The Logger's VOICE - Summer 2018

TBD, Augusta

PLC Office, Augusta

HO Bouchard/Comstock, Hampden

From the President

By Jim Nicols

Hello everyone,

As I write this the weather is warming up and the ground has been drying out nicely as we’ve made it through another mud season.

I would like to take time to thank everyone for the great turnout and generosity at this year’s annual meeting.

Thank you to our sponsors, members, and guests who stepped up once again allowing us to raise a record $46,311 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine, topping the previous record of $44,000 set in 2017. Thank you to the gubernatorial candidates who took the time to come to our meeting and share their positions with our members. Thank you to American Loggers Council President Mark Turner for making the trip across the country to join us for our meeting and address our luncheon. Thank you to Eastern Maine Medical Center for hosting us on a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which we have supported through the Log A Load for Kids program. Lastly, thank you to President Scott Madden for his two years of dedicated service.

Our 2018 PLC Safety Trainings and the new Fleet Trainings are now complete and we had a very good year, with more than 1,000 participants representing more than 130 companies.

I’d also like to welcome Donald Burr as PLC’s Safety and Training Coordinator. Many of you will recognize Don's name, as he has been a logger for 22 years, working mainly as a feller buncher operator for Madden Timberlands. Don was also the lead instructor and coordinator for the very successful Mechanized Logging Operations Program in 2017, a role he will return to this summer in addition to his new role as our Safety and Training Coordinator. He has been doing a great job for us and I know he will very successful.

The pulp markets seem to be stabilizing somewhat now with the upgrade of the paper machine at Sappi’s Hinckley mill, and the startup of the machine at Verso. The sale of the mill in Rumford to Nine Dragons seems to be a positive sign that investors see the potential in Maine’s forest economy again. Let’s hope for a dry summer and good logging conditions so that we can utilize those markets. Lastly, I can’t help but think back to 20 years ago when I became PLC’s second president and how much things have changed for PLC as an association. We have made so many great strides over the years and grown this organization into a strong voice for Maine loggers and our industry. I encourage all members to get involved as much as your time allows, however big or small. Your input is valued greatly. The PLC works for you, the members. I also encourage everyone to get your youth involved in the PLC. Many of us in the association are getting along in age. Youth and enthusiasm are what is needed to strengthen us and bring us into the future. For those that get involved, friendships will be made that will last a lifetime.

I wish everyone to have a safe and prosperous summer.

Thanks, Jimmy

Marty Ryan Selective Logging of Phillips, ME joined the PLC as a new Logging Contractor in May 2018. The company has a professional staff of one. For more information contact Marty Ryan at (207) 639-2862 or email amymartinryan@gmail.com

McCafferty Logging of Hebron, ME joined the PLC as a new Logging Contractor in May 2018. The company has a professional staff of four. For more information contact Garrett McCafferty at (207) 212-8600 or email mccaffertylogging@aol.com

NDB Logging of St. David, ME joined the PLC as an Affiliated Contractor in May 2018. NDB has a professional staff of three. For more information contact Nicholas Deprey at (207) 456-0417 or email dnleonard2002@yahoo.com

Marquis Logging Inc. of Wallagrass, ME joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor in May 2018. The company has a professional staff of one. For more information contact Dustin Marquis at (207) 834-7011 or email dustinandpaula@gmail.com

T. Condon Timber Harvesting of Ashland, ME has joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor. The company has a professional staff of three. For more information contact Troy Condon at (207) 551-9078 or email tcondontimberharvesting@gmail.com

Vannah Logging of Brunswick, ME joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor in May 2018. The company is Master Logger certified, handles logging jobs from stump to roadside, and has a professional staff of one. For more information contact Eric Vannah at 631-2475 or email sandevannah@yahoo.com

Modern Woodmen of America joined the PLC as a Nonprofit Supporting Member in April 2018. Modern Woodmen is a memberowned fraternal financial services organization established in 1883 with more than 750,000 members nationwide. Modern Woodmen sells life insurance, annuity and investment products not to benefit stockholders but to improve the quality of life of their stakeholders, their members, their families and their communities. For more information contact Cynthia Smith at (207) 725-6100 or email cynthia.r.smith@mwarep.org

Risk Should Equal Reward

By Dana Doran

As spring comes to a close across the state and everyone gets back to work, it is the right time to look back upon what has transpired over the last three months, but also look forward. The future will undoubtedly look different than the past and it finally feels like we are on the upswing from one of the lowest points in our industry’s history. Now is the time to ensure that the upward trajectory continues. The question is whether we are destined to repeat the past or to make the future a return to greatness for our industry.

In the last week, the political primaries for Governor and other statewide political offices have just taken place. For the Republicans, Sean Moody achieved a stunning victory with over 56% support from the Republican party. Regardless of the fact that he was not enrolled in the party until the fall of 2017 and with no prior political experience except a run for Governor in 2010, his outsider business experience seems to have resonated strongly throughout Maine. In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, a week after the primary took place and the first dose of ranked choice voting, Janet Mills was declared the winner. Now with a Republican, a Democrat and two Independents, the race is on to see who will succeed Paul LePage. The PLC will need to work extremely hard to make sure all of the candidates are educated on our industry to ensure we have the support and attention of

whomever takes residence at the Blaine House.

On the same day, Maine House and Senate candidates also fought it out to see who would represent each major political party in the general election this fall. With razor thin margins in each body (one vote in the Senate for the R’s and eight votes for the D’s in the House) the stakes are high for control of the Legislature.

Over the last three months since the publication of our last magazine, it has been a time of growth and celebration for the PLC and its membership. In late March, we kicked off our annual spring rite of passage with our safety training series. After bringing our roadshow to a record 12 locations over that timeframe, which included the introduction of our new fleet safety trainings, we have brought modern, adaptive and responsive training to over 100 of our members and 1,000 of their employees. The feedback from the membership has been very positive and it appears that training for loggers by loggers is just what the membership has been looking for. In the future, look for even more opportunities to help our industry, lower risk and gain access to training that is not only relevant, but lower cost.

In early May, the PLC also celebrated its 23rd anniversary with its Annual Meeting at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer.

PLC members, supporting members and guests managed to break another record by raising over $46,000 for the Log A Load for Kids program and we celebrated those who do so much for our industry by giving out our annual awards. The overwhelming support and generosity of contractors and supporting members for the Log A Load program and for the profession in general continues to astound me.

The spring has also been a great time to hear from the membership regarding the past winter season, what is happening with markets and what is on their mind going into summer. The members have also been thinking about policy changes they would like to see made and are giving me plenty of ideas to bring forth next session. With this in mind, I have also been asked three consistent questions from folks across the state this spring: 1) When will the Legislature come back to finish its business and do something to help our industry? 2) How do I find qualified labor for my business? and 3) when will I be rewarded with an increase in price for the products I deliver to mills on a daily basis? All three are critical to the future of logging and trucking in Maine and all three deserve the utmost respect and attention. With respect to the first question, as most know, the Legislature left town in early May without completing their work on two primary initiatives that we were involved with and abdicated responsibility on a third.

One of the PLC’s most important issues of the session related to wood energy. LD 1745, An Act to Establish the Wood Energy Program, would have created a long-term opportunity to solve our low-

grade wood utilization issue incentivizing the use of this fiber through new power and heating applications. The bill passed the legislature but was vetoed by the Governor and then was subsequently killed by one vote in the Senate on an attempt to override the Governor’s veto.

Two members of the Senate, one Republican and one Democrat switched their votes at the last second and voted to sustain the Governor’s veto; both had voted in favor of the bill two weeks prior and both represent logging contractors in their district. The Republican member even gave me his word that we he would vote to override the day before in an email when he said, “Thank you for your information and as you may know that I did vote for it. I will look at this again and most likely will override the veto.” Interesting times at the Legislature for sure but something that won’t be forgotten easily.

This action effectively killed any opportunity this session to utilize state policy to expand the use of wood for energy for rural Maine. For a Legislature that states consistently it is pro forest products and wants to do everything it can to help, it is sometimes an inconsistent message.

Despite the activity with LD 1745, there is still hope for success this session and as I write this, the Legislature is back in Augusta finishing its work. As you may recall, there were two major pieces of unfinished business for the PLC that still required action.

