the plc celebrates 20 years and moves to augusta

Volume 6 Issue 1 | January 2015

A Quarterly Publication of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS OF MAINE | Loggers Serving Loggers since 1995

State of the Union 2

Director’s Report 3

Safety First 4

New Members 7

PLC Member—D. Plourde 8

The PLC Celebrates 20 Years and Moves to Augusta

In 1995, three distinct logging families in northern Maine, Bouchard, Gardner, and Pelletier, along with a

group of other independent contractors from around the state, banded together to provide loggers a voice in the con-

stantly evolving Maine forest products industry. Loggers felt it was time to have their own dedicated trade associa-

tion to speak on their behalf after several referenda were conducted following the Spruce Budworm epidemic of the

1970’s and 1980’s and a new national forest certification effort was being implemented. In 1994, the American

Loggers Council was created to provide a national voice and shortly thereafter, the PLC was born.

In 2015, the PLC will celebrate 20 years as the only organization in Maine which represents only loggers.

In that timeframe, the PLC has been responsible for advocating on behalf of its membership in local town halls, the

Statehouse and in the halls of Congress. Once thought of as a peripheral industry which simply cuts trees and dam-

ages the environment, the PLC has worked to correct the image of loggers and is now a respected and sought after

organization whenever public policy related to loggers is mentioned.

In the past 20 years, the PLC has had scored some tremendous victories and has moved forward with an

aggressive agenda, including: the creation of one of the state’s first industry/insurance partnerships with Acadia

insurance; the creation of the Master Logger Certification program, the first of its kind in the country; the Trust to

Conserve Northeast Forest Lands which now stretches across seven Northeast states; the increased interstate truck

weight limit; and the sales tax exemption for logging equipment are just a few of the notable examples where the

PLC has played an influential role.

Also during the past 20 years, the PLC office has rotated between four different locations: Millinocket,

Lincoln, Fort Kent and New Gloucester. All four of these locations were important to this organization and to the

industry.

In 2015, the PLC will be celebrate 20 years advocating for loggers and will move its offices one more time

to the State Capitol in Augusta. As of January 2015, PLC’s new office location will be 106 Sewall St. in Augusta,

which is a one block walk to the Capitol. This relocation represents a monumental change for the organization, but

it also recognizes the importance of its work. Much has been done in the halls of the Statehouse over the past

twenty years on behalf of Maine loggers. However, the PLC has never had a consistent presence there to ensure

that the laws, policies and legislative agendas of the Governor, legislators and state agencies take loggers into con-

sideration. Beginning in January, the PLC will be an active participant in the daily activities that take place.

In 2015, as the PLC celebrates 20 years of success on behalf of Maine’s logging industry, here’s hoping that

this new location provides an even greater opportunity for success in the next 20 years and beyond!!

Volume 6 Issue 1

2 Professional Logging Contractors of Maine — www.maineloggers.com

Executive Board

Brian Souers President

Scott Madden 1st Vice President

Jim Nicols 2nd Vice President

Tony Madden Secretary

Andy Irish Treasurer

Robert Linkletter Past President

Board of Directors

Chuck Ames

Kurt Babineau

Donald Cole

William Cole

Tom Cushman

Lyle Hamilton

Steve Hanington

Willard Hanington

Duane Jordan

Ron Ridley

Dana Doran

Executive Director

Standing Strong For Loggers Since 1995

106 Sewall St. P.O. Box 1036

Augusta, ME 04332 Phone: 207.688.8195

Fax: 207.688.8197

THE LOGGER'S

VOICE

A Quarterly Publication of the

Professional Logging Contractors

of Maine

State of Our Union

By Brian Souers

Are you a Professional?

I have a question for you. What do you think it takes to be a pro-

fessional logger?

Does it take a strong work ethic? How about a love and respect for

the forest? Interest in protecting the environment? What about mechanical

ability? Operator and/or driver ability? Do you need to be a good business

person? People skills? How about being able to train and promote safe

working practices? Also, a loyalty and devotion to your customers? How

about leadership skills? Better yet, how about skills required to develop

leaders?

I have a second question for you. How many of these attributes

and skills did you have when you started your business?

I have a third question for you. Would you like to improve in any

of these skills and talent areas?

If you answered yes to many, if not all of these questions, you proba-

bly have what it takes to call yourself a professional logger. A professional

is a person who holds him or herself to a high standard and then continu-

ously raises the bar by learning and growing in all areas.

However, being a professional, especially in this business, is not a

static position. You don’t earn the title of professional and rest on your lau-

rels. If you do, it is easy to lose more than you’ve gained in a short period of

time.

The PLC of Maine as an organization represents and supports pro-

fessionals in this business. Your acceptance as a member is recognition of

your professionalism and diverse skill set. As a member of the PLC, you

have agreed to a partnership, where you work on your professionalism and

the PLC ensures you have the ability to continue on that path.

Every year, you may ask yourself, why should I continue to be a

PLC member? The answer to that question is easy; the PLC’s return on in-

vestment is far greater than the cost.

If you want to continue to call yourself a professional, I encourage

you to take advantage of all that the PLC has to offer in 2015 to ensure con-

tinuous improvement. The PLC’s expanded opportunities for professional

development in safety, taxation, business improvement, legal services, etc.

will support your efforts to learn and grow as a professional.

In the long run, we all want to be treated as professionals. It’s up to

us to take advantage of our membership to ensure we continuously improve

our businesses so that this title is never called into question. So, if you are

reading this, I would say that there is an excellent likelihood that you are a

professional logger. In that case, the PLC is here for you! If there is some-

thing that you would like the PLC to do, please let us know. I’m sure we

will see you at some of the upcoming professional development events being

sponsored by the PLC.

Happy and Safe Logging!

Brian

www.maineloggers.com—Loggers Serving Loggers Since 1995 3

January 2015

A New Year, But More of the Same?

By Dana Doran, Executive Director

It is hard to believe that the elections of 2014

are behind us and the 127th Maine Legislature will

begin their annual deliberations in just a few weeks.

For months we were inundated with political ads on a

daily basis and now it is eerily quiet. Tranquility al-

ways makes me nervous.

With a new year and a new legislature, come

new surprises. However, in 2015, the PLC has a great

deal to look forward to as a result of the 2014 elec-

tions.

Governor LePage was reelected for another

four year term and this bodes very well for logging and

the forest products industry. The Governor has been

very supportive of loggers over the past four years and

we look forward to another term of much of the same.

On November 12, 2014, the PLC Board of

Directors met with Governor LePage only 10 days af-

ter his reelection. It was a great opportunity to con-

gratulate him on his victory but also set a roadmap for

the future. We discussed our need for his continued

support on some of the initiatives we are working on

which will continue to assist the sustainability and

profitability of the logging profession. We look for-

ward to working with the Governor and his administra-

tion over the coming months and years to take advan-

tage of one of Maine’s greatest renewable resources

and shape our economy around it.

In the months leading up to the election, I had

a chance to meet many of the candidates that were run-

ning for seats in the Maine legislature. The Maine

Forest Products Council invited the PLC to participate

in their candidate breakfast symposium around the

state and this was a great opportunity to educate the

candidates about our industry.

