The Logger's VOICE - Winter 2017

Executive Board

Scott Madden President

Jim Nichols

1st Vice President

Tony Madden

2nd Vice President

Chuck Ames Secretary

Andy Irish Treasurer

Brian Souers

Past President

Board of Directors

Greg Adams

Kurt Babineau

Donald Cole

William Cole

Tom Cushman

Brent Day

Wes Dube

Steve Hanington

Duane Jordan

Robert Linkletter

Andrew Madden

Ron Ridley

Wayne Tripp

Gary Voisine

Dana Doran Executive Director

State of Our Union

Scott Madden

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and we look forward to having a prosperous new year. It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. Seems like we've had the best weather conditions we've seen in the last five years; also, the worst market conditions some loggers have ever seen.

PLC has been very busy this year doing what we do best - helping PLC loggers. I think one of the best things Members can do for themselves and the industry is to become more involved with PLC and its Members. Just think about how many years’ experience we have as a group; especially if we all work together. PLC needs volunteers for the many projects we have going on. Any Members that could spare a little time to contact representatives, senators, insurance agents and/or government agencies to put a personal touch on whatever project PLC is trying to move forward would be greatly appreciated. (Remember the equipment sales tax and the off -road fuel tax).

As we head into our winter season PLC Members' priority should be safety. With all the problems loggers are facing, we need to make sure everyone goes home safe. It's easy to overlook safety when times are hard; especially since many of us have a reduced workforce.

Many employees are doing different tasks than they typically do, usually for shorter than normal times, and this can increase risk. We all need to remember injuries have many hidden costs that hurt employers such as medical expenses, lost wages, and lost production. And again, most importantly - potential harm to employees. PLC has and will continue to work on safety, but it's up to PLC members to follow through.

At the present time, PLC is trying to improve our safety training, making it more than one day a year. With the help of the Cross Agency, PLC will be hiring a fulltime safety person. If we could get a few volunteers to help guide this project with some fresh ideas that would be great. PLC has some safety meetings coming up before spring so please help if you can by contacting Dana or Jess. Have a safe and hopefully productive winter.

Log on, Scott

New Beginnings

Dana Doran

2016 was a year that many in this industry would like to forget. A year of market reductions, lower prices, increased operational costs and too much wood for too little demand. The closures of Old Town and Lincoln and the reduction in capacity at Verso Androscoggin in 2015 bled into 2016 and started a chain reaction that turned a bad dream into a nightmare.

As we look to 2017, most are anxious for what the future may hold because of the experience of 2016. I can’t say that I disagree with them at this precise moment, but I’m hopeful that the new year brings a fresh opportunity for greater investment and new beginnings.

Winter has always proven itself to be our go time. A time that energizes this industry to exceed expectations and prove time and time again why Maine loggers and truckers are the best in the world. Winter is generally the most profitable time of year since markets have been starved from a fall/early winter slow down and the operating conditions provide an opportunity for peak production. That said, something this winter not only feels different, but is different.

There is simply too much wood in yards across the state and some see a very short winter on the horizon; which is too bad since we had the driest summer that any of us can remember and the winter is off to a good start with cold temperatures, snow and frozen ground.

As I have been out visiting and talking to our membership throughout the state this fall and early winter, the majority feel that 2017 will bring much of the same and are already predicting a major industry contraction in the spring and summer of 2017. There is probably too much logging capacity for the markets that we have available and inevitably, something must give. Businesses will contract, some will leave the industry altogether and this transition will lead to a major transformation in 2016-17 and maybe beyond. However, in down times we cannot just sit back idly and wait for something new to save our industry. Loggers do what loggers need to do to survive, we know no other way.

As I look at the role of the PLC right now, I would like to think that we are taking the same approach as our membership. We need to fight, scratch and claw our way out of this, working smarter and not harder collectively because there is too much on the line. Our membership has payments to make, employees that rely upon them and mouths to feed. The reality of this transformation is sobering and just as loggers and truckers deal with this adversity, the PLC will do the same.

I know that many of you feel like you are working harder right now than you ever have to protect what remains. On many a recent day, it has been challenging to find a ray of sunshine that will keep you going. I can empathize with you since it feels that we are doing the

same thing.

The PLC recognized this market shift in 2015 in a very public way and works every day to protect the future for logging and trucking, trying to find opportunities for cost savings and eliminating impediments so that when new opportunities present themselves, the foundation will be cracked but not dismantled. There are positives that we can point to which will help rebuild our future, and more on the horizon every day.

As this issue goes to press, two of our achievements from 2016 are now creating positive change for our industry, saving you money and sustaining important markets.

On January 1, 2017, off road fuel used in logging operations became tax exempt in the state of Maine. This crowning achievement was passed in the 2nd session of the 127th Legislature in April 2016 and was signed into law by Governor LePage with enthusiastic support. This new tax exemption will provide immediate cost savings and it couldn’t come at a better time. Information regarding how to take advantage of this new exemption has been in our weekly emails but if you need further information, please contact the office and we can help you.

On Tuesday, December 13th, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved the allocation of $13.4 million to ReEnergy and Stored Solar, LLC for the sustainability of the biomass electric industry and in turn, loggers and truckers. The funding for this subsidy was approved by the Legislature and the Governor after they worked collaboratively with the PLC in the spring of 2016. ReEnergy’s facilities in Ashland and Fort Fairfield will be sustained for the next two years and the former Covanta facilities in West Enfield and Jonesboro, which were purchased by Stored Solar, LLC, are in the process of restarting. This also means that the fuel purchased for these four facilities must come from Maine landowners and must be harvested and trucked by Maine loggers. Good news like this couldn’t have come at a better time and this initiative wouldn’t have moved forward without the PLC and its membership at the table every step of the way.

