About Us – Guptill's Logging & Lawn and Garden Equipment Sales

Chi Guptills Logging was founded in 1977 by Lyle (Chi) Guptill.

Lyle Guptill’s purchase of his first John Deere Skidder (440C) in 1977 began his journey into the logging business. This machine holds such a place in his heart that it is the ONLY one stored inside.

Lyle’s passion for logging grew, and in 1980, he opened Guptill’s Logging Supply in East Machias, Maine, in the same facility that houses the operation today. This facility is home to their retail business that handles a range of logging supplies, chain saws, truck and equipment parts, along with lawn and garden equipment.

The company owns 30,000 acres of their own land for logging and manages customer harvests on privately owned and industrial-company grounds. They also cut and convert parcels of land from tree stand to productive blueberry grounds.

Guptill’s Logging Supply farms 1,000 acres of their privately owned, fully productive blueberry grounds and manages 300-plus acres of their blueberry grounds that are in various stages of production. In addition to managing and farming their own grounds they also custom harvest blueberries on 200 acres of land owned by various customers.

Lyle is a true John Deere collector. He currently owns more than 30 pieces of John Deere construction and forestry equipment – his fleet is 95 percent Deere. Lyle and his son, Erik who is Head of Operations at Guptill’s, also owns 17 John Deere tractors, one large sprayer and various attachments. Lyle enjoys the Deere equipment due to its reliability, long life expectancy, and dealer support. Erik says his favorite piece of equipment is the newly purchased 1270E due to its capability to handle various tree stands and East Maine’s difficult terrain.

Lyle is no stranger to long days and seven-day workweeks. When asked how he relaxes, the answer was very clear, “cow time,” he said, referring to farming his grounds and raising his 42 head of cattle.