Mechanized Logging Operations Program Graduation 2020!

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP - The Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP), a training program of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) in collaboration with the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC), graduated 10 students in a socially distanced, live-streamed event at an active timber harvest site in the woods northeast of Old Town, Friday, Oct. 9.

Students in the 12week certificate program spent the summer and early fall harvesting timber at the site using sophisticated stateof-the-art machines like those they will encounter in the logging industry. The hands-on experience students gained operating equipment is something unavailable anywhere else in Maine and neighboring states.

This year’s class is the fourth since the program launched in 2017. The program, run out of Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), was the first and remains one of the only postsecondary training programs in Maine to hold classes in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. This was possible thanks to rigorous safety protocols and the outdoor nature of most of the training, which involves students operating equipment while communicating with instructors and other students via radios.

Speaking at the event, which was streamed on Zoom for friends and family of the graduates, Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, thanked the students for their hard work and dedication, congratulating them on completing the program despite the challenges of the pandemic.

“I couldn’t be more proud to stand in front of you today, Doran said. “I want to commend you on your perseverance, I want to commend you on your patience, this has certainly not been an easy summer for any of you, but your hard work will pay dividends.”

PLC First Vice President Tony Madden, owner of A.W. Madden, agreed, telling the students that even though the logging industry is struggling right now the importance of the MLOP program to the industry remains high, the industry will be strong again, and the skills and education the students have gained will allow them to succeed in that industry.

“I wish we had a program available like this when I started logging, I learned the hard way and made a lot of expensive mistakes,” Madden said. “Trained operators like you are needed now, and will be in even higher demand in the future. The future is yours, never stop learning, you will succeed.”

2020 graduates include: Matt Southard of Frankfort, Chris Meakin of Dedham, John McAvoy of Sidney, Noah Holesha of Bangor, Tory Porter of Hampden, Carl Ross of China, Brian Lynch of Camden, Greg Stewart of Harmony, John MacNiell of Millinocket, and Chris Pedersen of Winterport.

The Mechanized Logging Operations Program was created thanks to a partnership between the MCCS, the PLC, and industry partners.

The program gives students a broad overview of the most common mechanical systems found in modern timber harvesting equipment, and an understanding of the variables of timber growth, tree species, and markets. It also includes a strong emphasis on safety.

The program is working in tandem with the state’s current vocational training system and has drawn many of its students from within the logging industry itself as well as from Maine’s five Career and Technical High School logging programs in Dyer Brook, Farmington, Frenchville, Norway/South Paris and Rumford/Mexico. For the first time, logging operators are being trained similarly to other advanced trade occupations with a high school and postsecondary pathway approach. The program is only made possible thanks to generous support from industry partners including Milton CAT/Caterpillar, Nortrax Inc./John Deere, Weiler, Pro Pac, Labonville Inc., Davco, Katahdin Fire Company, Waratah, American Forest Management, Randall Madden Trucking, and Madden Timberlands, Inc.

Acadia Insurance to Distribute Premium Dividends to Eligible PLC Safety Group Members

WESTBROOK, Maine (9, 2020) Acadia Insurance, a W. R. Berkley Company®, recently announced that it will pay $871,919 in premium dividends to eligible policyholder members of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) Safety Group. Since 1999, Acadia has distributed over $11 million in premium dividends to eligible participants of this safety group.

Founded by Acadia Insurance, the PLC Safety Group dividend program rewards logging companies and sole proprietors for having a safe workplace by refunding a portion of their insurance premium if certain measures are met by the entire safety group. In addition, Acadia Insurance, in coordination with the PLC, provides risk management and mitigation expertise to members to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the logging industry in Maine.

“Acadia Insurance is pleased to once again be returning premium through dividends to eligible hardworking members of the PLC,” said Douglas Freeman, Regional Vice President of Acadia Insurance’s Maine office. “This would not be possible without their dedication to operating safely in the forests and on the roads. The logging industry has not escaped the impacts of the pandemic to Maine’s economy, and we hope that these premium dividends will help the members navigate through the continuing challenges.”

The PLC of Maine has been serving loggers since 1995 and aims to give independent logging contractors a voice in the ever changing logging industry. The PLC focuses on advocacy, safety, quality operations and business innovation for loggers. The PLC is a logging organization run by loggers that understands the importance of the logging industry and its impact on the Maine economy.

For more information about the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine Safety Group, please contact Kim Farquhar, Marketing Director, Acadia Insurance, at kimberly.farquhar@acadiains.com

About Acadia Insurance

Acadia Insurance is a regional underwriter offering commercial and specialty property casualty insurance coverages through independent insurance agents with local offices in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best, Acadia Insurance Company is a member company of W. R. Berkley Corporation, one of the nation’s premier commercial lines property casualty insurance providers. Please visit www.acadiainsurance.com.