The Logger's Voice - Summer 2022

Volume 16 Issue 3 | Summer 2022

A Quarterly Publication of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

PLC’s 27th Annual Meeting

Also in this issue...

Celebrating the best of 2022

President’s Report

6

Page 14

New Members

7

Director’s Report

8

PLC 2022 Awards

18

Log A Load Golf Tourneys

24

Board of Directors

Cover: PLC 2022 Annual Meeting, May 13 in Bar Harbor.

Will Cole, President Chuck Ames, 1st Vice President

Duane Jordan, 2nd Vice President Kurt Babineau, Secretary Andy Irish, Treasurer

A quarterly publication of:

Tony Madden, Past President

Aaron Adams

The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

Donald Cole Tom Cushman Brent Day

Marc Greaney Steve Hanington

108 Sewall St., P.O. Box 1036 Augusta, ME 04332 Phone: 207.688.8195 www.maineloggers.com

Robert Linkletter Scott Madden

Jim Nicols Randy Kimball Ron Ridley

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Annual Meeting 2022

18

PLC 2022 Awards

Brian Souers

Wayne Tripp Gary Voisine

PLC Staff Executive Director Dana Doran ▪ executivedirector@maineloggers.com Membership Services Coordinator Jessica Clark ▪ jessica@maineloggers.com Safety and Training Coordinator Donald Burr ▪ safety@maineloggers.com Office Coordinator Vanessa Tillson ▪ office@maineloggers.com

The Logger’s Voice Editor and Designer Jon Humphrey Communications and Photography ▪ jehumphreycommunications@gmail.com Advertising Jessica Clark ▪ jessica@maineloggers.com © 2022 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine All material (“content”) is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) or the party credited as the provider of the content.

For more information call (207) - 688 - 8195

Also Inside 4 5 6 7 8 24 28 32 38 40 43 44 48

Calendar Events President’s Report New Members Executive Director’s Report Log A Load Golf Tournaments Trucking Safety MLOP 2022 Maine Forest Service Master Logger ALC updates Congressional Updates

Event

Calendar

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

Updates

Do you have news to share?

The PLC is always seeking news from our Members that showcases our industry’s professionalism, generosity, and ingenuity.

Send ideas to jonathan@maineloggers.com

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2022

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From the President

By Will Cole

Hello everyone, As I write this column, mud season is now behind us. Many of us are evaluating what and how we will commence with summer operations. It's no secret since the Pixelle explosion that our world has been turned upside down.

The question is what are we going to do about it? I personally am getting tired of the victim mentality that's overshadowing every aspect of our culture.

When Don and I started our company in 1986 it was just as easy to go behind, but the difference was you could work your way out of a mess by doing double time. That I suspect is how many of us built up our businesses.

The other day I was in a conversation with a group of loggers complaining about lack of help and no youth in the industry. Why would there be? The double time to get out became the normal day. Long hours, low pay with no time to really evaluate our business model.

If logging is to be a legitimate business, it needs to have comparative work opportunities for the next generation. That can only happen when a business is profitable. That means evaluating cost of operations against payment of goods. Is it that simple? Yes, the PLC has stepped up to the challenge to help our members get a real cost to operate through our cost calculation service provided free to all members.

Wood markets are hungry, prices are rising, and for the first time in a long time "loggers are valuable". May I suggest to you the most money you will make this year is at the negotiating table. Know your cost going in and don't be afraid to say no if the numbers don't work. Let's work our way out of a mess but not doing double time.

See you in the woods, Will

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

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Welcome New Members Francois Lessard Logging of Jackman joined the PLC as a new Contractor Member in February of 2022. The company has a professional staff of 4. To learn more, contact Francois Lessard at (207) 349-0628 or flessard87@sogetel.net.

Two Spruce LLC of Windsor joined the PLC as a new Affiliated Contractor Member in February of 2022. The company has a professional staff of 2. To learn more, contact Michael Murphy at (207) 215-2755 or twospruce1@gmail.com.

JD Scales Equipment LLC of Greenville Junction, ME joined the PLC as a new Supporting Member in April of 2022. The company specializes in used logging equipment sales, purchases, consignments, appraials, and consulting services including business development. To learn more contact John Scales at (603) 443-7313 or john@jdscalesequipment.com or visit www.jdscalesequipment.com.

UniFirst Corporation, headquartered in Wilmington, MA joined the PLC as a new Supporting Member in April of 2022. UniFirst B & J Hardy Transport of Houlton joined the is one of North America’s largest workwear and textile service companies, providing uniforms, PLC as a new Forest Contractor in March of 2022. The company has a professional staff of 3. protective clothing, and custom corporate image To learn more, contact Bill Hardy at (207) 570- apparel programs to businesses in diverse industries. In addition to outfitting more than 2 0079 or billyhardy79@gmail.com. million workers in clean uniforms each workday, UniFirst also has a hand in keeping Horizon Solutions of Bangor, ME joined the their businesses clean, safe, and healthy through PLC as a new Supporting Member in April of their Facility Service program, allowing the 2022. The company offers automation, company to be a single-source solution for a electrical, industrial, and safety solutions to a variety of needs. To learn more contact Wade variety of industries and has a footprint that Taylor in Mars Hill at (207) 689-1065 spans across New York and New England. or wade_taylor@unifirst.com or visit Additionally, the company offers services and unifirst.com. technology to improve energy efficiency and enhance workplace safety. To learn more Beau Berry of Carthage joined the PLC as a contact Adam Russell at 207-991-5417 or new Individual Supporting Member in February arussell@horizonsolutions.com or visit of 2022. To learn more contact Beau Berry at www.horizonsolutions.com.

207-491-1280 or bdlogging11@gmail.com.

Not a member but interested in joining the PLC? Contact Jessica at (207) 688-8195 or email jessica@maineloggers.com The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2022

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What do you need?

By Dana Doran From the Executive Director

I hope everyone in the membership is enjoying the glorious weather we are having in the last several weeks. This reminds me of summer in Maine when I was a kid. Warm days, cool nights and low humidity. How I long for those extended stretches of Maine summer weather and the idyllic days of summers past.

Well, while it would be great to talk about the utopia I evidently lived in as a child and the weather, none of that matters in the current world we are living in.

Back to the harsh reality, as the title of this article states, there are a lot of procurement officials

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

contacting logging contractors over the last eight to ten months asking one question, “What do you need?” From what I’ve heard, folks are tired of being asked this question. If they really wanted to hear the answer, then maybe, just maybe, log yards in most of the state, might not be empty right now.

Before heading down this path with straight answers regarding what loggers really need right now, I want to give credit to those who have asked the same question, but have actually answered the call; doing it with sincerity, grace and generosity, Perhaps those who continue to ask the same old question, expecting the same old response, could

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TNT Road,Company, PLC 2022 Logging Contractor of the Year, logging in Northern Maine.

learn a valuable lesson from Maine’s logging industry.

On May 13, 2022, the PLC held its 27 th Annual Meeting at the Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor, raising a record $144,399 in the annual Log A Load For Maine Kids auction. This meeting and all the good that was celebrated that night is a great example of how loggers come together and ask kids and families in need, “What do you need?”, and they answer the call with swift and immediate action.

This event shattered records for funds raised for our Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in Bangor and Portland despite the fact that the logging industry gets

tougher every day as a result of double-digit inflation and price stagflation from certain markets. Our group exceeds expectations in every way, standing strong for the industry and the Maine children and families who benefit from Log A Load for Maine Kids. I couldn’t be prouder of the unselfishness of our members at a time when most have little in the bank and are questioning their future.

This year’s auction exceeded 2021’s total by more than $56,000. That’s right, $56,000 more than in October of 2021, just 8 months before.

The result and the willingness of contractors to step up in support of the Log A Load cause is remarkable Doran Continued Page 10

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Doran Continued from Page 96 when you consider their circumstances. The latest auction pushes the total raised by the PLC’s Log A Load effort to $1.85 million since 1995. Who would have thought that in 1993, when the Hanington Family brought Log A Load to Maine and donated the value of a load of logs worth $700, that we would now be nearing almost $2 million raised for kids? This generosity is beyond words and perhaps the greatest example I have ever seen of a group that would give the shirt off their back for a child in need because they decided to ask what someone needed and put their money where their mouth is rather than just for show.

Which brings me back to where I started, if loggers can ask what others need and make sure it happens, why can’t others follow?

As many of you know, a large number of contractors in our membership are selling out, shutting down or downsizing because of financial consequences that they have no control over. It is clear that many have had enough and the proverbial race to the bottom has bottomed out.

This dilemma is not just specific to Maine and it is happening all across the country.

Bobby Goodson from the Discovery TV show, “Swamp Loggers,” has announced that after 40 years in business in North Carolina, his family is shutting their company down due to the fact that it is no longer profitable. And in Flagstaff, AZ, Ken Ribelin, owner of Ribelin Logging Company and a former president of the American Loggers Council, is also throwing the towel after more than 64 years in business. This is not a coincidence, and more will follow soon.

So what do folks really need? It’s simple, they need action and not talk, major rate increase and not just fuel adjustments, recognition that loggers are leaving or substantially reducing the sizes of their operation and they will not come back.

Mills and most land management companies that contractors work for need to increase rates and

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

stop micromanaging contractors to the point that rate increases are swallowed up by more mandates. Rate increase must not only be sustainable, but must lead back to profitability. Without a broad action, contractors will continue to leave the industry and head for greener pastures because they have no other choice. This is not just banter and what is happening out there is as real as it’s ever been.