The election of 2014 produced one of the larg-

est classes of new legislators in recent memory. Cer-

tainly there are quite a few incumbents that returned to

previous legislative seats, but there is a lot of work to

do beginning in January to ensure that newcomers and

incumbents alike know and understand our industry

and do what’s right in the long run. Congratulations

are certainly in order for the successes that took place

in the Maine State Senate and House of Representa-

tives, but soon it will be about developing relationships

and ensuring that the laws and policies which are de-

veloped in Augusta protect this industry and do no

harm.

On the forefront of the PLC legislative agenda

for 2015 is to continue to work with the legislature to

help reduce expenditures for logging contractors and to

encourage new markets for fiber. The off road diesel

sales tax and joint and several liability law are two areas

of concern for our members and changes could not only

help with overall profitability, but create new revenues

for the state.

Also on the mind of the PLC is to work proac-

tively with the Governor’s office, the legislature, the

Maine Forest Products Council, the Maine Pellet Fuels

Association and others to create a plan for increased use

of woody biomass in Maine. As the most heavily for-

ested in the country, Maine should be able to use bio-

mass for almost all of our heating and electricity needs.

Maine needs a plan to encourage this type of activity and

keep more of our energy dollars in the state. The PLC

would like to see this plane become reality in 2015.

In early January, the PLC of Maine will offi-

cially relocate its offices to Augusta, just one block away

from the Statehouse. This is a significant move for the

organization and one which should bode well as we con-

tinue to develop our reputation and ensure that those in

Augusta respect the impact that logging has on the State

of Maine. The new office is located at 106 Sewall St.

and please do not hesitate to visit us if you are in the

neighborhood.

In February, the PLC will take advantage of its

new location and host another legislative breakfast for all

of our colleagues in the legislature. Details on the date

and location are forthcoming, but please do your best to

participate in this event and also create relationships with

your local legislators. These relationships can be more

powerful than the work that the PLC does on your be-

half. All politics are local and the more that legislators

know your name, your businesses, this industry and the

impact that their decisions have on what you do, the bet-

ter off we will be in the long run.

Also in February, the PLC will be offering two

free professional development opportunities for members

in Lincoln, February 2-3, and Auburn, February 5-6.

Through a partnership with the University of Maine, the

PLC will offer, “Logging Productivity and Profits—

Strengthening What is Already There” a two day work-

shop devoted to helping your overall profitability. A

registration form was mailed to all PLC members in De-

cember, but please call the office for more information

and please do take advantage of this great opportunity.

As you can see, there is a lot going on right now

with the PLC, but a lot to look forward to at the same

time. Let’s hope that 2015 is another good year for our

members and we will do all we can to support you.

Stay safe out there!!!

Volume 6 Issue 1

Slipping and Tripping in the Woods

By Ted Clark, Acadia Insurance

As I sit here at my desk, I look outside at my

thermometer reading 20F. For me, it means travel on

icy roads, less daylight, and the task of clearing

snow out of my driveway. For most of you, the tem-

perature drop is a welcome sight that means frozen

ground and high production. You’re getting your

equipment ready, moved in to place, and final prepa-

rations completed for the busy months. Soon the

wood will be on the ground, skidded out, delimbed,

and on a truck heading to the mill. Higher produc-

tion means bills will be paid and you can gain back

the ground lost during the wet summer.

THE PROBLEM

Although production is critical to the lifeblood of

the company, it’s important to recognize the cost

and loss of production, as well as diminished profits,

caused by a seemingly simple incident like a slip,

trip or fall. With higher quotas, longer days, and

fierce competition, it seems near impossible to

worry about something as simple as an employee

slipping and falling, a hazard that increases signifi-

cantly with ice and long hours.

It’s critical to consider this hazard and strive to

eliminate it because of the increased potential to lose

vital employees due to something as simple as slip-

ping on the ice. How challenging is it to find a good

truck driver in the middle of winter? What about a

feller buncher operator or lead foreman? It can be

nearly impossible to replace the injured employee

with someone as skilled as the employee you lost

due to that slip and fall.

So how do you fix a problem that is ever present in

every aspect of your work?

THE SOLUTION

While in the field I am frequently asked, “how do

we prevent slips, trips and falls?” This is a challeng-

ing question because there isn’t an easy answer.

First, there will likely be multiple solutions because

the hazard presents itself in different ways depending

on the activity. Second, Solutions that work for some

companies may not work for other companies due to

logistics and cost. Third, and perhaps the biggest ob-

stacle, is reducing slips, trips and falls will require us

to change the way we do things. What I can offer are

some potential solutions I have learned from you and

your peers while in the field.

SPECIFIC AREAS, DIFFERENT APPROACH

Let’s deal with slips and falls off equipment first.

There is no arguing that forestry equipment is gener-

ally not user friendly when it comes to getting into the

cab or accessing the engine compartments or checking

the fluids. The best solutions I have found are from

companies which encourage their operators to come

up with ideas on how to prevent slips and make access

easier. Typically, these changes are as simple as add-

ing an appropriate step or hand hold with some metal

from your shop and a couple hours labor. Similar to

equipment is entering and exiting trailers, do you pro-

vide steps or a ladder for safe access?

Next we will take a look at the log yard. The yard can

be incredibly slippery. A great solution, which I rec-

ognize is not always practical, is to sand areas that are

commonly traveled by employees. I am not suggesting

you get a load of sand delivered to every landing

(though this may make sense for long term jobs), but

rather a pile of gravel in the back of a pickup so when

you get on site you can sand the areas frequently trav-

eled by employees.

Finally, let’s address your truck drivers tying loads

down. 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 maybe not in the best

physical shape. As soon as he gets out, he starts unrav-

eling straps and hurling 50 feet of nylon or cable as

hard as he can to get it over the load. The road is glare

Slipping and Tripping Continued on Page 5

SAFETY FIRST



January 2015

Slipping and Tripping Continued from Page 4

ice; when he moves his body he slips and falls and

tweaks his back. Sound about right? How do we pre-

vent this? Without going into excruciating detail,

when a driver sits in the same position for an ex-

tended period of time (like a truck seat), their mus-

cles tighten into that position. When the driver jumps

out of his truck and starts throwing straps, his mus-

cles haven’t had a chance to stretch. The tense mus-

cles decrease the driver’s ability to stay on his feet

and increase the chances of being injured when he

falls. Possible solutions are training drivers to do a

few minimal stretches upon exiting the truck, wear-

ing specific driver cleats (heal only), and/or designat-

ing a specific strapping area that is sanded.

YOUR FEET COUNT

There are some manufactured options that can assist

in reducing the likelihood of slip, trip or falls. This

includes things such as cleats designed to fit over

your boot that can provide excellent traction. There

are several styles ranging from heal only cleats to

studded options. 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. I’ve learned traditional

“loggers boots” have soles that are much harder than

traditional boots and the style gives you little control

over weight distribution when on ice. There are op-

tions out there for a “slip resistant” sole but, after

talking with people who are experts, I am not con-

vinced these are worth the money. I think a more

traditional style work boot with a lower heel and a

softer sole may be a better option. Beyond traction,

however, one must also consider the degree of sup-

port, protection and warmth for the feet.

CONCLUSION

This article presents several different ideas that I

have seen in the field and believe could be effective

in helping you prevent incidents from occurring.

