Celebrating our Most Successful Program Year to Date

2025 was Maine TREE’s most successful programming year to date, and before we dive into the new year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on all that we accomplished over the last year. Our staff hosted, spoke at, or attended over 80 events this year. We provided nearly a dozen students and recent graduates with early-career opportunities and engaged over 1,000 students in forest-based education programs. 

From Kittery to Fort Kent, and Calais to Rangeley, in 2025, our forest-based education program reached educators from every corner of Maine. In the first half of the year, we collaborated with Westbrook and Calais school districts, providing customized forest-based education workshops throughout the 2024-2025 school year as part of the Maine Department of Education Climate Education Professional Development Grant pilot program. Over the summer, The Forests of Maine Teachers' Tours provided an immersive professional development experience in the Rangeley Lakes and Downeast Lakes Regions. We also offered a customized Teachers Tours experience for Career and Technical Educators as part of our current  Forest Technician Curriculum development initiative. We also strengthened community ties by hosting forest-based education workshops that brought together natural resource professionals and educators to foster a deeper understanding of the forest and how to engage students in learning across disciplines within the forested landscape. 

Throughout the year, our staff engaged with students through our Forest Ecology Research Network and Green Jobs Fairs. From Gorham to Hope to Penobscot, we established new plots and engaged students in the FERN program while Greenville Middle School students became the stars of a WABI video segment featuring the program. The 3rd Annual Psictaquis County Green Jobs Fair in October allowed students not only to learn about the variety of outdoor green-economy jobs available in Maine, but also to try their hand at many activities professionals engage in every day. Over 27 Maine businesses and organizations volunteered their time to lead 150 students through a series of hands-on activities and demonstrations showcasing their jobs in the Natural Resources sector. 

In the Fall, our 3rd Annual Forest Awards Night brought together an inspiring mix of students, researchers, natural resource professionals, advocates, and educators to celebrate the awardees and the collective efforts of those who play a role in stewarding Maine’s forests for the future. In December, we hosted the 35th Annual Certified Logging Professionals Banquet, during which we welcomed the new CLPs who completed the program and joined our community in 2025, and recognized the outstanding achievements of the 2025 Certified Logging Professionals of the Year.

2025 wasn’t entirely about action; our staff also found time to reflect on our organization's long history, what we’ve accomplished in nearly four decades of service to Maine’s forests and the community that depends on them, and to envision the continued role we will play. We were able to beautifully capture our commitment to education, community, and the forest in our new impact statement:

“Building community to promote the long-term stewardship of Maine's forests.”

We raised over $130,000 and stacked a cord of firewood to donate to a Maine family in need, helping them keep warm during the cold winter months. We could not have accomplished all this without the support of our community! If you want to help us do even more in 2026, contribute online at www.MaineTREE.org/donate

We are especially grateful to our Organizational Sponsors: SAPPI Fine Paper of North America, Maine Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Huber Resources, Hancock Lumber Company, Hammond Lumber Company, Seven Islands Land Company, Central Maine Power, Wagner Forest Management, LP Corp, Maine Forest Service, Pleasant River Lumber Company, Woodland Pulp LLC/St. Croix Tissue, and  Baskaheagan Company.