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
38
Professional Logging Contractors of Maine
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
Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995