After the last two and a half years of companies here in Maine, across the country and across the globe posting record profits, it is an insult to every logger and trucker in the state who supply these mills and harvest wood for major landowners who do not take concerted action to pass their profits along to those who do the work. Loggers and truckers are not servants, and they no longer need to be treated like them.

What is truly ironic about what is happening right now is the constant rhetoric and propaganda about sustainability. For almost thirty years, the forest industry has latched on and promoted the fact that it is sustainable and operates that way every day.

Well, I ask one question, is underpaying contractors and treating them like they are servants because there’s, “another logger out there to replace you,” truly sustainable?

Let’s for a minute discuss the sustainability practices of those you work for, the ones that you are forced to follow, and the ones that you don’t benefit from. I think it would be eye opening for many of you to see what you are supposed to benefit from but rarely see any benefit from at all.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which a majority of mills and large landowners in Maine participate in, references responsible fiber sourcing, to include economically responsible use and an emphasis on sustainable supply chains.

Objective 4 in SFI’s Fiber Sourcing Standard, Performance Measure 4.2, calls for Certified Organizations to take appropriate steps to comply with all

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applicable social laws at the federal, provincial, state, and local levels in the country where the Certified Organization operates. Indicator: 1. Written policy demonstrating commitment to comply with social laws, such as those covering civil rights, equal employment opportunities, gender equality, diversity inclusion, antidiscrimination and antiharassment measures, workers’ compensation, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, workers’ and communities’ right to know, prevailing wages, workers’ right to organize, and occupational health and safety which meet the spirit and intent of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998).

And Principle 13 from SFI’s Forest Management Standard states: Responsible fiber sourcing to use and promote sustainable forestry across a diversity of ownership and management types in the United States and Canada that is both scientifically credible and socially, environmentally, and economically responsible and to avoid sourcing from controversial sources both domestically and internationally.

Does it feel like contractors are being paid prevailing wages and are treated with economic responsibility? But guess what, those companies that follow these requirements still get to charge more for the product they sell and put that SFI stamp on products.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could pass your costs along to them?

But let’s not stop there because it’s not just SFI

that should be included in this discussion. Let’s also spread the wealth and look at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). There are 4.5 million acres of land in Maine certified to FSC and 12 mills that hold FSC Chain of Custody certificates.

Principle 4 of the FSC Standard states, “Community Relations and Workers’ Rights – Forest Management operations shall maintain OR ENHANCE the long term social AND ECONOMIC WELL BEING of forest workers and communities”.

Indicator 4.1.b states, “Forest work is offered in ways that create high quality job opportunities for employees”.

Indicator 4.1.c states, “Forest workers are provided with fair wages”. Indicator 4.5.c states, “Fair compensation or reasonable mitigation is provided to local people, communities or adjacent landowners for substantiated damage or loss of income caused by the landowner or manager.”

Does it feel like your long-term economic wellbeing is being enhanced or your compensation is reasonable to avoid damage or loss of income?

I don’t think it’s too hard to see that those who utilize your services to harvest and truck their wood, which is inevitably stamped as sustainable (SFI or FSC) are not really invested in your bottom line to ensure that you are sustainable in the long run. It’s also hard to believe that they are really being held accountable by their certification, but they certainly want to hold you accountable, don’t they?

So what do folks really need?

It’s simple, they need action and not talk, major rate increases and not fuel adjustments, recognition that loggers are leaving or substantially reducing the sizes of their operations and they will not come back.

Doran Continued on Page 126

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Doran

Continued from Page 11 16

What Don’t You Need?

I would like to provide some advice to help your business withstand the onslaught of top-down control that continues to erode your bottom line so you can weather the storm you are sailing in right now. If you are going to withstand the financial pressure of 2022 and remain in business, you must do so at your own discretion and not put yourself in a position that could further jeopardize your future and the integrity of your business.

We have received numerous questions over the last few months from the membership regarding continued requirements from SFI/FSC certificate holders (mills, landowners, and land management companies) as a condition of work or wood sales. It’s ironic that we are receiving these questions as they relate to this entire discussion of sustainability.

These requirements of certificate holders are a result of standards in national/international forest certification systems that they must follow. These requirements, if followed by your company, could have serious potential negative consequences to your company and I thought it was important to provide context and some simple talking points to help guide you in discussions with forest certificate holders at such an important time. The last thing you need is to put your business at risk or add cost to an already thin bottom line.

Independent Contractor or Employee: As I’ve stated in previous articles, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers many factors when deciding whether a “worker” is an independent contractor or an employee. The factors which make this determination fall into three main categories: Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and Relationship of the Parties.

Behavioral Control examines how much control the employer has over the worker’s behavior and work

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

results. This is determined by reviewing the extent of instruction and training provided by and/or required by the employer. In the case of logging contractors, Behavioral Control, and more specifically requiring training, is one of the biggest determiners of whether loggers are truly independent.

The following is an excerpt from Social Security Administration Handbook, Chapter 805, “Training is a factor of control because it is an indication that the employer wants the services performed in a particular method or manner. This is especially true if the training is given periodically or at frequent intervals. The training may be by an experienced employee, by correspondence, by required attendance at meetings, or by other methods. An independent contractor uses his own methods and receives no training from the purchaser of the services. In fact, it is usually the methods of the independent contractor which bring the contractor to the attention of the purchaser.”

According to IRS documents, if an employer provides the worker with training or requires the worker to attend training as a stipulation in the contract, this indicates that the employer wants the work to be done a certain way, and therefore suggests they are an employee of the employer and not an independent contractor. An independent contractor on the other hand uses his or her own methods and thus does not need to receive training from the employer to perform the services, forcing them to attend additional training strengthens the case that the worker is an employee and effectively endangers the independent contractor classification.

One example of how independent contractor status could be questioned would be if a landowner, land management company or a consuming mill tells a logging contractor that it must attend an SFI-approved logger training each year as a requirement 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.

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Why is this important?

As a company owner, your goal is to avoid obvious misclassifications and narrow the area of uncertainty that may provide justification that you are an employee. You need to be aware of these factors because if you were audited by the IRS, the independent status of your company could be put at risk and so could that of the forest certification participant (mill, landowner, land management company) that requires you to comply. This could lead to possible fines, back payments, and other hardship for your company and/or you could be put out of business.

If you are required by a forest certificate holder to comply with their training requirements as a condition of a contract or wood sales, my suggestion is for you to use the following in response: 1. Any/all contracts generally require independent contractors to follow all state and federal laws. As a result, let the certificate holder know you are uncomfortable signing a contract that requires you to violate federal law by complying with contractual training requirements because it could call into question the independent nature of your business. You cannot put your business at risk and be the subject of an IRS audit as a result of a training requirement.

2. Let them know that as an independent

contractor you bring your own methods and training to the job, and you’d like to provide your own as an independent contractor to stay away from a potential employee-employer violation.

3. Let them know that a forest certification standard is their standard and it cannot dictate what training you or your employees receive.

In closing, when asked, “What do you need,” by who you work for, you might want to respond in one of three ways: 1) If contractors can give to those in need, why can’t you?

2) If you are supposed to be following sustainable practices and your company is benefiting as a result, shouldn’t I benefit as well?

3) As an independent contractor, I can’t put my business at risk with compliance with requirements which could be questioned by the federal government.

Could you please respect and recognize the work that our company does and reward us in the end?

I think it’s time to stop asking contractors what they need, telling them what they need and start respecting them and rewarding them before it’s too late.

Please stay safe, be well and I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2022

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BAR HARBOR – The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine held its 27th Annual Meeting Friday, May 13, raising a record $144,399 in the annual Log A Load For Maine Kids auction and presenting awards to businesses, individuals, and legislators from across Maine for their contributions to the logging industry.

The meeting was held at a new location this year, the Bar Harbor Club in Bar Harbor, ME., with more than 200 attending. Honored guests at the event included Maine Governor Janet Mills and retired New England Patriot Rob Ninkovich.

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“This event has shattered records both for funds raised for our Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in Bangor and Portland, and for attendance,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “It seems the logging industry gets tougher every year, yet this group continues to exceed expectations in every way, standing strong for the industry and the Maine children and families who benefit from Log A Load for Maine Kids.”

The day included a business meeting for PLC Member contractors in the morning, with board and officer elections, and a panel discussion on wood supply and

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Record $144,399 raised for Log A Load for Maine Kids!

Log A Load for Maine Kids Auction Underway in Bar Harbor, May 13.

logger financial health with representatives from three wood consuming mills. A noon luncheon open to PLC Members, Supporting Members, and guests was held with Governor Mills. The evening events included the Log A Load for Maine Kids Auction, dinner, and PLC awards ceremony.

PLC Board Member Will Cole officially began his two-year term as PLC President, accepting the gavel from outgoing President Tony Madden.

The Log A Load for Maine Kids Auction shattered the previous auction record of $95,000 for funds raised that

was set in 2021, Rob Ninkovich joined Auctioneer Scott Hanington for an event that none will soon forget.

The auction is one of the PLC’s major fund-raisers to benefit Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals in Maine. The PLC raised more than $205,000 in 2021 for the cause in 2021, which was also a new record.

