The Logger's VOICE - Summer 2021

From the President

By Tony Madden

Hello everyone,

I hope you and your families are healthy. The COVID-19 virus seems to be on the decline, let’s hope it continues down the road of no return. The economy is recovering well for many companies, but not for all. Many businesses are trying to get back to full speed, but are faced with a shortage of labor. In many cases both parents would be working, but with schools and daycares only open part time or closed altogether it has been necessary for one parent to stay home. Let’s hope that the labor shortage is somewhat corrected by September when the unemployment bonus expires and the schools go back to full-time in-house learning.

Investment in infrastructure is the topic of the day. I realize our country needs to invest in roads and bridges, but is this really the right time to spend trillions of dollars on construction projects when we have a shortage of contractors and skilled labor? Logging contractors compete with construction contractors for truck drivers and equipment operators. This is not an even playing field when construction rates are rapidly increasing. The logging community cannot afford to lose more truck drivers and equipment operators to the construction industry.

Prices are going up on everything from lollipops to log trucks. I am no expert, but it seems that using the word “shortage” is just an excuse to raise prices. With that in mind, I guess there’s no “shortage” of biomass and pulpwood. In my area the biomass market is next to non-existent and softwood pulp market is extremely limited. These limitations make it very hard to provide full service to landowners.

In the good news department, the Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) is off to a good start. The training program is located in the Old Town area again this year on the same road my dad started logging in 1955. As far as I know, there are no restrictions for our membership visiting the program and meeting the students this year. Thank you again to American Forest Management, Randy Madden trucking, Milton Cat, Nortrax, Davco, Katahdin Fire, Maine Quality Centers, Madden Timberlands, NEC, and TCNEF for their help in making sure this program is available to train the next generation.

Good news! Looks like the 2021 Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo is coming to Bangor, Maine September 24 and 25. The Bangor show has always been a favorite of mine. It’s a great chance to kick some iron, meet old friends, and make new ones. With the increasing price of lumber and fuel, my guess is that half the fairway will be taken up by portable sawmills and firewood processors.

Looking forward again to our two Log A Load for Maine Kids Golf Tournaments. August 27 at the Kezar Lake Country Club, Lovell, Me. and September 17 at JATO Highlands, Lincoln, ME. I am always amazed by the generosity of the players, sponsors, and the hard work of the organizers.

Enjoy the summer!

Good luck and be safe!

Thanks, Tony

Welcome New Members

On the Edge Chipping, Inc. of Phillips, ME joined the PLC as a new Contractor Member in May of 2021. The company has a professional staff of three. For more information call Brady Pingree at (207) 592-6476 or email brady.pingree@gmail.com.

Plummer Forest Products of Palermo, ME joined the PLC as a new Contractor Member in May of 2021. The company has a professional staff of one. For more information call Zac Plummer at (207) 592 -1190 or email Zplummerforestproducts@gmail.com.

Trucking GH, Inc. of Fort Kent, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor Member in May of 2021. The company has a professional staff of 9. For more information call Robert Albert at (418) 356-6250 or email robertalbert2301@gmail.com.

BD Crocker and Sons, Inc. of Lee, ME joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor Member in May of 2021. The company has a professional staff of two. For more information call Brian Crocker at (207) 403-3661 or email BDCrockerFirewood@gmail.com.

McKGrif Logging, Inc. of Fort Kent, ME joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor Member in May of 2021. The company has a professional staff of one. For more information call James Jandreau at (207) or email mcgriflogging@gmail.com.

PalletOne Inc. joined the PLC as a new Preferred Supporting Member in March of 2021. As the nation’s largest new pallet manufacturer, PalletOne has the largest pallet inventory and greatest pallet assembly capacity in the United States, processing over 200 million board feet annually. The company owns and operates pallet manufacturing facilities and sawmills throughout the eastern United States and employs over 1,300 people. All facilities utilize lean manufacturing principles. To learn more, go to palletone.com or call (207) 897-5711.

Field & Forest Consulting, LLC of Old Town, ME joined the PLC as a new Supporting Member in May of 2021. To learn more contact Dan Phillips at phillips4oldtown@yahoo.com.

Maine Commercial Tire, Inc. joined the PLC as a new Supporting Member in May of 2021. The company was founded in 1990 to supply new tires, retreaded tires, and service to the many trucking businesses in Maine. Maine Commercial Tire became the first tire dealer and first independently owned retread shop in the United States to become 9001: 2015 certified. The company has locations in Hermon, ME, Waterville, ME, Lewiston, ME, and Scarborough, ME. To learn more email Jim McCurdy at jmccurdy@mctire.com

Airline ATV Riders, of Eddington, ME joined the PLC as a new Nonprofit Supporting Member in May of 2021. To learn more contact Jim Butler at (207)-989-6545.

the Executive Director

Anti-Trust, Contractors or Employees

By Dana Doran

Did I get your attention with these three subjects? I hope so.

Each spring, training is always a point of emphasis in this industry. It happens as an annual rite of passage in the spring, predominately because it’s the only time of year for contractors when they have time to devote to it. However, each year when training occurs, it makes me think about the intent of training, who is providing the training and why they’re doing it. Is it something that the contractors asked for, is it is something that they are vested in, is it something that

will really help them or is it something that is mandated as a condition of work?

Heading into summer, there is a multitude of things to update the membership on: the high cost of lumber and the lack of positive impact on contractors, the Logger Relief Act, the Maine Legislature, markets, etc., but I would rather spend some time on one thought provoking area that I truly believe has become so engrained in the expectation of work here that it has largely been written off as a cost of doing business with no ability for change. Yet, in the grand scheme of

From

things, it’s an unfunded mandate that must be looked at because it’s bleeding contractors dry without recognition of the cost or the benefits in the end. Effectively, it’s a death by a thousand cuts but no one has a band-aid and no one has time, attention or resources to in their own businesses to push back. It has become so top down that even state regulatory authorities have gotten in on the act of not only participating in it,but enforcing it without any consideration that there are implications related to anti-trust.

At this point in time, with depressed commodity

pricing in some species, limited markets and increasing business costs (labor, fuel, parts, etc.), every dollar counts. As a result, there needs to be a recognition that training and credentials are important, but they are also costly and do have an impact on a contractor’s bottom line, especially if it’s not voluntary, and was not created or supported by the greater logging community. Compounding this issue is the question of whether contractors are truly independent or whether they are being treated more like employees than contractors. This question also has legal implications

In the last year and a half, Maine’s logging industry has faced unprecedented challenges at a time when the obstacles to success in logging were already considerable.

The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the sudden loss of the Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC pulp mill in Jay to an explosion in April 2020 were shocks to the industry that are still being felt today.

Since this crisis began, logging companies have gone bankrupt. Many older contractors have chosen to leave the business or plan to leave soon. The number of new faces in logging is steadily declining.

At the root of the problem is the fact that for many, the benefits of logging are now outweighed by the costs, and the risks outweigh the rewards. If that does not change, attracting new talent and energy to the industry will continue to become harder, and maintaining the logging workforce on which the entire Maine forest economy is built will become impossible.

Understanding the challenges logging businesses face is critical to averting that crisis, and that is why the Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine makes every attempt to inform the public and state and federal lawmakers about the issue.

This article, where the PLC spoke with half a dozen PLC Member logging contractors about their experiences starting and maintaining logging businesses in the last two decades, is the latest in a series of articles focused on that effort.

Ricker Logging and Trucking, LLC in Greenville Junction was launched four years ago by Jeff Ricker and his finance’ Shaina Buhler, but the business nearly ended only a few months after it started.

Jeff is from Maine, and had spent several years logging in the Greenville area with a cable skidder before leaving the state for the steady work and better pay offered by a job clearing land for pipeline projects. He met Shaina in Pennsylvania, where she was working in a hospital. They eventually decided they wanted to move to Maine and work in the north woods.

Jeff knew logging, Shaina didn’t but she came from a logging family, so they decided to go into logging. They gathered what money they could to cover startup costs, hunted hard for a bank that would finance their equipment purchases, and finally had to settle on a high interest loan to get started. Then they started logging off the Golden Road north of Greenville, Jeff cutting in a processor, Shaina learning to run a forwarder on the job, both working hard to stay ahead of the payments.

“The first finance deal was absolutely rough, but it was the only way we could get started,” Jeff recalled. “It takes a ton of money just to get going, you dole out some

J.L. Rich Timber Harvesting processor working on Wagner land near Sherman in June.

Young Loggers at Risk

serious money before you ever cut the first tree. We started tight, week to week.”

Like most startup logging companies, Jeff and Shaina could only afford used equipment, and breakdowns were common. After three or four months of struggle it became clear they were not going to make it no matter how hard they worked.

“So, we parked the equipment,” Shaina said. “We knew we could both go and work on the pipeline and pay for the equipment until we figured out how to make the whole thing work.”

“We left for a few months, and went and replenished our bank account so we could come back and afford to try logging again,” Jeff agreed. They looked at each other and then burst out laughing at the memory of having to take full-time jobs to earn enough money to keep logging.

“Isn’t that sad?” Shaina said. They did come back. They started logging again. They made payments. They eventually bought better equipment.

Since then they’ve survived unpredictable mud seasons, difficult markets, an equipment fire late last fall, challenges finding employees, and a lot more. They haven’t quit, but it’s still a struggle every single day.

Their experience is one many who have launched their own Maine logging businesses in the last two decades can relate to.

A Monumental Challenge

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of U.S. small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of their fifth year, approximately 50% have faltered. After 10 years, only around a third of businesses have survived.