As we all know, there are no quick and easy solutions to improve our floundering markets. To right size our ship and put Maine back on the map for the long term, active planning of a long-term strategy to ensure the health of our industry as well as the entire forest products value chain has never been done before and there is no better time than the present.

Now, for the first time, a comprehensive strategy for the state’s forest products industry is in the early stages of development through the efforts of a federal Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) task force that the PLC has played a critical role in.

At the same time, a special Commission to Study New Beginnings Continued Page 9

MANCHESTER - It’s a cold December morning, snow is falling lightly, and in the woods west of Augusta you can hear the steady sounds of grapple skidders and a slasher/loader working to keep logs moving onto trucks and out of the woods.

This is a John Khiel III Logging & Chipping, Inc. job site at the Jamie’s Pond Wildlife Management Area, a 900-acre property managed by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and used for a variety of recreational activities.

It’s been a good year for this job. Dry ground followed by frozen ground; big machines moving big loads with low impact on the land, just the way it needs to be for a site like this where many citizens weren’t excited about the idea of logging it in the first place.

“The harvest is in the middle of a popular recreational area where there are a lot of people and hiking

trails. This makes it a sensitive area,” Travis Khiel, who has managed the company for his father for the past decade, said. “The state wants the majority of the job done with a processor, but there were some areas that they wanted a whole tree crew on. We are working those areas now with a buncher and grapple skidders, and plan to move a cut-to-length crew up here soon.”

Mark Martin is the state forester on the job. He freely admits he’s not an easy guy to please but says he has to give credit to Khiel Logging for being among the best and most professional logging contractors he’s worked with.

“

This crew that (Travis) has here for me is awesome, I give them challenges and they love it,” Martin said.

It is that kind of reputation and professionalism that the Khiels - Travis; his brother, Greg; his father, John; and the rest of the family - have been working to build for

many years. That and the adaptability to handle jobs of all kinds including ones like this, managing a harvest for wildlife and recreation needs as well as forest health or profit.

The company got its start when John Khiel began cutting wood while still in high school and went to work full time in the woods as soon as he graduated, running a cable skidder and a chainsaw. It grew and diversified over the years under his guidance, and was incorporated in the mid 1990s. Growing up, Travis and Greg worked summers and whenever they could during the year with their father.

Greg joined the company full-time out of high school, running the excavation side of the business. Travis eventually did too, moving up to take over management duties from his father in 2006. His wife, Rebecca, runs the company office in Denmark, ME.

“We got into cut-to-length two years ago and Greg decided to leave the excavation department to run processor full-time then,” Travis said. “My dad still works pretty much full-time. Over the past 10 years he’s done everything from run equipment to drive truck; he’s driving truck right now.”

There are 45 employees on the company payroll now. The Khiels own more than 100 pieces of equipment, including trucks and trailers. The company has three or four whole-tree crews working at any one time depending on markets and the season, and one cut-to-length crew. The excavation side of the business is very busy in the warmer months with residential and commercial site packages. Then there’s trucking, chipping, firewood, road building, plowing – you name it, Khiel does it.

That diversity and a solid reputation have served the company well in the last year and a half, as pulp and paper mills have shut down and biomass markets weakened. Travis says they are lucky to work primarily in an area of the state that still has paper mills and other consumers of wood and to be close to New Hampshire where more markets exist as well as work – the company is about to start a major job in the White Mountain National Forest there.

The company joined the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) a couple of years ago and hosted one of the PLC’s annual safety trainings at their

facility in Denmark not long afterward. Benefits of PLC membership have included the Acadia Insurance safety dividend program, membership discounts, and the PLC, “giving loggers a voice and a presence in Augusta, which is very important right now,” Travis said.

The Khiels continually invest in the company to maintain competitiveness and good working conditions for their employees, and that includes operating good equipment. Travis’ favorite piece right now is the Timberpro 830 forwarder that they purchased two years when they got into cut-tolength logging; “It’s just so versatile, you can do so much with it, and it has been very reliable, we have had hardly any issues with it,” he said.

More than anything else, it’s the high-quality employees that the company works hard to find and retain that make the difference between success and failure, Travis says.

“We’re fortunate to have great employees and they really define our success. Everyone from our operators to our truck drivers to the people we have in the office,” Travis said. “We can go out and get the work and buy the best equipment we can, but if we don’t have the right employees, none of it really matters. They’re the ones that give us a good name.”

The future of the company depends largely on markets, but the Khiels plan to add a second cut-to-length crew at some point in the near future. More general goals include, “to build upon relationships we have now with industry professionals and build new relationships with people that have the same values as we do, that want things done right. We also want to continue to be diversified and able to shift with changing market conditions as well as the needs and expectations of foresters and landowners,” Travis said. The family business has been a good one for the Khiels, and there’s no place he’d rather be, Travis said.

“I like being in the woods. There are lot of challenges that we have to deal with and I like problem solving and figuring out the best way to do things,” Travis said. “There are no long days. They all go by quickly and it seems like I do something different every day. I also enjoy working with the people that we work with – good, honest, and hardworking people.”

Travis Khiel

PLC Members

Bushwacker and Sons Logging Inc. of Cary Plt., ME joined the PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. Bushwacker and Sons Logging is Master Logger certified and has a professional staff of eight. For more information, contact Ron at (207)-532-4079 or email: bushwackerandsons@hotmail.com.

Cunningham Bros. Inc. of Benedicta, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. Cunningham Bros. is Master Logger certified and has a professional staff of three. For more information, contact James Cunningham at (207)-631-7683.