LD 700, An Act to Give Flexibility to Employees and Employers for Temporary Layoffs would make the six

Doran Continued Page 12

MACWAHOC PLT - Hollis Hanington, Jr. started Hanington Brothers Inc. in 1958 with his brother Willard, logging with horses and launching a business that has grown into one of Maine’s largest timber harvesting and woodland management companies, and which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Any business that lasts for 60 years must be doing something right, particularly in a profession with as many challenges as Maine’s logging industry. When Hanington Bros. started out, and for many years afterwards, the Great Northern Paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket would purchase all the wood the company could cut. Today, not one paper mill remains in the Penobscot River Valley.

Steve Hanington, who today owns and runs the business his father started, has seen decades of ups and downs in logging, most recently the mill closures that followed years of recession and marked arguably the

biggest challenge the industry has ever faced.

“Success in this business depends on how well you can embrace change and find new opportunities,” Steve said recently during a tour of Hanington Bros. operations in and around Medway and Millinocket. “And the human resources side is key, it’s all about people, finding the right people, and establishing relationships.”

For Hanington Bros., the right people includes employees who have been with the company for decades like Rick Worster. On the day of the tour he was slashing wood, but he started out as an inexperienced driver in the late 1980s, and he’s worked in many roles in the company. He has a lot of experience, he understands the business, and you can count on him. Employees like that are critical to success, and Hanington Bros. has many of them, Steve said.

Hanington Bros. currently has roughly 34 employees and another 15-18 subcontractors working with the company. While the company has experienced

Hanington Bros. President Steve Hanington is greeted by delimber operator Harry Cottle on a wet day in early June.

Hanington Brothers Inc.

1958-2018

downsizing in recent years, it has been savvy enough to make some good moves at the right times to find new markets and opportunities as the traditional ones disappeared. The company is more diversified these days than it used to be. It still provides tree-length wood to pulp mills, logs to lumber mills, and chips for biomass electricity plants, but also offers road building and land management services. It has invested in timberlands, currently owning about 25,000 acres. The company has also branched into supplying firewood.

Hanington Bros. operates in most of Penobscot, Washington, and Aroostook counties, as well as portions of Piscataquis. Harvesting is handled mainly by mechanized whole tree crews but also one cut-to-length crew and two traditional cable skidder/hand crews. The company has ten log trucks and another dozen hired trucks when operations peak.

Positive business relationships have been important to finding new opportunities. For example, when a local timberland management company lost a paper mill market for small, sound spruce and fir ground wood, the company turned to Hanington Bros. to find a solution. Hanington Bros. developed a plan to load, track, and transport the wood from the Millinocket area to the Moose River Mill outside Jackman using rail cars, then trucks, tracking the wood by crew, and weighing it at the point where it was offloaded

since at that time there were no scales available on the Millinocket end. Later, once scales were installed, Hanington Bros. also began handling the job of transferring the same company’s hardwood pulp trucked in off-road from the Telos area to on-highway transport headed to the Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville. Knowing people in the business, many of them now long-time friends, has helped opportunities like these happen.

Along with the market challenges, Hanington Bros. and many other established logging firms are facing a worker shortage brought on by the combination of an aging workforce combined with not enough young people entering the industry. Even when replacement workers can be found, it takes years for them to acquire the kind of experience veterans bring to the job. New programs like the Mechanized Logging Operations Program launched a year ago by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) and the state’s community colleges along with industry partners are beginning to address the issue, but it is going to take a lot of workers to replace those now at or past retirement age, Steve said.

Professionalism, employee development, and safety are very important to Hanington Bros. The company is Master Logger certified and a strong supporter and attendee at the annual safety trainings offered by the PLC. The company also took advantage of the new Fleet training

Hanington Brothers 1989 – 1994. Sharon Sibley, David Russell, Sheldon Hanington, Irma Hanington (President), Scott Hanington, Cheryl Hanington, Steve Hanington.

Hanington Brothers 1994 – Present. Back Row: Steve (President), Teresa, Krista (holding Sadie), Danielle, Peter. Front Row: Eric (holding Abrianna), Abby, Evan.

Hanington Bros. has diversified into firewood with the purchase of longtime Medway firewood supplier Arthur York & Son Firewood.

Hanington Continued from Page 11 16

offered by PLC this year for truck drivers, loader operators and mechanics.

Hanington Brothers has been a strong supporter and member of the PLC from the very beginnings of the organization, and the company’s work on important causes like Log A Load for Maine Kids goes back decades and continues today. The Haningtons have won industry awards over the years, most recently in 2017, when the family was awarded the PLC President’s Award for all it has done and continues to do on behalf of Maine loggers and the PLC.

Hanington Bros. remains a true family business. Hollis Hanington bought out his brother Willard in 1980, and at one time every one of Hollis’ children worked for the company. Today, Steve’s sister Sharon is the office manager, wife Teresa handles accounts payables, son Eric oversees all maintenance and inspections of equipment and trucks, daughter-in-law Krista does clerical work, and nephew Alex Hanington operates a chipper and log loader. Steve’s brother-in-law worked for the company until his retirement last year, and his daughter’s partner Peter is a harvesting subcontractor.

As you’d expect, Steve gives his father credit for instilling a strong work ethic in his five children. What you might not expect is all the praise he also has for his mother, Irma, who stepped up to run the company after her husband died of cancer in 1989.

“When he passed away she ended up with the business and a big debt, and it would have been very easy for her to liquidate and just let that go by the wayside,” Steve said.

Instead, Irma Hanington brought the family together and told her children they were going to keep on doing their jobs, she’d run the business and service the debt, and one day when the debt was paid they’d be given the opportunity to buy the business. If none wanted it, the family would liquidate it and divide proceeds equally and fairly. She was true to her word, and when the time came

Doran Continued from Page 9 16

week work search waiver for unemployment insurance benefits claimants permanent and take away discretion from any current or future administration. As the membership knows, the Governor denied the six-week work search waiver for unemployment claimants for the second straight year and it is time to give control of the workforce back to the contractors. The Legislature enacted this bill unanimously with votes of 116 to 0 in the House and 33 to 0 in the Senate. It is likely that the Governor will veto this bill so we will wait until veto day in July to see what he does and work to override the veto if need be as this policy is too important to the logging industry to have it left up to the whim and mercy of a future administration on a year to year basis.

LD 1744, An Act to Create the Hire American Tax Credit for Businesses that Hire Residents of the United States. This bill proposes to encourage the employment of Maine residents in the logging and trucking by providing a tax credit to landowners located in the United States that employ

Steve bought out the others in 1994.

“I don’t think women get enough recognition in the success of a lot of male business people,” Steve said. “All the things that a mother teaches you are so critical to how you develop your character and how you address things, and I know she’s never gotten the credit due her. My success is due not so much to my father as to my mother, and I don’t say that to take anything away from my father.”

If you consider that only about 30 percent of all family owned businesses survive into a second generation, and half that into a third, the 60 years Hanington Bros. has kept operating becomes very impressive. Not long ago Steve was beginning to think about planning for what would happen to the business when the family members all reached retirement age. Now that his son Eric has returned to work in the business after several years and his nephew is also on board, he hopes to plan a future where Hanington Bros. continues as a family business for years to come.

Maine residents who are engaged in logging and trucking. The bill would provide a credit on the forestry excise tax for employing American workers (logging, trucking and forest road construction). We need to ensure that there is a level playing field for those who choose to operate their businesses in Maine with those who come from Canada. At the end of the day, if Canadians can work here, then Mainers should be able to do so in Canada with the same protections. The bill was enacted by the Senate on a vote of 24 to 9, which should be a veto proof majority. That said, it is very likely that this bill will get vetoed and we should be ready in July to work hard to override the veto and put Maine loggers and truckers first.

The second question I am hearing often is getting really hard to answer. How do I find qualified labor for my business without hiring someone I don’t want or going down a path of no return by hiring those employed by others? This is an issue that is impacting every business,

Steve Hanington stops to answer a few emails next to rail cars loaded with spruce bound for the Moose River Mill.

organization and institution across the state right now and not just logging and trucking businesses. With an unemployment rate that is consistently below 3% across the state, it is not about how you can find the most skilled person at the lowest cost. With the state at a level of full employment, it is really about how one finds someone, perhaps anyone that could work in my business with some type of related experience that will not damage my equipment too badly and cause irreparable harm.