This year’s auction total and the willingness of contractors to step up in support of the Log A Load cause is remarkable when you consider they are facing record diesel fuel prices and inflation on parts and equipment as well as challenging wood markets. The latest auction pushes the Meeting

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Continued Page 16

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Meeting Continued from Page 15 total raised by the PLC’s Log A Load efforts to $1.85 million since 1995.

The PLC partners with the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH) and Northern Light Health Foundation for its annual Log A Load fund drive. BBCH in Portland and Northern Light in Bangor are Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

The PLC and the Northern Light Health Foundation (formerly Eastern Maine Health Systems Foundation) have partnered in the Log A Load fundraising effort since 1996. BBCH joined the Log A Load effort in 2019 and all donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children in Maine as possible. BBCH and Northern Light in Bangor both have Neonatal Intensive Care Units that have received support for years from the PLC’s Log A Load efforts.

The evening concluded with dinner and the PLC Awards ceremony.

Awards were presented to the following individuals and organizations during the evening portion of the event: PLC Logger of the Year Award: This award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession. The winner this year is: TNT Road Company of Fort Kent.

PLC Impact Awards: Each year, the PLC recognizes someone from the public sector who has demonstrated a commitment to the industry and has made a significant impact for its improvement. This year the award goes to two individuals, Heather Johnson, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development, and Maine State Senator Trey Stewart of Presque Isle.

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

PLC Supporting Member Award: The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member that has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to logging contractors in Maine. The winner this year is: Davco of Farmington.

PLC President’s Award: The President’s Award is presented to individuals or organizations within the PLC which have a significant and positive impact on the PLC and the logging industry in Maine. The winner this year is: PLC Past President Tony Madden of A.W. Madden Inc. of Milford.

For more on the award winners, turn to page 18.

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Retired New England Patriot Rob Ninkovich, center, at the event. Thank you Rob for assisting at the auction!

Maine Governor Janet Mills speaking at lunch.

Auctioneer Scott Hanington taking a Zoom call from PLC Past President Scott Madden, who was unable to attend the event in person, during the auction.

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Thank you to our Children’s Miracle Network guests at the Annual Meeting; Emily, at left, and Lyla, at right. Read more about both on pages 24-26 and how you can support our Log A Load for Kids efforts at the upcoming PLC Log A Load Golf Tournaments in August and September!

“This event has shattered records both for funds raised for our Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in Bangor and Portland, and for attendance,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “It seems the logging industry gets tougher every year, yet this group continues to exceed expectations in every way, standing strong for the industry and the Maine children and families who benefit from Log A Load for Maine Kids.”

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Logger certified logging company offering an example of professionalism that is a credit to our industry.

TNT has a strong safety record and in 2021 was one of the recipients of The MEMIC Award for Excellence in Safety for making workforce safety a TNT Road Company started in 1987 in an old vital part of their culture and demonstrating ongoing education and employee involvement to prevent onbarn on Charette Hill Road where horses had once been stabled. At first the small trucking business was the-job injuries and increase labor productivity. The company is recognized as a quality employer in only father and son Richard and Steve Theriault, but northern Maine, and a strong and valued community those years are far behind it now. member.

Today, TNT is a diversified trucking, road TNT exemplifies what it takes to succeed in construction, logging, chipping, and grinding the very tough logging industry we face today. Over company with extensive timberland holdings and the years TNT grew and adapted to changing times, branching first into hauling biomass and then to producing it when that market was strong. They have added woodlands over time and expanded into timber harvesting on their own lands and private lots. They constantly adapt to the changing markets, build a strong and loyal workforce as the foundation of their success, and always find ways to continue improving and growing their business.

TNT joined the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine to support the organization’s work on behalf of the logging and trucking industry, and they have been a great asset for the organization ever since, stepping up when we need help with PLC events, legislative efforts, and initiatives, and hosting Safety and Fleet trainings whenever we ask.

TNT is deserving of this award because of their extraordinary, “commitment to the logging, trucking, and chipping industry, and their community service.”

The Theriault’s attribute the success of TNT primarily to their employees, to the good companies they work with that have persevered alongside TNT Terry and Steve Theriault, center and right, accept the through tough economic times, and to Steve’s father, 2022 Logging Contractor of the Year Award from PLC who built the company’s strong foundation with Steve Executive Director Dana Doran. and remained involved in the company long after his dozens of employees. It is still at the same location, retirement. but now there is a 15,000 square-foot garage, a We are lucky to count TNT Road Company modern separate office building, large parking lots, among our members, and it is with great pleasure that and other facilities on the site. There are still “stables,” PLC presents the 2022 Logging Contractor of the behind the garage, but they are filled with tractor Year Award to Steve and Terry Theriault and the trailers. entire crew at TNT Road Company.

Steve Theriault has run TNT with his wife, Terry, since his father’s retirement more than a decade *** ago, and the couple have taken the company from its roots in woods trucking to its status today as a Master

PLC Logger of the Year Award: This award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession. The recipient this year is: TNT Road Company of Fort Kent.

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

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Celebrating the best of 2022 PLC Impact Awards: Each year, the PLC recognizes individuals from the public sector who have demonstrated a commitment to the industry and made a significant impact for its improvement. In 2022, the award goes to two individuals: Heather Johnson, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development, and Maine State Senator Trey Stewart of Presque Isle.

Heather Johnson grew up in Skowhegan and graduated from the University of Maine in 1992. She began her career by building a diverse background in the private technology sector in locations across the United States at Nokia, Gateway and Toshiba. With continually expanding responsibilities she created startup operations inside large companies, developed new products for new markets, and ran a $1.2 billion retail business.

After leaving the private sector and returning to Maine in 2010, Heather had the opportunity to concentrate on rural economic development at Somerset Economic Development Corporation.

In 2016, she was selected to lead the ConnectME office for the state which focused on working with communities and businesses to help them identify needs and opportunities to utilize connectivity to enable their goals. Heather was able to able to make changes that positioned ConnectME to move forward into the connectivity space.

In early 2019, Heather was confirmed as the Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development for Governor Janet Mills. In this role, Heather continues to dedicate her career to fostering economic development, both in private companies and in rural communities across Maine.

Commissioner Johnson has proven to be a strong supporter of Maine’s logging industry. She has worked closely with the PLC over the last three and a half years doing all she can to help wherever possible.

In the spring of 2020, when the Pixelle mill exploded and the COVID-19 pandemic was compounding problems for the logging industry, Heather stepped up by coordinating efforts of the administration to ensure that any aid packages that the state had would positively impact loggers and truckers. Since that time, she has worked on four grant packages to ensure that loggers and truckers could qualify. She also made sure that applications took into consideration dates and other operating conditions that impacted contractors in an effort to help in any way possible. She even took time on several evenings to hold special webinars for PLC members to answer questions and ensure success. This kind of entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen has been critical to contractors weathering the storm that doesn’t seem to end.

Additionally, Heather has taken particular interest

in the success of the Mechanized Logging Operations Program, which she visited this past summer to ensure she knows as much as possible about workforce development, equipment and other areas of the industry that she and her staff can help contractors with.

As a result of her commitment and perseverance to the continuance and profitability of this industry, the PLC is proud to convey the 2022 PLC Impact Award to Commissioner Heather Johnson.

State Senator Harold “Trey” Stewart III is serving

Heather Johnson accepting PLC Impact Award. his first term in the Maine Senate representing Senate District 2 after representing the people of House District 147 for two terms in the House of Representatives. He previously served as the Assistant House Republican Leader for the 129th Legislature.

Senator Stewart serves on the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee and the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.

Currently, Sen. Stewart is the youngest member of the Maine Senate. He graduated from Presque Isle High School in 2012, earned his undergraduate degree from the Awards

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Continued Page 20

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Awards

Continued from Page 19

University of Maine in 2016 in political science and moved forward with LD 375 – An Act to Promote the sociology and that same year at the age of 22, he was first Forest Products Industry in School Construction and elected to the Maine House of Representatives. Since then, Renovation Involving Heating Systems. He was successful in getting this bill passed and signed into law by Governor Mills. The bill requires schools to consider wood heating systems during renovation and construction projects.

Also in 2019 and again in 2021 when he was elected to the Senate, he sponsored the Small Business Capital Investment Program bill, an idea that he worked on with the PLC over the course of three legislative sessions to refine and rework. This bill intended to create a pilot program for loggers, farmers and fisherman to set aside profits from one year tax exempt and use them in the future for business needs. Never one to give in easily, Senator Stewart almost got it across the finish line in 2021.

Lastly, every time the PLC asks for his help to support or oppose legislation that will impact loggers and truckers, Senator Stewart is always there to help.

The PLC is pleased to present the 2022 PLC Impact Award to Senator Stewart in 2022.

State Senator Harold “Trey” Stewart, at right, accepting the PLC Impact Award from PLC Executive Director Dana Doran. he has completed an MBA while serving his first term in the Legislature, graduating in May of 2018. He also graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in early May. During his two terms in the Maine House, Sen. Stewart was the youngest member of the Maine Legislature and served on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, the Taxation Committee, and the statewide Opioid Task Force.

In December of 2017, Senator Stewart first established a close relationship with the PLC. Even though he represents a predominately semi-urban area in Presque Isle, Senator Stewart understood early in his first term how important logging was to his region and went out of his way on a cold December day to go out on the job with PLC Executive Director Dana Doran to visit PLC member Carl Morneau’s logging job in Chapman. Senator Stewart quickly got an education on the trials and tribulations of Maine’s logging industry and vowed from that moment forward to help anywhere he could.

