Woodswise Wire

White Pine Field Studies at Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) - Jefferson, ME

Two classes focusing on Maine’s state tree, the white pine. The classes can be take separately, but are designed to be taken together. Each class is $12/$15, HVNC member/non-member. A $2 discount will apply when classes are taken together. These classes are designed for landowners, forest managers, naturalists, and educators. Registration and course details are available online at www.hvnc.org/registration/. 

HVNC is the 2014 Outstanding Tree Farm for Maine and the Northeast Region. Comprised of 1,000 acres of contiguous forest, much of which is pine dominated, HVNC has more than 150 acres of managed forest and a diverse array of forest cover and habitat types. It is an excellent outdoor classroom.

White Pine Ecology – A Field Study
Monday October 20, 9am-11:30am

Naturalist Erek Sherin will lead participants on an interpretive tour of HVNC focusing on the ecology of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Participants can expect to learn about the life cycles, growth habits, common habitats, and common associates of pine. Attention will also be given to the threats posed to pine as a result of the environment, insects, and humans. Sherin is a Maine Master Naturalist. This will be a field tour and will feature visits to young and mature, managed and unmanaged stands of pine.

Growing White Pine – Field Study of Forestry Practices
Monday October 20, 1pm-4pm

Barrie Brusila of Mid-Maine Foresry in Warren and Andy Shultz, the Landowner Outreach Forester for the Maine Forest Service, will lead a field study of common practices for growing merchantable white pine in Maine. The session will feature a look at young stand management and pre-commercial work as well as explore successive thinnings in a stand that has been managed for more than thirty years and features mature pine. Participants can expect to learn about the value of pre-commercial thinning, proper pruning, threats to managed pine stands, techniques for establishing regeneration and more. 

Chainsaw Safety Class at Hidden Valley Nature Center – Jefferson, ME

Back by popular demand Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) will offer an introductory Chainsaw Safety class October 25 and 26, 2014. This class is part of HVNC’s ongoing commitment to excellent forest-related training.  Chainsaws can be amazingly effective, and efficient tools when used properly. This hands-on class is aimed at providing participants with enough knowledge and practice to make operating a chainsaw safe, effective, and rewarding.

Day one of the class is a half-day session. Students will be introduced to safety clothing and equipment, basic saw mechanics and maintenance, and will spend time becoming familiar with basic chainsaw uses like bucking logs. Day two will be a full day of hands-on learning. Students will continue to gain comfort with basic operations and safe practices. In addition, students will learn about and practice safe tree felling practices.

By the end of the class students will have the knowledge to be able to properly maintain their saws, use them safely to buck firewood, fell trees, perform trail work, and more.

Whether you cut your own firewood, volunteer at a local land trust, operate a farm, or perform landscaping this could be a great class for you! Participants do not need a chainsaw to participate. HVNC will provide all the equipment, or will evaluate yours for safety. The cost is $100 for HVNC and MOFGA members, and $125 for non-members.

Some scholarships are available. Write to andy@hvnc.org for more details. For more information about this class visit the events page at www.hvnc.org.

HVNC’s 2014 chainsaw safety classes are sponsored by MOFGA and Jonsered chainsaws.

HVNC is a non-profit education and recreation center in Jefferson. HVNC was named the 2014 Outstanding Tree Farmer in Maine, in part because of their outreach and education efforts. HVNC is open to the public three hundred and sixty-five days a year, dawn to dusk. Come explore thirty miles of trails as they twist and wind across 1,000 acres of diverse habitat. More information available online at www.hvnc.org, info@hvnc.org, or call 207-200-8840.

Christmas Tree Growing 101 - Farmington

Please join the Upper Kennebec Valley chapter of Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) for a session on growing Christmas trees for the beginner.  Growing quality Christmas trees can be a complicated business or hobby.  Come learn the basics from the experts in the know.  Maine Forest Service District Forester Dave Rochester and Christmas Tree Farmer Walter Gooley of Conifers Unlimited in Farmington will explain acquiring growing stock, picking a site, planting, fertilizing, controlling, shearing and marketing., and the reality!  We will meet on November 13th, Thursday at noon at Gooley's tree farm on the Cowen Hill Road off route 27 in Farmington.  Follow the signs.  this is free and open to all, and no need to pre-register.  Any questions contact Patty Cormier at 592-2238 or patty.cormier@maine.gov.

Clearing the Deck, When to know to start over in a Low Quality Stand/Woodlot - Skowhegan

Please join the Upper Kennebec Valley Chapter of Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) for an interesting talk with Max McCormack, Research Professor Emeritus at the University of Maine,  Awhile back, Max wrote an article for the SWOAM woodlot on his personal experience of working with low quality stands, and making the decision to start over.  From that article came requests from chapter members to meet with him.  Clearcutting means many things, and Max will focus on the silvicultural system.  When is it best to "clear the deck" and carry out a stand rehabilitation or conversion?  Stand characteristics, site conditions, operational considerations, and...guts.  We will be meeting on Saturday, November 22nd at the Somerset Extension office in Skowhegan at 9:00 for an inside portion, then out to the field.  Anyone is welcome, and no need to pre-register.  The extension office is located on the back road to Norridgewock, halfway between the Margaret Chase Smith Library and the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program office. Look for our sign by the road.  The physical address is 7 County Drive.  Any questions contact Patty Cormier at 592-2238 or patty.cormier@maine.gov.

Local Wood Works Conference 2014 – Augusta

November 14 ● Augusta Civic Center localwoodworksmaine.com Mark your calendars for Maine’s first-ever, statewide conference on Local Wood.  The event will be held in Augusta on November 14th. This conference will highlight efforts to support the long-term conservation and sustainability of Maine’s woodlands and the advancement of forest-based, local economies. Organized by the Kennebec Land Trust, the Maine Forest Service, Coastal Enterprises Institute, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, GrowSmart Maine, and the Kennebec Woodland Partnership, with funds from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, this conference will demonstrate how local economies, wood products markets, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, water quality, and quality of life are directly connected to the long-term stewardship of Maine’s woodlands. This conference will bring together varied stakeholders - landowners, conservationists, foresters, mill owners, and craftspeople. Speakers include Brian Donahue from Brandeis University and the Harvard Forest and Collin Miller of The Northern Forest Center (invited). The conference will feature "success stories" from Maine businesses thriving in various forest-product related industries. An expo showcasing businesses, workshops and an open house field day on November 15th, will round out the conference. For full details on the program, registration, and sponsorship information, please visit:  localwoodworksmaine.com. You can also see the brochure here