Doyon Logging Inc. of Jackman, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in November of 2016. Doyon has a professional staff of four. For more information contact Yves Doyon at (207) 280-0269 or email: doyonlogging@globetrotter.net.

Edmond Roy & Sons Inc. of Jackman, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. Edmond Roy & Sons has a professional staff of 14. For more information, contact Stephane Roy at (418)-625-8491 or email edmondroy@sogetel.net.

J.E. Shelley Logging & Excavation of Jackman, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in November of 2016. J.E. has a professional staff of five. For more information contact Valerie Shelley at (207) 668-7737 or email: valric80@hotmail.com.

Richard Wing & Son Logging, Inc. of Standish, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in November of 2016. Richard Wing & Son has a professional staff of nine. For more information contact Lynn Wing at (207) 642-6181 or email: winglogging@roadrunner.com.

Up North Corporation of Fort Kent Mills, ME joined the PLC as a new Member in December of 2016. Up North Corporation has a professional staff of six. For more information, contact Joel Desjardins or Matthew Martin at (207)-834-6178 or email joeldesjardins@yahoo.com.

B&D Trucking, LLC of Cornish, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in December of 2016. B&D has a

professional staff of one. For more information contact Dan Dunnells at (207) 793-3706 or email: bdtruckingllc@yahoo.com.

Pascal Lessard Inc. of Rangeley, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in November of 2016.The trucking company has a professional staff of six. For more information contact Guylaine Bisier at (207) 864-2855 or email: pascallessard@myfairpoint.net.

Rob Elliot Trucking and Excavation of Strong, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in December of 2016. Rob Elliot Trucking and Excavation has a professional staff of three. For more information, contact Rob Elliot at (207) 684-5558 or email: rlhenterprise@tds.net.

Seth McCoy's Trucking & Excavating, LLC of Alfred, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in November of 2016.The trucking and excavating company has a professional staff of 2-3 employees in summer and 35 in winter. For more information contact Seth McCoy at (207) 289-0497 or email: seth.mccoy@ymail.com.

W.W. London & Son Trucking, LLC of Milo, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in November of 2016.The trucking company has a professional staff of eight. For more information contact Molly London at (207) 944-4708 or email: molly.e.london@gmail.com

W.W. London & Son Inc. of Milo, ME joined the PLC as a new Forest Contractor in November of 2016. The road construction company has a professional staff of eight. For more information contact Molly London at (207) 944-4708 or email: molly.e.london@gmail.com.

PLC Supporting Members

Labonville Inc. of Gorham, NH joined the PLC as a new Enhanced Supporting Member in December of 2016. Labonville Inc. has five locations in Maine and New Hampshire providing high quality logging and forestry supplies and work apparel for all your logging needs, including skidder chains, forestry tracks, log winches, work boots and work clothing. For more information, contact Alex Labonville at (207) 233-4801 or email: alex@labonville.com.

PLCSupporting MemberSpotlight

SKOWHEGAN – The phone rings a lot at Canadian Chains. To Jason Carrier, that is a good sound because it means business.

Canadian Chains is a division of Jackman Equipment Inc., owned by his father, Mario Carrier, and Jason’s management of it started with that phone in 2013. “I was doing inventory because I was working here and my father came out and gave me the phone and said, you’re officially in charge, call me if you have any issues, and away he went. That’s how my family does it,” Jason laughed.

Three years later Jason is busier than ever building the high-quality traction tire chain company into a brand known not just in New England, but nationwide.

The Carrier family has a reputation for that kind of drive to succeed, and it has served them well. The family has deep roots in the woods, and Mario Carrier’s businesses all depend on logging and forestry to this day. For Canadian Chains, that means Jason spends a lot of time working with loggers sizing, building, and fitting chains for skidders, forwarders and other mechanized s not just logging, the company also does a lot of business with farmers, trucking companies, construction companies, and other customers in Maine and

If it has a tire, we make chains for it,” Jason said. Quality of products and service is the top priority for Canadian Chains. Another big selling point? The steel, the chains, the workmanship is 100 percent made in the s how Jason intends to keep it.

Canadian Chains has its origins in Canaan Maine, where founder Roger Gower began making skidder tire chains in his backyard in 1963. By 1968 business had grown to the point that the company moved manufacturing to Skowhegan and expanded four times in the next 12 years. The company was very successful in those early years but by the late 1980s had decided to close its doors, then it changed owners twice before Mario Carrier bought it in 1999. He quickly built a new manufacturing facility

Continued on Page 8

for it in Norridgewock, where it moved within a year and has remained ever since.

Jason went into the family business straight out of school in 2005 and first worked in excavation for one of his many uncles in Connecticut, returning to Maine in the winters when logging-related business was busiest. He worked for his father as a mechanic one year, as a welder another, and in other roles. By 2007 he was working in Maine full-time including helping run the family’s Davco store in Farmington.

Since taking over the management of Canadian Chains, Jason has invested heavily in upgrading and reorganizing the shop; installing overhead cranes, new welders, new saws, respirators and fatigue mats for employees, and other things designed to improve efficiency and working conditions.

Production has doubled, and with a great product the company is getting business as far away as Oklahoma and California. It could expand even more, but Jason wants first to concentrate on doing the best job he can with what he’s got, and not grow too far too fast.

“Quality is the number one thing obviously, but as much as I want to make money, I want to be a place where people want to come work, that’s big for me,” He has four employees, and they are critical to the company’s success.

It costs more to be able to put that “Made in America” label on Canadian Chains products, but in a market where cheaper imports often come with cost measures like using case-hardened steel instead of through hardened steel, it pays to make something that lasts.