While numbers are not available for Maine logging startups, it’s fair to say that starting a logging business in Maine and surviving your first years is a monumental challenge. This is a problem, because as owners of existing logging businesses continue to reach retirement age or leave the industry because they too are struggling, Maine risks losing the logging capacity it needs maintain its entire forest products industry if they are not replaced.

Money and Financing

When you talk to loggers who started their own businesses, you find many common experiences. Every story is different, but there are themes that run through all of them.

Money and financing looms large in every startup’s story.

Logging is a very expensive business to get into, and it is getting more expensive every year. Costs for everything from equipment to insurance to fuel have skyrocketed since the 1990s. If a young person wants to start a logging business, they will never raise the money to do it without a bank, family member, or company willing to finance them. If that young person is a first-generation logger, getting any financer to take a chance on them is even harder.

Jon Hinds, owner of Hinds Selective Wood Harvesting in Wayne, remembers his own experience as a young man starting his business 16 years ago and approaching multiple banks for financing to buy a used processor for $115,000 after only a couple of years logging with an old 440 John Deere cable skidder. He didn’t have 20 percent to put down on the purchase. It didn’t go well.

“None of my family was in logging,” Jon said. “I think I was 21 or 22, I was turned down by everybody, they all said come back and see us when you’ve got a few more tax returns.”

Finally, a bank took a chance on him - this was before the Great Recession of 2006-2009 - and he got financing to buy the processor, something he doubts would happen for a young person today.

“That is a struggle starting out, because you may have ideas and things you know you should be doing to make things better but you just can’t get the money. But those tough times are going to make you figure out whether you want to be in the business or not,” Jon said.

Matt Lavoie, owner of MK Logging Inc. in Frenchville, didn’t have it any easier a few years later when he bought his first piece of equipment, a grapple skidder, in July 2013.

Matt started working in the woods straight out of high school with nothing but a lunch pail and a willingness to work hard and learn. Ten years later he is an independent owner/operator with thousands of hours of experience and plenty of business savvy, but in 2013 he had none of that when he was trying to pull together financing to buy the grapple and go into business.

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Shaina Buhler and Jeff Ricker.

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Matt found a lender, but he needed a co-signer on the loan, and the lender required him to put $10,000 in a “parts account” that he could not touch except for major parts for the machine. He was lucky, he got a co-signer.

“If it hadn’t been for a co-signer and ten grand, I would never have gotten a machine,” Matt said.

Matt pointed out that when he bought that grapple he was still just out of high school, living at his father’s place though he was gone working so much he was essentially homeless for his first five years logging. Either way, he did not have a house mortgage yet and outside of logging his bills were not large. For someone starting out with the additional costs of a family and a house, getting into logging would be an even bigger financial challenge.

Matt traded his grapple skidder for a used but well maintained John Deere forwarder in 2017. He listed off what it would take for someone to purchase the essential equipment to start a small logging operation like his today if they went out and bought new equipment: $600,000 for the forwarder, at least $60,000 for a diesel work pickup able to haul the heavy service and fuel trailers needed on the job sites, another $12,000 for the service trailer, and on it goes.

“You’re already at $672,000, and you didn’t cut any wood yet,” Matt said. “Six hundred and seventy-two grand just to go to work.”

And those are just equipment costs. You need insurance, certification, tools. Then the minute you start working the ongoing costs begin - fuel, maintenance, replacement parts. Money is going out every day, whether money is coming in or not. A new logging business is already behind the eight ball on day one.

A Steep Learning Curve

Experience is the best teacher in logging, but most successful loggers will tell you the learning curve starting out is steep, and they would not have survived their early years without help and guidance from others.

In family businesses, that help and guidance comes from the older generations. For first generation loggers, there are fewer options, but everyone ends up learning from others.

Jon Hinds mentions veteran loggers and PLC Members like Andy Irish and the late Greg Adams as mentors who helped him with advice in his early years. In northern Maine, some loggers get their start with major companies like Irving Woodlands, which provides training and other support to loggers working for the company. Even for firstgeneration loggers there is generally a connection somewhere in the family with the woods, and those with small business experience who can provide some guidance on the paperwork and other challenges that any business owner faces when not on the job site.

Josh Rich, owner of JL Rich Timber Harvesting in Wallagrass, grew up in Windham. He had an uncle who was in logging but he also learned from others who didn’t work in the woods, but did work for themselves.

“We had a lot of self-employed people in the family,” Josh said. “I think having them as people to call as a sounding board has been as handy as anything.”

Craig Thibodeau, owner of Timberdown Logging Inc. in Fort Kent, had loggers in his family he could go to for advice, but he was the first in the family to start his own logging business. That was in 1999, after he had worked in the woods since 1993. Switching from running a machine to running a business was a challenge, he said.

“I pretty much learned all that on my own,” Craig said. “I was doing all my own bookkeeping back then, later I got a bookkeeper, and I learned a lot from her.”

Jon also learned a lot on his own, often the hard way. He’s been in business for 16 years and he figures it took almost that long for him to feel like he has a good handle on the big picture of what is happening with the business in real time, how to maximize efficiency and production, and how to keep track of your numbers and plan for the future.

Matt Lavoie, owner of MK Logging in Frenchville, in his forwarder in early June, 2021.

“I think it’s fairly common in the woods business to not really know your numbers well,” Jon said. “You don’t have to be a business person to get into the woods business, but you do have to figure that out at some point.”

The more skills a new logging business owner can bring to the table, the better. Most have a liking for heavy equipment and some experience running it, which is a big plus. Many also have some experience as mechanics. And there are plenty of other skills that come in handy.

Craig went to college in Auburn to become a machinist after high school, and worked as one before he went into logging. That has been a huge help to him over the years, he said.

Matt does everything he can to keep his operating costs down, and that means doing a lot of work at the shop as well as in the woods.

“I’m a mechanic, welder, fabricator, I do it all,” Matt said. “As an owner operator, you can’t afford to pay someone else.”

Pitfalls Along the Way

There are stages to a new business and pitfalls along the way. A new logger can expect some tough years and growing pains starting out.

Figuring out the proper mix of equipment to run for the jobs and terrain your business operates in is a big consideration. So is weighing the pros and cons of cheaper, less reliable older equipment against more expensive new equipment. There is also the tax depreciation on financed equipment to factor in, something few young people understand starting out.

Most new logging businesses start out small, but over time an owner must decide what the optimal size for the business is, and how many machines and employees provide the best return. It is common for logging businesses to grow and contract based on markets, but the economics of payments, production, and time are different for every mix of machines and workers. An owner has to decide what works for them, and how many things they are willing to juggle.

Jon tried a lot of machines and methods over the years. Today he’s happy with one good employee, a processor and a forwarder running full-time, and a feller buncher running part-time. He’s learned to appreciate the benefits of steadier production with newer equipment despite the higher cost. He also has benefited in recent years from working with a good timberland management company, Dirigo Timberlands.

Craig started off alone with one machine, a Tigercat feller buncher, in 1999. He worked seven days a

Hinds Selective Wood Harvesting forwarder operating in New Vineyard in late May 2021.

Troubled Continued from Page 13 week for the first year to get established. He stayed in the woods until 2008. Then markets got tough, so he sold his machine, and bought a Radio Shack franchise in town and ran it for 5 years until online sellers like Amazon grew too competitive.

In 2014, Craig went back to work in the woods for Irving running a processor, and his son, who had just graduated from high school, joined him. They ran the machine in 12 hours shifts until another good worker became available and was hired. Then they ran the machine in three shifts until three years ago, when he bought a second processor and added three more employees to run it. In 2018 he added a forwarder and two more employees to run that.

Today, Timberdown is one of only two contractors in the region regularly doing steep slope harvesting for Irving, running the two processors in shifts. The forwarder is parked now, and will be sold as there is not enough work for it.

Josh started his business with two other operators and one processor working three shifts for Irving in 2015. He’s since tried a mix of machines, subcontractors and operations including running two processors at one point. A year ago, he went independent and is currently working on Wagner land, running one processor and working with one forwarder.

“Right now, we handle getting the wood from the stump to the mill rather than just handling cutting so I like dealing with the logistics of it,” Josh said. “I’ve got one operator and myself and then we subcontract out another processor and forwarder and the trucks. I’ve learned bigger isn’t always better, our small, efficient operation right now is about as good as we’ve had it.”

When asked what their advice would be to a younger person wanting to start their own logging business today, more than one logger interviewed for this story laughed and said, “Don’t do it.”

In truth, that was the advice many of them got when they decided to start their own businesses. They ignored it, and all went on to say that if someone really wants to do it, they can, it’s just a hard road.

Loggers interviewed for this article all gave similar advice to anyone looking to someday launch their own logging business: Find someone to give you a chance to work in the business first and learn all you can from them and anyone else willing to share what they know. Gain as many other skills as you can, it is a big advantage to be able to do at least some of your own work on your machines and other equipment. Learn basic business skills any way you can, take business classes in high school if they are offered. Save as much money as you can before you start the business, you are going to need it. Pick your employees and businesses such as subcontractors you rely on carefully.

“Surround yourself with good people,” Josh said.

The Danger to Maine’s Forest Economy

Timberdown Logging Inc. Eltec forwarder harvesting on steep ground.

T.W. Clark logging in Lily Bay Township in late 2017.

No matter how hard a business owner works and wants to be in the woods, the fact is that Maine loggers are being forced to leave the logging business all the time.

T.W. Clark runs Clark’s, LLC based in Newport. His company incudes a full-service truck, auto and heavy equipment garage, welding service, and excavating and site work.

