Forest Products 2019 by Bangor Daily News

MAINE GRADS LEARN HOW TO HARVEST TIMBER WITH

STATE-OF-THE-ART MACHINES DISCOVER HOW

FOREST PRODUCTS WEEK CAME TO BE

LOGGERS RAISE THOUSANDS FOR CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MIRACLE NETWORK

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

A brief history of National Forest Products Week 2019 marks the 59th anniversary of National Forest Products Week. This annual observance dates back to September 13, 1960, according to the Forest History Society. On that day, Congress passed a joint resolution providing for the establishment of an annual National Forest Products Week to be held each year on the week beginning with the third Sunday in October. President Eisenhower signed the first proclamation two days later, calling on the people of the United States “to observe the week beginning October 16, 1960, as National Forest Products Week, with activities and ceremonies designed to focus attention on the importance of our forests and forest products to the Nation’s economy and welfare.” Upon signing the proclamation, Eisenhower was presented with a commemorative clock made from 10 different species of American wood. The full proclamation reads: National Forest Products Week Legislation PUBLIC LAW 86-753; 74 STAT.898 [S. J. RES. 209]

Joint resolution providing for the establishment of an annual National Forest Products Week. WHEREAS our country and its people have always found constant strength, individual peace and personal pride in the bounty of our forest and timber land; and WHEREAS from the beginning of our Nation’s founding, the forest and its products have provided a core of living and freedom touching and inspiring each citizen with majestic beauty and practical use; and WHEREAS as our only renewable resource, wood offers the availability and abundance to satisfy the Nation’s ever growing demands and through modern forestry we can be assured of a continuous supply of timber for the future; and WHEREAS the first settlers gained foothold in the new world and carved for themselves and their descendants a free nation and built homes, schools and churches using the forests as an ever plentiful source of material; and WHEREAS this early building is now multiplied a thousandfold in these great United States and the importance

of our forest lands has developed with equal vigor through wise management constant replanting and growth of this vital resource, and today our forests provide thousands of products – lumber, paper, building materials, chemicals, furniture and cloth – all dedicated to improving the lives of our people; and WHEREAS in order to reemphasize to each citizen in the United States the importance and heritage of our vast forest resources which are inseparably tied to our present and our future: Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That: The seven-day period beginning on the third Sunday of October in each year is hereby designated as National Forest Products Week, and the President is requested to issue annually a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Approved September 13, 1960.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

The mystery of Maine Forest Products Week BY ROBERTA SCRUGGS, MFPC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Can you help solve a 59-year-old mystery? Why has Maine, with one of the nation’s oldest forest product industries, only celebrated Forest Products Week twice in the past six decades? And why did the state celebrate in 1984 and 1985? The 34-year gap between celebrations came to light because the Maine Forest Products Council (MFPC) asked Maine Governor Janet Mills to proclaim Oct. 20–26, 2019, as Maine Forest Products week in conjunction with National Forest Products Week, and she agreed. The council requested the proclamation with two goals in mind. First to show our neighbors across Maine that the forest products industry is rebounding from a series of paper mill closures from 2014 to 2016—with more than a billion dollars in investments over the past few years—and also to let them know that there are forest-related businesses and jobs (more than 33,000) in every county in the state, according to University of Maine research. Most states with forest products industries have been celebrating since 1960, when Congress passed a joint resolution and President Dwight Eisenhower signed a proclamation, calling on the people of the United States to celebrate National Forest Products Week each year beginning with the third Sunday in October “with activities and

ceremonies designed to focus attention on the importance of our forests and forest products to the Nation’s economy and welfare.” From Wisconsin to Florida to Oregon, there are festivities during the third week of October to highlight forestry people, products and, of course, the economic impact of the industry. Nationwide, forestry-related businesses support (direct, indirect and induced impacts) 2.9 million total jobs and are associated with $128.1 billion in total payroll, according to a 2019 study by Forest2Market for the National Alliance of Forest Landowners (NAFO). As a share of state manufacturing and total GDP, Maine’s $1.2 billion contribution represents 20.4 percent of the state’s manufacturing GDP and 2 percent of total GDP. Yet for reasons still unknown, celebrations were rare in Maine, even though our forest products industry is older than our nation. Starting in 1605, the availability and high quality of white pine played an important part in the development and economy of the region that would become Maine. Yet the only consistent acknowledgement of Forest Products Week during the third week of October appears to be in the Bangor Daily News, which for decades has published a special forest products section [Ed. note—this very publication]. Maine Forest Products Council members with long memories and extensive knowledge of the state’s forest products industry had no idea why this national event has hardly been celebrated here, including consulting forester Fred Huntress; retired UMaine professor

