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Fresh From the Woods… 2010-2020
- Threats, Challenges Facing Maine’s ForestsForests have always faced threats. From natural disturbances like hurricanes and wildfires to native pests … Read more
- Trees and Winter…..Warming temperatures, less snowfall pose new challenges for northeastern species Winter can be a challenge. … Read more
- Pinning down Maine’s future forestBy Joe RankinForests for Maine’s Future writer Forests aren’t static. They’re dynamic. Since trees colonized … Read more
- Fall Foliage Brings the Green to MaineBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Autumn, or at least the fall … Read more
- White Pines Hit by Needle Disease Year After YearBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Something’s not right. That’s what my MacBook … Read more
- Planting yourself in the forest “Green” burials are a growing thingHave you ever noticed how many cemeteries have the word forest in their name? Forest … Read more
- The American elm: Past, present . . . future?Years ago I planted an American elm in my yard. I was creating what my … Read more
- Make a Home for Wildlife with the Help of Author Charles FergusCharles Fergus loves nothing better than to rev up his walk-behind DR brush hog and … Read more
- Ferns: Beauty and Grace in the Understory“Outdoors” people, even those that don’t consider themselves naturalists, can identify trees, at the least … Read more
- Deer yards: Shelter from the stormIt’s not easy being a whitetail deer in Maine in the winter, especially northern Maine. … Read more
- Aging Sentinels: the roadside maples of MaineTravel the rural roads in this part of the country and you’ll see them along … Read more
- Old-Growth Forests: Back to the Future?There’s no question that old growth forests are fairly uncommon, especially in the eastern parts … Read more
- Whatever Happened to Acid Rain?Human-caused climate change is THE environmental issue of our times. Alarming reports point out that … Read more
- Moosehead Lake RegionThe Moosehead Lake area has been a destination for a long time. Native Americans came … Read more
- Forest Management in the big cityA thinned white pine stand photo courtesy of City of PortlandTwo years ago, logging crews … Read more
- The Nature Conservancy makes a bet on carbonLumber, as any tree and forest lover can tell you, isn’t the only valuable thing … Read more
- Is Southern Pine Beetle in Maine’s FutureBy Joe Rankin, Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Editors Note: This story was originally published … Read more
- Exemplary Forestry: A New Paradigm for the Northeast’s Woodlands?Robert Perschel has worked in forestry for a long time. As an industrial forester, a … Read more
- CLT: The Great Wood HopePeople have been gluing up wood for thousands of years. Prehistoric peoples bonded spear points … Read more
- Timber Framing: Ancient Art for a New AgeBack in the day, John Sweet Jr. was an ironworker who helped build paper mills. … Read more
- Maine Wood Manufacturers are still an Important Part of the EconomyThey produce gun stocks, flooring, cedar shingles, log homes, wooden playsets. They make cigar tips, … Read more
- Invasive Plants in MaineThere are a lot of threats to Maine forests — fragmentation, poor forestry practices, development, … Read more
- Forest Fires in Maine: History and OutlookThis was the year the West burned. The numbers are mind-boggling: By the end of … Read more
- Maine Heritage Timber: Retrieving Old Growth Wood from a LakeTom Shafer’s business is mining trees. It’s not really harvesting; maybe re-harvesting. “Recovering a forgotten … Read more
- The Forest Understory: Diverse. Dynamic. DifficultWild sarsaparilla is not a flashy forest dweller. It doesn’t soar overhead, or have showy … Read more
- Alan Hutchinson: A Legacy of Forest LandscapeAlan Hutchinson was always thinking. Thinking about ways to approach things differently, to bring people … Read more
- SFI Project Volunteers Build Two Playhouses for 2017 Make-A-Wish Foundation RecipientsThe Maine forest industry’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative has helped out on a lot of community … Read more
- North Maine Woods: Managing recreation on a sizable chunk of MainePhoto courtesy of North Maine WoodsThere is the north Maine woods: the vast expanse of … Read more
- Succession: How a forest recreates itselfBy Joe Rankin A forest, like all living things, is constantly changing. Sometimes the changes … Read more
- Up and Down: Layers of the ForestThe forest — any forest, really — doesn’t just stretch out across the land like … Read more
- The Eastern U.S.: Just Gotta Be a Forest?By Joe Rankin Predominantly forested has been the steady state of Maine’s landscape for the … Read more
- Aldo Leopold Week is Celebrated the First Week in MarchThe party was eating lunch on a high rimrock when they saw the mother wolf … Read more