In 2017 and 2018, then Representative Stewart fought hard for biomass energy in the Aroostook County and across the state of Maine. His work on the PLC’s wood energy policy efforts were key to their passage.

In 2019, Representative Stewart came to the PLC and asked what he could do to help. First, Rep. Stewart

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*** PLC Community Service Award: This award is given annually to a PLC member, Supporting Member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to their community. The recipient this year is: Maine Trailer of Hampden, Maine.

Maine Trailer was nominated for the PLC’s Community Service Award by Kelly Pearson, Director of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Children's Miracle Network Hospitals’ program and our longtime valued partner in the Log A Load for Kids annual fund raisers. Kelly told us about Rick and Deana Hathaway of Maine Trailer, and why they and the company deserve this recognition. This is what she said: “Like so many families, the team at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit met Rick and Deana Hathaway and their twin sons, Warren and Alexander, on what can arguably be said was one of the toughest days of their lives.

Warren and Alexander were born on June 6, 2011 – eleven weeks early. The babies were delivered early because of Acute Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a condition that causes blood flow to stop or nearly stop to one of the twins. Sadly, Alexander Leroy Hathaway, passed away from complications. Warren Alexander Glenn Hathaway spent 51 days in Eastern Maine Medical Center’s NICU and today, he is doing well.

The Hathaway family credits the team of doctors

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Celebrating the best of 2022 and nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center for being able to bring Warren home. Nearly eleven years later, the Hathaway family remains grateful, and to honor Alexander, to say thank you to the staff at the Medical Center, and to help pay it forward for other families who are walking in similar footprints, each year the Hathaway

The Hathaways are always there when we need them. When we were setting up the vaccine clinics we needed a transmitter so that we could update people who were waiting in their cars. Rick was kind enough to lend us his. It was an immediate yes when we asked.

The family is incredibly supportive of Eastern Maine Medical Center, and in turn, we are extremely grateful for their kindness and generosity.”

Thank you, Kelly, for sharing this with us, and thank you to the Hathaways for all you do in support of your community and the NICU unit which the PLC has also supported for so many years. The PLC is proud to have Maine Trailer as a Preferred Supporting Member, and it is with great pleasure that the PLC presents the 2022 Community Service Award to Maine Trailer. ***

The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member who has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to the organization as well as PLC contractors here in Maine. The 2022 winner is: Davco of Farmington, Maine.

Rod Hathaway of Maine Trailer, at right, receives the PLC Community Service Award from PLC Executive Director Dana Doran. Rod is Rick Hathaway’s father.

family hosts The Hathaway Holiday Lights.

The 2021 display - the eleventh annual, was hosted at Veazie Community School. The display featured more than 70,000 lights, more than one mile of extension cords, a 25-foot spiraling Christmas tree, an interactive walk-thru display, and leaping arches, brightened smiles and holiday spirits. Hathaway Holiday Lights is a labor of love. Rick plans the display months in advance, and he starts hanging lights weeks ahead of the opening night in early December.

To date, the Hathaway family – through this display and donations from some very generous people who come from all over the state and beyond - has donated more than $33,000 to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit. Some of the money helped to fund the new neonatal intensive care unit that opened in 2016. Other funds support the department’s greatest needs – equipment, therapies, and assistance for families who are currently spending time in the NICU. Additionally, Carolyn is an active member on EMMC’s patient experience committee. She and Rod volunteered at the COVID vaccine clinics.

Mario Carrier, owner of Davco, likes to say that even though he never cut wood for a living, his whole working life has been built around the woods business. In the four decades since he began hauling logs in the Maine woods in 1971 as a teenager, that experience has served him well as he - like others in his family - has built successful businesses in the forest products industry in Maine and Canada.

Mario grew up on the family farm with his siblings in Saint Honore’ Quebec and recalls his father farming in the warmer months and traveling into Maine in the winters to work in the woods like many others in the region. As a boy, Mario remembers always being interested in equipment and fixing things. He was mechanically inclined, and this would eventually lead him into the businesses he has built over the years, but before that, in the fall of 1971, he got his visa and joined his father and older brothers for the first time at a job in Maine, in West Middlesex Canal Grant Township, northwest of Moosehead Lake.

Members of the Carrier family will tell you learning on the job through experience was the family way.

Though Mario had never driven one before, he was put to work hauling wood with a Chevrolet C60 single axle with pony wheel truck. For his first run he followed his father with half a load of 4’ pulp logs, hauling from West Middlesex to dump the load into the Kennebec River.

After that first run, he was on his own.

Awards

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which he would eventually buy, was the start of Jackman Equipment, the parent company to Davco, Canadian Chains, and Pro-Pac. Every logger in the PLC knows how important those companies have become to the region’s woods business over the last four decades.

Mario and two of his older brothers established Pro Pac in Quebec in 1985 and the equipment brand would become a mainstay of the region’s logging industry. In 1989, Jackman Equipment, which Mario owns, purchased Davco in Farmington, building it into a successful annex for Jackman Equipment. 1985 was also the year Mario became a U.S. citizen, and the U.S. is certainly lucky to have him.

Today, Davco is the go-to dealer for Hood and Pro Pac equipment in Maine and far beyond, carrying a wide range of parts and products including loaders, attachments, and implements; with trusted brands including Hood, Timberjack, Tree Farmer, Pro Pac, and Rotobec. Its service department is always busy with maintenance and repair work. Mario still has his Commercial Driver ’s License (CDL) and he never misses a chance to jump in a truck and use it, but today he is found most often at the Davco shop in Farmington, fielding questions on parts and equipment on the phone and in person, keeping the busy operation rolling. Jackman Equipment remains his original business and today is located in a larger building across the street from the original gas station and garage, and along with Davco; Pro Pac, managed by his son Dave; and Canadian Chains, managed by his son Jason, continues to be an important piece of the region ’s forest products industry.

Mario Carrier, at right, receives the 2022 PLC Supporting Mario gives much for the credit for the success of Member of the Year Award from PLC Executive Director the businesses over the years to the workers he has been Dana Doran. fortunate enough to have. He also gives credit to his sons Jason and Dave and his daughter Audrey.

Davco has been a major supporter of PLC and the In 1973 Mario moved up to driving a tractor trailer Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) and for the next few years he hauled wood throughout the which was started by the PLC - since 2019, donating the region, but in late 1977 at the age of 22 the family asked use of Hood cranes, Pro Pac slashers, and equipment him to take over running the gas station in Jackman training.

Davco has also provided great service for the purchased by his brother, EJ. That gas station and garage, program.

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Celebrating the best of 2022 Davco has also become a major supporter of our Log A Load efforts each year and the auction annually features many an item donated by one of Mario’s companies.

Davco is an Enhanced Supporting Member of the PLC, as are Jackman Equipment, Pro Pac, and Canadian Chains. Mario has been and remains very supportive of loggers and the work of the PLC. The PLC is pleased to present this year’s Supporting Member of the Year Award to Davco, Mario and the Carrier family. *** PLC President’s Award: The President’s Award is presented to individuals or organizations within the PLC which have had a significant and positive impact on the PLC and the logging industry in Maine. The recipient this year is: PLC Past President Tony Madden.

Tony Madden is well known to most PLC Members. He is a third-generation professional logger and owner of AW Madden in Milford. He is the son of a logger, the grandson of a logger, the father of a logger, and member of an extended logging family that has been an anchor of the logging industry in Maine for decades. His father, Fernald Madden, is 88 and still working and his son Derek, 40, is the next generation.

Tony started logging in the early 80’s. In the past, AW Madden has had up to 20 employees handling cut to length, tree length, excavation and chipping operations.

Today Tony has a workforce of 12 people and only does tree length and excavation.

Tony is part of the generation of Maine loggers who grew up in traditional logging but saw the future and led the transition to mechanized logging in the 1980s and early nineties. He has always been quick to embrace new technology to improve his business whether it is drones, a better harvester head, or the latest forest mapping software.

PLC Past President Tony Madden, at right, receives the 2022 President’s Award from PLC President Will Cole.

He knows a lot about this industry and though he’s generally a man of few words, when he does speak it is worth your time to listen.

Tony started with PLC with the original team in 1995, joining the board and dedicating the last 27 years to the betterment of the industry. He began his first term as PLC President two years ago, at a difficult time as the effects of the Jay mill and the pandemic hit our industry and organization hard. Tony’s steady hand was absolutely needed at that point in time for the organization.

While the rest of us were struggling just to figure out how to log into a Zoom meeting, Tony found himself running them. While we were trying to work out how to deal with collapsing pulp markets he was explaining to reporters what that meant to our industry. He is not someone who looks for or enjoys the spotlight, but he stepped up time and time again to speak at events, to testify on behalf of the PLC at the Legislature and to carry out all the other duties that make being President a job few look forward to.

He’s led us well for the past two years at a time when we needed it, and so the PLC is pleased to say thank you and present the 2022 PLC President’s Award to Tony Madden.

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

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Register Now Online at:

fundraising.mmc.org/BBCH/LogALoad Paper registration forms have also been mailed to all PLC Members and Supporting Members

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

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Register Now Online at: www.northernlighthealth.org/logaloadgolf Paper registration forms have also been mailed to all PLC Members and Supporting Members

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Trucking Trucking Industry News...