In 2015, the PLC worked hard to create a pathway to train the next generation of logging operators. We secured funding and support to create our mechanized logging operations program with Maine’s Community College System. In 2017, we fought like cats and dogs to get the Legislature to provide funding from harvesting on public lands to the vocational high school logging programs for upgraded equipment. The time to invest in workforce development is always during challenging times.

The reaction from industry to this approach was, “it couldn’t have come at a better time”. The market hit bottom in 2015 and 2016, but loggers knew that at some point the markets would return. Now, not even three years later, markets are responding, and the situation is getting worse by the day with respect to people. I can’t go through a day without reading a post on Facebook of someone looking for an operator or hearing from members that they would grow if they could just find people.

There is too much risk and too much at stake to put someone with no experience in the cab of a half million-dollar piece of equipment. We took the bull by the horns just like every other trade-based industry and decided we needed to pass the risk on to someone else to help separate the wheat from the chaff.

In 2017 we started this new approach and graduated six students that quickly entered the workforce. All six were gobbled up and are still gainfully employed. In late June of this year, our program will run once again and will have twelve students ready to hit the ground running when they are done.

However, there were also the naysayers who said there are too many loggers out there and there’s no need to invest in this type of program. In testimony to the Legislature in 2016 regarding a bill that would provide funding to the vocational high school logging programs, Doug Denico, Director of the Maine Forest Service said, “this is not the time to try to incentivize more people to enter this profession. The industry’s retraction of recent months means many in this industry are looking for other means of employment.” Well, I can say with great honesty that the voice of industry should be listened to more often.

In the end this should be a wakeup call to many that loggers are not a dime a dozen right now. Further, the attitude that if you won’t do it for this price, then we will just go find someone else who will is quickly dissipating as logging capacity has dwindled. With competition from everywhere and not enough people to do the job, something has to change. Which leads me to the third question that I have been hearing a lot lately. When will I be rewarded with an increase in price for the products I deliver to mills on a daily basis? The prices being paid for the products we deliver are higher

across the board, but I haven

’t seen anything trickle my way.

Over the last year, market conditions have improved considerably. There is increased demand for certain products. New investments in mills have led to new market opportunities and an increase in volume for certain species. We are not yet back to utilizing the same volume of wood that was harvested in 2015, but we are getting closer all the time.

At the same time, as a result of increased competition for wood, prices for products have also increased. It’s a simple rule of supply and demand. As demand increases, the supply tightens. To ensure supply, the price rises. With not enough people to do the job, demand up and supply constricted, the market has responded by paying more for wood delivered.

In some parts of the state, contractors have been the recipients of these price increases. This has been a breath of fresh air because at the same time that prices have increased, so has the price of diesel, lubricants, insurance, parts and new equipment. However, in other parts of the state, there is still a mentality that there are too many loggers and those loggers can always be more efficient doing more with less.

Well, this mentality has to change. We are on the precipice of moving forward or moving backward and unless there is recognition that the rising tide lifts all boats and not just those of a few, we may be sliding into that precipice and not getting over it.

The contractors of the PLC take great pride in what they do. They take great risk for little reward and having been doing it for a very long time. In many respects, they had to because there was always another logger around the corner who could do the job for less in the proverbial race to the bottom. However, with the change in markets, both good and bad, the competition for labor, and the increase in cost for everything that goes into the operation, the reward is not outweighing the risk. Loggers are proud of what they do, but in the long run, their pride will only take them so far and it generally has no economic value. In the end, the reward must outweigh the risk for those in private business because if it doesn’t, there’s no reason to continue to take the risk without a return.

Construction faced this battle of competition and cost over the last few decades and inevitably determined that they cannot do the job unless they get paid what it takes to do it. This mindset became pervasive and the construction industry slowly became educated on their costs and started to work from the same sheet of music, often times working around hourly rates. Loggers are at that point now and can learn a lot from what the construction industry has done to ensure its long-term health and well-being. In the end, the logger should not be measured against how many tons it produced, but by how much it cost to produce those tons.

As prices continue to rise all around us, loggers listen, loggers watch and loggers learn. Inevitably, they will also speak for themselves to ensure a better way because information is power.

The rising tide must lift all boats because if they don’t, the reward will not outweigh the risk and the ship might just start taking on water.

ALFRED - Seth McCoy is no fan of downtime, and he and his business, Seth McCoy’s Trucking & Excavating, are rarely idle.

For Seth, that means being on the move and on the phone constantly, overseeing a trucking and excavating business that has grown far beyond its small beginnings. It also means doing whatever it takes to keep the business running without interruptions, and taking care of the employees and the equipment so both can operate at top efficiency.

For the business, it means excavating equipment constantly rolling off to jobs across southern Maine, and trucks running everything from biomass to asphalt to points in Maine and beyond. It also means mechanics working late into the night to fix machines so they are operating again in the morning, and sorting out complicated scheduling that puts workers and equipment where they need to be when they need to be there for customers depending on the company.

Meeting at the company garage in Alfred next to his home recently, only one Western Star truck and two of his more than 20 employees were at the site with Seth, everyone else was on the road or at work sites. This is

typical; business has been very good in recent years, and there is no sign of it slowing down, Seth said.

It wasn’t always this way. Seth recalls starting out alone, with smaller ambitions. He got into excavating in 2003, and he had no plans to get into trucking at the time.

“I did excavating from 2003 through the recession, and excavating is still a pretty large portion of my business. About 2010 I bought one hire truck and it kind of just spiraled from there,” Seth said. “That was a General, a dump truck, and we hauled asphalt with it and I ran that for two years and then I ordered a new Mack, and I’ve bought several new Macks and Western Stars since then.”

In 2006 Seth purchased his current home and the land where his company is based, gaining room to grow the business. He bought his first tractor in 2012 and he still has it - a 1987 Autocar. Today, he has 12 trucks including seven tractors, multiple excavators, loaders, graders, bulldozers, flow boys, skid steers, and more. He owns a lot of CAT equipment. While the range of equipment has grown a lot, he considers the business’s capability more dependent on the technology he has.

The company’s efficiency is helped by technology that

tracks and improves everything from maintenance to fuel consumption, and he keeps updating it to stay competitive.

Over the years, Seth has learned which equipment is reliable and how to maximize that reliability. For example, he runs almost all American made tires now and has seen blowouts drop off to almost nothing since making the change. While he doesn’t run trucks as fancy and loaded with options as some companies do, his Western Stars are good trucks, and he is also a big fan of Mack trucks, which he has found to be well made and extremely reliable.

When it comes to trucks, he has learned the value of quality U.S. made replacement parts versus cheaper foreign options, Seth said.

“If you want the truck to last, you’ve got to replace parts with parts as good as those you took off it,” Seth said. “And we are aggressive on maintenance, I try not to wait for something to break to fix it.”

Seth McCoy’s Trucking & Excavating operates within a 100-mile radius of Alfred. The company is a short haul exemption motor carrier serving southern Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

The company’s trucking business has been doubling in recent years. In the period from Feb. 20172018 Seth’s trucks hauled 39,827 tons of biomass, over 450,000 tons of gravel, sand, or stone, and 24,885 tons of salt.

When it comes to the woods business, Seth McCoy’s Trucking & Excavating has so far stayed out of roundwood, but his trucks haul biomass for some of the best loggers in the business, including M.B. Eastman and William A. Day Jr. & Sons Inc. Brent Day of William A. Day first encouraged him to join the Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine, Seth said.

Seth joined the PLC in 2016 when he saw the organization was doing a good job representing the interests of the logging industry and wood trucking industries. His company is also a member of the Associated General Contractors and the Maine Motor Transport Association. He feels it is important for companies to support organizations representing and fighting for them, and that the direct and indirect benefits of membership are well worth it. There are plenty of challenges in the business including a shortage of good truck drivers - many of whom are beginning to reach retirement age. There are also climbing fuel and equipment costs, and increasing regulations. It is also challenging for any business when others in the same business do not hold to the same high standards and end up giving the entire industry a worse reputation in the process. Despite such challenges, the future looks very good for Seth McCoy’s Trucking & Excavating.

“If the economy stays good I’m putting parking in for 10 more trucks,” Seth said.

Opposite top: Picking up a load of biomass. Opposite bottom: Owner Seth McCoy.

Above top: Moving CAT 320 excavator back to the shop. Above bottom: Dump trucks ready to go.

Trucking section

Continued Page 16

Trucking Industry News...

