As the snow melts and birds begin to sing, spring must be right around the corner. I hope that you will take advantage of the outdoors and Plum Creek land as the weather becomes warmer.

A new season also brings updates here at Plum Creek. Recently, we launched an incentive program for the public to identify new bald eagle nests on our land. We also wanted to update you on a best management project in place for spring snow melt, as well as highlight how complex technology is used in forest management today. We also bid farewell to our retiring Leon Gilbert, who has dedicated his entire life to the forest.

We hope that you find the following articles interesting. Of course, please let us know if you prefer not to receive this email or if you know of others who would like to receive this email .

Regards,
Mark Doty, Community Affairs Manager

When you manage approximately 6.8 million acres of land nationwide, you definitely need the right tools. Plum Creek developed and has been using the Integrated Forest Management System (IFMS) since 2001 to help manage its land in Maine and across 18 additional states.

IFMS is a live geographic information system that maps the forests; special plant and wildlife communities; and, historic and cultural sites on Plum Creek land. When an employee enters an update, others company-wide see it within 20 minutes. And, with thousands of updates made each day, IFMS is essential to keep communication lines open between employees and ensure everyone has the latest information.

Plum Creek has taken this technology one step further and developed a system called the Sensitive Areas Warning System (SAWS) to work in conjunction with IFMS. SAWS actively alerts employees if there is an important land characteristic they need to be aware of when looking at a certain parcel.

“We have thousands of unique ecosystems and historical sites on our land, and we not only needed a way to track each and every one, but to serve as a monitor and alert system for our staff, as well as regulators and local groups who want land information,” says J.P. Kennedy, region analyst, who is one of seven at Plum Creek who oversees the IFMS and SAWS systems.

In Maine specifically, the system helps Plum Creek protect habitats for endangered species, including the rusty blackbird, the roaring brook mayfly and the great blue heron. There are also approximately 500 historical and cultural sites that are recorded and tracked, including Civil War and Revolutionary War grave sites, a B-52 crash memorial site and the Benedict Arnold March to Quebec City Trail.

It’s the national bird and the very symbol of America. And, even though bald eagles have been recently removed from endangered and threatened wildlife lists, they are still legally protected by other laws that prohibit their harm or harassment. 

That’s why Plum Creek has launched an incentive program aimed at identifying new bald eagle nests on its land in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.  The program, which provides a $100 reward to anyone who identifies a new nest, is designed to track and protect the eagles as they change nesting sites or create new ones. 

Plum Creek has been monitoring the locations of eagle nests for years in order to protect the nests when harvesting timber, and now we are inviting the public to help track the bird’s nesting habits. 

“Much of the land we manage in New England is used widely by fishermen, skiers, hikers, hunters and others who are in a great position to spot new or previously undiscovered nests,” said Henning Stabins, a wildlife biologist with Plum Creek.

The new program is a partnership between Plum Creek, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee (SIC) and the Maine Forest Products Council.  More information on the program, tips on identifying nests and how to claim a reward can be found here. 

April showers usually bring May flowers. But last spring, heavy rain also brought flooding to a road on Plum Creek land.

After the spring runoff and other large rain events, the entrance of a land management road to Route 201 became overwhelmed, forcing water to overflow into the road. Not only did this increase the chances of sediment reaching a fish-bearing stream, but it was also becoming a public safety issue.

Plum Creek has been dedicated to sustainable forest management and conserving local wildlife and plant communities for years. As such, Plum Creek partnered with the Maine Department of Transportation, Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) and private contractors to address the issue. In June 2010, crews fixed the drainage at the site to stabilize and address the water flow volumes.

“This project greatly reduces the chances of sediment reaching a nearby bog, a fish-bearing stream and potentially Parlin Pond,” said Eugene Mahar, resource supervisor at Plum Creek. “This was a proactive project that provided a best management practice for long-term protection of the water and stream habitat.”

According to Mahar, the new drainage system also significantly lowers the chance of a large washout of the road from occurring. 

Forty-four years in the forest is a long time, but when you enjoy it, time flies.  That’s been the case for Leon Gilbert, who after a life dedicated to trees and the land on which they grow, will retire from Plum Creek. 

Leon worked as a forest industry truck driver and then as a forester for 25 years, managing Maine’s woods and helping support sustainable forests for future generations. He has worked for Plum Creek for 13 of those years, and this month, he will spend his last day with us.  But, it won’t be the last time Leon enjoys Maine’s woods.

“My favorite part of my job is just being out in the woods,” said Leon. 

He has lived in Maine his entire life and currently resides in Jackman. He enjoys the fact that Maine has four seasons and tries to take advantage of it whenever he can. In the winter, Leon enjoys snowmobiling, and after retirement, he plans to spend his time helping out the less fortunate in his community. 

Congratulations to Leon on a retirement well deserved and great thanks on behalf of so many in Maine’s forest products industry.