The Logger's VOICE - Summer 2020

From the President

By Jim Nicols

Hello Everyone

I hope everyone is doing fine and staying healthy. These sure are unprecedented times and something that we have never seen and hopefully will not see again in our lifetimes.

Since I wrote my last article so much has changed. COVID-19 was just beginning to affect our lives. The Pixelle Mill digester hadn’t blown up yet. The perfect storm for very uncertain times for logging and trucking companies and our employees all across the state.

As I write my quarterly articles for our newsletter, I try to be positive and look at the good things happening, which are many. I don’t want to sugarcoat the situation that our industry is in right now though. I believe that the next year is very important for the survival of many logging and trucking companies across the state. There is so much uncertainty right now: loss of markets due to COVID-19 and Pixelle; quotas due to so much wood out there on the market and not enough manufacturing to use it; price reductions that are unprecedented due to market conditions; or no market at all for some products.

I believe that the infrastructure for logging and trucking across the state is at risk. If and when markets rebound, and hopefully they will, we need to be ready to service those markets at the same level before all of these changes took place.

We must all work together publicly and privately, federally and at the state level to ensure these small businesses survive so that they will be there when the need arises, which hopefully will be sooner rather than later. These are unprecedented times and certainly require unprecedented measures.

The PLC Board, Dana and the staff have been working tremendously hard over the last couple of months to help ensure the success of our members moving forward. One of the big items that they are working on is to convince our Congressional Delegation that loggers are in desperate need of their help, similar to what has already been done for farmers and fishermen.

The good news is that the Maine Delegation is in full support of the request and they are working hard with their colleagues across the country to move this into the next stimulus bill in late July. We are very thankful to have such champions for our industry. If you have questions or can reach out to our Delegation to let them know how important this is to your business, please reach out to Dana and let him know.

In other thoughts, hopefully within the next few weeks as restrictions start to ease up, the PLC can announce details on our annual meeting, the one that was postponed this spring.

It looks like the next MLOP class is going to be held in and around the Bangor area and will start in early July. If you have time, stop by and check it out when it gets up and running, you will be impressed.

Over the last few months we have added a lot of safety training information and programs online for those in need. Check them out if you haven’t already or call the office and they will guide you to how to get the information needed.

Lastly, as we move forward into the summer and fall months ahead, lets hope that markets stabilize and improve. Maybe Pixelle is able to announce a direction that they will go by the end of the year. This will help loggers and truckers make the business decisions needed to continue for the long run. In the meantime, hang in there as we have no direction to go but up in these very uncertain times. Be safe and healthy.

Jimmy

Welcome New Members

Burbank Logging & Trucking Inc. of Weld, ME joined the PLC as a new Contractor Member in June 2020. The company has a professional staff of 3. For more information contact Chris Burbank at (207) 491-8434 or email BurbankLogging@yahoo.com.

Ricker Logging and Trucking, LLC, of Greenville Junction, ME joined the PLC as a new Contractor Member in April of 2020. The company has a professional staff of 1. For more information contact Shaina Buhler at (814) 5944994 or email Rickerloggingandtrucking@g mail.com.

Dead Eye Trucking, Inc. of St. John Plt., ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor inApril of 2020. The company has a

professional staff of 3. For more information contact Martin McBreairty at 207-316-7238 or email deadeyetrucking@outlook.com

Fox Forestry, LLC of Orland, ME joined the PLC as a newAffiliated Contractor Member inApril of 2020. The company has a professional staff of 6. For more information contact Thomas Fox at (207) 479-7908 or email tom@foxforestry.com.

JCG Logging Inc., of Fort Kent, ME joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor Member in June of 2020. The company has a professional staff of 4. For more information contact Jesse Guimond at (207) 231-1003 or email jesseguimond92@gmail.com.

Loggers are Farmers and Fishermen Too

By Dana Doran

Back in March 2018, my story for the Logger’s Voice was strikingly similar to that which appears in this issue. The difference is, that story was about what should happen in the future and not what has to happen now. It’s unfortunate that the events of the last three months brought about my retrospective inflection, but here we are. In review so you don’t have to search out that article, In March of 2018, things were getting better out there for all of you. Sappi and the then Verso mill in Jay had announced major changes to their mills and new investment was starting to pop up in other areas as well such as Pleasant River Lumber’s mills in Jackman and

Dover Foxcroft. We were also nearing the end of the LePage Administration and won a major victory at the Legislature with an override of a veto on the six-week work search waiver for unemployment insurance. All in all, things weren’t great, but they were looking and feeling better. Right now, I bet all of you are longing for that period of time rather than where we are right now.

The last three months have probably felt like an eternity to all of you. Even though the winter was rough weather wise, I heard many positives in terms of how things went for operations and profitability. Now, just like that, all of your companies have changed, or soon will.

From the Executive Director

This spring, while you held out hope that wood fiber products were in demand and you were told that you were “essential”, reality started to set in. Certain paper products were in demand, but for those made here in Maine and in states/provinces nearby, the bottom has fallen out quickly.

I guess we should have seen a trend almost a year ago, but no one can predict the future in great detail. Last summer and fall, it didn’t appear that loggers could keep up with demand. Also, the weather last summer and fall was extremely poor with constant rain and you couldn’t catch a break.

In 2018 and 2019 in Aroostook County, two biomass electric facilities were torn down in the space of a year and those who had invested in their companies to produce a product that was in demand just a year before were gone in the blink of an eye.

Add to that the demand for labor and the lack of supply and we had the recipe for disaster but lacked all of the ingredients to bake it.

Earlier this year, we saw the first strike of COVID 19 with the Woodland mill. As the Asian market started to shut down in January and February, logging operations were told to shutter earlier than the year before. There was too much wood on the market and with nowhere for Woodland to sell their product, there was inevitably no way they could justify purchasing more wood. This was a very explainable and predictable situation. Then, the bottom fell out with the second and third strikes.

In early April, the Pixelle mill blew up and with it came sheer panic. Prices dropped precipitously across almost every commodity. Part of it was due to COVID 19, but most of it was due to the impact of the Pixelle mill. As

Doran Continued Page 16

JAY - Dale Mills is a driver for PLC Member R.C. McLucas of Porter, and at midday on April 15 he was in his red Peterbilt truck on the outbound scales at the Pixelle Specialty Solutions mill in Jay, when a digester in the pulp mill exploded.

“I couldn’t think what in the hell was happening, there was a big bang, everything going up in the air,” Dale recalled. “The truck was on the scale, I thought it was something on the other side and I couldn’t really see.”

Then the contents of the digester rained down across a large area including the outbound scales, covering his log truck in 2 inches of chemical and fiber slurry that eventually ate into the aluminum of the truck. The truck suffered no other damage and, like many across the state who were there or saw the videos of the powerful

explosion, Dale said, “I’m just surprised nobody got killed, I can’t believe that.”

As news of the disaster spread, loggers’ first concern was for the safety of workers and truckers who were at the mill at the time of the explosion, many their family members and friends. Once the word went out that no one had died, concerns immediately shifted to the loss of the mill.

As soon as the scale of the damage became clear, Dale and every other driver at the mill that day knew there was big trouble ahead for the state’s logging and forest trucking industry. Within hours the entire industry knew the same thing.

By the time the Pixelle mill exploded, Maine loggers were just beginning to grapple with the trickle down economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, a short, warm winter in many areas of the state had already limited harvesting in those areas. Wood prices overall were not strong, leaving profit margins thin as operating expenses continued to rise. Many companies were struggling.

The effect of the pandemic on the industry was gradual. As the world began locking down, the global economy slowed. Export markets dried up and demand for many wood based products dropped as consumer and business spending plummeted. Soon, mills began slowing their wood purchases, and prices suffered. As Maine went into its own lockdown, loggers were deemed “essential” and permitted to continue operating, but freedom to work didn’t always mean the work was there.

Then the mill exploded.

The explosion in Jay would have been a major challenge to Maine’s logging industry at the best of times, but happening when it did it quickly turned a bad situation into a crisis: In just a few seconds, a mill that had consumed about 20 percent of Maine’s total pulpwood harvest vanished. Suddenly, nearly every logger in the state was left wondering, what now?

More than two months later, they are still wondering.

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THE PANDEMIC BY THE NUMBERS

A survey of the membership of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) conducted in May 2020 on the impact of COVID-19 on Maine's logging and forest trucking companies revealed 88 percent of respondents had been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Eighty-six contractors representing 44 percent of the total membership of the PLC responded to the survey. Among the 88 percent of respondents who reported being negatively impacted by the pandemic, operational uncertainty and inability to plan for the future was cited as an impact by 67.1 percent, business/revenue losses by 65.8 percent, loss of clients by 32.9 percent, staffing cuts/ layoffs by 23.7 percent, and reduced productivity from staff by 21.1 percent. 36.8 percent reported all as impacts.

