Logging across Borders and Cultures: An Example in Northern Maine

Abstract

Persistent concerns about the continued use of foreign labor and the viability of northern Maine's logging industry prompted further research on the cross-cultural logging workforce found in Maine's counties that border the province of Quebec. Two distinct populations of woods workers are employed in these border counties: Maine residents and Quebec residents. This study examined sociodemographic attributes, sense of occupational choice and prestige, and familial attachment held by these two populations of loggers, as well as barriers to business expansion felt by logging entrepreneurs. Significant differences in age, education, logging experience, attitudes toward logging, and perceptions of public image were found between Maine and Quebecois loggers. Additionally, despite an intergenerational labor supply that historically characterizes the logging industry, more than 50 percent of loggers from both countries would not encourage their children to enter the logging profession. These factors may not only pose challenges for logging business stability and labor recruitment efforts in this region but also impact the economic vitality of the forest products industry as a whole. Furthermore, the findings from this research may be of interest and pertinent to those engaged in forest products industries within other cross-border regions.