From Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov Tue Jun 2 11:06:28 2009 From: Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov (Lord, Gregory R.) Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 11:06:28 -0400 Subject: [woodswisewire] Woods Wise Wire - June 2, 2009 Message-ID: Demonstration Field Day for Healthy Watershed Management Family Forest Property, Waterford, ME June 27, 2009 Clean reliable water supplies and healthy aquatic ecosystems are expected to become increasingly scarce in many parts of the country as development pressure and climate change intensifies. Forest management for water conservation is an innovative, cost-effective, incentive-based solution for the protection of freshwater supplies and can serve as an alternative to building new or improving existing infrastructure. Family forest owners are encouraged to join us on Saturday June 27th as we tour Bart and Mary Ann Hague's property in Waterford, ME. Topics will include managing for water quality, wildlife, carbon sequestration and ecosystem services, and available cost-share opportunities. To register, please call Western Foothills Land Trust at (207) 739-2124. For more information click http://conservationforestry.org/Documents/ME_HagueFieldDay.pdf Asian Longhorned Beetle Outreach Volunteer Training Date: Tuesday, June 16 Time: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm Where: Department of Agriculture, Deering Building, Room 319, Augusta Cost: Free, including lunch and snacks Why? To train people to spread awareness about the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). ALB is an invasive pest that poses a serious threat to the trees and forests of Maine. The best defense is early detection by people who work with trees and those who enjoy the outdoors. (To find out more about ALB, visit http://massnrc.org/pests/alb/) Who Should Attend? People interested in learning about invasive forest pests, particularly Asian longhorned beetle and sharing that information with others in their communities. Participants will be asked to conduct three or more outreach activities in their communities in July and August. Outreach activities include, but are not limited to, holding informational sessions, displaying information at public forums, and disseminating educational materials. The Department of Agriculture will provide materials for volunteers and loans of insects and sample tree damage displays. Training Topics o Potential Impact of ALB on the state of Maine o Current Management Activities o ALB ID & Life Cycle o How, When & Where to Look for ALB o How to Save and Report a Suspect Insect o Other Invasive Pests o Sharing What You've Learned about ALB o Tips On Talking About Pests o Resources Available to Help with Outreach o Host Tree Identification Continuing Education Credits Pesticides - up to 5 Maine Landscape and Nursery Association - 1 for attending, 1 for teaching Foresters - possibly International Society of Arboriculture - possibly Registration Email the following information to Anne Bills at annebills at rocketmail.com or call 207-287-3892: Name, Phone Number, Email Address, Affiliation (Organization or Employer) Tentative Agenda 8:30 - 9:00 Check-in and coffee 9:00-9:30 Introduction and Goals and Volunteer Leader Expectations 9:30-11:00 ALB Presentation History of ALB in US Pathways of Spread Current Management Activities ALB ID & Life Cycle How, When & Where to Look for ALB Symptoms and Signs of Infestation Reference Materials 11:00-11:15 Break 11:15-12:00 Other Invasive Forest Pests Emerald ash borer (EAB) Brown spruce longhorned beetle (BSLB) Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-2:00 What's Next? How to Share What You've Learned Tips On Talking About Pests Let Us Know What You're Doing Materials Available, How to Order Samples Available, How to Borrow How to Get Reimbursed for Expenses 2:00-3:00 Tree ID at the Pine Tree State Arboretum New report: Forestry Adaptation and Mitigation in a Changing Climate: A Forest Resource Manager's Guide for the Northeastern United States The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences is pleased to announce the release of the latest report from the Natural Capital Initiative titled Forestry Adaptation and Mitigation in a Changing Climate: A Forest Resource Manager's Guide for the Northeastern United States. The report, authored by John Gunn, John Hagan, and Andy Whitman, is available for download at: www.manometmaine.org. For more information contact: John Gunn, Ph.D. Senior Program Leader Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences 14 Maine St., Suite 305 Brunswick, Maine 04011 jgunn at manomet.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/woodswisewire/attachments/20090602/b7f83ae5/attachment-0001.html From Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov Tue Jun 9 08:51:25 2009 From: Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov (Lord, Gregory R.) Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 08:51:25 -0400 Subject: [woodswisewire] Woods Wise Wire - June 9, 2009 Message-ID: Conservation Forestry Field Day Saturday, June 27th, 2009 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Bart and Mary Ann Hague's Tree Farm Oxford County, ME Maine is the most heavily forested state in the country. Over 52% percent, or 9 million acres, of Maine's forests are owned by over 250,000 family forest owners. Many of these acres are managed for multiple values, including wood production, wildlife, water quality, carbon sequestration, recreation, and aesthetics. Families that practice sustainable forestry can improve these critical ecosystem services while maintaining the economic viability of their land. On Saturday June 27th, join us as we tour Bart and Mary Ann Hague's property in Waterford, Maine. At the field tour, speaker topics will include managing for water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat management, managing for carbon sequestration, and available cost-share assistance. As a result of the 2008 Farm Bill, there are a number of new cost share programs available to forest landowners interested in actively managing their woods for multiple benefits. Lunch will be provided. The Center for Conservation Solutions (CCS) of the American Forest Foundation works in partnership with resource agencies, non-profit organizations, and research partners to provide family forest owners with the necessary tools to manage their woodlots for multiple values. To register or additional information, contact: Western Foothills Land Trust PO Box 107 Norway, ME 04268 (207)739-2124 Space is limited so register today! University of Maine Cooperative Extension Announces Third Northeastern Forestry Conference EMERGING TRENDS: Opportunities in the Family Forest Learn how to enjoy and profit from your family forest at the Forestry Conference on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, ME. You can brush up on your knowledge of alternative forest products, learn about new small business enterprises for your woodland, or tackle the issues of changing traditional markets among other subjects. This program has been reviewed and is approved for professional CFE credits by the Society of American Foresters under Category 1-CF: 4 credits (1 for each 1 hr session), and 2 Maine Pesticide credits, 1 each for Insects and Disease Control and Finding Solutions for Invasive Plant Problems. CLP and MLC continuing education credits are also available. Browse through trade show vendors to view the latest in forestry products, service providers and woodlot management equipment. Make plans to attend any four of the twelve seminars offered with lunch provided and opportunities to view products and services at the trade show. The registration fee is $20.00 per person and some scholarships will be available. Please register by Monday, June 22, 2009. For more information or to request an application brochure, please call the University of Maine Cooperative Extension at 1-800-287-1495 or 207-474-9622. If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in this program, please call the Somerset County Extension Office at 1-800-287-1495 or TDD: 1-800-287-8957 to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodation at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however all requests will be accepted. The University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. New Woody Biomass Desk Guide and Toolkit now available online http://nacdnet.org/resources/guides/biomass/ The purpose of this guide is to equip natural resource professionals and outreach specialists with the information and tools needed to increase awareness of the use of woody biomass for energy in the U.S. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/woodswisewire/attachments/20090609/737e763d/attachment.html From Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov Tue Jun 16 08:33:14 2009 From: Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov (Lord, Gregory R.) Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:33:14 -0400 Subject: [woodswisewire] Woods Wise Wire - June 16, 2009 Message-ID: COMMENTS SOUGHT ON PROPOSAL TO MERGE USDA FOREST SERVICE NORTHEASTERN AREA WITH EASTERN REGION OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM A Federal Register notice has been issued for comments on the proposed Forest Service plan to merge the Northeastern Area with the Eastern Region of the National Forest System (Region 9). The merger would place both units under one regional forester and integrate existing programs, to enable "a more cohesive forest management program to be developed and deployed." The proposal has implications for program delivery across a region of the country where the forests are 92% non-federally owned. The deadline for comments is 09 July 2009. The Federal Register notice can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/mfs/news/downloads/federal_register_na_r9_m erger.pdf Asian Longhorned Beetle Outreach Volunteer Training New Dates for Bangor and Gorham! Dates, Bangor Area Times, Tuesday, June 23 Locations 9:30 am - 3:45 pm Bangor Public Library Portland Area Thursday, June 25 9:30 am - 3:45 pm Bailey Hall, Room 113 University of Sourthern Maine, Gorham Cost: Free, including lunch and snacks Why: To train people to spread awareness about the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). ALB is an invasive pest that poses a serious threat to the trees and forests of Maine. The best defense is early detection by people who work with trees and those who enjoy the outdoors. (To find out more about ALB, visit http://massnrc.org/pests/alb/) Who Should Attend? People interested in learning about invasive forest pests, particularly Asian longhorned beetle and sharing that information with others in their communities. Participants will be asked to conduct three or more outreach activities in their communities in July and August. Outreach activities include, but are not limited to, holding informational sessions, displaying information at public forums, and disseminating educational materials. The Department of Agriculture will provide materials for volunteers and loans of insects and sample tree damage displays. Due to limited space we ask that each organization send no more than two people. Training Topics o Potential Impact of ALB on the state of Maine o Current Management Activities o ALB ID & Life Cycle o How, When & Where to Look for ALB o How to Save and Report a Suspect Insect o Other Invasive Pests o Sharing What