The Logger's VOICE - Spring 2017

Executive Board

Scott Madden President

Jim Nichols

1st Vice President

Tony Madden

2nd Vice President

Chuck Ames Secretary

Andy Irish Treasurer

Brian Souers

Past President

Board of Directors

Greg Adams

Kurt Babineau

Donald Cole

William Cole

Tom Cushman

Brent Day

Wes Dube

Steve Hanington

Duane Jordan

Robert Linkletter

Andrew Madden

Ron Ridley

Wayne Tripp

Gary Voisine

Dana Doran Executive Director

State of Our Union

Scott Madden

I hope all our Members have survived the winter. Hopefully, it was a prosperous one, although I bet many are in the same position as myself. I have been logging for 39 years where we have faced many challenges but I can say I have never been as concerned as I am now. I can't remember ever working as hard as we did this winter for as little profit.

For those of you who attended our last legislative breakfast, you witnessed firsthand what makes this organization so powerful the people. In my opinion it was pretty impressive how a bunch of loggers, who prefer to be out in the woods, can come together to tell their stories and offer ideas on how to make our industry better. Very impressive indeed. I know we were heard loud and clear. Now we just have to keep working with our legislature to do the right thing in the end. Although this is just one of the many areas we have work on, business is changing and we must change with it. We have to stay positive even when things are not that great. If we don't believe we have a future, how are we going to expect anyone else to? It is up to us to keep our industry alive, and with the passion I've witnessed, there's a lot of fight left in us.

We need to encourage and support new wood consuming businesses and certainly don't forget the ones that are already here. The ones that are still here are facing just as many challenges as we are. We know these mills and most of us have had long-term relations with them.

PLC has a very busy spring with training sessions across the state and our 22nd Annual Meeting on May 5th. Hopefully we can fill every class and let's try to break record numbers of employees' attendance. In training, we save; we save injuries, lives and money in the long run.

In closing, I heard a "saying" late this winter. I was talking with my forester and we had just lost our winter roads because of a warm up with a lot of wood on it. It looked like we had a week of cold weather coming. He said that when he worked with Vinal Haynes, Vinal would call the late onset of cold weather “Holy Week”. Well, it's definitely turned into a long "Holy Month" and for that I’m thankful.

Amen.

Log on, Scott

Cover photo: PLC Member M&H Logging and Construction grapple working in the Western Mountains of Maine. Photo by Kyle Haley. Story page 4.

Reflect and Recharge

Dana Doran

As I sit down to write this and look out the window, it’s hard to believe that the end of March is right around the corner. It still looks like winter out there but I know that the end of season is near for many of you.

The winter push is almost over and soon enough most of you will be able to call it a day on another winter operation. The question will remain, was it successful?

In reflection, it probably was a much better winter than most had envisioned. Back in early December, there was a prediction that most would have to shut down by early to mid-February because of too much wood on the market. This shutdown would be a bad sign not just because of market conditions, but also because it would foreshadow a very long and gloomy spring.

Fortunately, or unfortunately as some may see it, the winter weather played havoc with the entire state during January, February and March and Mother Nature inevitably took control of the markets. A continuous roller coaster of cold (December); warm and rainy (January); early cold with blizzards and a week of rain and warm temperatures late in the month(February); and then a final cold blast with more snow (March) wreaked havoc on all. I’m not sure if we would all rejoice in what we have been put through this winter, but perhaps the bonus of cold and snow in March provided longer operating conditions and movement of wood that will make many feel better in the long run.

Has the weather volatility provided more markets and increased pay? Absolutely not. Has it made this way of life any easier or any more certain for the future? Nope. Are contractors working less as a result and reducing transportation time and distance? Are you kidding me? However, perhaps this winter taught us one thing, that we will make it through together, and Maine loggers will lead the way. Sometimes it is important to take solace every once in awhile in moral victories.

Just as unpredictable as the weather has been the pace of activity at the state legislature in early 2017. With a full slate of bills in front of them, nearly 2,000 at last count, the schedule continues to grow, the list of competing measures seems to get bigger all the time, and the thoughts of June and July become much more real.

Just as logging has been impacted by winter weather this year, so has the legislature. In fact, there have been very few weeks since work began in earnest in early January that have not been impacted by a winter storm. Legislators now more than ever can empathize with our dilemma.

While it might be good to delay the inspection and review of many legislative initiatives; the work must get done and every bill does deserve a hearing. However, I can’t stop from thinking about all of those late nights that are certain to take place when we get into late May and early June.

It is ironic that as production in the woods slows down from the winter time push, the legislature just starts to ramp up. April, May and June are the busiest during the legislative session and probably provide the greatest amount of time for loggers to join me in Augusta. I know, I know, you have been waiting all winter to get the call to Augusta!!!

Tongue in cheek, it is a very important time of year and loggers are again at the forefront of the discussions in Augusta. If you had a chance to attend our legislative breakfast in Augusta last week, you would have gotten a firsthand look.

As they have for the past two years, the legislature does want to help. Senate President Thibodeau and Speaker Gideon both addressed our membership at the breakfast and both acknowledged how important loggers are to rural Maine. Both know how important loggers are to the forest economy and pledged to do all they could to ensure your continued profitability. There is no more important issue in rural Maine than the forest economy and the fact that both members of leadership not only came to our breakfast but made it a point to include us in their decision making is extremely important.