Team Safe Trucking releasing 30 forestry transportation training modules in 2018…

Inspections, Accidents, Breakdowns, Accident Investigations, Mill General Safety, Loading and Unloading, Entering and Exiting the Woods.

teamsafetrucking.com

Team Safe Trucking has been working on developing a Forestry Transportation Training Program for Forestry Transportation professionals since 2015. Recently it was announced that the curriculum has been developed. There will be three training tracks for the online training: Forestry Transportation Owners (FTO), Forestry Transportation Drivers (FTD) and Forestry Transportation Safety Professionals (FTSP). The curriculum includes 30 class offerings, each class covers a topic. The classes will cover the following topics and more: Introduction to Team Safe Trucking, Driver Qualifications, Driver Selection, Driver Training, Driver Condition, Maintenance Program/Vehicle Condition, Alcohol, Fatigue, Medical Clearance, Fleet Safety Programs, Accountability, Speeding, Distracted Driving, Right of Way, Turns & Curves, Following Distance, Rollovers, Clearance, Backing, Passing, Stopping and Parking, Coupling and Uncoupling, Railroads, DOT

The classes will range in length from 15-30 minutes. Each training track will be approximately six to seven and half hours of forestry transportation industry training. After completing each class, a certificate will be issued to the student for that topic. There will be quizzes following each training class, which can be downloaded and saved to document the student’s completion of the training session. When Owners, Drivers and Safety Professionals complete their training tracks, they will receive a picture ID card certifying the individual as either an FTO, FTD or FTSP.

Team Safe Trucking’s online training platform has the unique capacity to store and print each student training records at any time after completion of a class. Prospective employers can pay an annual due to Team Safe Trucking to have access to training records at Team Safe Trucking. Prospective employers may request permission to request training records from Team Safe Trucking training records from prospective drivers. Upon permission being granted, Team Safe Trucking can release training records to the member/prospective employer and gain access to the

drivers training records. Participants training records are retrieved by the combination of a participants’ driver’s license number and first and last name. Learn more at: http://www.amloggers.com/news/ team-safe-trucking-releasing-30-forestry-transportationtraining-modules-in-2018/

FMCSA Announces Extension of Compliance Dates for the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration...

The FMCSA has issued an interim final rule https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/extensioncompliance-dates-medical-examiners-certificationintegration that delays several provisions of the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration final rule (80 FR 22790, Apr. 23, 2015; 80 FR 35577, Jun. 22, 2015) from June 22, 2018 date to June 22, 2021. This action was taken to provide FMCSA additional time to complete certain information technology (IT) system development tasks for its National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (National Registry) and provide the State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) sufficient time to

make the necessary IT programming changes after upgrades to the National Registry.

FMCSA publishes updated guidance for personal conveyance...

Personal conveyance is the movement of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for personal use while off-duty. A driver may record time operating a CMV for personal conveyance as off-duty only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier. The CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if it is laden, since the load is not being transported for the commercial benefit of the motor carrier at that time. Personal conveyance does not reduce a driver’s or motor carrier’s responsibility to operate a CMV safely.

Learn more at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hoursservice/elds/regulatory-guidance-transportation-agricultural -commodities-including-livestock

WhitedPeterbiltofMaine

BANGOR - Whited Peterbilt of Maine has been serving loggers from its very beginning.

The roots of the business date back to 1985, when Bob Whited founded Bangor Ford with John Linnehan. What started out as a Ford truck dealership soon began expanding into a major commercial truck and trailer sales and service center, with Bob Whited buying out Linnehan in 1991 and adding locations in Presque Isle in 1994, and Auburn in 2001.

When Ford rebranded its big truck division with the Sterling name in 1998, Whited became the dealership that buyers across the region turned to for the classic brand. Then the recession prompted Sterling’s parent company to discontinue Sterling in 2008 and Whited built

up its used truck division as it looked for a new direction. Finally, in 2009 the opportunity arose to become the northern New England dealer of Peterbilt trucks and Whited seized it.

Today, as the economy has come roaring back, Whited Peterbilt of Maine is in a very good place, with long-time customers across the region, strong sales in everything from Ford super-duty pickups to Class 8 Peterbilt tractor trailers, and a reputation for quality parts, service and accessories. A new location in Saco opened two years ago, and the future for the company is bright.

“We sell and service trucks to the logging industry from Class 4 right up through 8,” Sue McAvoy, Information Technology Manager and Assistant Sales Manager for Whited, said.

“Loggers are awesome to deal with. They know what they

want when they come in. Most have been in the industry for years, so they know they want 550 or higher horsepower, they know they want an 18-speed, they know what they want for suspension, so there’s not a lot of guesswork there.”

Like Whited itself, many logging firms in Maine are highly diversified these days and are customers for everything from service pickups to Peterbilt dump trucks to the many varieties and configurations of trailers sold by the company.

Whited is the only Stairs log trailer dealer for Maine. The dealership also sells Dorsey chip trailers in multiple configurations. In addition, the company sells Etnyre lowboys, Felling tag trailers, and - recently added - Trailstar live floors.

When it comes to heavy trucks, the Peterbilt brand needs no introduction, Sue said.

“Peterbilt’s a quality truck, it’s been around since 1939, and it’s one of the premiers of the trucking world, with so many different ways to customize them. There are more options available for a Peterbilt Sue said.

The dealership can provide any configurations loggers want for their log trucks, including log loader mounts which Whited subcontracts out to quality vendors including Barry Equipment Co. and West Mount Inc. With locations from Presque Isle to Saco, Whited can provide great service to its customers across Maine. Sales of trucks and accessories have been strong and the booming construction industry is playing a big part in that. Despite the good economy, challenges remain for the heavy trucking industry. The biggest is a lack of new drivers.

For Whited, finding enough new technicians and parts workers as older employees reach retirement age is also a challenge, particularly finding techs with knowledge of the older Ford and Sterling trucks that the dealership still services. The company employs about 100 workers, and

having top-notch employees is key to the company’s success and Whited works hard to maintain the quality of its work force.

“We’ve got some mechanics that have been here since we started, and we’ve got a good group of core people at all locations,” Sue said.

As the industry changes, Bob Whited, and his son Jon, who joined the business in 1994, are charting the future.

Whited Peterbilt joined the PLC several years ago to support the logging industry which has provided so many loyal customers over the years. The company is a Preferred Supporting Member and has been a strong supporter and sponsor of the PLC’s Log A Load for Maine Kids fund-raising efforts.

The PLC provides a good value to its members with the information, safety and fleet training, and representation it provides to Maine loggers and truckers.

The new Mechanized Logging Operations Program created by PLC is also an example of the kind of important work the PLC is doing not only to protect the industry today, but in the future, Sue said.

As for the future of Whited Peterbilt of Maine?

“There’s always room for more expansion if the opportunity arises,” Sue said.

Sales Manager

Office staff at Whited Peterbilt of Maine’s Bangor dealership.

Record 46,311 Raised!

BREWER – The Professional Logging Contractors

(PLC) of Maine held its 23rd Annual Meeting

Friday, May 4 with awards presented to businesses, individuals, and legislators from across Maine for their outstanding contributions to the logging industry.

The event also raised a record $46,311 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine, topping the previous record of $44,000 set in 2017.

The meeting was held at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer and included a morning meeting of the members, luncheon with the president of the American Logger’s Council, Mark Turner, as speaker, and an afternoon tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Clinic at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor which has been supported by PLC donations through the Log A Load for Kids program. The annual PLC Auction for Log A Load followed the tour, then the annual PLC Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

“Our Annual Meeting is a time to reflect, a time to celebrate and a time to plan for the future,” PLC Executive Director Dana Doran, said. “The PLC has made important strides on behalf of loggers, forest contractors, and forest truckers and stands ready to continue its work on behalf of the industry for years to come. Our members should be proud of what they have accomplished this year, and especially proud of what was accomplished here for the children tonight.”

The Annual Meeting is one of the PLC’s major fundraisers for the Log A Load for Kids Foundation to benefit Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals. PLC members are well known for their generosity in supporting charitable causes benefiting children, and are strong supporters of the Log A Load For Kids annual campaign which encourages loggers and others in the forest products community to donate the value of one load of logs, or any amount, to local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Log A Load For Kids is a national leader in CMN fundraising.

“The generosity of our members no matter what challenges their businesses face continues to amaze me,” Doran said. “Our members reach deep each year for these families and continue to devote an incredible amount of time, effort, and resources to the Log A Load cause.”