From Wisconsin to Florida to Oregon, there are festivities during the third week of October to

highlight forestry people, products and, of course, the economic impact of the industry.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Max McCormick; industry analyst Lloyd Irland; state forester Doug Denico; and Ted Johnston, former MFPC executive director. Maine’s incredibly dogged reference librarians filled in some facts. Alex Burnett at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library found the first hard evidence there had ever been a Maine Forest Products Week celebration, but it took some work. “This isn’t easy to research, especially gubernatorial proclamations and especially before the 1990s, and therefore our research may not be comprehensive,” Burnett emailed. “We searched the entire Legislative Record back to 1897 and found no mention of a Maine Forest Products Week.” However, he did unearth one long, exciting paragraph in the Maine Department of Conservation newsletter for October 17, 1984: “National Forest Products Week is being observed through the nation October 21–27, and gets underway in Maine on October 21 with a parade of forest industry vehicles and gear beginning at 2:00 PM. The parade will start at the Turnpike Mall and travel to the Augusta Civic Center where Governor Joseph E. Brennan’s Maine Forest Products Week proclamation will be read and representatives from the Maine Forest Service and forest industry will make brief remarks. People are invited to the Civic Center or to view the parade as it travels east on

Western Avenue to Capital Street, then north on State Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue to the Civic Center parking lot. A Special Forest Products Week Supplement in the Bangor Daily News, coordinated by Marshall Wiebe, will be published on October 19.” A parade through Augusta’s streets must have been thoroughly covered by Maine’s news media, especially the Kennebec Journal, right? Sort of, but another report on the forest products industry captured the front page. Melanie Mohney, reference services, Maine State Library, refused to keep digging, even though she “checked both the Bangor Daily and the KJ for October 1984 (3rd Sunday – 30 October) and found nothing. If I think of another avenue, I will certainly pursue it.” The next day, she had more information and a great find—a Forest Products Week photo that ran on the Local Page of the Kennebec Journal on Monday, Oct. 22, 1984. It just happens to feature Jimmy Robbins (Jr.), age 11, standing beside a Robbins Lumber truck. Now he’s Jim A. Robbins, the current president of the Searsmont company, which was founded in 1881, and has been a long-time MFPC member. Mohney also sent “a few more bits from the week of the 21st. They do not address the FPW specifically, but are industry related.” Maine’s forest products industry did make the front page of the Kennebec Journal during Forest Products Week, on Friday, Oct. 26, 1984. The story was the first of a series on “the decline of Maine’s softwoods,”

written by Bob Cummings, environmental writer for the Guy Gannett newspapers. “Forest inventory paints a bleak picture,” the headline read, and the story focused on the state of Maine’s forests during “the worst budworm epidemic in modern times that has set the seeds of destruction for at least 5 million acres of the 7 million acre spruce and forest.” Another lead came from Desiree Butterfield-Nagy, Special Collections Department at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library, and Betsy Paradis, local history and special collections librarian at the Bangor Public Library. They sent links to the 1984 BDN forest products section, which celebrated the industry, but also had a story about “handling the spruce fir shortage in 20 years.” “There’s broad agreement today that spruce and fir of market age and maturity will be in short supply in 20 years,” author Jay Hutchins wrote. The spruce budworm infestation began around 1970 and by 1975 not only Maine, but “the entire region from Ontario to Newfoundland was involved in the largest spruce budworm outbreak ever recorded,” according to “The Spruce Budworm Outbreak in Maine in the 1970s.” Maine poured countless hours and millions of dollars into efforts to combat it. A simulation was conducted in 1983 by the Sewall Co., which estimated the harvest level then—approximately 2.9 million cords/year; about 6 million green tons—could not be

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FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

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An aerial view of the Maine forest in the wake of the spruce budworm epidemic in the 1970s and 1980s. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE MAINE FOREST PRODUCTS COUNCIL sustained until the year 2020. In 1984, of course, no one had any idea the budworm infestation would soon be over. In 2012, forester Bill Brown of Seven Islands vividly remembered the dying firs turning red and the World War II bombers spraying the forests in an effort to save them. He