Canadian Chains does business with loggers throughout Maine and is well aware of the challenges they face, so in 2015 the company joined the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) as an Enhanced Supporting Member.

Pulling together and supporting organizations like the PLC that fight for the industry is important, Jason said.

“Anything that has to do with loggers, we want to support what they do, because they are more important than we are,” Jason said. “If they don’t make money, we don’t.”

For now, Jason remains focused on growing the Canadian Chains brand through offering a superior product and service. Down the road, there’s plenty of opportunity to expand. Taking something and running with it is certainly a family tradition; his father started out with nothing and today is the owner of four successful companies. The company is a good one and he really enjoys the work and the customers Canadian Chains serves, Jason said.

“I’m a fanatic about equipment and I really like the industry,” Jason said. “I love excavation, I love logging and I love everything that has to do with machinery.”

Jason Carrier, at right, in the Canadian Chains manufacturing facility.

Production underway on the shop floor in Norridgewock.

* See Canadian Chains product at work in photo on page 4.

the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of the Maine Biomass Industry established by the Legislature has been exploring a wide range of opportunities and strategies for the state biomass market. This past month the commission submitted a report to the Legislature outlining recommendations for encouraging and expanding the market. Several PLC members were not only on the Commission but were critical players in the formation of the bulk of the Commission’s recommendations.

The goals of these two initiatives include sustaining Maine’s existing forest products businesses; attracting capital investments and developing greater economic prosperity in the forest products sector across the state for both existing and new businesses; supporting the revitalization of Maine’s rural communities as places where people want to live, work and visit; and supporting and encouraging development and commercialization of new and existing technologies and uses of wood fiber including heat and power, building materials, and biofuels.

These efforts will take time and none are silver bullets, but taken together they can be important to revitalizing the forest products economy in Maine. To work, they will need the support of the state’s government, industries, and citizens. In addition to planning, easing of tax and regulatory burdens may be required along with changes in existing laws and rules. To succeed, Maine needs to be ready to do more than talk and plan, but to act.

Much of the responsibility for combining these efforts into a workable and comprehensive strategy will lie

with state lawmakers, and their commitment to the task will be essential for success. The Maine legislature returns to Augusta in early January and what it can accomplish is anyone’s best guess.

Generally, the return of the Legislature brings ambivalence and concern, yet like no other time in our recent past, the Legislature has proven that it wants to help our industry and create a path forward. The PLC has already reached out to legislative leadership and the next two years should prove to be very productive as the Legislature has taken note of the drastic market changes and wants to do the right thing. The work that the PLC has done with the Legislature in the recent past proves what is possible and our leadership will be critical to moving policy change forward in 2017.

Given a chance, there is little doubt that Maine loggers and the entire forest products value chain can flourish tomorrow if we take the right steps today. The planning is in process; the road map is being developed and we have eager partners who are willing to help. New beginnings are around the corner and they will come because of the leadership role that the PLC and our membership has taken and will continue to take in the future.

Stay

Dana

PLC’s 22nd Annual Meeting & Log-A-Load for Maine Kid’s Auction

22nd PLCAnnual Meeting - Call forAward Nominations

Do you know a person or business involved in the logging industry who ought to be recognized for outstanding professionalism, service to the community, commitment to safety, and service to the industry? If you do, please nominate them for one of the PLC’ s 2017 annual awards.

Acadia Insurance Safety Award - In 1999, the PLC and Acadia Insurance partnered together to make safety a priority in the logging industry by creating a member benefit for PLC contractors, providing training and education, reducing claims and increasing profitability. This award will be given to a company that continuously demonstrates safety throughout their business.

PLC IMPACT Award - Each year, the PLC recognizes someone from the public sector that has demonstrated a commitment to our industry and has made a significant impact for its improvement.

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.

PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award - The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member who has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to logging contractors in Maine.

PLC Logging Contractor of the Year Award -The PLC Logging Contractor of the Year award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession.

Nominations should be received by April 1st, 2017

To nominate a candidate for an award:

1. Attach a separate page to tell us in a few sentences why you think your nominee should receive the award. List examples of your nominees’ professionalism, service, safety or support of the industry.

2. Please include the Nomination form below.

3. Submit your nomination to executivedirector@maineloggers.com orfax to (207) 620-7516 ormail to Professional Logging Contractors of Maine - PO Box 1036 - Augusta, ME 04332

Each nomination will be reviewed by the PLC Board of Directors and winners will be honored at the PLC Annual Meeting on May 5th, 2016.

Nomination Form:

My Name: __________________________________________ My phone #: ____________________________

My Address: _______________________________City: ___________________________Zip Code: _________

Award: _______________________________________

Name: _______________________________ Address: ______________________________________________

City: ___________________________ Zip Code: ______________ Phone #: ____________________________

The logging industry in Maine is comprised of many loggers who have become managers because of mechanization and new managers that grew up in the business and are now assuming management roles. From member feedback, it is clear there is a need for management and leadership training that is customized to the logging industry in Maine. To date, a specialized leadership development program tailored to Maine’s loggers has never been developed or offered. The PLC has answered this call and developed this class as an introduction to those topics. Additional classes will follow to assist with the improvement of today’s continuingly evolving logging businesses.

Class Dates:

 Tuesday, January 31st 2017, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm - Lincoln, HAN Office, 175 W. Broadway Lincoln ME 04457

 Thursday, February 2nd 2017, 8:00 am- 4:30 pm - Auburn, Farm Credit East Office -615 Minot Avenue, Auburn, ME 04210 (Feb. 3rd- Snow date for either training)

Reactive: Risk -> Loss -> Company Cost = Real cost across the local industry Proactive: It is important to make changes to prevent risk and lower the real cost.

