Member Weekly Update – Sept. 12, 2025

These appreciation events are our way of saying thank you for being part of the PLC and hearing directly from our contractor members on how we can better support your business. You are welcome to bring a guest to join in the evening, Attendance is limited to two people per company.

MLOFT Students Available for Job Shadows and Interviews

PLC Members,

Students in this year’s Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program (MLOFT) are seeking opportunities to job shadow with contractors on Fridays this fall. This is not only a great learning opportunity for them, but also a chance for you to meet and evaluate potential future employees for your business.

Students are also now available to meet with contractors to explore possible employment opportunities. If you need employees, we encourage you to reach out to schedule interviews now as students typically are hired even before their graduation (This year’s graduation will be on Nov. 6).

You may view information on each student below. If you are interested in having one or more students job shadow with you on a Friday, please contact Tristian at 207-688-8195 or email office@plcloggers.org

If you would like to visit the MLOFT program to meet students and see the program in action, please contact Donald Burr directly at (207) 356-1541 or email safety@plcloggers.org

PLC Members tour MLOFT program Sept. 11

Thank you to all the PLC Members who attended the PLC Full Board Meeting yesterday in Fairfield, ME, and who took time to meet with students in the Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking (MLOFT) Program afterwards! Hearing about the industry firsthand from experienced contractors was a valuable opportunity for the students, and this was also a good chance for contractors to meet potential future employees. Graduation is only two months away, Nov. 6!

*Open to all states and available online or in person*

Our fifth FREE CDL Training Class is open exclusively to employees of PLC Member Companies. This comprehensive course is designed to address the growing need for skilled truck drivers in the logging industry and help participants meet federal training requirements.

Held over three days in-person, the course fulfills the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) entry-level driver training requirement and covers all the information necessary to successfully take and pass the state CDL permit test.

Details:

Dates: December 1 – 3

Location: Augusta/Waterville Area

Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm daily

Cost: Free for PLC Member Company employees

Registration Deadline: November 1

Spots are limited, so be sure to reserve your place today

Google Review Giveaway!

We’ve launched a Google Review Giveaway to help spread the word about the work we do and we need your help! Leave us a Google review by Sept. 12 and you’ll be entered to win $50 cash, a PLC branded helmet and vest, perfect for the job site or the woods. How to enter: Click https://g.page/r/CY3zT3i6bgvkEAE/review Leave an honest review (we truly appreciate it)You’ll be automatically entered. We will draw the winner at random and announce it in our PLC Member Weekly Update. Your review helps others learn about our mission and why membership matters. Thank you for being part of it! Thank-you!

Deputy Executive Director for Membership & Operations

MFS Webinar Sept. 16: Statewide Standards for Timber Harvesting and Related Activities in Shoreland Areas in the Unorganized Territories

The Maine Forest Service invites you to attend an informational webinar on the transition to Statewide Standards for Timber Harvesting and Related Activities in Shoreland Areas in the Unorganized Territories.

Webinar Details

• Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025
• Time: 1:00 p.m.

Beginning on January 2, 2026, Maine’s Statewide Standards for Timber Harvesting and Related Activities in Shoreland Areas (MFS Chapter 21 rule) will take effect in the Unorganized Territories.

During this webinar, Maine Forest Service staff will provide an overview of:

• The upcoming rule change and its implications for timber harvesting operations, road construction and maintenance, and stream crossings in unorganized territories.
• How the transition will be implemented.
• Key standards for timber harvesting and related activities in shoreland zones.

This session is designed for landowners, loggers, foresters, and others who want to understand how these changes may affect their work. If you manage forestland, harvest timber, construct land management roads, or own land in Maine’s unorganized and deorganized areas, we strongly encourage you to attend. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the Maine Forest Service website.

Pre-registration is required. Please register here:
https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/69783496-283a-41b7-b1aa-0d250ba9e239@413fa8ab-207d-4b62-9bcd-ea1a8f2f864e

If the above link doesn’t work, you may have to copy and paste it into your browser.

In the months ahead, the Maine Forest Service will also host in-person training sessions across the state, featuring site visits to review the new standards in more detail.

For more information on the upcoming changes, please visit the MFS Statewide Standards transition webpage:
Transition to Statewide Standards

Dirigo Business Incentives Program – Do You Qualify?

Maine Members, 

The Dirigo Business Incentives program, which started on January 1, 2025, offers eligible businesses the opportunity to greatly reduce state taxes for up to 5 years when they make significant capital investments or provide qualified employee training in certain business sectors. 