Like any other investment, you have to accept that

these solutions may cost money up front but you can

quickly recoup your costs if you successfully prevent

one slip and fall injury. Slips trips and falls are

something that has haunted the logging industry

since the first time an ax was placed to wood. In or-

der to prevent slips, trips and falls it will start with

the recognition 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.

Ted Clark, CLCS

Loss Control representative

Acadia Insurance

Acadia Insurance is pleased to share this material for the benefit of

its customers. Please note, however, that nothing herein should be

construed as either legal advice or the provision of professional

consulting services. This material is for informational purposes

only, and while reasonable care has been utilized in compiling this

information, no warranty or representation is made as to accuracy

or completeness. Recipients of this material must utilize their own

individual professional judgment in implementing sound risk man-

agement practices and procedures.



Volume 6 Issue 1

The Seven BMP Fundamentals

By Keith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service

Maine has some of the cleanest water in the nation and it is no secret why, it is due to our abundant forests.

The same working forests that support thousands of Maine logging families produce the clean water that pro-

vides our communities with clean drinking water, supports more than 90% of the wild brook trout in the lower

48 states, and draws millions of tourists to “vacationland” every year. Clean water is a product of our man-

aged forests just as surely as logs and pulpwood are. This series will highlight some of the BMPs tools and

techniques than can help you protect water on timber harvests.

Most BMP techniques are based on a few basic principles. Understanding these principles will enable you to

select or adapt the BMPs that are the most appropriate to the situation and cost effective for your operation.

Think of these principles as goals. Any single practice or combination of practices that effectively achieves

one or more of these key goals can be considered an appropriate BMP. Remember the outcome is more impor-

tant that the tool!

The 7 Fundamental BMPs:

1. Define Objectives and Responsibilities

Communicate with the landowner and/or forester to

determine harvest objectives

Decide who is responsible for BMPs

Be sure BMP needs are communicated to the whole

crew

2. Pre-Harvest Planning

Identify water bodies, areas of water quality high

risk, and where you will need BMPs

Figure out any legal requirements

3. Anticipate Site Conditions

Time operations appropriately

Know where your good ground is on a lot ahead of time in case conditions change

Plan to monitor, maintain and adjust BMPs as needed

4. Control Water Flow

Understand how water moves within the harvest area, and decide on control measures

Slow down runoff and spread it out

5. Minimize and Stabilize Exposed Soil

Keep forest floor intact as possible to absorb impact of rain and filter sediment

Use brush, mulch, etc. to cover-up disturbed areas that could erode into surface water

6. Protect the Integrity of Waterbodies

Protect stream channels and banks.

Leave enough shoreland vegetation to satisfy legal requirements and maintain water quality.

7. Handle Hazardous Materials Safely

Use and store hazardous materials properly

Be prepared for an emergency with spill kits and emergency numbers

BMP’S

January 2015


Welcome New Members

PLC Members Glen Luce Logging, Inc., Turner, ME, is owned and operated by Glen Luce. Glen has seven employees and operates a

whole tree felling, skidding and chipping operation. Glen Luce Logging works predominately for small landowners in

the southwestern part of Maine, but has also done a great deal of work for the Androscoggin Valley Soil, Water and Con-

servation District. In the summer, Glen races late model stock cars. Quite often, Glen races with PLC Member Steve

Theriault’s (TNT Road Company, Fort Kent) son, Austin!

Margil Forest Products (MFP), Jackman, ME, is owned and operated by Marc and Gilles Cameron. MFP, which is

also Master Logger, was a member of the PLC until the end of 2012 when they downsized their operation. They decided

to rejoin the PLC because they felt that they lost out on all of the services that the PLC offers to its members. MFP is a

two person, cut to length contractor that operates for Plum Creek.

David Gordon Logging, Farmington, ME, is owned and operated by David Gordon. According to Mr. Gordon, the

PLC will help with safety training, profitability and taking advantage of all that PLC has to offer, including the Acadia

Dividend program and our legislative activities. David Gordon Logging is a two person, cut to length contractor, that

operates predominately for TR Dillon.

Supporting Members American Forest Management (AFM) is the largest forest consulting and real estate brokerage firm in the United

States. The AFM Northeast Region has offices located in Augusta, Milford and Stratton, Maine, and provides forestry

services across the State of Maine and parts of New Hampshire. For more information on AFM, please visit http://

afmcorporate.com/Location_Maine-American-Forest-Management-RealEstate-Timber.shtml or contact John Bryant,

Northeast Region Manager, [email protected] or 827-3700.

Brantner, Thibodeau & Associates was founded in Bangor, Maine in 1980 to provide high quality income tax and ac-

counting services. Christopher Madden, CPA, has over 20 years experience working within the forestry industry. Fo

more information on Brantner, Thibodeau & Associates, please visit www.btacpa.com or contact Christopher Madden,

Partner, [email protected] or 947-3325.

Enviro-Mats, Inc., which is located in New Portland, Maine, manufactures both hardwood and hemlock mats for sale

and rent. Enviro-Mats also purchases 16’ mat logs with various delivery/roadside capabilities. For more information,

please visit www.ges.com or contact Ron Clark, Mill Manager, [email protected] or 628-6060.

NH Bragg provides industrial and safety supplies, services and solutions to professional users in Maine and New Hamp-

shire. Since 1854, this family owned business has brought premier manufacturers and long experience to the region, in

an effort to keep logging businesses successful. For more information on NH Bragg, please visit www.nhbragg.com or

contact Al Bugbee, Sales Manager, [email protected] or 947-8612.

Rudman Winchell, Counselors At Law, is located in the heart of Maine's industrial timberlands, and is a trusted part-

ner in the representation of the timber industry. Their timberlands lawyers have extensive experience in timberland title

matters, property exchanges, partitions, stumpage contracts, supply contracts, tenancy in common interests, timber

deeds, access easements and other similar issues. Rudman Winchell is pleased to offer a 10% discount to all PLC of

Maine members. For more information on Rudman Winchell, please visit www.rudmanwinchell.com or contact Wil-

liam Hanson, Attorney, [email protected] or 992-2628.

U.S. Blades was founded in 2003 as a spin-off of International Knife and Saw. U.S. Blades is a leading supplier of knife

and saw products with four locations in the eastern region, including Hampden, Maine. U.S. Blades also offers indus-

trial knives, blades and saws, as well as ancillary materials such as abrasives, coolant, grinding machines, plus metal

strapping and packaging supplies. For more information on U.S. Blades, please visit www.usblades.net or contact Wil-

lie Underhill, Vice-President, [email protected] or 947-3304.

http://afmcorporate.com/Location_Maine-American-Forest-Management-RealEstate-Timber.shtml

http://afmcorporate.com/Location_Maine-American-Forest-Management-RealEstate-Timber.shtml

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.btacpa.com


http://www.ges.com


http://www.nhbragg.com


http://www.rudmanwinchell.com


http://www.usblades.net



Volume 6 Issue 1

PLC MEMBER SHOWCASE

Dale Plourde Logging, Inc.

Fort Kent

Dale Plourde hasn’t been a logger all his life.

