MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF) today announced that four logging firms in Vermont have achieved Master Logger certification after meeting the rigorous standards for professionalism and responsible timber harvesting required by the Northeast Master Logger Certification Program.
The four firms are Olmstead Property Services, LLC, of Bethel; Southwind Forestry, LLC, of Pawlet; Spaulding Field & Forest, of Hartland; and Third Branch Horse Logging, of Braintree.
“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 Vermont logging firms that are setting the standard for the industry as it adapts to increasing demand for responsible forest stewardship and certified wood fiber.”
The Northeast 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.
There are currently more than 124 Master Logger companies in the Northeast. With the addition of these four new companies, Vermont now has nine certified firms.
Olmstead Property Services, LLC in Bethel is a father and son conventional logging firm working for private landowners throughout Vermont. The company may be reached at 802-234-9390 or olmsteadpropertyservices@yahoo.com. We asked company owner, Michael Olmstead, why did you decide to get your company certified, he said “The services that we are providing to landowners and/or foresters are something that we have always valued and respected. We hold ourselves to high standards and we appreciate that the Master Logger program also advocates for this within our profession.”
Southwind Forestry, LLC of Pawlet is a cut-to-length logging operation with two employees working on small private landowners and family woodlots in the Green Mountains. The company may be reached at 802-366-0538 or gaberusso@yahoo.com. We asked company owner, Gabe Russo, why did you decide to get your company certified, he said “Master Logger is a great way to separate the wheat from the chaff.”
Spaulding Field & Forest, of Hartland is an owner/operator conventional logging firm working for private landowners in Vermont. The company may be reached at 802-299-7170 or spauldingfieldandforest@gmail.com. We asked company owner, Ben Spaulding, why did you decide to get your company certified, he said “I go above and beyond and Master Logger is a great way to prove it.”
Third Branch Horse Logging, of Braintree is a conventional logging operation owned and operated solely by two partners and working in Central Vermont that utilizes draft horses and small scale machinery for timber extraction and forest management. The company may be reached at 802-345-7488 or thirdbranch.horselogging@gmail.com. We asked company co-owner, Brad Johnson, why did you decide to get your company certified, he said “We are Master Logger certified because we strongly believe that loggers should be held to a higher standard. Our clients demand a final result that is second to none, ecologically and economically, and MLP helps us to convey to them that we share that desire.”
Professional logging contractors in Vermont are being encouraged to take advantage of a unique new opportunity to become Master Logger certified at half the cost through a grant from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The opportunity coincides with a push to expand the ranks of Vermont Master Loggers that qualify for the state’s new Vermont Logger Safety and Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program that will reduce their worker’s compensation costs.
Increasing the number of Master Loggers in Vermont is rooted in efforts to recognize and support the good work and adherence to best management practices of professional loggers in the state while increasing safety and lowering costs for the industry.
“There has never been a better time to become Master Logger certified in Vermont,” Wright said. “With this opportunity, Vermont loggers have the chance to achieve certification at a reduced rate and then see significant savings on their insurance costs once certified.”
The average cost of Master Logger certification is currently $3,000. With the availability of cost share funds from the state of Vermont, the average costs are expected to be $1,500.
Once certified, Vermont Master Loggers can then qualify for the new Vermont Logger Safety and Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program—developed collaboratively by the Departments of Financial Regulation, Labor and Forests, Parks and Recreation, with input from logging safety trainers, the National Council on Compensation Insurance, insurance carriers and business owners in the forestry economy.
The Vermont’s workers’ compensation insurance system now recognizes logging companies that are “safety certified,” with discounted insurance premiums, when they and their employees have received approved safety training and are verified to have reduced the risk of injury at their jobsites.
In addition to administering the Master Logger program, TCNEF administers an FSC®-certified group of family forest landowners throughout New England and New York. Under this arrangement forest landowners can inexpensively gain access to FSC® group certification. TCNEF is the administrative body that holds the FSC certificate and has overall responsibility for compliance with the FSC® Northeast Regional Standard.
TCNEF also administers an FSC®-certified group of 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.
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
–Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands
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