Forest Society of Maine

Your land trust for Maine's North Woods.
.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Home
  • About
    • Committed to Diversity
    • All About FSM
    • Mission
    • F.A.Q.’s
    • Meet our Staff
    • Directors and Advisors
    • Job Openings
    • Swan Internship
  • Conserved Lands
    • FSM Conserved Lands
    • Projects Under Way
    • Caring for Conserved Lands
    • Statement of Conservation Position
  • Forests & Climate
    • FSM Conservation and Carbon Sequestration
    • Partnerships to Improve Fish Passage and Climate Resilience
    • Fighting for the Forests’ Future
    • Wood’s Role in Net Zero Carbon Buildings
    • Maine Won’t Wait
    • Forest Carbon Task Force
    • Maine’s Carbon Budget
  • Wabanaki Engagement
    • FSM’s Wabanaki Engagement
    • Organizational Growth
    • Learning / Participation
    • How FSM is Taking Action
    • Resources & More
  • News
    • FSM in Print
    • Signup for our E-Newsletter
  • Support FSM
    • Ways To Give
    • Financial Statement
    • FSM’s Supporters
  • Accessibility
    • Recite Me Software Info & Guide
  • Contact

Greenville Memories: Cutting Ice

April 9, 2019 By Annie

One of FSM’s friends spent much of her childhood in Greenville, Maine as a young girl in the 1940s. Our friend was kind enough to share some stories with us. Here is an excerpt from a letter she wrote about a winter trip to Moosehead Lake. The first part of the trip was featured in the spring 2018 newsletter. If you missed it read the first part here.

Dear Mary,

Earlier I told you of our ride to Lily Bay in the mail truck with food for the logging camp and spilling eggs in the snow. Here is the rest of the story. We spent the night at a nice camp on the shore of Lily Bay on Moosehead Lake. We were glad to stay inside and play games after exploring everything in the camp. That next day was bitterly cold but the sun was bright. We had been told that there was to be ice cutting in the bay after breakfast. We didn’t want to miss out on that! The ice would be shipped to New York City by train later that day. We looked out the window and could already see the sleigh, horses, and men. I had been given new skates for Christmas—figure skating skates. I could hardly wait to use them! I had seen others skating and knew I could do it, too! We bundled up in our heavy woolen pants and jackets and walked on the snow-covered ice to the sleigh to sit as the men laced our skates.

The ice where they were cutting in the windy bay was crystal clear, the snow having been blown away, and we could see fish swimming below the ice. I had never seen it like that as usually it freezes in bumpy waves. The men cut the ice using very long saws with a handle at one end. They would use an ax to chop a place to begin using the saw for the first block of ice which was three feet thick and cut a straight line towards them for three feet. Then they began another cut at a right angle for the second side for three feet, turned at a right angle to cut three more feet, and turned again to meet the first cut. There was a 3×3 foot ice block floating. After making several cuts like this there was a line of 3×3 foot cubes, and they began loading the cubes onto the sleigh. How did they do this?

The men used tongs to pull the blocks onto safe ice, being careful not to slide into the open water. Ice tongs are like most tongs but have very sharp long points to grasp the slippery blocks. It was piled onto the sleigh. The horses would pull the sleigh all the long, cold, windy way down the lake to the train station while the driver sat bundled up in buffalo robes to stay warm. There the ice would be moved into boxcars with sawdust packed all around each block to keep it from melting on its trip to New York, Boston, or some other distant place. We had an ice house at home so I knew all about this—I just wanted to skate!

Confidently I pushed off with the toe of my skate and smooth as could be landed hard, face first, nose-down on that cold, hard ice! It hurt and I was stunned. My nose was bleeding and I was crying and the ice was blood red. Someone helped me up and told me I had broken my nose. Their sympathy made me cry—and bleed—harder. My injured nose would not sell well in the city, so my face had to be washed clean, and my friends returned to camp with me. They made sure I held chunks of ice in my mitten to keep me from swelling and turning black and blue. I lay down, wanting to rest and cry, but they told me I had to sit up and keep my head up. I had been told to keep using the ice and no one would let me sleep. Later I was given something for the pain so I could sleep and I was taken home the next morning. I was black and blue for weeks and it hurt to laugh.

It is a trip I clearly remember, mostly with pleasure and good memories, but I learned not to try to be a showoff, too. One lesson like that was enough!

 

 

This story first appeared in the spring edition of Forest View, FSM’s biannual newsletter. 

Filed Under: Blog

George Browning, active FSM advisory council member, passes away

January 8, 2019 By Annie

It is with great sadness that the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) announces the passing of FSM advisory council member George W. Browning.

 

George served on FSM’s board for many years before joining the advisory council. During this time, he actively promoted numerous conservation projects and helped expand FSM’s network of supporters. In addition to his role on the advisory council, he remained part of the FSM finance committee and investment subcommittee. George loved fishing and cared deeply for the forests, rivers, ponds, and mountains in the North Woods. He will be greatly missed by many at FSM.

