Maine Forestry Service Offers Webinar - Ecology and Identification of Common Northeastern Conifers

Are you interested in learning more about Maine's forests and landscapes?
This interesting webinar, offered by the Maine Forestry Service will help you learn about the many varieties of Common Northeastern Conifers (trees that have cones or cone shaped seed pods).
GREAT information for ecology minded people, people interested in furthering their education on Maine woodlots and woodlands.
Be sure to register early, while space is unlimited, a registration ID is required to participate!!

Wednesday January 20, 2016 at 12:00 pm 

Conifer trees are a common feature of woodlots, forests and landscapes.  The value and qualities of trees are determined in part by the type of tree.  Knowing the principles of tree identification will help owners appreciate the value of trees and the types of benefits those trees might provide. This presentation will cover the core principles of tree identification, including how to use twigs, buds, bark, fruit (cones), growth habit, habitat (and even leaves) for identification.  Knowledge of these principles will help participants learn how to identify a wide range of trees.  Several common trees will be used to illustrate the principles. Presented by Dr. Peter Smallidge, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University.

SAF CFE credits have been requested or have been approved. 

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If you have trouble registering or connecting please contact Cisco WebEx technical support at 1-866-229-3239 (U.S. and Canada Toll-Free; 24/7). 

Instructions:

1. Read all these instructions.
2. You need a personal registration ID to join this month’s webinar.  There is unlimited space for participants, the ID simply provides you the necessary access code.  Obtain your registration ID via:   https://cornell.webex.com/cornell/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6d63bfb75084a897b3ecebc0d920c792 If prompted for a password, use            C0rne11F0rest      (the word “CornellForest” except the o = zero= 0 and L = the number 1; the numbers are in red font).
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Maine Forest Service Set to Enforce State Firewood Ban For July 4th Weekend.

Maine Forest Service to enforce

State firewood ban this holiday weekend

 

 

Department Forest Rangers will inspect vehicles registered from outside Maine for firewood to help protect forests from destructive insects

AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service will be present at several key visitor locations this Thursday and Friday, July 2-3. “Maine’s Rangers are working this holiday weekend in order to promote understanding and enforcement of Maine’s ban on imported firewood,” said Commissioner Walt Whitcomb. “The ban addresses the significant risk posed by movement of untreated firewood that may contain destructive insects.” 

The ban on imported firewood is part of a broader initiative within the Department to protect Maine’s forests and farms from new and exotic pest threats. The Forest Health & Monitoring program and the Bureau of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health program actively survey for known and potential pest threats, conducts trainings and public outreach to recognize and report potential pest threats. 

WHERE: Several key visitor locations (Contact Jeff Currier for exact locations)

WHEN: Thursday and Friday, July 2-3

WHO: Maine Forest Service Rangers

Maine Forest Service Rangers will inspect visible loads of firewood being carried by vehicles registered outside of Maine. They will talk to visitors about exotic pest threats, provide information to visitors, answer questions and hand out brochures. Illegally imported firewood will be confiscated. They will also have an increased presence at prominent private and public campgrounds over the holiday weekend.  

Maine Forest Service Introduces You to York County (Lebanon's) NEW District Forester.

Summer is here, at least according to the calendar, and it’s a good time to ask: “Do you know who your District Forester is?” There are currently 10 District Foresters, covering the entire state. A new Forester has started in the York and Cumberland County area.

District Foresters are the Maine Forest Service’s point persons for contact with woodland owners, loggers and foresters, and the general public. District Foresters lead educational workshops and woods tours, talk to school children and community groups, and work with private foresters and loggers to implement good woodland management. Most important, they can meet with you in your woods, and help you take the next step to achieve your goals for your land. 

Oliver Markewicz, Lyman, York County's District Forester

Oliver received a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Operations Science from the University of Maine, Orono.  After graduation, he worked as a Plant Protection Quarantine Technician for the United States Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service’s Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication program in Worcester, Massachusetts.  While working in Worcester, Oliver received a letter of recognition from the Undersecretary of the USDA for his work coordinating federal, state, and private sector partners in the effort to eradicate the invasive ALB.  Most recently, Oliver and his wife Kaci moved to Hollis, where he has been working as a consulting intern forester in York County. 

Oliver's contact information and the towns he covers can be found here.

State Forestry Officials Warn of High Infestation of The Browntail Moth Caterpillar

AUGUSTA, Maine - State forestry officials say that this year's infestation of the noxious invasive insect known as the browntail moth caterpillar is going to be worse than last year.
Maine Forest Service entomologist Charlene Donahue says winter surveys of webs in the tops of trees, such as oak and apple, show that browntail moth numbers are up, although biologists aren't sure why.

 

What people are sure of is that the hairs of the caterpillar can cause a nasty rash similar to poison ivy, along with respiratory distress in some people who come in contact with them.

"It's a really hairy caterpillar," Donahue says. "It has very small, almost microscopic, hairs on the body as well that have a chemical in them that causes a nasty reaction. And those hairs also have a hook on them, like a fish hook, a barb, so when they go in they don't come out."
Donahue says, this year, evidence of the caterpillar has been found from Waterville to Cape Elizabeth and Bath to Whitefield.  The highest concentrations have been found in the Bowdoinham, Topsham, Bath, Harpswell and Freeport area.
Donahue says people in areas where the caterpillar has been found should take extra precautions during the late spring and summer. She says the chemical in the caterpillar's hairs can stay active for years.

 

This was originally posted on the pages of Maine Public Broadcasting News.

You can follow MPBN on the internet at: http://news.mpbn.net/

QUESTION: How is the current Fire Danger Class Day Decided?

