LATEST NEWS
Safer Routes for Logging Trucks in Mississippi
March 9, 2024 - Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) secured a provision in the Transportation – HUD Appropriations Bill, signed into law today, to allow unprocessed agricultural commodities, including raw or unfinished forest products (e.g. logs, pulpwood, biomass, wood chips) at current Mississippi state weight limits (88,000 pounds) on an interstate highway within the borders of Mississippi.
“Removing these heavy trucks from Mississippi’s state and rural roads is a matter of safety, and I think this needed change will improve public safety and commerce in our state.” -Senator Hyde-Smith
Senator Hyde-Smith worked with the Mississippi Loggers Association, the Mississippi Forestry Association, and the Farm Bureau Federation of Mississippi to ensure this important measure was included. Senator Hyde-Smith also acknowledged the collaboration Senator Susan Collins (ME) with support and guidance on this legislation.
These trucks and weights have been legally operating on rural and state road systems across the state of Mississippi and other states. This legislation does not increase the weight of trucks, or introduce heavier trucks to the roadways, it only allows trucks currently operating at the state authorized weights to access the safest route and allow them to divert from less direct rural routes that required them to drive through small towns, school zones, pedestrian areas, and residential neighborhoods.
Countless engineering, transportation, and academic studies (*ref) have concluded that the safety, economic, and environmental benefits of improving transportation efficiency are obtained by utilizing the federal interstate system where available. These benefits include safer routes;shorter transits; less fuel consumption;increased mpg; less greenhouse gas emissions;fewer accidents; and less road wear.
The U.S. federal interstate transportation policy is a fragmented, inconsistent, outlier when compared to non-interstate road systems. New England states allow agricultural product trucks permitted for higher weights to transit the interstate systems. Minnesota allows agricultural products to be transported at state maximum weights along a 23-mile interstate transportation corridor. Wisconsin and North Carolina interstate segments, newly incorporated into the interstate system, are grandfathered in at the prior (higher) state weight limits. Now, with Mississippi securing similar authorization, ample precedent has been established to support other states in pursuit of comparable authorization.
The American Loggers Council supports the establishment of the Safe Routes legislation to extend the option for states to create parity between their existing truck weights and interstate weight limits to establish a uniform and efficient transportation policy and system.
Contact:
David Livingston, Executive Director, Mississippi Loggers Association, dlivingston.mla@gmail.com 601-203-2721
Casey Anderson, Executive Director, Mississippi Forestry Association, canderson@msforestry.net 601-354-4937
Mike McCormick, President, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, mmccormick@msfb.org 601-977-4290
Scott Dane, Executive Director, American Loggers Council, scott.dane@amloggers.com, 202-627-6961
*Reference Sources:
Mississippi Log Truck Accidents from 2014-2018, Dr. John B. Auel, Mississippi Forestry Association.
University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Safety, Cost-Effectiveness and Efficiency of Shifting to Interstates, Dr. Joseph Conrad.
Reference Sources Continued*
University of Minnesota, An Assessment of the Safety and Efficiency of Log Trucks with Increased Weight Limits on Interstate Highways in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Truck Size and Weight Project, 2005.
Wisconsin State Legislature Passes Lawsuit Abuse Reform
The Wisconsin State Legislature has recently received praise from the trucking industry for implementing a sensible reform in the state's civil litigation system. This reform involves capping non-economic damage awards at $1 million, which the industry believes is crucial in maintaining fairness and balance in civil litigation. By limiting these subjective, nonmonetary losses, the industry aims to discourage abusive and frivolous lawsuits that have turned the system into a lucrative profit center for the plaintiffs' bar.
Chris Spear, the President and CEO of American Trucking Associations, emphasized the negative impact of turning civil litigation into a game of 'jackpot justice' by the plaintiffs' bar. He highlighted that the costs of such practices are ultimately borne by everyone, including trucking companies and consumers who face higher insurance rates and prices for everyday goods. Spear expressed that this reform promotes justice and fairness as the driving forces behind accident litigation outcomes rather than profits.
The legislation, known as SB 613, was approved by the State Assembly through a voice vote and by the State Senate with a 21-11 majority. It is now awaiting Governor Tony Evers' signature.