Among those contractors impacted by the pandemic, 42.5 percent expected harvest losses of 20,000 tons or more. The remainder expected losses ranging from 1,000 tons to 10,000 tons. In total, contractors expected to lose a minimum of 812,000 tons (this represents estimates from only 86 companies), which would translate to a loss of 6.8 percent of the total Maine wood harvest (11,817,367 tons) in 2018.

The survey was conducted a little over two months after the pandemic officially began. Since then, the situation has worsened for many contractors.

OPERATING BELOW COST

Gavin McLain of PLC Member CTL Land Management Services, a Master Logger company based in Washington, ME, depended heavily on the Pixelle pulp mill for business. During a typical week, his company would deliver 30-40 loads of wood to the Jay mill. When it exploded, that went to zero.

“We were right in the middle of a sizable harvest when it happened, and that basically stopped all the wheels from turning for two straight weeks as we scrambled around kind of in panic mode to see what was available for other markets,” Gavin said. He reached out to other mills and while they offered to buy the wood, “The prices that were offered for the products were basically below my cost structure, so the price per ton that they were offering was

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

CTL sold the wood at a loss to keep some cash flow going and to complete the project, and then Gavin got in touch with all the company’s lenders.

“We’ve started laying the groundwork for a shutdown here, because every day that we work I’m taking equity out of equipment and I’m taking money out of the bank and giving it to the pulp mills so that I can deliver wood below cost,” Gavin said. “There’s no efficiency that you can bring to the table to allow a contractor to match efficiencies to the prices that are in the market right now for the pulpwood. The only solution to that is to stop logging in my opinion.”

CTL had 21 people on the payroll the day of the explosion. The company had three of its own cut-to-length crews and two subcontracted crews working in the woods, two out of four of its own trucks, and two subcontracted trucks. CTL is diversified, with operations including kiln dried firewood and a sawmill in addition to its logging

PLC Membership Survey: COVID-19 Impacts

Gavin McLain

crews, but it has already begun idling crews and trucks and it looks likely that only one cut-to-length crew will continue to operate, mainly to focus on jobs that can yield product for the firewood and sawmill operations. Longterm, even that is uncertain, Gavin said.

“I don’t believe that I’ve seen the full ramifications of this financially, I think that’s yet to come, I think this fall and this winter is probably going to be the real issue,” Gavin said. “We could continue to operate on reduced quotas, a reduced quota is acceptable, but the reduced price per unit is unacceptable because it’s below our operating cost, that’s the part that killing me.”

While most of his time and concern right now is focused on trying to save as much of his business and as many of the workers who depend on it as he can, Gavin also foresees problems ahead for the health of Maine’s forests if the current situation does not improve. That’s because to properly manage a forest, loggers need markets for a variety of tree species and for both high-grade and low-grade wood, which allows them to cut what needs to be cut for the health of the forest and still make money for both the landowner and themselves.

Unless mills can start paying what they were paying for pulp wood before the loss of Jay and the impact of the pandemic, that kind of logging will become impossible, Gavin said.

“It’s expensive to practice good forestry,” Gavin said. “If we’re going to do it correctly we have to be paid to do it.”

DIFFICULT DECISIONS

Mike Nadeau, whose PLC Member and Master Logger company White Oak Inc. is based in St. Francis on Maine’s northern border, did not do business with the Jay mill, but its loss has hurt his company anyway.

When Jay was operating, other mills buying pulp in the southern half of Maine had to buy some from loggers in far northern Maine like White Oak to ensure a steady supply. With Jay’s pulp mill gone, those mills now have more than enough supply from loggers who are closer.

“They don’t have to buy any far wood because they’ve got enough close wood, so basically they shut down the far wood up here, so it hurt us in an indirect way.” Mike said.

Because his operation is so far from Jay, Mike has been better able than most Maine loggers to separate the

effects of the pandemic on his company from the effects of the Jay mill loss. What he is seeing has convinced him the logging industry would be in deep trouble even if Jay were still operating: Many mills are slowing operations due to decreased demand for products, and how soon and even whether that demand - say for office paper - returns, is questionable. Meanwhile, prices for wood are down, and contracts that were in the pipeline are being canceled.

“You could put 14 mills in the state right now, but product is not selling. The market is that bad, and I don’t think it’s going to come back fully,” Mike said. “I’m just looking at one crew this morning and between the hardwood and the softwood cuts this year there is going to be $211,000 less gross revenue on just one crew alone. All four crews this year I’m looking close to a million dollars less revenue between production volume and price decreases. Do I shut everything down for the year and tell the guys to go home and just pay the interest on what I’ve got? And then what happens next year?”

Like every logger the PLC spoke to for this story, these are hard decisions for Mike, affecting not only a family business that he has poured a lifetime of effort and profit into, but also the lives of his workers and their families.

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

IT MAY GET WORSE

Three hundred miles to the south of Mike in Porter, Richard McLucas also worries about the families who depend on his business, PLC Member and Master Logger company, R.C. McLucas. These days, there is a lot to worry about.

Richard has also seen some mills and markets slowing down and shutting down due to the economic effects of the pandemic. On top of that the effect of the Jay mill loss has been “devastating” to his company, which he estimates sent 90 percent of its softwood pulp to Pixelle before the explosion.

“Every time my phone rings and it’s a wood buyer I prepare for the worst, because you never know what it’s going to be on the other end, and its usually bad news,” Richard said.

The market for saw logs has been holding up for the most part, but with Maine’s biomass market already weak and the pulp market flooded by the loss of Jay, it is Crisis cont. Page 14

R.C. McLucas truck on the road.

Crisis Continued from Page 1316

the lack of a low-grade wood market, and the prices you get when you manage to sell low-grade, that is hurting his business the most, Richard said.

“What we’re cutting and yarding and trucking some of this wood for, it’s a joke. You’ve got to kind of keep going but could we do this all the time? No, we couldn’t,” Richard said. “It may get worse before this year’s over, we’re only halfway through and I hate to say it but I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of this for us.”

The future is hard to plan for and for the first time since he’s been in business, Richard said he will be unable to give his workers a raise this year. He is trying to remain upbeat and has no plans to get out of logging, but right now the business is tougher he can ever remember.

“Do I lay awake a lot of nights worrying about 40some odd families? Yes, I do,” Richard said.

WE ARE BORDERLINE

Located right in Jay, only a few miles from the Pixelle mill, PLC Member and Master Logger company L & A Ridley Inc. is in some ways both worse off and better off than many other logging operations in Maine.

Worse off because Ron Ridley, who runs the thirdgeneration business with his son, Corey, estimates Pixelle was 75-80 percent of his business and he has now lost a primary market that was right on his doorstep. Better off because his company is a small father-son operation with relatively low overhead, and has maintained contracts and relationships with other area mills over the years so he still has markets.

“When the mill blew up we were both at the garage and we had just shut down for the spring, we got all our loads cleaned out, and so at least we didn’t get stuck with any 8-foot wood,” Ron said. “For me, losing the mill has been way worse than the COVID thing, COVID didn’t affect us as much, all our markets are soft right now but to me that’s a temporary thing, this could be permanent.”

On a mid-June morning at a job site in Jay, Ron was looking at softwood that would once have been

processed into 8-foot lengths and trucked a few miles to Pixelle. Now it would have to go somewhere else, and no matter where that was, the cost to truck it would be higher and the price paid lower than what he was getting at Pixelle.

Ron is both a diesel mechanic and a truck driver, and Corey has his forestry license, so between them they bring a lot of value to the job in addition to their logging skills. That helps keep costs down for their small cut-tolength operation. Even so, with markets depressed by the pandemic and the loss of Jay, it is very difficult to turn a profit.

Like Gavin McLain, Ron sees the problems in the low-grade market having a negative effect on the ability of loggers to properly manage forests in Maine. He also sees serious problems ahead for many logging companies if profitability continues to suffer, including his own.

“We are borderline, which is sad for a thirdgeneration business that has been here for over 50 years,” Ron said. “You’d like to have a business plan that is more than just, ‘survive.’ This summer is going to be a summer from hell and we’re going to lose some guys, There’s no way around it.”

ASKING FOR HELP

At this point, most Maine loggers are just trying to hang on in hopes that a recovering economy can restore markets and wood prices before their ability to continue operating under the current conditions fails.

Of those who responded to the survey conducted by the PLC in May, 67 percent reported they had applied for and utilized the federal pandemic relief Paycheck Protection Program as a way to extend their ability to continue operating and maintaining their payrolls, but in discussions with loggers who did so, many said the program, while helpful, falls far short of what it would take to save the industry from the challenges it faces right now.

With that in mind, and with a decision by Pixelle on whether to rebuild the pulp mill in Jay likely many

months away, the PLC led early efforts to mobilize a national effort to secure federal relief for loggers similar to that already earmarked for the fishing and farming industries.

That effort is now centered around a proposal put forth by the 34 member associations of the American Loggers Council (ALC) which would reserve $2.5 billion to provide a loan program for contractors that harvested/delivered wood to various mills across the country in 2019.

