Area Loggers Disappointed that Jay Maine Mill Pulp Digester Will Not be Rebuilt

A news release on Wednesday (12/9) by Pixelle Specialty Solutions’ that the pulp digester destroyed in an explosion at its Jay Maine mill in April will not be rebuilt was a serious blow to members of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine (PLCM). Dana Doran, PLCM’s Executive Director said in a release “We are deeply concerned for those, including many of our own members, whose livelihoods will be affected by this announcement. The Jay mill represented about 23% of the pulp market for the state of Maine, and that market is critical both to the financial survival of Maine logging and trucking firms and to their ability to properly manage forest health. Both will suffer from its loss.” Wood pulp has always been an anchor of Maine’s forest economy, until recently providing a large and reliable market for wood unsuitable for lumber or other high-grade products. The pulp market has also allowed loggers to better manage forest health by making it financially possible for them to selectively thin forest stands to achieve the best long-term outcomes rather than targeting only the largest and straightest trees for saw logs. Doran went on to point out that Maine’s loggers are a vital part of the state’s forest products sector, which is worth an estimated $7.7 billion annually.