MAINE PUBLIC • June 7, 2022
The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine surveyed its members earlier this winter. They estimate operating costs have gone up an average of 24% over the last two years on everything from tires and hydraulic filters to brake parts and labor. And that’s before the price of diesel fuel doubled to more than $6 a gallon in Maine in just the last year. Because of supply chain challenges, local stores no longer seem to carry what they used to, and the wait times to ship the parts are unreliable. The volatility is forcing some loggers to leave the industry, scale back their operations or retire.