Jerry Sass practices low-impact forestry in his 75-acre woodlot in N. Anson. Matt Scease photo. Nine Practices for a Sustainable Forest Preserving Old Logging Technology By Matt Scease Watching landowner and logger Jerry Sass step lightly through the hush of a pine stand, you wouldn’t think his 75-acre woodlot in the central Maine town of
By Sam Brown The Low Impact Forestry (LIF) Project was formed in the early 1990s by a small group of central Maine loggers, foresters, scientists and landowners concerned about effects that then-current forest harvesting practices were having on Maine’s soils, waters, plants and humans. The LIF Project was committed to finding examples of excellent forestry,
Shadbush blossoms (Amelanchier). Kerry Hardy photo. One Tree-Hugger’s Opinion by Kerry Hardy It’s hard not to notice the foliage on our beautiful native trees at this time of year, and it’s worth remembering that “the spring of the leaf” in May and “the fall of the leaf” in October are the sources of those seasons’
by Mitch Lansky A thousand-year forest management plan. Am I joking? After all, the United States is only a little over two centuries old. We live in a world of rapidly changing technologies where, in just a decade or so, people have started using personal computers and cell phones on a wide scale. It is
Belgian gelding Nick is a patient teacher at MOFGA’s Low-Impact Forestry Workshop. Nan Brucker photo. MOFGA’s Woodlot Plan By Nan Brucker The woods are full of horses. A team of Suffolks pulls up to the landing with a load of logs, as a team of Percherons leaves with an empty scoot. Soft bells announce the
by Mitch Lansky Note: These principles and goals are derived from Lansky’s book, “Low-Impact Forestry; Forestry as if the Future Mattered.” They have not been voted on, so are not the official stance of MOFGA’s Low-Impact Forestry Committee. I. Forests are part of the ecological support system upon which we depend for survival, not simply
The logging crew at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, Feb. 2008. Photo by Nick Zanstra. by Pete Hagerty and Sam Brown A Little History “We had a lot of fun, made a pile of wood, and didn’t nobody get hurt. Now, pay attention because it gets complicated for a while before it gets plain.”
by Ann Currier It has been encouraging to see the attention that Ramial Chipped Wood (RCW – chips of deciduous tree branches that are smaller than 7 cm in diameter) is getting in The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. I first read about RCW in this paper in an article written by Tom
Poplars harvested from shelterbelts can provide lumber, veneer and chips. The poplars are harvested just as they begin to compete with ash and oaks planted alongside them. This shelterbelt at Lakopita College Farm in LaPocatiere, Quebec, also includes a row of fir trees. Story and photos by Jean English Agroforestry, according to Ron Smith of
Low-Impact Forestry and MOFGA: A Program in the Making By Mitch Lansky Copyright 2006 To some, forests are an extension of the farm, but they grow wood and fiber rather than food. Desirable trees are “crops,” other plants are “weeds,” and organisms that might feed on crop trees are “pests.” This viewpoint is formalized within
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