Central Maine students are among graduates of logging program

SCOPAN LAKE — 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.

Students completing the program included Deric Buswell of Rumford and William Shufelt of Gray.
The Mechanized Logging Operations Program was launched last summer with a partnership between three Maine community colleges, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, and industry partners including Milton CAT and Nortrax/John Deere. This is the second class to complete the program.
Friends and family members of the students joined logging contractors, representatives of the community colleges, state lawmakers, and industry sponsors to share a proud day with the students who completed its rigorous requirements.
While the logging industry has seen some contraction in recent years due to the loss of pulp and paper mills, the demand for skilled operators of the feller bunchers, harvesters, grapple skidders, forwarders, delimbers, and other mechanized logging equipment that now harvests more than 90 percent of all timber in Maine is strong. Many current operators are reaching retirement age and the steep costs of training new operators is driving up demand and wages. The hands-on experience students gained operating equipment for weeks in the woods is something unavailable anywhere else in Maine and neighboring states.
More information on the program is available online at www.nmcc.edu/industry-customized-training/mechanized-forest-operations/. Learn more about the PLC at www.maineloggers.com.