SWOAM to address timber harvesting essentials

SOUTH PARIS — The Feb. 12 meeting of the Western Maine Chapter of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine will concentrate on what a landowner needs to think about before committing to a timber harvest.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and is free and open to the public. Signs will be posted.

Merle Ring, district forester with the Maine Forest Service, will go over the process. Questions include: Are you thinking it’s time to have some wood cut on your woodlot? Are you doing the work yourself or are you contracting with a logger? Do you know all the things to consider or are you pretty much in the dark? Have you done this before but are thinking you could have done a better job?

As a landowner, Ring will help with what you need to think about before the skidder shows up on your landing, including boundary lines, contracts, insurance, notification to the state, water quality standards, Forest Practices Act standards, using a forester, bid or stumpage sales, equipment mix and timing of the harvest.

For more information, call Ring at 743-5976 in the evening.