Wisconsin's trucking industry plays a significant role in providing middle-class jobs, with around 183,780 individuals employed in the sector across the state.
"Grandma's Wisdom" Written By: ALC President, Mike Albrecht
As the American Loggers Council President, I will do my best to help represent loggers at the national level. My best will require continually falling back on quotes from my two grandmas, one from Grandma Ainsworth, and one from Grandma Albrecht. I will share these quotes in just a moment, but I’d like to first better explain who I am.
The “tag line” at the end of my article notes I have a forestry degree from Duke with some past industry leadership roles. Nice, but that doesn’t really explain who I am. The most spot-on characterization I’ve ever received was from an old cat skinner named Roy Paterson. I was in my early 30’s on a forest road crew down at Shaver Lake, California. There were about eight of us, a cobbled together crew tasked with getting some logging roads built. The first night at dinner, Roy had us go around the table and introduce ourselves.
A couple of guys were loggers, one was just out of prison, one was Roy’s nephew . . . don’t remember the others. Each introduction was short, not eloquent, but sufficient. I was last, and proceeded to pontificate about my forestry degree, my previous work as a consultant in North Carolina, and other drivel. When I was done, there was an awkward silence. Then Roy looked straight at me, and in his low, gravelly voice said, “You ain’t nothin’ but an educated saphead.” The seven other guys guffawed as I turned beet red. From that day on, we all worked as a team, and got a lot of road built.
Over the past 40 years since that humbling beginning, I have been blessed to work with, and learn from, some of the best loggers in California. I was privileged to be hired 35 years ago as general manager of a logging and trucking firm. The owner of that family-run company patiently mentored me, and I became co-owner a few years later. I have always appreciated the great education that my parents worked hard to make possible for me, but my real-life education happened much later in the woods.
I got past Roy’s fairly accurate description, and logging got into my blood as much as, maybe even more than, the love of forest silviculture and management that had brought me there in the first place. Over the years, our company has had as many as 75 employees, with 22 trucks, 2 cut-to-length sides, a mechanized side, 2 chipping sides, and a CAT side. I’ve been to numerous logging truck wrecks, and have transported a few employees to ER, trying to decide whether or not to stop at the stoplights.
We’ve had years that ended with all the bills paid and money in the bank. We’ve had really rough years with one that ended up visiting with a bankruptcy attorney. That served to make us realize that bankruptcy is much worse than the hard work to avoid it. Our company has thinned roughly 75,000 acres of public land on the Stanislaus National Forest. If anything, this “educated saphead” has learned that he is no more than one cog in the wheel we call logging.
Over the past three decades, our logging business has downsized right along with California’s timber industry. I’ve watched logging get rebranded as timber harvesting, then forest thinning, then vegetation management, to the newest moniker, forest restoration. Today, loggers are tasked with producing a product America needs and wants, while trying to protect anything that might get harmed by our operations. Over the years, that has included spotted owls, pine martens, goshawks and a myriad of floral species. I remember a job where we had to protect a “frog crossing.” Loggers have always worked hard to protect forest ecosystems and the creatures that live there, but we too often see environmental protections designed to “prevent” rather than protect.
Now looms another challenge to “protect” trees. Spurred on by an environmental watchdog group called Environment America, the newest issue confronting our industry is the recent Biden Administration directive regarding “mature and old growth” forests. Here’s where Grandma Ainsworth’s advice would come in handy. As folks considered this topic, she would have advised, “Keep an open mind, but don’t let your brains fall out.”
I’m afraid that on the old growth topic, it may be too late. If some folks’ brains haven’t fallen out, they most certainly are leaking. Under these recently implemented guidelines, any new projects proposing vegetation management that occurs where “old growth conditions exist” must be “submitted to the National Forest Deputy Chief for review and approval.” It often takes years to get forest management projects approved at the Forest Supervisor and Regional Office levels. I can only imagine how long it will take to also clear the Deputy Chief’s office.
