MLOP 2022

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 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

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.

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:

BMPs for all stream crossings

1. Install water diversions on the approaches to disperse runoff into adequate filter areas, preventing it from entering the stream channel. Adequate filter area width varies depending on percent slope, but in no case should it be less than 25 feet. 2. On skid trails, maintain a bed of slash over exposed soils on approaches within the filter area, ensuring that it remains effective throughout the harvest and adding additional material when needed. 3. Minimize or delay work during wet weather or when the soil is saturated.

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 pattern, and to facilitate side slopes that are no steeper than 2:1.

6. Use geotextile fabric behind abutments to prevent erosion of fill material.

For additional guidance, reference the Maine Forest Service BMP manual, available on our website: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/policy_management/ water_resources/bmps.html Also keep an eye out for Maine Forest Service BMP Level 1 and/or Maine Audubon Stream Smart workshops.

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.

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.