In terms of our legislative agenda for 2017, the next eight weeks are critical as almost every one of our initiatives will be brought up in committee and acted upon in one way or another. Your interest and participation will again be vital in 2017.

Our message to the legislature this year has been very direct and consistent: Do no harm; reduce regulation to save money and be our partner to create new markets. When making decisions, ensure that you think through each of these three themes so that our industry is not only protected, but has the opportunity to grow.

At the legislature this session, the PLC has three primary policy objectives: 1) eliminate costly unemployment compensation regulations; 2) create the Maine Forest Resources Advisory Council and 3) pass an omnibus biomass package that will create new markets for the future. Each is achievable but certainly not easy by any stretch of the imagination.

Unemployment Compensation

Each year, our industry shuts down for the most part because of mud season. This is due to markets at their max and poor weather conditions. Each year, loggers lay off many of their employees because of this temporary shutdown. In the past, employees prepared for the situation and knew the return to work was imminent and it was generally not more than eight weeks. However, in the last few years, the U.S. Department of Labor has begun enforcing very stringent regulations regarding

Reflect & Recharge

Continued Page 6

RANGELEY - M&H Logging and Construction was started in 1981 by cousins David “Joe” Haley, and Scott Millbury after they decided to combine their two smaller operations – Joe was logging with a cable skidder at the time and Scott had a Ford wheeler with a crane.

From that small beginning a company emerged that has adapted over more than 30 years to handle everything from logging, to residential and commercial site work, to road construction, to septic system installation.

The cousins continue to own and manage the company together, with Joe mainly handling the logging side and Scott running the garage and overseeing most the construction. At one time the logging arm of the company

J&S Logging – had its own employees, but these days everyone is an M&H employee and a worker who may be logging in the winters will generally be working construction in the summers.

A third cousin, Ken Haley, is general manager for the company, and he has seen it grow a lot from what it was in 1981.

“In the wintertime, we have about 18 employees, and in the summertime, we get up to around 24 to 26 depending on what we have for work,” Ken said.

Growth started in 1986 when Joe and Scott bought the Paul Bolduc Logging Company which added six skidders to their fleet. By the late 1980s they had added an excavator, bucket loader, and bulldozer, as well as new tractor-trailers to keep up with the increased wood output.

In the early 1990s M&H expanded again, adding a Rottne cut-to-length system with processor and forwarder –one of the first Maine companies to get into cut-to-length

logging. After four years with the larger SMV processor, M&H purchased a smaller Rottne thinning system, a Rottne 2000. Around this same time, M&H also had hand crews operating that consisted of around eight to ten Canadian and American loggers.

During this period of expansion, M&H began operating in central and southern Maine in addition to its traditional base in the Western Mountains, and maintained an office in Gorham. The company undertook major road construction projects including stretches of state highways on U.S. Route 2 in Dixfield, Route 27 in Coburn Gore, and the Route 3 connector to I-95 Exit 113 in Augusta. By the mid-2000s, M&H had scaled back to working in the Western Mountains where there was plenty of work at the time. It was also at this time that the company’s last hand crew disappeared as M&H bought its first feller buncher. From there, M&H operated both a mechanical crew and the smaller Rottne 2000 thinning processors up until 2014, when the job that the processors were working on over the past decade had finally come to an end, and with the downturn of the pulp market reducing the need for them. The processors each had well over 12,000 hours on them and the forwarder well over 25,000 hours when they were traded.

Today, M&H operates a 2011 753J feller buncher, two 648G-III grapple skidders, and a John Deere 200 ProPac Delimber. The company also runs two Hood cranes to load with and has five tractor-trailers as well as a 50/48 Morbark chipper in which serves both the logging side of the business as well as the construction side of the business.

M&H Continued on Page 7

Photography by Kyle Haley

M&H feller buncher working in the hills above Rangeley Lake

PLC Members

Ben Savage Logging Inc. of Dover-Foxcroft, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in February of 2017. Ben Savage Logging has a professional staff of three. For more information, contact Ben Savage at (207)-735-6699 or bsavage75@yahoo.com.

Harry H. Melcher & Sons, Inc. of Bingham, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in February of 2017. Harry H. Melcher & Sons has a professional staff of eight. For more information, contact Dan Melcher at (207)-672-3545 or melcherlogging@hotmail.com.

Kimball & Sons Logging and Trucking LLC of Poland, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in February of 2017. Kimball & Sons Logging and Trucking is Master Logger certified and has a professional staff of two. For more information, contact Randy Kimball at (207)-240-6260 or kimball998@aol.com.

PLC Enhanced Supporting Member

Pelletier Manufacturing Inc. of Millinocket, ME joined the PLC as a new Enhanced Supporting Member in March of 2017. Founded in the Spring of 2010, Pelletier Manufacturing, Inc., prides itself on building high quality log trailers and headboards utilizing both innovative design and unique customization. strives to be a one-stop, convenient supplier, and offers a wide variety of trailer parts for competitive brands, makes and models for purchase in their service department. The company also offers sandblasting and painting. For more information

Reflect &

Continued from Page 3

unemployment benefits as our mud seasons have gotten longer.

