SCOPAN TWP., Maine — Graduates of Maine’s only post-secondary training program for operators of mechanized logging equipment were recognized Friday, Sept. 14, at a ceremony held in the woods southeast of Ashland, where they have spent weeks harvesting timber using sophisticated state-of-the-art machines like those they will encounter in the logging industry.
Supporters of the program, families of the trainees, industry leaders, and legislators gathered at the program’s woodlot for the celebration.
Students completing the program included: Evan Burgay of Caribou, Deric Buswell of Rumford, Jack Houtz of Stillwater, Logan Johnson of Presque Isle, Parrish Lovely of Westfield, Ralph Nichols of Wallagrass, Ben Shaw of Pittston and William Shufelt of Gray.
“We could not be prouder today to see these newly trained forest technicians enter our industry,” said Jim Nichols, PLC president.
“We need you guys and we need you bad. The average age of a logger in Maine is over 55 and the traditional logger of yesterday is not the forest technician of today.”
The Mechanized Logging Operations Program began last summer thanks to a partnership between Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, Eastern Maine Community College and Washington County Community College, along with the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine and industry partners. This is the second class to complete the program.
According to the PLC, approximately 95 percent of logging in Maine now relies on mechanized equipment including feller bunchers and harvesters, delimbers, grapple skidders, and forwarders. It generally takes at least a year of training and experience before an operator becomes skilled enough to run this equipment safely and efficiently.
For this reason, the PLC united with the colleges and industry to create the mechanized logging curriculum. The hands-on experience students gained operating equipment for weeks in the woods is something unavailable anywhere else in Maine and neighboring states.
Another significant factor in the development of the program was the increasingly high cost of training shouldered by private companies. Historically, employers spend approximately $100,000 to train their mechanized operators.
Student Shaw said, “I was pretty shocked” to learn that everyone in the group had received job offers before graduation; counting on his fingers, Shaw shared that he’d already received five job offers from different logging companies. He calculated that in the first four years of his logging career, he’d be $200,000 ahead of traditional college students, who typically need significant student loans. Shaw’s favorite piece of logging machinery is the buncher.
Donald Burr, the NMCC program coordinator, noted how satisfying it was teaching this group of students. Regarding the donations that made the program possible, Burr said, “Not only did these companies donate to us, but they stood behind us every step of the way.” When he or his students had questions about the machinery or products, he said the companies treated them like they were a “big deal” even though they weren’t spending significant amounts of money.
State Representative Chris A. Johansen made his way up to the ceremony from Monticello after being impressed by the ceremony last year.
“When you accept donations like this, you don’t want to waste time, and they didn’t,” Johansen said. “You can tell the program has high standards; you can tell by looking at the instructors. I will gladly support this program.”
This year’s graduates came from a pool of applicants and were screened with background checks, drug testing and interviews with current contractors.
According to NMCC, Maine Quality Centers funds the program with monies from the state of Maine and a 50 percent match from industry, making this a public/private partnership.
“Both the industry and the Community College System recognize that logging is a vital piece of the Maine economy. They have both stepped up to make this investment to create a well-trained workforce,” said Leah Buck, assistant dean of continuing education at NMCC.
Student Jack Houtz, also a graduate of UMaine in Orono, thanked the many people and organizations that made his education possible.
After running a small logging operation independently while still in high school and studying forestry in college, Houtz discovered that he wanted to remain part of the operations. “The vantage from up in those cabs is so different,” he explained. “It’s not all about pulling levers.”
He told his fellow graduates, “I hope you guys are as excited as I am. Stay safe, I hope to see you in the woods.”
A local woods company donated the woodlot for the program. Money from the harvest will go back to the program to help offset costs and aid in sustainability for future cohorts.
Submitted by the Development and College Relations Office of Northern Maine Community College and by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine.
