Ashland log-maker plans $7M expansion to produce heating pellets
Courtesy / MaineFlame
MaineFlame in Ashland is planning a $7 million expansion of its log manufacturing plant in Ashland, in order to add the production of steam-exploded wood pellets.
MaineFlame Inc. has proposed a $7 million expansion of its log manufacturing plant, at the repurposed Levesque Mill in Ashland, in order to add the production of steam-exploded wood pellets for heating and industrial power needs domestically and overseas.
Steam-exploded pellets are seen in the industry as a suitable renewable energy wood replacement, and/or supplement, for coal-fired power generation plants along with many other energy uses, according to a news release.
MaineFlame is owned by Tyler Player, who also owns the engineering firm Player Design in Presque Isle and K-Pel Industries in Fort Fairfield.
“As an Aroostoook County native, I am proud that our group of companies can bring further opportunity to the repurposed mill site in Ashland,” Player said in the release. “That site has supported the forest products industry for generations until its unfortunate closure a few years ago.”
MaineFlame opened a compressed log operation in 2020, with an investment of $6 million at the time to find a way to repurpose Maine waste wood and to repurpose the former mill.
The goal of the next round of investment is to build on the success of the log operation.
The company said it is seeking to finalize permits for the project. Player said he has briefed local leaders, state legislators and the commissioner of Maine Department of Environmental Protection through the project’s development process.
The project is expected to create jobs goals in both the renewable energy sector and forest products sector while also improving the impacts of the former mill site.
“This expansion will create more quality, good-paying jobs in both the renewable energy and forest products industries, while also increasing demand for those working in the Maine woods,” said state Senate President Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from Allagash.
He added, “Economic opportunities like this make it easier for young folks to envision a future for themselves in the County and makes it easier for those who have left to return home and raise their family.”
Steam pellet technology
At the Ashland site in 2021 and 2022, MaineFlame completed successful trials of a state-of-the-art steam pellet technology that generated new business partnerships for the product both home and abroad, according to the release.
Expansion planning was completed in 2022. Construction will start once final permits are approved. MaineFlame hopes to start operations by this fall.
The plant’s output is slated for 30,000 tons annually.
Overall, the plant is targeted to employ 20 to 30 workers directly while supporting dozens more in related local industries.
MaineFlame produces compressed sawdust logs that are marketed both overseas and in North America, having presence at 18 retail sales locations throughout Maine. The products are made from 100% waste wood residuals procured in the region.
Player is a Presque Isle native and University of Maine engineering graduate who founded Player Design Engineering over a decade ago before adding MaineFlame to his portfolio of companies in 2020. Most recently Player also acquired K-Pel Manufacturing in Fort Fairfield in 2022.
The firelogs are made from discarded tree debris from tree harvesting operations, with no chemicals or additives, according to its website. The biomass is compressed into logs using extremely high pressure.
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