MAINE PUBLIC • March 2, 2023
Inflation, worker shortages, abnormal weather conditions and low prices at the mills have made it difficult for loggers in Maine to operate in recent years. A new University of Maine study finds the state's logging industry supported fewer jobs and generated less economic output and labor income in 2021, compared to the five years prior. The state's industry generated $582 million in economic output, down slightly from $619 million in economic output back in 2017, the last time a similar study was completed. Jobs in Maine's logging industry fell by 15% over a seven-year period.