Schedule:

Lynne Richards, Leading Generations 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Leadership - What makes a goodleader?

Effective Communication and sharing company information-macro and micro. How much should you share? Empowerment and Employee Buy-in - How to get it and why it'simportant.

Steve Bick, Northeast Forests, LLC – 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Personnel Management - What do you need toknow?

Organizational Design - Who is responsible forwhat? Financial Management - What is atstake?

Details:

Limited to 20 participants per location. First come first served - reserve your space today. $50 for first attendee and $40 for each additional. This training is designed for owners, managers, future managers and foremen. Breakfast and Lunch included.

Please go online to to register today!

Training brought to you in part by: The PLC of Maine, Acadia Insurance, Cross Insurance, Bangor Tire, F.A. Peabody, Farm Credit East and G.H. Berlin Windward.

Ted Clark, CLCS, Loss Control Consultant, Acadia Insurance

Although production is critical to the lifeblood of a company, it’s important to recognize the cost and loss of production associated with seemingly simple incidents like a slip, trip or fall. With all the uncertainty in the industry today, it seems near impossible to worry about something as simple as a slip and fall. However, slips and falls are a hazard that increases significantly with the ice and long hours that accompany the winter months. These costs can be detrimental to the profitability of your business.

We talk about slips and falls a lot because it is an exposure that plagues many industries, including logging, and the injuries that occur can have severe, lasting effects. The following information is what I have learned from my time in the field with you.

SPECIFIC AREAS, DIFFERENT APPROACH

Three points of contact is an industry buzzword that continues to ring true. When climbing on and off vehicles and equipment the employee must have both hands free so they can always have three limbs in contact with the machine. This means the operator should place their lunch box and coffee into the cab from the ground before climbing up into the machine.

There is no arguing that forestry equipment is generally not user friendly when it comes to getting into the cab or accessing the engine compartments. The best solutions I have found are from companies who encourage their operators to come up with ideas on how to prevent slips and make access easier. Typically these changes are as simple as adding a step or hand hold with some scrap metal and a couple of hours labor; a cheap solution when you consider the cost of losing an employee due to a fall off the equipment.

Truck drivers are perhaps the most susceptible to injuries from slips on a logging operation. The driver jumps out of the warm truck into the freezing cold, he’s in a hurry, he’s been sitting in the seat for potentially hours, and he may not be in the best physical shape. As soon as he gets out he starts unraveling straps and hurling 50 feet of nylon or cable as hard as he can to get it up and over the load. The road is glare ice, and when he moves his body he slips and falls and tweaks his back. Sound about right? How do we prevent this?

First we need to understand what causes accidents like these. Without going into excruciating detail, when you sit in the same position for an extended period of time (like a truck seat), your body’s muscles stretch into that position and become tense. When you jump out of your truck and start throwing straps, your muscles haven’t had a chance to warm up which significantly decreases your ability to stay on your feet and increases your chances of being injured when you take a fall. Your best defense from slip injuries is to educate your drivers and implement a basic stretch program that requires the driver to take a minute and stretch his back out when he exits the truck. This may not prevent the fall itself, but it will significantly reduce the chance of being injured when you do take the fall.

YOUR FEET COUNT

It shouldn’t go unsaid that there are some manufactured options that can assist in reducing the likelihood of slip, trip or fall. This includes products such as cleats designed to fit over your boots that will provide excellent traction. As always though, it does present some new hazards when you use them so I would encourage you to weigh the pros and cons before spending a lot of money.

It’s important to consider what your employees are wearing on their feet. Experience confirms that the “logger” style boots with the elevated heels on them are about the worst thing you can wear in the winter. The soles are much harder than a traditional boot and the style gives you little control over weight distribution when on ice. A more traditional style work boot with a lower heel and a softer sole is a better option. It is worth researching which boots would serve this purpose, then encourage employees to purchase them by offering to pay for a portion of the cost when they present you with a receipt.

CONCLUSION

This article has presented several ideas that I have seen in the field and believe could be effective in helping you prevent accidents from occurring. Slips trips and fall claims have haunted the logging industry since the first time an ax was placed to wood. Preventing these types of losses will start with recognizing that the way we have always dealt with the issue may not be the best way. Listen to your employees, learn from others, and don’t be afraid to try something out of the box. It just may work.

PLC Safety Updates

Safety Consultant: The PLC will soon be hiring a full-time safety consultant to provide free safety consultations for Members beginning in the second quarter of 2017.

Safety Trainings: The 2017 PLC Safety Trainings will begin on April 7. The full schedule will be available shortly.

*watch your weekly email updates for more information on both of these important safety initiatives.

Tumultuous year for Biomass ends with hope

2016 has been a pivotal year for Maine’s embattled biomass industry, during which the PLC and its Members and Supporting Members led the way in the fight to stabilize the industry to buy time for efforts that can strengthen it in the future.

One year ago, the industry was in free fall, hammered by a mild winter, cheap natural gas, and a tighter renewable energy standard that took effect Jan. 1 in Massachusetts. Those pressures hurt all Maine biomasselectric producers, and resulted in the shutdown of the two Covanta Energy plants in Maine.

The effects on loggers and sawmills were immediate and severe: Combined with the drop in demand for pulp brought on by pulp and paper mill closures, the biomass situation created a revenue crisis for loggers and sawmills, and a forest management crisis for loggers and foresters who needed those markets to properly harvest trees of all kinds to create healthy forests.