recalled the frantic struggle to build back-country roads so spruce and fir trees could be harvested before they died, and also everyone’s great amazement when the spruce budworm abruptly disappeared in the mid 1980s. “There was a spray program scheduled and all the entomologists and people from the spray program went out and they said, ‘Where did they all go?’” Brown said. “It was like the budworm had disappeared right off the face of the earth. The whole population just collapsed. Nobody had predicted that or expected that.” Fortunately, the dire predictions about the future spruce-fir supply did not come true because two assumptions turned out to be wrong, says Ken Laustsen, former biometrician at the Maine Forest Service. Assumption #1 – The spruce budworm epidemic was going to continue to devastate northern Maine’s spruce-fir forests because the spray program was designed to only protect stands until they could be accessed and harvested. Then the epidemic crashed in 1985. Assumption #2 – The harvest of spruce-fir was going to continue at levels seen from 1975 to the early 1980s. But all pulp/paper mills that could converted their raw material feedstock from spruce-fir to hardwood to the fullest extent possible, mainly because it was cheaper and quality paper could be made out of it. In 1992, the harvest of hardwood pulpwood exceeded spruce-fir pulpwood for the first time ever. So let’s get back to solving our mystery. Kristi Bryant at the Portland Room, Portland Public Library, couldn’t find any 1960s references to Maine Forest Products Week, despite searching the library’s Maine News Index and looking through many indexed articles about forestry. But she did develop a theory about why Maine celebrated Forest Products Week in 1984 and 1985.

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FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

continued from page 6 “It is my assumption that the event that you found in October of 1984 could have been the beginning of the event,” Bryant emailed. “One of the reasons I suggest that is I found a book . . . The Natural Resource Industries of Maine: An assessment and statistical portrait has a profile of the Forest Products Industry in Maine and it states that the industry was in a decline following the early 1980s due to a decline in housing starts and building. Perhaps Governor Brennan was trying to prop up the wood products employees and industries by declaring Maine Forest Products Week in October of 1984.” The devastation caused by the spruce budworm infestation also probably figured into to Gov. Brennan’s thinking. Sam Howes, who handles archival records at the Maine State Archives, couldn’t find a governor’s proclamation for 1984, but located one for 1985. Here are the reasons Gov. Brennan cited for proclaiming Maine Forest Products Week: “WHEREAS, the forest products industry continues to play a vital role in the economic life of Maine, the nation’s most heavily forested state, from the growing and harvesting of trees to the manufacture of wood and paper products; and “WHEREAS, the demand for wood products is projected to grow throughout this century and into the next; and “WHEREAS, the forest products industry will continue to employ numerous Maine residents in both forest and factory as they work to meet this growing demand; and “WHEREAS, wood is a renewable resource which will never be depleted so long as our foresters and natural resource professionals continue to find ways to effectively manage our forests, “NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH E. BRENNAN, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the week of October 20th through October 26th, 1985 as FOREST PRODUCTS WEEK throughout the State of Maine, and I urge all citizens to observe the important role

The sawdust and bark piles at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont. BDN FILE PHOTO

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

that forest products play in our daily lives and in Maine’s economic life as well.” When contacted, three former commissioners of what was then called the Department of Conservation—Richard Barringer, Ed Meadows and Richard Anderson—as well as Marshall Wiebe, the department’s long-time communication spokesman, said they had no memory of Forest Products Week. But Anderson, who served 1981–86, emailed, “I think it is a great idea and am sure that I convinced Governor Brennan that it was a good thing to do.” Everything Gov. Brennan proclaimed has, in fact, happened. Despite five mill closures from 2014 to 2016, forest products has an $8 billion impact on Maine’s economy, including about 33,000 direct and indirect jobs. More importantly, a new, stronger forest economy is emerging in Maine. Just a back-of-the-envelope tally of investments, announced in progress or completed shows nearly a billion dollars in investments is revitalizing Maine’s forest economy. Maine has something the world still wants and needs – enormous wood resources and well-trained, hard-working people who produce sustainable, renewable wood for an evergrowing global population. Studies show that as population increases, wood consumption also increases. By 2025, there will be an estimated eight billion people on earth and they will need more wood products, from lumber, to tissue paper, to biobased plastics. One of the facts Brennan noted—that wood is a renewable resource—is even more important today than it was then. Scientific advances also are using wood to make many new products, from cross laminated timber to cellulose based plastics to biofuels. So the council believes there is plenty to celebrate in this Maine’s New Forest Economy. We hope forest products businesses across Maine will plan events, tours and other activities—and MFPC will be happy to assist—to help our neighbors throughout the state understand the history of this industry and its importance to communities across the state today. So let’s celebrate National Forest Products Week this year the Maine way. We have a great story to tell about our legendary industry, which is now reinventing itself. For more info, contact Roberta Scruggs at 207-622-9288 or rscruggs@maineforest.org.