You've Learned about ALB o Tips On Talking About Pests o Resources Available to Help with Outreach o Host Tree Identification Continuing Education Credits Pesticides - up to 5 Maine Landscape and Nursery Association - 1 for attending, 1 for teaching Foresters - possibly International Society of Arboriculture - possibly Registration Email the following information to Anne Bills at annebills at rocketmail.com or call 207-287-3892: Name, Phone Number, Email Address, Affiliation (Organization or Employer) Tentative Agenda 9:30 - 10:00 Check-in and coffee 10:00-10:30 Introduction and Goals and Volunteer Leader Expectations 10:30-12:00 ALB Presentation History of ALB in US Pathways of Spread Current Management Activities ALB ID & Life Cycle How, When & Where to Look for ALB Symptoms and Signs of Infestation Reference Materials 12:00-12:45 Other Invasive Forest Pests Emerald ash borer (EAB) Brown spruce longhorned beetle (BSLB) Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) 12:45-1:45 Lunch 1:45-2:45 What's Next? How to Share What You've Learned Tips On Talking About Pests Let Us Know What You're Doing Materials Available, How to Order Samples Available, How to Borrow How to Get Reimbursed for Expenses 2:45-3:45 Tree ID -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/woodswisewire/attachments/20090616/1b938108/attachment-0001.html From Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov Tue Jun 23 08:11:36 2009 From: Gregory.R.Lord at maine.gov (Lord, Gregory R.) Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:11:36 -0400 Subject: [woodswisewire] Woods Wise Wire - June 23, 2009 Message-ID: Asian Longhorned Beetle Alert The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is a woodboring insect that attacks a wide range of hardwoods including all species of maple, birch, elm, poplar and willow (www.maine.gov/alb). Damage by the beetle would impact the health of our forests, appearance of our neighborhoods and integrity of our infrastructure. In addition, it would lead to losses in the forest products, maple sugaring and tourism industries and require a costly control effort. A large ALB infestation was detected in Worcester, Massachusetts in August of 2008. As with all North American ALB infestations, it was initially found by an everyday citizen-Donna Massie was the first to question the presence of ALB in Worcester. She wasn't the first to notice ALB. A pest control operator had one unidentified in his collection for 11 years and ALB were clogging pool filters in Worcester daily for several summers before Donna asked and answered the "Where did these things come from?" question and reported their presence to the Department of Agriculture. In her words "...the biggest question that will probably never be answered is how this beetle went unnoticed for all these years. When I first spotted this beetle I knew something didn't seem right, I had never seen anything like it before...It really is a shame that it was allowed to go this far." Her take home message to others is "if you've never seen it before it may not belong in the United States." Be like Donna, question what you see and if you can't find the answer, ask someone who might be able to help. A big concern for the MFS is that over the years that this beetle went undetected in Worcester, there were thousands of opportunities for its introduction into Maine on infested roundwood products, especially recreational firewood. We urge you to keep your eyes open for these beetles. Even though they have not yet been found in Maine, it is probable that some have been brought in. We hope that any that were brought in were burned before they emerged or died before mating, but we need to be vigilant. We have received many questions about wood chips from Massachusetts's ALB regulated area coming to Maine. Interstate movement of this material is regulated by the USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. They have determined that chipped material meeting a minimum size requirement is safe and material meeting that size restriction is not regulated: (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/asian_lhb/index. shtml). However, we have some concerns about movement of adults attracted to fresh host material. The businesses in Maine who were approached about buying this material contacted us before agreeing to receive it. We have worked with them to assure that chips from Worcester were received and handled before the free-living period so as to minimize possibility of "hitch-hiking" beetles. Although trees will continue to be processed in Worcester this summer (the adult active period), to minimize any incidental risk, Maine business who had been buying chips from the Worcester area have pledged to suspend receipt until late fall when ALB are no longer active. Please join them in helping to protect Maine's forest health: * Be aware of the signs and symptoms of invasive forest pests, * Ask questions when you see an unfamiliar damage in your forests and neighborhood trees, * Don't move firewood long distances-you may move hidden invasive pests within and on that wood (www.maine.gov/firewood). DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Maine Forest Service Forest Health and Monitoring 168 State House Station - 50 Hospital Street - Augusta, ME 04333-0168 (207) 287-2431 - forestinfo at maine.gov Basics of Timber Basis Date: June 25, 2009 Time 12:00 to 1:00 PM Eastern Time *** First time users please join the session 15 minutes early to become familiar with the webinar interface*** Presented by Mark Megalos, PhD Extension Forestry Specialist, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University This special one-hour program will discuss calculating and adjusting a timber basis, walk participants