Since 2015, 20% of all the mature giant sequoias in the world have been lost to catastrophic fire. This fact inspired Congress in 2022 to pass H.R. 8168, the “Save Our Sequoias Act.” Endorsed by the Save the Redwoods League, the act declares an emergency to expedite work on the ground intended to “save” the sequoias. That work has to include thinning out forests that are now so overgrown that even the fire-resistant old growth giant sequoias are succumbing to catastrophic wildfire. How work around the giant sequoias will square with the old growth “hands off” edict from the President remains to be seen.
America currently has approximately 112 million acres of Designated Wilderness, 425 National Parks, 6,792 State Parks, and approximately 13,000 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers. The proposed protections for mature (80 million acres) and old growth (32 million acres) would more than double the amount of American “protected” forestland restricted to minimal or zero production of wood products.
This is a good spot to update an important fact: America is no longer the second leading importer of lumber in the world. We are now the number one IMPORTER of lumber in the world. So, Congress, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management . . . as extreme environmental groups lobby you daily and litigate you often, Grandma Ainsworth would remind you, “Keep an open mind, but don’t let your brains fall out.”
I’ll end this message with Grandma Albrecht’s quote. She said these words during the height of WWII just after receiving the news that her oldest son had been killed when the B-17 he piloted was shot down, and her other son (my dad) had just been wounded with a bullet that grazed his head. She said, “God knows, He loves, He cares, nothing this truth can dim.” I share these words for any of you loggers that are facing personal hardship right now, whether with business, employees, family, the challenges of logging, or simply discouragement with the direction our country seems to be taking.
One Sunday afternoon after church, our pastor pulled me aside and said, “Mike, you are called to be an “encourager.” I think I’ve failed that calling with my past few messages, so I’ll tell you now the title of my next message: “What’s Going Right.”
The American Logger – A Legacy of Achievement
Mike Albrecht has a master’s degree in forestry from Duke University, is a Registered Professional Forester in California, and has worked for over 45 years in forest management and the forest products industry.
Mike currently serves as president of the American Loggers Council and is a past president of Associated California Loggers and the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference.
“That Was Then . . . This Is Now” A Tale of Two Fires
I’d like to start with a “thank you” to those of you taking the time to read this, and to keep you reading, I’ll share a quick joke that is pertinent to this topic . . . you’ll see why at the end.
A logger went to see his doctor. The doctor said, “Unfortunately, I have some bad news and some even worse news for you.” The logger nervously asked the doctor to give him the bad news first. “The bad news is you only have 24 hours to live.” The logger said, “What could possibly be worse than that?” The doctor said, “I should have told you yesterday.”
We’re going to take a look at two catastrophic western wildfires, the 1933 Tillamook Fire that burned on the Oregon Coast and the 2021 Dixie Fire that burned in Northern California. The following short description of the Tillamook Fire comes from a 320-page book titled “Tillamook Burn Country: A Pictorial History.” It is a comprehensive documentation of one of America’s most horrific wildfires written by Ellis Lucia.
The Tillamook burn raced through over 300,000 acres of mostly Douglas fir, and was described this way by a reporter: “From the summit of the Coast Range to tidewater lines, it is simply one vast and dense forest. It is a forest area of the giant breed, with trees ranging from eight to thirty feet in circumference, and reaching upward from 150-300 feet. In August of 1933, the Oregon coast weather was extreme, humidities dropped to record lows, and a bad fire that had been burning for several days “exploded with the ferocity of an H-bomb.” In twenty incredible hours the Tillamook Fire “rampaged over 220,000 acres, burning fine trees at an astounding rate of 600,000 board feet an hour.”
What occurred on that burn-scarred landscape in the following decades is truly a “legacy of achievement” by citizens, foresters and loggers. “The flames had hardly died and the embers cooled “when foresters and loggers launched what was one of the great salvage efforts of all time.”
At the time, the entire burn area was privately owned. To get this burn salvaged and restored, private timber interests met with local, state, and federal officials who all agreed to the formation of the huge Consolidated Timber Company. This was a bold cooperative enterprise at a time when such things were considered sinful, “almost bordering on Communism.” Consolidated immediately spent $1.5 million for railroad construction, $800,000 for truck roads, and $1.25 million for locomotives, cars, and rolling stock.
