Member Weekly Update – May 23, 2025

Master Logger Best Practices Workshops 2025 – Free for PLC Members and Master Loggers!

Please join one of our free interactive workshops designed for all logging companies (owners, foremen, & operators) who are responsible for aspects of harvest planning and implementation. Foresters and land managers that also play a role are invited to register and can attend pending space.

New Online Portal for PLC Training:
Northeast Professional Logger

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

PLC is Hiring – Certification Coordinator

Thank you for your participation in this survey to collect your feedback on the PLC’s recent 2025 Annual Meeting in Rockport, ME. This survey will help us improve this event in the future. All information will remain confidential. Please participate!

Logger’s Voice Spring Edition Now Available!

Notice of Timber Sales – William Ruger Wildlife Management Area, Croydon, and P2-508 Kearsarge Mountain SF

Below are the notices for the upcoming timber sales for William Ruger Wildlife Management Area and Croydon, N.H. P2-508 Kearsarge Mountain 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.

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 – William Ruger Wildlife Management Area, Croydon, and P2-508 Kearsarge Mountain SF

Below are the notices for the upcoming timber sales for William Ruger Wildlife Management Area and Croydon, N.H. P2-508 Kearsarge Mountain SF

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Weekly Report

Vermont News Clips

*Register for the American Loggers Council (ALC) Summer Board Meeting

📌 Lipsky wins logger of the year award | Community | vtcng.com
📌 Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo returns to Bangor – WABI
📌 International Paper Is on a Quest to Build a Better Cardboard Box – WSJ
📌 Vermont Woodlands Association Celebrates 110 Years
📌 Logger News Online May 2025
📌 Trial begins for cutting 300 trees in national forest, ties to Essex County case
📌 U.S. Lumber Coalition and American Loggers Council Disappointed by CNBC Inaccurate Reporting on U.S. Softwood Lumber Cost

PLC FREE and easy CDL Training May 27-29th – Registration Deadline Today!

The PLC will offer Contractor Members its 4th FREE CDL training class for their employees May 27-29. Each participant must be a current employee of a PLC Member Company. 

Please send a picture of each participant’s license to office@plcloggers.org or upload it. There is no charge for this class, and it will be held online and in-person in the Augusta/Waterville, Maine area. 

The class will run from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. 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!

The deadline to register is TODAY – Friday May 23.

If you have questions, please call 207-688-8195. 

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?

Currently scheduled locations:

• 5/30/25 – Voisine Bros., New Canada, ME
• 6/6/25 – Rangeley, ME
• 6/13/25 Hartland, VT

Email Jessica@plcloggers.org to register. If the listed dates 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.

Upcoming Classes.

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