MFPC newsletter March 2017

Barry Burgason (seated) with Wildlife Committee members Henning Stabins, John Gilbert, Gordon Gamble and Nathan Kay.

Thanks! We asked Barry Burgason, chair of MFPC’s Wildlife Committee, if he wanted to write anything about his upcoming retirement, but he declined, saying, “I don’t think I am anyone special, so we can just let the word seep out.” For the record, though, Barry’s dedication to wildlife is special, as he’s proven  in 22 years as wildlife biologist for Huber Resources and 17 more for the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department. The Council appreciates his leadership on issues ranging from lynx to budworm, and is pleased that he plans stay on the Wildlife Committee.

Action Requested by Forest Resources Association (FRA)

Contact your Congressman and Senator and urge them to support the Future Logging Careers Act sponsored in the House by Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) as well as it’s Senate companion bill with sponsors Sen. Angus King I-(ME) and Sen. Risch(R-ID). The Future Logging Careers Act would allow young men and women to learn how to run the business, including equipment operation and maintenance, prior to the age of eighteen under the under the close supervision of their parents. TAKE ACTION HERE! More information.

UMaine-led research team predicts increasing decline of hemlock

Hemlock woolly adelgid

Land managers in New England and eastern New York state have a new tool to help identify eastern hemlock stands at greatest risk for rapid growth decline by evaluating stresses on the trees, including response to the hemlock woolly adelgid and changes resulting from a warming climate. Today, an estimated 26 percent of the region’s hemlock stands are at high risk. As winters get warmer, the decline will increase, with 43 percent of stands expected to be at high risk, according to a research team led by William Livingston, associate professor of forest resources, University of Maine.  The results of the study, which involved researchers from UMaine, the University of Vermont and LandVest Inc., were published in the journal Biological Invasions. Read more.

The Nature Conservancy is looking for a Forest Program Director to be the strategic leader for all forest conservation initiatives in Maine, including strategy development, land protection, stakeholder outreach and community relations, and leading TNC’s work to engage partners in developing new approaches to integrating a sustainable forest economy, forest-based climate change solutions and biodiversity conservation. TNC Maine-Forest Program Director Profile. External applicants MUST apply via www.nature.org/careers by referencing job #45306. All applications are due by April 26.

Do you know of a really BIG TREE?

An announcement just arrived about Franklin County’s Big Tree Contest from May 1 through October 15, but native trees also can be nominated statewide. The Maine Forest Service has information online for children and adults about how to nominate big trees. The national and state registries help recognize the importance of trees to our environment and quality of life. Big trees provide cool shade and shelter for wildlife, as well as contributing to clean air and water.   For more information please contact MFS District Forester Patty Cormier, 592-2238.

Condolences to the family of our Calvin Thompson, 85, who died March 28 in Lincoln. He started logging in 1968 and by the 1970s had built his logging and trucking business, Thompson Forest and Trucking, Inc., to 110 employees. In 1992, he was named MFPC’s Outstanding Logger and Northeast Division Outstanding Logger Award from the American Pulpwood Association. He served in the Maine Legislature in 1992-1994. Read BDN obituary.