By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer Stand on almost any hill in Maine, any mountaintop, and you’ll see forest, a blanket of trees. There are rivers, yes. Roads, villages, signs of civilization. But overall it seems to be a world of trees. It is forest that created the Maine mystique. And forest…
By Joe Rankin Forests for Maine’s Future writer Over the centuries the only way to make money if you owned a woodland was cut down the trees so they could be sold and turned into framing timbers, barrel staves, chariots, ship masts, charcoal, furniture, plywood or any of a gazillion and one other things. Now…
The Nature Conservancy blends conservation, logging in northern Maine The Nature Conservancy owns a lot of land in Maine: some 75 preserves covering about 300,000 acres. They range from isolated suburban preserves to large wetland complexes, small coastal islands to fire-adapted Paddling the Upper St. John River (Photo: TNC)shrublands, and the largest area of old growth…
A talk with the author of “The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods” Andrew Barton grew up Asheville, in the mountains of North Carolina, and as a boy of 8 or 9 he was fascinated by salamanders, lizards and snakes. “My mom wouldn’t let me keep any in the house, which I think just stoked…
Allen Higgins and Josiah Pierce talk about caring for the land By JOE RANKIN Forests for Maine’s Future Writer Allen “Higmo” Higgins, asked what forest stewardship means to him, barely pauses. “The biggest thing is, you can’t have it all. You can’t have a quick harvest, all kinds of money in your pocket…
Forest scene on Branch Lake land in Ellsworth. Photo courtesy of Jerry and Marcy Monkman, Ecophotography.org Fresh from the Woods January 2011, edited for republication January 2023 By Joe Rankin They provide timber, hiking trails, opportunities to learn, and even maple syrup. They serve to protect watersheds and provide habitat for wildlife. They’re town forests. Also…
Fresh from the Woods Prentiss & Carlisle president Donald White, left, Gov. John Baldacci, and P&C Chairman David Carlisle show off the Austin Wilkins Award plaque, carved of prime cherry wood. (Photo by Joe Rankin) Prentiss & Carlisle: a proud history of forest stewardship By Joe Rankin When it comes to good timberland management, spreadsheets…
Fresh from the Woods This map estimates a watershed’s ability to produce clean water, which is largely based on how much forestland is in the watershed. The blue areas provide the greatest amount. (Graphic courtesy of USDA Forest Service) Clean water: Over the river, through the woods By Andrew Kekacs Maine has some of the…
Fresh from the Woods Tony Madden, left, and his son, Derrick. (Photos courtesy of Forest Resources Association) Maine loggers: There are good jobs in the woods By Andrew KekacsEditor’s note: Economic turmoil, global warming and wildly fluctuating energy costs have led policy makers, scientists and investors to look more closely at the world’s forests. The…