And so, the salvage and restoration began. When it was all over, 7.5 billion board feet of the estimated 10 billion board feet killed had been salvaged and converted to lumber. 73 million trees were hand planted with an additional one billion Douglas fir seeds dropped from helicopters. Although a private undertaking, the US Forest Service offered this advice and encouragement: “Measures to rehabilitate the burn should be taken, the cornerstones of which are intensive protection, hazard reduction, intensive salvage logging and reforestation.” There was no environmental impact statement written – the environmental impact spoke for itself.
Decades later, when all the salvage and restoration work had been completed, Ellis Lucia summarizes: “What once was a bleak desolate land is again alive and beautiful.”
That was then . . . this is now.
On July 13, 2021, the Dixie Fire started in the Feather River Canyon of Northern California. When finally contained on October 25, the Dixie had burned through 963,000 acres of Sierra Nevada forests and became the most expensive wildfire suppression effort in US history, costing $637.4 million. The fire damaged or destroyed several communities including Greenville on August 4th, Canyondam on August 5th, and Warner Valley on August 12th.
Two years have passed since the Dixie Fire was contained. Estimates of the total timber destroyed range from 10 to 12 billion board feet on private and public timber combined. The bulk of the private timber has been salvaged. Upwards of 10 billion board feet of public timber remains standing, most of it worthless as lumber at this point. Between 2021 and 2024, the Forest Service Dixie Fire salvage program is estimated to yield 64 million board feet, or .64 percent of the burned timber. The Dixie Fire landscape is destined to rot, grow brush, and reburn.
There is no Ellis Lucia documenting the Dixie Fire story. The scenario that exists on the Dixie Fire today reflects the deterioration of forest management that has been quietly progressing through the western timber-producing states for over four decades, accelerating dramatically since the turn of this century. The extreme environmental groups are being allowed to “manage” our forests by litigation.
The end result is that grossly overcrowded forests rot from insect attacks and burn in catastrophic wildfires while America increasingly imports lumber from other countries. Consider this from the United States International Trade Commission: in 2020 the US imported $44.6 billion of forest products. 16% of US imports (over $7 billion) came from China, the country that is the leading importer of lumber in the world.
The logger sat before the California Legislature at a hearing called to discuss the condition of California’s forests. His testimony was quick and to the point. He told the chairman, “I have some bad news, and some even worse news for you.” The chairman asked the logger to tell the bad news first. “The bad news is that even though California is one-third forested, it now imports over 75% of its wood products. In 1985 California had 150 sawmills. Now, in 2023, only 27 sawmills remain. The chairman replied, “I had no idea . . . what could possibly be worse than that?” The logger said, “We’ve been telling you this for over 50 years. Now America, with almost 780 million acres of forests, is the second leading IMPORTER of lumber in the world, only behind China.
The joke I started with and the story of the logger both have bad news and then worse news, but the difference is, in the joke the patient has no hope. He dies. In the story of the logger, there is still some hope, but only if legislators and agencies recognize that time is getting short for our western forests and take bold action.
Like the legacy of the Tillamook, our legacy needs to be one of achievement. The apathy of “Dixie” stands in the way.
- Mike Albrecht, President, American Loggers Council
The American Logger – A Legacy of Achievement
Mike Albrecht has a master’s degree in forestry from Duke University, is a Registered Professional Forester in California, and has worked for over 45 years in forest management and the forest products industry.
Mike currently serves as president of the American Loggers Council and is a past president of Associated California Loggers and the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference.
TEAM Safe Trucking End of the Year President’s Message
“Strong Times Create Weak Men, Tough Times Create Strong Men”
Greetings all,
I hope this holiday season finds everyone well. We at TEAM Safe Trucking realize it’s been a tough year for most in the forest products industry. With mill closures and slowdowns, rising insurance and fuel costs, and the lack of good help, we have all felt some part of the struggle. Although we do not know when this downward trend in our line of work will change, we have to keep in mind how cyclical our economy and industry are. I believe that if we stick together, we will get through this and come out stronger.