Loggers generally have been granted a work search waiver for eight weeks with their unemployment notification. In that eight week timeframe, they do not have to search for work, but they are required to participate in work retraining courses that are mandated by the federal government. Once the employees’ eight-week waiver expires, the employee must not only search for work weekly, but they must also participate in job training and counseling. In many cases, they have been pressured to accept jobs that they have no interest in taking. For loggers who are generally “attached” to an employer and receive benefits during layoff, these requirements create both cost and competitive disadvantages. At such a challenging time, we do not want to impose any further restrictions or create unintended consequences because of government policies. Other states also have longer waiver timeframes to deal with this issue so it is our intent to extend the waiver to 16 weeks from both work search and job training requirements.

Maine Forest Resources Advisory Council

LD 414 - An Act to Create the Maine Forest Resources Council, was introduced by state Senator Tom Saviello on behalf of the PLC and the pulp and paper industry. This bill would create a new gubernatorial appointed council of predominantly industry representatives within the Executive Branch to oversee and make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature regarding forest industry goals and polices on an annual basis. The council would have a full-time staff that would analyze and compare Maine to other states/countries, set goals for the industry and act as an economic development consultation arm of state government to assist existing and new businesses with their operations.

Currently, every one of Maine’s state competitors in the industry have a similar Council working on their behalf and it’s about time for Maine to do the same. Our EDAT work is vital, but what will happen to it when the grant funds dry up? This proposed Council is critical to our competitive future and we will support it from the get go.

Biomass

Reflect & Recharge Continued Page 21

As the membership is aware, the Commission to Study the Economic, Environmental

M&H continued from page 4

“We do both forestry and construction work so that we stay busy yearround,” Scott and Joe said. “We primarily do logging in the winter now and switch to residential and commercial earth work in the summer.”

There are plenty of challenges in logging, particularly in the scenic but rugged Western Mountains. The weather, ground, and markets pose major challenges for logging in the region. The recent closure of Madison Paper Industries has also posed a challenge for the company, and there is also a very small labor pool in the region, especially of people in the 22-45 age demographic, which makes finding skilled workers challenging, the cousins said.

M&H joined the Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine soon after the organization formed, believing it would be a good thing for loggers to have a voice in Augusta.

The membership has paid off for M&H in many ways including lower insurance rates, and the company has also benefited from PLC’s recent successful campaigns to save the biomass market in Maine, and to secure a sales tax

exemption for off-road fuel used in logging operations. From a logging perspective, the future of M&H looks to be very challenging due to current wood markets and increasing prices for new equipment, insurance, and parts. Another challenge is finding enough skilled operators, truck drivers, and mechanics, and Joe and Scott agree M&H could benefit from more training and opportunities at high schools and vocational schools for young people to enter the business.

In spite of the challenges for logging, there are benefits as well: M&H operates in one of the most scenic areas of Maine, and tends to work within a 25-mile radius of the company’s office and garage, keeping the jobs close to home for employees. And like most in the business, the cousins still appreciate a job that does not keep them in an office every day.

“If you like working outside, then this is a good industry to be in,” they agree.

Photographs for this story were taken by Kyle Haley. To see more of Kyle’s work, visit: www.khaleyphoto.com

Three generations: From left to right, Joe Haley, George Haley, and Kyle Haley.

PLCSupporting MemberSpotlight: LabonvilleInc.

GORHAM, NH - When it comes to manufacturing products to meet the harsh demands of a specialized industry like logging, it helps to have deep roots in that industry.

Labonville Inc. has those roots, and it has enabled the company to build a reputation for tough, high quality products that loggers across the Northeast and beyond have come to rely on.

Based in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, the company was founded by Dolores & Emilien Labonville, who crossed the Canadian border in the late 1940's with a little money and a bucksaw and set about building a new life. As time progressed they became leading loggers in the north country, employing 114 men and 55 work horses, a very large operation for those times.

Alex Labonville is their grandson and Sales Manager for the company today, and said it was in 1953 that his grandfather decided to found Labonville Inc.

“As things progressed and logging became more mechanized he saw a need for more specialized items, such as safety clothing, boots, skidder chains, etc.” Alex said.

“In the 70’s my uncle Rich, the current owner, started

to develop chainsaw protection and sat on the Leg Protection committee in Washington D.C. to develop the standards of chainsaw chaps. Today Labonville chainsaw chaps are featured in the Smithsonian Museum.” Labonville chainsaw chaps have even been worn by U.S. Presidents including Ronald Regan, and the company has the pictures to prove it.

As the logging industry has changed, Labonville has changed with it, as horses were replaced first by cable skidders, and later by today’s fully mechanized logging operations. One thing has not changed – Labonville has always kept its manufacturing operations in America, even as most companies were moving their operations overseas. Labonville still manufactures its chaps, wool jackets, black nylon winter pants, black nylon jackets, and summer pants right in Gorham, New Hampshire.

Over the years, the company’s Labonville product line has expanded and the company has also become an importer and dealer of high quality brand skidder chains, tractor chains and hardware, as well as specialized equipment such as Norse skidding winches and Pewag Forestry Tracks.

Being based in the White Mountains means the company’s products can be field tested under some of the most severe weather conditions on

Dolores & Emilien Labonville

Labonville’s store in Madison, Maine. The company sells a wide range of high quality work apparel, gear, safety equipment, and specialized hardware for loggers and others in the forestry industry. Many items are made in Gorham, New Hampshire. The Labonville brand boot made with Kevlar fiber pictured here is a popular item.

the planet. “We are a true Made in America company that puts quality first,” Alex said. “Every product that we carry is of high quality to stand up to the harsh and unpredictable conditions of the forestry industry.”

