AUGUSTA — A Strong logger has agreed to pay an $8,933 civil penalty for creating a clear-cut without a prepared harvest plan by a licensed forester and not having an adequate separation zone on land he owns in Jay, which is a violation of the Maine Forest Practices Act.

It is logger Tracy Gordon’s second violation since 2008, according to Service Regional Enforcement Coordinator Jim Ecker.

Gordon entered into an agreement with the Maine Forest Service, under the Maine Department of Conservation, to resolve the violation of the state law in relation to 130 acres he owns on Davenport Hill Road, Ecker said.

Gordon created about a 40-acre clear-cut on the lot, he said.

He legally can create a clear-cut but he needed a plan, which he did not have, and he didn’t leave a minimum separation zone, Ecker said.

The agreement also requires Gordon to work under the direction of a licensed professional forester for future wood harvest operations.

“We felt he needed professional oversight because it is his second violation,” Ecker said.

Gordon is required to hire a licensed forester to inspect his wood-harvesting operations on a weekly basis and make reports available to the Maine Forest Service.

The forester would not only check to make sure he is in compliance with the Maine Forest Practices Act but will also check to make sure he is in compliance with other requirements such as environmental regulations.

Ecker led the investigation and settlement negotiations that were carried out by Maine Forest Service employees and forest rangers, according to a news release issued Thursday.

According to the release, Gordon told the Maine Forest Service that he did not intend to create a clear-cut. 

“Gordon was very cooperative and took full responsibility for the violation,” Ecker said.

“These types of violations often result from inadequate harvest planning and supervision,” Ecker said. “When landowners harvest to the minimum requirements of the Forest Practices Act but fail to leave adequate residual trees combined with wide, closely spaced harvesting trails, it can result in the unintentional creation of clear-cuts and forest practices law violations.”

The Service’s goal is not to collect fines, Ecker said, but to work with people to prevent them from running into trouble again.

Gordon is making restitution and has been in contact with a licensed forester.

Gordon was not immediately available for comment on the matter Thursday.

He was assessed a $4,000 penalty in 2008 for harvesting about 44 acres of a 500-acre parcel in Farmington in violation of the state’s forest practice rules. A routine inspection by the Maine Forest Service revealed that 44-acre-clear-cut did not have an adequate separation zone or a harvest plan prepared by a licensed forester prior to the harvest a required the Maine Forest Practices Act that governs the size and management of clear-cuts.

“Our goal is to improve the management of Maine’s forests,” Doug Denico, Maine Forest Service director, said in Thursday’s release. “Our agency focuses on educating and informing landowners to reduce the possibility of such violations. When violations do occur, however, we have a responsibility to uphold the law. We take this and our other responsibilities very seriously.”

dperry@sunjournal.com

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