- Winter: A Time to get to know your Forest Neighbors by their TracksThere’s something about the winter woods — the profound silence, the sheer whiteness. Snow whispering … Read more
- “Old Growth” Forests Defined by Key Ecological CharacteristicsBy JOE RANKIN There is something about big trees that stirs up a feeling … Read more
- Maine’s Most Common Tree, a Favorite of Deer and PestsBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future writer Quickly now. This is a quiz. … Read more
- For This Wood Pellet Manufacturer, Small is BeautifulErik Carlson remembers exactly where he was when he got the idea of getting into … Read more
- Budworm CommunicationsIt’s safe to say that things have changed since the 1970s and 1980s, when the … Read more
- Climate Change, Drought, and the Northern ForestBy Joe Rankin, published August 2016 Much of the southern half of Maine is dry. … Read more
- Spruce Budworm Population Tracked by Landowners Across Northeast Pheremone Traps Help to Gather DataBrett Mitchell has a vested interest in keeping tabs on the population of spruce budworm … Read more
- What is a healthy forest?By JOE RANKIN You’re in a store, say, and you look around you at the … Read more
- Students and Others Prepare for the Next Spruce Budworm OutbreakBy Joe RankinForests for Maine’s Future Writer It’s not every educator who sees a teaching … Read more
- Forestry for the birdsBy JOE RANKIN, Forests for Maine’s Future Writer In 1962 Rachel Carson’s classic enviro-expose Silent … Read more
- Mechanical harvesting — The future is hereBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future Writer You could tell where George Merrill was … Read more
- The white pine, enduring symbol of the Maine woodsBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future Writer What’s not to like about the eastern … Read more
- Bright spots in Maine’s forest products industryNew mills, investments and products help offset losses in some sectors By JOE RANKIN Forests … Read more
- Southern Maine’s Future ForestFactors at play today will help create the woods of the 22nd century By JOE … Read more
- Urban Forests — More Important Now Than EverBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future writer It’s perhaps fitting that the largest city … Read more
- Maine is a leader in conservation easementsBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future Writer On the west side of the … Read more
- Aliens in the Maine woodsTerrestrial invasive plants can wreak havoc with forests By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future … Read more
- Helping map the future of MaineBy JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future Writer At one time or another we’ve all … Read more
- The Long View: Three studies of the Maine forestBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer In a spruce-fir forest north of Bangor … Read more
- University Forests: Research, education and incomeBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer With not quite 14,000 acres, the University … Read more
- Educating educators about the Maine woodsTeachers’ Tours provide a close up view of the forest and the forest economy … Read more
- Maine Moose: How are they doing?By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer Most visitors to Maine probably have a … Read more
- CFRU: Real world forestry researchBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer The research topics are varied. From what … Read more
- Emerald ash borer: a voracious pest nears MaineBy Joe Ranki, Forests for Maine’s Future writer November 2013 When the emerald ash borer … Read more
- Maine’s Forest Economy: a new reportBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer Stand on almost any hill in … Read more
- Carbon offsets: A new forest ‘product’?By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer Over the centuries the only way to … Read more
- The Maine Forest Products CouncilEducating lawmakers and public about one of Maine’s biggest industries When the Maine Legislature … Read more
- Bringing back the giantsThe effort to restore the American chestnut tree to Maine’s forest By Joe Rankin … Read more
- Trail cameras give you a new window on the woodsBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Everyone who walks in the Maine woods … Read more
- Maine Land Trust Network: It’s all about connectionBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer A few years ago the Greater Lovell … Read more
- The St. John Forest experimentThe Nature Conservancy blends conservation, logging in northern Maine The Nature Conservancy owns a lot of … Read more
- The Forest Society of MaineProtecting Maine’s forest landscape through conservation easements By Joe RankinForests for Maine’s Future Writer … Read more
- Good reviews for online forestry programWoodland Steward Program’s creators ponder how to boost enrollment By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s … Read more
