RLHT forest stewardship tour is part of larger management effort

RANGELEY — Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust hosted a Forest Stewards Guild field tour on April 29 for regional foresters, wildlife biologists, landowners and stewardship professionals, who discussed and shared ideas on issues facing forests and woodlands.
Forest managers strive to promote ecological diversity, forest stand health, structure, and resilience in the face of a changing climate by using exceptional forest management techniques. Maine’s Acadian forests also have the potential to sequester significant quantities of carbon to offset global emissions.
RLHT is working with Seven Island Land Co., the trust’s contracted forester, to update its Forest Ecosystem Management Plan. They are utilizing state-flown high-resolution lidar, information from the Enhanced Forest Inventory Project, the Barbara Wheatland Geospatial Lab, the University of Maine, and inventory and calibration plots and yield curve projections produced by Seven Islands Land Co.. RLHT is also using drone technology as a remote sensing tool for forest management activities and monitoring. The plan will serve as a blueprint for RLHT ownership for the next 10 years. Any Forest management activity that occurs on RLHT land will adhere to long-term forest management and sustainability principles pursuant to the Forest Stewardship Council and U.S. Forest Management Standard. Sustainable and responsible forestry practices are vital to maintaining healthy forest ecosystems that will persist into the future.