TEAM Safe Trucking has also had a challenging year, but we have successfully overcome several obstacles that were holding us back. We hired a new Special Projects Coordinator and restructured TST to be more stable in the future. Our website has also been updated to make it easier to navigate. One of our goals is to help with an expense of concern for many of us…trucking insurance. We have all seen the cost of our premiums steadily increase, but some don’t realize that driver training can help alleviate some of this burden. By watching and learning from our training videos, drivers can improve their safety while on the road, which in turn will help improve your Safer Score with FMCSA. This score directly affects the cost of your trucking insurance.
If we, as business owners and leaders in our industry, don’t take charge of our destiny, who knows what the future will hold? Remember, it cannot and will not happen overnight – it will take time to change, but all good things take time. With the help of TEAM Safe Trucking, I feel we can all work together to change the tide and start to bring these premiums down. There is strength in numbers, as our name says “Together Everyone Accomplishes More (TEAM)”. If you have not already done so, please consider joining TST (admin@teamsafetrucking.com) and making us your “go-to” for forest products transportation safety training. With your support and commitment, we will continually work to improve our course offerings and your safety ratings. Safety costs money now but pays dividends later, so why not make an investment in your future today?
Wrapping up, I would like to sincerely thank all of the members and users of TEAM Safe Trucking, our Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee for all of your help with the restructuring this past year. We have come a long way and are ready to drive forward even stronger. I also want to extend a huge thank you to one of my right hands, Wendy Harrell, the Special Projects Coordinator for all of your hard work.
I wish you all a blessed and healthy holiday season and look forward to a great 2024!
Sincerely,
Robert “Bob” Lussier, President
Inconsistent Federal Transportation Policy Hurting the Economy and Environment
The U.S. Federal Transportation Policy is a disjointed, bureaucratic hodgepodge of restrictions and requirements lacking consistency across the states, imposed under the extortive threat of federal funding losses.
What weighs more? A ton of milk or a ton of logs?
A ton is still a ton, there is no difference. Why, then, can a truck hauling milk carry heavier loads than a truck carrying logs on the Federal Interstate? This is but one example of the vagaries of a federal policy that allows specific commodities exemptions or authorization to carry more weight on the Federal Interstate System.
In many areas, there is a wide disparity between the speed and weight limits on state and interstate roadways, even when compared with other Interstate Highways. For instance, in New England states, trucks hauling timber are authorized to access the Federal Interstate System at 100,000 pounds. Meanwhile, on a specific 23-mile corridor of federal interstate in Minnesota, trucks are allowed to haul timber up to 99,000 pounds. Other sections of the interstate in different states are grandfathered in at higher weights than the standard Interstate weight limit.
Are particular Federal Interstate Highways in New England or other states built to a different engineering standard than federal interstates in other states?
The answer is no, they are all built to the same standards. Similar bureaucratic manipulation is apparent with the Electric Vehicle push. The heavier electric semi-trucks would by law have been forced to carry less cargo, thus increasing transportation costs which would be passed onto the consumer. But EV semi-trucks have now been authorized to carry 2,000 more pounds (4,000 in Europe) to accommodate the heavier batteries of the EV semi-trucks. So again, what weighs more? Batteries or logs?
Optimum transportation weights are recognized as a major contributing factor in maximizing transportation efficiency, reducing consumer costs, and improving safety while resulting in less carbon emissions. Transportation engineering studies have recognized the opportunity to safely increase truck weights on the federal interstate system. Congress has established precedents with carve-outs and exemptions in select states for specific commodities, routes, and weights. Globally, other countries and regions, specifically Canada and the European Union, allow for heavier weight limits on their roadways.
Why doesn’t Congress and the Administration establish competitive, efficient, and uniform weight standards for the federal interstate system?
It seems that the influence and targeted opposition of the railroad lobbyists are derailing (pun intended) the overriding goals of the Transportation Department to provide safe and efficient avenues for the nation. It would be much better for our national transportation goals if the railroad industry invested in their equipment, tracks, and safety instead of investing in politicians. With the history of accidents and hazardous chemical spills exposing communities to life-threatening situations, the railways have plenty to focus on.
This year Congress has the opportunity to put the economy, environment, and public safety above monopolistic railroad interests by supporting the Safe Routes Act of 2023. This Bill has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Failure to pass the Safe Routes Act of 2023 will continue to expose the public to unnecessary safety risks, increase consumer product costs, generate more carbon emissions, and contribute to climate change by requiring the use of more fossil fuels.
