Maine Forest Service

Our goal is simple. Our goal is to prevent wildfires from destroying homes and Maine’s forest resources. Period. And additionally, our goal is to respond rapidly, with overwhelming force, to extinguish any wildfire that threatens homes, forest resources or other high value property in the Maine woods. Since 1891, we have been increasingly successful in carrying out our mission and achieving these goals. But it is very important to realize that achieving these goals is not merely the role of one small agency in Maine state government. With Maine’s land area comprising over 22 million acres and nearly 18 million acres of that land being forested, this is no small task. in looking at historical data on occurrence in all areas of the state, one thing we are seeing is the numbers are trending upwards of late. The undeniable influence from climate change, with its extreme weather trends, will continue to have an impact on wildfire control in Maine for the foreseeable future. And with costs to suppress fires increasing, it is all the more important to suppress wildfires quickly. However, we can also take pride in our shared success in keeping acres burned to 1 acre or less per wildfire on average. This achievement can be attributed to many things, including increased technology, the use of aircraft, and most importantly, partnerships. The Maine Forest Service is a bureau within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and its forest rangers are appointed under state law to be the state's wildfire control experts, enforcers of natural resource and public safety law and to respond to disasters and emergencies that occur in all areas of the state. But with only 48 field forest rangers allocated to this mission, we would be foolhardy to believe for one minute that we can

achieve all the various goals and mandates set before us without help from others. The help we receive is from a very diverse set of cooperators. Within state government, we rely on help from other state agencies when emergencies occur. We look to the Forest Health and Monitoring Division to ensure that insect and disease proliferation does not adversely contribute to wildfire spread. We work closely with district foresters from the Forest Policy and Management Division to see that forests are managed in a way that is sustainable and that promotes wildfire resiliency. While the term wildfire resiliency is new on the scene to many in the wildfire control and forest management world, its concepts are not. Wildfire resiliency requires collaboration from not just those who suppress fires but from land managers and from logging professionals who work the land in a way that is not only profitable but sustainable and promotes wildfire prevention. Our state is fortunate to have such professionals harvesting timber in all areas of Maine. We are fortunate that landowners provide the land base in order to grow trees for paper, pulp, and lumber to make the lives of Mainers and those beyond our borders better. Our state's loggers can play a key role in helping us achieve our mission mandate by doing several things - many of these things the readers of this short article do every day. Well maintained forest roads which provide quick access to any emergency are extremely important. Following our state’s laws on spark arrestors for heavy equipment and for

chainsaws is extremely important as these have been the sources of many wildfire starts over the decades. Training logging professionals in the basics of wildfire control and what to do if a wildfire starts on their job site can make the difference between a successful initial attack or one that is problematic. Keeping logging equipment clean, serviceable and free of debris which might lead to a fire in, or on, that machine is critically important. Keeping fire extinguishers up to date and serviced or having a water supply on the site are both Photos, opposite: Wildfire in West Middlesex Twp. Above: Wildfire in Hancock County. excellent ways to ensure that if a fire starts the logging professionals on site might be able to knock it down and keep it from spreading. The scattering of slash resulting from logging operations, as opposed to large piles of slash on the log landing site, can lessen the opportunity for wildfire arsonists to make a quick set and then escape. Frequent communication between loggers, foresters, landowners and our state's forest rangers is also a key component to any successful wildfire control operation. Knowing who to call, when to call, and how to call when an emergency happens is vital. Our goal as the Maine Forest Service is to provide training to loggers, foresters, land managers, landowners and our call-when-needed firefighters so that we can collaboratively respond in such a way that ensures wildfires in Maine are no longer catastrophic. We will never be able to eliminate the wildfire threat in Maine. But we can mitigate it by working together, by strategically planning, by working toward the goal of wildfire resiliency, and by ensuring that our partnerships are solid and reliable.

By Tom Gilbert

Maine Forest Service

Wetlands are areas where soils are saturated or flooded for a significant part of the year. Soils often have a significant amount of water moving on or near the surface, which is displaced and combined with sediment when large equipment moves over it, creating a potential risk to water quality. Avoiding or minimizing disturbance of wetlands is key to a successful harvest. There are multiple wetland types to look out for:

typically are dominated by trees taller than 20 feet, have relatively little water at the surface and have indistinct borders.

wetlands may have standing water and are dominated by shrubs and/ or grasses, though they may have some scattered trees, mostly less than 20 feet tall. Non-forested wetlands are not managed for timber and require special permitting before they are impacted.

Vernal pools are open water bodies that typically are forested, and usually dry up during summer months. Due to their specialized habitat and BMP concerns, it is recommended that timber harvesting activities avoid them to the greatest practical extent. Habitat management guidelines for vernal pools are available from the Maine Forest Service.

BMPs in wetlands help minimize two primary impacts: sedimentation of surface water and the alteration of water flow through wetland soils. Below are several BMPs to increase the strength, or bearing capacity for your crossing, and to maintain water movement through the wetland soil: Cross wetlands on frozen ground if possible. Minimize the length and width of roads or trails within wetlands. Minimize the number and frequency of wetland crossings. Use brush, wooden mats, log corduroy, or similar structures to cross wetlands. Temporary crossings using wooden mats or corduroy is preferred, as they can provide sufficient bearing capacity to prevent excessive rutting, saving time, fuel, and wear on equipment. This also prevents water from channelizing within ruts, where sediment may be carried to other areas of the harvest site. These structures should be orientated to allow water to pass through to either side of the trail, preventing water from being impounded. For more information reference the Maine Forest Service BMP manual, available in the Water Resources section of the Maine Forest Service website at www.maineforestservice.gov.