As it churns out boards, planks and lumber by the truckload each day, the workers at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont end up with a lot of leftovers. Every day, the company’s saws and grinders produce about 90 tons of woodchips, enough to fill three truckloads. BDN FILE PHOTO

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine holds 24th annual meeting and presents awards PROVIDED BY THE PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS (PLC) OF MAINE

The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine held its 24th Annual Meeting earlier this year, raising $51,866 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine and presenting awards to businesses, individuals, and legislators from across Maine for their outstanding contributions to the logging industry. Awards were presented to the following individuals and organizations during the evening Awards Ceremony: PLC Logger of the Year Award: This award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession. The winner this year is: Kimball & Sons Logging of Poland. PLC Logger of the Year: Kimball & Sons Logging. PLC Impact Awards: Each year, the PLC recognizes someone from the public sector who has demonstrated a commitment to the industry and has made a significant impact for its improvement. This year the award will go to two individuals: Maine State Rep. Nathan Wadsworth of Hiram and Maine State Rep. Michelle Dunphy of Old Town. PLC Community Service Award: This award is given annually to a PLC member, supporting member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to their community. The winner this year is: Scott Hanington of Wytopitlock. Acadia Insurance Safety Award: In 1999, the PLC and Acadia Insurance partnered together to make safety a priority in the logging industry by creating a member benefit for PLC contractors, providing training and education, reducing claims and increasing profitability. This award is given to a company that continuously demonstrates safety throughout their business. The winner this year is: Chopper One Inc. of Eagle Lake. PLC Supporting Member Award: The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC supporting member that has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to logging contractors in Maine. The winner this year is: Acadia Insurance. PLC President’s Award: The President’s Award is presented to individuals or organizations within the PLC which have a significant and positive impact on the PLC and the logging industry in Maine. The winner this year is: Melanie Campbell (Cross Insurance). Learn more about the PLC at www.maineloggers.com.

Attendees at the PLC Awards ceremony.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

PLC golf tournament raises record amount to help kids PROVIDED BY THE PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS (PLC) OF MAINE

The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine held its 23rd annual Log A Load for Maine Kids Northern Maine Golf Tournament last month, raising $52,100 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine and pushing its annual fundraising effort to a new record total. This year, for the first time, the PLC held two Log A Load golf tournaments, with a new Sept. 6 southern Maine tournament at the Kezar Lake Country Club in Lovell, Maine in addition to the northern Maine tournament at JATO Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Maine. The new tournament has been added as the PLC seeks to expand its annual fundraising efforts on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Maine, and has partnered with the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland in that effort. The southern tournament raised $25,236, and when added to the money raised at the northern tournament plus a record $51,866 raised at the PLC Annual Meeting, the effort has now raised more than $129,000 for the year. Last year the PLC raised a total of $122,500 for Log A Load, with the bulk of funds coming from the annual golf tournament and PLC Annual Meeting. “The generosity of the PLC’s members, friends, and supporters is more inspiring each year, and with the new tournament we are expanding participation and the positive impact we can have for Maine families in need,” PLC Executive Director Dana Doran said. “This group always comes through for these families and continues to devote an incredible amount of time, effort, and resources to the Log A Load cause, and our efforts this year are something we should be very proud of.” The PLC and the Northern Light Health Foundation (formerly Eastern Maine Health Systems Foundation) have partnered in the Log A Load fundraising effort since 1996. Donations,

which have now surpassed $1 million, have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children in Maine as possible. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and includes a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that has received support for years from the PLC’s Log A Load efforts. Funds raised from the Lincoln golf tournament will go to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and the funds from the Lovell golf tournament will go to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center. The funds from the PLC Annual Meeting are split between the two hospitals. The South Carolina Forestry Association started the Log A Load for Kids program in 1988. Originally, the concept was for loggers, wood-supplying businesses, and other industry supporters in various states including Maine to donate the value of a load of logs to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Nationally, Log A Load for Kids is a leader in CMN Hospitals’ fundraising, raising more than $2 million annually through golf tournaments, fishing events, dinners, truckloads of log donations and other events. For more information, please visit www.logaload.org. 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

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FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Helping landowners achieve their goals COURTESY OF WADSWORTH WOODLANDS, INC.

Wadsworth Woodlands, Inc. is a forestry company whose foremost objective is to help landowners achieve their goals of natural resource management through land management plans, and responsible harvests of wood products. This ensures the greatest financial return on a landowner’s forestland investment, forest health, and creating wildlife habitats. Our purpose for growing a long-term forest management company is to bring continuity to landowners, as well as future generations. We are a multi-generational, family owned business that has been in operation for over 25 years. We proudly serve small and large landowners, and have written land management plans for over 162,000 acres of private land as well as for Land & Conservation Trusts in Maine and New Hampshire. We believe that good forestry practices begin with good landowner relationships, and that long-term sustainability is achieved through responsible resource management. We understand you have many options in the marketplace. We offer the convenience of being a full-service forestry company, utilizing the expertise of our professional foresters who are licensed in Maine and New Hampshire. Our foresters are very diverse in working all over the great State of Maine from Fort Kent all the way to the New Hampshire/Vermont border; and we pride ourselves by offering a wide range of experience, knowledge and technology coupled with excellent customer service. As with any vocation we are always evolving and incorporating new technology and techniques; but are steadfast in remaining stewards of the forest. To ensure land is properly managed it is vital to utilize a licensed forester in creating a land management plan, and to oversee that this plan is followed over the years. Our land management style focuses on uneven age management resulting in long