- Spruce budworm: Coming again soon?By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer It was a hot July day … Read more
- Nature photography: A new way of seeing the woodsBy Joe RankinForests for Maine’s Future Writer Pam Wells has patience.When she’s in search … Read more
- The Future of Forest Products in Maine TourNew composites, nanocellulose coatings, liquid fuels are on the horizon By Joe Rankin Forests for … Read more
- Maine’s forests: past, present and future . . .A talk with the author of “The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods” Andrew Barton … Read more
- The Woodland Steward ProgramA new online course can help you enjoy and manage your woodland By Joe … Read more
- The Maine Woods (plural)There are many forest types in the Pine Tree State By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future … Read more
- The fascinating process of tree decayBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer For trees, the forest is … Read more
- There’s an app for that: can technology reconnect us to nature?By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer In the video the … Read more
- Sappi Westbrook: Papermaking on the fashion frontierA venerable paper mill is the world leader in release papers By Joe Rankin Forests … Read more
- Maine’s public lands: recreation, wildlife habitat, timberThese parcels aren’t as well known as the state’s parks, but that’s changing By Joe Rankin … Read more
- Learning about the woods: places to go, things to see . . .By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Cathy Goslin vividly remembers a … Read more
- Where the wood flows . . . and whyBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer You’re driving down a Maine … Read more
- Land conservation: still going strongDespite the down economy, landowners and the public are still eager to ensure the future of Maine’s … Read more
- The modern sawmill: a high tech marvelBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Watching the edger-optimizer at Robbins Lumber Co.’s … Read more
- Forest products: it’s not all about logsBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer As a young boy in the 1940s … Read more
- Once and Future Uses of WoodBy Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer In the mid-’60s Eric Sloane wrote “A … Read more
- Aging forest owners: What will become of their woods?By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Jim walked slowly up the path, as he … Read more
- A forest stewardship state of mindAllen Higgins and Josiah Pierce talk about caring for the land By JOE RANKIN Forests … Read more
- Penobscot Experimental Forest: Six decades of scienceJuly 2011 By Joe RankinForests for Maine’s Future Writer On a recent summer day, while … Read more
- Exotic forest pests: the danger is realFresh from the Woods By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future Writer June 2011 … Read more
- Bernd Heinrich: Writer, academic, Maine forestland ownerFresh from the Woods Bernd Heinrich: Writer, academic, Maine forestland owner May 2011 It’s easy … Read more
- The Underground ForestFresh from the Woods The Underground Forest April 2011 By Joe Rankin Walking in the forest … Read more
- The Forest BookshelfThe Forest BookshelfMarch 2011 By Joe Rankin Today Henry David Thoreau is best remembered for … Read more
- Sweet time for Maine’s syrup producersFebruary 2011 By Joe Rankin Mention maple syrup season and the image that leaps to … Read more
- Community Forests: an old idea that’s new againForest scene on Branch Lake land in Ellsworth. Photo courtesy of Jerry and Marcy Monkman, Ecophotography.org … Read more
- Trails from the 21st CenturyFresh from the Woods Trails for the 21st century December 2010 By JOE RANKIN It’s a … Read more
- Seeing the People Behind the TreesFresh from the Woods Seeing the people behind the trees By JOE RANKIN A few … Read more
- Prentiss & Carlisle: a proud history of forest stewardshipFresh from the Woods Prentiss & Carlisle president Donald White, left, Gov. John Baldacci, and … Read more
- Maine Seeks $25 million for ConservationFresh from the Woods North Maine woods Maine seeks $25 million for conservation By Joe … Read more
- Keeping Maine’s Forests IIFresh from the Woods Sustainably harvested logs are loaded in the Scientific Forest Management Area … Read more
- BiomassFresh from the Woods Producing energy from woodland ‘biomass’ could — over time — add … Read more
- Keeping Maine’s Forests IFresh from the Woods Sunrise at Haymock Lake in northern Maine. (Photos by Andrew Kekacs) … Read more
- The Nimble ForestFresh from the Woods A shaft of sunlight pierces a stand of red spruce growing … Read more
- The Forested LandscapeFresh from the Woods Author Tom Wessels stands on a pile of stones in Brooks … Read more
- North Maine WoodsFresh from the Woods A group of hikers nears the summit of White Cap Mountain … Read more