Final Reminder: Mobile carriers are sunsetting 3G. Have you checked to see if your ELD is affected?

Mobile carriers are shutting down their 3G networks to make room for more advanced network services, including 5G. As a result, many older cell phones and other mobile devices will be unable to use data services.

Once a 3G network is no longer supported, it is highly unlikely that any ELDs that rely on that network will be able to meet the minimum requirements established by the ELD Technical Specifications, including recording all required data elements and transferring ELD output files.

Therefore, any ELD that requires 3G cellular connectivity to perform its functionality will no longer be in compliance with the technical specifications in the ELD rule after the 3G network it relies on is sunset. When in an area that does not support 3G, a 3G device will register a malfunction. In accordance with 49 CFR 395.34, the carrier has 8 days to get the malfunction resolved, in this case by replacement, unless an extension is granted. *The announced sunset dates are below.

These are dates for completing the shutdowns. Mobile carriers are planning to retire parts of their networks sooner.

-AT&T 3G: February 22, 2022 -Sprint 3G (T-Mobile): March 31, 2022 -Sprint LTE (T-Mobile): June 30, 2022 -T-Mobile 3G: July 1, 2022 -Verizon 3G: December 31, 2022

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Sharing the road with horse-drawn buggies…

With the growth of Amish communities across Maine, many motorists are seeing more horse-drawn buggies. While the concept of sharing the road with pedestrians and bicyclists is more common, sharing the road with horses requires enhanced courtesy, focus and safety awareness.

• Slow down and pay attention when you see horse -drawn vehicle signs.

• Don’t honk your horn near a horse! Nearly all horses are spooked by horns and it is against the law to knowingly frighten or startle an animal on a public way.

• Please don’t rev your engine when pulling alongside a horse.

• Motorists are obligated by law to stop and remain stationary if anyone handling an animal signals that the animal is frightened. The motorist needs to wait as long as is reasonable and necessary, until the animal is calm enough to pass or move along.

• Dim your headlights when meeting or following

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Trucking a buggy at night, just as you would when meeting or following a car.

• Learn to recognize the reflector and lighting systems used on the front and rear of Amish vehicles.

Dark buggies on dark nights are hard to see.

• Leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the buggy, especially if the buggy is stopped at an intersection. Horses get nervous at intersections and may back up. This unexpected move could damage the Trucking

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front of your vehicle, and the buggy. More importantly, passengers in both vehicles could be injured.

• When passing a buggy, please allow at least three feet of space. If the horse is surprised, it could lurch the buggy into your path. If a car bumper catches a buggy wheel, it can flip the buggy, causing serious injuries to the passengers and the horse.

• Slow down when driving over a blind hill or around a sharp turn. If a buggy is nearby, your speed might make it impossible to avoid a collision.

• Buggies can travel faster than you think!

Some can reach 18-20 mph. This is important to remember if you’re passing a horse and buggy. Give yourself plenty of room to return safely to your lane if you’re facing oncoming traffic, just as you would when passing a car.

Check out the equipment and job opportunities our members have listed on the PLC website at the LOGGING ZONE! If you have equipment for sale, are looking to buy, are looking for employees, or are looking for employment check it out!

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Safety Fire Suppression, Part II

By Donald Burr PLC Safety & Training Coordinator safety@maineloggers.com

Last quarter we talked about the four firefighting tools that every piece of equipment should have on board.

This quarter we are going to discuss how each tool works.

To put out the fire you need to break the chemical reaction by taking out one of the three legs of the fire triangle. A fire needs three items to burn: Oxygen (air).

Heat (sometimes not as hot as you think).

Fuel (debris, oil, diesel fuel, & plastics).

The two legs that are easiest to remove are oxygen & heat. It is tough to remove fuel once the fire has started because our equipment is full of fuels.

When you are using a firefighting agent, you need to keep in mind that you need to meet the fire load of what is burning. Look at it this way, you build a small campfire, and just after you get it burning well, you decide to put it out. You have two options; a gallon jug of water with a wide mouth opening, and a gallon of water in a hand pump sprayer like you might use to clean with. Both have the same amount of water, but the speed of delivering the water is entirely different. The water jug can be dumped in seconds, and the hand sprayer could take twenty times longer. Now, in my scenario, it seems simple, you are going to pick the jug of water. You can draw a graph that shows the amount of extinguishing agent you need to put the fire out in all fires. Knowing that the first two minutes of the fire, the load could be a hundredth of what the fire load is five minutes later. Trust me. If you do not meet this level, you will never put the fire out until it naturally runs out of fuel. I have been on the scene of too many fires where we could not get enough water on the fire to put it out, and we were chasing it until it ran out of fuel. This is

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what the fire suppression systems installed in our machines are designed to do. Meet the fire load early and with force!

Our little shock & awe. After the system has done what it can, you can finish the job with the dry chemical and loaded stream.

Let’s go into what to do if you have a fire in your

machine. As you know, as an operator, things can go wrong quickly. If you think you have a fire, do the following as

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Safety quickly as possible, safely and efficiently.

The first thing I would like to say is do not panic. I get it. This is easier said than done. I am a 29-year veteran of a small-town fire department, and when I see fire, I still get that adrenaline rush even though I have seen hundreds of fires. Try to get the machine in the best position to get out and into the area you think the fire is in. Shut the engine off. Get on your company communication system and tell everyone where you are and that you have a fire. If the installed fire suppression system has not gone off, set it off manually.

Early activation is critical. Grab the ABC and the loaded stream extinguisher and get out of the cab as soon as you can turn off the master switch. Many fires are electrical first and will not go out until you cut the power.

Now here is where it is hard to say what to do next. It would be best if you waited until the installed system had a chance to work before you opened any compartment doors. After the installed system has finished, wait an additional minute or two to let the suppression agent work. The system works best when it is confined behind doors and covers. Then open the compartment doors and look for the base of the fire. This is super important. The area where the fire had started will be the hottest location that will be the first place the fire will rekindle. If you see flames use the dry chemical ABC extinguisher and apply it on the base of the fire, not on the flames. The base of the fire is where it is burning the flames & smoke are just the result of the fire. If you see no fire,

find the base of the fire and apply the loaded stream to cool this area off to prevent a rekindle. Pull off doors and guards anywhere you can in case the fire is hiding behind them.

Once you think the fire is out, stand by for a couple of hours, if possible, to see if there is a rekindle. I stood by a delimber fire for five hours one early spring Friday night to make sure it was cold and out.

Let’s be careful anytime you have a fire, no matter how small. Think safe, work safe, be safe!

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Safety Reducing Slips, Trips and Falls in the Logging Industry (part 1 of 2)

By Brie Weisman, OTR/L with Maine LogAbility Improvements in logging technology are making the industry safer and more efficient. One surprising consequence of the shift from muscle to machine is the increased risk of slips, trips, and falls (STFs) in certain situations.

Increasingly, mechanized harvesting techniques mean that many workers spend much of their day in temperature controlled cabs, manipulating joysticks to harvest wood they need never touch. These technical advances have lessened the level of fitness required to be a logger. Obesity, old age, and compromised mobility are no longer insurmountable barriers to work in the field. In fact, many loggers can no longer count on the rigors of the workday to help them maintain basic levels of fitness.

This is significant. While mechanization lessens the amount of loggers risking falling on a steep slope with chainsaw in hand, reduced athleticism increases risk of STFs on any terrain, and increases the likelihood that those falls will result in injuries. Old age, extra weight, and general reduced fitness are all factors that dramatically increase risk of STFs and resultant injuries.

If you doubt that STFs are serious enough to merit addressing, consider: An astonishing 30% of lost time logging incidents are due to STFs, with 3% resulting in deaths. Balance that against the fact that they are among the easiest, cheapest safety concerns to address.

Before we talk about prevention, let’s get some definitions on the table.

Slip: Loss of balance due to loss of friction between your seat, grip, or foothold. Even without an associated fall, a slip can result in an injury from a violent wrench to your muscles from the effort to stay upright, or from flailing arms or feet striking something sharp or hard.

Trip: Loss of balance from an unexpected disruption of motion due to contact, most often by foot, with an object, or by an unexpected drop in surface.

Injuries occur in manners similar to slips.

Fall: Loss of balance resulting in an uncontrolled drop to the ground or collision with an object, such as tripping and striking a tree.

While most STFs end with little more than a grunt and embarrassment, even short falls while standing or walking can end in injury. The majority are minor sprains, strains, or bruising, but a not insignificant number of STFs end in injuries requiring treatment, with a few ending tragically in permanent

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disabilities or death. Common sense dictates taking reasonable precautions to eliminate these hazards.

1. Maintain fitness. Fit people suffer fewer STFs and fewer injuries from the STFs they inevitably have.

2. Stretch. Staying limber increases balance and agility, lessens injuries, improves recovery time.

3. Maintain good posture. Good posture = good balance. We’re often stiff after long sessions seated in a machine or vehicle, so take a moment to stretch and unkink when finally getting out. Think military: chest out, shoulders back, head up.

4. Wear proper eyewear. Glare and bright sunlight cause fatigue and accidents beyond STFs. Sunglasses are essential safety gear.

5, Wear proper footwear for you, the task, and the weather. Footwear = tires for people.

6. Be aware that medications may inhibit coordination, balance, or focus. Ask your doctor if alternate medications may have weaker side effects, or if taking medication on a different schedule might work better for you.

