Forestry management workshop May 23

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Maine Forest Service, Maine’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) education committee and Pleasant River Lumber will be holding a Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) workshop on Friday, May 23 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church. The afternoon will be spent in the field on a nearby harvest operation.  

    Forestry BMPs are voluntary techniques used to protect water quality when harvesting timber. Common BMPs used in the woods on skid trails as well as on truck roads will be discussed.
    Presenters for the workshop will include Keith Kanoti, water resources forester of the Maine Forest Service (MFS) and Gordon Moore, Piscataquis County district forester of the MFS.
    MFS has been partnering with SFI and other organizations to bring this workshop to communities throughout the State of Maine. SFI Director Pat Sirois explained that “the SFI is a program designed to ensure that forests in Maine and across the country are managed sustainably. The program fosters continuous improvement in forest management in order to protect wildlife, soil and water quality in order to maintain forest biodiversity.”
    Because of the implementation of forestry BMPs, MFS has seen a significant decrease in water bodies impacted by forestry practices in recent years. These organizations are working together with the PCSWCD to conduct this workshop so that the practice of using BMPs during wood harvests continues to grow in Piscataquis County.
    “About 5,000 timber harvests take place annually in Maine. We have found that with a little planning and by applying a few simple BMP techniques in the woods the potential impacts to water bodies of timber harvesting can be greatly reduced,” according to Kanoti. “Sediment infiltration into streams and other water bodies during timber harvesting can have detrimental environmental consequences, such as harming cold-water fisheries and drinking water.”
    The workshop is also approved for Certified Logging Professional and contact credits licensed forester CEUs.
    Registration is required by Monday May 19. To register, please contact Kanoti by calling 287-1073 or  emailing keith.kanoti@maine.gov.