The question for Congress and the Administration is simple – Are you going to establish uniform, consistent, and fair Federal Transportation Policies across the country, or are you going to continue to allow unelected lobbyists to dictate transportation policy at the expense of the general public?
The Administration and many in Congress profess wanting to reduce fossil fuel use, reduce carbon emissions, improve the economy, create rural jobs, and support general welfare and safety. This is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to these priorities by passing the Safe Routes Act of 2023. Choosing not to support the Safe Routes Act of 2023 would be a demonstration of whose best interest is being served by our elected officials.
Let the Sawdust Fly: October 2023
Jimmies’ logging career began 60 years ago, working with his father’s logging operation at the age of 14 when out of school for summer break in southeastern NC. The business grew from a father-son logging operation to a company that employed 10+ workers. Jimmie managed the business’s trucking side, consisting of three tractor-trailers and one tandem to keep the wood moved to the mills.
In late 1988, Jimmie and his father decided to sell the logging business so his dad could retire, and Jimmie could move on to trucking full-time. Mid-1990, Jimmie had an opportunity to take a job working with the North Carolina Forestry Association's Self-Insured Fund as a loss-control engineer for logging and sawmill risk. The NCFA-SIF later transitioned to Forestry Mutual Insurance Company.
Jimmie’s experience working for and then managing his father’s logging and trucking operations gave him an experience-driven understanding of logging and the problems loggers face daily. FMIC management asked him to develop a chainsaw safety program. Later, he transitioned to working as an insurance agent specializing in insurance for logging operations for FMIC.
In 2001, he headed up efforts to form TEAM Fire, a group that had a significant influence on educating the forest industry about logging equipment fire prevention. In 2015, Jimmie was instrumental in organizing TEAM Safe Trucking (TST). Since the development of TST, Jimmie has given presentations for the American Loggers Council, The Forest Resources Association, and several forest product associations across the US, promoting safety and best management practices for logging and trucking operations. Jimmie retired from FMIC at the end of December 2019.
In May of 2020, Jimmie began working with Forest Insurance Center Agency, Inc. office in Michigan as a Risk Control Manager. His top priority was developing safety and compliance information for the wood products transportation segment of the forest industry. The recent completion of the Forest Products Transportation Truck Owner – Truck Driver Compliance & Safety booklet titled “The Road to Successful Trucking” continues to emphasize the relationship between compliance and safety as they relate to insurance and legal concerns. Compliance has become a significant consideration for insurance underwriters and significantly impacts an insured’s ability to get a competitive quote for their truck insurance needs.
Jimmie and his wife Ruthann maintain homes in Pembroke, North Carolina, and Frankenmuth, Michigan. They have seven children, ten Grandchildren and three Great-Grandchildren. Jimmie and Ruth love to travel and meet loggers to share Jimmie’s passion for the logging and trucking industries.
John Deere Adds Hardened Beaver Tooth Option to Forestry Saw Teeth Portfolio
MOLINE, Ill. — Expanding the portfolio of aftermarket forestry saw teeth options for its customers, John Deere introduces the one-piece hardened beaver saw tooth for John Deere Wheeled and Tracked Feller Bunchers. The new beaver saw tooth design boasts a beveled feature at each tooth tip, which helps improve tooth durability while striking materials other than wood. Not only does this extend the life of the tooth but, also helps increase productivity in rocky conditions where a carbide tooth would not be advisable.
“Our saw teeth models have been rigorously tested on real logging jobsites, helping us deliver ideal solutions made to tackle any forestry application head-on,” said William Borrenpohl, Aftermarket Product Manager, John Deere. “This remains the case for our new beaver saw tooth option, which was strategically designed to offer increased durability in the woods.”
As the latest addition to the John Deere saw tooth lineup, the beaver saw tooth is one of four options available to customers and can be purchased in boxes of 18 or 20 teeth. Designed for maximum durability while lowering operating costs, the full line of John Deere saw teeth for Wheeled and Tracked Feller Bunchers are made to help support daily logging operations and applications.
