PLC Member Weekly Update May 17, 2024

PLC’s 29th Annual Meeting and Log A Load Auction

The PLC’s 29th Annual Meeting and Log A Load Auction was a great success and we would be remiss if we didn’t take time to thank everyone who attended, sponsored or donated to this wonderful event. Thanks to your generosity we raised over $186,000 for Log A Load for Kids. Again, thank you to our sponsors, Members, Supporting Members, and everyone who made this year’s meeting one for the ages!

Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast holds 29th Annual Meeting May 9-10

Record $186,007 raised for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine and Vermont. 2024 Awards presented to businesses and individuals

ROCKPORT, ME – The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of the Northeast held its 29th Annual Meeting May 9-10, raising a record $186,007 for Log A Load For Kids and presenting awards to businesses and individuals from across Maine and Vermont for their contributions to the logging industry.

The meeting was held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME., with more than 250 attending the main events Friday. Special guests at the event included former NASCAR driver and Maine native Ricky Craven. This was the first annual meeting of the PLC since its expansion in 2023 from a Maine organization to a regional one serving loggers and forest truckers across the Northeast.

The annual meeting is the PLC’s largest event and highlighted by the Log A Load for Kids Auction raising money for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals.

“Each year this special group has come through for the families served by our Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in Maine, and we could not be prouder that this year we have added Vermont to the effort,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “These are very difficult times for the logging industry in the Northeast, with unprecedented market and weather challenges, and that makes this record-setting total for our auction even more impressive and inspiring. We are so grateful for the generosity shown here, and we know the families and kids are grateful as well.”

The Annual Meeting spanned two days, beginning Thursday which featured a bus tour of PLC Supporting Member Robbins Lumber’s Searsmont Eastern White Pine sawmill, lunch in Belfast, a tour of the midcoast and an evening social gathering at the Samoset Resort.

Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast Applauds Maine Congressional Delegation for Supporting Loggers

AUGUSTA, ME – The Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC) are thankful for the support from Maine’s Congressional Delegation in sponsoring new legislation to provide relief to loggers in Maine, and across the country.

On Wednesday morning, Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) introduced the Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act in the House and the Senate.  The legislation would establish a new program within the US Department of Agriculture to assist loggers who have lost income due to natural disasters.

The Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, which is similar the successful Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers (PATHH) program from 2021, will help the logging community weather the storm of recent natural disasters ranging from wildfires, to flooding, to droughts that have been wreaking havoc across the United States. Timber harvesting and hauling businesses that experience a gross revenue loss of at least 10%, will be eligible to apply to receive loss of income assistance. The determination of revenue loss would be calculated by comparing income to the previous year’s gross income.

“Currently, there are no programs that help assist loggers with natural disasters,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast said.  “After a terribly wet summer and two consecutive warm winters, The Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act could provide a lifeline for loggers and forest truckers in Maine that have faced significant obstacles due to extreme weather conditions interrupting their work.”

Final Extension for Blanket Work Search Waiver

Members, many of you are still facing challenges of temporarily laying off employees or being laid off yourself due to mud season. The wet spring conditions are almost behind us, but many contractors in the northern half of the state are still unable to work due to the ongoing mud season. The PLC has received further guidance from the Maine Department of Labor about the final extension for a work search waiver.

The Maine Department of Labor provided two Director Approved waivers this mud season. The first waiver was from March 17, 2024 to April 20 and the 2nd Director Approved Waiver was from April 21, 2024 to May 11, 2024 for a total of 8 weeks. The 3rd and final extension is a recall waiver that started on May 12th.  

• Those who are still filing for unemployment benefits due to mud season will need to provide a recall date for a work search. 
• Be aware when submitting a recall date: If you end up starting two weeks earlier, the system will look at those two weeks as used waiver time that you did not use.  You will want to be careful because this eats into your 6 weeks of the recall waiver that could be used next year or during any lay-off this benefit year.  Please, do your best to enter an accurate recall date. 

Application Information

The most important steps for logging contractors and employees to follow in order to apply for Unemployment Benefits:

File an unemployment claim by phone or online. DO NOT enter a return to work date when applying. 

Call to File: The employee contacts the Bureau at 1-800-593-7660 selects option 2 between 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. The department is manually putting in a “Director Approved Waiver” for impacted loggers.

Note: Mondays are busiest at the unemployment office and tend to slow down each day following. Currently, the average wait times for phone calls are below 3 minutes, so please be patient and a representative will help you.

