Bureau / Program: Maine Forest Service
Date: Five Wednesdays, from April 3, 2024 to May 1
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Location: Houlton High School, 7 Bird Street, Houlton, Maine
Event Type: Workshop/Training
Presenter: Lauren Ouellette, District Forester for MFS
If you own a woodlot in Maine and are wondering how to get started managing your property, then this course is for you! Maine Forest Service District Forester Lauren Ouellette will facilitate the 5-week course, every Wednesday night in April and the first Wednesday in May from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Houlton High School, in Houlton, Maine, bringing together experienced forestry professionals to provide an interactive learning experience. During this 5-week series landowners will gain knowledge and contacts to help manage your woodlot in perpetuity. Information will include forest management planning, recreation, wildlife, maintaining health and value, forest carbon, and other topics.
Course schedule : April 3, 10, 17, 24 & May 1, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m
Registration/Cost: This course is FREE, but registration is required!
Contact Name: Maine Forest Service District Forester Lauren Ouellette
Contact Phone:207-441-3817
Contact Email: lauren.ouellette@maine.gov
Thank you to: Southern Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, UMaine Cooperative Extension, Maine Dept. Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Houlton High School – Adult Education.
The Maine Forest Service is dedicated to understanding and meeting our communities' needs regarding forest resources, management, protection, and health. To help achieve this, we've developed an educational interest survey tailored state's forests. Your input is invaluable in shaping our programs and initiatives. Completing this 34-question survey, which should only take 10 to 20 minutes, will provide crucial insights into topics like woodland management, fire protection, community forestry, and preferred methods of receiving information and education. The survey is open now and will remain online until Friday, March 15, at 5:00 PM. We appreciate your participation in helping us serve you better. Thank you for being part of our efforts!
HINCKLEY, ME -The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of the Northeast and Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) today announced recruiting is underway for the Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking (MLOFT) Program, an expanded version of their highly successful logging operations certificate program that now includes Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training.
The program will run for 20 weeks, from June 24 to November 7. Classes will take place at an active timber harvest site on the Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) Alfond Campus on U.S. Route 201 in Hinckley. Tuition remains free for qualified students.
The opportunity to earn a CDL-A permit and receive preparation for the state driving exam was a significant addition to the program in 2023 and has expanded opportunities for graduates while increasing benefits to Maine logging employers who need more mechanized logging operators and truck drivers.
Students enrolled in the post-secondary training program will harvest timber and operate trucks using sophisticated state-of-the-art machines like those they will encounter in the logging industry. The hands-on experience students gain operating equipment is an opportunity unavailable anywhere else in Maine and neighboring states and will prepare them for in-demand careers with logging contractors throughout the state of Maine. A report released by the University of Southern Maine in 2019 documented that up to 2,000 positions in timber harvesting and trucking will be available in the next decade.
The program includes a strong emphasis on safety as well as giving students an understanding of the variables of timber growth, tree species, and markets. Students pay no tuition or fees, and the program provides all personal protective equipment (PPE).
This project is funded 100% by a $1M grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The program was created in 2017 by the Maine Community College System, the PLC, and industry partners. This year’s class will be the 8th since its launch, and dozens of graduates are working in Maine’s logging industry today.
Approximately 95 percent of logging in Maine now relies on mechanized equipment. The industry also relies almost exclusively on heavy trucks to move wood. With the majority of logging operators and forest truckers at or near retirement age, the demand for new workers in the logging industry is high and most students in the previous certificate program have had job offers before graduating.
Anyone with an interest in the program should contact Holly Grant at Northern Maine Community College at 207-768-2645 or by visiting nmcc.edu to apply. Additional information may be found online at plcloggers.org
Maine’s loggers are a vital part of the state’s forest products sector, which is worth an estimated $8.1 billion annually. Logging contributed an estimated $582 million to the state economy in 2021.
Local Wood WORKS, a Maine based partnership with an interest in maintaining the ecological integrity of Maine’s forested landscape, lowering the carbon footprint of the built environment and supporting locally owned small businesses, is seeking a skilled communications professional to fill their Project Manager position.
This professional would work at the intersection of sustainable forest management, rural economic development and low-carbon construction and perform a variety of tasks such as the following:
• Organizing tours, talks, and conferences.
• Communicating with LWW Partners.
• Providing referrals to businesses seeking technical assistance.
• Writing periodic articles for regional publications, grant proposals for financial support, and market reports, as needed.
• Maintaining a robust online presence through website, e-news, and social media.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate has good networking, writing, and communication skills and familiarity with land conservation, forestry, construction, and housing sectors.
Compensation – Reimbursement at a contracted hourly rate of approximately 20 hours per month.
Applications are due by April 1, 2024 – Please send cover letter, two references, and resume to lee@localwoodworks.org
Local Wood WORKS dedication to diversity is rooted in the belief that our local conservation efforts are strengthened by the varied backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures of individuals. Fostering inclusivity within our Partnership is a priority. We actively seek applicants from diverse cultures, races, colors, religions, genders, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, gender identities, military backgrounds, protected veteran statuses, or other statuses protected by law.
Hosted by: University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Date: Friday March 22, 2024
Location: UMaine Machias, Torrey Hall Rooms 226, 228, 230
Parking: Any UMaine Machias parking lot
This event brings agricultural and forestry management experts from UMaine, local agencies, and non-profit organizations to Machias to share information with Washington County farmers, growers, and forestland owners. The day will begin with two concurrent session tracks with one for Agriculture and one for Forestry, followed by lunch. Then we will hear from USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service on the important opportunities available for both farm and forestland owners. Specific topics will include avian flock disease management, wild blueberry field management, using crop and pest forecasting tools, advanced high tunnel vegetable production, maple production, climate smart forestry management, and Christmas tree farm management. Throughout the day participants will be able to connect with local representatives from UMaine, State and local agencies and non-profits who can assist them that day and in the future.
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