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Maine Forest Service

In This Issue...

* Happy Holidays, From the Maine Forest Service [ #link_6 ]
* Browntail Moth: What can I expect in 2026? [ #link_1 ]
* Mech receives public service award from Maine Forest Products Council [ #link_2 ]
* Maine Conservation Corps Individual Placements [ #link_3 ]
* For landowners enrolled in forest carbon programs: Maine’s new Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Reporting Program [ #link_4 ]

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Happy Holidays, From the Maine Forest Service
xmas

Happy Holidays! Thank you for being a part of our forest community. Fromn our family here at the Maine Forest Service, to yours, our best wishes for the holidays and the year ahead.

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Browntail Moth: What can I expect in 2026?

Everything Mainers need to know about dealing with the browntail moth as we move into 2026.  

*In this newsletter… *


* Browntail moth populations have been declining... but will this trend continue in 2026? 

* How can I monitor browntail moth populations on my property? 

* How can I tell the difference between browntail winter webs and other species' webs? 
* The best way to remove browntail winter webs from trees: 

* I can't clip all the browntail winter webs in my trees. Where can I find resources for an arborist or pesticide applicator? 

* Upcoming Winter Web Survey 2026 

 For more information and to read about the above topics, please check out the newsletter!

Newsletter [ [link removed] ]

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Mech receives public service award from Maine Forest Products Council

"December 5, 2025 " 

Angela Mech, associate professor of forest entomology at the University of Maine, received the Maine Forest Products Council’s 2025 Abby Holman Public Service Award [ [link removed] ] in recognition of her passion, loyalty and dedication to Maine’s forest products industry, government and economy. 

As director of UMaine’s Spruce Budworm Processing Lab, Mech has led research to support the state’s early intervention efforts and prevent a major outbreak in Maine. Her and the lab’s work has provided land and business owners, and other stakeholders, with invaluable information to make informed management decisions regarding millions of acres of Maine’s forests. 

“Maine landowners are currently faced with a swiftly building spruce budworm outbreak that has the potential to devastate 6 million acres of forestland in Maine,” said Alex Ingraham, vice president of the Maine Forest Products Council and chair of the Maine Budworm Response Coalition, who nominated Mech for the award.  

“If left to run its course, this outbreak is estimated to cost $794 million in lost timber and revenue per year. Fortunately, this time around, landowners are armed with a new tool called the Early Intervention Strategy. This strategy, designed by our neighbors in New Brunswick to alter outbreak dynamics, is critical because it supports healthy forests and the economy. The success of this entire effort hinges on the quality of our monitoring program, which is supported by the Maine Spruce Budworm [Processing] Lab at the University of Maine.”  

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Maine Conservation Corps Individual Placements
MCC

What is a Maine Conservation Corps [ [link removed] ] member able to do for Maine? A better question might be what is a member not able to do. For Community Tree Steward (CTS), Haydn Suske-Funk (second row, 6th from left), who served with Oxford County this year, he taught himself “field botany and QGIS, learned how to chainsaw, and gained practical forest management skills under the guidance of experienced foresters.” And perhaps, as he notes, "most importantly [his] ecologically-focused management plans will, in the words of a partner, ‘make a positive impact on the land for generations." Through a storymap [ [link removed] ], Haydn documented his unique experience and the magic of Maine, for others to get a taste of what serving with the MCC offers for both potential members, as well as host sites who partner with the MCC. A combination of narrative, photo, video and interactive map, this engaging format helps bring to life the MCC through Haydn’s eyes. 

As the 2025 season closed in November, the MCC said our “goodbyes” to Haydn and the rest of the 2025 Individual Placement program cohort of Environmental Stewards and Community Tree Stewards. This year’s group of 20 members served across Maine with non-profits, local governments, state government agencies, and land trusts and to accomplish impressive results. Through projects that emphasized conservation, habitat restoration, forestry, water quality, and community engagement, MCC individual placement members achieved a long list of results, including, but not limited to: 


* 16.64 acres of invasive species removed 

* 29.78 acres of habitat improved 

* 41 community gardens created or maintained 

* 109 miles of trail improved 

* 241 educational events with 3824 visitors attending 

* 4534 trees planted 

At the end of their service, each member is required to provide MCC with a report detailing their projects. If you want to learn more about the completed projects or the Individual Placement program, contact Deidrah Stanchfield, IP Program Manager, or Christy Owen, MCC Director. 

~ Christy Owen, Director of the Maine Conservation Corps 

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For landowners enrolled in forest carbon programs: Maine’s new Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Reporting Program

The "Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Reporting Program" was established in 2025 by the Maine Legislature under "An Act to Require Landowners to Report Their Participation in a Forest Carbon Program or Project" (H.P.3 – L.D. 39).  This statute requires forest landowners in Maine to file a "Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report Form" ( also called an "Enrollment Report Form") with the Maine Forest Service IF they have voluntarily enrolled their land in a *private* forest carbon project or program *to* generate or deliver carbon credits. 

Landowners who enrolled in a forest carbon credit program or project and signed a Forest Carbon Agreement:               


* Before 2025 must file an "Enrollment Report Form" of their previous participation by July 1, 2026. 

* During 2025 or thereafter must file an "Enrollment Report Form" by January 31st of the year after they signed a legally binding contract for carbon credits.  Those entering a program or project in 2025 must submit an "Enrollment Report Form" by January 31st, 2026. 

Forest carbon markets are changing how some landowners manage their forests to capture more carbon dioxide or reduce carbon dioxide emissions. These changes may affect timber harvesting, and this could affect forest product markets. The Maine Forest Service gathers information about how forests are managed in Maine. *Private information is kept confidential.* MFS creates summary reports that help landowners, the forest products industry, and the public understand what is happening in Maine's forests. Keeping track of who joins carbon programs helps everyone see how these new markets are affecting Maine's forests and forest industry. This transparency can help the forestry sector continue to thrive in Maine. 

 

Filling out the "Enrollment Report Form" is simple and requires only basic information.  To learn more about the "Enrollment Report Form" and how to submit an "Enrollment Report Form", please visit the Maine Forest Service’s webpage on the topic.  You can also request other information about forest carbon programs by emailing [email protected].

Enrollment Form [ [link removed] ]



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