term longevity. This means we cull poor timber, but also harvest mature, quality timber leaving behind the best quality to grow for future generations. We specialize in Selective Timber Harvesting and utilize several different harvest techniques which include: Whole Tree Harvesting, Cut to Length and Traditional Hand Crew. We facilitate and manage harvests from start to finish; and as we are a preferred supplier to the majority of local mills we can guarantee the greatest financial return for wood products. Our professional loggers, being both economically and environmentally focused, work to create a healthy and improved forest stand poised to increase growth rates into the future. A crucial part of managing timberland is the timing of a harvest, and maximizing regeneration opportunities. You may have noticed periodically that White Pine trees are heavily laden with pine cones. This is an indication of a White Pine seed year which means it’s an opportune time to thin out poor quality hardwoods thus encouraging White Pine regeneration. White Pines are an important timber species in Maine and New Hampshire, and we encourage harvesting be timed during a seed year which creates optimum soil conditions and increased sunlight for seedling growth. The foundation of our company is to create and maintain strong, lasting relationships with both our clients and the paper mills. We feel strong relationships go hand in hand with good forestry practices; and we are committed to serving the individual forestry needs of our clients and their woodlands. As professional foresters, our mission is to provide landowners with a wide array of economical forestry services and bring our expertise and experience to responsibly work with your woodland. A well-managed, sustainable wood lot is good for you and even better for our forests!

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

continued from page 12 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.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS (PLC) OF MAINE

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Celebrating the north Maine woods in our lives – to maximize diversity. From 29 sites in the 1980s, today our voluntary program The woods have never played such an important role in includes 260 award-winning conservation areas. But we always our lives as they do today. From their natural beauty, to need to get better at it so we are collaborating with universities their functional strength, to their ability as nature’s air and environmental groups and investing every year in forest and water filters. The air we breathe. Clean research that includes moose, deer and water. Habitat for plants and animals. The songbirds. A full-time wildlife biologist and trails we enjoy with family and friends. naturalist are unique for most forestry A healthy and diverse working forest companies. We value the ongoing training and provides a sustainable source of wood fiber guidance they provide for habitat conservation. to make many of the wood products that are In addition to the benefits of forests and part of everyday life. Hardwood, spruce and wood products to the environment, wood fir are used for lumber, wood chips for pulp sustains jobs for families. For the team in and paper, as well as tissue and paper towels. the woods and our sawmills in Maine, over At Irving Woodlands, we’re planning 80 2,600 direct, indirect and induced jobs in years ahead to ensure this diverse wood Maine are generated, representing over $100 supply and every year we are growing more million in wages. We couldn’t do it without than we harvest. local suppliers – the majority are small Trees are also nature’s air filters and as the businesses. Local purchases mean over $140 JUST A FEW OF IRVING WOODLANDS’ EMPLOYEES AT WORK IN THE WOODS. world deals with climate change, healthy million into the Maine economy. growing forests are a big part of the solution. A recently to ensure healthy forests for the next generation. At Irving Woodlands, we’ve been a part of the north published report in Science made headlines around the world, In addition to wood for mills, our team of foresters in Maine woods for over 70 years and consider it a privilege detailing how planting 1 trillion trees could erase nearly 100 Maine are also caring for wildlife habitats, wetlands, lakes to be a steward of such an important resource. years of carbon emissions. Today, Irving Woodlands is planting and streams as well as renewing the forest. Today, the best Let’s take this opportunity during forestry week to over 60% of the trees in Maine – a promise to renew the forest technology is being used to help foresters collect valuable appreciate all that the diverse forest provides in a that we have been keeping since 1957. forest data – over 200 million learning points and counting sustainable way.

