The State of Maine has set ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions in the next 25 years. But what role do forests play in the grand scheme of things?

Climate ChangeJennifer HicksFebruary 1, 2020

Land Trust Achieves 10,000 Acre Milestone

With the donation of the Towle property in Hollis, the Maine Woodland Owners land trust has conserved over 10,000 acres.

Land TrustJennifer HicksJanuary 23, 2020

ATV Task Force Submits Recommendations

ATV Task Force submitted their recommendations to sustain Maine’s ATV activity.

LegislationJennifer HicksJanuary 23, 2020

Woodland Owners Represented on Climate Council

Maine Woodland Owners board members Doug Baston and Nate Webb are representing wildlife and woodland ownership views on the Maine Climate Council’s Natural and Working Lands Working Group.

Climate Change, LegislationJennifer HicksNovember 21, 2019

Don’t Let Anyone Shame your Woodstove!

We’re in an era where “climate shaming” has become fashionable. Don’t eat meat! Don’t fly anywhere! Now comes a local writer urging us not to use our woodstoves, because of its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Climate ChangeJennifer HicksNovember 8, 2019

Newell Family Celebrated at Forestry Field Day

Despite very challenging weather conditions our annual Forestry Field Day, held on Saturday September 7th, went off without a hitch.

OtherJenn HicksOctober 1, 2019

Doak to Serve on Governor's ATV Task Force

Tom Doak, Maine Woodland Owners Executive Director, has been appointed to serve on the Task Force on All-Terrain Vehicle Trail Initiatives, and will represent the interests of woodland owners as the group works to develop a set of recommendations for the 2020 Legislature.

LegislationJenn HicksSeptember 16, 2019

For Many Conifers, It’s All in the Seeds

By Maxwell McCormack In last month’s issue, Lloyd Irland hit the nail squarely on the head. White pines had a banner year for production of

SilvicultureJenn HicksSeptember 1, 2019

Retirement Meant Becoming Forest Stewards

When they had the opportunity to retire Maine Woodland Owners members Steve and Jo Laurich decided that their next move would be to realize a life goal: becoming stewards of their own woodlot. Their pursuit of a home on several acres of land isn’t a typical story of seeking rest and relaxation at the end of a career. The two were committed to spending this next stage of their lives working in the woods – but it had to be the right property.

Forest ManagementJenn HicksSeptember 1, 2019

Hicks New Director of Communications and Outreach

After recent staffing restructuring, Maine Woodland Owners is pleased to announce the hiring of Jennifer Hicks as its new Director of Communications and Outreach.

Jenn comes to the organization from Teens To Trails where she served as its Development Coordinator. Previous to that, Jenn was the Executive Director of Pemaquid Watershed Association which recently merged with Damariscotta River Association to become Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.

OtherJenn HicksAugust 27, 2019

Maine Woodland Owners Welcomes Harold Burnett as Staff Forester!

Harold Burnett has joined Maine Woodland Owners as its staff forester, a part-time role. Executive Director Tom Doak said, “Harold is a very experienced forester and well-known in the forest community. He will be a great help in managing our growing Land Trust.” Burnett took up his work recently and hit the ground running. Harold said, “I’ve laid out timber sales in Lamoine and Sullivan, begun familiarizing myself with the Penobscot and Winn woodlots, flagged boundaries in Standish, in advance of a blazing project, checked in on a harvest operation in New Gloucester, and conferred with several new, potential woodland donors to our Land Trust.”

OtherJenn HicksJuly 25, 2019

Our Office on the Move, Once More

Our new location is 8 Mulliken Court in Augusta – a house converted into office space. We occupy the entire building. The new office borders Western Avenue, with a large sign that’s highly visible.

OtherStaffJune 13, 2019

Old Roads Carried Over; Tree Growth Challenge Still Alive

There are at least 1,850 bills this year at the Maine State Legislature, and the statutory adjournment date is June 19. Maine Woodland Owners has been actively lobbying on a number of bills that would impact woodland owners, including a Tree Growth Tax Law amendment, abandoned roads and ATV use.

LegislationStaffMay 28, 2019

Bills Proliferate at the State House

The pace of action at the State House is picking up. While many bills have yet to be printed, a number of those of interest to woodland owners have been dealt with, or are pending. Here are some of the issues we’ve been dealing with:

LegislationStaffApril 29, 2019

Tick Pathogen Test Now Available in Maine

A new in-state service that tests ticks for the three most common tick-borne pathogens – Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis – is now available to Maine residents.

OtherStaffMarch 26, 2019

Habitat Made Easy: Guidebook Shows the Way

A wealth of information is packed into the 15 page booklet, “A Woodland Owner’s Guide to Forestry for Maine Birds.”. It spells out the differences between hardwood, softwood, and mixed-woods as they determine bird habitat preferences. It describes threats to forest songbirds. It uses 16 priority birds as bellwethers for the rest of the avian world.

WildlifeStaffJanuary 23, 2019

Counting the Birds a Truly Big Deal

Don’t be too surprised if a birder wanders through the neighborhood this month. The annual Christmas Bird Count will put hundreds of Mainers out on the street over the last few weeks of the year, as it has for the past 118 years.

WildlifeStaffNovember 25, 2018

Wondering Why Leaves Change Color?

It doesn’t take much imagination to picture Nature going about on autumn days and painting the leaves of trees and other plants red, purple, orange, and yellow. Every fall, we delight in the beauty of the trees and shrubs, knowing it’s only a passing pleasure.

OtherStaffOctober 18, 2018