PLC Member Weekly Update Sept. 10, 2021
In this Issue:
MLOP Graduation Sept. 16 – You are invited!
Logger Relief – Apply Now!
PLC Annual Meeting – Register Now!
Member Alert – BMP Workshop Update
Health Premium Support Program – Subsidy Available!
LD 1407 Nuisance Forestry Meeting – Recording Available
PLC Award Nominations – Due Oct. 1!
Logger Expo – Free Passes!
PLC Store – Many items for sale
Safety Resources – MDOL offering safety trainings in September
Trucking – Updates weekly
Classified listings – Check them out!
Member Discounts – Many to choose from
Logging News – Latest headlines
Mechanized Logging Operations Graduation Sept. 16!
Members, Please join us on Thursday, September 16th as we recognize the 12 students who will be graduating from the Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) class after 12 weeks in the woods of Central Maine! This is a great opportunity to learn about the graduates, see if any of them might be a fit for your company and to show support for the students who have worked so hard for this achievement! Please RSVP by Tuesday Sept. 14th by calling Jessica at (207) 688-8195 or email jessica@maineloggers.com. Thank you, and please feel free to contact me with any questions. Dana Doran |
—
Contractors there is still time to meet the students!
We are encouraging contractors seeking employees to contact Donald Burr at (207)-356-1541 and let him know what position(s) you are seeking to fill so he can begin the process of setting up interviews with students who could be a good fit for your needs. You can view information on the students HERE.
—
MLOP visited by Congressman Jared Golden and Maine state officials
Pandemic relief funds for timber harvesters and haulers available!
Applying is easy! $200 million available, only $2 million awarded so far!
Members,
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in July that $200 million in aid for timber harvesters and haulers included in a bipartisan $900 billion COVID-19 relief package approved more than six months ago would be released and Maine loggers and truckers could begin applying for the funds July 22.
The full announcement by USDA may be found HERE, including details on who is eligible and how to apply.
*PLEASE NOTE – Applying for assistance is quick and easy. In fact, the American Loggers Council (ALC) says there is “probably not a simpler federal assistance program.”
To date only 3,000 applications have been submitted and nearly $2 million in initial payments have been disbursed. Prior American Loggers Council surveys and estimates indicate that far more are eligible. The application is only one and a half pages long. APPLY NOW!!!
Loggers and truckers can apply for assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) July 22 through Oct. 15, 2021. The relief program is being called the Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers program (PATHH) and is administered by FSA in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
Who is eligible?
Timber harvesting and hauling businesses that have experienced a gross revenue loss of at least 10% during the period of Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2020, compared to the period of Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2019, are encouraged to apply.
To be eligible for payments, individuals or legal entities must be a timber harvesting or timber hauling business where 50% or more of its gross revenue is derived from one or more of the following:
-Cutting timber
-Transporting timber.
-Processing of wood on-site on the forest land (chipping, grinding, converting to biochar, cutting to smaller lengths, etc.).
How much aid can I receive?
Payments will be based on the applicant’s gross revenue received from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 1, 2019, minus gross revenue received from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 1, 2020, multiplied by 80%. FSA will issue an initial payment equal to the lesser of the calculated payment amount or $2,000 as applications are approved. A second payment will be made after the signup period has ended based upon remaining PATHH funds.
The maximum amount that a person or legal entity may receive directly is $125,000.
How do I apply?
Loggers and truckers can apply for PATHH beginning on July 22 by completing form FSA-1118, Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers Program application, and certifying to their gross revenue for 2019 and 2020 on the application. Additional documentation may be required. Visit farmers.gov/pathh for more information on how to apply.
Applications can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery, or via electronic means. To find a local FSA office, loggers and truckers can visit farmers.gov/service-locator. They can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.
Information on where to locate your nearest Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Maine is available HERE.
Webinar, Q&A
FSA hosted a stakeholder webinar on the new PATHH program last month. If you missed it the recording is available HERE.
The American Loggers Council has also provided a helpful Q&A on PATHH. It is available HERE.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the PLC.
APPLY FOR RELIEF FUNDS HERE
PLC Annual Meeting Oct. 29!
Register Now!
Member Alert: BMP Workshop Update
The notice as it appeared in a recent Maine Forest Service email
Many of you may have received a notice in late August promoting upcoming Best Management Practices (BMP) workshops in October that are being offered by Maine SFI and the Maine Forest Service.
The PLC would like to make you aware that logging contractors were not invited to participate in the development of these workshops over the past 16 months despite repeated requests to do so. These top-down workshops were not created with the input of contractors and without it, they are missing a key component of contractor buy in and expertise.
The PLC also wants to ensure that if any PLC Members do plan to attend these workshops, they are not being required to do so as a condition of their employment or ability to sell wood. Contractors are not employees and any attempt to treat them as such raises serious legal issues.
To learn more on this topic and why contractors should educate themselves on this topic, please check out this article that begins on page 8 in the latest Logger’s Voice.
Small Business Health Insurance Premium Support Program
 |
Members,
Starting in November, the State of Maine will be making available a subsidy for small business health insurance plan providers (less than 50 employees). This program will be funded by federal pandemic relief funds, and will run for 18 months. It is intended to provide temporary premium relief to small employers and their employees. The Maine Bureau of Insurance will be doing rulemaking for it this fall.