Eligible sectors include Forestry

Benefits 

·10% capital investment tax credit (5% capital investment tax credit in Cumberland, Sagadahoc, and York counties) 

·$2,000 per employee provided a qualified employee training program annually  

This credit is capped at $2 million per business per year and can be taken over 5 years. This credit is refundable up to $500,000 per tax year. The qualified business must exceed $50,000 in eligible capital investment to claim annual tax credit.  More on eligible capital investments below.   

Program Will Be Available to All Logging Companies on September 24, 2025  

In the original law, passed by the Legislature in 2023, logging and trucking companies that have more than 20 employees were ineligible for Dirigo if they laid off employees seasonally.  The only way to correct this issue was to amend the statute.  The PLC worked with the Mills Administration and the Legislature for the last year to correct this issue.    

The PLC worked with Senator Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) to amend his bill, LD 1664, An Act to Repeal the Dirigo Incentives Program. Originally, this legislation was an attempt to eliminate the program, which was created in 2023 to replace the Pine Tree Development Zone program and is targeted toward natural resource-based industries in the state.  Once it appeared that Senator Tipping’s bill was going nowhere, the PLC then worked with him to amend the bill and strip everything out of it and amend it to include language to correct the issue for logging companies with 20 or more employees that must lay off their employees during mud season.  This change is vital to seasonal businesses, like logging companies, that want to reinvest in their businesses with new equipment upgrades and the hiring of new employees.  

Notice of Timber Sales – Feuer SF and Cardigan Mt. SF

Below are the notices for the upcoming timber sales for Feuer SF and Cardigan Mt. SF

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@plcloggers.org, call (207)-688-8195, opt. 2 or visit masterloggercertification.com.

Update as of Aug 27:

• 11 applications received for $147k
• 9 applications approved for $117k
• 2 applications under review or revision for $30k
• $553k in funding remains available for future applicants

The SLoCAMP (Supporting Loggers to Comply with Acceptable Management Practices) Grant Program is now accepting applications. This program offers significant cost share benefits for logging contractors working on harvest sites in Vermont. Eligible practices include road hardening, skid trail improvements, and stream crossings.

Applying is quick and straightforward — once you have your materials ready, the online application takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Reviews begin within 2 business days of receiving your submission, so you can move forward without delay.

Visit the link below to learn more, gather your materials, and start your application.

Notice of Timber Sales – Feuer SF and Cardigan Mt. SF

Below are the notices for the upcoming timber sales for Feuer SF and Cardigan Mt. SF

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit Reports

Click below to read the latest weekly Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Report from the Vermont Motor Vehicle Police.

Vermont News Clips

*Watch the video of the American Loggers Council testifying in Congress House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry & Horticulture “Promoting Forest Health and Resiliency Through Improved Active Management”. 

📌 Vermont forestry leaders explore barriers to enhancing wood product industry and workforce housing
📌 Vermont’s Forestry Leaders Discuss Economic Challenges and Permitting Issues at Industry Meeting
📌 Open Letter: 400 Groups Warn Trump of Timber Supply Disaster | Wood Central

Please join us at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Thursday, October 23 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am for the fall PLC Safety Committee meeting to develop our safety training programs for 2026. You will also learn about training requirements and online training options that are available.

Join us, along with your local insurance agent and representatives from Acadia and MEMIC, to develop our safety plans for 2026. Following the safety committee meeting, Acadia clients and affiliated agents are invited to stay for a presentation from Acadia Insurance from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to learn about claim trends, rates and areas of focus.

Lunch will follow at 12:00 p.m.

Please RSVP below by 10/16

Safety Training Guidelines for Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Master Logger Companies and their employees are recognized as Certified Loggers with all insurance carriers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. This means you can choose the safety training that works best for your company – while still meeting safety standards.

To Keep Your Certified Status:

• Current Employees
• 8 hours of safety training every 2 years. (NOTE: PLC’s annual safety training meets this requirement.)
• Maintain CPR/First Aid certification
• New Employees
• 16 hours of initial safety training. (NOTE: PLC’s Safe Logger video series meets this requirement.)
• Inform your insurance agent when you hire a new employee. 

Questions? Reach out to safety@plcloggers.org

Free CPR Classes – Schedule Your Class Today!

Now Free to Maine Loggers! A $300 value!

PLC Members Only! Equipment Cost Calculators Available

All PLC Contractors have access to the Members Only section of the website, simply use your email address to login and if you do not know your password for the Members Only account hit “lost password” and you will be emailed a link to add one.  Then to get to resources simply click “Contractor resources” at the top.

PLC Online Store

Member Discounts