Member Weekly Update – April 25, 2025

2 weeks until our 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting!

We need you to register so we can finalize details!

Event Highlights:
Dates: Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9
📍Location: The Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine
🪵Thursday North Haven Island Outing: Shuckin’ Fun: Timber, Tides, and Ferry Rides – TOUR IS NOW FULL
🪵Friday Morning: PLC Membership Meeting
🪵Friday Afternoon: Dan Burns Live Chainsaw Carving & Baxter Brewing Beer Tent
🪵Friday Night: Log A Load Auction with Maine Cabin Masters cast and auctioneer Scott Hanington

PLC Room Block at the Samoset. Rooms are still available on their website. Click Here>

If you need a place to stay on May 7 we have a room block at the Hampton by Hilton of Rockland. Reserve by calling the hotel directly at 207-594-6644 and referencing PLC Member block. or use the direct booking link provided below. Accommodations will be available until midnight on April 21, 2025.

We are looking for donations for our Log A Load for Kids Friday Night Auctions!

Thank you to our sponsors for this event!

Logger’s Voice Spring Edition Now Available!

Free PLC Spring Safety Trainings Underway! 2 dates left!

New Online Portal for PLC Training:
Northeast Professional Logger

All Northeast Professional Logger Training is Free for PLC Members & Master Loggers

Free CPR Classes – Schedule Your Class Today!

Are your logging employees CPR/First Aid/Bloodborne Pathogen certified? Did you know that evidence of training is required every two years for OSHA and Master Logger compliance?

If the currently scheduled locations don’t work for your company or you have more than 10 employees and would like to schedule a company-specific training, we can work with you and companies in your area to schedule an alternative date for free training.

If your employees need this training in 2025, the PLC is offering the course, and it is free to members and their employees. If you would like to schedule or sign up for an existing training, contact Jessica@plcloggers.org or 207-688-8195.

PLC’s Northeast Logger Gathering at the *Expo May 16, RSVP Now!

*The PLC has a limited supply of free passes to the Expo! If interested, send us names and emails to office@plcloggers.org, limit 2 per company, first come first served!

Maine Member Alert – Medcard “K” restriction Out of service issue

Attention all Maine trucking contractors: The PLC encourages you to check with your CDL drivers to make sure that they have a medical card if they are required to (Drive over 100 air miles (interstate commerce) or have a hazmat endorsement).  Drivers should have a “K” restriction on their license if they do not drive over 100 air miles (intrastate commerce).  If they have neither (a medical card or “K” restriction noted on their license), they need to either get a medical card or recertify with the Maine BMV, putting the “K” restriction on their license.  If a driver has let their medical card lapse, their license will be downgraded.  If a driver is stopped by a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU) Trooper who has neither of the above, they will be put out of service. 

If your driver has checked either of the two highlighted options below and is now not carrying a medical card, they need to recertify to the last option and get the “K” Restriction Code and stay within 100 miles of your base. 

[    ]      Non-excepted Interstate:  I operate or expect to operate in interstate commerce. I am subject to and meet the medical qualification requirements in FMCSR section 391 and required to obtain a medical examiner’s certificate.  A valid medical certificate must accompany this form.      

[    ]      Excepted Interstate:  I operate or expect to operate in interstate commerce, but engage exclusively in transportation or operations excepted from FMCSR section 391 and therefore not required to obtain a medical examiner’s certificate.  Examples include: school bus operations, fire trucks & rescue vehicles, transportation by Federal or State government, transportation of human corpses or sick and injured persons.  For a complete list of operations excepted see 49 CFR 390.3(f), 391.2, 391.68 or 398.3.     

[    ]      *Non-excepted Intrastate:  I certify that I operate only in intrastate commerce and am subject to State driver qualification requirements.  A valid medical certificate must accompany this form.  There are no exemptions for motor carriers, vehicles, or drivers transporting hazardous materials of a type or quantity that requires the vehicle to be marked or placarded in accordance with 49 CFR, Subchapter C, Pt. 172.  Example: Oil Truck Drivers.     

[    ]        *Excepted Intrastate:  I certify that I operate in intrastate commerce but engage exclusively in transportation or operations excepted from all or parts of the State driver qualification requirements.  Example: Drivers that operate less than 100 air miles from their regular place of business.  

