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PHOTO: Jessica Leahy and Bob Seymour are the 2020 Maine Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year for their efforts with their woodland in Sebec. (Submitted photo)
AUGUSTA — Jessica Leahy and Bob Seymour’s Wicopy Woods Tree Farm, in Sebec, was named 2020 Maine Outstanding Tree Farm of the Year.
The award recognizes a tree farm that demonstrates superior practices.
The award will be recognized at Forestry Field Day, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at their tree farm.
Maine Tree Farm has sponsored the award since 1952, and was recently joined by Maine Woodland Owners.
Maine has the distinction of being the most forested state in the country, with 89 percent of its area covered by woods. Among those 17.6 million acres, more than 5 million are made up of small family-owned parcels often stewarded by families who manage their woods for wildlife and enjoying nature while growing high quality trees for the timber market. The Maine Tree Farm system is a certification program that promotes good forest management among small woodland owners and almost every year since its start in 1952,
Wicopy Woods Tree Farm is a 130-acre forest skillfully managed to produce high quality timber while embracing the forest ecology. In 1968, forester Ron Locke began work to transform this overgrown parcel into an example of exemplary forestry, and in 1984, Locke was awarded the Maine Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for his stewardship of Wicopy Woods. Leahy and Seymour purchased the property from Locke in 2015 and have strived to build upon and expand his efforts.
Forestry Field Day is an all-ages event, free and open to the public. It includes forest education programs and opportunities to connect with forestry experts and woodland owners and stewards. Seymour will lead a walking tour of the farm, which will showcase the management approaches used to keep Wicopy Woods healthy and productive. Leahy will lead a shorter tour, showing visitors projects conducted in their woods, funded by Natural Resources Conservation Service. Additionally, Amber Roth, a professor at University of Maine, will lead a tour focused on her research at Wicopy Woods that makes a significant connection between silviculture practices and the enhancement of bird populations.
“We are honored to be recognized for something that we really enjoy doing — spending time in the woods and working to make our forested acres as healthy and productive as possible,” said Leahy and Seymour. “Our goal for the field day is to make sure everyone who comes has a great time in the woods.”
In addition to tours, there will be information stations that participants can visit to learn about important forest stewardship topics. One will be on how to monitor invasive forest pests where an ash serving as a “trap tree” will be examined for signs of emerald ash borer. Another will be how to identify and slow the spread of invasive plants. Lighter discussions are planned including “What makes a tree a Maine Champion?” and “What is a wicopy?” — the shrub that is the property’s namesake. There will be an education tent ,next to the lunch, area containing exhibits and demonstrations throughout the day.
Food will be available for purchase courtesy of the Brownville American Legion Post 92 and during the lunch hour, Leahy and Seymour will be honored with words of congratulations from elected officials, as well as, leaders of the Maine Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Maine Woodland Owners, and the American Tree Farm System. Door prizes and music will be among the day’s entertainment.
For information visit www.mainewoodlandowners.org/forestry-field-day. Registration is not required but is encouraged.