File Online: online self-service, click HERE. There are zero wait times, and this option is available 7 days a week. Select “Create ReEmployME Account” if you do not already have an account created from prior years, or “Claimant Login” if you have filed through the ReEmployME system sometime within the last three years. Then select the “Unemployment Claim” tab at the top of your screen and go to “File Unemployment Claim.” Follow the prompts on the screen to file a new claim or reopen an existing claim. The department is manually putting in a “Director Approved Waiver” for impacted loggers.

Any questions may be directed to the Bureau at 1-800-593-7660.

Click here for more unemployment information and guidance

New USDOL Overtime Rule to Go into Effect July 1

The rule includes increases to the standard salary level, and provides for future updates every three years to reflect current earnings data.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees, which will take effect on July 1, 2024.

The final rule updates and revises the regulations issued under section 13(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act implementing the exemption from minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) employees. Revisions include increases to the standard salary level and the highly compensated employee total annual compensation threshold, and a mechanism for the updating of these earnings thresholds to reflect current earnings data. While this new rule will take effect in Maine, Maine law does not have an exemption from overtime for highly compensated employees.

Background:

Employees are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime protections if they are employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity, as those terms are defined in the Department’s regulations at 29 CFR part 541. To fall within the EAP exemption, an employee generally must meet three tests:

• be paid a salary, meaning that they are paid a predetermined and fixed amount that is not subject to reduction because of variations in the quality or quantity of work performed;
• be paid at least a specified weekly salary level; and
• primarily perform executive, administrative, or professional duties, as provided in the Department’s regulations.

The Department’s regulations also provide an alternative test for certain highly compensated employees who are paid a salary, earn above a higher total annual compensation level, and satisfy a minimal duties test.

The final rule will increase the standard salary level and the highly compensated employee total annual compensation threshold on the rule’s effective date on July 1, 2024, and on January 1, 2025, when changes in the methodologies used to calculate these levels become applicable. The final rule also provides for future updates of these levels every three years to reflect current earnings data.

How will this affect Maine?

When there is both a federal and state wage and hour law, whichever law is most protective is the enforced law. In this case, this means that the new federal rule will be enforced in Maine by the Maine Department of Labor beginning on July 1, 2024 – except for the exemption from overtime for highly compensated employees.

• The current minimum salary in Maine is $816.35 per week.
• The new minimum salary as of July 1, 2024 will be $844 per week.
• The new minimum salary as of January 1, 2025 will be $1,128 per week.

More information on the rule can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime/rulemaking

The Logger’s Voice – Spring 2024 Edition

Members, The Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest land in order to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by the weather related storms of the last five months. This program could provide many landowners you work with, and as a result your business, revenue during mud season for clean-up efforts on eligible forestland.

Applicants to this program (landowners) need to work with their local FSA Office to register their land by providing proof of ownership documents such as their deed(s) and tax map(s) and complete in-house eligibility paperwork. Applicants will also need to take initial pictures of the damage and provide an estimate of what is needed to clean up the land. Work cannot start in the program until approved.

Only nonindustrial private forest land is eligible for this program. Applicants that are principally engaged in the primary processing of wood products are not eligible applicants.

Once approved, applicants will be paying upfront for the cleanup to contractors and the program will provide cost-share for items approved. It is important to note that the program will not pay more than 75% of the established price which can be found on the component spreadsheet – the intent of the program is not to reimburse applicants in full but to cover a portion of the cost. Receipts will be required when applicants request payment. 

A Fact Sheet on the program is available here and we encourage you to share it with landowners you work with: Emergency Forest Restoration Program.

Sign up for this program ends on May 24.

Anyone with questions should speak with their local FSA office.

Maine’s Direct Link Loan Program

Are you a Master Logger® in Maine who is buying new equipment? Take advantage of the Direct Link Loan Program and get an interest rate reduction of up to 2% on qualifying equipment. Details of the program and how you can take advantage of it are below:

1. A Master Logger signs an Agreement with the Maine Forest Service (MFS), the bank submits Agreement to MFS, and it is approved by the MFS for the purchase of a new or new to them piece of qualifying equipment. (Cut to Length Harvesters and Forwarders, Tracked Feller Bunchers, Stroke Delimbers, Mulching Machines, Road Graders; also includes retrofitting of existing equipment like Flotation tires, Bogey wheels, harvester and processor heads; and Miscellaneous purchases like Metal and Wooden Bridges, Bottomless arches, and sediment and erosion control products) Purchases are considered on a case by case basis, with eligibility based on whether the equipment facilitates the implementation of Best Management Practices.

