Forest Society of Maine

Your land trust for Maine's North Woods.
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From the President/CEO Spring 2021

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After graduating from the University of Maine School of Law in 1984, I landed a dream job working with one of Maine’s great conservation leaders, Clinton B. “Bill” Townsend, at his law firm in Skowhegan, Maine. I went to law school with the intention of pursuing land use and conservation law but it was Bill who helped show me how to apply what I’d learned. It was hard work since there was little conservation funding and tools like conservation easements were relatively new. At the time, about 5% of Maine was conserved through public ownership– state, federal, or local–and some modest ownerships by conservation entities. Today, nearly 40 years later, about 21% of Maine is in some form of conservation status. A great deal of that increase is the result of the use of conservation easements. They have become a trusted and enduring conservation device and they are the primary tool for the Forest Society of Maine, which now holds or helps monitor one million acres of conservation easements in Maine.

The December 2020 Maine Won’t Wait Report of the Maine Climate Action Council convened by Governor Janet Mills set a goal of bringing the total of conserved lands in the state to 30% by 2030. The report notes that protecting natural and working lands is critical to maximize carbon storage, support working forests, ensure valuable ecosystems remain in place for future generations, and contribute to Maine’s fight against the effects of climate change. In recommending the 30% conservation goal, the report emphasizes that conserving forests through working forest conservation easements is one of the more cost-effective strategies to help reach carbon neutrality. FSM is perfectly positioned to help achieve this important goal. With your continued support, we can make the next decade another one of forest conservation success!
— Karin Tilberg

 

Originally published in Forest View, Spring 2021

Meet the 2021 Swan Intern

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A vernal pool filled with moss, leaf litter and a spotted salamander egg mass.
A spotted salamander egg mass.

 We asked FSM’s 2021 Swan Intern, Anna Fitch, to tell us a little bit about herself and her first few weeks as an intern with FSM. Here’s what Anna had to say:

Growing up in Maine and having an innate sense of wonder for the natural world from a young age set me up for a career in conservation. My earliest memories are of camping and exploring throughout Maine with my family. As soon as I could walk I powered up countless mountains on my little legs and fell in love with adventuring. I remember even at age three crouching down in awe of frogs the size of my fingernail or pondering the delicate way snow balanced on the needles of evergreens. To say I have always loved wildlife, nature, exploring, and learning is a profound understatement so ending up in the Wildlife Ecology program at the University of Maine Orono (UMO) just made sense.

Yellow-spotted salamander. Photo by Pamela Wells

I found out about the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) during my first semester at UMO. I had transferred from the Wildlife Conservation program at the University of Delaware and had a couple years of school left. Kristen Hoffmann, FSM Forestland Steward, came to my silviculture class for a presentation on conserving land in perpetuity and to introduce us to the Swan Internship. Knowing I wanted a career in conservation and previously having been an intern with the Downeast Lakes Land Trust, I loved the idea of working for a statewide land trust that valued conserving our state’s forests, mountains, shorelines, and wildlife habitats—the same ones with which I grew up falling in love.

2021 Swan Intern Annie Fitch stands along a forested wetland.
Intern Annie Fitch stands in a forested wetland in Tearmunn Hardwoods.

I spent my first few weeks with FSM up north in Van Buren, a part of the state I had never seen before. I met Craig and Nancy Troeger, forestland owners of Tearmunn Hardwoods (conserved in 2007 and 2009), and surveyed their land for vernal pools. Vernal pools are intermittent pools that form in the spring from snowmelt, creating breeding habitat for at least one of four species: wood frogs, spotted salamanders, blue spotted salamanders, or fairy shrimp. I spent hours traipsing through breathtaking forests, counting salamander and wood frog egg masses and cheering the little fellas on through what little rain we’ve gotten, and learning how to tackle big projects independently in the field. I was even fortunate enough to become close friends with the Troegers. It has been a blessing to already have met some kindred spirits through my work with FSM.

As I move forward in my time with FSM and my conservation career, I hope to make a difference while doing what I love. Maine has planted deep roots in my heart and I plan to give back to this beautiful state by working in conservation here for many years. I also love traveling and would love to make it out West at some point, but we’ll see what life has in store for me. I’ve always thought I could be quite happy anywhere, as long as I’ve got nature.

 

In 2019 the FSM Swan Internship Program was created thanks to a generous bequest from long-time donors and Attean Circle members Hank and Freda Swan. The goal of the program is to introduce students to FSM’s land trust work through a range of professional experiences in conservation practices and field work. Read more.

Fish River Lakes Conservation Easement Completed

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PRESS RELEASE:

The Forest Society of Maine announced the completion of a forest conservation easement on lands owned by Irving Woodlands in the Fish River Chain of Lakes region in Aroostook County, Maine. This permanent easement, encompassing some 16,900 acres, is strategically located to provide natural resource protections for the lands around Mud Lake, Cross Lake, and Square Lake—known to many as the Fish River Chain of Lakes. Going forward the Forest Society of Maine has the responsibility of stewarding the permanent working forest conservation easement.

“These lands support many conservation values including diverse plant and wildlife habitats, including streams that are home to brook trout, rainbow smelt, and landlocked salmon,” stated Karin Tilberg, Forest Society of Maine President/CEO. “We are tremendously pleased to have worked with the Irving team and through the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) process to develop a meaningful conservation easement for these lands.”

The conservation easement ensures the forests won’t be developed or converted to other uses not compatible with sustainably managed forests. It protects the majority of the shoreline around Square Lake and Carry Pond and the streams that feed them and requires that all forestry activities are implemented as part of a forest management plan. The easement also creates a permanent right of pedestrian public access on the lands for low intensity outdoor recreation.