Customers interested in exploring the full line-up of John Deere saw teeth can work with a local dealer, who can recommend the right saw teeth for the logging operation at hand. For the latest on John Deere forestry products and jobsite solutions, please visit www.JohnDeere.com.
About John Deere
Deere & Company (www.JohnDeere.com) is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, turf, construction, and forestry equipment. We help our customers push the boundaries of what’s possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products, including John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor, See & Spray™, and E-Power Backhoe are just some of the ways we help meet the world's increasing need for food, shelter, and infrastructure. Deere & Company also provides financial services through John Deere Financial.
For more information on Deere & Company, visit us at http://www.johndeere.com/.
Contact: Sam Guinan, Senior Account Executive, imre, SamG@imre.agency
Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine becomes Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast
Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine become Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast.
AUGUSTA, ME – The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine has entered a new era as the 28-year-old trade association officially expands beyond Maine and becomes the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast.
The expansion announced today, which begins with contractors from the state of Vermont eligible to join the PLC, marks the most significant step for the organization since it was founded by loggers and for loggers in Maine in 1995.
“The PLC has been the voice of Maine loggers and forest truckers in a rapidly changing industry for nearly three decades, and in that time, it has become clear that we are strongest when we stand together.” PLC Executive Director Dana Doran said. “Loggers and truckers throughout the Northeast share many of the same challenges and opportunities, and we believe that now is the time to grow the organization to meet those challenges and take advantage of those opportunities together.”
PLC Members reviewed and unanimously approved changes to the organization’s bylaws pertaining to the expansion at the association’s Annual Meeting on May 5.
“The PLC is now ready, willing, and able to expand to other Northeast states if sufficient demand from loggers in those states exists,” Doran said. “Vermont loggers deserve credit for taking the lead on this, and the PLC stands ready to respond should loggers in other states seek the same representation and benefits a regional logging trade association can afford them.”
Three new board members have been added to the PLC’s board of directors to represent Vermont: Sam Lincoln, owner of Lincoln Farm Timber Harvesting of Randolph Center; Jack Bell, co-founder of Long View Forest of Westminster and Hartland; and Gabe Russo, owner of Southwind Forestry of Pawlet.
As a result of the expansion, logging, and forest trucking contractors in Vermont will now be eligible to join the PLC and share in the many benefits of membership, including representation and advocacy by the organization on their behalf at the state and national level, access to a safety dividend program, discounts from PLC Supporting Members, membership in the American Loggers Council(ALC), access to The Loggers Voice quarterly magazine, and free safety training and other professional development opportunities.
Meanwhile, the PLC is gearing up operations in Vermont and preparing to add staff there to ensure its support and services in the new territory are equivalent to what members in Maine have come to expect.
The three new Vermont board members agree the time for a regional organization to represent logging and forest trucking interests in their state has come. While Vermont does have organizations that logging contractors can join, they are umbrella organizations for forest-related businesses rather than logger-specific.
“The PLC’s ‘by loggers, for loggers,’ standard says it all,” Bell said. “It’s a logging business trade organization, and the total focus on the issues and challenges loggers face is unique.”
The expansion to Vermont has been in the works for more than two years, following interest from Vermont loggers who learned of the PLC through fellow loggers from Maine, training programs the PLC was involved with, exposure the organization gained through logging expos, and publicity surrounding its successes.
At a meeting in December 2022 in Barre, Vermont, attended by fifty Vermont contractors, the discussion centered around whether to form a new separate logging organization for Vermont or to pursue the idea of a regional association. The consensus at the end of the meeting was that a regional approach would save organizational time and allow for a more immediate impact.
“I think every single person raised their hand at the end of that meeting as far as whether there was interest to move forward,” Bell said, adding that more than a dozen loggers volunteered to join a steering committee to guide the process and have remained consistently involved in the year since.
Russo has participated in past efforts to bring logging issues before Vermont’s congressional delegation in Washington D.C. as part of the annual ALC Congressional Fly-In and said the trend nationwide seems to be shifting to regional efforts to advocate for loggers increasingly.
“When we go to D.C. with the American Loggers Council, you see other areas in the country grouped together and represented by these regional type logging associations, so I think the writing was on the wall as far as that for the future, in my opinion,” Russo said.
