JAY — Students in Regional School Unit 73 will benefit from several recent projects that will
promote science and environmental literacy and involve students with outdoor education at
schools on the Jay RSU 73 campus. These projects include the creation of the Spruce
Mountain Outdoor Education Center, a chaga mushroom research project with JustNiks
Mycosilva, and a Sappi Paper Employee Ideas That Matter grant.

Students prepare to innoculate birch trees with chaga infused dowels with the help of JustNiks Mycosilva at the Spruce Mountain Outdoor Education Center. Pictured from left are Emma Furka, Alyssa Tompkins, Morgan McDaniel, Erin Chen, Sam Geissinger, Natalie Furka, Leah Burgess, Lily Fortier, Hannah Dube, Justin Triquet, and Nikki Triquet. Submitted photo

According to Spruce Mountain High School science teacher Rob Taylor, “These projects
have been serendipitous in that they have all come together over the last year and all interrelate
to each other. Last fall, the Spruce Mountain Outdoor Education Center was built and we have
four eight by ten foot adirondack style shelters arranged to create an all weather outdoor
education space, paid for by an Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ESSER]
Fund grant.

“In the spring, trails with boardwalks were created to allow students better access to
the Outdoor Education Center and the 12 acres of wooded property on the school campus,” Taylor said.
“Materials for trail work done by students were funded by grants from the Franklin County Retired
Teachers Association and the Oak Grove Foundation.”

Spruce Mountain Alumnus and Sappi Paper Engineer Austin Gilboe shows Spruce Mountain High School / UMF early college environmental science and physics  students how to measure with a Biltmore Stick.  Also pictured from left are Alex Grimaldi, Skylar Condon, Natalie Furka, Lily Fortier, Max Labonte, Ben Burgess, teacher Ken Baker, Samuel Geissinger, and Zen Wakefield Dostie. Submitted photo

JustNiks Mycosilva provided materials and worked with students to create a chaga farm on the property, which will be the focus of an ongoing research project and revenue from the harvest of chaga will be donated to the school to support STEM programs, Taylor said.

Spruce Mountain alumnus and Sappi Paper Somerset Mill engineer Austin Gilboe submitted a Sappi Paper Employee Ideas That Matter grant, which was funded for $3,000 and some of that funding will support these other projects, Taylor said.

Erin Chen, Alyssa Tompkins, Emma Furka, and Morgan McDaniel collect data from a birch tree that has been inoculated with chaga mushroom spores. Submitted photo

On June 17, students from Spruce Mountain High School worked with Justin and Nikki Triquet of JustNiks Mycosilva LLC to create what is believed to be the world’s first school based chaga mycosilviculture or chaga farming operation. Chaga is a mushroom that grows on birch and other trees and it is highly valued for its antioxidants and beneficial compounds. It can be consumed in tinctures and herbal teas as a dietary supplement and is a valuable commodity.

JustNiks Mycosilva works with landowners to cultivate chaga fungi on their property for profit. Students at Spruce Mountain learned first hand how to inoculate birch trees with chaga spores and collected data including inoculated tree longitude, latitude, health, and diameter, as well as height and compass azimuth of inoculations. This baseline data will be part of an ongoing study of the growth of chaga and its symbiotic relationship with the trees it grows on.

Nikki Triquet of JustNiks Mycosilva, t left and Sam Geissinger inoculate and mark a birch tree while Justin  Triquet watches. Submitted photo

The ongoing data collection will be supported by equipment purchased through the Sappi Paper Employee Ideas That Matter grant. To collect data, students use compasses, Biltmore sticks, and diameter tapes, which are funded through the Sappi grant. In addition to this and other types of equipment, the grant also funded the purchase of a temperature and optical dissolved oxygen sensor for water quality monitoring of Moose Hill Pond and Parker Pond.

“Local students have been collecting water quality data in a partnership with the Livermore Falls Water District and submitting it to the Lake Stewards of Maine for over 20 years,” Taylor said. “The funds from the grant Austin was able to get for the school will allow us to upgrade our water quality equipment to a state of the art system. Gilboe participated in Envirothon as a Spruce Mountain High School student and was part of two Maine Envirothon championship teams that went on to participate at the international level. He also has volunteered his time to help Spruce Mountain students prepare for competitions and plans to continue to work with students as part of the projects funded by the grant.”

According to Gilboe, “The Sappi Employee Ideas That Matter grant was developed in 2016 and has contributed over $189,000 to 67 different local nonprofits. Sappi North America supports biodiversity conservation efforts in forest habitats and I am pleased that the grant was awarded to Spruce Mountain for their projects.”

Science teachers and Envirothon Advisors Ken Baker and Rob Taylor have been coordinating the chaga project with JustNiks Mycosilva. According to Baker, “Students will continue to gather data on a number of factors regarding the cultivation of chaga, including measuring growth rates, testing the mushroom’s ability to grow on yellow birch versus white birch, and measuring the impact of the mycoforestry practices on the forest ecosystem. This should be a great opportunity to get students involved in doing real world science and learn about an industry in its infancy. It is also a great opportunity to get students to work with professional entrepreneurs to learn how a business operates.”

According to Spruce Mountain rising senior Lily Fortier, “I think the new Chaga installation will provide “hands on” learning experiences for students who might not have opportunities to work outside. It is a project that students of all ages can be a part of.”

Fellow rising senior Natalie Furka added, “We had to know about mycosilviculture or growing mushrooms in the forest as a crop for the International Envirothon this year. Working on the chaga project helped us understand how the process works.”

“Justin and Nikki were fun to work with and it was interesting to see what they do and get some hands on experience,” said Hannah Dube.

Graduated senior and rising UNH environmental engineering student Leah Burgess said, “Natural projects like this one can inspire deeper connections with students and the environment around them, which our world desperately needs for the future.”

Baker said, “JustNiks was generous with their time, talent, and technology and really helped the kids understand what they do and why. Austin has helped kids prepare for Envirothon competitions. I am looking forward to getting kids out in the field as part of our biology classes.”

Baker is also curious to see what happens to the trees and forest ecosystem as the chaga develops. “This project could result in publishable scientific data. The grant from Sappi Paper will put tools and measuring equipment in the hands of our students and we have the outdoor classroom space for students to work in. It is great to see this all come together,” he added.

For more information on chaga farming, contact Justin & Nikki Trinquet at 207-205-2245, chaga@justniksmycosilva.com or visit justniksmycosilva.com.