As the biomass market began to weaken, the PLC rallied lawmakers, Members, and Supporting Members including ReEnergy Holdings with its four standalone biomass plants in Maine to lead an effort in the Legislature and in the public eye to save the industry. For months, the group worked at every level to win support. In the end, that support was bipartisan, and the biomass market got shortterm incentivized contracts to stabilize the industry as well

as the first state-level effort to examine the opportunities for the market and come up with a plan to capitalize on them to ensure the industry stays strong in the future.

One year later, the industry remains challenged, but there is hope.

On Dec. 13, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) voted to split $13.4 million in incentives between ReEnergy Holdings and Stored Solar - a subsidiary of French energy firm Capergy - for two-year biomass-electric contracts. The contracts will benefit ReEnergy's Ashland and Fort Fairfield plants as well as the former Covanta biomass plants in West Enfield and Jonesboro that were purchased by Stored Solar in October after being shut down for months. Stored Solar has applied for federal permission to restart both plants and sell electricity to the regional grid again.

At the same time, The Commission to Study the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of the Maine Biomass Industry that was established by Maine lawmakers to conduct the first in-depth assessment of biomass opportunities for Maine has been hard at work for months. In late December, the commission submitted a series of recommendations to the Legislature in a draft report.

Some of the recommendations urged by PLC and industry partners included:

Biomass continued page 15

Biomass continued from page 14

* Amending Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standards to include a thermal class similar to that used in states like New Hampshire and Massachusetts, to incentivize increased biomass use for thermal energy.

* Creating biomass energy policy that fits within the state’s comprehensive energy plan, including Maine’s federal Clean Power Plan.

* Enabling and encouraging co-located manufacturing facilities to stand-alone biomass electric facilities. Encouraging net metering/microgrids and distributed generation to lower transmission and distribution costs and incentivize manufacturing growth.

* Encouraging combined heat and power (CHP) system investments and creating incentives for

development of smaller CHP applications connected to public and private institutions and wood manufacturers.

* Promoting use of local wood – similar to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry “Get Real Get Maine” campaign; support a “Heat Local” campaign among Maine residents.

The next phase of the ongoing fight for Maine’s biomass market will include working with lawmakers to implement recommendations that can aid the industry and the loggers and sawmills that depend on it. The PLC will continue its efforts with the aid of our Members and Supporting Members who were so key to success in 2016.

EDAT Update

Work to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the ongoing crisis in Maine’s forest products economy has been proceeding since a three day visit by a U.S. Commerce Department Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) in the summer of 2016 that began the process.

Regional leaders and economic development experts, alongside officials from federal agencies, participated in a series of economic development sessions, tours, and briefings during the visit to analyze strengths, opportunities and weaknesses in the Maine forest products economy.

The PLC is one of five industry organizations to have a seat on the EDAT steering committee to help guide the process and ensure that industry’s voice is part of it. The visit was followed by extensive deliberations and analysis to chart a roadmap for the future.

Goals and recommendations of the group over the next three years include:

Priority A. Conduct a global market assessment to assess future demand for Maine wood products.

Priority B. Conduct a statewide wood supply analysis to attract new markets.

Priority C. Conduct a transportation analysis to determine where infrastructure improvements are necessary to increase profitability for the forest products value chain.

Priority D. Support and grow markets for low-value wood and biomass utilizing CHP(Combined Heat and Power) biomass plants, micro-grids, and modern thermal systems.

Priority E. Invest in the research, development and commercialization of emerging wood technologies such as forest bioproducts as an opportunity for the utilization of low value fiber.

Priority F. Support small landowners who want to grow and harvest more wood.

Priority G. Invest in Logger and Forest Products Workforce Development.

Priority H. Redevelop and reutilize or repurpose Maine’s closed pulp and paper mill industrial sites.

Priority I. Diversify and strengthen Maine’s rural economy.

Announcements regarding these recommendations and plans for securing funding to accomplish them are planned for early 2017 with action to follow.

The PLC and its Members and Supporting Members have been closely involved with the process and will continue to represent the interests of Maine loggers and related industries as the work proceeds.

As We See It November 2016

“November”

By Ken Martin

First I would like to thank Richard Schwab for his Leadership of ALC during the last year and the great job he has done. Richard is always interesting in his thought process as well as entertaining in the delivery of those thoughts. He was certainly born “Out of the Box”

As 2016 moves right along, Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching. We have a lot of serious decisions to make in the coming months that will affect us, not only as individuals, but our country for years to come. I am sure most of us remember 9-11. Our country was united, as we have never seen it before, following this tragic event. Being united is what America has done for more than 200 years. We became the nation that the world looked to for Leadership, Financial Stability, and a Model Democratic Government.

Today America is as divided as most of us have ever seen in our Lifetime. We appear to have run low on leadership at every level of government. We stall meaningful legislation in Congress because we are so divided. Where is the humility that our founding fathers had when writing a document that has served us for more than 200 years? Our very presence as a Democratic Society is at stake. This may very well be the most important election of our lifetime.

When we go to the polls in November, we must elect Leaders who will bring Americans back together. Leaders that truly want to inspire and serve the people and not their own financial interests. We must elect Leadership that will pass Laws that will create an environment encouraging entrepreneurs to develop new, productive technology and equipment, to exert the U.S. in global trade, and allow American industry to once again lead the World with our ability to produce quality products at a competitive price while employing American workers. We must select Leaders that inspire us to be the very best we can be.

Make no mistake, the men and women we elect in November will set the tone in Washington, while the world evaluates our decision. The next President will most likely have the opportunity to appoint several Supreme Court Justices for life, to make appointments that shape the attitude for Clean Air and Clean Water Standards, and transform our Transportation Industry, just to name a few. These are serious times, do not take your choice of elected official lightly. Become an informed voter before you go to vote this year and vote for candidates that will unite us and inspire us, to once again, be the best that we can be.