After he graduated from high school, his father,

Gerard Plourde, asked him come to work in the fam-

ily logging business to manually cut tree length logs

into four foot pulpwood and stack it by hand along

the road side. Instead, Dale chose to go to Connecti-

cut for a while where he helped erect steel framed

buildings. Not long after he left, his father talked

him into returning to help run their family logging

business based out of Fort Kent.

In the 1980’s Dale and his father’s operation

had over twenty hand crews operating with skidders,

some of which were owned by their company and

some skidders that were contracted from others.

Their homes are in Fort Kent and they operated in

that area as well as west towards St. Francis, into

Blackstone and south along Route 11.

Gerard retired several years ago and Dale has

been running the operation on his own for 17 years.

Dale’s wife Lynn teaches school in Fort Kent and

they have three children. Twins Chelsey and Cody

are eighteen and about to graduate from high school.

Cody works with his father at every opportunity and

plans on obtaining a degree in business which might

work well should he decide to work with his father

after college. They have another son Austin who is

twelve and also likes the logger’s life.

Dale moved away from using hand crews

with his first purchase of a feller-buncher in 1994

and the purchase of a processor in 1997. He has set-

tled on maintaining a crew of six employees.

Dale been a harvesting contractor for Prentiss

& Carlisle, working with forester Carl Sjogren, for

many years with an occasional contract to harvest

wood for Seven Islands Land Company. Carl says

Dale runs an efficient operation with modern equip-

ment and a crew of experienced employees so there

is little equipment downtime and very few issues re-

lated to following harvest plans Carl gives them.

Dale is always on the job site making sure everyone

has what they need to be productive. The crew

works five 12 hour days generally arriving on the job

site at 4 a.m. each day.

Dale also has a road building crew of three

people that construct and maintain roads and bridges

at other locations that are not necessarily tied to the

company’s harvest operations. They are Dana

Beaulieu who operates a bull dozer, Albert Raymond

who operates an excavator and Lonny Soucy who

operates the dump truck.

All of the wood harvested is trucked by

Northern Timber Trucking where Dale’s brother

Dean is employed as a crane operator.

This article was reprinted with permission from North Maine Woods, Inc.

Plourde Logging crew: L-R Jake Ouellette- Forwarder owner/operator, Alex Plourde-

Feller-Buncher operator, Dale Plourde, Benny Jandreau- Feller-Buncher operator


January 2015

SUPPORTING MEMBER SPOTLIGHT - Farm Credit East

One thing that is consistently said by logging

business members about Farm Credit East is: it’s

good to work with a lender who understands our in-

dustry. Farm Credit East is not a bank or a credit un-

ion. They are a customer-owned cooperative whose

sole focus is providing financial and business support

to the agriculture, commercial fishing and forest

products industries within the Northeast. Since 1916,

they have been providing members with services of

all kinds to help them start, succeed and grow ─

through the good times and the not-so-good times.

Farm Credit East’s roots partnering with the

logging industry and the Professional Logging Con-

tractors of Maine (PLC) go very deep. A portion of

the $5.6 billion in loans they make to agribusiness in

the Northeast goes toward helping Maine logging

companies with all aspects of their businesses, in-

cluding harvesting and trucking operations. They are

also proud of their longtime involvement as active

supporting members of the PLC, including sponsor-

ship of many PLC events.

Their close ties to the forest products indus-

try give them a unique perspective — there are no

one-size-fits-all answers to the challenges loggers

face every day. That’s why Farm Credit East offers

solutions specific to this industry. For instance: How

do you manage the demands of a rural location? How

do you meet the ongoing challenges of equipment

upkeep and depreciation? What about the realities of

the impact of weather on your cash flow? And

through it all, how can you run the financial side of

the business to maintain profitability?

Farm Credit East supports loggers, manufac-

turing businesses and landowners with loans, lines of

credit, leases, accounting services, appraisals, busi-

ness consulting, payroll and tax planning and prepa-

ration services. They work with you at your conven-

ience on site, in your business office or at one of

their branch locations in Maine: 615 Minot Avenue,

Auburn and 26 Rice Street, Presque Isle.

When a company joins Farm Credit East,

they become a part of the cooperative with a voice in

how Farm Credit East manages and governs the busi-

ness. Keeping their customer-owners involved helps

them stay in tune with the ever-changing dynamic of

the industry and continually evaluate and measure

what they can do together to keep the forest products

industry — and your particular piece of it — viable

and profitable.

From the perspective of Farm Credit East,

their members are right — it is good to work with a

lender who understands agriculture, commercial fish-

ing and the forest products industries. If you want to

learn more about Farm Credit East, visit their web-

site at FarmCreditEast.com, give them a call or stop

into one of their branches. Talk with Auburn branch

manager Matthew Senter ─ 207-784-0193 or 800-

831-4230 ─ or Presque Isle branch manager Peter

Hallowell – 207-764-6431 or 800-831-4640.

You’ll find Matt, Pete and their staffs easy to

work with. The Auburn team manages loan relation-

ships with all types and sizes of logging operations,

including hand crews, mechanical whole tree har-

vesting and chipping operations as well as cut-to-

length processing operations. And the Presque Isle

team lends and provides leases to value-added manu-

facturing businesses, loggers and landowners, all

family-owned business. Both teams also look for-

ward to providing tax and record-keeping services to

the forest products industry.

In short, their teams are ready to support you

and find solutions for your business needs. After all,

that’s what lenders who are focused on your industry

are for.

http://www.FarmCreditEast.com

Volume 6 Issue 1


Upcoming Events

PLC of Maine Legislative Breakfast, February 2015, Augusta, ME. Meet with state legislative members and edu-

cate them on how their decisions impact the industry. Details are forthcoming.

Logging Productivity and Profits – Strengthening What Is Already There—A Workshop for Logging Con-

tractors, February 2-3, 2015, Lincoln, ME, February 5-6, 2015, Auburn, ME. Contact the PLC for registration.

The PLC of Maine is pleased to offer this free, two-day, business improvement workshop to our members. Join

experts from logging, business, and education for training that is specifically tailored to our industry.

Day One: The first day, “Strengthening What’s Already There (SWAT)”, is presented by Jeff Benjamin

(University of Maine), Steve Bick (Northeast Forests, LLC), Wendy Farrand (Farrand Consulting), and René Ger-

main (SUNY-ESF). SWAT presents important concepts and methods, such as process improvement, throughput

accounting, business management, and human resource management, for the continuous improvement of a logging

business. Business owners should plan on attending Day One. Attendance is limited to one representative per

company (additional company representatives will be admitted on a space available basis).

Day Two: The second day, “Logging Productivity and Profits”, presented by Steve Bick, Northeast Forests, LLC,

will help your company document and analyze your operating costs to help make critical business decisions and

run your company with greater confidence. Specific topics included in this workshop are logging business equity,

throughput accounting, detailed instruction and hands-on exercises in the use of PATH 2.0, bottlenecks in logging

& logging as project management. Participants will be provided with a free copy of PATH 2.0 that they can utilize

in their businesses. Accountant and bookkeepers should plan on attending Day Two. Attendance is limited to

one representative per company (additional company representatives will be admitted on a space available basis).

PLC Executive Board Meeting, February 19, 2015, 1-3 pm, PLC of Maine Office, Augusta, Maine

PLC Board of Directors Meeting, March 19, 2015, 12 – 4 pm, PLC of Maine Office, Augusta, ME. All PLC

Members (Contractors) are invited to attend.