The Fish River Conservation Easement was developed during a public process connected with the Lake Concept Plan developed by Irving Woodlands and approved in late 2019 by LUPC. “We are pleased to announce the signing of our Conservation Easement with the Forest Society of Maine as a component of the Fish River Chain of Lakes Concept Plan,” said Anthony Hourihan, Director Land Development of Irving Woodlands, “Responsible, well-planned development will provide new recreational and economic opportunities in Aroostook County while ensuring important conservation values are maintained for the long term. The Forest Society of Maine has been a great partner through this process by balancing the need for conservation with the need to maintain working forest which supports a critical industry in the County.”

A map showing conserved areas around Fish River Chain of Lakes.
(The light green areas indicate the land within the Fish River conservation easement.)

Trails Run Through It

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Snow-crusted trees and endless mountains are visible from the summit of Old Speck in Maine's western mountains.
Maine’s western mountains from the summit of Old Speck. Photo by Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust.

On a January morning the thermometer on my car read -12°F on what was the coldest day of the winter, so far. I was driving to meet conservation colleagues to climb Old Speck, following the Appalachian Trail (AT) to its summit. This section of the AT borders the Grafton Forest parcel that the Forest Society of Maine is seeking to conserve. When we headed up the trail, it had warmed to 6°F and the bright sun and brilliant snow dazzled us as we snowshoed 7.6 steep miles, round trip.

The Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is leading the effort to conserve approximately 21,300 acres of forestland that comprise the Grafton Forest project, and is joined by two partners, the Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT) and the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust (MATLT). FSM will be placing a working forestland conservation easement on the majority of the forestland. NEWT will take ownership of the higher elevation land and place a Forever Wild Easement on land that will be held by MATLT.

Grafton Forest is uniquely important to those who hike, maintain, and help provide rescue services for those on the AT. Two AT side trails, the Speck Pond Trail and the Notch Trail, cross the Grafton Forest project lands to connect with the bordering AT. The project will ensure these side trails and access to them will remain into the future. Dogsled, ski, ATV, and snowmobile trails also thread the property and are important to local residents.

Two people snowshoe uphill through snow-covered trees.
Snowshoeing to Old Speck. Photo by Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust.

At the summit of Old Speck, we looked out over the Grafton Forest lands, stretching out to the west to form a magnificent viewshed for the AT. From the fire tower, there are 360-degree views of the snow bedecked mountains, lakes, and forests. Not only stunningly beautiful, the project area is also highly rated for terrestrial climate resilience by The Nature Conservancy and will form a bulwark against development pressure from the nearby Sunday River Ski Resort.

Gazing at the snow-covered mountain landscape I felt my spirits soar knowing of the strong partnerships with the landowner, many conservation and recreation organizations, and donors who are working with FSM to safeguard this special place. Conserving this area is vital for responding to climate change, maintaining working forests and wildlife habitats, and for the future enjoyment of all who are inspired by the vantage across Grafton Forest.

–Karin Tilberg
Article originally published in the 2021 spring edition of Forest View, FSM’s biannual newsletter.

FSM OpEd in Bangor Daily News

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Opportunity in Front of Us

There is much discussion in Maine about how best to mitigate climate change. The December 2020 “Maine Won’t Wait” report of the Maine Climate Council sets forth a broad and well-researched set of actions to do so. One of them is simple and relatively inexpensive:  keep Maine’s forests as forests. This opportunity is right in front of us, but is often relegated to the back burner. This action should be prioritized, and quickly.

Here are some facts. At approximately 89% forested, Maine is the most forested state in the United States. These forests are also the most unfragmented forests east of the Mississippi River and are a tremendous economic engine providing wood products, employment, and outdoor recreation. They provide habitat for a diverse array of species including moose, Canada lynx, and Eastern brook trout, and are globally significant for migratory songbirds. However, a little-known fact is that the managed forests in Maine absorb or sequester more than 60% of the human-made greenhouse gases generated in the state every year. This underscores the importance of concentrating efforts on retaining Maine’s forests so they can continue to sequester carbon as well as provide opportunities for the forest products industry and outdoor recreation.

Specifically, “Maine Won’t Wait” states that conserving forests through conservation easements is one of the more cost-effective strategies to help reach carbon neutrality by maintaining forest cover. Voluntary purchases of working forest easements and lands will support robust forest products economies, increase carbon storage opportunities, conserve biodiversity, and enhance climate adaptation and resilience for wildlife, people, and communities. The Forest Society of Maine, along with other land trusts, is working with landowners who wish to retain ownership of forestland but want to prevent the land from being developed and from having public access restricted.

As a land trust, the Forest Society of Maine acquires permanent conservation easements on forestlands to ensure they are not converted to other uses such as housing, commercial, or utility infrastructure development. This is the type of action that can keep Maine’s forests intact, but it takes funding to do so. A land bond for the Land for Maine’s Future Program would replenish this program and enable opportunities for forestland conservation that keeps land on the tax rolls and accessible to the public. Maintaining forestland will not happen on its own–the demand for second homes, often at the edges of woodlands, has been accelerated by the pandemic and the resulting desire to be in rural areas. For the first time in a long time, forestland acreage in Maine is starting to shrink.

Supporting programs like the Land for Maine’s Future Program that fund conservation easements will help ensure that forests continue to sequester carbon, support jobs, safeguard habitat for wildlife, and  provide public access to the land. Let’s act on this opportunity in front of us.

Karin R. Tilberg, President/CEO Forest Society of Maine

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/05/13/opinion/contributors/an-lmf-bond-will-support-jobs-wildlife-and-public-access-to-maine-land/

Forest Society of Maine

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

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