7. Look out. Scan for trip hazards, slick surfaces, uneven ground. (look ahead briefly rather than constantly looking down at the ground immediately before you-trust your visual memory.)

8. Take care whenever carrying or moving heavy or cumbersome objects. Hold objects close to reduce strain and improve balance.

9. Stay focused. Pause work during phone use or other distractions.

10. Learn to fall safely. (This is easily learned and surprisingly effective at preventing injury.)

STFs will always be part of logging. But we can eliminate much of the lost time, injuries, and still worse tragedies caused by STFs by maintaining a safe work environment and expecting responsible preparation and best practices from our workforce. In the next issue we’ll discuss how to fall correctly, and the best exercises and stretches for strengthening the core to reduce the number of STFs and the severity of injuries caused when they do occur.

For More Information, visit Maine LogAbility, part of the Maine AgrAbility program: https://extension.umaine.edu/ agrability/

Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

Safety Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance

Quarterly Safety Meeting: Heat Related Illnesses A couple of years ago we printed an article about the signs and symptoms of heat related illness. With the weather stations calling for unprecedented heat this summer and record highs already ripping across the Midwest, we felt that it was important to bring this article back. Please take the time to review this information with employees so they can quickly recognize when the symptoms of these preventable, but potentially deadly, medical conditions are starting to show.

Your body’s primary mode of cooling is through sweat.

When sweat evaporates from the surface of your skin, it pulls heat along with it making it an extremely effective method of cooling.

As long as you are adequately hydrated and heat dissipation can keep up with your body’s heat production, your core temperature should remain normal. When the heat dissipation is not able to keep up with heat production, you could become a victim of a heat related illness. It is critical to quickly recognize and treat these symptoms to prevent serious injury or death.

Heat Exhaustion Symptoms: Heat exhaustion is caused by dehydration from sweating and generally results in a core body temperature that is either normal or slightly elevated. The patient will typically be awake and display a normal mental status. The patient will often complain about nausea, headache, and weakness and will continue to sweat.

Taking a medical history can be helpful here and will often identify inadequate food and fluid intake as well as a decreased urine output.

Treatment: Early recognition of the symptoms and treating them quickly is important because heat exhaustion can escalate rapidly to heat stroke.

The principle of treatment is simple: stop the fluid loss, replace the lost fluids and move the patient to a cooler area.

Generally, oral replacement of fluids will be adequate but try to avoid the temptation to give too much water because that can backfire and cause further problems. Electrolyte drinks such as a sports drink, or food, can help replenish salt that was depleted during sweating and is vital to rehydration. Do not give the patient salt tablets as they can cause stomach irritation and vomiting. If the patient is vomiting, an IV may be necessary but you may also be able to rehydrate by giving fluids frequently, in small amounts.

It may take up to 12 hours to rehydrate a patient back to normal. If symptoms persist, evacuation to medical help may be necessary.

Heat Stroke Symptoms: Heat stroke is a serious medical condition that requires immediate medical treatment. Essentially, your body has lost its ability to cool itself and the core temperature has become dangerously elevated, causing damage to the nervous system and other vital organs. This may or may not be preceded by heat exhaustion.

You will usually notice an altered mental status that is persistent. Urine output has likely decreased and will be brown or red in color. Often times, but not always, the patient will stop

sweating completely.

The patient’s condition will be getting worse and, if not treated, will often lead to death.

Treatment: While fluid replacement is critical, your top priority must be lowering the core temperature. Cease all physical exertion and remove the patient from the hot environment. Medical help and aggressive cooling are required. Immersion in cool water is ideal but if not possible, other forms of rapid cooling may be effective.

Removal of unnecessary clothing can also be helpful in reducing the body’s core temperature.

Watch for improved mental status as an indicator that the core temperature is beginning to improve to more normal levels. Once the core temperature is being effectively treated, it is critical to begin replacing fluids as outlined earlier.

Prevention Hydration: While working outside in the heat, it is easy for fluid loss through sweat to go unnoticed until it is too late. Therefore, it is critical to maintain adequate hydration throughout the summer months. The CDC recommends 1 cup of water for every 15-20 minutes if you are working outside less than 2 hours. If sweating longer, a sports drink with electrolytes should be added.

It is also critical to avoid drinks with high caffeine, alcohol, or sugar because these can further dehydrate you.

Rest Breaks: Acclimatization will be different for every employee, and therefore, rest breaks should be taken as the individual begins to feel heat discomfort. As temperature, humidity, and sunshine increase, frequency of breaks in cool, shaded areas should be increased.

Acclimatization: As you spend more time in the heat, your body will gradually adapt to the stress. Because of this, it is important to increase the exposure over 7 to 14 days, allowing employees to fully acclimatize. The CDC recommends allowing workers who have not spent a lot of time in the heat spend no more than 20% of the usual duration of work in the heat on day one with no more than a 20% increase each additional day.

Conclusion Although the amount of climate-controlled areas that employees work in continues to increase, most employees will have to spend some time on the ground walking, inspecting equipment, and performing maintenance to equipment. During the summer, this time on the ground can be dangerous due to heat exposure. It is important that employees are aware of the signs for heat related illness and the first-aid measures to take in order to properly treat someone showing these signs. Armed with this information and a heavy dose of prevention, employees can be more productive and safe while working as we continue to return to full capacity production.

Acadia Insurance is pleased to share this material with its customers. Please note, however, that nothing in this document should be construed as medical or legal advice or the provision of professional consulting services. This material is for general 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.

*Meeting sign-in sheet on the back! Cut along dotted line to left to detach this section.

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*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.

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Safety

PLC Spring Logger and Fleet Safety Training final session getting underway May 25 at PLC Member TNT Road Company in Fort Kent. The training series set new records in 2022, with 688 attending the Logger Trainings and 270 attending Fleet and CPR. Thank you to all who attended and to those who hosted and sponsored the trainings. See you again in 2023!

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MLOP Summer 2022 Underway SUMMIT TOWNSHIP - The Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP), a training program of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) in collaboration with the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC), began its sixth class June 27 with introductory classes and is transitioning to classes in the woods northeast of Old Town in early July.

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

This summer’s class is the sixth since the program launched in 2017. Graduation for the class will be held September 15.

“This program offers the most efficient and affordable pathway into an exciting and good paying career in the Maine woods available,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “The experience and education students receive in this program is unmatched, and job prospects for graduates are stronger than ever because

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mechanized logging experience is a rare skill set that is in high demand.”

The program, run out of NMCC, has been able to continue operating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic 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 jointly developed by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and NMCC with generous support from Milton CAT/CAT Forest Products, Nortrax Inc./John Deere, and other industry partners. With a strong emphasis on safety, students gain broad knowledge 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.

Supported by the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, students pay no tuition or fees and the program provides all required personal protective equipment (PPE).

While the logging industry has seen some

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contraction in recent years, the demand for skilled operators of the feller bunchers, harvesters, grapple skidders, forwarders, delimbers, and other mechanized logging equipment that now harvests more than 95 percent of all timber in Maine is stronger than ever due to retirements in the industry and a general shortage of heavy equipment operators in multiple industries including logging. Mechanized logging operators are among the highest paid members of the logging workforce.

Anyone with an interest in the program should contact Leah Buck at Northern Maine Community College at 207-768-2768 or MLOP Coordinator Donald Burr at 207-356-1541.

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Stream Crossing BMPs

By Tom Gilbert Water Resources Specialist Maine Forest Service Properly installed water crossings reduce future maintenance costs, protect your investment in installation costs, extend the life span of your structure and preserve water quality. Below are a few tips to ensure protection of your crossing as well as water quality: It is recommended that permanent crossings are sized to 1.2 times the bankfull width of the natural stream channel. This ensures that your crossing does not inhibit the flow of water or movement of debris during extreme storm events and does not become a barrier to fish. The legal minimum 25-year flood standard is smaller than the recommended 1.2 bankfull standard and will not achieve the same outcomes: Protection of your investment, reduction in maintenance costs and an extended life span.

Below are a few BMPs to prevent sedimentation of waterways at your crossing structure:

Permanent crossings

1. Crossings should be built during the low water work window (July 7 – Oct. 1).

2. For in-stream work, temporarily divert the water using coffer dams and pumps while installing the crossings.

Design bridges using closed decking to minimize the amount of material that falls through the deck and into the stream.

3. Armor side slopes on both sides of the crossing using rock that is angular in shape, preferably no bigger than a basketball. There should be no exposed soil on the side slopes of the road-stream crossing.

4. Construct side slopes to no steeper than 2:1 to keep the armoring in place.

5. Culverts should be long enough to allow the stream channel to maintain its natural skew and flow BMPs for all stream crossings pattern, and to facilitate side slopes that are no steeper than 2:1.

1. Install water diversions on the approaches to 6. Use geotextile fabric behind abutments to disperse runoff into adequate filter areas, preventing it from prevent erosion of fill material. entering the stream channel. Adequate filter area width varies depending on percent slope, but in no case should it For additional guidance, reference the Maine be less than 25 feet.

Forest Service BMP manual, available on our website: 2. On skid trails, maintain a bed of slash over https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/policy_management/ exposed soils on approaches within the filter area, ensuring water_resources/bmps.html that it remains effective throughout the harvest and adding Also keep an eye out for Maine Forest Service additional material when needed.

BMP Level 1 and/or Maine Audubon Stream Smart 3. Minimize or delay work during wet weather or workshops. when the soil is saturated.