Up until about three years ago, the business also included logging. Then, a combination of challenges hit while he was logging on state land in Seboomook. The crew lost two employees as a mandatory deadline set by the state for shutting down approached. The markets were weak, and the summer - never as profitable as winter for logging - was coming up. Then he lost his processor to a fire less than two weeks before the shutdown date. To continue he would have had to buy another machine and quickly.

“I didn’t want to jump right into anything right then, I was like well, I’ll shut down and find something over mud season, but I got looking and if I wasn’t going to spend half a million dollars on someone else’s junk I was going to spend a million on a brand-new machine and with the way everything was looking and because I had other things to fall back on I just figured if there was a time to get out it was probably now,” T.W. said.

In early June, T.W. was running an excavator with his crew rebuilding a street in Greenville, not far from the north woods where they harvested timber not long ago. Construction and excavation is a tough business too, but for now it makes more sense for his company than logging, even though he misses the woods, T.W. said.

T.W. is not the first logger to make that choice, and won’t be the last. His story illustrates the danger Maine’s forest products industry faces as logging becomes less lucrative and opportunity remains strong in other heavy equipment industries.

Loggers are skilled heavy equipment operators and hard workers, and they’re not going to be unemployed for long in this economy. Many logging employees and truckers are leaving the woods for better pay and opportunities elsewhere. Some logging companies are doing the same. Many logging companies that are still around only survive because they also do other things. When those other things are the only thing keeping the logging operation going, it becomes easy to shut down the logging side of the business.

Without loggers, there is no forest products industry. Logging is a specialized profession, and many experienced loggers are aging and retiring from the business every day. Without the ability to retain younger company owners and workers the odds of sustaining, let alone growing, Maine’s forest economy are poor.

Sawdust in Their Veins

So why did these loggers all start a logging business despite all the challenges? They all love the

woods, they like heavy equipment, and while they started out working for other people, they all wanted their own company and to be their own boss. They still do.

Matt at MK Logging wants that, and while he knows there may be easier ways to make a living and some day he may have to find one, he’d rather see loggers start to get paid a fair price, grow his business, and work in the woods as long as he can.

Whether that happens is largely up to economics and to the mills and large companies that set the prices most loggers are paid. As Matt said - and many loggers agree, “The ball is always in their field.”

If the money is there, the loggers won’t hesitate to be there too. Many like to say they have sawdust in their veins, and once that happens no matter what other work they do they will always wish they were still logging.

T.W. laughed when asked if he’d go back to logging. He’s been approached about doing it, he’s looked into multi-use equipment and buying logging heads for some of it to be able to do both construction and logging again without investing heavily in a logging-only operation. He’s still got employees who can and would like to do it.

“I’m hoping to make enough money in construction someday to cut wood in the winter time,” T.W. said.

“Maybe someday.”

Shaina Buhler at work south of Greenville in late fall, 2020.

that are far reaching which have been tried and tested by the US Supreme Court. The outcomes of which serve as guidance for the IRS and the US Department of Labor as it pertains to taxation and workers’ compensation.

These are extremely complex and potentially litigious issues which can be set aside very easily. However, when looked at closely, there are significant issues which really stand out that every contractor should be aware of.

From my perspective, the treatment of contractors has become so ingrained and predictable that the majority don’t question it anymore, regardless of if its contractors or those who hire contractors.

Unfortunately, contractors comply with the mandates because their choice is to accept it or get out of the business. They’re always told to stand in line as there’s “another contractor” out there to take your job who will just accept the requirements if you don’t. And on the other side, those who hire contractors think this is normal and don’t consider the implications because it has been normalized over time.

things that contractors are forced to do and whether contractors are truly independent?

There’s a reason that loggers and truckers in Maine are independent contractors. They want to be in business for themselves with the ability to control their own destiny and be profitable. The American dream, right?

Are you a Contractor or an Employee?

With all that has happened over the last year, this might not be the case anymore as has been evidenced by this quarter’s cover story. Very few are taking the leap into this business and having sawdust in your veins might not be good enough moving forward.

One of the big red flags related to the determination of independent contractor status and antitrust is related to training.

First, let’s start with the determination of independent contractor status and the implications of

This cuts both ways as we have seen in Maine over the last forty years. Landowners and land management companies also see the benefits of hiring independent contractors so they don’t have the expense on their balance sheet. It is advantageous financially to hire independent contractors than to have loggers and truckers as employees. However, the question remains, are independent contractors independent or are they being called independent for the benefit of those who oversee them? Are they really employees and not independent contractors? At this point, I don’t think one of our members wants to be an employee, but in the end, are independent contractors just being taken advantage of and forced do certain things to save their clients’ money?

The Supreme Court has considered many facts in deciding whether a “worker” is an independent contractor or an employee. The facts which make this determination fall into three main categories:

Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and Relationship of the Parties

In the case of logging and trucking contractors, Behavioral Control is probably the biggest determiner of whether loggers and truckers are truly independent.

“

If the business provides the worker with training on how to do the job, this indicates that the business wants the job done in a particular way. This is strong evidence that the worker is an employee. Periodic or on-going training about procedures and methods is even stronger evidence of an employer-employee relationship. ”

Internal Revenue Service

With Behavioral Control, the facts will determine whether there is a right to direct or control how the “worker” (logger/trucker) does the work. A “worker” is an employee when the business has the right to direct and control the “worker”. The “employer”, or client in a logger/trucker (worker) situation would be a mill, a landowner, or a land manager. The employer does not have to direct or control the way the work is done if the worker has the right to direct and control the work.

Training is one of the most significant Behavioral Control determiners of independent contractor status. Training implies that the “employer” needs to teach the independent contractor how to do the job. If the “employer” provides the “worker” with training or forces the “worker” to attend training as a stipulation in the contract, this indicates that the employer wants the work done in a certain way, and therefore suggests that they should be classified as an employee of the employer and not an independent contractor.

Since independent contractors bring their existing talents and skills to a job, forcing them to attend additional training violates the Behavioral Control test and effectively endangers the contractor classification. Contractors cannot be asked to attend additional training if it is not truly “voluntary” or unless incentives are offered to take the training.

One example of independent contractor status could be violated would be if a landowner or land management company tells a contractor that it must attend its BMP training each year as a stipulation of being a contract holder. Effectively, it is telling the contractor how to do their job and then holding them accountable for it after the fact.

Some might say, “well, this is just how it is and I don’t have a choice. It’s easier said than done when you don’t have many choices of who you work for”. Both are valid points and it’s hard to argue with because of the rural nature of Maine and limitations on employment. But, the other side of the coin is, are you as a contractor being asked to do things that you are not being paid for and are you losing money as a result? Additionally, are

you losing your autonomy as a contractor?

If the answer to both is yes, I’m not being paid to attend additional training and I have lost my autonomy, then are you losing out on benefits of the value you add as an independent contractor. These are the same benefits that employees are typically entitled to, such as salary, benefits, retirement, paid vacation, paid holidays, compensated time, etc.? None of our members want to be employees, but have you been put in position that really benefits the “employer” in the end to reduce their cost, pass risk on to you and reduce your opportunity for independence and profitability? If you have, then perhaps your status as an independent contractor has been put at risk.

Simply put, if you are not seeking out training to improve your company on a voluntary basis or without the endorsement of your segment of the industry (i.e. workers’ comp.), you may not be an independent contractor.

What you can do about it is unfortunately complicated and not easy. However, there is recourse and there are pathways to rectify the situation.

The second issue at hand for independent contractors is whether they are the victims of antitrust and price suppression because of anti-competitive behavior. If you thought the previous topic was complicated, this might be an even bigger pandora’s box and one that doesn’t just involve contractors in Maine, but colleagues across the country. In the case of independent contractors, one potentially glaring antitrust issue is also related to training and the mandates that have been placed upon contractors as conditions of wood sales.

Isn’t it amazing how one issue, training, can be related to two very all-encompassing issues? Training should be a positive, however, it has been used by those above contractors to not only control them, but also reduce the employers’ costs and pass along blame.

For those not intimately aware of antitrust law, the history of antitrust in the United States goes back to the early 1900’s and the passage of the Sherman Act. The Sherman Act was put in place to prevent large corporations from controlling the entire marketplace, i.e

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American Steel, Standard Oil, etc.. Recently, antitrust law has been applied to large corporations such as Microsoft so they couldn’t control the world of technology from manufacturing to software.

The overriding goal of antitrust law is to promote open competition for the benefit of consumers. At a high level, antitrust laws prohibit price fixing, bid rigging, allocating customers or territories, group boycotts or other types of conspiratorial or monopolistic behavior that unfairly restricts free trade. Violations don’t have to be formal agreements between high level executives and usually involve people who are responsible for sales, business planning and day to day business execution.

So, what does this have to do with training and logging/trucking contractors you might ask? Well, a lot, if a system has been created which is not voluntary, reduces competition in the marketplace and involves some type of similar business planning and oversight that adds mandates to contractors as conditions for wood sales.

It sounds simple and complicated all at the same time, but at its core, will require action by many across the country to ensure it doesn’t continue to harm contractors. That said, our members need to be aware of it because when added to the plight outlined previously about requirements of work and the question of independent contractor status, the two add up to be a

really big deal. They have created a dilemma which not only exacerbates the position of contractors in a downward trajectory, but it causes confusion that reduces time and attention which should be placed on more important business issues. This is a classic case of diversion which further cements contractors place at the bottom of the chain.

