About 60 Participants attended a Keeping Maine's Forests (KMF) recreation forum at MFPC Nov. 9, which was designed to encourage a conversation between landowners and those who depend on access to private land so that everyone is aware of existing and emerging issues, and also to foster stronger relationships.
We finished the last of five candidates breakfasts on October 10 in Calais and I'm happy to say we had an excellent turnout — about 150 total — of candidates and members. These breakfasts are valuable because they bring our members together with candidates who care enough about our industry to show up — some driving many miles — and listen.
Catch up on all the action at the annual meeting!
More than 100 people heard Maine's four gubernatorial candidates speak about forest products issues, including Tree Growth Tax, work force development, and R&D for new wood-based products; found out about the unified paper industry's effort to slow the decline in paper consumption and about how St. Croix Tissue has revitalized Woodland Pulp.
Each year, the Maine Forest Products Council asks its members to select outstanding individuals from the forest products community who excel in their professions. Find out what Brian Souers, Mark Doty, Jim Nicols, Vern Labbe, Ken Laustsen, Sarah Medina and Robert Linkletter are doing right.
Crowds gathered at both the SFI and PLT booths at L.L. Bean most of the day as the Girl Scouts of Maine hosted the Earth Day event "Green ME Up!" We talked with Girl Scouts from as far south as Eliot and north from Madawaska."The Girl Scouts already had a real understanding of sustainability," said Pat Sirois, SFI Maine coordinator, "and some of them were exceptional in their ability to articulate the concepts."
What's up with Maine's white pine?
Secondary wood manufacturing once played an enormous role in Maine's rural economy, with mills in many towns across the state. Then from roughly 1998 to 2008, a flood of imports put many mills out of business. In 2003 alone about a dozen closed. But the survivors learned how to survive in global markets and their industry is now growing again.
MFPC just sent comments, reports and photos regarding the Canada lynx status review. Foresters working for a number of MFPC members in the northern forests are seeing a lot of lynx. Even if you just want to look at the great pictures of beautiful lynx, this report is worth a look.
Since 1961, the Maine Forest Products Council has been the voice of Maine's forest economy, including landowners, paper mills, sawmills, wood pellet plants, biomass energy plants, loggers, truckers, primary and secondary wood processors, and related service industries. The primary purpose of the Council is to provide a supportive economic and public policy climate for the forest products community and promote a healthier, more vital forestry sector.
We serve our community by gathering information, bringing groups together to discuss concerns, hosting events, conducting tours and helping people find common ground.
We represent our members at the Maine Legislature, across the state, in Washington D.C. and across the nation.
Maine landowners have traditionally allowed the public to use their properties for recreational activities, while in other states access to private land is often severely restricted. This tradition is especially important because Maine is 89 percent forested and of Maine's 17.6 million forested acres, 15.9 million acres are private commercial forestland. This Special Report is designed to tell you about the variety of ways that landowners not only try to be neighborly, but also to be good stewards of our forests.
It has been several decades since we had such a feeling of optimism in our industry as a backdrop to the Certified Logging Professional (CLP) training program.
Nearly every paper mill in the state is investing millions in its facilities to diversify products lines and increase consumption of pulpwood. Sawmills are setting production targets that challenge all-time highs.
It's in this environment that we are rolling out this year's schedule for CLP initial training and recertification sessions. See our spring 2019 schedules and registration forms: Mechanical & Conventional Certification Class and Recertification. More information.
Stay informed! Read the MFPC newsletter.
As Baby Boomers retire, jobs are opening up in Maine's forests. Do you have what it takes to work in the largest contiguous privately owned working forest in the U.S.? Decide after you've watched this video.
With thanks and appreciation for the Pacific Forest Foundation, creator of the original, award-winning "This Is My Office" video, which inspired our Maine version.