A powerpoint that is linked below provides a good summary of the program and we encourage you to review it. The PLC will provide additional information on this program as it becomes available.
Funds for the program are being provided through LD 1733, the bill allocating nearly $1 billion in federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
INFORMATIONAL POWERPOINT
LD 1407 Nuisance Forestry Meeting Recording
The PLC is participating in a work group that has been convened by the Director of the Maine Forest Service, to review and assess the negative impact of municipal (town/city) ordinances related to timber harvesting and hauling. The group held its first meeting on August 31, 2021. You may view the recording of the meeting HERE.
PLC Award Nominations Needed!
Do you know a person or business involved in the logging industry who ought to be recognized for outstanding professionalism, service to the community, or service to the industry? If you do, please nominate them for one of the PLC’s annual awards!
Nominations must be received no later than Oct. 1 2021!
Winners will be honored at the PLC’s Annual Meeting on Oct. 29 in Bangor.
Free Passes to the Bangor Logger’s Expo!
Admission to the Northeastern Forest Products Expo in Bangor, ME on Sept. 24th & 25th has changed for 2021. To attend for free, you must get your passes ahead of time from a vendor. As a vendor, the PLC is entitled to a select number of free passes that we can distribute in advance of the Expo.
As a PLC member benefit, we are offering each of our members up to 4 FREE passes ($10 each at the door). To take advantage of this offer, please respond by Friday, August 6th and let us know how many passes you would like and where to send them.
Click here request your FREE passes!
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.
CHECK IT OUT HERE
Safety Resources
Class registration: 1-877-SAFE 345 (1-877-723-3345) or www.safetyworksmaine.gov
Maine Department of Labor Offering Workplace Training Sessions
SafetyWorks! can help you prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths and reduce related costs. Our safety & health consultation and training services are offered at no charge and confidential and we don’t issue fines or citations.
How to Conduct a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Assessment
This course is designed to assist you in developing a PPE program and how to organize your PPE needs. Employers must conduct a hazard assessment before requiring employees to use PPE. The assessment provides information needed to select the appropriate PPE for the hazards at the workplace. Learn how to conduct a hazard assessment in this hands-on class.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Presque Isle Career Center, 66 Spruce Street, Presque Isle
—
Lockout/Tagout Procedures
This training session covers the OSHA requirements and procedures to be used in the Lockout/Tagout process to ensure safety and protection during repair and maintenance of equipment.
Friday, September 17, 2021 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
SafetyWorks! Training Institute, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta
Spring Trainings Now Available Online!
Members Only!
GO TO MEMBERS ONLY
NE Safe Logger
Now is a great time for online training!
NE Safe Logger:
Northeast Safe Logger is an entry level safety and workers’ comp. compliance training program for new entrants to the industry. This is a way for your company to create a culture of safety and reduce risk with a program created by loggers for loggers.
· 16 hours of interactive online training
· Complete on a computer, tablet or smart phone
· Done at the users’ own pace anytime day or night
Upon completion participants will get the discounted “certified logger” rate for workers’ compensation insurance in the State of Maine. Visit www.tcnef.org/nesafelogger/ for more information on pricing.
Log-ins are limited and will be awarded on a first come first served basis. Your company will be put on a wait list if all the log-ins are in use.
LEARN MORE about these training options by emailing Jessica at jessica@maineloggers.com or calling (207) 688-8195.
Trucking
As we enter into the fall we enter into the increase of morning and afternoon traffic with schools starting up. Please take time to plan your routes and to be aware of not only the increase in vehicle traffic, but expect an increase in pedestrian traffic and bicycle traffic! EYES UP… JUST DRIVE and BE AWARE.
Reminder: Onboard documentation and supporting documents
Motor carriers and drivers have specific requirements under the ELD regulations. Some of the most commonly cited violations pertain to the documents and materials drivers are required to have with them in the commercial motor vehicle (CMV), or that motor carriers must retain in their files, and provide to enforcement personnel upon request. Below are a few reminders to help motor carriers and drivers adhere to these requirements. Learn more…
Logging Industry News
Member Discounts
TRUCKING DISCOUNTS THROUGH THE ALC!
PLC Members, because the PLC is a member of the American Loggers Council YOU are entitled to special discounts on truck purchases! Click on the brand names below to learn more!
—
Fabian Oil Discount
Traction Heavy Duty Special
Wallingford’s Discounts
Maine Trailer Discounts
Scandinavian Forestry Equipment
Sullivan Tire Discount Skidder Tires
PLC Members get a 5% discount on culverts purchased at Treeline and Frank Martin & Sons
Hale Trailer discounts for PLC Members on new trailer purchases! Call Neal at 207-232-7969 for details!
Cross Arena Discounts for PLC!
Classifieds
PLC Classified Section
Check out the equipment and job opportunities our members have listed at the LOGGING ZONE! If you have equipment for sale, are looking to buy, are looking for employees, or are looking for employment – check it out!
Latest listing: Madden Sustainable Forestry, a fourth generation company, is looking for a full-time processor operator to perform quality work in a team environment. Benefits include competitive wages, company vehicle, IRA, health insurance, and paid vacation.
To apply, please send resume and references to Derek Madden at dmadden1982@hotmail.com
Preferred Supporting Members
Preferred Supporting Members
