Useful Information for Landowners
Timber Market/Forest Products
Scientific Papers
Natural Disturbance in an Old-Growth Landscape of Northern Maine, USA. Shawn Fraver, Alan S. White and Robert S. Seymour. Journal of Ecology. Vol. 97, No. 2 (Mar., 2009), pp. 289-298.
Dendrochronological reconstruction of spruce budworm outbreaks in northern Maine, USA. Shawn Fraver, Robert S. Seymour, James H. Speer, and Alan S. White. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. Vol. 37 (2007), pp. 523-529.
Maine Geological Survey
Bulletin 44: Surficial Geology Handbook for Southern Maine. A publication written by Woodrow B. Thompson, Ph.D. in 2015 describing the geological landscape of southern Maine.
Citizen Scientist Programs
Woodland owners play an important role in making observations in Maine’s forests. There are several “citizen scientist” programs available for volunteers to participate in to help biologists collect data that will help keep track of populations and forest health. To go to the website for each project, click on the names on the list below.
Maine New England Cottontail Rabbit Sightings Online Reporting Form
Maine Amphibian and Reptile Atlasing Project
Tree Stock Sources
Free Tree Seedlings from Maine Forest Service
Soil & Water Conservation Service in Maine: Contact information for each SWC in Maine. Each county conducts a spring tree, shrub, and plant sale annually.
LiDAR
Maine LiDAR The Maine Geological Survey Lidar Web Application shows the extent of lidar in Maine with towns, parcels, and USGS quadrants.
“Getting to the Point: The Application of LiDAR Technology in Forestry”
Christmas Trees
Maine Christmas Tree Association
Transplant Beds Work Best for Outplanting. SWOAM News, May 2012, M. McCormack
For Productive Tree Seedlings, Use a Transplant Bed. SWOAM News, September 2013, M. McCormack
Christmas Trees Can Yield Multiple Benefits. Maine Woodlands, December 2014, M. McCormack
Christmas Tree Became a Tool of Discovery. Maine Woodlands, December 2017, M. McCormack
Maine Soil and Water Conservation Service Districts (SWCD)
Districts are subdivisions of State Government, governed by locally-elected Boards of Supervisors. SWCDs establish local priorities for conservation efforts with an emphasis on agriculture and forestry. SWCDs hold workshops, set up demonstrations, offer educational programs, review development plans, and set priorities for one-on-one technical assistance, at the request of land occupiers.
Water Quality Protection
Maine Forest Service Water Resources page: Find information about Maine’s water quality protection regulations and best practices in woodland management.
Best Management Practices for Forestry: Protecting Maine's Water Quality - A publication that is a good introduction to the seven principles of Fundamental Best Management Practices for water quality protection.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Maine NRCS Local Service Centers
“Rehab Silviculture III - NRCS Plans and Cost Sharing.” By Bob Seymour and Jessica Leahy Maine Woodlands, June 2022
Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Resources
Beginning with Habitat - Wildlife Management Resources for Private Landowners
Wild Turkey Hunting information
Outdoor Partners - Information about utilizing private land for recreation purposes.
Maine Forest Service Resources
Wildfire Prevention Steps for Woodlands by Kent Nelson
WoodsWISE: Woods Wise Incentives to Stewardship Enhancement
Woodland Owner Goals & Values Worksheet
Steel and Wood Skidder Bridges Available for Loan to Maine Loggers
Selecting a Private Consulting Forester
District Forester Information - Find your district forester and their contact information.
The Woods in Your Backyard - A manual of activities to help learn about and enjoy your woods.
Woodland Owner Information - A webpage of links of programs and resources to support woodland owners.
Project Canopy Maine's Register of Big Trees - Project Canopy’s program page with a link to Maine’s Big Tree Registry and National Big Tree Registry, as well as, Big Tree submission form.
Harvesting and Timber
Professional Logging Contractors of Maine
Maine Licensed Forester search page
What Will My Woods Look Like? Before and After Timber Harvesting. Maine Forest Service manual
2017 Directory of Maine's Stationary and Portable Sawmills
Maine Revenue Services Property Tax Division: Property Tax Bulletin No. 19
VIDEO: Timber Harvesting Chainsaw and Skidder demonstration
White Pine
White Pine Silviculture for Timber and Wildlife Habitat in New England
Maine Forest Service Fact Sheet - White Pine Needle Disease
Field Manual for Managing Eastern White Pine Health in New England For new insights on white pine management in the context of current insect and disease conditions.
Ticks
“Cascading impacts of overstory structure in managed forests on understory structure, microclimate conditions, and Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) densities” by Stephanie N. Hurd, Laura S. Kenefc, Jessica E. Leahy, Carly C. Sponarski, Allison M. Gardner
Woodland Management
My Land Plan - American Forest Foundation (AFF) has a website dedicated to helping woodland owners with forest management. Easy to use tools guide you to map your land, set goals, keep a journal and connect with woodland owners and foresters.
St. John River Forest - The Nature Conservancy Maine conservation lands along the St. John River where they manage and monitor nearly 200,000 acres of forests.
Women on the Land - A woodland management resource website for women woodland owners from the University of Massachusetts. Included on this page is the publication “Women on the Land.”
Yankee Woodlot - A resource website with information about the woodland management demonstration site in Skowhegan managed by Maine Forest Service and the Somerset County Soil Water Conservation District.
Understanding Basal Area is Useful in Woodlots by Max McCormack, Maine Woodlands October 2020
Measuring Your Forest's Basal Area (a video by forester, Peter Collin)
Maine Aquatic Connectivity Restoration Project
Woodlot Management and Maintenance Checklist
Change Impacting Maine’s Woodland Owners
State of Maine Consulting Forester website
Field Manual for Managing Eastern White Pine Health in New England - University of Maine
2019 Silvicultural Activities Report from Maine Forest Service
Beech Management:
Backpack Herbicide Treatment Can Effectively Improve Stands by Max McCormack
Strategies to Control American Beech and Other Forest Species by Peter Smallidge, Cornell University
Woodland Guidelines for the Control and Management of American Beech Cornell University Cooperative Extension
Few Easy Options for Dealing with Beech Stand Decline
Beech Disease Control Requires Only Simple Tools
USDA Beech Bark Disease Fact Sheet
Wood Heat
Beyond the Rhetoric: Wood Heat and Climate Change By Maura Adams and Rob Riley, Northern Forest Center
A Community Guide to Starting & Running a Wood Bank - by Sabrina Vivian, University of Maine, sabrina.vivian@maine.edu and Jessica Leahy, University of Maine, jessica.leahy@maine.edu
Woodland Wildlife
What’s in Our Woods? - View Yankee Woodlot Demonstration Forest game camera footage
Maine eBird - A database for birders to record their observations in Maine. Click HERE to see Bob Duchesne’s bird list during his time in the Doak Family Forest May 25, 2021