Abby Holman Public Service Award
The Abby Holman Public Service Award is an annual award given by the Maine Forest Products Council to an individual (or individuals) in recognition of outstanding service on behalf of Maine’s forest products industry.
The criterion for this award is simple. The recipients must demonstrate a level of passion, loyalty, and dedication to Maine’s forest products industry, to good government, and a robust economy much the same way that our former (1998-2003) Executive Director Abigail Holman did.
Abby’s love of Maine and our natural resources showed in her work. And it was here that Abby built a reputation as a fierce defender of our traditional natural resource industries.
1999 John Williams (LURC)
2000 Sgt. David Peppard
2001 John Simko
2002 Hon. Clifton Foster and Hon. Walter Gooley
2003 Hon. Marge Kilkelly
2005 Kevin Stevens
2006 Sherry Huber
2007 Hon. Abigail Holman
2009 Doreen Sheive
2010 Hon. Richard Nass and Hon. Doug Smith
2011 Carol Woodcock
2012 Commissioner Bill Beardsley
2013 Dr. Robert Wagner
2014 Hon. Patrick Flood
2015 Keith Kanoti
2016 Dave Struble, MFS
2017 Barry Burgason
2018 Sarah Medina
2019 Steve Schley
2020 Doug Denico
2021 Al Cowperthwaite
2022 Mike St. Peter
2023 Don Kleiner
Albert D. Nutting Award
The Maine Forest Products Council established the Albert D. Nutting Award in 1990, to commemorate the many contributions to Maine Forestry that Al Nutting was instrumental in creating.
He graduated from the University of Maine in 1927. He joined the UMaine Extension Service as forestry and home grounds specialist from 1931–48. He served as Maine forest commissioner from 1948-1958.
In 1958, he became director of UMaine’s School of Forest Resources, a position he held until 1971. As director, he helped develop forestry research legislation. During his tenure, a Ph.D. program in forestry was introduced and he received an honorary doctorate from UMaine in 1987. He also was one of the founders of the Maine Forest Products Council in 1961.
This award has been presented annually since 1990, to a remarkable group of individuals, each one of them truly unique, but with a common commitment to Maine and its forest industry.
“The recipient will have demonstrated recognized qualities of leadership and integrity, as well as a commitment to the values both public and private, generated from the working forest. His or her experience will reflect concern for the sound environmental use as well as the economic value of the forest to industry and the community at large.”
The plaque is printed on a black locust which grew on the lawn of the Nutting Homestead in Otisfield. The tree was planted before 1850 by one of Al Nutting’s ancestors.
