Sugarbush Maintenance and Improvement
May 2 - MOFGA & Kinney’s Sugarhouse
No cost - free
Join the Maine Forest Service and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s (MOFGA) Low Impact Forestry Project for a full day of presentations and site visits highlighting the silviculture and business of managing for maple syrup.
Sugarbush Management: the silviculture and business of managing for maple syrup workshop will be held on May 2, starting at MOFGA's campus in Unity, Maine, then visiting two sugarbushes in the afternoon. Foresters, industry professionals, sugarbush experts, and the Maine’s Forest Pathologist will present information about disease and pest control, managing your stand for maple, the business of sugaring, and innovative equipment. A full half of the day will be spent in the field comparing two very different sugarbushes in the area. MOFGA has a small stand that has been thinned, but has not been tapped. In contrast, Kinney’s Sugarhouse covers roughly 185 acres, and has been a commercial operation for eight years. We will tour the Kinney’s sugarhouse and woods, and will have a chance to discuss the business and equipment, as well as the silviculture and management.
Please contact Morten Moesswilde of the Maine Forest Service at 441-2895 or morten.moesswilde@maine.gov for more information. The program starts at 8:30 at MOFGA’s campus in Unity, ME. Coffee and baked goods will be available throughout the morning, but students should bring their own lunch. We will be carpooling from MOFGA to the field sites.
To register for the Sugarbush Management workshop on May 2, 2013 please go to http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/fpm/forester_institute/workshop_reg.html. You may also register by calling the Maine Forest Service at 207-287- 2791 or 1-800-367-0223
NOTE: LUNCH WILL NOT BE PROVIDED --- PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH (coffee, and light snacks will be provided in the morning)
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MOFGA’s Chainsaw Safety, Level I
May 4 - Cambridge, Maine - 8:30 am to 4 pm
May 19 - Bethel, Maine - 8:30 am to 4 pm
$50.00
Come join us May 4th in Cambridge, ME or May 19th in Bethel, Me. This one-day course covers all the fundamentals of safe and effective chainsaw operation. Whether you are an aspiring logger, woodlot manager, or plan to use a chainsaw occasionally this course is invaluable. The chainsaw is an amazingly powerful tool, and without proper training and knowledge it can be a very dangerous tool. Work with our highly skilled instructors for the day and learn to use your chainsaw safely.
Topics will include:
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Maintaining a safe chainsaw
- Chainsaw mechanics
- Directional felling technique – notch, bore cut, back strap, wedges, etc.
- Creating and implementing a felling plan
- Scoring your stump
The first part of the day will be informational with some hands on time, but the second half of the workshop will be devoted to hands-on practice and instruction. All students are expected to provide a tuned saw, tools, PPE (steel toed boots, leg protection, hearing, eye and head protection) and gloves. This equipment must meet CLP/OSHA standards.
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Low Impact Forestry Level II, Draft Animal Logging
July 26-28 - Bethel, Maine
$300.00
This 3-day workshop builds on the skills that students developed in the Level I Draft Power Logging Workshop. Students are expected to have completed LIF's Level I course, or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience. Over the course of this workshop students will work closely with instructors in a production-like scenario to apply their skills as teamsters to real life, logging scenarios.
Topics will range, and will reflect the interest and skills of the students, but in general we will cover safe draft animal operation in the woods, proper harnessing and equipment for logging, road layout, managing a log yard, establishing an efficient pace for you and the animals, as well as marketing your skills, selling wood, value added products, and more. In general students will work with the instructors’ animals, but there may be opportunities for private instruction for you and your animals. If you are interested in bringing your animal(s) for instruction please contact our Forestry Coordinator.
* Unless otherwise noted, all registration information and more course details are available at the MOFGA Store. Please contact Andy McEvoy, Forestry Coordinator, or Emily Horton, Education Events Coordinator with any questions.