COURTESY OF IRVING WOODLANDS

In the forests that Irving Woodlands manages in Maine and Canada, 92 million tons of carbon dioxide is being absorbed every 50 years by growing trees – that’s equal to 350,000 cars off the road every year for 50 years. This year we planted over 2 million trees in the north Maine woods

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

ND Paper marks award-winning first year in Maine PROVIDED BY ND PAPER

Maine Forest Products Council in September presented ND Paper with its Outstanding Manufacturer award for 2019, recognizing ND Paper’s significant investment and confidence in the people and the communities of Maine, greatly benefiting Maine’s forest economy. Since its inception in June 2018, ND Paper has invested $100+ million in revitalizing Rumford’s mill and restarting the shuttered mill in Old Town. “We really appreciate this recognition from our partners in the business of responsibly using forest products to fuel Maine’s economy for the long term,” said Randy Chicoine, ND Paper’s Vice President and General Manager of Maine Operations. This recognition is on top of Maine International Trade Commission’s in May, naming ND Paper its Foreign Direct Investor of the Year. ND Paper’s two Maine mills in Rumford and Old Town consume more than 2,000 loads of pulpwood and chips each week. The professional fiber supply team, which includes four professional foresters, manages the purchase of all open market sources of pulpwood to its chip plant in Farmington and West Paris, along with a plant in Shelburne, New Hampshire. These forest product purchases inject more than $1 million into local economies each week—dollars that are spread among loggers, truckers, landowners,

equipment dealers, foresters, and service people. “We visited over 20 different sites when we were looking at acquisition opportunities, and what really drew us to Rumford and Old Town was an incredible spirit of the people here, work ethic, and history,” said Ken Liu, ND Paper CEO. “Maine is a phenomenal place for anyone in the paper industry. The history, the experience of the employees, the wood basket here, and the community all together make it a very unique combination you can rarely find anywhere else in the world.” One of ND Paper’s tenets is that without environmental protection there is no papermaking. In line with that value, 100 percent of ND Paper’s fiber purchases meet the Forest Stewardship Council risk assessment process, and are sustainably sourced under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative standard. Roughly half the fiber purchased is third-party certified as sourced from FSC, SFI, or American Tree Farm certified forests and Master Logger harvests. The company is new to Maine and honored to carry on the tradition of conscientiously turning out top grade printing, writing, and specialty papers in a way that sustains the environment and the economy. ND Paper is proud to directly employ more than 780 Mainers, generating jobs and partnerships throughout the forest and paper industry with a strategic vision for safe, sustainable, and scalable production for the next 100 years.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Fifteen graduates complete Mechanized Logging Operations Program PROVIDED BY THE PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS (PLC) OF MAINE

Fifteen graduates of Maine’s only post-secondary training program for operators of mechanized logging equipment were recognized in September. An event was held in the woods of Western Maine where they spent weeks harvesting timber using sophisticated state-of-the-art machines like those they will encounter in the logging industry. Friends and family members of the students were joined by members of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC); representatives of Northern Maine Community College including President Tim Crowley; state officials including Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Amanda Beal, and Maine State Forester Patty Cormier; and industry sponsors to share a proud day with the students who completed the program’s rigorous requirements. Graduates included: Travis Merritt of Houlton, Patrick Prescott of Livermore, Garrett Colbath of Exeter, Michael Schools of Littleton, Jaden Castonguay of Livermore,

Ahren Harrison of Stacyville, Payton Ross of Rangeley, Cameron Favreau of Pittston, Andrew Cole of New Limerick, Tylar Pickering of Byron, William Perreault of Chesterville, Tiahna Cyr of Caribou, Corey White of Rumford, Jessica Michalik of Madison, and Logan Malm of Caribou. The Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) was launched in 2017 thanks to a partnership between three Maine community colleges, the PLC, and industry partners including Milton CAT and Nortrax/John Deere. This is the third class to complete the program. “This program provides a direct pathway to a good-paying, exciting career in the Maine woods at a time when there is huge demand for new workers,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, said. “There is no better or more efficient way to gain the experience and knowledge you need to become an equipment operator in the logging industry. These students should be proud of this achievement and expect to reap significant professional rewards from it, and the many contributors to the success of this program should be proud that it is affording this opportunity and offering such a quality

experience that every student that began the program this summer finished it – a 100 percent completion rate.” “This program is a great example of how workforce needs can be addressed when education, industry and government work together,” Northern Maine Community College President Timothy Crowley said. “These students will not only be contributing to the logging industry but also to the economy and quality of life in Maine.” The program gives students a broad overview of the most common mechanical systems found in modern timber harvesting equipment, and an understanding of the variables of timber growth, tree species, and markets. It also includes a strong emphasis on safety. Students who are accepted into the program pay no tuition, but are responsible for transportation, housing, and food costs. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided by the program. While the logging industry has seen some contraction in recent years due to the loss of pulp and paper mills, the industry is rebounding and the demand for skilled operators

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FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

