As you walk the loop trails in the Yankee Woodlot, check out our new interpretive signs! On each sign, you'll learn a little more about the Yankee Woodlot timber harvest project. Be sure to also check out these informational videos featuring some of the stars of the Yankee Woodlot project, which can be accessed using the QR codes found on each of the four signs on the trail. You can also view and read the transcripts for the videos below.

Bounty of the Harvest: Ken Canfield, District Forester with the Maine Forest Service

"Timber harvesting is an essential tool for long term, responsible forest stewardship. You can remove some of the more stressed, less valuable, less healthy trees, and utilize those trees for different products.

"The trees that were removed here, some of them were turned into chips that will be burned for biomass to create electricity, some of them went as pulp wood to a pulp mill to become paper. We didn't have a whole lot of high quality trees here that were removed, but there was a load or two of logs that went to sawmills to become boards.

"Maine's timber industry contributes about $8 billion a year, so it's one of the biggest pieces of the economy and one of the most important ones, and it creates a lot of really good and important jobs here in Maine.

"We can also use harvesting to create or improve wildlife habitat. These open areas are going to be great for songbirds and different animals that like more open, younger habitats. There are plenty of young trees coming up that deer and other animals can browse on. We can also use it to improve recreational access, so some of these trails used for the equipment may be used as trails for people to hike, and some of the chips were left here to help with making and maintaining trails.

"There are all sorts of goals that a landowner could have when they are doing a timber harvest. We recommend working with a licensed forester and a professional logger to make sure that those goals are achieved for any timber harvest and that the long term health of the property is protected."