Lincoln said Vermont loggers and forest truckers face the same challenges with markets, workforce, and business regulations that loggers in Maine and across the Northeast share. Vermont loggers also face significant anti-forest management sentiment. He looks forward to the PLC being able to advocate on behalf of loggers in the state.
“We need to be taking back our place in society as responsible producers of essential human needs and contributors to the rural community. I think the opportunity to join an organization that is already up and running and has a tremendous track record of accomplishments and professional staff was a no-brainer for me,” Lincoln said.
In addition to its strong track record on advocacy, training, and promotion of logging as a profession, the PLC’s charitable efforts on behalf of Log A Load for Kids to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals – PLC’s efforts have raised more than $2.135 million since 1995 – drew a positive response from Vermont loggers considering joining the organization.
“I’m very enthusiastic to be a part of that here, and it’s going to be pretty exciting as well to be out there taking the initiative to promote ourselves as important to Vermont’s economy and as protectors of the environment,” Lincoln said.
On the evening of Oct. 18, the new organization will hold its first official event at the Canadian Club in Barre, Vermont, inviting any interested loggers and forest trucking companies in the state to attend to hear more about the benefits of joining the PLC. Current PLC Members are also welcome to attend the meeting and can RSVP by calling 207-688-8195 or emailing office@plcloggers.org
PLC Board Member Steve Hanington of Hanington Bros. Inc. in Macwahoc Plantation, Maine, a founding member of the PLC, said it is gratifying to know that all the hard work by the many Maine loggers who formed the PLC and grew it through the early years into what it is today have led to a moment when the association will grow beyond Maine into a stronger regional force for the logging and forest trucking industry.
“There is no way you can be an advocate and please everybody, and if you’re in an industry, there’s going to be segments of that industry that’s not going to like to hear what you have to say sometimes no matter how much they may like you personally, but to say something collectively just generates more acceptance,” Steve said. “I’m very happy that the loggers in Vermont chose to go this route, not for the benefit of PLC, but the benefit of loggers in the Northeast. I still believe they’ll be able to get a lot more accomplished without five or six years of organizational heartburn, and I commend them for recognizing that, and it will move all loggers forward; there’s no question about that in my mind.”
Founded in Maine in 1995 by a handful of loggers who were concerned about the future of the logging and forest trucking industry, the PLC has grown steadily to become a regional trade association that provides independent logging contractors and truckers in the Northeast 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.
Learn more about the PLC at www.plcloggers.org
John Deere Forestry Partners with LEGO: John Deere 948L-II Skidder
The 948L-II is John Deere’s biggest, baddest skidder ever. Now loggers, Deere fans, and LEGO enthusiast can build and explore a replica version of this mighty machine with the LEGO Technic John Deere 948L-II Skidder model toy set. This building kit recreates the skidder in authentic detail, featuring functional yet intricate working parts.
John Deere Forestry is Donating a LEGO John Deere 948L-II skidder Lego Set for the 2023 ALC Annual Meeting Log A Load For Kids Silent Auction.
Mechanical functions inspired by the real John Deere 948L-II Skidder include steering, four-wheel drive, and a working engine. Like a real skidder, there’s also a range of pneumatic functions that operate the grapple, the blade, and the rotating seat. Builders can use the LEGO Builder app to zoom in and rotate models in 3D, track their progress, and save sets.
John Deere Forestry engineering and marketing worked together on the design and development of the skidder over several months. “The 948L-II Skidder LEGO Technic model set is a great way to crate general awareness about the forestry industry,” says Matthew Flood, Product Marketing Manager – Precision Forestry & Skidders, John Deere Construction & Forestry Division. “And it’s a great introduction to engineering for kids. It features realistic movement and mechanisms that help them learn about the subject in an approachable and realistic way.”
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The company’s name is delivered from the Danish word LEg GOdt, which mean “play well.” The company was founded in 1932 in Billund, Denmark, and remains a family-owned company still headquartered there. LEGO’s products are sold in more than 130 countries worldwide.
Customers interested in purchasing the LEGO John Deere 948L-II Skidder model can purchase the toy set through the LEGO website or contact their local John Deere dealer.
SOURCE: JOHN DEERE WEBSITE