In 2018, I attended a session at the American Loggers Council’s Spring Board of Directors meeting that was narrated by an attorney from the firm of Winston and Strawn, LLP, a Washington, DC law firm. The attorney’s name was Neely Agin and she is an expert on the field of antitrust law in the United States. As part of her presentation, Ms. Agin spent some time on standard setting and certification programs which really got me thinking about an issue that has been around for a long time, 27 years to be precise. To be direct, I am going to use the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) as an example that came to mind with respect to the mandate for logger training as a condition of work or as a condition of wood sales. For all our members who are familiar with these stipulations, you probably know where I am going with this.

In Ms. Agin’s presentation, she discussed the parameters for groups that develop uniform standards or specifications that companies must follow. To determine antitrust with respect to these types of standards, the key factors that courts consider in such

Doran Continued on Page 2016

Doran Continued from Page 18

cases include: degree of economic detriment caused to excluded or non-qualifying firms, the breadth of restrictions in relation to their need and the manner in which standards are used, i.e. whether designed to suppress or control competition.

From this perspective it sounds complicated as it pertains to how could logging or trucking contractors who are required to attend training as a condition of wood sales or work are impacted. However, it’s not as far off as you think if you go back to the creation of the standard and how the practice has been implemented to this day.

When the SFI standard was created by the American Forest and Paper Association in 1994, whether it was intentional or not, it effectively created a structure that has the potential to boycott suppliers who did not comply with the training requirement. If the supplier did not comply, it was excluded from competition.

Secondly, because all mills and/or large landowners in a region hold a certificate, the standard is not considered voluntary because at that point there is nowhere else a supplier can work or sell wood, therefore the standard is effectively mandatory. And lastly, in its development, there was no participation from the community that is subject to the requirement, in this case, the logging community. As a result, because the logging community did not formally endorse the standard that it must comply with, it has created an unfunded mandate that was not agreed to, which could be viewed as a violation of antitrust law.

Fast forward to 2021, and because of SFI, there is a system in place which not only mandates training as a condition of wood sales without reimbursement of cost, but it also facilitates the enforcement of training as a condition of employment, not only by the “employer”, but it has transcended beyond the employer to state regulatory authorities as well. Which is amazing to me when I’ve never seen SFI in Maine’s statute.

This effectively creates a double whammy as it puts independent contractors in a position of deciding whether they can remain truly independent but also places the cost and burden on them without compensation or choice.

I know that these are big picture issues that I’m bringing to your attention, but I wanted to make sure you thought about them closely and consider what you are being asked to do and how it impacts your business. In the end, all of this has had a significant impact upon your business, has added cost and complexity, and effectively may be suppressing your ability to be profitable in the end.

Please educate those around you about the impacts this has and will continue to have on your business and let me know what the reaction is. I will do my part to educate those around us in other states on what this is doing to all contractors in the end and hopefully our national organization will consider looking into it in the very near future.

Stay safe, be well and I look forward to seeing all of you in person this summer.

Relief Update

Applications now open!

Maine loggers applaud announcement that $200 million for timber harvesters and haulers in approved COVID-19 Relief Package will finally be released

Industry thanks Maine congressional delegation for securing historic, first-ever aid for industry

The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine cheered the announcement DATE by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that $200 million in aid for timber harvesters and haulers included in a bipartisan $900 billion COVID-19 relief package approved six months ago will finally be released and Maine loggers and truckers can begin applying for the funds.

The PLC also thanked Maine’s congressional delegation, led by the efforts of U.S. Senator Susan Collins and U.S. Representative Jared Golden, for working to ensure the logging industry was not left out of the federal assistance, and pushing over the past months for the funds to be distributed as quickly as possible.

“This a historic first for timber harvesters and haulers here in Maine and across the United States, who will finally be able to access relief funds designated specifically for their industry.” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, said. “This has never happened in our nation’s history until now, and we want to thank U.S. Senator Susan Collins and U.S. Representative Jared Golden for leading the effort to secure this aid on behalf of the hard-working small family businesses in the industry here in Maine, and Senator Angus King and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree for joining that effort.”

The aid will go to timber harvesting and hauling businesses that have, because of the COVID–19 pandemic, experienced a loss of not less than 10 percent in gross revenue during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on December 1, 2020, as compared to the gross revenue of the eligible entity during the same period in 2019.

APPLY HOW

The aid package was approved by the U.S. House

and Senate and then signed by former President Donald Trump in December 2020.

Maine’s timber harvesters and haulers were hit hard by the pandemic’s economic effects in 2020, and continue to struggle today. Most Maine logging contractors who are members of the PLC, the state’s trade association for timber harvesters and haulers, reported a 30-40 percent reduction in wood markets in 2020. Many suffered severe revenue losses, layoffs, loss of clients, reduced productivity, and inability to plan for the future. The loss of the Pixelle Specialty Solutions pulp mill in Jay to an explosion in April 2020 worsened an already deteriorating economic storm for most in the industry.

Maine’s entire Congressional delegation and representatives of other timberproducing states have supported aid proposals for U.S. timber harvesters and haulers for months, but until now the industry has been left out of every previous relief package while billions have flowed to farmers, fishermen, and even growers of Christmas trees.

Most recently, On Sept. 18, President Donald Trump and USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the launch of the nation's second agriculture pandemic relief package, Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP2). The new $14 billion package added tobacco, hemp and Christmas trees to the list of eligible crops, yet as with the first CFAP package, timber was left off the list. More than $7 billion in payments to farmers were approved in the first month of CFAP2 alone. Zero dollars went to timber harvesters and haulers.

In response, a bipartisan group of legislators from across the U.S. including Maine’s delegation fired off letters to Perdue seeking a change in CFAP that would allow loggers to qualify for aid. The change was denied.

The U.S. farming industry alone has received billions in federal aid to offset losses from the U.S.-China Trade War since 2018, and in 2020 received billions more to offset losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Total federal aid to U.S. farmers in 2020 set records, reaching $40 billion by October. Though loggers are “farmers of the forest” harvesting a renewable crop, they received none last year. FINAL QUOTE

Trucking Industry News...

Maine DOT work underway on Rt. 201 in Somerset County…

The Maine Department of Transportation is doing paving work and making drainage improvements on Route 201 in Somerset County. The project area stretches more than 13 miles: it begins in West Forks Plantation, just south of the border with Johnson Mountain Township, and extends north, through Parlin Pond Township, ending in Jackman. Work is scheduled to be finished by the beginning of October. Drivers should expect single lane closures with a one-way alternative traffic pattern. The contractor on this job is Pike Industries of Fairfield.

Hours Of Service Changes Clarified – Change Does Not Impact Maine 100 Air Mile Exemption…

The recent hours of service changes that were effective September 29, 2020 have caused a few questions including about the difference between the Maine 100 air mile rule and the new Federal 150 air mile rule.

The recent changes do not in any way change Maine’s 100 air mile rule that has long been afforded to drivers and motor carriers who operate in Maine and within 100 air miles of

their normal work reporting location.

In short, the Maine 100 air mile rule exempts motor carriers and drivers that operate within 100 air miles of their normal work reporting location (and do not further interstate commerce) from hours of service and from the medical card requirements found in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. These drivers may not drive when sick or fatigued, but are not required to keep a log book or ELD and do not require a medical card. This is due to the fact that Maine adopts the federal regulations with some state amendments, most notably in the area of hours of service and medical card requirements.

To summarize, the recent changes to the hours of service regulations do not impact the Maine 100 air mile rule. A CDL driver that exceeds the 100-air mile radius in Intrastate commerce must either rely on the federal 150 air mile rule (“short haul” exemption) or must keep a log book or ELD. Additionally, drivers who exceed the 100 air miles in Intrastate commerce must have a valid medical card.

Trucking

Enter Acuity’s Truck Driver Appreciation Week Essay Contest today for a chance to win $2,500…

Share this with your friends and family as well! You don't have to be a truck driver to share a story about a driver or their family going above and beyond this past year. There are over $10,000 prizes and the contest begins June 1st. Full details and rules can be found on Acuity’s website

MILO - Lumbra Hardwoods Inc. produces some of the finest hardwood lumber in North America, milled from native Maine timber harvested by Maine loggers for over 60 years.

The company was established in 1952 in Enosburg Falls, Vermont by Oscar and Reuben W. Lumbra, a father and son team. It was founded as Oscar & Reuben Lumbra Inc., and kept that name for decades. Father and son moved their operation to Milo in 1960 to take advantage of Maine’s abundant hardwood logs.

The first Lumbra mill in Maine was on the Brownville side of Swett Hill at a leased location, but it burned down. This was a devastating loss, but it made the Lumbras doubly

determined to succeed.

The company relocated to its current site on River Road and has expanded greatly there over the years since. Construction on a large, modern sawmill began in 1994 and was completed two years later. Today that mill produces about 7.5 million feet of hardwood lumber each year.

Today, Reuben’s sons, Reuben T. (Benny) Lumbra, president, and Stephen Lumbra, vice president, run the company, which employs about 30 workers. They changed the name to Lumbra Hardwoods in 2005 to better describe what the company does, but to this day they still sometimes receive logs marked “O and R.” It’s a reminder of a

Lumbra Hardwoods saw mill production underway in late May.

Roots in Logging: Oscar Lumbra and a young Reuben Sr. Lumbra near Staffordshire NH in 1936.

history they’re proud of.

Lumbra buys hardwood logs from a wide variety of sources, ranging from large commercial timberland management companies to small family logging businesses and even the occasional private landowner with a chain saw.

Hard maple is the wood Lumbra buys the most, but the mill also purchases large quantities of yellow birch, soft maple, white ash, and red oak - and some beech and basswood.