Ken Martin is the current President of the American Loggers Council and owns and operates MarCal, Inc. based out of Mendenhall, Mississippi.

The American Loggers Council is a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade organization representing professional timber harvesters in 32 states across the United States. If you would like to learn more about the ALC, please visit their web site at www.amloggers.com, or contact their office at 409-625-0206.

As We See It December 2016

“Happy Holidays”

By Danny Dructor

It is always difficult to try and speculate what might happen between the time that this editorial is written and then goes to print 30 to 45 days later, and this is one of those particularly difficult times when the elections have been held and yet as of this writing we do not know the outcome.

Regardless, we will have to work with whatever President and administration that is elected, and our issues will not go away simply because one political party defeated the other in the Presidential race. Let’s just hope that whomever is elected will listen to the will of the people and place their values and needs over that of any party.

As you read this, the staff of the American Loggers Council has already made plans to visit DC in midDecember to get an idea of what the transition might look like from one administration to the next, and to see if there is a better opportunity to work across the aisle in completing legislation in the 215th Congress set to begin work in January.

Just because the American Loggers Council is working for you, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be involved in what’s happening. Regardless of the results in the November election, we need all hands on deck with loggers engaged at the grassroots level to get the policy changes we need and ensure our industry is prosperous for the future.

We have many issues to deal with for the industry, including truck weight reform on the Federal Interstate Highway System, attracting and retaining employees to the logging and log trucking industry, working to develop and support markets for the products and services we provide, and ensuring that our Federal Timber lands are sustainably managed to support a viable timber sale program that would help the many timber dependent communities across the Nation.

While these are some of the issues, we know that there will be many more to contend with in the future as we strive to tell our story to the public where they will have a better understanding of what we do and why we do it. Here at the American Loggers Council, we will do our best to keep the public informed of your professionalism in harvesting timber and dedication to protecting the environment as you continue to provide the fiber that is consumed on a daily basis by those that do not know it’s true source or the people that work tirelessly to provide it.

Many of you will be able to be with family and friends this Christmas, and it is justifiably right that you, as a member of this invisible industry, come out of the woods and take the opportunity to enjoy the companionship and fellowship of those that appreciate what you do and keep

you going.

God bless, and have a Safe and Merry Christmas!

Log safe!

Danny Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the American Loggers Council with offices near Hemphill, Texas.

“Election Results Bring New Opportunities, But Old Challenges Remain”

By Nick Smith

As I look at our Logging Profession, I reflect on the change through the years. Remember when you knew in January the product you would be cutting and the price you would be paid for the next 12 months? Remember when that changed to six months, three months, monthly and even weekly? As a southern logger, I have seen the change from the chain saw felling days and cable skidding equipment to fully mechanized operations. Along with these changes came lower worker compensation insurance costs and reduced chain saw accidents.

While it has been a very interesting 40 plus years of change, there has also been a great deal of improvement in the utilization of forest products, to a point any waste is almost human error. During this time, the forest products industry has worked through performance and efficiency issues at mills while local markets have evolved into world markets, thus requiring us to operate under a whole new set of rules.

Who would have ever thought that truck drivers would be at higher risk than woods workers as related to workers compensation insurance costs? Who would have ever thought that equipment to harvest timber would come with the current price tags on it? Or be as operator friendly, ergonomically comfortable, and productive as it is today.

During all these industry adjustments, we have seen trade policies debated, a changing U.S. dollar, mills shuttered as well as laws enacted by Congress that have had far reaching effects on our industry. Our adjustment as loggers is we have learned to operate wiser and leaner. Logging professionals have learned to become advocates for our industry by telling our story. We must not sit back and complain, but offer up solutions for the array of problems we face.

The only thing consistent in our industry is change. We can accept change and with it, take advantage of the situations and opportunities we find ourselves in, or we can be left sitting and wondering what the tag number was on that truck that ran over us. The logging and forest products industry has always adapted - we will continue to adapt.

The American Loggers Council exists to help us transition through some of these changes. We are taking a greater role in both regulatory and logging and trucking safety issues, and have set a goal of having the logging

industry disappear from the top “2” list for the most dangerous occupations by the year 2021.

You can help us to achieve those goals by being active. Adapt, change, and overcome.

Nick Smith is Communications Specialist for American Loggers Council and founder of Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that advocates for active forest management on federal forest lands.

Information for upcoming tax year from Sales, Fuel, and Special Tax Division Maine Revenue Services on exemptions including the new sales tax exemption for off-road fuel for commercial wood harvesters

*In April of 2016, the Maine Legislature voted to include the PLC’s bill to exempt off highway fuel used in commercial logging and commercial agriculture from sales tax in an omnibus bill that was subsequently signed into law by Governor Paul LePage. The exemption was implemented on January 1, 2017.

Businesses that currently have an exemption card that they use for equipment and parts exemption will get a notice for retailers for the expanded exemption. Businesses that don't have a card can apply for a new one that they can use. The link below is for the exemption affidavits that must be presented along with a copy of the card when making qualifying tax free purchases. The applications are not changing. The correct link to the application for wood harvesters is:

Commercial Wood Harvesting: http://www.maine.gov/revenue/salesuse/exemptions/New%20Exemptions%20Documents/APP-154%20Woodharvesting% 20Application%2008012016.pdf

A new combined affidavit of exemption for farmers, fishermen, and wood harvesters is also now available that can be used by all three groups for all of their qualifying purchases. The top portion requires checking off the type of exempt activity (For example, wood harvesting). The lower portion requires checking off the type of exempt purchase (For example, fuel).