The forestry industry is constantly changing and that is a challenge for Labonville as it adapts its products to meet the demands of the market.

Today Labonville has three stores in Maine in Mexico, Farmington and Madison in addition to its stores

and manufacturing facilities in Gorham and North Conway New Hampshire. The company does business with Maine loggers and forest industry professionals from Fort Kent to Kittery. The company employs more than 30 people in Maine and New Hampshire.

Labonville Inc. joined the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) as an Enhanced Supporting Member in December 2016.

“We have wanted to be more involved with the end users and I was talking with a logger in Maine that had done business with us for many years and he told me about the many benefits of being a

member of the PLC. I liked what I heard and within a few days we were members,” Alex said.

Labonville logging operation underway in February 1955. The company’s roots in logging mean its products are designed with the needs of the industry in mind.

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance

It seems as though every time I go to a seminar pertaining to a particular safety topic, I leave feeling inspired to change the way I have always done things. We have all felt this before; you go to a training about distracted driving and see a particularly moving testimony about the hazards of distracted driving. When you leave the training you hang your phone up, toss it in the glove box and say to yourself, “They were right! I’m not going to talk on my phone while driving again!” Chances are you will continue to follow this new behavior for a few days before you start to make an occasional exception and, eventually, fall right back into your old habits.

When you attend a training, the goal is generally to change or curb behavior that is recognized as creating a hazard for yourself and/or the people around you. It will work great for a couple of days but, without a constant reminder, we typically find ourselves falling right back into our old habits. It’s a vicious circle.

Knowing that we are all guilty of falling back into our old ways, I ask you this: Do you feel that one or two safety trainings a year is enough to curb behavior and inspire your employees to continue safe workplace practices?

Many of you will likely admit that one or two training sessions a year isn’t enough to change employee behavior. If we are truly interested in shifting our company’s culture, we need to seek out ways to expand the training and make safety a more prominent aspect in your employee’s day-to-day lives.

As we come into the spring time, I encourage you to look beyond the PLC training sessions and determine ways to expand your company’s safety training process in-house. There are many FREE resources available to help you build a safety program at your company. I suggest starting with your insurance company’s loss control representative and asking them what type of training or resources they can provide. You can also take advantage of the PLC’s new training relationship with Cross Insurance, or reach out to the Maine Department of Labor’s Safety Works, Maine Motor Transport or Troop K. Training is a small piece of an overall safety program but, in many ways, may be the most critical step to changing behavior and demonstrating your company’s commitment to creating a safe workplace.

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. Recipients of this material must utilize their own individual professional judgment in implementing sound risk management practices and procedures.

✓Safety Coordinator: The PLC will soon be hiring a safety coordinator to provide free safety consultations for Members and to work on other safety and loss control initiatives for the organization.

The Safety Coordinator will respond to requests for safety consultations from members to evaluate incidents, address concerns, develop safety related policies, and remedy potentially unsafe situations. The Coordinator will also be responsible for PLC’s annual Safety Trainings, providing safety bulletins and information, and acting as a liaison with official regulatory agencies on occupational safety and health issues when required.

PLC plans to advertise the position in late April. Watch your weekly PLC updates for additional information on this position, and please contact PLC at (207)-688-8195 if you know of someone interested in the position.

PLC Safety Update

2017 Safety Training

Presented by:

LowerRISKtoSaveMoney

PLC’s Safety Committee is committed to offering tools to help keep our members safe! The goal of this FREE training is to provide practical, hands-on instruction to improve individual & company safety.

2017 Training Topics

Troop-K: Truck Inspections | Logger Injury Response| OSHA Shop Inspections | Cab Ergonomics

Evaluating Non-routine Tasks | Troop-K: Common Violations & Consequences

Please select a training location:

Friday, April 7th — Porter — William A. Day Jr. & Sons Logging 7:30AM 3:30PM

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Friday, April 14th — Stratton — JL Brochu, Inc. 7:30AM 3:30PM

___ Thursday, April 20th Waltham Elliott Jordan & Son 7:30AM 3:30PM

___ Friday, April 21nd Passadumkeag Madden Timberlands 7:30AM 3:30PM

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Thursday, April 27th Skowhegan Richard Carrier Trucking 7:30AM 3:30PM

Friday, April 28th Frankfort W.C. Tripp Forest Products 7:30AM 3:30PM

Thursday, May 11th — Fort Kent— TNT Road Company 7:30AM—3:30PM

___ Friday, May 12th — Lincoln — Treeline, Inc. 7:30AM—3:30PM

First Come First Served Limited Spaces Available!

ThistrainingqualifiesforCLP re-certification credit.Fieldverification&feetoCLPstillrequired.

FREE Training for PLC Members & Maine Master Loggers! FREE Breakfast & Lunch!

Do you have a Great Safety Idea? MEMIC & GH Berlin Windward will be providing three prizes at each location for top safety ideas. Cross Insurance will be awarding an authentic football signed by New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski for the “Best Safety Idea” presented at the 2017 trainings.

Breakfast Sponsor

Lunch Sponsor Safety Prize Sponsor

Safety Contest & Prize Sponsor

May 5th, 2017 – Brewer, ME

Professional Loggers: Growing Our Future

An Invitation,

Please join us for our 22nd Annual Meeting to learn and network with other professional loggers as we look toward the future.

The Morning Session is only for PLC Contractor Members. During this time, we will: Conduct a general membership meeting, review our legislative agenda and Acadia Insurance will let us know how the dividend program performed in 2016.