through the key points and misunderstandings of basis for landowners and professionals. With hurricane season upon us and other disasters occurring on a frequent basis there's no time like the present to document your or your client's basis before your next timber sale or a disaster strikes! CFEs: Number of hours of SAF CFE Category I credits applied for To participate, visit: forestrywebinar.net No registration required USING COMMON FORESTRY TOOLS, GETTING BACK TO BASICS!! Come Join the Upper Kennebec Valley Chapter of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine on Saturday, July 18th, from 9-12 in Mercer for some hands on time with District Forester Patty Cormier and Forestry Consultant Peter Tracy to learn about those fun forestry tools you could use on your woodlot. Patty and Peter will go over how to use a Biltmore Stick (each participant will be given one to take home), the prism, diameter tape, hip chain, cruz all and whatever else they come up with, so that you can go home and gather information about your woodlot. They will cover what kind of information you can gather with these tools and where you might be able to use that information. The workshop is free, and open to all and no need to pre register. We will be meeting at SWOAM/Tree Farm members, Mary and Bob Burr's place in Mercer on the Beech Hill Road. Mary and Bob are also avid beekeepers and woodlot managers. They are1.5 miles on the left off US Route 2, number 1334 Beech Hill Road. Look for the "Blue Ribbon" and Tree Farm signs. Please come join us! If you have any questions, contact Patty Cormier at 474-3499, or patty.cormier at maine.gov. Upcoming GPS Classes Basic GPS and Mapping in Your Woodlot - Strong SWOAM - Upper Kennebec Valley Chapter Contact: Patty Cormier at 474-3499 or patty.cormier at maine.gov Location: Strong 8 a.m.-12 noon Saturday, June 27 Join the Upper Kennebec Valley chapter for a basic, hands-on class of practical applications for a GPS device in your woodlot. If time allows, participants will discuss mapping options as well. The class will be taught by District Forester Patty Cormier of the Maine Forest Service, and will be held at SWOAM member Glen Thompson's place in Strong. The class is free and open to anyone. Maine Forest Service will supply 25 GPS units for the training. Glen's place is at Box 930 on the South Strong Road (Route 149) off Route 4 in Farmington, or Route 149 off Route 234 in Strong if heading from the north. His house in is a field and has pine-colored clapboards with green trim. GPS Trainings - Rangeley & Farmington Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District No previous GPS training is necessary. Trainings are scheduled for: Tuesday, July 18, 8 am to noon, from 8 am to noon at the Rangeley Public Library Tuesday, Aug. 11, 8 am to noon in Farmington. The Farmington locations will be announced at a later date. Patty Cormier of the Maine Forest Service will conduct the training. Garmin GPS units will be provided for the hands-on learning about how to overcome some common challenges in the field. The workshop cost is $15. Pre-registration and payment are required in advance. For more information, contact FCSWCD at 778-4279 or www.franklincswcd.org Washington County Firm Pays Penalty for Forest Practices Violations June 10, 2009 Contacts: Paul Larrivee, Maine Forest Service, 592-2231 Lucinda White, Attorney General's Office, 626-8822 AUGUSTA, Maine - A Washington County firm has agreed to pay a $7,000 civil penalty for harvesting 40 acres of timber in an illegal clearcut. Worcester Holdings LLC recently self-reported the violation on a parcel of land in the town of Deblois, Washington County, according Maine Forest Service officials. The company has accepted responsibility for the Deblois violations and has agreed to pay the civil penalty in keeping with a July 7, 2008 consent order approved by the Washington County Superior Court. The July 2008 consent order was agreed to by Worcester Holdings and the State of Maine. It allowed the landowner to review past harvesting practices for compliance with Maine's forest practices rules and to voluntarily self report any violations at a reduced penalty. Worcester Holdings LLC created a 40-acre clearcut intending to convert the area to a wreath brush plantation. The landowner, however, failed to complete the conversion from forestry to wreath brush within two years of completing the timber harvest as required by Maine's forest practices rules. The landowner therefore was responsible for complying with the state's law and rules governing the size and arrangement of clearcuts. The 40-acre harvest resulted in the creation of a Category 2 clearcut that lacked a required harvest plan prepared prior to the harvest by a licensed forester and that also lacked required separation zones as a buffer between clearcuts. Based on the requirements established for voluntary compliance in the July 2008 consent order, Worcester Holdings LLC has prepared an "after-the-fact" harvest plan for the harvest area identifying areas to be maintained as separation zones for the life of the clearcut. "Our goal is to improve the management of Maine's forests," Maine Forest Service Director Alec Giffen said. "Our agency focuses on educating and informing landowners to reduce the possibility of such violations. But, when violations do occur, we have a responsibility to uphold the law and to enforce the Forest Practices Act. We take this and our other responsibilities very seriously." The investigation, enforcement action, and settlement negotiations were carried out by the Office of the Attorney General and MFS staff. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/woodswisewire/attachments/20090623/7f5c4134/attachment-0001.html