This week in (I mean out of) the Woods
Unloading the Feller Buncher at the Garage
It’s been a couple weeks since we told you what we’ve been up to…. Mud season is officially in session and I took a week off. Just kidding. I didn’t. I haven’t learned the art of vacation yet, but my wife keeps working on that. I do want to give props to the towns of Mechanic Falls & Poland for being 100% reasonable with their road postings this year. Some towns in our area posted February 15th which was completely insane but these two towns posted around March 12th which is when we started to see some thawing. Thank you for that!
We finished up the season on the job in Mechanic Falls just before the ground thawed which allowed us the opportunity to get out without much damage to the ground. The landing was basically my client’s lawn so it was important to minimize trauma to the lot. We moved our equipment back to the garage and then I was supposed to be on “vacation.” Some exciting things have happened for Kimball & Sons Logging & Trucking in the last couple weeks. We were contacted by several blog writers & magazine editors who asked permission to either use Chrissy’s recent blog post about the future of logging and our youth, or interview us directly! We did a phone interview with Northern Woodlands magazine and they are going to write a little blog article about us! I’ll be sure to share it when it comes out. Our minds are blown and we are very humbled by the attention.
In other, non-woods related events, we attended a fantastic chamber of commerce banquet at the Oxford Casino and Event Center. Congressman Jared Golden spoke at the event and I was throughly impressed with his enthusiasm for bipartisanship and also his approachability. It is so important to make sure we pay attention and advocate for ourselves by reaching out to our elected officials. It is impossible for these people to know how their decisions impact our livelihoods unless we actually tell them! So, don’t be a keyboard warrior on Facebook… go to events and talk to these people! #wethepeople There were several awards given out at the banquet including recognition of Poland’s very own Cyndi Robbins of Poland Spring Resort. She was recognized for her service to the community and let me tell you, she deserves it! She is an inspiring business woman for sure and time and again demonstrates that the marriage of selflessness and entrepreneurship is a recipe for success.
The beginning of this week I spent meeting landowners and educating them on the benefits of managing their woodlots. Woodlot management goals can vary widely and include managing for wildlife, forest regeneration, esthetics, and/or financial investment. If you’re interested in information on managing your woodlot we will be at the Poland Public library on April 27th for an Earth Day event. We will be there to answer questions and provide education on our process.
Lastly, we did some continuing education regarding safety for both fleet training and logger safety. The crew at Khiel Logging & Chipping were very gracious hosts for the event. Federal DOT was there to teach us about truck inspections and violations. We discussed proper load securement and the consequences both financial and real life for not adhering to the standards. There was a great simulation of distracted driving which is a key learning topic for our company. Safety on the road is a top priority of ours at Kimball & Sons and we do everything we can to ensure you are safe sharing the roads with us. At the logger safety event we got to learn about accident prevention, emergency response, and proper body mechanics. Loggers from around the state were educated on hydraulic hoses, fittings, and contamination. In basic terms, what that means for our landowners & foresters is that we are properly trained to both prevent and respond to oil spills which can occur with a hose failure. This in turn decreases the environmental impact. I really enjoy going to these educational events in order to keep our whole crew safe and effective in the woods. Enjoy your week!