If it is approved by Congress and President Trump, contractors would be able to apply for low-interest bridge loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist them with their ability to continue business operations for the next twelve months while markets attempt to recover. If a company that applies for and receives the funding can prove that their revenues or volume delivered are down 10% or more from 2019, the funds will be treated as a grant and forgiven. If company revenues are down less than 10% than what they declared in 2019, the funds will become a low interest loan and need to be repaid.

Maine loggers are not the sort to ask for help lightly, particularly from the government, but with the industry in an unprecedented crisis threatening their businesses and the jobs and communities that depend on them, many now see little option.

“Speaking for myself, we need some assistance out

here somewhere,” Gavin said. “I hate asking for assistance and I’m not a big fan of handouts, believe me there’s nothing I hate worse than asking for help with anything, but we’re truly in a mess as an industry right now, I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Richard agreed he also does not like the idea of assistance but wished that something could be done to help bring back the Jay mill or at least restore that market.

“We don’t need handouts, we need a market, we need that mill in Jay to run. That’s where I feel that help from the government or from the state, that’s where it needs to go,” Richard said.

Up in St. Francis, trying to figure out what to do for his business and workers in the face of a challenge beyond anything he and the rest of the industry expected only a few months ago, Mike agreed he does not want to ask for help but does not know what else to do at this point.

“I’m looking for anything that can help us get through this, the banks are doing everything they can, and I can’t ask anymore from the bankers, it’s the government I’m looking at saying is there any way you can help?” Mike said. “We’re proud people, we’ve decided to fight this until we can’t anymore not just for me but for the 20 families depending on this business that have become my family, we don’t want to give up...but every company that’s in the woods today is going to need some help, and if there is no help now, there will not be anyone left to help later.”

Ron Ridley processing wood in Jay, ME Opposite: Corey Ridley (at left) and Ron Ridley on the job.

is all too common, some mills gouged loggers and took advantage of the moment. Instead of seeing the situation as tragic and unfortunate with long-term ramifications for the supply chain, some mills took it upon themselves to lower their prices below what any logger could afford to provide the service at as a way to buy cheap wood. This sent shock waves throughout the state and most were left saying, “I can’t believe this is happening, do they really think we can survive with these kinds of price drops? The only way that I can survive is if I shut my crew down as there is no way I can run this business if this is the way it’s going to be. There are too many loggers and too much wood on the market and the best thing I could do is to shut my business down for the foreseeable future.”

When most thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did, and the third strike landed right in the catcher’s glove. The real impacts of COVID 19 are now being felt throughout the industry and throughout the country. Some of the most stable mills in the state are now struggling for survival. Their markets have crashed around the globe and this has left the future of timber harvesting in limbo. Yes, there are some bright signs in certain commodities like building products, but in others like packaging and release paper, markets have dropped precipitously.

This brings me back to where I started.

Back in March of 2018, I compared the loggers to farmers. After all, you are farmers, just with a crop that has a much longer life cycle.

In the 1980’s, the farming community in the United States was going through a crisis. Grain and corn markets were being decimated by foreign competition and a movement started to save the family farm. Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms

and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Since that time, farmers in the United States are still challenged, but they created a movement of outreach and assistance in states and at the federal level that has essentially done everything it can do to protect American agriculture. Farmers are viewed as heroes and more than just essential. Farmers are also looked at as the fabric of the rural economy and the backbone of American society.

Back in March of this year, the work that farmers started back in 1985 paid huge dividends.

As it was clear that COVID 19 was going to wreak havoc upon our economy, Congress went to work on an aid package to help those who they thought would be the most impacted. The presumption was that farmers would be devastated by the pandemic. If restaurants, movie theaters, sporting events, etc. were shut down, farmers would have no place to sell their food. If the borders were closed and shipping lines were shut down, food commodities would not move. This speculation was partially true, but also a bit unfounded because American citizens still needed to eat and they were going to purchase their food products from grocery stores instead of from restaurants. Restaurants also learned how to work with less staff and many turned take out into a profitable exercise.

Also included in this package of assistance was money for fisherman, including over $30 million for fisherman here in Maine, as the same speculation used for farmers was then applied to fisherman. Sheer panic set in and because farmers have been at the table so long, they will receive over $16 billion in aid across the country.

As all of you know, loggers are not viewed as farmers even though they harvest a crop every day and take great care to conserve their surroundings and

Doran Continued Page 18

Doran Continued from Page 9

Doran Continued from Page 16

their environment for future generations. At the same time, loggers also don’t want to be known as farmers too because farmers have had to look for government assistance on so many occasions that it’s far too common that their business models won’t pass muster without some kind of federal aid program.

With that in mind, desperate times call for desperate measures. As much as loggers don’t want their business to exist because of a subsidy, they also know that in times like this where there is a possibility that 20-30% of their market might go away in 2020 due to no fault of their own, if they are going to live until tomorrow, they might need some help to get from here to there.

A survey of the membership of the PLC conducted in early May 2020 on the impact of COVID-19 on Maine's loggers/truckers revealed 88 percent of respondents have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. My guess is that today, this percentage is probably closer to 100.

Those impacts include revenue losses, layoffs, loss of clients, reduced productivity, and inability to plan for the future. Many respondents reported experiencing all of these effects. The companies responding to the survey represented 44 percent of the total membership of the PLC, and the predicted harvest losses for this subgroup alone would represent a minimum 6.8 percent of Maine’s total wood harvest for the most recent year for which data is available, 2018. As time goes on and market impacts are continuing to spiral, it is our prediction that a minimum of 20% of the annual timber harvest could be impacted. A 20% reduction in timber harvesting means a nearly $86 million direct economic loss for the Maine economy and over 600 jobs eliminated. Clearly, a lot is on the line.

Maine is not alone and this story is very consistent with other timber producing states across

the country where mills have reduced their consumption of wood during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of reduced or lost markets. Combined with high operating costs and low returns on investments, this collapse in wood demand threatens the survival of logging and log hauling businesses and means that capacity throughout the United States could be deeply reduced by this crisis. In Maine of course, the loss of the Pixelle pulp mill in Jay has greatly compounded this issue.

While our Congressional delegation wanted to be helpful, they also knew that if this was going to be an option in a future stimulus package, it would take more than Maine to get it across the finish line. This had to be a national problem that would be quantified by data with support and devastation documented across the country.

Prompted by our Congressional delegation, the PLC went to work, and we started calling our colleagues in other fiber producing states. North Carolina, Minnesota, Oregon. Just as in Maine, folks in those states were seeing the same thing. As a result, we reached out to the American Loggers Council and asked them to take the lead on this effort and as of today, as a result of the PLC’s leadership, they have done just that.

As I am writing this article, we are awaiting final bill language that can be introduced by Senator Collins and Congressman Golden sometime before the 4th of July recess. The bill is also expected to have full support from the entire Maine delegation, including Senator King and Congresswoman Pingree when it is introduced. The leadership of the Maine delegation on this issue has been unwavering and once again, Maine has taken the lead just like our state motto.

Under this proposal, $2.5 billion would be reserved for contractors that harvested/delivered wood

to various mills across the country in 2019 to apply for low interest loans/grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist them with their ability to continue business operations for the next twelve months while their markets attempt to recover, much like the assistance already given to producers of agricultural and seafood commodities.

If a company that applies for and receives the funding can prove that their revenues or volume delivered are down 10% or more from 2019, the funds will be treated as a grant and forgiven. If company revenues are down less than 10% than what they declared in 2019, the funds will become a low interest loan and need to be repaid.

If a fourth and final aid package is taken up in late July, our hope and that of the delegation is that this request will be fully funded and signed by the President. That said, we will need the support of our full membership to get the ball across the goal line.

At this point in time, as much as loggers don’t want to ask for a handout, there may be no other way. All of what has transpired has occurred due to no fault of their own and it might be the first and only time that they have asked for the government to ensure they

live to see another day.

Loggers represent the fabric of rural areas across this country, especially in Maine. There are tremendous similarities and far fewer differences between loggers, farmers and fisherman, but farmers and fisherman are generally seen as heroes and loggers are seen only as necessary.

At this point in time, for loggers, the same type of decimation that is impacting farmers and fisherman here in Maine and across the country is also impacting them.

Maine loggers and forest truckers have seen what has been done to help their sisters and brothers in the farming and fishing industries, even before the impact on those industries had been realized, and now they hope that their representatives in Washington D.C. will do the same for them. Loggers and truckers are only essential to our economy if they are in business to do the job.

Be well, stay safe and know the PLC is doing all it can right now to make sure our membership can survive to do what they do best, farm the forest and get to work.

Trucking

Trucking Industry News...

Ohio Street Bridge Project continues…

The Maine Department of Transportation is replacing the Ohio Street Bridge, which carries Ohio Street over I-95 in Bangor. Demolition began in February and will continue through April. The new bridge will be open by September 2020. During demolition and construction, local traffic, including pedestrians, will be detoured. After the new bridge opens, there will be alternating one-way traffic with flaggers until the project is completed in November 2020.

