Deepening our Roots, Growing our Impact

We’ve continued our momentum at Maine TREE during the first few months of 2026. Thanks to your support, our mission to connect the working forest, the classroom, and the community has become more active and impactful than ever before.

Our team has been busy across the state, sparking curiosity in Maine’s middle schoolers. At the Maine Science Festival in Bangor, we engaged hundreds of students in hands-on activities that got kids thinking about the value Maine’s forests provide in their everyday lives. At Lyman Moore Middle School, we were honored to return to speak at their Human Impact Speaker Series, helping some of Portland’s students understand the balance between utilizing natural resources while ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of our forests. We celebrated Earth Day with Lakes Region Middle School students in Naples, working with 6th graders to revive the school’s Forest Ecology Research Network plot, highlighting the importance of sound research and the benefits of sustainable forestry.

We recently celebrated a major milestone with the conclusion of our Forest Technician Curriculum Professional Development Series. From November to April, we hosted a 10-part series to collaboratively build the framework of Maine’s Forest Technician Curriculum. By completing this phase of the project, we have ensured that Maine’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors have access to a standardized, industry-aligned curriculum they helped develop. This means the next generation of forest technicians will enter the workforce with the skills Maine’s forest industry needs to thrive.

In addition to the professional development series, we have also connected with educators at the Alternative Education Association of Maine annual conference on “Using Forests as a Tool to Engage Students. We also hosted a Project Learning Tree® (PLT) and Forest Ecology Research Network (FERN) workshop at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, and a Facilitator workshop to prepare environmental education professionals to deliver PLT & FERN workshops in their communities, expanding our reach and increasing the impact of forest-based education throughout Maine. 

We’re also thrilled to announce the return of the Forestry Immersion Program for 2026. This program provides students with a deep dive into the woods, offering hands-on experience that simply cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom. It is a vital pathway for young people to discover meaningful careers in our state’s most iconic industry.

Maine TREE continues to serve as a vital resource for safety and sustainability in the industry. This spring, we offered essential professional development for loggers through the Certified Logging Professionals (CLP) program's training sessions. These sessions help ensure that Maine’s loggers operate safely and stay up to date on the latest in silviculture and wildlife conservation practices.

Our commitment to research was on full display during the 2025 Holt Research Forest Report Webinar, where we shared our regeneration and timber inventory data collected during the 2025 field season. Our team has also supported multiple major regional gatherings, including the NESAF and NER.COFE annual meetings, ensuring we stay at the forefront of forest science and engineering.

This work, the student finding their career path, the educator understanding place-based learning, and the professionals operating safely with the latest scientific developments, is possible thanks to the generosity of our community. Thank you for being a crucial part of our efforts. We look forward to sharing more growth with you this summer.