Temporary crossings 1.Install any temporary, portable bridges at an adequate height above water level, allowing for high flows.

For temporary bridges, use sill logs to protect stream banks and to create a stable bearing surface for the bridge to rest on.

2. During closeout, make sure to lift the crossing before attempting to relocate, being carful not to allow loose soil to fall into the stream.

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For more on BMP workshop resources turn to page 43. The Northeast Master Logger Certification Program offers annual Water Protection Workshops designed specifically for loggers in Maine and other New England States.

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Supporting Member Reminder!

Membership Renewals Due July 1 If you have not renewed please don’t delay!

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2022

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Master Logger Water Protection Workshops The Northeast Master Logger Certification Program, a program of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, held four hands-on Water Protection Workshops in Maine, Vermont and New York this spring, with a fifth planned for this fall in New Hampshire.

The workshops have drawn 150 attendees so far and been well received: On evaluations, almost all attendees found the workshops relevant, said they would recommend them a friend, and rated them an average of 9 on a scale of 10 overall.

Workshops were held at the following times and locations: May 19, 2022 – Fort Kent, ME May 20, 2022 – Passadumkeag, ME June 1, 2022 – Stowe, VT June 2, 2022 – Tupper Lake, VT

Workshop underway in Fort Kent, Maine.

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 are an opportunity not only for loggers to refresh their skills, but to share their own experiences and ideas with the greater logging community.

“Master Loggers take the job of protecting water

quality very seriously and work hard to protect the watersheds where they are harvesting,” Ted Wright, Executive Director of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, which oversees the Master Logger program, said. “Loggers are the ones with the most experience in the field building stream crossings and these workshops are a great opportunity for them not only to improve their knowledge on the subject, but to share the valuable lessons they have learned on the job with others.”

The workshops were open to employees, foremen and owners of Master Logger Certified companies, and others. Topics covered in the workshops included stream crossings, harvesting near water, oil spill prevention and containment practices, and fire fighting for loggers.

Workshops were free to Master Logger companies and generously sponsored by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. 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 the Master Logger program and of other associations.

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 TCNEF Exec. Director Ted Communities, partners in Wright, center, with attendees the workshops who in Passadumkeag. provided materials, instructors or other support included the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Maine Forest Service, the Vermont Forest, Parks and Recreation Department, Louisiana- Pacific Corp., Voisine Bros. Inc. Madden Timberlands, and American Forest Management.

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As We See It April 2022

By Scott Dane Northern Long-Eared Bat Endangers Loggers The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to change the listing from Threatened to Endangered for the Northern Long-Eared Bat will do nothing to reduce the mortality of the bat, but will contribute to the declining numbers of loggers in the U.S. and threaten the forest products industry.

Let’s examine the facts: The Northern Long-Eared Bats are dying from being infected with a fungus that causes the White -Nose Syndrome (WNS), while hibernating in caves during the winter.

The mortality rate for bats infected with the fungus is 97%-100%. There is no known cure.

The range of the bats covers 37 states.

WNS is predicted to be in 100% of its U.S. range by 2025.

Northern Long-Eared Bat will be the new Spotted Owl. One of the talking points being promoted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in support of their efforts to change the listing from Threatened to Endangered is that the bats contribute $3 billion annually to the U.S. agricultural economy through pest control and pollination.

good.

The Endangered Species Act was passed by Congress in 1973. In nearly 50 years over 2,000 species have been listed, with only 54 ever being removed due to recovery, and many (34) removed due to extinction. This constitutes only a 2% recovery rate.

A species must satisfy at least one of five listing criteria in order to qualify for listing as a “threatened” or “endangered” species under the Endangered Species Act: The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; Disease or predation; The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.

Based on these criteria the American Logger satisfies more than one and should therefore be considered for listing as “threatened” or “endangered” and afforded the same protections.

The U.S. Forest Products Industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in American, representing nearly 4% of manufacturing GDP, $300 billion in products annually and $109 billion in payroll. Over 100 times the so-called economic contribution of the bat.

If the Northern Long-Eared Bat is listed as Endangered it will result in enhanced habitat (forests) protection restrictions, particularly during the summer (June and July) roosting phase. Since it is impossible to accurately identify roosting trees, this will open up a pandora’s box of overreaching limits and restrictions that will impede forest management activities. Furthermore, after the bats, including newborn bats, return to the caves to hibernate, they will be infected with the fungus and die anyway. This prescription will be equivalent to treating a terminal illness (literally for the bats) with an ineffective focus on extenuating factors while ignoring the source of the illness. The medical field has a fundamental principle of “Do No Harm”. The listing of the Northern Long-Eared Bat as Endangered, and the subsequent actions and restrictions that will result, will do harm, particularly to the timber and forest management sectors. Far more harm than

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As We See It May 2022

By Scott Dane the incremental (per 10 cents per gallon) additional costs for production and transportation. Unfortunately, this Like the proverbial “canary in the mine” that alerted information has not resulted in consistent or adequate fuel adjustments for loggers and truckers from many of the mills. miners to dangerous conditions and warned them, loggers https://www.amloggers.com/news/how-to-calculate-a-fuelare the “canary in the woods” regarding the timber and cost-adjustment-virginia-loggers-association forest products industry. Loggers and truckers are Ironically, the mill inbound supplies and outbound “dropping” like canaries. This should be a warning to the transportation fuel surcharge is not debated by the mills. The timber and forest products industry. vendor tells the mill what the fuel surcharge is going to be If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, and the mills pay it, otherwise the vendors don’t provide the service. The mills just incorporate that expense into the end does it make a sound? product cost which has resulted in record profits for many mills.

Well, a large tree recently fell in the woods, and it made a sound! Bobby and Lori Goodson of the acclaimed The Timber Industry is the only industry that allows the series “Swamp Loggers” recently announced that after more “buyer” to dictate the price even when it results in the than 40 years they have decided to shut down their logging supplier losing money. and trucking businesses due to the fact that it was no longer profitable under the current conditions.

That has to change. Timber Unity in the Northwest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXWfiMdEP4o&t=178s demonstrated the effectiveness of the timber industry Instead of “not making a sound” the Goodsons took rallying together.

If loggers and truckers would practice this the opportunity to publicly announce their decision via a unity regarding what they get paid (not in collusion or in YouTube video from their kitchen counter. Making this violation of anti-trust practices) for their services and decision was obviously a very difficult personal choice, but products, based on what it costs them, things could change. like always, Bobby and Lori put the timber industry above Loggers and truckers are not indentured servants their personal privacy and shared this publicly in an effort to (although it may seem so with the amount of debt you bring the current overwhelmingly challenging business carry). It is your business, your logging operation, your environment threat to the attention of those controlling the truck. Nobody can force you to work. markets and policies. The Goodsons are the canaries The timber industry model is the same as it has been warning the forest products industry that the logging and for 100 years with loggers and truckers, whether in lumber trucking sector is not sustainable under the current model. camps or independent logging / trucking companies, being The Forest Products Industry and the Public Policymakers told what to do and if they don’t they will be replaced by a can heed the warning that the Goodsons have shared or logger or trucker who will. Those days are over, there aren’t enough loggers and truckers to play against one another. If ignore it and live with the consequences. someone wants to work for less than it costs, let them, they won’t be around long.

Fuel costs have proven to be the “Straw that Broke As the old saying goes “don’t kill the Goose that lays the the Camel’s Back”. Some mills have been professional and golden egg”. This refers to killing something that brings one responsive in providing fuel adjustments, but most have not, wealth. The loggers and truckers are the “Golden Goose” and many have only provided a portion of the actual which has brought record wealth to many in the forest increase in production and transportation costs. products industry. Those who are benefitting are risking Those who feign that they don’t fully know what the killing the goose that lays the golden egg. additional costs are, employ a tried and true negotiating Since there is a proverbial theme to this As We See strategy of requesting that you provide a breakdown so that It column – the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg, the Straw they can better understand your costs. This is merely a delay that Broke the Camel’s Back, the Tree Falling in the Woods, tactic that usually results in a response that is: and the Canary in the Mine I want to close with a Biblical Proverb: A Day Late and a Dollar Short “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight” Proverbs 11:1 In order to provide loggers and truckers with the Meaning one should use an honest scale and pay resource to respond to this ongoing strategy, the Virginia someone a fair amount, because a laborer is worthy of his Loggers Association worked with Dr. Joseph Conrad from wages. the University of Georgia to provide an objective analysis of

Canary in the Woods

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As We See It June 2022

By Scott Dane

perspective. Nothing guides our attention to what really matters more than seeing the most vulnerable suffering health challenges. When a child is sick or injured a family’s world is turned upside down.

Heaven forbid that anyone has a need for their children to go to the hospital, but we thank God that the The American timber industry has not experienced Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals are available when a more challenging and difficult period. The current there is a need. economic and inflationary period is having a more That is why in 1988 Larry and Carol Connelly, a detrimental impact on American loggers and truckers than logging family from South the housing collapse, “Great Carolina played a key role in Recession” and the COVID establishing the Log-A-Load for pandemic.