Gubernatorial candidates attended the morning session of the meeting to share their positions and answer questions from loggers.

At the conclusion of the evening awards ceremony the President’s gavel was passed from outgoing President Scott Madden to incoming President Jim Nicols, who will serve for the next two years. Thank you to Scott Madden for his service these past two years.

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s meeting a success and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Children’s Miracle Network Family, the Hathaways, at the PLC Annual Meeting. Dad Rick at left, Mom Deanna at right, with daughters Ainsley and Vivian. Son Warren also attended.

PLC Awards 2018

PLC Logger of the Year Award: This award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession. The winner is:

Chaplin Logging Inc.

PLC President’s Award: This award is presented to an individual or organization within the PLC which has had a significant and positive impact on the PLC and the logging industry in Maine. The award goes to two individuals this year: The winners are:

Robert Linkletter and Brian Souers

PLC Community Service Award: This award is given annually to a PLC Member, Supporting Member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to their community. The winner is:

Katahdin Fire Co.

PLC Impact Award: Each year, the PLC recognizes someone from the public sector who has demonstrated a commitment to the logging industry and made a significant impact for its improvement. The winner is:

Maine State Senator Thomas Saviello

Acadia Insurance Safety Award: This award is given to a company that continuously demonstrates safety throughout their business. The winner is:

Treeline Inc.

PLC Supporting Member Award: This award is presented to a PLC Supporting Member that has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to logging contractors in Maine. The winner is:

Farm Credit East

Congratulations to all 2018 Award Winners

Safety Training

Presented by:

Spring of 2018 marked a new level of success for PLC Safety Trainings, bringing training to a record 12 locations across Maine and introducing a new Fleet training series targeted specifically at drivers, mechanics, and loader operators.

When all was said and done PLC brought training to more than 100 of our members and 1,000 of their employees. Feedback has been extraordinarily positive and the PLC is already looking ahead to even more opportunities to help our industry, lower risk, and provide relevant, cost-effective training.

This free training is a benefit of membership and provides practical, hands-on instruction on a wide variety of topics to improve individual and company safety.

Many thanks to our instructors who gave their time and expertise to these efforts. Thanks also to our generous sponsors for the trainings: Acadia Insurance and Cross Insurance, Presenting Sponsors; Chalmers Insurance Group, Breakfast Sponsor; United Insurance and CBI, Break Sponsors; MEMIC, Safety Contest Sponsor; Clark Insurance, GH Berlin Windward and Sappi, Safety Prize Sponsors; and Barry Equipment, Lunch Sponsor.

Prizes for top safety ideas were supplied by MEMIC, Clark Insurance, GH Berlin Windward and Sappi. A grand prize winner is being randomly drawn from the best ideas and Cross Insurance will be awarding an authentic football signed by New England Patriot Trey Flowers to that winner. Interested in future trainings or sponsorship opportunities? Email jessica@maineloggers.com or call (207) 6888195.

Safety training attendees with LifeFlight helicopter at Elliot Jordan & Sons in Waltham, April 13

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance

The Golden Hour

Prior to beginning my career, I spent 5 years working on a heavy rescue and fire department in Pennsylvania. During this time I became intimately familiar with the medical term known as, “The Golden Hour”. “The Golden Hour” refers to the time immediately following a traumatic injury, where studies and experience show that there is a direct correlation between the amount of time it takes to get a victim from an accident scene to advanced care and the mortality rate. While the Golden Hour is a concept and not necessarily steadfast, it does paint a picture of how time sensitive it is getting a person with a severe injury to advanced care.

Much of the information that I share in this article is based off my experience in the construction field where I had two employees injured so severely that they likely would not have survived if our plan had not been thorough, job specific and communicated to employees. Below I have outlined some suggestions based off my personal experience and education I have received as a first aid/CPR trainer. We all hope that we never need to think about this but because timing can make the difference between life and death, it is absolutely critical to take some preemptive steps in order to be ready if the time ever arrives where you need to save a life.

1. An emergency plan is NOT one size fits all. An emergency plan is a living, breathing document that needs to be changed, updated and rearranged to keep it current and valid. Each job your employees go on should have a plan that addresses emergency response at that site. The plan should be completed immediately, before a machine reaches the jobsite. Many contractors will choose to work with their forester to develop the plan but, in some cases, this may not be practical. The plan should include all the necessary contact information,

location of first aid kits, location and coordinates of the LifeFlight pad, process for summoning help and clear directions to the site. My recommendation when I visit contractors as well as when I teach a first aid course, is to have a standard form that assures all required information is addressed consistently. When it comes to emergency response, it is important to remember that, when you need your emergency response plan, your adrenaline is going to be elevated significantly. Because of this, we have a tendency to not think clearly, which emphasizes the importance of clearly identifying and spelling out in your Emergency Response Plan, each step and challenge that your foresee so the employee can pick it up and rely on it 100% for guidance.

2. The emergency plan should be available and communicated to employees. This is pretty straightforward but, once the plan has been developed, it should be communicated to employees and kept in several locations on the job. Oftentimes, contractors will opt to keep their plans in their first aid kit or under the visor of their vehicles. In addition to this, you should also provide employees with a copy of the plan. Communication of the plan is critical, and it should be reviewed at the job start-up and on occasion throughout the duration of the job.

3. How will you summon help?

A. Can you dial 9-1-1 from your jobsite? If not, where do you need to go to call for help? Do you need to use a company radio to get help coming? Is there a satellite phone available? Trying to find a spot to

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get a call out can eat up a lot of time, so these are questions that should be considered and answered before the job even begins. Write down the information on your emergency response plan.

B. How will you get an ambulance to you? Remember that you work in the woods every day so you are familiar with the area. Typically, the ambulance coming in will not be familiar with the area, so it’s important to have clear directions that you can read off to the 9-1-1 dispatcher who will relay them to the responding ambulance.

C. Will you have the personnel available to meet an ambulance and guide them in to your job? In my experience, we had enough manpower that we could have someone stay with the victim and have another employee drive a pickup to the mouth of the woods road and wait on the ambulance. We communicated to dispatch to watch for a red pickup with an amber strobe light flashing. Once our driver made contact with the ambulance, he was able to safely guide them directly to where the accident had occurred. Eliminating the chance of them getting lost.

D. How will you call for, and land, a LifeFlight helicopter? You should have a designated landing pad that is kept free of vehicles, snow, slash and piledown. The coordinates for the pad should be updated and written down on your emergency plan. When setting up your pad, it is important to make sure it is relatively close to where you are working. I will occasionally see a crew with a designated landing pad a couple of miles from their jobsite which

We Support Maine Loggers

may be challenging to get the victim to in the event of a severe injury like a head wound or a compound fracture.

4. Stay current with quality CPR/First Aid training. When the seconds count following a severe accident, a solid understanding of first aid can make the difference between someone going home or not. We could just focus on the OSHA requirements, but I think it’s important to point out that this is a life skill that employees can take home and use to save their child’s life, a spouse’s life or a co-worker’s life. I have taught first aid for nearly 10 years now and I cannot begin to count the students I have talked with after attending one of my classes that used the skills to save a life.

Over the years I have seen emergency scenes unfold many different times, some good and some tragic. While all injuries, personnel and situations are different, the one constant I can say is a current and thorough preplan makes the emergency response go smoother which means your employee or loved one gets the care they need quicker, increasing their chance of survival. As Ben Franklin said, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

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.

Donald Burr Hired as new PLC Safety and Training Coordinator Will also coordinate 2018 MLOP

The PLC is pleased to announce that Donald Burr has been hired as Safety and Training Coordinator for the PLC. Many of you will recognize Don's name, as he been a logger for 22 years, working primarily as a feller buncher operator for Madden Timberlands. Don was also the lead instructor and coordinator for the very successful Mechanized Logging Operations Program in 2017 - a role he will return to this summer in addition to his new role as our Safety and Training Coordinator.

Safety, training and loss control are major priorities for the PLC. Don began his duties this spring, handling training program development and coordination, including our Spring Safety and Fleet series, but also developing additional resources and series including online options. He will be developing and distributing safety resources for operations and trucking fleets for owners, supervisors, and operators. He will also handle loss control and safety consulting for our members.