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cost for companies to train these operators themselves is approximately $100,000 each. It was for this reason that the PLC partnered with the Maine Community College Sysof the feller bunchers, harvesters, grapple skidders, forwarders, delimbers, and other tem and industry to create the program. It was jointly developed by the PLC and Northern mechanized logging equipment that now harvests 95 percent of all timber in Maine is Maine Community College (NMCC), Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC), and strong. Many current operators are reaching retirement age and the steep costs of train- Washington County Community College (WCCC) with generous support from Milton CAT/CAT Forest Products, Noring new operators is driving up trax Inc./John Deere, and other demand and wages. industry partners. The hands-on experience The program has been supstudents gain operating equipported since its inception ment for weeks in the woods is through Maine Quality Centers, something unavailable anya program to develop and supwhere else in Maine and neighport skilled in-demand and high boring states. wage occupations in Maine. The new program is working A promotional video for in tandem with the state’s curMLOP developed by the PLC rent vocational training system gives potential students a good and is expected to draw many of look at the opportunities affordits students from within the loged by the program and the logging industry itself as well as ging industry. from Maine’s four high school The video was developed vocational logging programs. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS (PLC) OF MAINE thanks to support from Farm For the first time, logging operators are being trained similarly to other advanced trade occupations with a high school Credit East. It is available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI5YwXiM6Gg. More information on the program is available online at www.nmcc.edu/industry-cusand postsecondary approach. It generally takes at least a year of training and experience before an operator be- tomized-training/mechanized-forest-operations. Learn more about the PLC at www.maineloggers.com. comes skilled enough to run mechanized logging equipment safely and efficiently. The

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Maine logger and log trucker employment availability and wage analysis report released PROVIDED BY THE PROFESSIONAL LOGGING CONTRACTORS (PLC) OF MAINE

Maine is facing a shortage of loggers and log truckers that will grow and could hinder the growth of the $8.5 billion forest products industry in the state if wage growth does not occur, an occupational analysis released recently concludes. The employment availability and wage analysis prepared by the Maine Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Southern Maine found wages for logging equipment operators and log truckers in Maine are lower than those for comparable jobs in competing industries in the state, and this combined with a tight labor market and looming retirement for large numbers of loggers is concerning for Maine’s forest economy. “This analysis simply confirms and reinforces what many in the industry have known for a long time,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLC), which commissioned and partnered with the Center on the study, said. “The root of Maine’s vital forest products economy – the logging industry – must be able to offer higher wages to compete for existing workers and attract new ones at a time when they are desperately needed to support a resurgent forest products industry.”

The heart of the problem is profit margins for logging contractors have dwindled as costs of doing business have risen, limiting the ability of contractors to raise pay for workers. With low unemployment and strong competition for skilled operators of heavy machinery and trucks, logging contractors are struggling simply to keep the workers they have, let alone attract new ones, Doran said. “We know from surveying our own membership, which cuts approximately 75 percent of all wood harvested in Maine, that the industry is already unable to fill an estimated 750 to 1,000 jobs today,” Doran said. “Add to that the projected loss of upwards of 200 workers per year over the next 10 years due to retirements, coupled with the need for more loggers and truckers to meet rising demand for wood from expansions that have been announced by mills in the state recently and you begin to see the extent of this problem.” In addition to Maine expansions already announced by mill owners including Verso, Sappi, Nine Dragons, and Pleasant River Lumber, the FOR/ Maine (Forest Opportunity Roadmap), a broad coalition working to diversify the state’s wood products businesses, attract capital investments, and develop greater economic prosperity for communities impacted by recent mill closures has announced an action plan to grow Maine’s forest economy from the current $8.5 billion (annual) to $12 billion

The heart of the problem is profit margins for

logging contractors have dwindled as costs of

doing business have risen, limiting the ability of contractors to raise pay for workers.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

by 2025. This growth would position the state to compete in and take advantage of substantial global market opportunities with much of the projected 40 percent growth coming from new markets for the state. Such growth would also require a significant expansion of the logging and log trucking workforce in Maine, Doran noted.

Key findings of the employment availability and wage study include: • •

•

Although capital expenses in the logging industry have risen across the board, rates for wood harvesting and trucking have not. Recently announced expansions increasing demand for wood will require an additional 100 jobs in the logging industry in the immediate future. In addition, occupation projections suggest upwards of 200 workers per year will need to be replaced over the next 8-10 years due to an aging logger workforce. Business critical occupations in the logging industry, including equipment operators and truck drivers which comprise 2 out of every 3 jobs, currently earn relative wages well below comparable occupations in other industries, making it difficult to recruit and attract workers. Logging equipment operators

ranked lowest for wages out of 19 comparable skilled occupations surveyed, while logging truck drivers ranked second to last for wages out of 14 heavy truck driving sectors. • The average earnings for all employment in Maine’s logging industry have increased by 5% since 2010, an average increase of just over $2,100 per worker compared to an average increase of $5,500 in comparative industries, such as construction, wood manufacturing, and pulp and paper manufacturing. • Over 400 workers in the industry are at retirement age (65+), while an additional 850 workers will be reaching retirement age within the next 10 years. Attracting younger generations of workers will be critical in replacing the retiring workforce. • Based on 2018 data, an estimated 4,927 jobs were directly supported by traditional (paid employee), self-employed, and proprietor income employment in logging. This supported another 3,266 jobs from indirect and induced spending impacts. In addition, a total of $320,824,489 in earnings (compensation) were supported by direct, indirect, and induced employment from the logging industry. For more information, visit maineloggers.com.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019