If you have any questions, contact us at the PLC, and we will get you some answers. 

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.

The Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program has updated their frequently asked questions (FAQ) to add a new question (question 14). The new question clarifies that wages under an employer-sponsored disability program and third-party sick pay are subject to Maine PFML premiums until the expiration of 6 calendar months following the last calendar month in which the employee worked for that employer. 

The FAQ can be found under the Department’s webpage on paid family and medical leave under the frequently asked questions tab.

First Quarter Filing for Maine Paid Family & Medical Leave Began April 1
Employers must register for the Maine Paid Leave portal, and submit wage reports and premiums, by April 30.

MAINE – The Maine Department of Labor is reminding employers that first quarter filing for the new Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave program (PFML) began on April 1. The deadline to register on the PFML portal and to submit wage reports and premiums is April 30.

The PFML portal is the online system for employers to file quarterly wage reports and remit quarterly premium contributions. If an employer wishes to authorize their payroll company to file on their behalf, the payroll company must also register in the portal and request access to your account to file for you after you register. The portal also allows self-employed individuals and tribal governments to elect coverage.

Any employer with at least one Maine-based employee must have begun payroll withholdings January 1, 2025:

• Employers with 15 or more employees contribute 1 percent of wages and may deduct up to half of the contribution from the employees’ wages.
• Employers with less than 15 employees contribute 0.5 percent of wages and may deduct the entire amount from the employees’ wages.

Access the portal here.

Those with questions can call the PFML call center at (207) 621-5024 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Benefits are scheduled to begin May 1, 2026.

For more information, visit https://www.maine.gov/paidleave/

These workshops listed below are part of the Maine Forest Service’s ABC Collaborative, which we have determined was created on behalf of Maine SFI, to track training by logging company employees. We would like to remind you that by attending these trainings, your company’s name – as well as the names of any employees who attend – may be publicly posted on the Maine Forest Service website; we recommend exercising caution and carefully considering whether to participate or grant permission for names to be shared.

Information on the two workshops is listed below. We would also remind members that the Master Logger Certification Program® will soon be announcing dates for 2025 BMP workshops, so watch your email for updates. The Master Logger Certification Program® will never compromise the confidentiality of certified companies.  Thank you.

You’re Invited: Spring Climate Action input sessions

You are invited to weigh in on the draft plan at input sessions around the state. Choose from virtual or in-person events with diverse engagement activities focused on the priority actions. Find full details and registration info below!

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Weekly Report

Vermont News Clips

📌 Trump Seeks Increased Logging of Finger Lakes National Forest – New York Almanack
📌 Parts of White Mountain National Forest included in move aimed at increasing timber harvest
📌 The Forest Business Accelerator seeks entrepreneurs for 2025 cohort
📌 Trump administration’s pro-logging ’emergency’ draws ire of environmentalists in N.H. and Vermont
📌 Over $679K awarded to Vermont farms and forestry businesses
📌 FSC US News & Views – April 2025

PLC FREE and easy CDL Training May 27-29th!

On May 27-29, the PLC will offer Members its 4th FREE CDL training class for their employees. Each participant must be a current employee of a PLC Member Company. Questions call 207-688-8195. Please send a picture of participants license to office@plcloggers.org or upload. There is no charge for this class and it will be held online and in-person – Augusta/Waterville, ME area. Class will be 8:00am – 4:00 pm daily. Instructions for the employer to create an FMCSA account as a Training Provider will be sent after registration. Click the link below to learn more and sign up!

Upcoming Classes.

