The Giving Power of the Forest

The Giving Power of the Forest

Our predecessors understood and depended upon the giving power of the land. They valued every acre for what it could provide. Forests supplied building material and fire wood. Woodland yielded to pastures that returned milk, wool, meat and eggs. Stewarded fields produced life-sustaining crops and forage for farm animals. Family farms often retained a “back forty” wood lot for game, berries and nuts, lumber and firewood. Granite for foundations and mill stones was cut from boulders and ledge outcrops and every farmer held close the location of the prized hornbeams, used for tool handles of all shapes and functions. The giving power of the land was acknowledged and respected…

Water Loggers

Water Loggers

Water bodies large and small mirror the health of their ecosystems. Western Maine’s lakes and ponds are no different. They submit to the onslaught of natural and man-made impacts throughout the watershed and battle to absorb, buffer, or flush whatever comes their way—rain and storm-water carrying atmospheric pollutants; phosphorus from our backyard fertilizers; road salt, sand, and silt washed from paved and impervious surfaces; nitrogen from pet, wildlife, fish, and bird waste—the list is long. Our role is to identify, mitigate, and, whenever possible, prevent these threats in order to keep the lakes healthy for the generations to come…

Experimental Forests

Experimental Forests

Almost one-hundred years ago, Congress authorized the US Forest Service to establish a network of experimental forests on National Forest System lands. Long-term research was begun exploring topics such as ecosystem processes, forest management techniques, wildlife and their habitats, and factors that affect forest growth and health…