PLC of Maine Spring Safety Trainings, April and May 2015. Locations and Dates TBA

PLC of Maine Annual Meeting, May 1, 2015, 8 am—9 pm, Jeff’s Catering, Brewer, ME.

January 2015


“Logging Productivity and Profits – Strengthening What Is Already There”

Registration Form

Registration is First Come, First Serve – Limited Space Available

Space is reserved for PLC Members until January 16, 2015. Registration may be opened to the public

after that point, space pending.

If you enroll in Day Two, please bring your laptop with Excel installed

Please select a training location:

_____ Monday and Tuesday, February 2-3, 2015, Health Access Network Conference Room, 175 West

Broadway, Lincoln, ME (8 am – 4:00 pm)

_____ Thursday and Friday, February 5-6, 2015, Farm Credit East Conference Room, 615 Minot Ave-

nue, Auburn, ME (8 am – 4:00 pm)

Sponsored by:

MAIL / FAX / EMAIL completed registration to:

PLC of Maine | 49 Pinelands Dr., Suite 201A | New Gloucester, ME 04260

fax to 688-8197 | [email protected]

FOR MORE INFO please call 688-8195

Company Name:

Owner Name (Day 1):

Bookkeeper Name (Day 2):

Other Attendees (space avail-

able):

Address:

City/Town: State: Zip:

Phone #: Email:


Volume 6 Issue 1


PLC of Maine

Annual Report—2014

2014 was a transitional year for the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) as Mike Beardsley moved on

from his position as Executive Director and Dana Doran was hired to replace him. Despite this change in leadership, the

PLC was as busy as ever and the condition of the PLC remains strong.

Dana Doran came to the PLC with more than fifteen years of leadership experience in various capacities with organiza-

tions in government, private industry, economic development and education. Most recently, Dana was the Director of

Energy and Paper Programs at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, Maine. Mr. Doran is a native Mainer

and has significant ties to the forest products industry in Maine. He has also had a unique opportunity to serve in several

positions with a diverse set of organizations, both public and private, in Washington, DC and in Central Maine where

logging was a topic of his work on various occasions.

The spring legislative session was relatively light this year for the PLC, which represented a major change from previous

years. This gave the PLC a chance to assist the American Loggers Council with several pieces of federal legislation,

including the Young Loggers bill. Three out of four of Maine’s Congressional Delegation signed on to support this im-

portant bill and we are very hopeful that it receives a positive reception from Congress. The issue of labor and fiber sup-

ply continues to be debated as loggers, mills, and landowners have different perspectives on the issue. The Young Log-

gers bill is a step in the right direction.

In May, we held our 19th annual meeting which included several guest speakers, the conveyance of awards; recognition

of PLC’s founding members and the election of officers to the Board of Directors. Robert Linkletter of Linkletter and

Sons completed his term as President and 1st Vice-President Brian Souers of Treeline was elected to lead the organiza-

tion. We also welcomed one new board member, Duane Jordan of Elliot Jordan and Sons. Lastly, the PLC was pleased

to honor US Senator Susan Collins and present her with our Impact Award for her work on behalf of loggers, specifi-

cally, increasing the truck weight limit on federal highways in Maine.

The Annual Meeting also represents one of the two PLC sponsored Log-A-Load events that raises money for Children’s

Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals in Maine. Once again, our initial fundraising goal of $5,000 was quickly surpassed as

loggers, suppliers, and family members purchased items through our Live Auction. In all, the auction raised just over

$23,000 for Log-A-Load for Kids. In September, the PLC partnered with American Forest Management to conduct the

annual golf tournament at Jato Golf Course in Lincoln, which is owned by PLC founding member W.T. Gardner and

Sons. A good time was had by all and the participants helped raise nearly $60,000 for CMN Hospitals in Maine. The

two PLC Log-A-Load events raised over $80,000 for CMN Hospitals in 2014.

May also marked the start of the PLC of Maine’s annual hands on safety trainings around the State of Maine. The full

day trainings were held at six locations statewide with training topics including: chipper lock out tag out; separation of

operations; shop safety; risky business in the woods; distracted driving and global harmonization. All the sessions were

taught by subject matter experts from local equipment dealers, insurance companies, and parts suppliers. More than 400

loggers participated over the course of the spring.

And finally, in June, the PLC Board of Directors adopted its first Strategic Plan, which will provide direction and guid-

ance for the next three years. The Strategic Plan is a major step forward for the organization as it formalizes the commit-

ment of the organization to the advancement of the industry. The plan includes four distinct goals related to the advance-

ment of the organization and the industry as well as a delineation of objectives and action steps to achieve success.

The past year has been has been an exciting but successful one for the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine. The

road ahead has many challenges and opportunities to help our logger members locally and nationally and we look for-

ward to our continued involvement and active participation on behalf of loggers in 2015.

January 2015


ALC Washington Report

November 2014

2014 Election and the 114th Congress Republicans picked up nine Senate seats this election cycle. Republicans also picked up twelve seats in the House. Re-

publicans will control both chambers of Congress for the first time in a decade.

Congressman Steve Southerland (R-FL) was one of only two Republican Congressmen who failed to win their seats in

the House. Congressman Southerland introduced the Right to Haul Act, H.R. 5201, on July 24, 2014, which allows state

legal weight tolerances on the Federal Interstate Highway System, which the ALC supported. The ALC will be looking

for another sponsor to reintroduce the bill when the 114th Congress convenes in January.

Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) will chair the House Natural Resources Committee with the retirement of Congress-

man Doc Hastings (R-WA). Congressman Raul Graijalva (D-AZ) has been selected as the next Ranking Member on

Natural Resources.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will chair the Senate Energy and natural Resources Committee as well as the Senate

Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the Department of Interior, Forest Service and other agencies.

Senate Committee Passes Misguided Wyden O& C Bill

On November 13th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed an amended version of Senator Ron

Wyden’s (D-OR) “Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2014,” S. 1784, by a vote of 15-7. While the Committee

struggled to establish a quorum, there were enough present to pass the Bill out of Committee. Extensive comments were

submitted by the counties and the forest products industry as to the language in the Bill, which serves only to set aside an

additional 1.8 million acres for permanent protection in the form of wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, old growth pro-

tections, and a number of other special conservation areas while subjecting the limited acreage that remains open for for-

est management to the same regulatory paralysis and litigation that stymies management today.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Reopens Comment Period On Proposed Listing Of The Northern Long-Eared Bat On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), the agency responsible for determining

whether land-based wildlife species should be listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), announced

that it was reopening the comment period on its proposal to list the Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB) as endangered.

The public comment period has now been extended for the third time from November 18, 2014 to December 18, 2014,

although the deadline for FWS to make a final decision on listing the NLEB remains April 2, 2015.

EPA Releases Revised Draft of the Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources

On November 19th, Janet G. McCabe, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

issued a memo emphasizing the critical role that America’s forests play in addressing carbon pollution in the United

States by removing nearly 12 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions each year from the atmosphere. EPA plans to

propose revisions to the PSD rules that will exempt from the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) requirement

GHG emissions from waste-derived feedstocks and from non-waste biogenic feedstocks derived from sustainable for-

estry practices. For non-waste biogenic feedstocks to be exempt from BACT requirements, EPA plans to allow permit

applicants to demonstrate that these feedstocks come from sustainably managed lands.

