Donald Burr

Maine faces a shortage of loggers and log truckers that will worsen in the coming years, a study released Thursday found. The Pine Tree State’s labor shortage could stunt the growth of the $8.5 billion forest products industry, the study said. It honed in on the need to increase wages to attract workers so the industry can grow. The study, commissioned by the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, was prepared by the Maine Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Southern Maine. “The root of Maine’s vital forest products economy — the logging industry — must be able to offer higher wages to compete for existing workers and attract new ones at a time when they are desperately needed to support a resurgent forest products industry,” Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine.