UMaine Logger Training Survey Cited in Mainebiz Article
A 2011 logger training survey conducted by the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources was mentioned in a Mainebiz article about three industries — shipbuilding, forestry and logging, and offshore wind and ocean energy — that are taking ownership of worker training needs. The survey found a need for greater entry-level training, with 62 percent of contractors employing the more technologically advanced cut-to-length harvesting method saying they lacked access to qualified loggers and operators, according to the article. A follow-up survey found 73 percent of the contractors see a need for an equipment operator-training program in Maine. The survey also raised concerns about retirement, succession and sustainability, and prompted the Northern Maine Development Commission, in collaboration with the University of Maine at Fort Kent and Aroostook Partnership for Progress, to develop seminars to teach logging and forest product owners and employees about best practices, the article states. Sherry Huber, executive director of the Maine Tree Foundation, said her organization has been working for many years with groups including UMaine to make sure the state’s forest products industry has a skilled workforce.