This Week in the Woods

“Philanthropy is not about money, it’s about feeling the pain of others and caring enough about their needs to help.” - Timothy Pina.

My cup is full again! Friday night we finally got to participate in the Log-A-Load for kids auction to benefit the Children’s Hospitals in Maine. This event is typically held in person in the spring when most logging operations are shut down due to weather. It is an event we all greatly look forward to and we were crushed that we weren’t going to be able to hold the event. Every day we go to work and we wonder what it’s all for. We complain about markets and not making enough money. We whine about the rain, we whine about the cold, we whine about the dust. None of it matters when you have a child who is sick and fighting for his life. Like every business in the country, logging contractors are struggling to make ends meet during this pandemic, but you wouldn’t know it by watching this auction! Randy and I had some great competition trying to win a weekend get away in northern Maine. Randy and I really, really wanted the trip. Unfortunately, my computer was not allowing me to bid and others were experiencing the same technical issues so I was texting someone who was live at the event and my competition was on the phone with another person that was there live. It was getting pretty heated when I finally gave up at $2,100. I think the get away sold for $2,200 and THEN the winning bidder donated the trip back to a family that has been impacted by childhood illness. The generosity of the logging community will send chills up your spine. We ended up winning a fishing trip on the Kennebec for next summer and the kids are super pumped, although they are trying to kick me out of the trip and insert their Uncle, who is their favorite master fisherman. Not happening. I stayed up until midnight to make sure I won those tickets! I’m going! It is such an honor to be a part of this fundraising effort. It is an opportunity to be the change you wish to see in the world. It is a chance to actually do something instead of just talking about it.

The day wasn’t just the auction, but the PLC also held its annual meeting. We got the opportunity to speak directly to Susan Collins about issues facing the logging industry. At the forefront of those issues, is the lack of markets. I really wanted to ask a question but I was unbearably nervous to do so. (It’s intimidating to speak up on a zoom call… to me it’s harder than in person) My question to Senator Collins was going to be: while I understand immediate needs and short term solutions right now and appreciate your efforts to provide relief, what is most concerning to us as young business owners in this industry is the lack of American manufacturing as a whole. What are you going to do to bring it back to America? If manufacturing stays in this country, demand for our products will stabilize and we can continue to successfully manage our forests and provide the jobs that support rural American life. We also had a nice long conversation about forester licensure and how that affects us as logging contractors. Many logging companies, including ourselves have moved to hiring or sub-contracting their own foresters to assist them in management plans, tree growth tax law, etc. Some members of the Association of Consulting Foresters would like there to be tiered licensing of foresters identifying the differences between a consulting forester and a procurement forester although their code of ethics already requires the disclosure of how they get paid. Regardless, it is an interesting discussion that I hope to continue being a part of and I’m hoping to participate in the sub committee the forestry licensing board is creating. I’m sure there will be more on this in the future.

In the woods things are moving unbearably slow. Biomass wood chips are stagnant and our quotas are so strict we basically have to stop working in the woods mid week. We’ve been keeping ourselves plenty busy though doing some dirt work and mulching. We would much rather be in the woods, but we will do what we need to in order to get by. The cold and dark mornings are starting to creep in and it’s a reminder that winter is near. Let’s hope for a cold, productive winter season!