‘-Video of a Maine timber harvest from the landowner’s perspective released by PLC and TCNEF

AUGUSTA – The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) and Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF) have partnered to produce a new educational video of a timber harvest by a professional Master Logger that highlights the perspective of the landowner and the steps necessary to balance the needs of the landowner while working in collaboration with the contractor to conduct proper forest management.

Shot at a site in Damariscotta, Maine in the fall and early winter of 2018, the video titled, “Working with a Professional Master Logger: The Landowners Perspective,” shows the before, during, and after phases of a harvest and the careful planning by the logger, CTL Land Management Services of Washington, ME, to ensure the aesthetic and forest health goals of the landowner are met in addition to the financial objectives.

CTL Land Management Services is a PLC Member and a certified Maine Master Logger.

Combining aerial footage, scenes of mechanized logging equipment in action, and unscripted interviews with the landowner, Nan Kennedy; with Master Logger Gavin McClain of CTL Land Management Services; and with Forester Barbara “Barrie” Brusila of Mid-Maine Forestry, the video provides a quick and comprehensive look at a process that can be daunting for a landowner who has never experienced it.

“Many owners of small private woodlots who have never conducted a timber harvest on their lands do not have a clear idea what a professional harvest should look like and have legitimate concerns about what it will do to the character of their forest,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC), said. “This video shows them how a professional logger can help them achieve financial goals for their woodland while preserving or enhancing its health and recreational, aesthetic and wildlife value.”

“Many Master loggers depend on strong relationships with small landowners to grow their business,” Ted Wright, Executive Director of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, said. “Some landowners don’t understand that a properly executed logging job is costlier than a poor job due to the extra planning and care taken, yet the reality is that good work and poor work is paid virtually the same at the mill. This video provides

landowners with context on the prep and planning and will further promote Master Loggers and reward those that provide landowners with a quality harvest, which is good for everyone that cares about the future success of this industry.”

The video also showcases the importance of a strong collaborative relationship between loggers, foresters, and landowners to achieve the best outcomes for forest health, sustainability, and productivity. Well managed and profitable forests are key to preserving woodlands in the Northeast that might otherwise be lost to development. The PLC and TCNEF are committed to such an approach to ensure the health of the forests and the logging industry for the future.

The video is part of efforts to increase public understanding of Maine’s logging industry and its importance to the health of the state’s forests and rural economy. It is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uRHnSO1a9w

The PLC and TCNEF are encouraging organizations, agencies, and institutions with connections to or an interest in Maine’s forest economy to share the video. For those needing a version suitable for projection purposes, a high-resolution version is available for viewing or download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/43drsr6h9uc4ypd/Landowner%201080p.mp4?dl=0

Maine’s loggers are a vital part of the state’s forest products sector, which is worth an estimated $8.5 billion annually. Logging contributed an estimated $882 million to the state economy in 2014.

Founded in 1995 with a handful of members who were concerned about the future of the industry, the PLC has grown steadily to become a statewide trade association which provides independent logging contractors a voice in the rapidly changing forest products industry. Board membership consists of only loggers, making it an organization that is run by loggers on behalf of loggers. PLC members are responsible for 75 percent of the timber that is harvested from Maine’s forests annually.

Learn more about the PLC at www.maineloggers.com.

The Northeast Master Logger Certification Program was created in 2001 by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC) as the first in the world point-of-harvest certification program, offering third party independent certification of logging companies’ harvesting practices. In 2003, PLC created The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNF) to administer the program with the broader goal of “enhancing the health of working forest ecosystems through exceptional accountability” throughout the Northern Forest region.

For more information on the Master Logger program contact Ted Wright at (207) 688-8195 opt. 2 or executivedirector@tcnef.org. Additional information and a listing of Master Loggers is also available at http://masterloggercertification.com