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ARROWSIC — As it prepares to begin the first timber harvest in more than three decades at its Holt Research Forest, the Maine Timber Research & Environmental Education Foundation will host a guided educational tour on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Old Stage Road property.
Since it is the site of a long-term forest ecosystem study, Holt Research Forest is accessible to the public only through educational programming hosted by Maine TREE or its partners. The research at Holt is designed to assess the impact of forest harvesting on the ecosystem attributes monitored for the last 37 years at the property, while demonstrating best forest management practices that are applicable to other small landowners in the state.
The tour will be led by consulting forester Barrie Brusila and University of Maine research scientist Jack Witham. They will provide context as to the findings on forest response to the harvest conducted in the late 1980s, as well as how the forest harvest recommendations were developed and the goals to be achieved in the harvest.
Will Cole, a logger from Sidney, and owner of Trees, LTD, will be onsite to demonstrate the use of the equipment and answer questions about managing harvest operations.
Maine TREE, the sponsor of the Project Learning Tree program and a leader in environmental education for more than 30 years, sees a growing opportunity for the Holt Research Forest as a base of outdoor learning for southern Maine students, families, community members, and owners of forested land to learn from the on-going research activities sponsored there.
Maine TREE owns the 350-acre Holt Research Forest, and the study is conducted through a contract it funds with the University of Maine. The Nature Conservancy holds a conservation easement on approximately 285 acres of the Holt Research Forest.
Maine TREE requires pre-registration for the event and all participants must follow the COVID-19 policy for in-person events. Tour start times are 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and last two hours. Space is limited to 10 participants per tour. To register, visit www.mainetree.org.