There will also be complete interstate closures, either northbound or southbound, during overnight hoursbetween 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. These closures are allowed Monday through Thursday, and detours will be clearly marked. There will be no interstate closures during July and August. Regular updates on this project are posted at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/projects/bangor/ ohiost/

DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Notice

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The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, Pub. L. 115-334, (Farm Bill) removed hemp from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. Under the Farm Bill, hemp-derived products containing a concentration of up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are not controlled substances. THC is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana. Any product, including “Cannabidiol” (CBD) products, with a concentration of more than 0.3% THC remains classified as marijuana, a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Learn more at https:// content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOT/ bulletins/27bd19f

FMCSA releases Hours of Service Final Rule, making 4 key rule changes

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published their long-awaited Hours of Service Final Rule.

For nearly two years, the FMCSA has been crafting the changes to current Hours of Service regulations that were debuted on the morning of May 14. The agency has promised that the regulation changes will increase flexibility for U.S. truckers while maintaining highway safety.

“America’s truckers are doing a heroic job keeping our supply chains open during this unprecedented time and these rules will provide them greater flexibility to keep America moving,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

FMCSA says that they drafted the Final Rule after consulting more than 8,000 public comments from industry stakeholders, law enforcement, safety groups, and drivers themselves.

The Final Rule features four key changes to existing Hours of Service requirements.

• The Agency will increase safety and flexibility for the 30-minute break rule by requiring a break after 8 hours of consecutive driving and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using on-duty, not driving status, rather than off-duty status.

• The Agency will modify the sleeper-berth exception to allow drivers to split their required 10 hours

Trucking

off duty into two periods: an 8/2 split, or a 7/3 split with neither period counting against the driver’s 14‑hour driving window.

• The Agency will modify the adverse driving conditions exception by extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted. The Agency will change the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers by lengthening the drivers’ maximum on‑duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles.

Many industry stakeholders had been hoping for a rule change that would allow drivers to “pause” the 14 hour clock, but the FMCSA said that they decided against this change after consulting public comment. The new Hours of Service rules will be implemented 120 days after the Final Rule is published in the Federal Register.

The FMCSA says that the new Hours of Service rules will save American consumers and the U.S. economy $274 million per year. The agency says that most of these savings will come from the increased flexibility that the new 30 minute rest break rule will provide for drivers.

Cross-border Prohibition for CMV drivers with Insulin Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM) Removed...

The FMCSA is alerting motor carriers and CMV drivers that cross the U.S.-Canada borderthat on Sept. 24,

2019, FMCSA and Canada formally updated their medical reciprocity agreement with Canada and removed the crossborder prohibition for CMV drivers with Insulin Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM). Letter exchanged by FMCSA and Transport Canada may be viewed on the International Safety Programs webpage https:// www.fmcsa.dot.gov/international-programs

You can find links to both the FMCSA and Canadian letters reflecting the removal of the cross-border prohibition for CMV drivers with ITDM, under both headings Entering Canada and Entering the United States. Additionally, FMCSA has posted an updated FAQ on the International Safety Programs related to this change, under the Frequently Asked Questions-Medical Qualifications heading, at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ international-programs/medical-qualificationrequirements

Anyone with questions may refer to the above link or may contact Carla Vagnini of the FMCSA North American Borders Division, via email at Carla.vagnini@dot.gov, or by phone at (202) 366-3771.

Continued Page 26

Trucking Industry News... Trucking

Madawaska/Edmundston International Bridge Replacement Project…

After nearly 100 years of service, the Madawaska/ Edmundston International Bridge is in poor condition.

Despite efforts to maintain the bridge, the rate of deterioration has accelerated to the point that the end of the useful service life is fast approaching. In October 2017, the bridge was posted at five tons (the equivalent of a passenger vehicle). Therefore, any substantial investments

Trucking

would be impractical. Since this bridge is nearly 100 years old, it no longer meets the needs of the communities and local businesses because of it's width and load capacity. It would cost more to upgrade the current bridge than to build a new one.

In May of 2018, the Madawaska/Edmundston International Bridge and Border Crossing Feasibility Study was finalized by MaineDOT, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NBDTI), and the US General Services Administration (GSA). The study recommended that a new bridge connect the existing border station in Edmundston, NB to a fullymodernized station in Madawaska. This bridge will be built approximately 1,300 feet upriver on the St. John.

The purpose of the proposed project is to provide for the long-term, safe and efficient flow of current and projected traffic volumes, including the movement of goods and people, between Madawaska and Edmundston. The project is necessary because:

▪ The existing International Bridge is nearing the

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

▪ The size and conditions of the existing building and overall site of the Madawaska border station are substandard, preventing customs and inspection agencies from adequately fulfilling their respective missions.

The project is set to advertise in Q4 of 2020, but physical construction may not begin until 2021, depending on contract, award, and mobilization timing.

FORT KENT - Daigle & Houghton Inc. was formed in 1951 in the heart of Maine’s northern forest logging economy, and in the years since then, the company has grown into a top truck sales, parts and service provider serving loggers and other customers throughout Maine and New England. The company did not start out serving loggers. Formed by Leo Daigle, Tom Houghton Sr., and Tom’s two sons, Jack and Tom Jr., Daigle & Houghton began as a dealer of Massey-Harris farm equipment.

Leo’s son, John, joined the business in 1956 and by 1959, the decision was made to get out of the farm equipment business and concentrate on truck sales. By 1964, the Daigle’s had bought out the Houghton’s interest in the company and were well on their way to becoming

the only International truck dealer in Northern Maine. In 1984, two of John’s sons, Gary and Greg, joined him in the family business: Gary and Greg returned to Fort Kent and established what would become a formidable business in Maine’s logging economy with the addition of the Western Star Trucks franchise to the Navistar International line in 1985. This fueled the need for more space at the Fort Kent location, and an 8,000-square foot addition was completed in 1987 which added 8 new service bays.

1997 marked a major milestone for the company, as a goal of expanding to central Maine became a reality after a Western Star Truck franchise for central Maine was awarded to Daigle & Houghton and the search for a suitable location to build began. The final site selected was a parcel of land across the street from Dysart’s truck stop

Above: Daigle & Houghton’s Hermon facility on Coldbrook Road. Opposite top: Trucks on their way to the Fort Kent dealership in the early 1960s. Opposite bottom: Staff at work serving customers in Hermon in person, online, and on the phone.

“As Daigle & Houghton Inc. continues to expand, the quality service and personal attention we provide our customers remains at the very forefront of what we do.”

on Coldbrook Road in Hermon. Located just outside of Bangor, off exit 180 on Interstate -95, the location is arguably in the center of the busiest truck traffic, sales, and service area in the state, and it has fueled strong growth for the company. Construction of a 25,000 square foot sales, parts, and service center was completed in 1998 and it officially opened for business in December of that year. The International franchise for the Hermon dealership was acquired in 2015, allowing Daigle & Houghton to further expand its offerings in the central Maine region.

2018 was another year of big changes and growth, as Daigle & Houghton was awarded an International

franchise in Scarborough Maine. A new dealership was established at 154 Pleasant Hill Road in a newly renovated building, featuring a full parts, service and sales department as well as a large inventory display. In addition to expanding Daigle & Houghton’s market with International, this new location also sells and services Wabash National, Transcraft, Benson, Trout River, and Pelletier Manufacturing trailers; in addition to a variety of used units. With this expansion, Daigle & Houghton currently has just under 100 full-time employees across three dealership locations that service the entire state of Maine and beyond.

“Daigle & Houghton serves and sells to loggers in northern, central, and southern Maine, as well as customers

Daigle & Houghton Continued Page 30

Daigle, President of D&H, said.

Western Star is of course a familiar and popular heavy truck brand trusted by many loggers in Maine and elsewhere, and is often sighted on logging roads in Maine. International is also a long established and respected brand with a line of medium to heavy duty trucks that can meet a range of needs for logging and forest trucking companies. Daigle & Houghton also offers popular top-of-the line products like Pelletier Manufacturing log trailers. Isuzu commercial trucks, used medium and heavy duty trucks, and a commercial truck body shop round out what Daigle & Houghton offers.

Daigle & Houghton is currently, proudly represented by its 4th generation; Greg’s son Corey who joined the company in December 2009, and Gary’s son Ryan who came on in August 2011.

“The next generation of the Daigle family is providing the energy and leadership to aid in our continued growth across all markets including the forestry sector. It is important that our business culture internally and externally be built and maintained on a strong product knowledge, and a dedication to customer service and support,” Gary said.

Daigle & Houghton enjoys serving loggers. It is always a challenge to keep up with markets to stock the right trucks, and meeting loggers needs in sales, parts and service in a seasonal business that is highly dependent on uptime provides the biggest challenge, but meeting the needs of honest, hard-working people makes it all worthwhile, Jack Frost, Salesman for the D&H dealership in Hermon, said.

