Member Weekly Update – July 25, 2025

Log A Load Golf Tournaments – Register Now! Teams Selling Out Fast!

Want to be a Sponsor of the Tournament? Many opportunities available!

It is time to register teams for the PLC’s 2025 Log A Load for Kids Golf Tournaments! These important fund-raisers are critical to PLC’s efforts on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and families served by them, and they are a lot of fun as well! Team spots are going quickly, mark your calendars and register now! Sponsorships are also available through the links below. Don’t wait!

Let us know if you did not receive your copy in the mail!

MLOFT Feller Buncher Instructor Needed

Members, the MLOFT program is seeking a feller buncher instructor for the 2025 Class! This could be a 3-4 day per week position if desired for the right candidate. Anyone with feller butcher experience interested in learning more about the position is encouraged to contact Donald Burr at 207) 356-1541 or ndburr@nmcc.edu immediately! Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

The American Loggers Council invites you to the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Loggers Council, where this year’s theme – “Geaux (Go) Logging!” – celebrates the energy, advocacy, and momentum driving our industry forward.

This special event is proudly hosted by the Louisiana Loggers Association, the Louisiana Logging Council, and the Southern Loggers Cooperative, in partnership with the American Loggers Council. Together, we’re honored to welcome you to the heart of Acadiana – Cajun Country – from September 17–19, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Lafayette. Nestled along the scenic Vermilion River, the hotel perfectly balances Louisiana’s laid-back charm and lively spirit, offering an on-site restaurant, a relaxing lounge, and an outdoor pool.

New Online Portal for PLC Training:
Northeast Professional Logger

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

PLC Op-Ed: To Protect Maine’s Logging Industry Legislature Needs to Finish the Job

Click the button below to read an Op-Ed that appeared in the July 21 edition of the Portland Press Herald. You may view the online version of the story HERE. Author Dana Doran is executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast.

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 are: 

·Agriculture, forestry and fishing 

·Manufacturing 

·Long-distance freight transportation 

·Software publishing, data processing and computer design services 

·Engineering, architecture and scientific research and development services 

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.  

This law will officially go into effect on September 24, 2025.  

Qualified Investments 

Eligible business property of the qualified business that is: 

1.      Tangible personal property or real property (other than land) 

2.      Purchased on or after the date of the letter of certification issued by the DECD; 

3.      Placed in service in Maine during the taxable year beginning after December 31, 2024; 

4.      Used exclusively in the qualified business activity described in the letter of certification; and 

5.      Subject to an allowance of depreciation of 5 years or more, or would be subject to an allowance of depreciation of 5 years or more if the property had not been expensed under Section 179 of the Code.  

Eligible business property does not include: 

1.  Property purchased or transferred from an affiliated business; 

2.  Property located at a retail sales facility and used primarily in a retail sales activity; 

3.  A vehicle upon which an excise tax under 36 M.R.S., chapter 111 has been imposed; 

4.  A watercraft upon which an excise tax under 36 M.R.S., chapter 112 has been imposed; 

5.  Property used to calculate the credit for rehabilitation of historic properties under 36 M.R.S. § 5219-BB; or 

6.  Real property placed in service in Maine prior to the taxable year for which the DTC under 36 M.R.S. § 5219-AAA is sought.  

The business must intend to place eligible business property into service or begin training as part of a qualified worker training program within two years of filing their application for certification. Capital investment or worker training begun prior to the issuance of a letter of certification will not be eligible for the credit. 

A qualified employee training program is defined as: 

·An apprenticeship program registered under the Maine Apprenticeship Program 

·An on-the-job training contract through a Local Workforce Board 

·A training provided by or approved for funding from the Maine Community College System.  PLC’s training is funded by the Maine Community College System and does qualify for this provision.   

·Education or training provided by the University of Maine System or other accredited university or college in this State 

How to Apply  

Businesses that meet the requirements of the program will receive the Dirigo Business Incentive. 

DECD is now accepting applications for the Dirigo Business Incentives. Apply Here.  

