Who will log in maine's north woods? A cross-cultural study of occupational choice and prestige

Abstract

Two distinct populations of loggers work in Maine's border counties with Quebec: Maine resident and Quebec resident woodsworkers. This study compared the sense of occupational choice and prestige held by these workers, as well as their sociodemographic attributes. Significant differences in age, education, and logging experience were found between these two populations. In addition, Maine resident loggers appeared to exhibit less resignation to woods work than their Quebec counterparts. However, Quebec resident loggers indicated that their profession was held in higher esteem among the public than did loggers from Maine. Over two-thirds of respondents from both populations would not encourage a son/daughter to be a logger, despite considerable familial attachment to logging. Results may have implications for logging labor supply, labor recruitment efforts, and logging mechanization in a region heavily dependent on the forest products industry.