Forest Inventory Analysis

The ALC has joined in with other industry and forest-related organizations requesting that the Forest Inventory Analysis

(FIA) be fully funded in 2015 as part of an omnibus appropriations bill. The data and information collected by FIA

serves as the basis for: identifying trends in forest ownership; assessing fish and wildlife habitat; evaluating wildfire, in-

sect, and disease risk; predicting the spread of invasive species; determining capital investment in existing forest prod-

ucts facilities and selecting locations for new forest product facilities; and identifying and responding to priorities identi-

fied in State Forest Action Plans.

Volume 6 Issue 1


PLC Signs New Comment Letter Regarding Endangered Species

Listing of Northern Long Eared Bat

Re: Docket # FWS-R5-ES-2011-0024

Thank you for reopening the public comment period, concerning the proposal to list the Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB) for pro-

tection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The 55 forest products associations signed on to these comments agree with the points raised in the November 5, 2014 letter to U.S.

Fish & Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, submitted by the Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) and

other regional coalitions of state forestry and wildlife officials, and urge you to strongly consider the evaluation and recommenda-

tions of that letter in reaching your decision on listing the Northern Long-Eared Bat.

Specifically, the undersigned agree with MAFWA’s following points:

the difficulty of understanding and projecting White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)-related mortality trends or the means by which

White-Nose Syndrome spreads throughout regional populations;

commonly deployed forest management practices have actually been a key factor in developing NLEB habitat throughout the

Bat’s wide range;

conventional forest management and timber harvest inflict only negligible harm, while significantly contributing to conserving

NLEB habitat;

across the NLEB’s range, many state and federal agency partners are already implementing conservation actions to slow the

spread of WNS and protect the NLEB while at the same time implementing normal forest management activities.

The listed associations support MAFWA’s suggestion that, if an ESA listing is imposed, protection be limited to a “threatened” des-

ignation and that guidelines support the continuation of normal forest management on forest lands containing current or potential

NLEB habitat.

When a species is listed as “threatened,” the ESA does not specify what activities are prohibited but instead, as the MAFWA letter

points out, Section 4(d) of the statute authorizes the Service to issue a special rule to apply the “take’ and other prohibitions of ESA

section 9 as appropriate. This would allow the Service to recognize that normal forest management activities cause negligible “take”

of the NLEB and therefore should be expressly excluded from prohibited activities with respect to the NLEB. This is a reasonable

course of action, as is the additional suggestion that the Service “engage with the states to develop this 4(d) rule.” Such engagement

is will be essential to developing strategies that will effectively protect both the bat and avoid unnecessary disruption to working

forests and the forest products industry.

As the MAFWA letter reiterates, and the Service seems to agree, current forest management norms have nothing to do with NLEB’s

observed decline. Effective conservation measures will consist of developing and implementing a cure for White-Nose Syndrome,

accompanied by educational measures to protect identified NLEB hibernacula from disturbance in the meantime. The Service’s ef-

forts and assets would be much more effectively deployed to those ends than in attempting to impose a new regulatory regime on

sustainably managed forestland.

Alabama Forestry Association American Forest & Paper Association

American Loggers Council

American Walnut Manufacturer’s Association Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc.

Arkansas Forestry Association

Arkansas Timber Producers Association Black Hills Forest Resource Association

Empire State Forest Products Association

Federal Forest Resource Coalition Florida Forestry Association

Forest Landowners Association

Forest Resources Association Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association

Hardwood Federation

Hardwood Manufacturers Association Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association

Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association

Intermountain Forest Association

Intermountain Roundwood Association Kentucky Forest Industries Association

Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association

Lake State Lumber Association Maine Forest Products Council

Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association

Massachusetts Forest Alliance Michigan Association of Timbermen

Minnesota Forest Industries

Michigan Forest Products Council Minnesota Timber Producers Association

Mississippi Forestry Association

Missouri Forest Products Association Montana Wood Products Association

National Alliance of Forest Owners

National Hardwood Lumber Association National Wood Flooring Association

New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association

North Carolina Forestry Association

Northeastern Loggers’ Association Ohio Forestry Association

Oregon Women in Timber

Penn York Lumbermen’s Club Pennsylvania Forest Products Association

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

South Carolina Forestry Association South Carolina Timber Producers Association

South Dakota Family Forest Association

Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association Texas Forestry Association

Treated Wood Council

Virginia Forest Products Association Virginia Forestry Association

Western Hardwood Association

Wisconsin Paper Council Wood Component Manufacturers Association


January 2015

The ALC Celebrates 20 Years

and Honors Two From the PLC

The American Loggers Council (ALC) held its

20th Annual Meeting in Harris, Michigan., on Sept. 25 –

27, 2014 and had well over 200 attendees including log-

gers, and sponsors that have helped support the work of

the Council over the past twelve months and twenty

years.

“I am proud that we were able to return to Michi-

gan on our 20th anniversary and celebrate not only the

past twenty years of the organization, but the direction

that we will head well into the future” said ALC Presi-

dent Brian Nelson. “We’re excited about the progress that

has been made and look forward to extending those ef-

forts as we head into 2015. We are confident that we are

headed in the right direction with our goal of being the

national hub for logger information exchange, linking

local, state and regional organizations around the coun-

try.”

The three day conference included a logging

tour, technical sessions, business meetings and awards

presentations where Associated Oregon Loggers Execu-

tive Director Jim Geisinger and Montana Logging Asso-

ciation Director Keith Olson received the President’s

award for their efforts and accomplishments over the past

several years and Ohio logger and businessman Corbett

Caudill with Caudill Chipping, Inc. received the prestig-

ious Timber Harvesting “Logging Business of the Year

Award.”

A new award presented by the ALC this year as

the National Logger Activist Award that recognizes a

logger who has demonstrated unselfish time and efforts

to promote the timber harvesting profession. The first-

ever recipient of this award went to Mike Albrecht with

Sierra Resource Management located in Jamestown, Cali-

fornia.

The Board of Directors and Membership meet-

ings were held on September 27th and included commit-

tee reports from the legislative, transportation, biomass,

communications, membership, Master Logger and nomi-

nation committees. ALC Legislative Committee Chair,

Jim Geisinger commented during his report that “over the

past twenty years, the progress that the organization has

made is amazing in the fact that where once there was

once no unified voice loggers in Washington, DC, and

now, 20 years later, they are calling us. Just this year,

members of the American Loggers Council have been

called several times to testify, either written or orally, on

the issues and legislation that have the potential to impact

their operations, as well as have two of our issues, the

Endangered Species Act and Truck Weights introduced

as bills in both the House and Senate.” Geisinger went

on to state that “having this many state Representatives

and Senators, as well as U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek

attend the meeting is a testament to the progress that we

are making.”

During the closing President’s dinner on Satur-

day night, several

Past Presidents of

the American Log-

gers Council were

on-hand, including

current PLC

Board Member

and past ALC

President, Steve

Hanington

(Hanington Bros.,

Macwahoc, Maine), to be presented with special awards

and recognition for the work that they had done to keep

the organization moving ahead. Earl St. John, the first

President of the American Loggers Council from

Spaulding, Michigan gave the keynote address following

dinner.

