Maine Woodland Owners to hold online forum
Maine Woodland Owners will be hosting its annual Forestry Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 12. This is a free event open to the public offering information about forestry and discussing topics important to woodland owners. Once again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization’s largest indoor event of the year will be conducted completely online.
This year, the program will feature a presentation of the results of a 30-year study on the impacts of commercial forestry on bird populations. Lead researcher Dr. John Hagan will discuss the findings and how various forest practices, including clearcutting, benefited bird migration and habitat when managing for biodiversity, a concept called “The Shifting Mosaic.” He will also talk about how the study’s learnings can help small, non-commercial forest owners make bird-friendly management decisions.
The Forestry Forum will start with a brief member meeting at 8 a.m. and will be followed by a series of presentations on wood markets, woodland wildlife, forest carbon markets, and forest pest and disease updates. Last year’s online event was a departure from the in-person format at the Augusta Civic Center attendees have come to expect.
For the past several years, Maine Woodland Owners has scheduled the Forestry Forum during the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, so once the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry announced their decision to transition the Show to an online format, Maine Woodland Owners made the switch as well. The Agricultural Trades Show will be held Tuesday, Jan. 11 to Thursday, Jan. 13.
In addition to hosting the all day program, Maine Woodland Owners is also holding an online auction with unique items including a sculpture created by wood carver Josh Landry. Landry was the creator of the sculpture that Stephen and Tabitha King commissioned for their home in Bangor. The auction will run from Jan. 7-12, just after the end of the Forestry Forum.
Maine Woodland Owners was formed in 1975 as an educational organization dedicated to providing knowledge and technical support for Maine’s small woodland owners. Their goal is to increase landowner engagement and long-term stewardship to ensure the health of Maine’s forests. Maine Woodland Owners is the only statewide organization supporting Maine’s 86,000 family woodland owners.
The Forestry Forum will be held on the online conference platform Zoom. For more information about the event and how to attend, visit Maine Woodland Owners website, www.mainewoodlandowners.org, or contact Jennifer Hicks, director of communications and outreach, at jenn@mainewoodlandowners.org or 207-626-0005.