 

We were asked by a resident how the Fire Class Days were decided, so we took to the pages of the Maine Fire Service to find the answers..........
Here are what each class of Fire Danger means.
We hope this helps!!


National Fire Danger Rating System Description

1. Low. Fuels do not ignite readily from small firebrands, although a more intense *-heat-* source, such as lightning, may start many fires in duff or punky wood. Fires in open cured grassland may burn freely a few hours after rain, but woods fires spread slowly by creeping or smoldering, and burn in irregular fingers. There is little danger of spotting.
   
   The color code for Low is green
2. Moderate. Fires can start from most accidental causes, but with the exception of lightning fires in some areas, the number of starts is generally low. Fires in open-cured grassland will burn briskly and spread rapidly on windy days. Woods fires spread slowly to moderately fast. The average fire is of moderate intensity, although heavy concentrations of fuel, especially draped fuel, may burn hot. Short-distance spotting may occur, but is not persistent. Fires are not likely to become serious, and control is relatively easy.
   
   The color code for Moderate is blue.
3. High. All fine dead fuels ignite readily and fires start easily from most causes. Unattended brush and campfires are likely to escape. Fires spread rapidly and short-distance spotting is common. High-intensity burning may develop on slopes, in concentrations of fine fuel. Fires may become serious and their control difficult, unless they are hit hard and fast while small.
   
   The color code for High is yellow.
4. Very High. Fires start easily from all causes, and immediately after ignition, spread rapidly and increase quickly in intensity. Spot fires are a constant danger. Fires burning in light fuels may quickly develop high-intensity characteristics; such as, long-distance spotting and fire whirlwinds, when they burn into heavier fuels. Direct attack at the head of such fires is rarely possible after they have been burning more than a few minutes.
   
   The color code for Very High is orange.
5. Extreme. Fires under extreme conditions start quickly, spread furiously, and burn intensely. All fires are potentially serious. Development into high-intensity burning will usually be faster and occur from smaller fires than in the very high danger class (item 4). Direct attack is rarely possible, and may be dangerous, except immediately after ignition. Fires that develop headway in heavy slash or in conifer stands may be unmanageable while the extreme burning condition lasts. Under these conditions, the only effective and safe control action is on the flanks until the weather changes or the fuel supply lessens.
   
   The color code for Extreme is red.

Source: Forest Service Handbook, February 1964

Firefighters Raise Money to Repair Aging Mt. Agameticus Fire Tower.

By Nick Hilton and submitted for publication to Lebanon Truth Seekers.

The Mt. Agamenticus Fire Tower sits atop a small hill in York, ME, on the southern most tip of the state.  The tower is one of only three in the State of Maine that are still manned each year by volunteers. All of the other fire towers throughout the state are vacant and falling apart.

In 1991, after the Maine Forest Service closed all of the fire towers throughout the state and replaced them with airplane patrols, a small group of firefighters from the area got together and decided to keep these three towers active. They believed that a firetower in a fixed location was more effective in spotting fires than an airplane that travels through the area only once or twice a day.  Through the efforts of this small group of volunteers, the Mt. Agamenticus Fire Tower, Mt. Hope Fire Tower in Sanford ME, and the Ossippee Hill Fire Tower in Waterboro, ME were refurbished and staffed each season.

The Fire Towers play a vital role in the southern portion of the state when it comes to spotting outside fires before they become too large and out of control. With the amount of new homes being built within heavily wooded areas, it is even more important these days to have these towers active during dry seasons. Currently this year the Mt. Agamenticus Fire Tower has spotted 10 fires along the southern portion of Maine and New Hampshire and has logged 65 man-hours in 12 days.

  Fire Tower on top of Mt. Agamenticus, photo supplied by Nick Hilton

Currently the Mt. Agamenticus Fire Tower is owned by the Maine Forest Service, but they rely on the volunteers to maintain the upkeep of the tower in order for us to be able to staff it with volunteers.  It has been years since we have had any sort of funding to maintain the tower.  After a few very harsh winters, the Mt. Agamenticus Fire Tower is in serious trouble.  The stairs leading up to the cab need to be replaced, as well as each landing. The wood boards are falling apart and you can see through many of them.  The cabin is in even worse shape.  The cabin, the most important part of the whole operation, needs new windows, new siding, no interior walls and floors and a completely new catwalk around the cabin.  Several windows are completely broken out and are temporarily fixed with pieces of plexiglass.  The maps in the tower are outdated, dating back to the 1940s.  Finding new maps that will match the scale of the triangulation equipment was next to impossible 10 or 15 years ago. However, with new technology available today, it may be possible to find, but we don’t know what the cost would be.  The radio equipment is outdated and needs to be replaced. The radios are vital when it comes to reporting a fire to the responsible agency.

Our goal is to raise enough funding to completely rebuild all of the stairs and the cabin through donations and crowd funding as well as replace outdated equipment. This Fire Tower benefits all cities and towns throughout the southern Maine and New Hampshire areas at no cost to any agency. Please take a minute and donate to this cause. Any amount will help.      

 

A GoFundMe account has been set up for this fundraising purpose.

Please go and help fund this worthwhile fundraising effort.

You can find the GoFundMe account here........... http://www.gofundme.com/u5tqtg

Maine Forest Service Advises of High Fire Danger.

 

Maine Fire Danger today has been reported from every agency.
Local agencies, Maine Emergency Management, and the Maine Forest Service have all advised Maine residents to use extreme caution.

Please be safe,

NO OUTDOOR BURNING today!!!