Cheryl Russell, the

first ALC Executive Direc-

tor, former PLC Executive

Director, and sister of Steve

Hanington, was also recog-

nized at the President’s dinner

for her work on behalf of the

ALC, the PLC and the logging

industry.

Myles Anderson from

Fort Bragg, California was

introduced as the new Presi-

dent of the American Loggers

Council, with Florida logger

Richard Schwab, Mississippi logger Ken Martin, and

Oregon Logger Mark Turner filling the Vice Presidents

and Secretary/Treasurer positions on the Executive Com-

mittee. Mr. Anderson stated in his remarks that “I plan

on keeping the momentum that we have built up over the

past twenty years moving forward,” and “that there is still

much work needed at the federal level on the issues that

will help those that we represent participate in the eco-

nomic recovery being seen around the country.”

Volume 6 Issue 1


As We See It—October 2014

“Leadership”

By Brian Nelson, President

The success of any organization or business

is directly related to the quality of its leadership. No

matter how good of a product you produce, service

you provide, or vision you have, you still need the

leadership of quality individuals to pull it all to-

gether.

Looking back at the leadership that the

American Loggers Council (ALC) has enjoyed over

the years and the strides that have been made-I can’t

help but feel proud to have been a part of the vision

that our founders had for the ALC. That vision being

a “National Voice for Professional Loggers” in this

country. The ALC has accomplished many things

over the past twenty years through the hard work

and dedication of some of the finest loggers (and

individuals) this country has to offer.

I’ve always believed it was far more produc-

tive to build upon successes as opposed to trying to

“reinvent the wheel” and that has been a constant

through the years with the ALC leadership-building

upon what those before them had started. Few

things, especially in the legislative arena, can be re-

solved in the short span of one’s term as ALC Presi-

dent making it all the more important to build upon

those successes.

It’s hard to believe that my term as ALC

President is nearly over but as that time nears I look

back at what we all accomplished and question if we

could have done more for our nation’s loggers. We

all strive to do more, unfortunately that is not always

possible for one reason or another.

We have had a very productive year nonethe-

less, primarily on the legislative front. After seven-

teen years we were finally successful in getting our

truck weight language of “state legal tolerances on

interstate highways” introduced into legislation,

while it may not go anywhere this Legislative ses-

sion, we do have a bill now and will continue to

work on this issue. Also we were able to get a bill

drafted and introduced in both the U.S. House and

the Senate to allow children of logging company

owners to begin careers in the industry at the age of

16. Neither of these issues are “done deals” and both

are going to take a concerted effort by all in the in-

dustry to get signed into law but I’m confident we

can get it done. These are just a couple of the many

issues that the ALC has been working on this past

year.

The ALC has been fortunate to have had the

leadership they have had over the years and I count

myself lucky to have been able to work with many

of them. I am proud to have been a small part in

what ALC has been able to accomplish over the

years and am completely confident in its future be-

cause of the leadership we have coming up in the

next few years.

As I am writing this month’s article plans are

well underway for this year’s ALC Annual meeting

to be held at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris,

Michigan. This will be a special homecoming- since

the very first ALC Annual meeting in 1994, we will

be returning to Michigan for our twentieth anniver-

sary. My wife, Maureen and I are excited to show-

case the beauty of the Great Lakes and the fall colors

of the U.P. and look forward to seeing you all in our

neck of the woods.

It has been an honor and a privilege to repre-

sent Michigan and all the professional loggers of this

country as the ALC president.

Thanks to all for the support and encourage-

ment this past year, it was and is truly appreciated.

Until next time,

LOG SAFE

Brian Nelson

Brian Nelson is the former President of the American Loggers

Council and he and his brother David and father Marvin own

and operate Marvin Nelson Forest Products, Inc. based out of

Cornell, Michigan.


January 2015

As We See It—November 2014

“20 Years and Counting”

By Myles Anderson, President

Twenty Years ago cell phones were sold as

bags and could only make calls, the U.S. Forest Ser-

vice harvested almost 5 Billion Board Feet and the

American Loggers Council was formed by 40 upset

Loggers in St. Louis, Missouri. While much has

changed over the years, the willingness of many Log-

gers to represent the thousands across the Country has

not waivered and continues to build the American Log-

gers Council into a great organization.

The twentieth annual meeting of the American

Loggers Council held in Escanaba Michigan has come

and gone. A special presentation was made to all of

the former Presidents and it allowed for each to say

their piece about the formation and the path of the

ALC. Mike Crouse from Loggers World spoke very

descriptively of the first meeting, and the trials and

tribulations that went into forming the ALC. There

was much to reflect on with the 20 year history and

clearly some of the issues that brought Loggers to-

gether then are still bringing them together today. The

ALC has grown in its 20 years and I hope that we can

continue that growth moving forward, building

strength and increasing our umbrella as “the National

Voice for Professional Loggers.”

We must all continue working to make the

Timber Harvesting portion of our industry a profes-

sion. There are many in our industry that are happy to

sit by and let others do this work for them, but I be-

lieve through the growth and understanding of ALC

that this will change. I hope that as more Timber Har-

vesting Professionals come to understand what the

ALC is about their participation will increase. Our

strength is in a common message supported by large

numbers, and we must continue to build alliances with

other National Organizations. The ability to be active

at the National level is in each of our own hands as

Professional Loggers in this Country. The American

Loggers Council has, through great leadership, become

a strong organization with many doors opening to it;

however, it needs the support of all the fiber producing

States to be as strong as possible.

There was a panel at this year’s meeting that

put 3 loggers at the table, one from Florida, one from

Michigan and one from California. The questions re-

volved around what the loggers thought were opportu-

nities and what were threats to their ability to success-

fully operate a logging business. The threats occupied

much of the discussion and were focused on regula-

tion, workforce and markets. While the geographic

location of the loggers was much different, the threats

were very similar. While we all have regional issues

there are many issues facing Loggers on a National

level. This National stage is where the ALC can help

so long as we are united.

Moving forward the ALC has many issues that

are being worked on and many more that we hope to

be working on soon. The ALC continues to be re-

quested for testimony by various committees in Wash-

ington DC as issues arise that will impact fiber produc-

tion in this country.

The ALC is knee deep in legislation, meetings,

conference calls and everything else as we fight off the

constant barrage of issues coming out of Washington

DC. This work is vitally important to our industry, but

cannot be done without the financial assistance of the

ALC’s great Sponsors. Please got to our Web Site,

www.americanloggers.org, to see a list of the Sponsors

that contribute to the ALC which in turn allows us to

represent Loggers in Washington, DC. If you do busi-

ness with any of these Sponsors please thank them, as

it is their support that allows for our activism.

If you are a Logger in a State with a Logging

Association, I ask that you join it. If you are already a

member of your State or Regional Logging Associa-

tion, thank you. If your state does not have an associa-

tion then join the American Loggers Council as an In-

dividual Logger Member and stand with us. I look

forward to working with all the great leaders in this

industry that are currently involved with the ALC and

hopefully some new ones in the coming year as we

continue to build our strength as Professional Timber

Harvesters. Please stand with us and be heard, if our

industry is to prosper we must increase our activism.