The affidavit can be found on http://www.maine.gov/revenue/forms/sales/salesforms.htm

Empty Low Bed Pilot Project Nov. 2016 - April 2018

This August, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and PLC Member Voisine Bros. Inc. of Fort Kent conducted a road test in partnership with Maine State Police Troop K and the Maine Department of Transportation for a potential pilot project to allow empty low beds (greater than 8'6") to move at night in Aroostook County. This project has now been approved for any company operating in the County. The company does not need to be based in Aroostook County to qualify. This is an 18-month pilot program for any company that operates an empty low bed in Aroostook County.

Companies with existing overwidth permits must contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and notify them of their intent to utilize this new pilot program. They must receive a new permit with revised language to be eligible.

Companies that wish to get a new permit, whether as a result of an expiration or because of new equipment, must also notify the BMV of their

intent to utilize the new pilot program.

Any incidents, whether crash related or other, should be communicated to Maine State Police Lt. Robert Nichols at 207-624-8939 or robert.n.nichols@maine.gov

PLC Members and other contractors must do their best to minimize risk, promote safety and mitigate any possible issues that might arise from this pilot project. We must put our best foot forward, take advantage of the opportunity, and prove that we are deserving of this pilot project..

See photo below showing placement of lighting at the extreme corners of the trailer for reference purposes.

*FEDERAL UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a final rule that establishes a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse for commercial truck and bus drivers. The clearinghouse database will serve as a central repository containing records of violations of FMCSA’s drug and alcohol testing program by commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders.

ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICE (ELD) MANDATE:

By December 18, 2017, most commercial vehicle operators who are required to keep Hours-of-Service (HOS) Records of Duty Status (RODS) will also be required to use Electronic Logging Devices (ELD).

What are the key requirements of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule?

The ELD rule:

 Requires ELD use by commercial drivers who are required to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status (RODS).

 Sets ELD performance and design standards, and requires ELDs to be certified and registered with FMCSA.

 Establishes what supporting documents drivers and carriers are required to keep.

 Prohibits harassment of drivers based on ELD data or connected technology (such as fleet management system). The rule also provides recourse for drivers who believe they have been harassed.

When and how will the ELD rule be implemented?

The ELD mandate which was enacted in 2015 applies to all drivers of a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV), beginning December 18, 2017. A court appeal challenging the mandate was denied in October 2016, and at this point there is no reason to believe the mandate will not be implemented in three phases.

Phase 1: Awareness and Transition Phase: This is the phase we are currently in - a two-year period following publication of the ELD rule February 16, 2016 to December 18, 2017.

During this time, carriers and drivers subject to the rule should prepare to comply, and may voluntarily use ELDs. Carriers and drivers subject to the rule can use any of the following for records of duty status (RODS):

 Paper logs

 Logging software

 AOBRDS (Automatic On Board Recording Devices)

 ELDs that are registered and listed on the FMCSA website

Phase 2: Phased-In Compliance Phase: The two-year period from the Compliance Date to the Full Compliance Phase, December 18, 2017 to December 16, 2019. Carriers and drivers subject to the rule can use:

 AOBRDS that were installed prior to December 18, 2017.

 Certified, registered ELDs following rule publication December 16, 2015.

Phase 3: Full Compliance Phase: After December 16, 2019, all drivers and carriers subject to the rule must use certified, registered ELDs that comply with requirements of the ELD regulations.

Who is exempt from the ELD rule?

According to the FMSCA, drivers who use the timecard exception are not required to keep records of duty status (RODS) or use ELDs. Additionally, the following drivers are not required to use ELDs; however, they are still bound by the RODS requirements in 49 CFR 395 and must prepare logs on paper, using an Automatic On-Board Recording Device (AOBRD), or with a logging software program when required:

 Drivers who use paper RODS for not more than 8 days out of every 30-day period.

 Drivers who conduct drive-away-tow-away operations, where the vehicle being driven is the commodity being delivered.

 Drivers of vehicles manufactured before 2000.

In addition, the FRA is advising that if a driver qualifies for the 100 air-mile radius (short haul) general exemption or 150 air-mile ag exemption from HOS, they are not required to have an ELD. This includes Interstate transport (e.g., a log trucker who meets the 100 air-mile exemption from HOS will not be required to use an ELD, even if hauling across state lines.)

For more details, see the FMCSA website’s ELD Frequently Asked Questions section: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hoursservice/elds/faqs

Norway spruce, a wood species extensively tested at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, was approved this fall for use as construction-grade dimensional lumber. The American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) approved the inclusion of Norway spruce in the Spruce-Pine-Fir South grouping of wood species for home construction and industrial applications.

co

president Jason

Above, Pleasant River Lumber

-

Brochu speaks at a press conference announcing the decision. Pleasant River Lumber is a PLC Supporting Member.

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

110 Sewall St.

P.O. Box 1036 Augusta, ME 04332

2017 Meeting Schedule

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands

Executive Board and Full Board

January 2017: No meeting

February 16, 2017: Executive Board, HO Bouchard/Comstock, Hampden

March 16, 2017: Legislative Breakfast, Full Board, Senator Inn & Spa, Augusta

April 2017: No Meeting

May 5, 2017: Annual Meeting, Jeff’s Catering, Brewer

June 15, 2017: Executive Board, PLC, Augusta

July 2017: No Meeting

August 17, 2017: Executive Board, HO Bouchard/Comstock, Hampden

September 21, 2017: Full Board, Augusta - TBD

October 2017: No Meeting

November 9, 2017, Executive Board, PLC, Augusta

December 14, 2017: Full Board, Bangor - TBD