“Daigle & Houghton is still family owned and has done business using a customer first approach that has gone largely unchanged

Daigle & Houghton Continued Page 32

John R. Daigle 1931-2020

FORT KENT - On May 8, the Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine and the state’s logging community lost a long-time friend and supporter.

John R. Daigle, 88, passed away surrounded by his loving family after a brief illness on May 8, 2020. He was born in Wallagrass Plantation, Maine on December 7, 1931, the fourth son of Leo and Elizabeth (Brown) Daigle.

John attended Wallagrass, Fort Kent and Presque Isle schools. He worked on the family farm until he attended the University of Maine at Orono. This was followed by four years in the Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Tacoma, Washington working as a Radar Technician and achieving the status of Staff Sargent.

Upon his discharge from the Air Force, John returned to Maine where he joined the family business, Daigle & Houghton Inc., focusing his efforts on truck sales. John ultimately assumed ownership of Daigle & Houghton developing an excellent reputation in the industry throughout Maine and beyond. He was well known and appreciated for his business acumen, generosity, honesty, and compassion. He was also involved in several other businesses over the years.

A man of quick wit and humor, John built strong

friendships and a reputation for fair and honest dealing with the state’s logging and forest trucking industry.

John was an early supporter of the PLC, and when the organization expanded its membership opportunities Daigle & Houghton became a Preferred Supporting Member of the organization.

John’s generous contributions to charitable causes included many years of support and sponsorships of the PLC’s Log A Load for Maine Kids annual fund drive.

A loving husband, father, and grandfather; John built the very foundation of what today is recognized as one of the largest and most successful truck dealerships in the state of Maine. He viewed his employees and customers as family, and he was always willing to lend an ear and a helping hand whenever he was able. Daigle & Houghton Inc. was built in John’s image as a family business of honor and integrity, and we have no doubt the Daigle family will continue to work tirelessly for their customers every day to honor his memory and make him proud.

John will be missed. The PLC thanks him for his many years of support for the logging and forest trucking industry, and our condolences go out to his family.

Daigle & Houghton Continued from Page 30

since the beginning. A lot of our sales team and employees have logging backgrounds and know what it is to have payments, repairs and downtime. Being able to relate to our logging customers and understand their unique situations gives us a competitive advantage, and helps us establish trust with our customers,” Jack said.

Daigle & Houghton is a Preferred Supporting Member of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) with many customers who are PLC Members. The company has sponsored and supported many PLC events and efforts, including the annual PLC Log A Load for Maine Kids fund drive.

“PLC is a great group of people and we are happy to support the logging industry. By being a member, we can stay on top of what the industry is doing including tracking market trends, legislation that could potentially impact our business and our customers, and more. PLC helps us learn what we can do to keep the logging industry moving in a positive direction,” Ben Rioux, Inventory & Marketing Coordinator for the company, said. While the COVID-19 pandemic and struggles in the logging industry brought on by soft markets for wood and the loss of the Pixelle Specialty Solutions pulp mill in Jay to an explosion have provided additional challenges this year, Daigle & Houghton’s business has remained strong and the company is forging ahead and confident the company’s future is a bright one.

“As Daigle & Houghton Inc. continues to expand, the quality service and personal attention we provide our customers remains at the very forefront of what we do. It is our goal now and in the future to surpass expectations in the truck and trailer industry, keep employee retention high so our customers can deal with a trained and knowledgeable staff, and provide excellent customer service across all aspects of our business,” Ben said.

Early days: Trucks and facilities in Fort Kent.

Trucks being serviced at the Hermon facility on Coldbrook Road.

Mechanized Logging Operations Program 2020!

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP - The Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) will begin its next class July 6 with a week of online classes before transitioning to classes in the woods northeast of Old Town a week later.

Students enrolled in the 12 week certificate program will spend weeks harvesting timber using sophisticated state-of-the-art machines like those they will encounter in the logging industry. The hands-on experience students gain operating equipment is something unavailable anywhere else in Maine and neighboring states.

This summer’s class is the fourth since the program launched in 2017. Graduation for the class will be held in October.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing many postsecondary programs in Maine to postpone or cancel classes, MLOP will be the first program in the state to return to regular classes since the pandemic forced school and college closures this spring.

Once classes move into the woods, MLOP instructors and students will observe proper social distancing and other protocols to operate safely while preserving the machine operation and harvesting experience that is key to the program’s success.

“Logging is the original social distancing profession, and with the program being primarily outdoor based with the class split into two small groups and individual students spending the majority of class time operating alone in pieces of equipment and communicating via radios, we are able to preserve the experience while maintaining safety,” Donald Burr, Coordinator of MLOP, said.

The latest class to complete the program graduated in Sept. 2019. All 15 students enrolled in the program completed it successfully and all received job offers in the logging industry. Despite the many recruiting, organizational and economic issues brought on by the pandemic, this summer’s class is also full.

The Mechanized Logging Operations Program was created thanks to a partnership between three Maine community colleges, the PLC, and industry partners.

The program gives students a broad overview of the most common mechanical systems found in modern timber harvesting equipment, and an understanding of the

variables of timber growth, tree species, and markets. It also includes a strong emphasis on safety.

Students who are accepted into the program pay no tuition, but are responsible for transportation, housing, and food costs. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided by the program.

Mechanized logging operators are among the highest paid members of the logging workforce. Demand for skilled operators of the feller bunchers, harvesters, grapple skidders, forwarders, delimbers, and other mechanized logging equipment that now harvests more than 95 percent of all timber in Maine is strong and getting stronger. Many current operators are reaching retirement age and the steep costs of training new operators is driving up demand and wages.

The program is working in tandem with the state’s current vocational training system and so far has drawn many of its students from within the logging industry itself as well as from Maine’s four Career and Technical High School logging programs in Dyer Brook, Farmington,

Norway/South Paris and Rumford/Mexico. For the first time, logging operators are being trained similarly to other advanced trade occupations with a high school and postsecondary pathway approach.

The PLC partnered with the Maine Community College System and industry to create the program. It was jointly developed by the PLC and Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC), and Washington County Community College (WCCC) with generous support from Milton CAT/ CAT Forest Products and Nortrax Inc./John Deere. Other industry supporters include Weiler, Pro Pac, Labonville Inc., Davco, Katahdin Fire Company, Waratah, American Forest Management, Randall Madden Trucking, and Madden Timberland Inc.

The program has been supported since its inception by Maine Quality Centers, a program to develop and support skilled in-demand and high wage occupations in Maine.

MLOP Graduation 2019

Training options

ByDonaldBurr

PLCSafety&TrainingCoordinator safety@maineloggers.com

In this new world we live in you need options to get safety training for you and your employees. May I suggest that you work on keeping your toe and your employees’ toes in the safety training waters. This takes effort, interest and buy-in by everybody. I have said over and over again that the biggest issues around safety are thinking, and I want with this article to present that there are ways to keep your employees thinking about safety so then by default when they are working they will be thinking, “is what I am doing safe?” I am convinced if we asked this question more often, we would be hurt less.

We have options today to get safety training like at no other time in our lifetimes. This means that your employees have options to find what safety training works for them and it no longer needs to be one size fits all. Because let’s be fair, it is one size fits the few in reality. One type of training may work for one, and then the same topic presented in a different way fits another employee. Here are some of the options.

Webinars are training that you can watch online in a live format where you can ask questions, usually accomplished in less than an hour. This format is also normally recorded and can be viewed later at the employees convivence. This is a great option; I recommend that you watch a wide variety of trainings and then you can pass along to your employees the webinars that you think they could learn from. It is powerful when you are watching the webinar live and you ask a question and your employees see that you are engaged and care about what is being taught.

information.

Vlogs, are the same as blogs except done by video instead of in written format.

Podcast: Same as the above two, but done in audio format. The one difference is these can be in a longer format. I have listened to podcasts that are three hours long. It was hard to listen for that long and I think that the presenters lost their way near the end. Start with shorter presentations.

Online training with a learning management system (LMS): These are courses set up online that are formal, and usually come with tests & quizzes and a certificate of completion and possible continuing education credits (sometimes referred to as Continue Education Hours (CEH)). These are customarily a paid service. But not always.

Where to find trainings?

If you are checking out trainings and passing on good and relevant trainings to your employees, this screams to them that you care about safety and their well-being and they will take it seriously (over time). The opposite of this is having your employees take training that you know is no good but checks the box, this will breed a resentment to safety and training.

The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF) has a host of training options. Log onto tcnef.org and look at the different possibilities. Insurance companies also have a plethora of options. Check with your insurance company about logging into their safety training systems. Have a topic in mind ahead of time, because there are so many safety training selections if you don’t have a plan of what you are looking for be prepared to get lost in the possible options. These training are free for the policy holders and their employees.

