BATH

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust invites neighbors, woodlot owners, and curious citizens to join KELT staff and forestry professionals for a tour of the Sewall Woods Preserve demonstration forest in Bath on Saturday, April 29 at 9 a.m. Participants will be joined by the project’s certified forester, the professional logging crew, and representatives from Maine Audubon’s Forestry for Maine Birds program and the Maine Forest Service. Join us to learn more about this sustainable forestry project, to explore the specific harvest styles used to manage the forest for plants and wildlife, and to observe a cut to length timber harvesting demonstration.

Starting in the Sewall Woods Preserve’s parking area, KELT staff and Barrie Brusila, a professional forester of Mid-Maine Forestry certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), will give an overview of the project and describe the process Brusila used to write the forest management plan for the 91-acre preserve. With sustainability in mind, the harvest will take place on approximately 60 acres of the preserve. The forestry practices aim to improve forest health, enhance wildlife habitat, and demonstrate sound forest stewardship to all who visit the preserve.

The tour will include a harvest demonstration by Gavin McLain and Kyle Overlock of CTL Land Management Services. Participants will learn about the cut to length timber harvesting technique and why it is appropriate for this type of harvest.

The tour will also visit locations throughout the preserve that showcase various harvest styles, including a patch cut location, a forest thinning location, and a no-harvest zone around the vernal pool. Discover what each of these harvest methods mean for wildlife (especially birds) and the benefits of these styles to the forest ecosystem. With plenty of time for questions from the audience, participants will also learn what resources are available to landowners who would like to actively manage their own woodlots.

This is a light rain or shine event. Please register by contacting Becky Kolak at bkolak@kennebecestuary.org or 207-442-8400. To reach Sewall Woods Preserve, take High Street north out of Bath and turn left onto Whiskeag Road. The preserve driveway will be the right along the small parking area. If the parking area fills, KELT staff will direct vehicles back to High Street to park street-side.

The Demonstration Forest Project was initiated through funds provided by Maine Forest Service’s Project Canopy, to assist with the creation of the forest management plan. For more information about and updates on the demonstration forest project, KELT encourages the public to visit www.kennebecestuary.org/sewall-woods-demonstration-forest.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.