The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF) today announced that 15logging firms in Maine, New York, and Vermont have achieved Master Logger certification after meeting the rigorous standards for professionalism and responsible timber harvesting required by the Master Logger Certification Program®
The Maine firms are A & A Brochu, Inc. of Dover-Foxcroft; Babineau Logging Inc. of West Enfield; Corey Harper Logging, Inc. of Mattamiscontis; D & T Logging, Inc. of West Enfield; Hinds Selective Wood Harvesting of Wayne; J. Guimond Logging, Inc. of Fort Kent Mills; JG Logging of Fort Kent; North Shore Logging, Inc. of Allagash; RJ Gilbert of Brighton; SYL-VER Logging of Fort Kent Mills; and T Condon Timber Harvesting of Ashland.
The New York firms are Bill Camp Logging of Fort Ann; Day’s Timber Harvesting of Averill Park; and
Sweeney’s Tree and Land Management, LLC of Petersburg.
The Vermont firm is Mike Hammer and Sons, LLC of Whitingham.
The 15 firms were officially certified on Jan. 5 and have been notified by TCNEF. With the addition of these firms there are currently 136 Master Logger companies in the Northeast.
“This is a great achievement for these contractors and a testament to their hard work and professionalism,” Ted Wright, Executive Director of TCNEF, said. “Master Loggers are critical to the future forest economy, and it is companies like these that are setting the standard for the industry as it adapts to increasing demand for responsible forest stewardship and certified wood fiber.”
The Master Logger Certification Program® was created in 2001 as the first in the world point-of-harvest certification program, offering independent third-party certification of logging companies’ harvesting practices. In 2003, the TCNEF took over administration of the program with the broader goal of “enhancing the health of working forest ecosystems through exceptional accountability” throughout the Northern Forest region, which includes New England and New York.
The program’s primary goal is to keep a thriving and sustainable forest products industry in place throughout New England. To do this, Master Logger established nine goals with forest ecosystem sustainability, worker safety and forest economy sustainability in mind.
These nine goals guide Master Loggers in their work: Document Harvest Planning, Protect Water Quality, Maintain Soil Productivity, Sustain Forest Ecosystems, Manage Forest Aesthetics, Ensure Workplace Safety, Demonstrate Continuous Improvement, Ensure Business Viability, and Uphold Certificate Integrity. There are detailed harvest responsibilities with explicit performance standards under each goal.
Field verifiers visit actual harvest sites to determine whether candidates for Master Logger Certification are meeting or exceeding the standards required for certification. Their findings are submitted to an independent, regional board that makes the final decision on whether a company will be certified.
Once certified, Master Loggers are subject to regular recertification audits to ensure performance continues to meet the standard. The Master Logger program is audited yearly by the global certifying body Preferred by Nature, which randomly selects companies for field audits and reviews group documents. These audits identify strengths and areas for improvement and are used to continuously improve the program.
Today, the Master Logger program continues to expand its numbers, with certified companies growing in states including New York and Vermont thanks to recognition of the program’s value.
The benefits of certification continue to grow as well. Master Loggers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont can now achieve reduced workers’ compensation insurance costs, and efforts are underway to increase the number of states where this benefit exists.
Master Logger was also recently recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Mills and landowners can recognize any Master Logger certified company as a “Certified Logging Company,” which meets the SFI fiber sourcing and forest management standard requirements.
TCNEF also administers a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified group Chain of Custody that provides an information trail, established and audited according to rules set by FSC, for Master Loggers and wood products companies to ensure that wood comes from certified forests. Master Loggers can carry FSC Chain of Custody for their wood sales and in 2023, FSC recognition of Master Logger has expanded even further as Master Loggers can provide FSC certification as a benefit to small landowners in the region.
For more information on the Master Logger program or TCNEF, contact Ted Wright at (207) 688-8195 opt. 2 or executivedirector@tcnef.org. Additional information is also available at masterloggercertification.com
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