**Equipment that is NOT eligible: Grapple Skidders, Pull-Thru Delimbers, Tree-to-Tree Feller Bunchers. 

2. The Master Logger gets a loan from a participating bank. (See list below) Example: Loan is for $500,000 at current bank interest rate (ex. 7.00%). Contractor can have multiple loans but can’t exceed the $800,000 aggregate limit allowed by the program.

3. The Master Logger is given an interest rate subsidy (reduction) of 1.50% (up to 2%) – the same amount as the *CD rate for as long as they continue to qualify for the program.

Example: 7.00% loan interest rate less 1.50% rate subsidy = 5.50 effective rate.

The following banks participate in the direct link loan program.

• Katahdin Trust Company – David Cambridge
• Farm Credit East – Shannon Webber
• Machias Savings Bank – Anita Madden
• Acadia FCU

**Note: Maine Municipal Bond Bank buys a $500,000 CD for up to five years from bank for up to 2.00% less than the bank’s going CD rate matching the term of the loan. Ex. 1.50 % – (up to 2%)

Don’t see your bank on the list? Reach out and encourage them to get involved.

Not yet Master Logger® Certified? Email Sydney at sydney@tcnef.org, call (207)-688-8195, opt. 2 or visit masterloggercertification.com.

 For more information, click here for the Direct Link Loan Program.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

For more information:

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/vector-borne/lyme/month/index.shtml

PLC Crew First Aid Backpack

PLC First Aid Pack: In response to widespread interest from members, we have created a PLC First Aid Pack that has everything you need for emergencies in the woods. This Military Elite Tactical Trauma First Aid Backpack was designed for the PLC by Paul Stewart – EMT Houlton, ME. 

To order Click HERE

Now FREE to Maine Loggers! A $300 value!

LEARN MORE

With recent storms, loggers say working conditions have never been harder – BDN

At the Maine Employer Summit, short-staffed companies compete for high school hires – Newscenter

The Maine Bureau of Insurance has approved a 15.7% average rate reduction in workers’ compensation insurance premiums for business clients of MEMIC – PPH

Sappi’s $418 million expansion of Skowhegan mill continues on schedule

Maine saw increase of worker deaths in 2023 | newscentermaine.com

King, Risch Lead Bipartisan Resolution to Honor 152nd Arbor Day

Loggers and top Democrat decry Maine alliance with biggest landowners

Maine logging tensions / ‘Smart growth’ / Bangor shelter’s future

Environmental Protection Agency report shows an increase of toxic chemical releases in Maine

Webinar Covers Two of Maine’s Troublesome Pests: Jumping Worms and Browntail Moths

The Pulse: Building sustainably with local forest products

US Forest Service funds bioenergy, pellet and biochar projects – Biomass Magazine

Vt. logging company fined for violating regulations – WCAX

Pesticides, pet stores and animal welfare: 3 agriculture bills head to Gov. Phil Scott

‘One of the biggest threats to our forests in our lifetime’ | Columns from Northeast Kingdom of Vermont

RFSI Grant Application and Webinar – Vermont Business Magazine

UVM researcher studies risks brought on by deforestation – WCAX

Lipsky shares thoughts with ed, ways and means committees | Opinion Columns | vtcng.com

The push for mass timber as a sustainable housing solution in New England

PLC Members Only!

Equipment Cost Calculators Available

Members,

With expenses rising rapidly in the industry we know you are struggling to get a handle on your costs. This is a great time to utilize the cost calculators created in 2021 for PLC Members.

These new, easy to use, logging equipment and log trucking cost calculators are available on the PLC Members Only section of our web site You may access this private section of the web site with your member login or set up a login HERE.

These calculators allow you to quickly estimate the hourly cost of operation for any piece of your equipment.

DISCLAIMER: These calculators are being made available for your business use as a member benefit. They produce equipment estimates and are not official products of the PLC nor should they be used for negotiation purposes.

PLC Online Store

ALC Member Discounts

PLC Members, because the PLC is a member of the American Loggers Council YOU are entitled to special discounts! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

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Fabian Oil Discount

Wallingford’s Discounts

Maine Trailer Discounts

PLC Members get a 5% discount on culverts purchased at Treeline and Frank Martin & Sons

Hale Trailer discounts for PLC Members on new trailer purchases! Call Neal at 207-232-7969 for details!

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Cross Arena Discounts for PLC! 

PLC Classified Section