Blogs are a written format where a trainer takes on a topic in a couple of short paragraphs. These are typically short and to the point. Again, here is good place to keep your toe in and you can also pass along the appropriate

To quote J. R. R. Tolkien, “There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look”

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance Quarterly Safety Meeting: CardiacArrest

Each year, an estimated 475,000 people die from cardiac arrest in the United states alone. Globally, cardiac arrest claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined. As one of the leading causes of death annually, cardiac arrest is a medical condition that will likely touch all of us in one way or another. On a positive note, as medical research and technology advances, the survival rate for cardiac patients continues to improve if the symptoms are recognized early and the patient receives Advanced Life Support (ALS) quickly. While there are many symptoms of a heart attack that you may experience, during this safety meeting we will discuss the most common signs and symptoms and the steps you can take to improve the patient’s likelihood of survival.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the top 5 most common symptoms of cardiac arrest include:

Chest pain, chest tightness or pressure – People who have suffered a heart attack report that the level of chest pain can vary significantly from minor tightness to, to quote one survivor, “someone holding a blow torch against my chest.”

Feeling weak, light-headed or dizziness –Sweating, at times profuse, and nausea may often accompany this symptom.

Pain radiating to the jaw, neck or back – similar to chest pain, the level of severity has been reported to vary significantly.

Pain or discomfort in one or both arms – In the past, many people have been taught that arm pain is always on the left side but, while typically the case, some patients note pain in the right arm or even both arms.

Shortness of breath – This often accompanies chest pain but may also precede it, providing an early indicator of cardiac problems.

It can be challenging to evaluate a patient who is experiencing a cardiac event because the symptoms may manifest themselves in different ways and each patient may experience different symptoms with varying levels of severity. An additional challenge for the person performing the evaluation is that many patients will deny the need for medical help, making excuses for the symptoms they are experiencing.

As someone who may be working with, or spending time with someone who experiences a cardiac event, here are several steps you can take to help increase the patient’s odds of survival:

Early recognition of the symptoms – Far too

often people wait for the symptoms to get worse but the quicker you can recognize them and take decisive action, the more likely you are to improve the outcome for the patient.

Call for help – The quicker you get the person to help, the higher the chance of survival. As mentioned above, if experiencing relatively minor symptoms, the patient will likely argue that help is not needed. It is important to allow a medical professional to make the decision on whether help is necessary or not.

Keep the person calm and comfortable –Patients typically feel like a burden or are embarrassed about their medical condition. As someone there to help, you can address this by reassuring the person, reducing the amount of onlookers, and talking to the patient about something that makes them happy.

Give the person a single adult dose aspirin (if not allergic) – The National Safety Council’s first aid curriculum recommends that the person chews a single adult dose aspirin before swallowing it. Aspirin can often buy some time in a cardiac event by thinning the blood out so it flows more freely through partial blockages. As a side note, this would be a good time to verify that your first aid kits have aspirin and the aspirin is not out of date.

Do not allow the person to drive or perform work tasks – Patients will often offer to “drive themselves to the hospital” so they are not a nuisance, this can be incredibly hazardous to both the patient as well as anyone else on the road.

Cardiac arrest continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Thankfully, as we continue to advance the way we treat cardiac problems, the likelihood of survival continues to increase, in many instances without permanent life changes. One of the most critical aspects in the cardiac chain of events is the early recognition of symptoms and decisive actions taken by bystanders to get the person to Advanced Life Support. Taking the information from today’s safety meeting, you may be able to make a difference in the life of a loved one or a coworker.

Acadia is pleased to share this material for the benefit of its customers. Please note, however, that nothing herein should be construed as either legal advice or the provision of professional consulting services. This material is for informational purposes only, and while reasonable care has been utilized in compiling this information, no warranty or representation is made as to accuracy or completeness

Safety

*This sign-in sheet is intended to be used with the quarterly Safety Training Topic on page 35. Refer to the cutline on page 35 when removing it from the magazine.

Safety

Keep the focus on Safety!

Members who are part of the PLC Safety Group Dividend Program,

As you know, the PLC working in partnership with Acadia Insurance has made great strides in improving safety and reducing losses for our members in recent years. Since 1999, Acadia Insurance has returned over $10 million in premium dividends to members, which is a great testament to your efforts to mitigate risk in your businesses.

This year, that record of success is at risk. Early data is showing that the frequency of claims and the cost of claims are both up compared to previous years and as we go forward this trend must be reversed if we are to

have another successful year for the program in 2020.

We encourage you all to review the summary which has been sent out in your weekly email updates and which was presented at our June 4 PLC Board Meeting and to redouble your efforts on safety. Please feel free to contact PLC Safety Coordinator Donald Burr or PLC Executive Director Dana Doran if you have questions or to explore options for additional safety training for your employees. We have no doubt we can have another successful year for the program if members pull together on this issue!

Safety tailgate meetings

Now on Demand!

Members, have your foreman and employees watch Donald Burr (PLC Safety & Training Coordinator) & Ted Clark (Acadia Insurance) hold safety tailgate meetings on a variety of useful topics at your convenience! The PLC is launching a new online site where you as a PLC Member can log in to view several separate tailgate talks, with more to be added soon!

How to use PLC Safety Resources SHARE, SHARE & SHARE

These videos can be shared with your employees in a group setting or the log-in information can be sent to individual employees by text or email. It is important for employers to track and document which employees have watched the videos. Remember, when it comes to safety training, if it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.

Login and password information for the new Safety Resources Page is being provided to Members in the PLC Safety Weekly Update on Wednesdays and the PLC Weekly Update on Fridays.

If you have any problems accessing the site, we can help. Contact jessica@maineloggers.com

We Support Maine Loggers

TCNEF and PLC offer online safety options

In these unique and uncertain times, the PLC of Maine and the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands are collaborating to offer online training options for contractors to help you achieve higher level education goals and maintain workers’ comp. training standards for employees that need it in 2020:

General Industry Courses:

One online seat per company to access training for your employees on general industry safety topics

33 Topics to choose from Unlimited use, unlimited employees

No certificate of completion will be provided

· Free for PLC Members

8 Hour Certificate:

8 hours of online safety content to meet workers’ comp. requalification requirements.

· One week of availability to complete courses

· Training is applicable for current employees who need 8 hours of training in 2020

· One employee per company free, additional employees $25/person

· Certificate that provides credit for Maine Workers’ Comp., OSHA, Master Logger, CLP

NE Safe Logger:

Northeast Safe Logger is an entry level safety and workers’ comp. compliance training program for new entrants to the industry. This is a way for your company to create a culture of safety and reduce risk with a program created by loggers for loggers.

· 16 hours of interactive online training

· Complete on a computer, tablet or smart phone

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

Upon completion participants will get the discounted “certified logger” rate for workers’ compensation insurance in the State of Maine. Visit www.tcnef.org/nesafelogger/ for more information on pricing.

Log-ins are limited and will be awarded on a first come first served basis. Your company will be put on a wait list if all the log-ins are in use.

LEARN MORE about these training options by emailing Jessica at jessica@maineloggers.com or calling (207) 688-8195.

“Being able to have an employee complete this course online was a lifesaver after all classroom options were cancelled. It was great that they could complete at their own pace and at their convenience. Module topics covered areas to improve safety of everyone on the team. It’s definitely worth the time and money to complete the course to gain extra safety knowledge and certification, while receiving the lower Worker’s Comp. rate at the same time!

Thanks,

Brittany Paradis, Paradis Logging, LLC

NE Safe Logger Review

AWordFrom PattyCormier MaineForest Service Director

All the terms we are hearing these days“uncertain times,”“Zoom,”“Teams,”“social distancing,” and “the new normal.” I’m not sure what normal means anymore. And this is especially relevant with the forest products industry at every level. Prices are down; landowners are facing the decision as to whether to stockpile their wood on the stump; sawmill residues need a home; and, inventory is high while demand remains low in many areas of forest products. Add to this an explosion at a key mill. While this paints a depressing picture, there are some glimmers of light. We are used to roller coaster rides in the forest products industry. Forest Products workers are considered essential both in Maine and nationally; we have a great network as far as markets go; and, as Eric Kingsley of Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC put it, “We have the forest resource and supply infrastructure (landowners, loggers, entire forest industry ecosystem) that would make other regions jealous.” If you ever get a chance to see his presentation on current markets, check it out, it is good.

Within the Maine Forest Service (MFS), we continue to serve our clients, the taxpayers. Foresters have never stopped working with loggers, consultants, and landowners in the field; our entomologists and pathologist continue to answer calls for insect and disease issues; our inventory crew is well into completing the 600+ plots which give us the data we need to see how our forests are doing and supply; and our rangers are looking at the second highest fire count in ten years and it is only June. I am humbled by all their work for Maine people. I am also humbled by the good work you all do. We appreciate the opportunity to submit articles to the Loggers Voice, as well as assisting with Master Logger hosted road building and BMP workshops.