Lumber is sold “green,” kiln dried or air-dried. Primary sizes sawed are 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 along with 4×4 and 4×6 pallet stock and pallet parts. Wood waste products such as pulp chips, bark and sawdust are marketed to area paper companies, pellet mills, biomass companies and farmers.

Lumbra’s customer base includes manufacturers of cabinets, flooring, stairways, furniture, architectural mill work, molding, musical instruments, railroad ties,

industrial lumber, pallets and boxes. The market area is primarily the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic states, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the Midwest with occasional loads going to California. The brothers have also seen their products shipped to the U.K, China, and other distant destinations around the globe.

Benny and Steve grew up in the business and learned the ropes the hard way, by experience. They laugh at memories of their father’s idea of training, which was often to put them on a job or task, tell them, “you’ll figure it out,” and walk away.

“

That was his way of teaching you,” Steve said. “I’m going to see if he can go find the information and teach himself, that was his way.”

As they grew older and gained experience they took on more and more responsibility and began to work closely with their father. By the time Reuben Sr. suffered a stroke in 2009 and had to step down from leading the company

Lumbra Continued Page 30

Steve, at left, and Benny Lumbra.

Reuben Sr. Lumbra in 1950

they had already taken on many of his former responsibilities and were ready to step up.

The Lumbras put a lot of emphasis on customer service and are ready to respond quickly to special orders and rush orders. Customer service also extends to the loggers they buy timber from, something their father insisted upon.

“My father would always say I don’t care if its break time or lunch time or what it is, when that truck comes you take care of it, because I don’t want them waiting,” Benny said.

“Because he started in logging and he said it wasn’t easy.”

The company has forged enduring connections in the industry over the years. Oscar and Reuben Lumbra established a relationship with Prentiss & Carlisle in 1959, and Lumbra still works with the land management company to this day.

The brothers have had to adapt and adjust the business steadily and to embrace advances in technology to stay competitive. When they add new technology, it is not to replace employees, but to help them do their jobs better and more efficiently, Benny said.

“As far as equipment and changing things we always like input from the employees because they’re the ones running it,” Benny said.

“They’ll solve a lot of your problems for

you,” Benny agreed. The company offers benefits including health insurance and retirement accounts and this has helped with employee retention. The brothers hire good employees and don’t believe in micromanaging them. They also don’t ask them to do jobs they wouldn’t do themselves, Benny said.

The business has survived many challenges over the years. The Recession in the late 2000s was one of the worst, but the company has endured by focusing on good service, good products, fairness, and preparing in the good times for the bad times.

“The business model isn’t really to drive for the highest profit,” Steve said. “It’s consistency and survivability.”

“Because if you go for the high dollar all the time, when things go bad you might not have a customer,” Benny said.

Benny and Steve enjoy working with loggers and have a close relationship with many.

“A lot of them are very down to earth, they’re real people,” Steve said.

“They appreciate the value of hard work,” Benny added.

There are challenges working with loggers. For instance, logs are scaled based on “Log Rules” by which the number of board feet that may be sawed from a log can be calculated by measuring first the length of the log and then the diameter of the log. Many sawmills use the International Log Rule but Lumbra Hardwoods scales wood on the Maine

Lumbra Continued from Page 296

Three sections of the Lumbra Hardwoods sawmill in Milo.

Rule, and this can be a challenge when dealing with loggers unfamiliar with it.

“Some understand it and some don’t,” Steve said. “Our price per thousand looks lower than International Rule but will give them more volume.”

“The bottom line I’ve always said is what is your value per ton?” Benny said. “And we do scale on the half inch, a lot of places won’t do that.”

Another challenge is educating loggers on getting the logs to the mill in a timely manner to prevent any discoloration or other imperfections from affecting the wood’s appearance and value. That benefits both the mill and the logger.

As the company approaches it’s 70th anniversary, the brothers are hoping to keep it going for many more years to come.

“You’ve got be optimistic in anything to do with the woods business,” Steve said. “Though some days are easier than others no doubt about it.”

About five years ago, the brothers were alarmed at the latest round of closures of pulp and paper mills in Maine. Those came after previous closures in earlier years had already cut the number of mills in the state deeply. They worried that without enough mills buying a variety of logs, pulp, and biomass, many loggers would be unable to survive.

“We kind of artificially kept our log prices up because we were scared to death people were going to get out of the business, because we can’t survive without them,” Steve said.

“It’s a whole big circle, everybody’s got to kind of work together,” Benny agreed.

“Everybody’s got to eat.”

Like many companies, Lumbra first started a relationship with the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) when approached to support the PLC’s Log A Load for Maine Kids Golf Tournament, a major fund-raiser for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine. Lumbra remains a strong supporter of that cause to this day as a PLC Supporting Member. Lumbra also sees membership as a way to support Maine’s loggers.

“I think it’s important to be a supporter of the PLC, because besides the fact that we pay for the logs we are supporting them this way also,” Benny said. “They have a lot of things working against them and we want them to succeed.”

“Loggers need a voice,” Steve said. “And we need loggers, our business is kind of irrelevant without them.”

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine holds Safety Trainings for more than 800 Maine loggers and truckers in March, April and May

The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine in late May completed its annual Spring Logger and Fleet Safety Training series, providing training over the course of three months to more than 800 loggers and truckers throughout the state of Maine for the first time using online classes that combined pre-recorded presentations with live Zoom discussions with instructors and fellow employees.

Reaching employees of more than 100 companies throughout Maine, the scale of the training –normally provided at more than a dozen allday events held across Maine – was unprecedented for the PLC, which successfully undertook aggressive efforts over the past year to maintain critical programs, charitable fund-raisers, and member benefits such as the Safety Training Series despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The success of this training approach was due to extraordinary efforts on the part of our instructors, staff, and partners after it became clear early this year that the pandemic would not allow us to hold our traditional spring events,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “To quickly create quality online training based upon a series of complex topics and coordinate that process with instructors and employers scattered across the state while simultaneously handling promotion, registration, and the

live delivery of the finished product was a monumental challenge for all, but everyone rose to the occasion and with the support of our generous sponsors we exceeded our expectations.”

In many cases employees of logging and trucking companies viewed the trainings in socially distanced groups at their garages, where they could discuss the topics with their fellow workers. Many companies felt the convenience and added participation of this feature of the trainings was a plus. An additional benefit of the online approach was the creation of content which will continue to have value as safety resources to logging and trucking businesses going forward.

Logger training topics included saw safety, chemical handling, fall protection, hot work, bolt torquing, and drugs you carry. Fleet topics included wheel and hub safety, truck inspection, fault vs. preventability, and wheel-off training. Additional training on CPR/First Aid/Bloodborne Pathogens and Online Driving Dynamics was also available.

Sponsors for the training series included Acadia Insurance, Cross Insurance, Nortrax, Barry Equipment, Chalmers Logging Insurance, Farm Credit East, MEMIC, Maine Trailer, Manac, United Insurance, Hale Trailer, the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety, Traction Heavy Duty, and Sappi.

Maine State Police Trooper Shane Northrup in Truck Inspection Safety Video.

Evaluatingyoursafetyprogram

ByDonaldBurr PLCSafety&TrainingCoordinator safety@maineloggers.com

This month I would like to talk about evaluating your safety program. In today's working environment, we can't waste any resource on any activity that is not giving you a good bang for your buck. Safety is not exempt from this. The following are some ideas on how you know that your safety program is working.

1st, You need to define what your safety exposures are. Look back on your company's injury log, and look for examples of other company's injuries, and ask yourself, could this happen here, and what are we doing to make it less likely to happen here?

2nd, Look at your safety program and ask yourself, is it meeting the companies needs for safety training? Some possible ideas are:

A. Is PPE available, clean, appropriate for the job, and replaced as needed?

B. Do your employees use safety practices and are they able to verbalize what the safety procedures are?

C. Are you engaging your employees in short discussions on safety to see how they look at safety, and does this line up with your companys philosophy?

D. Check to see if the way you are delivering your safety training is working for all employees. Then, consider changing up the way you are presenting your messages. For example, use texting, written bulletins, tailgate meetings, online training, videos from the PLC,

and do the training in a large group, small group, or one on one.

E. Do you have a plan to keep your employee's minds engaged in thinking safety? Remember that it is ok to schedule training and surprise your employees with popup training.

F. Keep track of near miss accidents and document what can be learned from them.

G. Share your results with your employees and get input from them on how to improve safety.

3rd Keep the paddle in the water and working your safety program looking for ways to improve and work safer. Read logging journals, online safety alerts, manufacturer bulletins. Talk to other logging contractors to see what they are doing to improve their safety and what has worked for them.

Remember to go to the PLC website (maineloggers.com) and check out our updated safety resources. We have videos, audio recordings, topic outlines, and much more.

New for summer 2021, six out of the seven annually required trainings (the seventh is CPR & 1st Aid done bi-annually, and you need a trained provider to instruct your crews) laid out in a 15-minute tailgate talk type of meetings with the sign-in sheet for your records. See below for details!

Members, the PLC's 2021 Logger and Fleet Spring Safety Trainings and many other videos and resources are now available in the Members-only section of the PLC website for those who missed them! To check them out, go to maineloggers.com/ contractormembersonly/

and login to the web site.

If you do not have a login yet, follow the instructions on the website to create one.

This is a contractor membersonly benefit. If you need help accessing the trainings contact the PLC office!

If you missed them PLC Safety Trainings now online for Members Only!

LogAbility Provides Recommendations for Maine Loggers

By Brie Weisman, Occupational Therapist with Maine LogAbility

∙ Have you developed arthritis in your hands that compromises your ability to grip tools, but you’re otherwise healthy and strong and wish to continue logging?