Don lives in Greenbush, Maine. He has extensive experience supervising crews and working with landowners and their foresters. He has assisted in safety training instruction, and program development. Don is also Fire Chief in Greenbush, a 1 & 2 / EMT B with 25 years of experience,

who started out as a firefighter and then spent ten years as the training officer, and the last eleven years as Chief. Please welcome Don to his new position! Contact Don at (207) 356-1541 or safety@maineloggers.com.

*See Don’s Safety column page 26>>>

Habits

ByDonaldBurr PLCSafety&TrainingCoordinator safety@maineloggers.com

Let’s talk habits! We all have them good and bad but today I would like to talk about purposefully developing good safety habits. At first when we try to change how we do things it takes time, consistency, and effort. I have heard that it can take up to 21 days to develop a new habit, I am here to tell you that I think it takes longer.

Why do good safe habits save lives? Did you know that people who use their turn signal have 70% less accidents? It is not just the act of using the turn signal, it is the mental process of thinking of using the turn signal paired with purposefully looking where you are turning to. This produces less accidents. It is not the act of using your turn signal, but the habit of using it. Good safety habits keep you thinking.

What are some good safety habits to consider? Let’s look at a few examples:

Never get out of the pickup unless you are wearing your “hand”. Five fingers for five safety PPE’s (helmet, eye protection, high visible clothing, hand and foot protection). You will know you have made this a habit when you walk into a convenience store to get a snack and have your “hand” on. You can make the same plan if you work in an office that has

an attached shop, when you get up from your desk you have your “hand” on. Never turn onto the woods road without announcing who you are, where you are, where you are going, what you are driving. Never go anywhere alone without giving somebody your plan (where you are going, how long you will be there, when you will check in with them).

Let’s talk good clean habits. Wash your hands, clean your work area, if you make a mess clean it up before it becomes a problem. When working off the ground, check before you climb (ladder, harness), plan, have a spotter. Look before you walk, plan your path. When working in the dark have a flashlight. Years ago, I did some caving where they would not let you go into a cave without 3 forms of light. That is a good habit even for us. Now for one of my favorite habitsdon’t park in the way or in the turn around. Yes, you may be the only one who will be on this road today but still don’t park in the way. Plan your parking (facing out, out of the way, not stuck).

If you look back on my habits you can see a common theme. “Think”. We need to be constantly thinking. So, the best habit that I propose is to never stop thinking. Run “what if’s” through your mind. Think, what PPE do I need for this job? What are the forces that I am dealing with and can they hurt me (mechanical, electrical, chemical, gravity)?

This is what I propose in the next month; work on developing the habit of thinking what happens next and what do I need to do to be safe! It comes down to thinking, I often say “a moment of inattention could be a lifetime of pain.

MaineDEP Divisionof Response Services

ByDarianHiggins Oil&Hazardous MaterialsResponderII

Darian Higgins is an Oil & Hazardous Materials Responder II from the Eastern Maine Regional Office located in Bangor Maine. He has worked for Maine DEP for 8 years, has conducted over 1250 spill responses and has fielded many questions from the public regarding oil spills. What follows are some of the most common questions we receive.

What is the DEP’s Division of Response Services and what is their mission?

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection Response Services Division provides 24/7 statewide emergency response capability to incidents involving the release or threatened release of petroleum products,

hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction to protect the lives, property and environment of the citizens of Maine. We have 26 highly trained oil and HazMat Responders that are ready to respond to oil, HazMat, and WMD incidents whenever and wherever they should occur.

Why have I never heard of you?

Fortunately, you may have never had an oil spill, or maybe you forgot to give us a call once or twice when maybe you should have. We are also pretty good at keeping a low profile.

Oil spills? Do those really happen here?

Yes, and on average, we handle around 3000 calls each year. A large portion of those spills are related to home heating oil tank leaks. We also respond to a large number of transportation related incidents and a smaller amount of HazMat calls.

When should I call you?

ALL oil spills in the State of Maine are prohibited and must be cleaned up to the DEP Commissioners satisfaction. There is no minimum reporting threshold. The best way to determine if a spill is cleaned up properly is to give us a call. Often, we will ask a few questions about what happened and what you did for a cleanup and that’s it. Sometimes we will need to take a ride to the site to make a determination.

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What will you bring?

Each Responder is equipped with a one ton truck full of spill response gear. Think of us as a rolling 12,000pound spill kit. We also have access to sophisticated GIS data. This data can help us make a determination regarding sensitive habitats and geological features even before we arrive. We will also arrive with a great amount of experience. Oil spill response is 75-85% of what we do and we do it well.

What should I do if I have a spill?

1. Make the scene safe if you can.

2. Call us.

3. Address the leak if it is safe to do so. Plug holes, patch leaks, etc.

4. Play defense. Deploy sorbent materials from your spill kit (You need a spill kit). You can also build dams to control spilled oil.

5. Mobilize equipment. Most logging contractors have excellent access to heavy equipment. You can probably track it down faster than we can. We’re happy to use your stuff.

Please keep safety in mind while dealing with a spill. If you’ve had a spill it’s likely because something has gone wrong. When things go wrong, the likelihood of getting hurt increases. Preventing a few gallons of fuel from spilling to the ground is never worth getting hurt over. Exercise common sense.

Will I be fined if I have a spill?

Responders are not Law Enforcement Officers. We cannot write a summons. In fact, if you report your spills within 2 hours and take appropriate action to clean it up to the Commissioners satisfaction, we will not initiate an enforcement action. Enforcement is not what we in the Response Division are about anyway.

How can I prevent oil spills?

First, take good care of your equipment. Check things like hydraulic hoses and fitting, fuel lines, and storage tanks regularly. Good maintenance saves down time too which saves money and aggravation. Second, DRIVE SAFELY. We respond to way too many truck accidents. Two or three hundred gallons of diesel fuel from ruptured saddle tanks can cause a pretty big mess.

Isn’t oil a naturally occurring substance? Why do I have to clean it up?

Oil does come from the ground, but from places far, far away that are not nearly as awesome as Maine. Certain components of some oils will degrade over time; however, others will linger for a long time, posing a threat to human health and the environment.

Why can’t I spread used motor oil on my roads to control dust?

Sorry folks, it’s not 1950 anymore. Besides, waste oil has value these days. If you can’t find an outfit with a waste oil burner consider investing in one. Some places will even buy waste oil.

If I have a sizeable spill to the ground will you turn it into a Superfund site?

No. Responders can screen soil as it’s removed from a site. We remove what is necessary to mitigate the environmental threat. No more, no less.

What types of logging related incidents carry the biggest risk to the environment?

Fuel truck rollovers, leaking storage tanks, log truck accidents, equipment fires, and any spill near a water body or sensitive habitat will get our attention pretty quickly.

How do I contact you?

Call 1-800-482-0777. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Four programs critical to Maine s logging future on display at 42nd Annual Logger s Meet

FARMINGTON - On a sunny mid-May morning in a field next to Mt. Blue High School, about 50 high school students and an equal number of friends, parents, and instructors gathered for the 42nd Annual Logger’s Meet, hosted this year by Foster Technology Center of Farmington.

The annual event brings students from Maine Technical High School Forestry/ Wood Harvesting programs together for two days of competition in a variety of disciplines, from skidder and log loader operation to log rolling, but it is also a chance to compare notes, talk about what is going right and what is going wrong in the programs and the industry, and come up with new ideas.

New ideas and success stories are important, because these programs are on thin budgets and over time their number has shrunk to the current four, yet they are hugely important to Maine’s logging industry to meet the need for new workers and grow interest in logging among young people.

The four schools and their lead instructors are the Oxford Hills Tech School in Norway (Instructor Al Schaeffer), Region 9 School of Applied Technology in Rumford (Instructor Marc Beaudoin), Foster Technology Center in Farmington (Instructor Rodney Spiller), and Region Two School of Applied Technology in Dyer Brook (Instructor Rob Greenier).

Instructors for the programs agree they all face the same challenges: Funding is tight, most of the equipment they train students on is getting old, and getting the word out to young people that logging is still a good career and then finding enough who are interested in that career is difficult.

One bonus for the programs recently has been the launch of the Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) and the Maine Community College System. The new program, which puts students in the woods operating modern mechanized equipment, provides a direct pathway into the logging industry for graduates, and is a great addition for Maine.

