PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 17, 2025
A new federal bill would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work for their parents’ logging businesses in a bid to generate interest in an industry challenged by staffing shortages and an aging workforce. The bill, sponsored by Maine’s four members of Congress, has crossed desks for over a decade, but it’s never taken off. This time around, though, there’s a renewed sense of urgency. A large chunk of Maine’s forestry workers are fast approaching retirement. And Maine’s loggers, foresters and elected officials believe that starting loggers at a younger age could be the antidote to an uncertain future.