∙ Have you become less flexible over the years, where you can’t turn to look directly behind you or your equipment anymore?

∙ Are you in pain and know it’s compromising safety?

∙ Do you have an aching back, sore shoulders or knees that don’t bend as easily as they used to?

LogAbility is a program providing answers to questions like these. There are no-cost and low-cost, effective ways to address these issues so that you can continue to work.

LogAbility is a program of Maine AgrAbility specifically for production agriculture workers in Maine focused on the logging and forestry industries. Maine AgrAbility is a USDA-funded program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension whose mission is to serve farmers, fishermen and forest workers in Maine overcome disabilities, injuries or other barriers to continue to work safely and successfully.

LogAbility can provide connections to networks and resources to assist loggers to continue working safely and efficiently. LogAbility is able to

provide on-site visits by staff who are occupational therapists (OTs) to discuss specific situations and make general recommendations of adaptive equipment or techniques that may increase productivity, reduce pain or reduce the potential for a secondary injury. OTs are professional health care providers trained in analyzing work tasks and work patterns and can suggest modifications to work tasks, tools and equipment to suit the specific needs of individual workers.

There is no fee to use this service. If you or someone you know would benefit from LogAbility, please reach us at extension.umaine.edu/agrability LogAbility will be providing routine articles in this news outlet. Future articles will feature aging, specific diseases, conditions, and common injuries that can be best addressed by loggers at work. Injuries highlighted will include chronic soft tissue injuries like rotator cuff injury, back sprains and strains, bursitis and tendonitis, as well as acute injuries like traumatic brain injury, amputation, and spinal cord injuries. Diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity will also be addressed.

These practical articles will also include interviews with workers in the logging industry whenever possible. If you’ve overcome an issue and think you might be a candidate for an interview so that others can learn from your experience, contact us at: maine.agrability@maine.edu or 207.944.1533.

Safety

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance Quarterly Safety Meeting: Frequently Issued Recommendations

By the time you read this article, most of you will be back to work after a long spring full of a myriad of items that needed to be taken care of before getting back to work in the summer. In the life of an Acadia Loss Control Consultant this spring marked a major milestone of, after almost a year of working from home, getting back in the field for trainings and loss control visits. As I return to the field I thought it would be beneficial to list out and briefly discuss some of the most frequently issued recommendations that I send out following a loss control visit with a logging contractor.

Before we get started, what is a recommendation? During a loss control visit we will look at a variety of exposures, focusing on what could cause an injury or an accident. We try to focus on areas that have a high likelihood of causing a loss and the recommendations we issue are based off industry best practices, experience, and regulatory guidance. Below I have listed out the top four most frequently issued recommendations with a description of why these hazards are so important to address along with some advice on how to reduce the hazard.

1. No, or outdated, emergency response plans on site. Emergency response plans are a critical tool to have in place in the event of an emergency. The response plan will help assure that emergency services can reach you as efficiently as possible. An effective emergency response plan will be available to all employees on site upon starting the job and will have the following components on it:

A. Written directions to site

B. Emergency phone numbers

C. Special locations such as where to get cell service and what the GPS coordinates on site are

D. Any site specific procedures for an emergency?

E. First aid procedures such as where the first aid kits are located

2. Heavy debris or oil buildup on machinery. In the event of a fire on a machine, excess debris will accelerate the growth of a fire, making it more likely that it will overwhelm the suppression system. While it differs for every machine and operation, it is important to have in place a maintenance plan that includes frequent and thorough cleanings that effectively address wood debris and oil buildup.

3. Electrical wires chaffing on machinery. Finding areas where electrical wires inside the machine are chaffing is a common problem we find during our field visits. Once the insulation on an electrical wire has chaffed through it presents a significant fire hazard due to an exposed electrical spark that is thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. Chaffing electrical wire seems to be an inevitable condition, having found areas of concerns on even brand-new machines. During routine maintenance and cleaning, operators and mechanics should inspect for areas that create wire chaff. Don’t just look for areas that are damaged, but focus on looking for areas where damage is likely to occur. Once these areas of concern are noted, address the spots to eliminate wire chaff.

4. Documentation of vehicle inspections and maintenance for commercial vehicles. This has been covered extensively in trainings and audits recently, so I will not spend a lot of time reviewing this area. The key thing to understand here is that documentation is a critical component of your vehicle maintenance program. Documenting inspections and all maintenance is required by law and can be a key component in defending a claim. DOT has specific requirements for how long the documentation needs to be retained, so familiarize yourself with those requirements.

In this article I’ve listed some of the most frequently observed hazards we see in the field with a description of why these hazards are so important to address and some suggestions on how to reduce these hazards. The hazards are based off injuries and incidents that have occurred in the logging industry and the recommendations are based off industry advice and real-world experience. Spending time to educate employees about these hazards will help reduce your exposure to an incident or injury.

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

Mechanized Logging Operations Program Underway!

OLD TOWN - Classes are now underway for students in the Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP), which began its fifth year of classes June 28 in the woods northeast of Old Town.

Students enrolled in the post-secondary training 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.

The 12-week certificate program launched in 2017.

Graduation for the class will be held in September.

“There is no better, more affordable, more efficient way to gain the experience and knowledge you need to begin a successful career as an equipment operator in the logging industry than this program,”

Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC), said. “The Mechanized Logging Operations Program achieves results and as demand for operators continues to grow it is vital to meeting that need.”

The latest class to complete the program graduated in Oct. 2020.

The program, run out of Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), was the first post-secondary training program in Maine to hold classes in the COVID-19 pandemic. This was possible thanks to rigorous safety protocols and the outdoor nature of most of the training, which involves students operating equipment while communicating with instructors and other students via

radios.

The program was created thanks to a partnership between three Maine community colleges, the PLC, and industry partners including Milton CAT and Nortrax. 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. 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, Nortrax Inc./John Deere, and other industry partners. The program has been supported since its inception through Maine Quality Centers, a program to develop and support skilled in-demand and high wage occupations in Maine.

Anyone with an interest in the program should contact Leah Buck at Northern Maine Community College at 207-768-2768. Information and application instructions may be found online at https://www.nmcc.edu/industrycustomized-training/mechanized-forest-operations/

2020 MLOP Graduate Noah Holesha of Bangor receiving his certificate. MLOP was the first post-secondary training program in Maine to hold classes in the COVID-19 pandemic.

s for Stream Crossings Workshops held in Maine

The Northeast Master Logger Certification Program, a program of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, held three Hands-On Stream Crossing Workshops in Maine and Vermont in May, attended by more than 140 employees of Master Logger companies and students from technical high schools with forestry and logging programs.

Professional logging contractors in the Northeast routinely face challenges associated with streams and wetlands when conducting timber harvests and have great expertise when it comes to logging without impacting water quality on the job site and in waters downstream. Building and maintaining stream crossings that minimize runoff are an important part of that, and the workshops were an opportunity not only for loggers to refresh their skills, but to share their own experiences and ideas with the greater logging community.

“Certified Master Loggers take the job of protecting water quality very seriously, and these workshops are a great chance for them to improve their knowledge on the subject,” Ted Wright, Executive Director of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, which oversees the Master Logger program, said.

“Loggers are the ones who have the hands-on experience building stream crossings and getting out in the field like this with others who share that experience is a great way to raise the bar for all.”

Workshops were offered May 20 in Randolph, Vermont; May 25 in West Paris and Norway, Maine; and May 27 in Island Falls and Sherman, Maine.

Workshops were free to Master Logger companies and generously sponsored by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The workshops were conducted

in accordance with CDC guidelines.

In addition to supplying loggers with new ideas and techniques they could bring to their work on future stream crossings, the workshops could be applied toward requirements of programs including the Society of American Foresters, Master Logger Certification Program, Certified Logging Professional (Maine), and the Vermont LEAP Program.

The field portion of each workshop was held at sites with real potential for positive impacts on local watersheds and water bodies. In southern Maine, for instance, the site selected was next to the Crooked River, a key tributary of Sebago Lake and a valuable trout and landlocked salmon fishery where preserving water quality during timber harvests is critical to both the fishery and the lake.

Loggers and others who attended the sessions gave positive feedback on the value and quality of the workshops. “Great job, this is by far the best logger workshop I have ever attended,” Rob Greenier, forestry instructor for the Region 2 School of Applied Technology in Houlton, Maine said. Prizes and giveaways included a temporary wooden skidder bridge awarded to a logging company at each workshop.

In addition to the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, partners in the workshops who provided materials, instructors or other support included Vermont’s Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation; the Northern Forest Center, Eastman Trucking, Lincoln Farm Timber Harvesting; the Maine Forest Service, McLucas Logging and Trucking; the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI); LP Building Products, and Treeline, Inc.

In Memoriam

LINCOLN - Irma Marie (LeBlond) Hanington, 82, journeyed to Heaven on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, from her home, surrounded by her family.

She was born on August 10, 1939, in Millinocket, the oldest daughter of Gerald Joseph and Marie Eddia (Bernier) LeBlond. She grew up in Millinocket, and lived in Wytopitlock until 1989, before moving to Lincoln.

In 1957, she married Hollis A. Hanington Jr. (Junior) and together they raised their 5 children and owned and operated Hanington Bros., Inc., one of Maine's premier logging, trucking and land management companies.

When asked how she wanted to be remembered, she responded, "That I loved life!" Which she did. She embraced every challenge and opportunity head on with gusto and determination. Her outlook was to make the best of any situation and she faced many difficult ones. Irma was always laughing. She was the prankster, the life of the party, fun, witty, creative and she was ever the optimist.