Myles Anderson is the current President of the American Log-

gers Council and he and his father Mike own and operate

Anderson Logging, Inc. based out of Fort Bragg, CA.

http://www.americanloggers.org

Volume 6 Issue 1


As We See It—December 2014

“Perception”


Perception is complex constructions of simple

elements joined through association and is subject to

the influence of learning. Perception can result from a

catastrophic event or a description provided by some-

one you trust.

When it comes to professional timber harvest-

ers, perception is all over the board. Absent education,

a bad or false perception will linger forever. There are

many people in this country that would be content if

trees were never harvested again; they are comfortable

in their perception that boards come from the lumber

yards, not from the forest.

The United States has more forested acres to-

day than 100 years ago; this can be credited to many

factors including our industries interest in sustainabil-

ity. Few people understand this and education is

needed to change this perception. Our industry has

done a poor job of educating the public whether by

word or deed. During this same period the environ-

mental industry has done a great job distorting the facts

and fueling their coffers on people’s emotions.

If in fact environmental standards were the

leading factor governing fiber purchase, the public

would demand a halt to fiber importation into this

country. The general public seems to like the idea of

the regulatory environment we are burdened with as

they approve of all these layers of Government over-

sight. The market place proves that they are equally

concerned with the cost of the products we produce.

This leaves our industry trying to figure out how to

cover the cost associated with these regulations and

continue to compete in a worldwide market. Many

simple things can be done to help the public better un-

derstand how our industry supplies fiber to the market

place in an environmentally sound manner. The public

needs to recognize we operate under the most stringent

rules anywhere in the world.

Loggers are stubborn people, overly optimistic,

and for some odd reason relish doing things others say

can’t be done. Forty years ago working harder could

bring about positive results, but that is not necessarily

true anymore. Loggers today spend too much time

concerned with where the next job will come from,

instead of what all businesses should be concerned

with, whether or not it makes good business sense to

take it. Our concern over “surviving” until the next job

or logging season distract us from the real need to edu-

cate the public in order to retain our “social” license to

operate.

Perception can be influenced through educa-

tion and it is up to us because we understand what it

takes to harvest timber in this country. First, we need

to insure that our fellow loggers all have the best busi-

ness tools to deal with the environment we are working

in. Second the timber harvesting community needs to

educate everyone we come in contact with on exactly

what it is that we do, the quality of our work, and the

reasons we do it. No one else is going to do this for us,

so we must be proactive when it comes to educating

others and don’t let these opportunities slip by. We,

after all, are the ones that cut down the trees, making it

is easy to point a finger at us and call us the bad guys.

The public needs to understand that we do it while

meeting burdensome environmental regulations and all

of the other associated rules and regulations that go

into operating a business in this country. We are a

lucky industry because we work with renewable re-

sources that if managed correctly will be around for-

ever, not all industries can say the same.

With the holidays upon us I hope it gives the

timber harvesting community time to think about

where our industry is, and where we are going. I hope

that consideration will be given to educating others this

coming year on exactly what it is we do out in the

woods each and every day. We can be a community

that cuts down trees or we can be a dedicated industry

of environmental stewards working hard to sustain a

renewable resource and provide jobs that ensure liveli-

hoods to families and communities. Perception means

a lot to children and adults seeking more information

on this subject and we need to do a better job of edu-

cating everyone, including those we work for, on what

it is we do.

Happy Holidays.





January 2015

As We See It—January 2015

“Experience Matters”


Logging equipment can come in all different

sizes, shapes, colors and ages. Equipment can be old,

new, dirty or clean. Machines can cut down trees, skid

them, process them and put them on a truck, but one

thing they all have in common is that they need a

skilled operator to make them productive.

Daily costs may vary across the country de-

pending on what kind of logging is taking place but

production is what drives cost, and everyone must be

concerned with cost of production. Cost can be meas-

ured per ton or thousand board feet, but in either case

production is the most important factor and it can be

tracked right back to the quality and experience of em-

ployees operating the equipment.

Logging has shifted towards mechanization

across the country and employing and retaining experi-

enced equipment operators is a necessity, however they

are also a necessity to the construction, oil and gas, and

any other industry whose business requires the use of

heavy equipment.

Anyone who has operated equipment knows

what level of coordination and concentration is re-

quired to run an excavator or a bulldozer, but what

about a processor that falls, limbs and bucks a tree to

very tight tolerances. Tolerances that if not met may

result in penalties, and loss of revenue. Are the people

that are operating these highly sophisticated and ex-

pensive machines compensated more than someone

that operates an excavator on a highway project?

A little research on the Bureau of Labor Statis-

tics paints a pretty clear picture of where we have

been. The data is a little sketchy prior to 1999 so let’s

use that as a starting point for comparison. In 1999 the

mean annual income for a logging equipment operator

was $25,390. Fast forward to 2013 and the mean an-

nual income for the same operator was $34,700. The

Bureau of Labor Statistics also had an inflation calcu-

lator and when the 1999 wage of $25,390 was plugged

in out came a 2013 wage of $35,502, showing that we

have not even kept up with inflation. We are paying

operators less today then we were in 1999 and the

equipment is much more complex to operate.

For comparison a construction equipment op-

erator in the same tables was making $34,760 in 1999

and $48,605 in 2013. Good, hardworking productive

employees are going to go where they are best com-

pensated for their work; this is why we constantly hear

about logging companies trying to train new equipment

operators in house. Conversations are abundant about

the rising cost of fuel, insurance, and equipment but

what we should be talking about is how we can pay our

employees more so that they will stay in the forest

products industry. Hard working men and women

have a distinct trait that cannot be taught, and if not

appreciated and compensated for those traits, they of-

ten go somewhere else.

In a fantasy world we could simply print

money as is the case with our Federal government.

The change in SIC code 901 for federal employee’s

shows the median annual income in 1999 was $43,600

and in 2013 it rose to $71,700. Inflation during the

period would put their 1999 wage at $60,950 in 2013.

Next time a federal employee tells you how hard they

are working you can remind them that they are getting

well compensated for that work.

Loggers are being asked to increase production

as our economy slowly improves. As the number of

inexperienced people entering the work force grows;

so will our exposure to accidents and possibly poor

public perception of the industry. Productivity losses

resulting in higher production costs may also be ex-

perienced unless we train and retain good employees.

Our industry will be much better served by keeping the

experienced employees we currently have and aug-

menting them with new, trained, professional and reli-

able employees. How this industry deals with their

employees will, for good or bad, reflect on each of us.

If we do not work together to attract and retain em-

ployees with pay rates that are comparable to similar

trades, we will continue to lose good people to higher

paying industries.




PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS OF MAINE | Loggers Serving Loggers since 1995

Professional Logging

Contractors of Maine

106 Sewall St.

P.O. Box 1036

Augusta, ME 04332

The PLC of Maine is the only organization in the State which is dedicated to representing

professional loggers. We provide a voice for logging contractors by leveraging training, networking,

promotion and legislative action to positively impact the logging industry in Maine!

The PLC has Moved!!!

Please note our new address:

106 Sewall St.

P.O. Box 1036

Augusta, ME 04332

the plc celebrates 20 years and moves to augusta

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