TREE News

We’ve continued our momentum at Maine TREE during the first few months of 2026. Thanks to your support, our mission to connect the working forest, the classroom, and the community has become more active and impactful than ever before. Our team has been busy across the state, sparking curiosity in Maine’s middle schoolers. At the Maine Science Festival in Bangor, we engaged hundreds of students in hands-on activities that got kids thinking about the value Maine’s forests provi

“Forest Reciprocity: What Can You Do for Your Forest and What Can Your Forest Do for You?” was the theme of this year’s New England Society of American Foresters’ Winter Meeting. With half of our staff presenting at this regional conference, Maine TREE clearly had plenty of ideas to share. The event opened with a Plenary from Maine State Forester and Maine Forest Service Director, Patty Cormier. She led with some commonly known facts about Maine: Maine is 92% privately-owned

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Alternative Education Association of Maine Spring Conference, which had a theme of "Resilience for All." I was asked to share project-based learning opportunities, but before diving into activities, I used Mentimeter to poll the audience to determine what subjects are most challenging to incorporate into their programs. The results? 📊 Math was ranked most challenging by the most educators, which is not at all surprising.

Immersive Professional Development Program Invites Maine Educators to Explore the Heart of the North Woods This July The Maine TREE Foundation is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 Forests of Maine Teachers’ Tour , scheduled for July 6–10, 2026 . This year’s immersive five-day experience will be based at the scenic Gorman Chairback Lodge & Cabins in Greenville, offering Maine educators a front-row seat to the ecological, economic, and social signif

At Holt Research Forest, technicians conduct understory relevés across the study grid to create a comprehensive snapshot of forest vegetation. Relevés are a standardized vegetation sampling method used to document plant species composition and abundance, allowing researchers to detect changes in vegetation structure over time and in response to management or environmental change.

Over 15,000 small mammals have been captured and recaptured at Holt Research Forest using live-trapping methods to investigate long-term wildlife dynamics.

In early December, Maine TREE hosted the 35th Annual CLP Banquet. Tim Basham, the Chairperson of the CLP Advisory Committee, welcomed loggers, natural resource professionals, and their families. He highlighted that 2025 was a significant year for the Certified Logging Professional Program, as the program hired its first full-time program manager, who, with the help of the Maine TREE Foundation staff, worked to update the CLP curriculum and modernize its resources, with result

2025 was Maine TREE’s most successful programming year to date, and before we dive into the new year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on all that we accomplished over the last year. Our staff hosted, spoke at, or attended over 80 events this year. We provided nearly a dozen students and recent graduates with early-career opportunities and engaged over 1,000 students in forest-based education programs. From Kittery to Fort Kent, and Calais to Rangeley, in 2025, our forest-ba

Imagine graduating from high school with a tangible credential that demonstrates your readiness to pursue a career in the forest workforce. In a collaborative effort to address the critical shortage of skilled young professionals entering the workforce and the lack of resources available for Career and Technical Education educators, we are developing a Maine Forest Technician Curriculum. The curriculum is designed for high school students interested in forest-based career opp

Hard rains didn’t stop students and teachers from Piscataquis Community Elementary School and SeDoMoCha Middle School from exploring Green Jobs earlier this Month at the Law Farm Nature Trails, located in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. In sharp contrast to the traditional career fair often held in school gymnasiums, the 3rd Annual Green Jobs Fair allowed students not only to learn about the variety of outdoor green-economy jobs available in Maine, but also to try their hand at many a

The Maine Timber Research & Environmental Education Foundation (Maine TREE) held its 3rd Annual Forest Awards Night on October 16th at the Morgan Hill Event Center in Hermon, bringing together a blended community of forestry professionals, landowners, educators, and students. The evening recognized the exceptional contributions of various individuals and organizations, celebrating not only the awardees but also the collective efforts of those who play a role in stewarding Mai

For years, the Maine TREE Foundation has offered early career opportunities to students and recent graduates, primarily through its...