Kids campaign through the Multi-generational Children’s Miracle Network businesses are closing, companies Hospitals Fundraising are ceasing Telethon. The basic concept was operations, liquidating, and going for loggers and wood-supplying into different occupations. It is mills to donate the value of a load aggravating and frustrating when of logs to a local Children’s owners have invested blood, sweat Miracle Network Hospital. That and tears into building their has evolved into other business only to do the math and fundraising events to support the see that the numbers don’t add up Log-A-Load program, with 100% to staying in business. of the donations going directly Sometimes we can’t see to help children. This ensures the forest for the trees. Rightfully, that families can receive the the challenges to the industry need needed medical services for their to be focused on, but when we step back and see the “big children without any out-of-pocket expense. picture”, our challenges and concerns come into

American Loggers Council to be the National Sponsor of Log-A-Load for Kids...

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995

Since that time, the Log-A-Load for Kids program has spread to over 30 states and raised more than $46 million for 70+ member hospitals. Today, Log-A-Load for Kids is a leader in the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ fundraising with more than $2 million annually through golf tournaments, fishing events, clay shoots, dinners, auctions, truckloads of log donations, and other events.

Florida - Donated over $2 million Mississippi -Nearly $2 million Arkansas Over $9 million Maine - Nearly $2 million Mountain Loggers Group - $2 million to Log-A-Load Many of the state logging association members of the American Loggers Council sponsor Log-A-Load for Kids events. That is why the American Loggers Council has accepted the opportunity to support the Log-A-Load for Kids program nationally by promoting it and supporting the state efforts. As a demonstration of support, the American Loggers Council has donated six Loggers Limited Edition Henry Rifles to state association auctions and raffles. These donations have contributed $35,000 to the state efforts.

For the American Loggers Council our purpose is to facilitate, encourage and enable the members – the state logging associations in all their endeavors. The American Loggers Council’s role in the Log-A-Load for Kids program nationally is focused on supporting the leaders of the program, the state logging associations, and contributing to their efforts as they provide for the children in need.

Business and life are about more than the bottom line, it’s about helping when help is needed, it’s about giving back.

Because needs don’t only occur when it is convenient or when we are prosperous, we are called upon to support one another in good times and in bad times. Even during these economically challenging times, loggers have not lost perspective and have continued to donate generously and increasingly to the Log-A-Load for Kids program.

For more info visit: https://www.amloggers.com/log-a-load-for-kids

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Congressional Delegation Updates market for low-grade, low-value wood that landowners routinely remove to promote healthy forests. Now, more than ever, wood pellets can provide significant relief to the budgets of households and businesses.

With inflation at a 40-year I recently joined with Sen. Angus King on bipartisan high, the soaring cost of virtually legislation that would incentivize the use of energy-efficient everything, from gasoline and diesel to biomass heaters in homes and businesses instead of relying on groceries, is a growing crisis that affects fossil fuels. In 2020, after years of advocacy from the Maine families across our nation. delegation, a 26 percent tax credit available through the end of 2023 for highly efficient residential wood heating systems I know that the skyrocketing became law. This Congress, the updated Biomass Thermal price of energy is causing particular hardship for your industry by increasing Utilization (BTU) Act would provide tax credits for capital costs incurred in commercial and industrial installations, and it would costs at every step of the supply Sen. Susan Collins chain. Mainers are also concerned also extend the residential credit passed last year through 2028. about the rapidly rising cost of home Biomass energy is sustainable, responsible, heating oil. As of early June, the average price per gallon was renewable, and economically significant as an energy $5.42, more than double what it was a year earlier. More than source. Many states, including Maine, are already relying 60 percent of Maine homes use fuel oil, and a typical family on biomass to meet their renewable energy goals. The will spend about $2,500 more per year at current prices. carbon neutrality of biomass harvested from sustainably managed forests has been recognized repeatedly by Heating oil now costs $39.08 per million Btu. In contrast, wood pellets provide that same amount of heat for just numerous studies, agencies, institutions, and rules around the world. $18.91. The only heat source that comes in at a lower cost is cord wood.

As inflation takes a heavy toll on your industry and household budgets, wood pellets offer an opportunity to Wood energy is a growing part of the overall forest boost demand for wood products and lower heating costs economy, creating good jobs and new opportunities for our forest workforce. I have long supported the use of wood energy for homes and businesses. I will continue to support federal policies to advance the use of renewable biomass to counter the effects of climate change and to improve our environment and our forest products industry. Pellets provide a that is so important for our energy future.

Wood Pellets: A Growing Opportunity for Maine’s Forest Products Industry

Taking On Inflation and Supporting Maine Families From gas tanks to groceries, working people across Maine are struggling with rising prices, sluggish supply chains, and a higher cost of living. While these rising costs are mostly due to global factors outside of any one person's (or president's) control, it's clear that Congress can, and must, take action that helps lower costs for Maine people without choking our economy.

First, we need to address the supply chain crisis that is driving rising costs. One way to do that is by passing the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, legislation that would create a new office to closely monitor the status of the nation’s supply chain and respond to disruptions. The bipartisan legislation would also provide billions to prevent shortages of goods and boost American manufacturing – especially the high-tech products that are used in nearly every 21st century machine including modern logging and lumber processing machinery. This is a win-win that would make us less reliant on foreign supplies and create new American jobs.

We also need to make sure that prices aren't rising because of a lack of competition in key industries. In the meatpacking industry for example, only four companies control almost the entire market – meaning both that one problem in one company can have widespread impacts, and this small group has too much control over setting the market price. Congress must update our antitrust laws so that prices remain stable and to protect the independence of small businesses like the family and private owned logging businesses across our state.

Addressing inflation also

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Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

includes confronting workforce issues. Right now, as I’m sure you’ve seen, labor shortages are placing a burden on small businesses that have no choice but to pass those costs on to consumers. We simply do not have enough people to fill the jobs that our strong economy has created; there’s roughly two job openings nationwide for every American seeking work. That is why I strongly support increased investment in workforce training programs to bring folks into Sen. Angus King high-skilled fields like yours, as well as a comprehensive immigration policy that will bring new, legal workers into our economy.

Finally – perhaps where Maine people are feeling price rises the most – we need to find ways to lower costs at the pump for consumers and businesses. These prices represent high demand and insufficient supply, which is why I've been urging top oil and gas executives to focus on production that will drive down costs rather than the stock buybacks that line their own pockets. In the long term, we need to take significant steps to transition away from these fuels and towards clean energy sources here at home not subject to the wild swings we’ve seen this year in oil and gas, including wood waste biofuels.

There are a lot of moving pieces, but I believe there are real ways that Congress can work to fight inflation. It's one of the most pressing issues facing Maine people, and I'll be pushing for significant action in the weeks ahead.

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healthy forests, and more.

I recently chaired a Fiscal Year 2023 budget hearing with U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, where I spoke with him about the progress the Forest As Chair of the House Service has made in expanding innovative wood Appropriations subcommittee product markets, and how the federal government can on Interior, Environment, and further support job retention and growth in our wood Related Agencies, which industries. oversees funding for the U.S. We know one of the largest obstacles to Forest Service, I helped write healthy forests and increased carbon sequestration is the Fiscal Year 2022 the increase of high-intensity wildfires which are Rep. Chellie Pingree Appropriations Bill recently affecting our landscapes. I told Chief Moore about my signed into law by President Biden. This funding bill concerns that this year looks to be another severe year made milestone investments in programs which for wildfires and how we must work together to get promote the use of small diameter timber and ahead of this threat. Although my subcommittee has innovative wood products that utilize sustainable provided significant investments to prevent, combat, forestry, including $12 million for the Community and recover from these wildfires and the Infrastructure Wood Energy Program and $20 million for Wood Investment and Jobs Act has further provided Innovation Grants. supplementary funding, I know much more needs to As Maine’s wood industries start benefitting be done. Consequently, I will be focused on how the from the funding included in the newly signed federal government can better address gaps in our spending bill, I’m working to build on those successes response to wildfires. in the next fiscal year. For weeks, House We will continue to have appropriations Appropriations subcommittees have been holding hearings throughout the spring and summer, and as budget request hearings as we begin to draft the Fiscal your First District Representative, I assure you I will Year 2023 Appropriations bill. I am pleased that continue to push for more federal support for Maine President Biden’s latest budget request for the Forest through my role as Chair on the Interior Service includes significant investments in our forest Subcommittee. communities, climate science, the promotion of Update from Maine’s First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree

If we can help you or your business apply for grants or awards like these, my team and I stand ready to work with you. If you’d like more information, I wanted to share some please shoot our logger support team an email at MELoggerSupportTeam@mail.house.gov. We good news for several should get back to you quickly. companies in Maine’s forest Outside of the woods, I know that times products industry. Earlier this month, the United States Forest are tough right now. Even if it is not related to your work, my team and I are here to help.

Service (USFS) awarded Please let us know if we can help you solve almost $2 million in grant problems you or your family is having with funding to both Robbins Medicare, Social Security, the VA, or other Lumber in Searsmont for an innovative value-based federal programs or agencies. scanning program and Rep. Jared Golden Standard Biocarbon You can reach my staff at: Corporation in Enfield for a biomass energy system. · Lewiston: (207) 241-6767 Investments in the forest economy like these · Caribou: (207) 492-6009 help support the growing market for Maine wood · Bangor: (207) 249-7400 fiber, healthy forests, and our move towards renewables. They also illustrate the innovation You can also send us an email at: happening in our district. Congratulations to the teams golden.house.gov/contact/email-me at Robbins Lumber and Standard Biocarbon.

Logger’s Voice Summer Update

The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2022

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The Logger’s Voice ▪ Winter 2021

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