Professional development: Also in the morning, hear from Tom Trone (former director of John Deere Forestry) about Succession Planning and Market Development and from Wendy Farrand about Company and Industry Image Marketing in 2017.

During our Luncheon, which is open to all PLC Contractor Members, Supporting Members and invited guests, we will hear from Jimmie Locklear from Team Safe Trucking about the risks and rewards of trucking in our industry.

After lunch we have a break until we reconvene at 4:00 pm for our social hour and time to preview the Log A Load Auction items, open to all PLC Contractor Members, Supporting Members and invited guests.

To help the Children’s Miracle Network raise money, our Log A Load Auction will be kicked off by an EMHS Miracle Child. Can we exceed our $25,000 goal again in 2017?

Dinner will include a welcome and remarks from Maine’s 2nd District Congressman Bruce Poliquin and our PLC President, Scott Madden. Followed by our annual awards presentation.

Dinner Guests Join us for a buffet dinner and the honor of meeting one of the many children helped by the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), Henry. Last year Henry’s mom, Sarah, joined us and we learned about his road to recovery-plus, with your generosity we were able to send his whole family to their first Red Sox game! What a great story! Without local CMN Hospitals and donations many Maine children and their families would need to travel nearly eight hours round trip for each appointment. This is just one of the reasons we support such a great program. Meet the people that our fundraising is impacting and feel the difference that we are making.

Creating Real Miracles by Raising Funds for our Local Hospitals

Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals have raised more than $5 billion for 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada. The PLC of Maine and Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) Foundation have raised over $892,000 since 1996 for children in Maine. These donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible.

EMHS, a CMN Hospital, is working to save the lives of kids in our communities. Some are battling cancer, some are suffering from a traumatic injury, and others require constant care because they were born too early, or with a genetic disease. Regardless of why the kids are there, CMN Hospitals always have their doors open.

Succession Planning - Industry Marketing in 2017

Team Safe Trucking

U.S. Congressman Bruce Poliquin

Jeff’s Catering, Brewer Maine will host the Annual Meeting & our Log A Load for Kids Fundraiser.

Meeting & Fundraiser Schedule

PLC Contractor Members Only

7:30 AM Registration (Coffee & Continental Breakfast)

8:00 AM Full Board and General Membership Meeting, Legislative Update and Acadia Dividend Program Update.

10:00 AM Logger Health Survey, Erika Scott, Deputy Director, NYCAMH

10:30 AM Succession Planning and Market Development led by Tom Trone ,TNT Consultants, (former Managing Director of John Deere Forestry )

11:30 AM Company and Industry Image Marketing in 2017 led by Wendy Farrand

PLC Contractor Members, Supporting Members, Invited Guests

12:30 PM Lunch Buffet

Luncheon Speaker: Team Safe Trucking – Jimmie Locklear, Forestry Mutual Insurance

2:00-4:00 PM Break

PLC Contractor Members, Supporting Members, Invited Guests

4:00 PM Social Hour Auction Items Preview

5:00 PM Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Child & Log A Load for Kids, Auction for CMN & EMHS

6:00 PM Dinner Buffet

6:45 PM PLC President’s Welcome

7:00 PM U.S. Congressman Bruce Poliquin, Welcome & Remarks

7:30 PM Awards Presentation: Northeast Master Logger of the Year, Master Logger Supporter’s Award, PLC Logger of the Year, Acadia Insurance Safety Award, PLC Impact Award, PLC Community Service Award, Supporting Member Award & PLC President’s Award

Succession Planning - Tom Trone, TNT Consultants

Industry Marketing in 2017 - Wendy Farrand

Team Safe Trucking - Jimmie Locklear, Forestry Mutual Insurance

U.S. Congressman Bruce Poliquin, Welcome & Remarks

Children’s Miracle Network Auction

Donate items for the hospitals of EMHS. Go to maineloggers.com to learn how!

WilliamA. Day Jr. & Sons named FRANortheast Region Logger of the Year

PORTER – The Professional Logging Contractors

(PLC) of Maine is pleased to announce William A. Day Jr. & Sons, Inc. has won the Northeastern Region Outstanding Logger Award, given annually by the Forest Resources Association.

William A. Day Jr. & Sons is a family-owned, third-generation logging company based in Porter. The company is a PLC Member and was named PLC Logger of the Year for 2016.

“The PLC is proud to see one of its own win this prestigious award,” said Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC. “William A. Day Jr. & Sons is an outstanding example of a traditional family logging business with a tremendous work ethic, highly professional standards, and a commitment to giving back to its community. It would be hard to find a Maine timber harvesting company that does a better job combining the best of traditional logging with the advanced technology, sustainable practices, and forward-looking approach today’s landowners and markets demand.”

The Forest Resources Association Inc. is a nonprofit trade association concerned with the safe,

efficient, and sustainable harvest of forest products and their transport from woods to mill. FRA represents wood consumers, independent logging contractors, and wood dealers, as well as businesses providing products and services to the forest resource-based industries.

The FRA established the Outstanding Logger Awards program in 1990 to recognize outstanding logging contractor performance; raise the visibility of competent, professional independent logging contractors in the forestry community; encourage other independent logging contractors to emulate the outstanding performance of the award winners; and improve forester-logger relations by publicly recognizing outstanding logging performance as an essential element of every planned timber harvest.