Lincoln, Maine – Where the Maine Woods meets the future PROVIDED BY THE TOWN OF LINCOLN

A Community Built on Natural Resources Lincoln is defined by the abundant Northern Forest, thirteen lakes and the Penobscot River. Although the community suffered a shock when the Lincoln Paper and Tissue mill closed permanently in 2015 following the catastrophic failure of a boiler in 2013, Lincoln is already rebounding – looking forward to what’s next in the forest economy and positioning itself on the forefront of that change. On Sept. 27, LignaTerra Global announced a $30 million investment in Lincoln to build the first Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) facility in the Northeast. This new manufacturing facility which will bring 100 new direct quality jobs to the region will be an anchor for the Maine Forest Products Innovation Park – the redeveloped former mill site that is already becoming Maine’s center for the next generation of technologydriven forest product businesses. The Town of Lincoln was established in 1829, and through most of its nearly 200 years, has been a forest products hub. For generations the Lincoln Pulp & Tissue mill, founded in 1882, has been the economic heart of Lincoln, providing direct and indirect employment for the town and the larger region. The Lincoln area has long been a center for the forest products industry and still has the largest cluster of quality logging and harvesting professionals – the beginning of the Forest Products Supply Chain.

The Way Forward Fishermen enjoy a Wednesday afternoon of fishing in Stump Pond in Lincoln. NICK SAMBIDES JR. | BDN

Lincoln’s leadership – government, business and civic – recognized that the community was facing a once-in-a-generation inflection point with the major economic realignment resulting from the bankruptcy and subsequent permanent closure of Lincoln Paper and

Tissue – impacting all segments of the local and regional economy. Rather than let these events overwhelm the community, Lincoln is preparing itself for and investing in an economic transformation. The community will embrace this inflection as an opportunity to reinvent the community and its economy by: • Fostering a robust, diverse and sustainable economy that creates new jobs and wealth; • Capitalizing on both natural and built core assets; • Identifying and collaborating with a range of partners including business enterprises, government at all levels, and educational institutions; • Encouraging commercial and industrial development, energy projects and other opportunities grounded in a sustainable environment; • Incubating businesses that can be scaled or reproduced in other markets, and; • Building a new generation of workers enthusiastic about Maine’s innovation future.

Lincoln’s Assets The Town of Lincoln brings many advantages to its redevelopment agenda, including: • Forest Resources – Location on the southern edge of the Northern Forest Wood-basket; • Proximity to Transportation Resources – including I-95, a local airport, and proximity to the Bangor International Airport; • Robust Energy Infrastructure – Natural gas, three phase power, and expanding renewable energy resources – including the state’s 4th largest windfarm, a largescale solar array under development, and a bio-mass Central Heat and Power (CHP) plant to serve the Innovation Park; • Unique Financial Resources to Encourage Investment – Designation as one of Maine’s federally recognized Opportunity Zones and the first-in-the nation municipally operated and controlled Opportunity Zone fund – the Lincoln Lakes Opportunity Zone Innovation Fund together with active Tax Increment Financing Districts; • Superior Water Resources – 13 lakes, Penobscot River, and an abundant quality aquifer that serves as one of the extraction points for Poland Spring Water; • Regional Service Center – serving 25,000 people with a unique downtown, an extensive commercial corridor, a District Court and the Penobscot Valley Hospital; • Expanding Education and Workforce Development Resources – In addition to the proximity to University of Maine / Orono, Husson University, and Eastern Maine Community College, Lincoln is home to Northern Penobscot Tech Region III as well as the proposed Lincoln Lakes Innovation Center to provide customized training and support to area business and entrepreneurs.

A Bright Future Lincoln is a hub community – a gateway to the Katahdin region, Atlantic Canada and the Maine Highlands. “Come for the Lakes and Stay for the Lifestyle” has become the town’s motto because it is truly a great community where people can live, work, invest, play, raise a family, and build a bright future. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BRIGHT FUTURE IN LINCOLN visit lincolnmaine.org or e-mail economic.development@lincolnmaine.org.

FOREST PRODUCTS • Bangor Daily News Special Advertising Section • October 25, 2019