She saw the value of education and she was a lifelong learner. A self-taught seamstress, she made clothing for her children as well as kept them and her 10 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren in new mittens and wool stockings. She taught herself to upholster furniture, to oil paint, weave baskets and later in life became known as "The Snowman Lady" as she sewed original designs for resale and gave the funds to charity.

Long before the term "Community Organizer" became a buzz phrase, she was organizing immunization clinics for babies and children and fundraisers for a new veteran's memorial as she served with the Alpha Lyra Club in Wytopitlock when her children were growing up. She was instrumental in raising funds for the East Grand Health Center in Danforth when it was first built.

She loved community theater and she performed with the East Grand Players and made many new friends in the process. She loved acting. It came natural to her and she was often seen rehearsing lines with a baby on one hip, doing laundry and making dinner, all at the same time.

She loved to bake and she was well known for her oatmeal molasses yeast bread and "cut out birthday cakes" as she went out of her way to make each of her children feel like her favorite on their birthdays. Her home was always open to nieces, nephews, and the neighborhood children and it was not unusual to have additional children for supper every evening. Summers were spent as Deering Lake in Weston where she taught each of her children to swim.

She supported her husband as he ran the family business and participated in local and statewide boards and commissions. She would chauffeur him and provide home cooked meals for his associates in their home. You would often find them working together evenings paying bills and strategizing. She was an entrepreneur. One of her favorite sayings was, "Save your pennies, count your dollars."

One of her greatest accomplishments was to set up an educational trust fund in 1995 for her 10 grandchildren. She had the great fortune of seeing them graduate from college and build beautiful homes from the fruits of her labor.

As she got older, she was always supporting her children and grandchildren as they continued her legacy of volunteerism, community service, fundraising and helping others less fortunate.

When she moved to Lincoln, she became active in Community Evangel Church, serving in the Women's Ministries Department as a mentor for MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) in addition to serving with Grief Share for Widows and volunteering her time and talents with the after school mentoring program, KidCare America.

She loved to travel and whenever possible she did. She often remarked how lucky she and Junior were to travel as much as they did while they were younger. She loved to play Scrabble, Cribbage and go to Hollywood Slots.

Irma was predeceased by her husband, Junior Hanington, in

1989; her youngest child and daughter, Sharon Hanington Sibley, in 2020; a grandson, Evan Hanington, in 2004 (Sheldon and Jean Hanington's infant son); and a great-grandson, Cayden Hanington, in 2009 (Alex Hanington's infant son). She was predeceased by sisters, Linda McCue and Geraldine St. Onge; along with brothers, Richard, Kenneth and Irvin LeBlond.

She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Hanington Russell and her husband, David; her sons and their wives, Scott and Laurie Hanington, Stephen and Teresa Hanington, and Sheldon and Jean Hanington; ten grandchildren, Michelle Russell Lang and her husband, Josh, and their daughters, Addilyn and Claire, Michael Hanington and his son, Jaxsyn, Alex Hanington and Casey Malone and their children, Cameron , Lexi and Jamesyn, Danielle Hanington Libbey and her husband, Luke, and their children, Abby, Evan, Dominic, Jillian, Marissa and Bennett, Eric Hanington and his wife, Krista, and their daughters, Abrianna, Sadie, Emily and Maci, Jesse Hanington Page and her husband, Justin, and their daughters, Rachel and Eva, Mark Hanington and his wife, Susie, and their children, Cash, Elijah and Morgan, Sarah Hanington and her partner, Ben Fiske, Sean Sibley and his partner, Justin Lewin, and Ethan Sibley. She is also survived by Sharon Hanington Sibley's partner, Butch Knights, and his daughter, Arikka and husband, Aaron James, and children, Adeline and Patrick. In addition, two very special sisters, Patricia Cox and Theresa Card, who were with her every day the last 26 days of her life; her brother, Donald LeBlond and his wife, Julie. She also leaves behind an incredibly special friend, partner in crime and travel companion, Joanne Cuipenski.

Richard “Dick” Schneider, age 84, of Grand Rapids, MN passed away Thursday, May 20, 2021 at his home surrounded by family.

Richard was born in 1936 to William and Lillian (Brandt) Schneider in Cloquet, MN. Dick attended Cloquet Public Schools and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Forestry from the University of Minnesota. He was employed in the forest products industry in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maine. His forestry, manufacturing, and logging career of 42 years included participation in several trade and professional associations.

Dick served with the United States Air Force and Minnesota Air National Guard.

In 1959, he joined the love of his life and very best friend Kathryn “Katie” Raiter in marriage. This was a great journey of 61 years. Dick and Katie had four wonderful daughters: Anne (Robert) Ward of Colorado Springs, CO, Gretchen (Daniel) Dupuis of Duluth, MN, Mary (Todd) Stensberg of Antigo, WI, and Karen (Thomas) Laird of St. Paul, MN. These families blessed Dick and Katie with 11 grandchildren that have given them so much pleasure through the years. They include Christina (Ryan) Klumph, Bryan Ward (fiancée Kelsey Kuyper), Nicole (Davey) Collins, Molly Dupuis, Sarah (Todd) McIlhany, Corey (Sidney) Stensberg, Kate Stensberg (fiancée Dayton Miller), Andrew Laird (fiancée Jadea Conway), David, Mary Augusta, and Kathryn Laird. Dick and Katie were also blessed with 7 great grandchildren including Lillian and Violet Klumph, Winnie and Tuck Collins, and Finley, Elliot and Jack McIlhany.

Dick’s major interest was his family and the activities of each member. He also had a life-long passion for all things outdoors. The family camp “MAKAGRAN” on Black Island Lake was special to him. He was preceded in death by his parents.

In addition to his wife, Dick is survived by his sister, Gretchen (James) Hanson of Ham Lake, MN; an uncle, Nick, of Cloquet, MN; sisters-in-law, Lynn (Walter) Scott of Oshkosh, WI, and Maureen Raiter of Kennebunk, ME; plus several cousins, nieces, and nephews and family members previously mentioned.

IntroducingyourDistrictForesters MeetJulieDavenport

Julie Davenport is a Maine native and secondgeneration graduate from the University of Maine, Orono’s School of Forest Resources. Julie’s background includes working on invasive forest pest projects with the Maine Forest Service, managing wood inventories at the Rumford paper mill, and working with the loggers and landowners of central and western Maine as part of the Sappi Sustainable Forestry Program. She has also been involved with the Maine Tree Farm Committee as a County Chair and Tree Farm Inspector.

Currently, Julie is the Maine Forest Service District Forester for all of Franklin County, west of the Kennebec river in Somerset County, and the western portion of Kennebec County.

“Any District Forester will tell you they have the best district in the state, but I feel strongly that western Maine is not only made up of some of the most beautiful natural features in the northeast, but the people who work and live there are just as wonderful and unique.”

Julie has an especially strong interest in getting kids outside in the natural world and feels that people of all ages can benefit from more time spent in nature. She encourages anyone with questions about forestry or their trees to reach out with the assurance that if she does not know the answer, she will track down someone who does. Outside of work, Julie runs a small farm with her arborist husband, Matt, and their young daughter. In what spare time remains, Julie plays upright bass and sings with a bluegrass band and swing-style jazz band.

Like all District Foresters, Julie 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 Julie come out to a site – ideally before work begins - to help determine if and how the rules apply, and to talk about different ways to control water and prevent soil movement using BMPs.

Julie and other District Foresters 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. District Foresters are a great resource

please use them!

District Forester Julie Davenport.

MaineForestServiceSkidderBridge LoanerProgram

ByTomGilbert WaterResourcesSpecialist MaineForestService

Did you know that the Maine Forest Service provides loaner steel and wooden skidder bridges at low or no cost to Maine loggers? MFS has partnered with several organizations including county soil and water conservation districts and other public and private sector organizations to make temporary portable bridges more widely available.

Steel bridges are made up of 3 panels and come in 20’ and 24’ lengths and are either 12 or 14’ wide. Wooden bridges are generally 16’ to 20’ long and come in various widths.

Loan agreements vary depending on the organization loaning the bridge, but all require you to pick up and return the bridge. Some require a rental fee and/or deposit.

Temporary portable bridges are a convenient and

effective way to cross streams with minimal impact to stream banks and overall shoreline integrity. Because they are removed after use, there are no lasting negative effects to the stream such as sedimentation or creating a barrier to fish, which can often be caused by permanent structures over time if they do not span the stream channel or if they are installed above the natural streambed.

For a list of locations and contacts to use a temporary portable bridge please visit our website at: www.maineforestservice.gov. Click on the Forest Policy and Management in the menu on the left and then the Water Resources link. You will find a link to the informational brochure here. You may also contact your District Forester for information on bridge availability.

Scott Dane to Become Next Executive Director for the American Logger Council

May 10, 2021, Hemphill, TX On June 1, 2021, Scott Dane will officially become the next Executive Director for the American Loggers Council (ALC), replacing the retiring Danny Dructor who has been with the ALC since July of 2001.

Mr. Dane brings with him a vast amount of experience working with timber harvesting and timber hauling associations having been the Executive Director for the Associated Contract Loggers and Truckers of Minnesota for the past seventeen years.

Scott has experience in State and National issues impacting the timber harvesting and timber hauling issues at both the State and National level. He has been a critical component of the ALC’s work to gain financial assistance for those businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also been involved in legislation allowing State legal weight tolerances on the Federal Interstate Highway System and other ALC initiatives like the Future Careers in Logging Act.