William A. Day Jr. & Sons is a Northeast Master Logger

Certified company and has been a member of the PLC since 2009.

The company has more than 40 employees and five logging crews.

The company was named the Maine Forest Products Council Outstanding Logger of 2016.

Congratulations!

William A. Day Jr. & Sons slasher at work at dawn, Summer of 2016

Team Safe Trucking effort moves forward

TEAM Safe Trucking, a volunteer alliance committed to elevating the safety, performance, and professional level of the forest industry’s transportation sector, is moving forward with its ambitious program.

The group consists of key integral facets of the forest products industry: production (logging), consumption, insurance, associations and other advocates. TST’s revamped web site teamsafetrucking.com was launched in early March.

Ultimately, it will be loaded with tools to help advance the strength and standing of log/chip trucking. Resources will include tips for recruiting and retaining drivers; items to help owners move from reactive to proactive fleet management; suggestions for improving trucking efficiency; and ideas for enhancing the sector’s public image.

The final draft of TST’s comprehensive driver training module soon will be available on the web site. The intent is for this module to be used at the state level, as it can easily be modified to incorporate state-specific criteria. The group now has restructured and refocused key

committees, has new leadership, and its 501(c)3 nonprofit status has been approved by the IRS, meaning that financial donations are tax deductible.

“More and more organizations are participating in TST and are ‘buying in achieve,” says Jeremiah O president. “We’re on track to make important strides this year and invite additional participation.

Donations to TEAM Safe Trucking, Inc. may be mailed to TST treasurer Joanne Reese at P.O. Box 785, Henderson, NC 27536.

*Jimmie Locklear of Team Safe Trucking is a featured speaker at PLC’s Annual Meeting! Details p. 12.

FMCSA News: Minimum Training Standards Rule, Safety Fitness Determination Rule

▪ The effective date of a rule establishing nationwide minimum training standards for entry-level truck drivers has been further delayed due to ongoing regulatory review by President Trump and his staff. The rule will now take effect May 22 according to a notice published March 21 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The rule was originally slated to take effect Feb. 6, with a compliance date of Feb. 7, 2020. The rule’s February 2020 compliance date does not appear to be affected by the delay in its effective date.

▪ The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has withdrawn its January 2016 proposal to rework the way it rates carriers and determines their fitness to operate.

The Safety Fitness Determination rule, which has been in the works for a decade, was withdrawn in late March. The withdrawal came a few weeks after industry groups asked new Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to kill the rule. The rule would have also allowed the agency to put carriers out of service based on CSA BASIC ratings alone, rather than an intervention and on-site compliance review.

Logger Leadership classes draw large attendance

On March 31 and Feb. 2, the PLC and generous Supporting Members brought full days of specialized leadership development training to nearly 50 PLC Members at sites in Lincoln and Auburn. Additional classes will follow to assist with improvement of today’ s evolving logging businesses. Thanks to all who participated and to the companies that made the training possible and to our sponsors!

“ALC Joins U.S. Chamber in Supporting Regulatory Accountability Act ”

By Jim Geisinger

First The American Loggers Council supports sensible laws and regulations that are necessary to protect the public. Our members are committed to the wise and sustainable use of our natural resources.

Professional timber harvesters in the United States are subject to the most rigorous environmental laws in the world. Though well-intentioned, many laws affecting our industry have become misapplied and misinterpreted through administrative rule-making and litigation. Today’s federal regulatory structure has become counterproductive and costly to our small, predominately family-owned businesses. It no longer serves the needs of our forests, natural resources, communities and national economy.

That’s why the American Loggers Council has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in supporting swift action on the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA) that directs the executive branch to fulfill its statutory goals in the least costly fashion and look for more public input to find the most efficient regulatory solutions possible.

The RAA is the first attempt to reform the federal Administrative Procedure Act. It is an effort to better structure agency rulemaking between general regulations that are needed to keep society functioning, and those high-impact regulations that cost billions of dollars each year and that have a nationwide impact on jobs and the economy.

According to Bill Kovacs of the U.S. Chamber, by focusing only on high-impact regulations, Congress can control overreaching regulations while allowing the day-today operations of agencies to function. Under the RAA, the public would get an earlier opportunity to participate in shaping the most costly and transformative regulations.

Here’s how the RAA works: When an agency first decides to write a high-impact rule, it would be required explain to the public why the regulation is necessary, how it will affect business, jobs and the economy, and why the rule is the best available alternative. After evaluating the impacts of the proposed rule, agencies should select the least costly regulatory alternative that achieves congressional intent. Independent federal agencies would be held to the same standards of transparency and accountability as executive agencies.

The RAA would also allow the American people the right to verify that high-impact proposed rules are feasible, cost-effective, and well-supported by good scientific and economic data. Finally, before awarding deference to agency decisions, a court must find that the agency addressed all standards mandated on the agency by Congress.

With a new president and a new Congress elected with a mandate to create and protect American jobs, we have a unique opportunity to establish responsible sideboards on agency rule-making. We can’t allow this opportunity to pass by. It is time for impactful regulatory reform, which the American Loggers Council supports and that the RAA can deliver.

The American Loggers Council is a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade organization representing professional timber harvesters in 32 states across the United States. If you would like to learn more about the ALC, please visit their web site at www.amloggers.com, or contact their office at 409-625-0206.

Jim Geisinger is Chair of the American Loggers Council Legislative Committee and Executive Vice President of Associated Oregon Loggers.