Incentives Calculator - Get an estimate of the value of Dirigo and other key tax incentive programs for your business  

If you need help determining if you qualify for the Dirigo Business Incentives or need guidance on navigating the system, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

Notice of Timber Sales – Franklin Falls FCA, Blackwater FCA and Cape Horn SF

Below are the notices for the upcoming timber sales for Franklin Falls Flood Control Area, Blackwater Flood Control Area, and Cape Horn State Forest

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.

SLoCAMP is a grant-funded cost-share program created by the Vermont General Assembly (2024) to help logging contractors that work in Vermont implement proactive water quality protection and climate adaptation practices on their harvest sites.

Funded by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation and administered by the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, the program supports contractors in preparing harvest sites responsibly — with long-term forest health in mind. Applications are now being accepted!

Click the links below to learn more about the program and/or view a webinar outlining the program and the process for applying for a grant, and to apply online or download an application form. Anyone with questions about the program is also encouraged to reach out to Jeff Benjamin, Deputy Executive Director of Certification at the PLC. He may be reached at jeff@plcloggers.org or by calling (207) 688-8195 Opt. 2.

Five Important Topics Related to Commercial Trucks in Vermont

Members, here is an update on five important topics related to commercial trucks in Vermont which we are providing after consulting with Vermont’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Many of these topics were discussed at our recent PLC Safety Training in Vermont, and questions raised by members there are answered below.

1. Registrations of large pickups that haul trailers: The bottom line is that you need to register the pickup for the total weight of that pickup and trailer when loaded. The example I sent to Vermont was: How much do I register my F350 with a GVWR of 14,000 lbs. for when I haul my excavator (CAT 304) on a trailer, which weighs 9,867 lbs. The answer I received was that I need to register my pickup for 24,000 lbs. 

2. When do you need a CDL to drive a large pickup with a trailer: The answer is sometimes. This is a federal rule; See this flow chart. The bottom line is you need a CDL “A” if your truck & trailer weighs more than 26,001 lbs. 

Lt. Cuttita of the Vermont DMV discussed issues from our Vermont safety trainings with the commercial enforcement unit troopers. The following is a summary of their responses: 

1. When a truck hooks onto some lowbeds, it activates the ABS light on the dashboard of some trucks. Lowbeds that have a GVW greater than 120,000 lbs. are not required to have ABS, and they trigger the light even when there is no problem, so it should be ignored during the roadside inspection. (See attached Inspection Bulletin) 

2. There was a question about where to measure an overlength load of logs. Multiple drivers complained that they were measured from the point where the wood last made contact with the trailer.  

The rule is to measure from the furthest point of the trailer (the DOT bumper). Once you exceed four feet from the furthest point, you need a minimum of one flag.  If there is more than two square feet of overhang, or if there are two different pieces sticking out separately (ie. if you have one stem on the bottom right of the trailer and you have another stem mid-level on the left sticking out further than 4 feet) then you would need two flags.  

3. They added that if the truck is involved in interstate commerce, and the driver is required to have a CDL A, then in most cases the company will need to have an International Registration Plan (IRP) registration and an International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) permit. (See attached Vermont manual for IRP & IFTA)

Please do not hesitate to reach our the PLC if you have further questions.

Notice of Timber Sales – Franklin Falls FCA, Blackwater FCA and Cape Horn SF

Below are the notices for the upcoming timber sales for Franklin Falls Flood Control Area, Blackwater Flood Control Area, and Cape Horn State Forest

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

📌 Vermont offers new grant opportunity for loggers working in the state
📌 Applications open for $68 million in flood funding
📌 Golden, Collins introduce bipartisan legislation to create disaster relief fund for loggers
📌 Will Act 250 changes help local wood products industry?
📌 VT Forest Industry News – July 2025
📌 Foresters urge everyone to look out for pests | Hinesburg News | vtcng.com
📌 A day among the trees reveals Vermont’s woodland future – The North Star Monthly
📌 Gluesenkamp Perez, Rouzer Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Forestry Career Pathways
📌 USDA Invests $80 Million to Expand Timber Markets, Protect Forests, Fuel Economic Growth

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.

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