are harvested and hauled. By this

measurement, a prolonged or permanent closure of the

Androscoggin Mill would directly impact more than 500

logging and trucking jobs, in addition to the roughly 500

employees at the mill itself. Thousands of families and

many communities throughout Maine rely on a strong

forest-products industry.

Rebuilding will be helped by the 2017 tax reform

law I supported that enables companies to write off the

cost of investments much more quickly than

before. State Senators Black and Timberlake have

pledged to help expedite the state permitting process that

would be part of a large rebuilding project.

Androscoggin Mill’s greatest asset is its

extraordinary work force. Mill Manager Jay Thiessen

told us that the mill was on track for a record year until

this explosion occurred. He spoke highly of the

employees who allowed them to resume operations so

quickly.

Maine’s forest economy has long played a vital

role in our state, and it is essential to many of our rural

communities. I am committed to working with industry

and community leaders to help the Androscoggin Mill in

Jay as they determine next steps.

When things get hard for Maine’s loggers, their

first instinct is to knuckle down and get through the task

at hand with resiliency and ingenuity. That’s good news –

because right now, there’s some serious challenges facing

not only the industry but the State of Maine, the nation,

and the world. The coronavirus pandemic has created an

economic slowdown across the globe, and the forest

products industry – for no fault of its own – is feeling the

ripple effects: broken supply chains, reduced demand for

timber, and long-term uncertainty that makes planning for

the future even more difficult.

These challenges would be enough to deal with,

but as we all know there’s more hardship facing our

industry: namely, the March explosion at the

Androscoggin Mill in Jay. While we all can count our

blessings that workers came away with scratches and

bruises, the physical damage was considerable. With

more than 500 employees, the Androscoggin Mill is the

second largest employer in Franklin County, so its partial

closure has made a major impact on the Jay community –

but the impact extends even further. The mill is an

important part of statewide supply chains, meaning that

loggers, truckers, manufacturers, and other parts of the

forest economy are feeling the pinch.

The combination of these

problems – the coronavirus

pandemic, the resulting economic

slowdown, and the explosion of

the Jay mill – are a challenge to

this industry. But we’ve faced

challenges before, and always –

always – come out the other side.

Thanks to the work of the Forest

Opportunity Roadmap, our state’s

forest products industry is in a

stronger position to weather this Sen. Angus King

storm than it would have been just

a few short years ago.

As these challenges continue to unfold, I’m

committed to supporting you and your contributions to

Maine, however I can. I am working with my colleagues

in Maine’s congressional delegation on legislation and

advocacy to help support the industry and its workers

through this tough time. If you have ideas on how to best

move forward, or need assistance on any other issues

resulting from this pandemic, please reach out to my team

by going to king.senate.gov. We will get through this –

together.


Several months into this

crisis, the coronavirus pandemic

continues to affect our everyday

lives—in both its economic impacts

and its public health consequences.

I know this pandemic has been

challenging for the forestry

community, and I want to assure

you that I am here for any help you

may need. If there is anything I can

do to help, please reach out through

my website at pingree.house.gov.

Rep. Chellie Pingree Even though responding to

the coronavirus pandemic is

currently the main focus for legislation and federal spending

measures, Congress’ annual appropriations process is

upcoming and very important to plan for. It is imperative that

our annual appropriations package reflect the hardships in

every industry—including Maine’s forest products industry.

As the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on

Interior and the Environment, funding for the U.S. Forest

Service is top of mind for me.

Some of my top priories for the Fiscal Year 2021

budget include:

▪ The Northeastern States Research Collaborative, a

grant program for collaborative research in the northern forest

▪ The National Agroforestry Center, which will

advance the health, diversity, and productivity of our working

lands and waters through agroforestry

▪ The Community Wood and Wood Innovations

Program, a grant program to support community wood energy

systems and innovative wood products facilities. This

program has already been successful in Maine; the Maine

Mountain Collaborative was recently awarded $120,000

through this program to better their forest conditions through

carbon sequestration. Limington Lumber in East Baldwin was

also recently awarded $346,000 through this program.

I’m also a member of the House Agriculture

Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.

Before the coronavirus came to our shores, the Subcommittee

held a hearing on innovative wood products, where we

discussed how new wood product innovation can promote

rural economies and keep our forests healthy. The federal

government has a big role to play in providing funding to

drive innovation and economic development in rural areas

like much of Maine. In the hearing, we discussed how

Congress can create opportunities for collaboration among

forested states and how funding can spur research and design

and thus more innovation in the sector. Many opportunities

were created thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, as well as the

Timber Innovation Act. Now that we see how successful these

new programs were, Congress must work to fully fund them

so we promote more innovation in this

sector.

Even as we begin to reopen

our economy, it’s the unfortunate

truth that the economic fallout

resulting from COVID-19 will

continue to take a toll on small

businesses and workers in Maine.

I’ve made it a point to reach out to

small businesses since the pandemic

began — through tele-town halls

and meetings — to hear directly

from them about the challenges

they’re facing and I’ve set up a

small business response team in my

office to help them navigate the

Rep. Jared Golden support that is available to them. As

one of the most important industries

in our state, it’s no surprise that I’ve heard from the logging

industry.

The industry in Maine is confronting falling demand

for wood fiber due to the COVID-19 recession, and in Western

Maine, loggers are forced to adapt to the fact that the

Androscoggin Mill in Jay won’t be back at full capacity for

some time. While the situation in Jay is unique to our state,

loggers and logging truckers across the country are facing the

same headwinds.

The industry is facing tough times, and it often gets

passed over for the kinds of relief that goes to farmers,

fishermen, and big business. That’s why I’ve been working

with the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine,

Republican Congressman David Rouzer of North Carolina,

and Senator Susan Collins on new bipartisan legislation

designed to provide emergency relief to logging and trucking

businesses.

Our bill — which we plan to introduce in July —

would create a new program, run by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA), to provide direct, low-interest loans to

businesses who have experienced losses as a result of the

coronavirus. The House passed similar legislation to provide

relief to the textile and ethanol industries, and loggers should

have access to the same revenue necessary to keep their

businesses afloat.

I’ll work hard to get this bill passed through the

House, but if your business is struggling you shouldn’t wait to

get in touch with my office to see how we can help. On

weekdays, you can call any of my offices and speak with a

member of our staff between 9 and 5. We’re here to answer

your questions and help you understand all the options

available to you. And if we don’t have an answer, we’ll help

you find someone who does.

If you have questions about resources for your

business, or your family, you can contact our nearest office at

the numbers listed below, or send us a letter:

▪Bangor Office: 6 State Street, Bangor ME 04401. Phone:

(207) 249-7400

▪Caribou Office: 7 Hatch Drive, Suite 230, Caribou ME

04736. Phone: (207) 492-6009

▪Lewiston Office: 179 Lisbon Street, Lewiston ME 04240.

Phone: (207) 241-6767

▪Washington Office: 1223 Longworth HOB, Washington DC

20515. Phone: (202) 225-6306


49

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Winter 2018 31

Professional Logging

Contractors of Maine

108 Sewall St.

P.O. Box 1036

Augusta, ME 04332

PLC Logger&amp;#039;s Voice Summer 2020 PROOF

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?

PLC Logger's Voice Summer 2020 PROOF