Member Weekly Update – March 7, 2025

If you prefer to register on paper, click the button below to download a registration form! If you have questions, please email office@plcloggers.org or call (207) 688-8195!

PLC 2025 Awards – Nominations Needed!

Do you know a person or business involved in the logging industry who ought to be recognized for service to the community, outstanding professionalism or service to the industry? If you do, please NOMINATE THEM for one of the PLC’s annual awards.

🏆PLC Community Service Award – This PLC Community Service Award is given annually to a PLC member, Supporting Member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to their community.

🏆PLC Logging Contractor of the Year Award – The PLC Logging Contractor of the Year award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession. We will select 1 award for Maine and 1 award from Vermont.

🏆PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award – The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member who has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to logging contractors in the Northeast.

Nominations should be received no later than April 4, 2025

Awards will be presented at the PLC Annual Meeting on May 9 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME

A list of previous winners is available HERE

PLC 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting May 8-9 – Save the Date and Book Rooms Now!

The PLC’s 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting will be held May 8-9 at the Samoset Resort in beautiful Rockport Maine! This is a free event for all PLC Members so don’t miss out! Book rooms now!

Hotel discounts available while space lasts!

The Samoset Resort – Starting at $179 per night (Rates available for 5/8 & 5/9) 220 Warrenton St, Rockport, ME 04856, tel (866) 258-7247.

***If you only plan to stay 1 night, be sure to adjust the dates accordingly***

*Do you need a place to stay on the night of Wednesday, May 7? We have a room block at the Hampton by Hilton of Rockland. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at 207-594-6644 and referencing PLC Member block. Alternatively, you can use the direct booking link provided below. Accommodations will be available until midnight on April 21, 2025.

Maine Legislative Breakfast March 6 a Success!

Thank you to everyone who joined us Thursday morning at the PLC’s Annual Legislative Breakfast at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta! It was a meaningful opportunity for legislators, industry leaders, and our dedicated PLC members to come together and discuss the future of logging and trucking in Maine.

We also want to express our appreciation to our members who presented including Chuck Ames of SDR Logging, Inc., Derek Madden of Madden Sustainable Forestry, Chrissy Kimball and her son, Trafton Kimball of Kimball & Sons Logging, Alex and Molly London of WW London Companies, and Tom Cushman of Maine Custom Woodlands. It was so impactful to see the next generation of loggers in the room — a special shoutout to Trafton Kimball and other young loggers who are already making their mark on the future of our industry!

The Logger’s Voice Winter 2025

Paid Family & Medical Leave Authority Public Hearing Recording now Available

AUGUSTA – The Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority held a public hearing at the Maine Department of Labor’s office in Augusta on February 25. The meeting was to solicit public comments on the implementation and administration of the Paid Family and Medical Leave program, in accordance with Maine Title 26 §850-O.

The public was able to attend either in person or virtually. Nearly 20 people attended in person, and over 370 watched online, with 32 people giving comments. The recording can be watched below.

Twelve Insurance Policies Certified for PFML Private Plan Substitutions

AUGUSTA – The Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program has announced the certification of 12 PFML-approved insurance policies that can be used by employers in applying for fully insured-private plan substitutions.

Under the PFML law, an employer may apply to obtain a substitution that demonstrates a paid family and medical leave insurance policy offers the rights, protections and benefits that are substantially equivalent to those provided to employees under the law. The Maine Department of Labor (DOL) adopted minimum criteria through the rulemaking process to determine plans that are substantially equivalent to the PFML law. To read more, click the link below.

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Private Plan Substitution Process Presentation Available

A recording and the PowerPoint presentation of the webinar regarding the private plan substitution process has been posted to Department’s webpage. The materials can be found under both the educational webinars tab and under the employer resources tab.  View the presentation by clicking the button below.

A reminder for employers,
If you haven’t already, you must register on the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Portal.

It is the online system for employers to file quarterly wage reports and remit quarterly premium contributions. If you use a payroll company, they can request access to your account and 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.

Employers will begin their first quarterly wage reporting and premium payments April 1, 2025. They are due by April 30, 2025.

If you have questions, call the PFML call center at (207) 621-5024 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

*PFML staff are beginning to call unregistered employers to remind them of the registration requirement and offer assistance – the calls will come from the above call center number, and no personal information will be asked for.

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Weekly Report

Vermont News Clips

📌 Trump’s executive order to ramp up US timber production hailed as a win by logging industry leader
📌 Vermont loses 150 sawmills since 2000 as logging industry declines – Lesprom
📌 Vermont’s loggers and sawmills are disappearing — and that’s bad news for forests – WCAX

To register: please copy and paste the link listed below to your web browser.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAoc‐iurTkqHtNntIHLNON6jxdAQR1JCZGb

Maximum of 80 attendees per session.

COST: $75/pp

If you have any questions or issues with registering, please e‐mail tpa‐trainings@crossagency.com

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Upcoming Classes.

Mental Health First Aid at Work –
March 11, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta
Mental Health First Aid at Work teaches employees how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges encountered in the workplace.

Wage & Hour Compliance –
March 12, 2025 l 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. SafetyWorks Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta
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 –
March 12, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Northern Maine Community College, Edmunds Center, 33 Edgemont Drive, Presque Isle
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.

10-Hr. Construction Standards –
March 13 & 14, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Day 1); 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Day 2) Northern Maine Community College, Keegan Room, 33 Edgemont Drive, Presque Isle
This one-and-a-half-day course teaches hazard identification and controls on a variety of construction industry safety and health topics (29 CFR 1926). This is an entry-level course and attendees who complete this course will receive an OSHA 10-hour course completion certificate.

Wage & Hour Compliance –
March 19, 2025 l 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. University of New England, Biddeford, 11 Hills Beach Road, Marcil Hall, Room 124, Biddeford
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.

Trenching & Excavation – 
March 21, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta
This course explains the dangers to employees from trenching and excavation operations, soil classifications, OSHA requirements, and the types of protective systems to prevent cave-ins. You will also learn what is meant by “competent person”.

Impairment Detection Training for Employers –
March 27, 2025 l 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta
This one-day training session is designed to help owners, managers, and supervisors recognize and respond appropriately to employee-impairment in the workplace in order 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.

Register and browse more SafetyWorks! classes: https://www.safetyworksmaine.gov/training/scheduled_classes/register.shtml

If 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 or bls.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 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

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