I continue to advocate for relief funding for loggers and truckers, especially in light of the Jay explosion, and support Executive Director Doran in his efforts as he works tirelessly for you. This support is at the state level and federally along with my counterparts throughout the country. As you can

imagine, many other states are facing similar challenges. It is important to note as well that within our department, support and advocacy for loggers and truckers in Maine is at the commissioner level too. None of us know the future, but I remain hopeful as you are all such a resilient group and we have that infrastructure and we have a great pool of consumers. My overall point is that it is important for us to remain cohesive in our efforts to support each other, that is how we will get results.

Introducing yourDistrict Foresters

MeetTerriCoolong

OldTownandGreenville DistrictForester

Terri Coolong is the Maine Forest Service’s Old Town District Forester and is currently covering the Greenville District as well. She works in parts of Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, Hancock, and Somerset counties, comprising over 7.5 million acres. She is a graduate of the University of Maine’s Forest Engineering program.

She began her career at Great Northern Paper, then left to start a land surveying business with her husband. She was active on the advisory committee for the forestry program at Northern Penobscot Tech Region III Vocational School in Lincoln for over a decade until the decision was made to close the program. Terri most recently spent 15 years with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, managing lands in Eastern and Coastal Maine, including overseeing harvests and recreational opportunities. She also maintained the Bureau’s GIS datalayers.

In her nearly 6 years at Maine Forest Service, she has enjoyed providing one-on-one talks with landowners, adult education, and outreach to loggers regarding forestry rules and regulations. She is an active member of the boards of directors for Maine Forest and Logging Museum, Maine Woodland Owners, and Certified Logging Professionals, Inc.

Like all District Foresters, Terri responds to requests for assistance from all audiences, including loggers. Many of the most common questions deal with timber harvesting, both in the planning stage and once operations are underway. Did you know you can ask a District Forester to visit a site before, during or after logging? Understanding harvest regulations and identifying ways to apply Best Management Practices (BMPs) that protect water quality are two of the most common requests. Every situation is different so it’s often helpful to have Terri come out to a site – ideally before work begins - to help determine if and how the rules apply, or to talk about different ways to control water and prevent soil movement using BMPs. Terri and other DFs also teach classes about a range of forestry topics, from forest management to BMPs to wildlife considerations in forestry to the Tree Growth Tax Program. Terri and the other DFs are a great resource –please use them!

In addition to all things “forest-y”, she has a passion for music, dancing and quilting. Terri directs an

Thank you to the Maine Forest Service for contributing this article and photos.

English Handbell Choir at First Congregational Church in Lincoln, and also sings in the choir. She is an active clogger with “Rattle the Windows” in Lee and quilts whenever she has spare time. She also enjoys spending as much time as she can with granddaughter Aspyn.

Terri is also a licensed Land Surveyor and continues to work in their family business with husband Roger and son Rob, both also licensed land surveyors. Daughter Becka is a kitchen and bath designer in Holden.

District Forester Terri Coolong.

Maine’sForestryCommunity ContinuestoProtectWaterQuality DuringTimberHarvests

ByTomGilbert WaterResourcesSpecialist

The Maine Forest Service (MFS) has released the results of a study on the use and effectiveness of forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) at timber harvests across the state from 2018-2019. BMPs are voluntary measures used to protect water quality. BMP use and effectiveness at timber harvesting operations is monitored regularly by the Maine Forest Service’s 10 District Foresters and Water Resources Specialist. The results of these monitoring efforts are reported biannually.

The following are key findings of this year report:

▪A substantial majority (78%) of sites had BMPs applied appropriately on crossings and approaches, or crossings were avoided. MFS BMPs emphasize planning harvests to avoid crossing streams whenever feasible.

▪Eighty-eight percent (88%) of sites evaluated for sediment input found no sediment entered a waterbody. A significant goal of BMPs is keeping sediment from reaching water bodies.

▪Ninety-six percent (96%) of sites showed no evidence of chemical spills. Properly securing and storing these chemicals is a vital BMP, as is being prepared with a plan and the proper equipment if a spill occurs.

▪When applied appropriately, BMPs were effective at preventing sedimentation from entering water bodies. Sedimentation events were strongly correlated with inadequate application of BMPs, or lack of maintenance of BMPs.

▪Ninety-four percent (94%) of sample sites had no wetland crossing. Wetlands were either avoided, or effective BMPs were used to cross.

“On behalf of the Maine Forest Service, thank you to all that work in the forestry business for your continued success in protecting our water resources in Maine,” said Maine Forest Service Director Patty Cormier. “As the results of this report show, the water quality guidelines, or Best Management Practices are being taken seriously and being implemented successfully. We all need to take care of our natural resources, and this shows the forestry sector has stepped up to the plate to do so.”

The full report is available on the Maine Forest Service website at: http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/ policy_management/water_resources/bmps.html For more information please contact Maine Forest Service Water Resources Specialist, Tom Gilbert at 287-1073 or thomas.gilbert@maine.gov

For more information on fundamental forestry BMPs please see our field friendly BMP manual, Protecting Maine’s Water Quality, available on our website:

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/ policy_management/water_resources/ bmps.html

ForestOperationsNotifications (FONS)

For over 30 years, the Forest Operations Notifications (FONS) system has been paperbased. Landowners and managers submit paper copies to the Maine Forest Service (MFS); data is entered by hand; acknowledgment letters printed and mailed; FONS filed, etc. Repeat the process with amendments. Then paper copies of landowner harvest reports are sent out at the end of the year. More paper, more data entry, more filing. That’s all about to change.

Starting in January 2021, FONS will become Forest Online Resource Tool (FOResT), and it will be all online. Landowners, Designated Agents, Foresters, and Loggers will need to create individual accounts in FOResT to participate in harvest notifications.

Some important features include mapping of Forest

Operations Notification activities, digital signatures, automatic notification of all parties named on a notification, and automated, end of year landowner reports. "The Maine Forest Service has a rich history of ensuring that Maine's forests continue to provide a full range of benefits to present and future generations of Maine people," Maine Forest Service Director Patty Cormier observed. Part of that effort is maintaining a notification database for harvest activity in Maine. This database helps the Maine Forest Service develop and advocate for activities that encourage the sound, long-term management of Maines forests, and to provide reliable, timely and accurate information about the forest resource. This new online harvest notification system will provide for ease of access, and ready information for forest

FONS Continued Page 44

FONS Continued from Page 43

practitioners. We at the Maine Forest Service are happy to offer this online service for your convenience.

MFS currently is testing the system with a small set of users to identify and fix glitches before the system goes fully live. We will continue to offer additional information, including how-to videos, as the year progresses.

For now, you don’t need to do anything. Just be aware that paper FONS are going away soon.

The Maine Forest Service reported on June 28 that Maine is experiencing an abnormally high number of wildfires. As of that date, Forest Rangers had already responded to 750 fires. This is already the second-highest fire count in 10 years, and it's only June.

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

remain drier than normal for this time of year. PLC encourages members to

vigilant and watch for fire dangers in your operations. Stay Safe!

Recent

the woods

remain

Regional Wood Heat Marketing Campaign

The PLC is participating in an effort to launch a major regional wood heat marketing campaign developed by the Northern Forest Center. This effort is benefiting from a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration to promote pellet heating – pellet boilers and also pellet stoves in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. This grant award is made possible because of “matching funds” provided by our industry, including many businesses here in Maine.

The goal of project: 50% increase in the usage of low grade wood being used for heating.

Steps that are being taken in this effort include:

▪Hire a public relations firm to start countering the negative publicity circulating about wood energy.

▪Hire a design firm to produce promotional materials.

▪Designate an advertising firm to begin a digital marketing

campaign.

▪Bring on an expert to work with different customer groups, not on engineering details, but to provide overall knowledge, including how to capture the funds in the Thermal Renewable Energy Credits to be available in Maine next year.

Next Step: Wood Heat Marketing Kickoff July 17

Invited to this Zoom meeting are businesses, organizations and individuals who have made a commitment of cash and/or in-kind resources to match $300,000 recently secured by the Northern Forest Center from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a regional wood heat marketing effort (plus several additional stakeholders). The objective of the meeting is to formally launch this effort and discuss processes and activities needed for an active marketing campaign active to be in place by Fall 2020.

PLC Members and PLC Executive Director Dana Doran will be attending this meeting.

As We See It July 2020 Help Us Help You

By Shannon Jarvis, President

In order to help you, we need your help

To say that this year has been tough for us is definitely an understatement. We are finally half way through the year and I hope it ends better than it started. I’m not certain what the rest of the year has in store, but it needs to improve for many of us.

As the COVID-19 pandemic goes on we are seeing markets slowing down, mills closing, quotas going into effect and other pandemic related disruptions in the supply chain that are having negative impacts on many of our businesses. According to those that responded to our survey conducted in June, approximately 72% of the logging businesses throughout the country have requested and received some type of federal assistance, either through the Payroll Protection Program or perhaps the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program administered by the Small Business Administration.

While these programs have helped thousands of small business across the United States to remain solvent, for many of us in the timber harvesting and timber hauling business, payroll is a small percentage of the operating costs that we incur and high fixed costs from equipment payments to insurance as well as other operating costs such as fuel and maintenance costs far outweigh our labor expenses.

