Mary Lee Holler's experience with an "unscrupulous logger" has inspired the Hadley woman to push for a logging law in Mercer County.

Ms. Holler told Mercer County commissioners Thursday that loggers should be required to provide a logging plan to at least one county agency and to the owner of the property where work is planned before the work begins.

She said many states have laws regulating logging, but Pennsylvania does not. Beaver County, however, can sanction wayward loggers, she said. She asked commissioners to consider rules similar to those in Beaver County.

Ms. Holler said a logger from Corry, Pa., removed 33 truckloads of timber from her property and tried to pay her with bad checks.

The 33 truckloads were more than was contracted for removal, Ms. Holler said. She added that the logger also ignored part of the contract that limited him from removing trees that had a diameter of 6 inches or less. "He destroyed seedlings," she said.

Commissioners said they would consider the matter. First, they said, the board's solicitor would study existing logging legislation and see if a logging law could be enforced in Mercer County.

Commissioner Olivia Lazor said the law would need to have "teeth." She said that often the state Department of Environmental Protection is interested only in correcting problems, not fining or punishing those who break the rules.