Participating in activities and legislation related to the federal timber sale program and forest restoration projects will also keep Scott busy as he continues to represent the issues and concerns of those ALC members who are dependent on a viable federal timber supply and a federal forest restoration program.

Tim Christopherson, President of the ALC states, “After close to 18 months of searching for a new Executive Director for the ALC, the search committee was able to narrow down the field to one candidate. I am pleased that Scott has accepted the position and look forward to working him during the transition. He has the drive, passion and ambition to take the ALC to the next level.”

Scott Dane commented, “Danny has provided the leadership to develop the American Loggers Council into the leading national voice of the American logging industry. I look forward to continuing to build upon that foundation, expanding the partnerships, supporting the state members with their issues and promoting the agenda of the American Loggers Council.”

The American Loggers Council is the only national organization solely dedicated to representing the independent contract logger on the national level. We have the combined forces of independent contractors and state and regional logging associations, as well as our many sponsors around the country to impact our industry positively and pro-actively by sharing the benefits of education and training opportunities, networking, research, promotion and legislative coordination. The Council is committed to enhancing the logging profession, establishing a more level playing field for professional loggers and providing accurate information about the logging profession to the forest products companies, landowners and the public. It serves as a national network and communication center, linking local, state and regional organizations around the country.

The ALC office will be relocated from Texas to Minnesota where Scott will set up the office beginning June 1, 2021.

Scott Dane

As We See It June 2021 Changing of the Guard

By Danny Dructor

If someone would have told me back in 1975 that my decision to major in Forestry would have lead me to walking the halls of Congress in Washington, DC and attempting to educate our lawmakers on not only the forest products industry but in particular from a logging business perspective, I think I would have changed my major! All I wanted to do was to figure out how to make a living spending time in the woods and fishing and hunting on the weekends!

Life is full of interesting twists and turns, and if we are open to change, there is never a dull moment in the paths or directions that we may travel.

It has been an absolute pleasure to not only be a logger during the course of my career, but to also represent the hard-working, honest, professional timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses throughout the United States over these past 20 years. The relationships and friendships that have formed across the country mean more to me than any credentials that I might have received from any University. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to thank all of the volunteers who have, over the past 27 years helped the American Loggers Council (ALC) to put a face on the timber harvesting industry not only in DC but across the nation. Your voices are being heard, and while oftentimes change is slow to develop, change is happening.

I would like to thank the members of the ALC for spending the time to work with professionals to recruit a successor to my position. Over the past 18 months, they have vetted out applications and candidates from across the country and made the decision to retain the services of Scott Dane, from Gilbert, Minnesota, to take the reins.

Scott has spent considerable time working with loggers and log haulers in Minnesota as the Executive Director for the Associated Logging Contractors and Truckers of Minnesota and has been a passionate spokesperson for the industry, including much work in Washington, DC. I use the word “passion” because that is what is needed to successfully represent this profession that we call logging.

There will be highs and lows in Scott’s future with the ALC, but with the continued support of the many volunteers who offer guidance, there is no doubt in my mind that Scott is the right choice to take the American Loggers Council to the next level. I ask that you please welcome Scott as the new Executive Director for the American Loggers Council and support him, as you have me for the past twenty years.

It is time for me to go fishing, and with that I wish all of you a safe, productive and happy future in this profession we call logging.

Tight lines! –

Danny Dructor

We Support Maine Loggers

Congressional Delegation Updates

Strengthening Every Link in the Forest Products Industry Supply Chain

Throughout Maine’s history, our forest products industry has supported good-paying jobs, driven local economies, and strengthened rural communities. Born here in the Northeast, this industry remains a linchpin of our region’s economy.

Before the pandemic, this vital industry was already facing significant headwinds due to a changing 21st century economy and unfair trade practices. COVID-19 only compounded those challenges. Over the past year, paper mills drastically slashed output or shut down their operations altogether –which the American Loggers Council estimates caused a reduction of $1.83 billion (or 13 percent) in the value of logger-deliver wood.

I am committed to supporting every link in the forest products supply chain to keep the industry strong. In December, the Loggers Relief Act I authored with Representative Jared Golden was signed into law, which authorized $200 million in critical financial assistance for loggers and log haulers. It was unacceptable that this critical COVID-19 relief was delayed for months, and I repeatedly pushed USDA to

Looking Out for Maine’s Future Loggers

For hundreds of years, Maine’s logging industry has been a fundamental part of our state. The industry and the knowledge of how to effectively and safely work in the forests has been passed down from generation to generation as a way to support rural Maine families and anchor the region’s economy but that sense of continuity and legacy is at risk right now in an unprecedented way.

This proud industry is facing some serious challenges in the years ahead, as a recent study estimates that roughly 2,000 loggers and heavy duty truckers will retire in the next 8 years. If that scenario plays out, we’d lose more than a third of the industry’s workforce, which will create major worker shortages and jeopardize the future of many long-time Maine businesses. In order to prepare for this incoming wave of retirements, we need to start training the next generation of loggers as soon as possible.

Given the state’s many small, family-owned logging businesses, many young Maine people intend to enter the industry to get good jobs and carry on the family business once they are old enough. We should encourage

release it. Following an Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee hearing where I urged USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to accelerate the implementation of this program, the USDA announced a plan to begin distributing funding. I am pleased to report that, on July 6, USDA began accepting applications.

With lumber prices having hit historically high levels, there are steps that we can take to help reduce this volatility as well as rapidly escalating building costs. I have urged the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to engage in negotiations with their Canadian counterparts to reach a new Softwood Lumber Agreement, the most recent of which expired in 2015. A well-crafted, fair agreement is in the best interest of the industry. A new deal would help bring long-term certainty and stability to the softwood lumber market. When Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testified before the Commerce Appropriations subcommittee in May, I stressed to her the importance of a new agreement to the industry on both sides of the border. Sec. Raimondo assured me that her team is actively working to develop a new softwood lumber agreement with Canada, and I will continue to press the Department to act.

I come from a six-generation forest-products family and know of no other enterprise that requires more faith in the future and respect for the past. It is essential that these generations-old businesses and newer ones are supported at this challenging time.

these young people, and give them the opportunity to begin their training early in a safe, managed way - and reconsider or readjust well-intended guidelines in the lumber sector.

That is why I have introduced the Future Logging Careers Act, which would allow 16 and 17-year-old Mainers to get hands-on experience in the logging field alongside their parents or grandparents.

Loosening these restrictions would allow our state’s young people to gain hands-on experience in the family industry, while still maintaining some regulations to ensure safety.

This legislation has the full backing of the entire Maine delegation, and we are all working side-by-side to enact these commonsense changes into law. We won’t stop pushing for solutions that strengthen this industry, support Maine families and communities, and enhance the long-term skills of our state’s forest products workforce.

Sen. Susan Collins

Sen. Angus King

As we grapple with the effects of climate change in our forests and across the nation, I’m proud to tell you about a piece of bipartisan legislation that I recently introduced with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to help family forest owners mitigate climate change. The Rural Forest Markets Act (H.R. 3790) will ensure smaller-scale forest owners can access new economic opportunities while also fighting the climate crisis.

95% of Maine forest land is privately owned, but relatively few forest owners currently participate in carbon markets due to the up-front costs and uncertainty about rules and requirements. These barriers are particularly challenging for forest owners with smaller land holdings, like many families in Maine. Today, less than 1% of the land enrolled in forest carbon projects nationwide is on properties between 20 and 10,000 acres. Since companies across the country are increasingly searching for ways to offset their carbon emissions, including through carbon sequestration in forests, this means that those

As I wrote in the last edition of Logger’s Voice, Senator Susan Collins and I worked last year to ensure that COVID-19 relief efforts in December included emergency relief for loggers. We know Mainers in the logging industry didn’t want a handout, just the same emergency relief that other industries are already entitled to. We were successful, and more than $200 million was passed specifically for loggers and log haulers in December’s COVID relief bill. I know, however, that that legislation doesn’t matter at all until relief funds start getting into the hands of the people that need it.

Since then, we’ve been putting the pressure on USDA, pushing them to act quickly to send out this relief. The progress has been slow and frustrating, and I know many Mainers need this money now. There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. We expect an announcement from the

landowners are also missing out on a new source of potential income.

The Rural Forests Market Act would create a program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to guarantee loans, bonds, or other investment vehicles up to $150 million to non-profits and companies for projects that assist private forest owners in overcoming financial and technical barriers. This support will help forest owners create and sell carbon credits, using a methodology approved by a credible third party. This would create new incentives for climate-friendly management of Maine’s forests, provide additional revenue for forest owners, unlock additional private investment in rural communities, and create new forest sector jobs.

As Chair of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I’ll also continue supporting funding for innovation in the forest products industry that simultaneously supports jobs and helps our forests be more resilient in the face of the climate crisis. As you know well, forests are the environmental and economic backbone of Maine’s rural communities and our entire state, and I am proud to be their advocate in Washington.

USDA very soon, possibly even by the time this newsletter reaches you.

As soon as we know more specific information, we’ll work with Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and others to get information out to loggers as quickly as possible. Our staff will also get up to speed on the new program so that we can help you through the application process and answer any questions that you have.

In the meantime, let us know if we can help you solve problems you or your family is having with Medicare, Social Security, the VA, or other federal programs or agencies.

You can reach my staff at:

Lewiston: (207) 241-6767

Caribou: (207) 492-6009

Bangor: (207) 249-7400

You can also send us an email at: golden.house.gov/contact/email-me

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

Rep. Chellie Pingree

Rep. Jared Golden