Obituary for George W. Browning

 

 

Photo courtesy of Alix Hopkins.

Filed Under: Blog

Meet the Team

December 10, 2018 By Annie

Top row, left to right:

Erica Kaufmann, Forestland Steward. Erica works out of the FSM offices in Bangor and Greenville, and is responsible for monitoring easement lands from Jackman to Millinocket. She works with groups in the Greenville area to improve access to conserved lands.

Kristin Peet, Forestland Conservation Specialist. Kristin assists in developing new conservation projects, and outreach with landowners and partner organizations. She also assists in project-specific fundraising.

Jake Metzler, Director of Forestland Conservation. Jake oversees FSM’s conservation projects as they unfold and the ongoing longterm monitoring and stewardship program that ensures the varied terms and conditions of FSM’s easements are met.

Kristen Hoffmann, Forestland Steward. Kris conducts ground and aerial monitoring for many of the current easements, compiles baseline documentation for new projects, and conducts outreach for students at nearby schools.

Bottom row, left to right:

Anna Mercier, Development Associate. Anna helps carry out all FSM fundraising, outreach, and communications. She also manages FSM’s website and social media, and is the editor of FSM’s biannual newsletter.

Karin Tilberg, Executive Director. Karin leads and oversees all FSM operations. As the face of FSM, she spends time meeting with supporters and partner organizations, and spreading the word about our efforts.

Deb Capilli, Business/Office Manager. Deb makes sure every organizational aspect of FSM is running like clockwork. She is in charge of financial management, human resources, office management, and coordinating IT support.

Janice Melmed, Development Director. Janice oversees FSM fundraising and outreach. She ensures FSM meets annual and project specific fundraising goals and coordinates marketing, events, and communications.

Read more about our staff’s background.

Filed Under: Blog

Forestland Benefits ME

July 24, 2018 By Annie

Aerial view of West Lake, by FSM

As printed in FSM’s newsletter, Forest View, Spring 2018.

Forest habitat is working to make your quality of life better 24/7 whether you live near woods or hundreds of miles away. If you live near the woods you may see firsthand how forests are beneficial, but if you live in a city you may find yourself wondering how forestland, particularly forestland hours away, benefits you. Perhaps you aren’t an avid hiker, fisherman, nature-watcher, or outdoor enthusiast, and that’s okay.

Maine-made hardwood flooring
Maine-made hardwood flooring.

It is widely recognized that everyone benefits from undeveloped habitat, like forests or wetlands. These benefits, whether direct or indirect, are referred to as ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are services provided by nature essentially for free that we would otherwise have to pay for. Clean water is one example. Forests filter out pollutants and particulates so that citizens pay less to treat their drinking water. Another way tree-covered landscapes help is by soaking up rainwater, releasing it slowly over time and reducing the amount of runoff that causes rivers and streams to flood. The forest upstream from you may be keeping your cellar dry.

Forestland everywhere provides carbon storage, temperature moderation and cleaner air, maintenance of productive soils, wildlife habitat, and a renewable source of fuel and fiber. These benefits are local and regional, and even global.

There are many tangible products we use daily that come from forests. Toothpicks, for instance, toilet paper, rolling pins, baseball bats, furniture, and Popsicle sticks, are made from trees. Many people heat their homes with wood–either firewood or pellets. Most of us use paper on a regular basis, even in the computer era. Millions of forested acres in Maine mean some products are grown, harvested, and produced right in our own backyard providing local jobs for our fellow Mainers.

We rely on forestland for a healthier environment, jobs, resources (like wood products), wildlife habitat, and a place to recreate and relax. Forests play an important role in many aspects of our lives and thanks to our supporters the Forest Society of Maine has helped conserve more than one million acres of Maine’s forestland that continues to provide these benefits for all of us.

Filed Under: Blog

Support Maine’s Forestland

July 23, 2018 By Annie

 

 

Can you name this harvesting equipment?
Maine’s forests provide many of our state’s jobs, as well as wildlife habitat and a place to recreate. FSM conserves forestland for all these values and your support helps make it possible. Click here to donate today.

 

 

 

 

(Grapple skidder (front); delimber (middle); feller buncher (back))

Filed Under: Blog

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • …
  • 15
  • Next Page »

Registered Maine Guide Talks Brook Trout

Mark your calendars! On October 29th, FSM will be partnering with Bangor Public Library to host a talk on … [Read More...]

Blog Posts

  • Registered Maine Guide Talks Brook Trout
  • Request for Proposals

Forest Society of Maine

209 State St, 2nd Floor
Bangor, Maine 04401
(207) 945-9200
info@fsmaine.org

Sign up for FSM's E-News

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Copyright © 2025 Forest Society of Maine · All Rights Reserved

Built with RainStorm Foundations & WordPress