Students in logger training program have jobs waiting when they graduate

People line up for a photo with a logging truck behind them.

Photo / Courtesy Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast Most of the 15 students in a logger training program graduated last week with jobs waiting for them.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Most of the 15 students in a logger training program had jobs waiting for them upon graduation.

That’s been true since the mechanized logging operations and forest trucking program were created in 2017, according to a news release.

Through the years, there have been more than 100 graduates: 60% are working in the industry and demand for additional logging and forest trucking operators in Maine is high and projected to remain so for the foreseeable future.

‘New blood, new ideas’

The latest graduation was held last week.

“This is a difficult program and you students should be proud of this achievement,” Chuck Ames, president of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, told the class. “Our industry needs new blood and new ideas, and we are glad that you have chosen to be part of its future.”

Demand is high for workers in the logging and forest trucking industry as older workers reach retirement age.

The students spent 20 weeks this summer and early fall harvesting timber at an active job site in the woods on the Kennebec Valley Community College Alfond Campus farm in Fairfield. Students harvested and moved timber using machines they will encounter in the logging industry.

Students also received hands-on experience operating commercial trucks, loading log trailers and gaining knowledge critical to forest trucking.

This year’s class is the third to have the opportunity to earn a CDL-A permit — a commercial driver’s license class — and receive preparation for the state driving exam.

Earning potential

“The earning potential and benefits a career in the logging industry as an equipment operator or truck driver offers young people are significant and demand for these positions is certainly high,” Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, told Mainebiz in a separate statement.

Doran characterized the careers as a stable pathway for individuals who want to live and work in rural areas.

While data from more recent years isn’t available, a 2023 economic impact study of Maine's logging industry found that average annual earnings rose from $47,289 in 2017 to $65,000 in 2021.

"I think it is safe to say this is a trend that has continued as logging companies work to attract and retain skilled operators and drivers,” said Doran.

The organization is conducting an economic impact study of logging and forest trucking across the entire Northeast and could have updated earnings figures for each state available by late winter 2026, he added.

Challenging profession

Logging is a challenging and demanding profession, according to the release. In the Northeast and elsewhere, the aging of the workforce and the costs of training new operators are threats to its future.

The industry provides rural jobs and revenue for local and state governments as well as state and national forests. In Maine, the industry contributed an estimated $582 million to the state economy in 2021.

The program, funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, was created by three Maine community colleges, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (now the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast) and industry partners.

It has been administered by Northern Maine Community College since its inception. In 2026, that role will pass to Kennebec Valley Community College.

The curriculum covers safety, as well as timber growth, tree species and market factors. The program is free and protective equipment is provided. A scholarship is also available to assist with living expenses.

Supporters and partners of the program include Milton CAT, United Construction and Forestry, DAVCO, Pro Pac, the Bill and Joan Alfond family, Skowhegan Savings Bank, Northern Maine Community College, Kennebec Valley Community College and Maine’s congressional delegation.

The graduates included: Brian Snider, Jackman; Owen Northrup, Anson; Wesley Pipes, Patten; Cedric Chase, Monmouth; Kyle Casey, Yarmouth; Stormy Gillan, Hancock; Shane Scribner, Lisbon; Brenda Medcoff, Jay; Noah Crummett, Windsor; Tyler Turner, Jay; Mark Kirch, Cortland; Zachary Pelletier, New Gloucester; Tavish Campbell, Starks; Colby Farnsworth, Orono; and Riley Snowden, Abbot.