As We See It March 2017

“Safety First”

By Danny Dructor

I recently stumbled across an article posted in the North Kentucky Tribune titled, “Logging by far deadliest job in U.S.; fishing, pilots/flight engineers next, says U.S. Labor Dept.” When your mission states “To enhance the logging profession, provide a unified voice on logging issues; and cooperate with public, industrial and private timberland owners to further sustainable forestry practices,” I hardly believe that this is what we had in mind.

Seeing how I thought that we were doing a better job promoting safety which, in my mind, is a part of the professionalism we are supposed to be “enhancing,” I went to the Department of Labor’s web site, or more importantly the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to see if I could determine just where the problems are. As it turns out, I discovered that we are lumped into this category that includes Farming, Fishing and Forestry, so I had to dig a little deeper. What I did find out is that there was actually a decrease in the number of fatalities in the Forestry and Logging category from 2014 to 2015, but unfortunately, there were fewer of us doing those jobs due to downsizing, mechanization and attrition, so the number of fatalities per 100,000 employed actually rose during 2015. This is not the direction we want to be headed for several reasons.

First, the loss of life due to an accident that could have been prevented is not acceptable, and as we all know, most accidents are preventable.

Second, when we are trying to attract new employees to this industry, this is not the track record that needs to be advertised.

Third, when workers comp rates go up, this is the reason. No matter how safe your job site is, there are others in the industry who are not performing as safely as they could be and you are helping to pay the bills for them.

During our Summer Board of Director’s meeting last July, we were discussing some of the issues that we should be focusing on over the next several years, and Dave Cupp with Walsh Timber in Zwolle, Louisiana and representing our Individual Logger Members made the statement that we should also focus on losing our status as being the most dangerous occupation in the nation and at the very least get out of the top three. Visiting again with Dave this week he stated, “I feel very strongly that we can change this culture and not accept this as a part of our business.”

The American Loggers Council will be addressing this issue in 2017 and beyond, and by doing so will be helping to create a safe work environment where we can attract and retain the best and brightest young men and women in the country to sustainably harvest our Nation’s forests. You can help us. Don’t ignore safety issues on your job. Discuss near misses at tailgate safety sessions, recognize safe practices and offer incentives for achieving safety goals, and by all means, make it your responsibility that everyone has the opportunity to return home each and every evening to their families.

Let’s make this a safe, productive and prosperous 2017.

Danny Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the American Loggers Council, residing near Hemphill, Texas.

“Teamwork Matters”

By Danny Dructor

I recently wrote an article for the New Hampshire Timberland Owners and the New Hampshire Timber Harvesting Council entitled “Teamwork Matters.”

Before I finished writing the article, I had already decided that the topic was important enough that I should try and convey the message to all of you who are on the front lines of the timber harvesting industry and who take the time and opportunity to come out of the woods and be proactive on the issues that are impacting the industry.

At the ALC Board of Directors meetings, we have managed to cuss and discuss many issues over the past 23 years, including master logger certification, H2b visas, woody biomass, the Canadian Softwood lumber tariffs, truck weights, the US Forest Service Timber Sale program, trucking regulations, safety regulations, IRS rules for heavy use vehicles, and a whole host of things that are of importance to the well-being of the timber harvesting industry. We are currently taking an active role in the industry TEAM Safe Trucking issue, hoping that we can assist in improving driver safety and assuring that there are qualified, insurable drivers in the industry.

Because of the ability for the Board members from the 32 states that the ALC now represents to be able to sit down and work out policy and position statements that are beneficial to all is indicative of the teamwork that takes place in order for us to maintain our status as “The National Voice for Loggers.”

We have all managed to educate ourselves and each other on the issues that are seemingly regional in character but actually national in scope, and we all speak with one voice on the issues that we are concerned with. Our dialects vary from region to region, but the hearts and minds of those participating in the discussions are one and the same.

We try and monitor legislation at the federal level that would have an impact on logging businesses, and more oftentimes than not now, have members of Congress reaching out to us asking, “What do the loggers think?” We also monitor some state level legislation when it becomes apparent that there might be a trend in the works from state to state making something more of a national issue.

This would not be possible without the dedication of the volunteers who make the yearly trek to Washington, DC and have formed relationships with members and staff on the Hill and that oftentimes look forward to their visits. Members of the American Loggers Council continue to make that yearly trek, and represent the industry very well.

Later this month, March 29-30 to be exact, those men and women from the logging profession will once again travel to Washington, DC representing you and your profession. Be sure and thank them for their dedication and time promoting this industry that we all have in common. You might even ask them how their trip went and what discussions did they have with members of Congress.

While there are other organizations that do a great job at representing other sectors of the forest products industry at

the local, State and Federal level, the fact remains that many of the issues that are important to the logging industry are not on the radar of the other associations. Our focus is and will remain representing professional timber harvesters at the national level.

The American Loggers Council and the State and Regional logging associations; loggers working for loggers. That’s what we do. Teamwork!

The PLC held its 2017 Legislative Breakfast March 16, as legislators joined logging Senator Inn in Augusta to hear firsthand about the challenges and opportunities facing the state Attendance was strong and many of our PLC board members spoke on important issues legislators can help Maine loggers with including regulations, taxes, biomass markets, workforce development, education, and transportation. Multi family logging businesses were featured, reminding legislators of the importance of planning for a Maine future that includes the logging industry. Thanks to all who participated in making this important annual event a success and to the legislators who took time from their busy schedules to attend.