Heat Illness Prevention – May 6, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more become ill while working in hot or humid conditions. This course educates employers on signs and symptoms of heat illness, recognizing heat hazards, and providing resources to keep workers safe.Confined Space Entry: Construction – May 7, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta A confined space is 1) large enough to enter, 2) has limited access, and 3) is not designed for human occupancy. This course helps employers understand the permit-required confined space standard including identifying confined spaces, written program elements, permit requirements, duties of personnel, and rescue services. Public Sector Compliance – May 8, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta This course reviews the regulatory standards for public sector compliance, the programs, training, and inspection requirements, as well as common hazards identified in public sector workplaces. Also included is an outline of the resources provided by SafetyWorks and the SHAPE program which exempts public sector workplaces from programmed enforcement inspections. Work Zone Safety – May 9, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. –12:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta Private companies and public agencies that work on public roads must follow the traffic control standards of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). This hands-on, half-day course covers the MUTCD standards and use of cones, signs, flags, and paddles.Scaffolding & Fall Protection – May 13, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Northern Maine Community College, Keegan Room-Reed Dining Commons Building, 33 Edgemont Drive, Presque Isle Falls are one of the leading causes of death and injury in the workplace. This course provides the construction and general industry standards that regulate walking-working surfaces, including scaffolding, and the fall protection control measures that are available to protect your employees.Impairment Detection Training for Employers – May 15, 2025 l 8:30a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Lewiston Career Center, 5 Mollison Way, Lewiston This one-day training session is designed to help owners, managers, and supervisors recognize and respond appropriately to employee-impairment in the workplace to reduce worker accidents and injuries. Participants will be taught procedures to detect impairment regardless of the substance or cause. This class is designed to fulfill the federal DOT requirements for reasonable suspicion training of supervisors. In addition, participants will learn how to develop and implement policies that address impairment in the workplace and are in compliance with Maine’s Substance Use Testing Law. OSHA Recordkeeping – May 20, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Presque Isle Career Center, 66 Spruce Street, Suite 1, Presque Isle This class provides thorough and comprehensive six-hour training for both new and experienced safety and human resources personnel. You will learn the OSHA rule (29 CFR 1904) regarding recording and reporting work-related injuries and illnesses as it applies to your organization, including COVID-19 recordability guidance. This class includes several hands-on activities on how to correctly fill out the required injury reporting forms. Wage & Hour Compliance – May 28, 2025 l 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Northern Maine Community College, Edmunds Center, 33 Edgemont Drive, Presque Isle This course is designed for human resource or benefits professionals, accountants, business owners, managers, or payroll supervisors. Labor laws can be complex. This seminar covers wage and hour laws, including minimum wage, overtime, youth employment, severance pay, equal pay, rest breaks, leave requirements (earned paid leave, family medical leave, family sick leave and leave for victims of violence). This class addresses commonly asked labor-related questions. Safety and the Supervisor – May 29, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta The success of any safety program is dependent on your front-line supervisors. Do they have the technical and interpersonal skills it takes to move your safety program in a positive direction? This training discusses the interpersonal skills all supervisors should develop to create a positive safety culture. In addition, the course will outline the key tasks supervisors should be performing daily to identify hazards and keep their employees safe. Register and browse more SafetyWorks! classes: https://www.safetyworksmaine.gov/training/scheduled_classes/register.shtmlIf you have questions about safety or upcoming classes, reach out to SafetyWorks! at 1-877-SAFE-345 or general.bls-safetyworks@maine.gov. If you have questions about Wage and Hour compliance, please reach out to the Wage and Hour Division at 207-623-7900 orbls.mdol@maine.gov, or visit https://www.maine.gov/labor/bls/

New Small PLC Operator/Driver First Aid Pack!

In response to demand for a smaller/”must have in an emergency” first aid pack to be stored in a machine or pickup, the PLC has created a new Operator/Driver First Aid Pack.

• Contains “must have in an emergency” bleeding control items 
• One pack is recommended per machine/truck 
• Detachable velcro panel ideal for mounting in a machine or truck
• Meets OSHA requirements for a logging first aid kit
• Supplements PLC’s larger first aid back pack but is not a replacement

More information on the pack and its contents is available HERE. 

Purchase

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. 

Purchase

Now Free to Maine Loggers! A $300 value!

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 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

Looking for great PLC items and apparel? Gifts? First Aid packs, safety items and more?

You will find them at the new PLC Online Store on our web site. Ordering is easy.

Shop Here

Member Discounts

ALC Member Discounts

PLC Members, because the PLC is a member of the American Loggers Council YOU are entitled to special discounts!

Fabian Oil Discount

Wallingford’s Discounts

Dirigo Waste Oil

10% Discount on new furnaces. Contact Justin at 207-873-0881

Maine Trailer Discounts

Maine Trailer Discounts

Treeline Discounts

Click Here Discount Pricing on Skidder Bridges and Crane Mats

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

Hale Trailer Discounts

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

Preferred Supporting Members

Enhanced Supporting Members