I know that all loggers are not facing the same struggles; however one thing is for sure, when we face an issue such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the questions

are not if it is impacting us, but how bad are those impacts going to be and how long will they last.

The ALC has been working with all of our member States to come up with a relief bill to benefit loggers and log truckers. We have hired a firm to help get it introduced into Congress; however, without the loggers contacting their representative in DC, it does not stand a chance. They need to know your story and how this assistance can help you, their constituent.

I know that most of us would rather tackle the worst day in the woods rather than talking to a politician for a few minutes, but logging is our business and we must protect it. Although most loggers are not looking for handouts, but if we can get a program in place that offers low interest loans and possibly forgivable loans, this could prove to be very beneficial for most logging and log trucking businesses in this current pandemic.

Again, we cannot do this without your help. Please copy this link, https://healthyforests.org/action-center/? vvsrc=%2Fcampaigns%2F74737%

2Frespond

and paste it into your browser and take the five minutes that is required to send a letter to your Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen in your district and ask

them to support the Logger Relief Fund so that we can continue to provide the essential services including paper products that this country needs.

I thank you in advance for your participation and time to respond to this urgent request.

Shannon Jarvis owns and operates Jarvis Timber Company in Potosi, Missouri, and serves as President of the American Loggers Council.

The American Loggers Council is a 501(c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters and log haulers across the United States. For more information visit www.amloggers.com.

Congressional Delegation Updates

The ‘Andro Strong’ Spirit of the Androscoggin Mill in Jay

On April 15th, a tremendous explosion caused extensive damage to the Androscoggin Mill in Jay and scattered debris up to a mile away. Miraculously, no one was injured. The courage of the mill workers who took quick action to prevent further destruction and of the first responders who rushed to the scene was inspiring. The “Andro Strong” spirit had two of the mill’s three paper machines up and running barely one week after the catastrophe.

I toured the mill in the aftermath of the blast to receive an update on the current operations as well as the status of the investigation into the cause of the ruptured pressure vessel. It was an honor to meet with the workers to thank them for their bravery and determination.

I was joined on the tour by Maine State Senators Russell Black and Jeff Timberlake. We are united at both the state and federal levels to assist in any way possible with the rebuilding of the pulp side of the operation. This is crucial not only to the mill workers but also to the loggers and truckers who depend on the mill to support

When things get hard for Maine’s loggers, their first instinct is to knuckle down and get through the task at hand with resiliency and ingenuity. That’s good news –because right now, there’s some serious challenges facing not only the industry but the State of Maine, the nation, and the world. The coronavirus pandemic has created an economic slowdown across the globe, and the forest products industry – for no fault of its own – is feeling the ripple effects: broken supply chains, reduced demand for timber, and long-term uncertainty that makes planning for the future even more difficult.

These challenges would be enough to deal with, but as we all know there’s more hardship facing our industry: namely, the March explosion at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay. While we all can count our blessings that workers came away with scratches and bruises, the physical damage was considerable. With more than 500 employees, the Androscoggin Mill is the second largest employer in Franklin County, so its partial closure has made a major impact on the Jay community –but the impact extends even further. The mill is an important part of statewide supply chains, meaning that loggers, truckers, manufacturers, and other parts of the forest economy are feeling the pinch.

their livelihoods. According to a study conducted by the University of Southern Maine, an average of one job in the logging industry is supported by every 3,925 tons of wood that are harvested and hauled. By this measurement, a prolonged or permanent closure of the Androscoggin Mill would directly impact more than 500 logging and trucking jobs, in addition to the roughly 500 employees at the mill itself. Thousands of families and many communities throughout Maine rely on a strong forest-products industry.

Rebuilding will be helped by the 2017 tax reform law I supported that enables companies to write off the cost of investments much more quickly than before. State Senators Black and Timberlake have pledged to help expedite the state permitting process that would be part of a large rebuilding project.

Androscoggin Mill’s greatest asset is its extraordinary work force. Mill Manager Jay Thiessen told us that the mill was on track for a record year until this explosion occurred. He spoke highly of the employees who allowed them to resume operations so quickly.

Maine’s forest economy has long played a vital role in our state, and it is essential to many of our rural communities. I am committed to working with industry and community leaders to help the Androscoggin Mill in Jay as they determine next steps.

The combination of these problems – the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting economic slowdown, and the explosion of the Jay mill – are a challenge to this industry. But we’ve faced challenges before, and always –always – come out the other side. Thanks to the work of the Forest Opportunity Roadmap, our state’s forest products industry is in a stronger position to weather this storm than it would have been just a few short years ago.

As these challenges continue to unfold, I’m committed to supporting you and your contributions to Maine, however I can. I am working with my colleagues in Maine’s congressional delegation on legislation and advocacy to help support the industry and its workers through this tough time. If you have ideas on how to best move forward, or need assistance on any other issues resulting from this pandemic, please reach out to my team by going to king.senate.gov. We will get through this –together.

Sen. Susan Collins

Sen. Angus King

Several months into this crisis, the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect our everyday lives in both its economic impacts and its public health consequences. I know this pandemic has been challenging for the forestry community, and I want to assure you that I am here for any help you may need. If there is anything I can do to help, please reach out through my website at pingree.house.gov.

Even though responding to the coronavirus pandemic is currently the main focus for legislation and federal spending measures, Congress’ annual appropriations process is upcoming and very important to plan for. It is imperative that our annual appropriations package reflect the hardships in every industry including Maine’s forest products industry. As the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment, funding for the U.S. Forest Service is top of mind for me.

Some of my top priories for the Fiscal Year 2021 budget include:

▪ The Northeastern States Research Collaborative, a grant program for collaborative research in the northern forest

▪ The National Agroforestry Center, which will

Even as we begin to reopen our economy, it’s the unfortunate truth that the economic fallout resulting from COVID-19 will continue to take a toll on small businesses and workers in Maine. I’ve made it a point to reach out to small businesses since the pandemic began through tele-town halls and meetings to hear directly from them about the challenges they’re facing and I’ve set up a small business response team in my office to help them navigate the support that is available to them. As one of the most important industries in our state, it’s no surprise that I’ve heard from the logging industry.

The industry in Maine is confronting falling demand for wood fiber due to the COVID-19 recession, and in Western Maine, loggers are forced to adapt to the fact that the Androscoggin Mill in Jay won’t be back at full capacity for some time. While the situation in Jay is unique to our state, loggers and logging truckers across the country are facing the same headwinds.

The industry is facing tough times, and it often gets passed over for the kinds of relief that goes to farmers, fishermen, and big business. That’s why I’ve been working with the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, Republican Congressman David Rouzer of North Carolina, and Senator Susan Collins on new bipartisan legislation

advance the health, diversity, and productivity of our working lands and waters through agroforestry

▪ The Community Wood and Wood Innovations Program, a grant program to support community wood energy systems and innovative wood products facilities. This program has already been successful in Maine; the Maine Mountain Collaborative was recently awarded $120,000 through this program to better their forest conditions through carbon sequestration. Limington Lumber in East Baldwin was also recently awarded $346,000 through this program.

I’m also a member of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. Before the coronavirus came to our shores, the Subcommittee held a hearing on innovative wood products, where we discussed how new wood product innovation can promote rural economies and keep our forests healthy. The federal government has a big role to play in providing funding to drive innovation and economic development in rural areas like much of Maine. In the hearing, we discussed how Congress can create opportunities for collaboration among forested states and how funding can spur research and design and thus more innovation in the sector. Many opportunities were created thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, as well as the Timber Innovation Act. Now that we see how successful these new programs were, Congress must work to fully fund them so we promote more innovation in this sector.

designed to provide emergency relief to logging and trucking businesses.

Our bill which we plan to introduce in July would create a new program, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to provide direct, low-interest loans to businesses who have experienced losses as a result of the coronavirus. The House passed similar legislation to provide relief to the textile and ethanol industries, and loggers should have access to the same revenue necessary to keep their businesses afloat.

I’ll work hard to get this bill passed through the House, but if your business is struggling you shouldn’t wait to get in touch with my office to see how we can help. On weekdays, you can call any of my offices and speak with a member of our staff between 9 and 5. We’re here to answer your questions and help you understand all the options available to you. And if we don’t have an answer, we’ll help you find someone who does.

If you have questions about resources for your business, or your family, you can contact our nearest office at the numbers listed below, or send us a letter:

▪Bangor Office: 6 State Street, Bangor ME 04401. Phone: (207) 249-7400

▪Caribou Office: 7 Hatch Drive, Suite 230, Caribou ME 04736. Phone: (207) 492-6009

▪Lewiston Office: 179 Lisbon Street, Lewiston ME 04240. Phone: (207) 241-6767

▪Washington Office: 1223 Longworth HOB, Washington DC 20515. Phone: (202) 225-6306

Rep. Chellie Pingree

Rep. Jared Golden