WHEN:
Thursday, March 3, 2022
WHERE:
Jeff’s Catering -15 Littlefield Way, Brewer, Maine
TIME:
5:30 - 6:15 PM - Social “Hour”
6:15 - 7:00 PM - Buffet Dinner
7:00 - 8:00 PM – Forum Speaker and Discussion
COST:
$25 for Members and $35 for Non-Members - Payable at the door.
Payment via cash, check, or credit card.
Maine Forest Service’s New Chief Ranger – Robby Gross
Join us for a discussion with Robby Gross, the new Chief Ranger for the Maine Forest Service. As the leader of the largest component of the Maine Forest Service, he’ll discuss how his team can work with Maine landowners, loggers, and foresters. This is your opportunity to come with questions about Maine’s forest protection efforts, and how the private and public sectors can work together to support a robust forest sector.
Pre-registration is requested to assure an accurate head count for meals!
Please e-mail the names of attendee(s) by Tuesday, March 1, 2022 to Eric Kingsley,ekingsley@forestresources.org
February 28 to March 4 is National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Maine Forest Service and the Horticulture Program have worked together to provide some tips on identifying and reporting invasive species in the forest in two recent bulletins:
Also in time for National Invasive Species Awareness Week the USDA Forest Service announced availability of a Story Map titled “Oak Wilt in the Northeastern and Midwestern States,” by Linda Haugen (Plant Pathologist, USFS St. Paul Field Office), Jennifer Juzwik (Research Pathologist, USFS Northern Research Station), Quinn Chavez (GIS Specialist, USFS St. Paul Field Office), and Susan Crocker (Research Forester, USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis). If you manage oak in the region, be sure to check out this guide. Visit the Detection and Surveillance tab for tips on what to look for this summer.
Oak wilt has not been detected in Maine, but we are on the lookout for it. This vascular disease kills hundreds of thousands of oaks in the U.S. each year. The new resource is geared towards natural resource managers in the Northeast and Midwest United States. It is organized in tabs including: Background and Biology, Distribution and Severity, Factors Affecting Disease Severity, Management Approaches and Tools and Scenarios.
Help us look for these and other threats to our forest and limit their damage to Maine’s trees, forests and environment.
Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) is hosting a forestry series in 2022 beginning April 2. This series will provide opportunities for the community to learn about forestry topics including silviculture, climate change, recreation, and wildlife biodiversity. The goal of this series is to reach small woodland owners and new landowners, connect them with resources and information on different topics specific to their needs and help them understand best management practices to keep their forests healthy. This information hits home to many in Piscataquis County, the most forested county in Maine. PCSWCD encourages participants to join any or all the events in this well-rounded, dynamic series. Thanks to generous sponsorships from Pleasant River Lumber Company, Maine Woodland Owners and Forest Stewards Guild, every event is free to attend.
More information
Join us on Saturday March 26th for the Maine Maple Sunday event at Sawyer’s Maple Farm. There will be tours of the entire maple syrup presses, starting from the trees in their 7000 tap maple orchard and all the way to their evaporator and finished product. They will be boiling syrup if they have sap and will have lots of maple treats and goodies for sale.
WHEN:
Saturday 26th of March, from 9:00am to 4:00pm
WHERE:
45 Heald Pond Rd, Moose River, Maine 04945
Directions. Stay North on Rt 201 till you get to the Heald Pond Rd. We will have signs at the intersection. We are two miles in the Heald Pond Rd on the right hand side. Dress warm and wear boots for tours in the woods.
This year, District Forester Jim Ferrante from the Maine Forest Service will be here to give tours of the woods, tree identification, a history of maple syrup and the overall process of making it today. Jim will be doing tours at 10:00am and 2:00pm, with more tours possible.
There will be syrup samples, possibly hot off the evaporator if they are boiling. They will be serving hot maple coffee and hot chocolate. Maple syrup, cotton candy, granola, candy, cream, coffee, popcorn, bbq sauces, sugar, maple spice rubs and much more.
If you plan to attend, please send District Forester Jim Ferrante an email at jim.ferrante@maine.gov or give him a call at 207-441-4308.
AUGUSTA – The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service (MFS) has entered into a stipulated judgment agreement with forester Charles N. Love and Southern Maine Forestry Services (SMFS), based in Windham. The agreement resolves violations of Maine’s rules governing timber harvesting activities in shoreland areas. Love and SMFS agreed to pay a $2,000 civil penalty for the violation. In addition, they are required to prepare a revegetation plan and revegetate the shoreland area where the violations occurred.
During a 2018 timber harvest on land in Bowdoinham, logging activities under Love’s supervision created a cleared opening too close to a freshwater wetland and removed too many trees, both in violation of state shoreland regulations.
“Our goal is to improve the management of Maine’s forests,” said Maine Forest Service Director Patty Cormier. “We focus on educating and informing landowners to reduce the possibility of such violations. However, when violations do occur, we have a responsibility to uphold the law. We take this and our other responsibilities very seriously.”
“In this instance, had forester Love appropriately planned, supervised, and implemented the harvest to comply with the regulations, the violations could easily have been avoided,” added Maine Forest Service Regional Enforcement Coordinator Adam Cates.
Cates conducted the investigation and settlement negotiations with the assistance of MFS staff.
Tax season is upon us, and we’ve got you covered. Understanding the forestry-specific tax provisions and how the general tax rules apply to your forestry activities can help lower your overall taxes through careful tax planning. We know how hard you work to own, manage, and keep your forests working, so as you prepare your taxes for 2021, we want to make sure you are well informed. The Forest Landowner Foundation sponsored five-part Tax Webinar Series is available on-demand and covers the following topics:
- Coping with Losses from Nature
- Keeping More of Your Timber Income Following a Timber Sale
- Timber Management Expenses and Deductions
- Basics of Timber Basis
- Seeing the Forest for the Trees: An Overview of Forestry Taxes
You can also download Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2021 Tax Year (timbertax.org) or find it in the recent Forest Landowner Magazine issue.
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