Maine TREE and the Brewer School Department Announce the Return of their Innovative Forestry Immersion Program
By Hope Light
In 2023, Maine TREE and the Brewer School Department collaborated to introduce a Forestry Immersion Program. This program allowed students to spend six weeks in the forest while earning high school credits. We’re thrilled to announce that the program is returning in 2024 thanks to a generous grant from the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative*. This year, the program is fully funded and will offer an unparalleled opportunity to fifteen students to immerse themselves in Maine’s forests and enhance their education in a unique way.
The program aims to empower young adults by strengthening their essential life skills and creating better opportunities for their future. It focuses on honing skills such as teamwork, communication, a strong work ethic, and problem-solving abilities. Though these skills are not new, the program aims to explore and deepen them through unique careers and forest exploration, thereby opening up new life opportunities. Over the six weeks, participants camp in the Maine woods four nights a week, visit job sites, engage in online academics, and go on hands-on discovery tours in the forest to learn and grow. During the program, the students operate harvesting equipment, including a chainsaw, processor, and forwarder, at an active logging operation, contribute to construction projects, embark on day hikes in some of Maine’s most iconic woodlands, and collect forest inventory data through the Forest Ecology Research Network Program. Participants can earn up to two credits toward high school graduation while gaining the tools and values necessary to become stewards of the Maine woods and influence others to do the same. The program provides a unique and enriching learning experience unlike any other.
Trevor Levensalor, one of the 2023 student participants, reflected on his experience, saying, “I think that this summer was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had because of how integrated the learning was for each student there and being able to have a say in what we do each day. Along with having our projects around camp and some kids like me who just wanted to go operate the equipment. Overall as a whole, this program has changed the way I look at the woods,”
Hunter Dawson, another student, shared, “This summer changed my whole view on education. It showed me that it is possible for teachers to adjust the way that they teach in order to comply with their student’s needs. The less schedule-based education allowed us (the students) to learn at a rate that encouraged our personal learning styles as well as tendencies. The dedication of the students and educators allowed us to make a program that encouraged our growth as students as well as people.”
The application for the 2024 summer session is now available and can be found on the Brewer School District website at www.breweredu.org/o/brewer-high-school/page/summer-programs. Applications are due May 24, 2024
*American Rescue Plan Act GEER, Reverted EANS Funding received from the USDOE supports the implementation of this project. The project has an award totaling $ 6.6 million, of which 100% is federally funded and directly attributed to project implementation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the USDOE or the U.S. Government.