While students enrolled in the MLOP do not need to have attended one of the state’s four high school vocational forestry/wood harvesting programs to enroll, it is a natural next step for many of those who do attend the programs. Another plus for the vocational programs when it comes to recruiting is the fact that the training and skills they offer can be applied not only to logging, but other heavy equipment trades like construction, instructors said. Students in the programs enjoy the hands-on nature of them, being outdoors and handling equipment and timber harvests as often as they are in the classroom. Many have family connections to the logging industry. Others just love the woods.

Denesha Begin and Robert Ladd are both students in the Foster Tech Forestry and Wood Harvesting Program. Both grew up in logging families, and they both love the outdoors.

Denesha plans to attend Unity College in the fall to become a forester. When she enrolled in the Foster Tech program she was not sure if it would be right for her. It turned out it was.

“I absolutely love this and I’m going to my dream college,” Denesha said. “Doing this program just helps me with what I want to do.”

Robert had done some logging with his family prior to entering the program, and has definite plans about what he wants to do after high school.

“I had done a little bit, but I definitely learned a lot more here,” Robert said. “What I really want to do is get my own truck and haul my own wood, maybe get a Wood-Mizer and cut the boards myself instead of bringing the logs to a mill for less.”

The vocational programs all benefit from participation by professional loggers who donate time, equipment, and resources to aid them each year, but each instructor said they can always use more participation, and in some cases additional logger representation on the program’ advisory councils is also needed.

The future of the programs is uncertain, but their value to the future of the state’s logging industry is clear.

As We See It May 2018

“Loggers Working for Loggers at 2018 Washington DC Fly-In

By Danny Dructor

The American Loggers Council held its annual Fly-In to Washington DC in March, connecting loggers to members of Congress and the Trump Administration. Our event would’ve had record participation if not for an early spring snowstorm. Fortunately, 60 members made it to our nation’s capital, and together we made progress on several policy priorities to benefit loggers across the country.

As with past events, the Fly-In gave ALC members an opportunity to meet with their respective members of Congress. However this year, loggers enjoyed increased access to administration officials. ALC held a meeting with officials in President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As the people who most commonly do the work on federal forests, we urged the Administration to change the way the U.S. Forest Service does business. We also had an audience with Interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christensen and Deputy Director of Forest Management John Crockett.

A highlight of our Fly-In was passage of the bipartisan wildfire and forest management agreement in the omnibus appropriations bill. The forestry package includes a new fire suppression funding mechanism that will adjust funding caps to accommodate federal firefighting needs and end the need for regular fire borrowing from non-fire accounts at the Forest Service and Interior Department.

The package also provides land agencies with some new tools to reduce wildfire risks, including a new categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Wildfire Resiliency Projects, an amendment to the Healthy Forest Restoration Act to allow creation of fuel-breaks and firebreaks under that law, and reforms to vegetation management regulations around power lines. In addition, the package allows repair and reconstruction of forest roads on Good Neighbor Authority projects, and provides relief from the “Cottonwood” decision that has threatened federal timber production throughout the West.

For years ALC has worked with other forestry organizations to bring attention to the poor health of our federal forests and the social and economic devastation caused by the decline in federal timber harvests. Unfortunately the agreement excludes many of the reforms in the House-passed Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017. Even with the positive provisions in the omnibus agreement, it’s clear that more needs to be done to significantly expand the amount of work that's needed on our federal forests.

The spending agreement also offered loggers a partial victory on the issue of wood-based biomass, a byproduct of logging operations that can serve as a source of renewable energy for industries and communities. The utilization of biomass has been hampered by low costs of fossil fuels and federal energy policies. The spending

”

agreement extended the government's policy of biomass' "carbon neutrality" through September 2018.

We’ve also made progress in our effort to promote uniform truck weight limits for log truck drivers. For many years ALC has sought to create a more predictable system across state lines on federal interstate highways, especially as individual states have received various exemptions from the limits. We’ve have proposed creating an additional exemption for agricultural (including forest) commodity loads that meet state-legal requirements and tolerances.

As we've written in the past, our efforts to establish more predictable weight limits have been met with fierce resistence from lobbyists in the railroad industry. During the Fly-In several members of Congress pledged to introduce legislation to provide relief from this patchwork system. Moving forward ALC will invest in researching solutions and developing policy that can pass Congress and be signed by the president.

We’re also continuing the advocate for ALC’s Future Logging Careers Act to give 16- and 17-year-olds in family logging companies more hands-on experienced mechanized logging. Since it passed the House last year as part of the larger Resilient Federal Forests Act, the bill has languished in the Senate and is unlikely to move forward this session. Nonetheless, our bill’s supporters on Capitol Hill have pledged to continue searching for a legislative pathway in current and future sessions.

At this time it’s unclear what additional actions this Congress will take on forest-related issues. The prospects for a 2018 Farm Bill as an additional vehicle for reforms is murky due to partisanship in the Capital. That’s why we are increasingly focusing on working with the Trump Administration to advance our priorities. Thank you to the members who participated in the 2018 Fly-In, including those who were stopped by the weather. We are loggers working for loggers, and we are making progress.

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

As We See It June 2018 “Having it Both Ways?”

By Mark Turner

Over the past couple of years, several CEO’s of large timber companies, have expressed concerns about not having enough logging contractors to do the work needed. Who they are or who the concerns were expressed to are not important. They each followed a similar pattern. Deep concerns expressed about the aging and diminishing supply of qualified logging contractors! In each case, the reply has been that “loggers don’t make enough money for the hardships they endure!” This is then followed by some blank stares and comments like “what are you talking about?”

It seems that the upper management of some timber companies are quite oblivious to the details of getting their timber logged and delivered to manufacturing facilities. I think that if they paid a little closer attention to their own processes of setting logging rates, that they would see that they are trying to have their cake and eat it to. To have high quality logging contractors at rock bottom prices.

I must admit that, as a capitalist, I can completely understand this desire. The logging process is one of the major expenses of producing timber products. And, being a commodity, the value of those timber products is often set on a world market. In other words, the pie is only so big. So why not always get the lowest logging price you can? It’s been working for quite a while.

I say go for it! Us loggers are big boys and girls. We just don’t ever, ever, ever want to hear another complaint about there not being enough loggers!!!

Some timber companies have come up with some intriguing ways to get sales logged at “below bid prices.” Just last year, we were asked to do a job. We had given a “pre-bid price.” We were told that they really wanted us to do the sale because it fit us really well. We wanted to do the sale as well. We were told, however, that our numbers were “too high”. We met a couple of times, to hash things out and we argued back and forth. But in the end, we were told that we had to log the sale at their numbers. We relented and decided that we would. However, in retrospect, we wished that we had said no. The truth was, that the price we were offered was the same price we could have gotten twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, however, we could have made some money at that price. However, on last year’s sale, there was precious little money to be made. Inflation has taken its toll over the years and loggers are being squeezed really hard right now. The price of lumber had almost doubled from the time this sale was purchased and when it was logged. You would think that the sale purchaser could have spared a few dollars to help the logger?

Several years ago, we were asked to bid a timber sale. We were one of three bidders. We were told that the good new was that we were the lowest bid. However, the bad news was that our bid was higher then their anticipated

logging costs. We were then asked to split the difference between our price and theirs, or they would rebid the sale. Looking back, I wish we would have said not only no, but hell no! There was about $50,000 difference in our bid price and the price we logged the sale for. However, we needed that money a lot more then that timber company did. If you are going to put things out for bid, then at least make it an honest process.

Bidding a timber sale can be a very complicated process. Us loggers are quite capable of coming up with numbers that are lower then they should be. Especially if it is a sale that we feel we need, to get us through the slow time of the year. I think every logger out there has been, at some time or other, overly optimistic about the production they can get on a particular timber sale. Sometimes it seems like we are our own worst enemies. However, I have heard many stories about loggers being asked to reduce their price, to match a “really low bid” submitted by another logger.

One of the issues that loggers run into is how timber sales are managed. Sale management can make a big difference in profit margins. As one logger recently told me, “to get a nice timber sale, you have to bid it at maximum production, assuming that everything will go perfectly. Then as soon as you are awarded the sale, they start throwing road blocks up that inhibit production”. It’s not uncommon to have a timber sale postponed at the last minute. To be told to pull out half way through and come back later to finish it. To have more sorts added, then were originally expected. Or to have quotas imposed that are lower than the production required, to produce a profit. All of these things and many others reduce the profitability of the loggers, of course, at no cost to the timber company.