Madden Timberlands hosts press conference announcing federal recommendations for Maine forest economy

PASSADUMKEAG – Recommendations for Maine’s forest economy were announced by a federal Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) at a press conference Jan. 18 hosted by PLC Member Madden Timberlands.

The recommendations were outlined by Matt Erskine, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, at an event held at the AFM Passadumkeag Wood Yard in the Madden Timberlands garage. The recommendations focused on reviving Maine’s struggling forest economy and the event also included announcements of federal grants to address critical needs including $1 million to develop a long-term vision and strategic plan.

“Loggers and truckers are the root of the forest products value chain in Maine and right now that root is compromised. This has the potential to threaten the entire forest products value chain and the many rural communities that depend on it,” Dana Doran, executive director of the PLC, said. “Our strongly held tradition of a market for every tree has been compromised and we need to create a plan for how to stem the losses, protect what we have, and create opportunities for growth - now for the first time this process is beginning to yield that, and we hope we are writing the first chapter in the comeback story for rural Maine.”

In August 2016, the EDAT and members of the Maine Forest Economy Growth Initiative - a coalition of regional forest products industry representatives and

community and economic development leaders including the PLC - participated in a series of economic development sessions, tours, and briefings to understand the challenges and opportunities for the forest products industry in Maine. The EDAT visit was spurred by recent mill closures and related declines in forest manufacturing and harvesting that have drastically reduced softwood pulp markets and resulted in job losses in many sectors, including logging and trucking.

The recommendations that emerged in the wake of the work by the EDAT and the coalition include developing an industry-wide strategic plan to assess future demand for wood products and Maine’s wood supply both now and in the future; determining where infrastructure investments are needed to improve transportation efficiencies; supporting the development of markets for forest product residuals; identifying training needs and preparing the workforce to meet changing requirements; supporting redevelopment of vacant mill sites; supporting vibrant Maine communities where people want to live, work, and visit; and investing in long-term community infrastructure for the future.

In addition to the $1 million awarded to develop a long-term vision and plan, federal grants are also being awarded to the Eastern Maine Development Corporation ($200,000 for redevelopment of the Bucksport mill site) and the Maine International Trade Center ($145,000 to assist small businesses that export products.)

The PLC is working closely with other members of

the Growth Initiative to implement its recommendations over the coming months and create a plan for sustaining and growing its opportunities for the value chain. PLC is well represented in the process, holding a seat on the Executive Committee overseeing the work and with PLC Board Members and Executive Director Dana Doran serving on both the Transportation and Combined Heat and Power subcommittees.

At this point, much of the work underway involves collection of data on everything from what states

Reflect & Recharge Continued from Page 6

and Energy Benefits of the Maine Biomass Industry met this past fall to come up with a long term roadmap for the sustainability of our biomass markets. PLC members, Bob Linkletter, Steve Hanington and Jason Brochu, along with Supporting Members, Ryan McAvoy (SAPPI) and John Bryant (AFM) all participated on the Commission. The Commission released its final report in mid-December.

Amongst a list of recommendations, the Commission’s primary considerations were focused on increasing biomass markets with policy drivers, including: 1) create a thermal renewable energy credit program to encourage the construction of thermal biomass projects: 2) incentivize the growth of businesses around biomass electric producers through micro-grids and 3) provide low interest loans to assist with biomass thermal projects. The bulk of the Commission’s recommendations will be folded into an omnibus bill, LD 131 – An Act to Protect the Biomass Industry that Senator Saviello introduced. Senator Woodsome also introduced LD 897, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Encourage Efficient Biomass Thermal and Power Projects in Maine. This bill attempts to provide funding for the third solution that the Commission recommended.

Now that mud season is upon us, there is no greater time to reflect on the challenges that are all around us and find a path forward. The legislature provides one of those pathways that we can call rally around especially while we have their attention. They want to work with us and they

and nations Maine’s forest products sector competes with to transportation issues facing the Maine market and emerging technologies that may benefit it.

As the process continues, related legislative efforts being advocated by the PLC are also proceeding including a drive to establish a 17-member Maine Forest Resources Council representing every sector of the Maine forest economy. The Council would be key to advocating for and guiding efforts identified by the EDAT process once that process is complete.

want to do what is right. We have put together a very worthy plan that has been a year in the making and now is the time to execute it.

I look forward to seeing all of you this spring at our annual safety trainings, our 22nd Annual Meeting on May 5th, at the Loggers Expo in mid-May and most importantly at the legislative hearings that will require much of our attention in the coming weeks and months. In the end, they want to hear from you and not the tall guy in the funny shoes.

Thanks for all that you do every day to make our industry the best and stay safe out there.

Dana

Matt Erskine, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, speaks at the press conference.

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

110 Sewall St.

P.O. Box 1036 Augusta, ME 04332

2017 Meeting Schedule

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands Executive Board and Full Board

April 2017: No Meeting

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

June 15, 2017: Executive Board, PLC, Augusta

July 2017: No Meeting

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

September 21, 2017: Full Board, Augusta - TBD

October 2017: No Meeting

November 9, 2017, Executive Board, PLC, Augusta

December 14, 2017: Full Board, Bangor - TBD

This newsletter is printed on FLO Gloss Digital Text paper produced in Maine and donated by Sappi North America.