Most of us loggers realize that we are not going to get rich working for timber companies. In most cases, we are just subcontractors. We have to work hard and be as efficient as possible to just get by. However, it would be nice to be treated fairly, in an open and honest process. Some of the CEOs of these timber companies might be surprised how hard their loggers will work for them if they were allowed to make enough profit to pay their employees what they deserve and live a decent life themselves.

As I said before, the pie is only so big. However, with the building boom that has been going on lately, the pie has been getting considerably larger. If loggers were to get a little bit larger piece of that pie, those same CEOs might be surprised how little it would hurt their profit margins. They might also find more loggers available to do the work needed.

Mark Turner is the President of the American Loggers Council. Mark and his brother Greg operates Turner Logging out of Banks, Ore. Mark is an active leader with the Associated Oregon Loggers.

As We See It July 2018

“Logger Survey: Is Logging anAgricultural Activity?”

By Danny Dructor

For years the Agriculture sector has enjoyed various Acts passed in Congress which have helped to bring some semblance of stability to their industry. While there are many inferences to the timber harvesting community in many of these Acts, there is no explicit support for the timber harvesting industry as a whole. We have a valid argument that timber harvesting and logging activities are already recognized in many statutes on a comparative basis with Agriculture, as well as our classification in the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code 1133 which falls under agriculture. This code recognizes the industry as being an agricultural crop producer, and the exemptions and the benefits that the agricultural community currently receives should be extended to the logging industry as well.

A few of the Bills where there could be potential benefit for the industry if clarification as to logging being an agricultural industry include:

1. The Agricultural Marketing At of June 15, 1929. This Act established a Federal Farm Board to promote the effective merchandising of agricultural commodities in interstate and foreign commerce, and to place agriculture on a basis of economic equality with other industries. The Act encouraged the organization of producers into effective associations and corporations under their own control for greater unity in effort in marketing and by promoting the establishment of producerowned and producer-controlled cooperative associations and other agencies. Section 15(a) states: “As used in this Act the term “cooperative association” means any association in which farmers act together in collectively processing, preparing for market, handling and/or marketing the farm products of persons so engaged and also means any association in which farmers act together in collectively purchasing, testing, grading, and/or processing their farm supplies…”.

2. The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. Section 207. “When used in this title, the term “agricultural products” includes agricultural, horticultural, viticultural, and dairy products, livestock, and poultry, bees, forest products, fish and shellfish, and any product thereof, including processed and manufactured products, and any and all products raised or produced on farms and any processed or manufactured products thereof.”

3. Agricultural Fair Practices Act of 1967. “An Act to prohibit unfair trade practices affecting producers of agricultural products and for other purposes.” “Because agricultural products are produced by numerous individual farmers, the marketing and bargaining position of individual farmers will be adversely affected unless they are free to join together voluntarily in cooperative organizations as authorized by law. Interference with this right is contrary to the public interest and adversely affects the free and orderly flow of goods in interstate and foreign

commerce. It is, therefore, declared to be policy of Congress and the purpose of this Act, to establish standards of fair practices required of handlers in their dealings in agricultural products.”

The Act prohibits the following activities by the “handler”:

a. To coerce any producer in the exercise of his right to join and belong to or to refrain from joining or belonging to an association of producers, or to refuse to deal with any producer because of the exercise of his rights to join and belong to such an association.”

b. “To discriminate against any producer with respect to price, quantity, quality, or other terms of purchase, acquisition, or other handling of agricultural products because of his membership in or contact with an association of producers or a contract with a handler.

c. “To coerce or intimidate any producer to enter into, maintain, breach, cancel, or terminate a membership agreement or marketing contract with an association of producers or a contract with a handler.”

d. “To pay or loan money, give anything of value, or offer any other inducement or reward to a producer for refusing to or ceasing to belong to an association of producers.”

e. “To make false reports about the finances, management, or activities of associations of producers or handlers.”

f. “To conspire, combine, agree, or arrange with any person to do, or aid or abet the doing of, any act made unlawful by this Act.”

Many lawmakers in Washington, DC are surprised to find out that the logging industry is not always considered a part of Agriculture in many of the statutes that exist today. While several states have made it quite clear that logging is considered an agricultural activity and offered up many of same exemptions and exceptions that our friends in agricultural currently enjoy at the State level, we are behind the curve in making our case at the national level.

We would like to hear back from you on whether or not the American Loggers Council should actively pursue this issue, and of course we would welcome any comments or concerns that you might have as we move forward. Please click to https://www.surveymonkey.com/ r/CVGBH5W to vote in our online poll.

You can also feel free to contact us at 409-6250206, e-mail at americanlogger@aol.com (please include “logging as ag” in the subject line), write comments on our Facebook page (American Loggers Council), or mail us at ALC, PO Box 966, Hemphill, TX 75948. We look forward to hearing from you.

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

Why Master Logger Certification© matters now

By Ted Wright, Executive Director, Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands

Logging has an image problem in America, and every logger knows this.

It wasn’t always this way. Not so long ago, nearly every family in timber-rich areas of the country had at least one member working in the woods. Logging was understood and accepted, and loggers honored and celebrated as members of a vital and respected profession.

Today, with mechanization the number of loggers has fallen dramatically, relatively few families are in the business, and this once accepted industry is now overlooked, misunderstood or, regrettably, vilified by the public.

Changing this image will not be easy, but it may be one of the most important tasks the logging industry must confront if it is to survive. Wood markets ultimately depend on the public, and when the public starts to question where, how or even whether wood is harvested, the image of logging becomes something we all need to consider. This is where Master Logger Certification© can make a difference, not just for individual loggers, but for our industry as a whole.

Master Logger is about achieving professional standards and third-party verification. It is a program built not simply by taking classes, attending workshops or training sessions, but by demonstrating high quality work in the woods every day. In many cases, businesses that achieve this certification are already meeting the Master Logger standards. Certification is a means of documenting this ongoing commitment. For these logging enterprises, it provides recognition of the high-quality work they already do. For loggers who do not yet meet the benchmarks and want to improve, it raises the bar for the industry.

Other industries have implemented standards that have elevated their reputation with the public. My wife is a registered nurse and relative newcomer to the logging industry. Many times, she is asked by coworkers or patients about what I do. She often explains the Master Logger Program by using an analogy about the medical field. Patients will always prefer using a board-certified physician. Certification in the health field has ensured up-to-date and evidence-based knowledge and practice. The success of the program has led people to expect this level of practice.

The same is true for the Forest Products Industry. By growing brand recognition of Master Logger, the consumer (mill, landowner, or general public) will know their choice of timber harvesting business meets the seven responsibilities of the certification program. The consumer will recognize a Master Logger company as doing the very best for the environment, the

forest, the community, and their employees.

Implementing these benchmark measures also allow state and federal regulators to look at our industry as being able to self-regulate, which can lead to the lifting or lightening of external regulations and red tape. This has already begun to happen in certain states. Increased awareness and understanding of Master Logger Certification will only bring greater recognition of our achievements and positive outlook.

In 2017, the American Loggers Council (ALC) decided the time was right to revitalize and promote the Master Logger program nationally to build on the success it has seen in areas of the country where it is already established. This effort is being undertaken to help the logging industry receive recognition for the high-quality work so many loggers are already doing and to reinforce standards that will enable it to improve its image with the public and maintain healthy forests.

Insurance Update: Master Logger Recognized as Certified Logger

The Maine Workers Compensation Board and the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) have made the decision to recognize Master Logger Companies and their employees as Certified Loggers to all workers compensation carriers in Maine. This will give Maine Master Loggers flexibility and choice when choosing the appropriate safety training that meets OSHA standards and the needs of their employees.

If you are a Master Logger and have questions on this change and how it can benefit your company, please reach out to your insurance agent or give the Master Logger program a call anytime at 207-532-8721.

American loggers are doing the best work in the world. The public should know this and value it. Wood buyers should reward it. In an industry where most of us are working long hours and often six or seven days a week, we have little time for anything that does not get the job done. This is why we must let the work we do stand for itself, and why the work must be recognized. This is what the Master Logger program seeks to accomplish.

In the coming months, this national effort will gain momentum. Existing Master Logger programs will be expanded, and new efforts launched. If there is not a Master Logger program in your area now, there will be soon.

For more information on the Master Logger Program contact Ted Wright at (207) 532-8721 or executivedirector@tcnef.org.