Join MOFGA members and friends and our Local Wood WORKS (LWW) partners for a day in the woods in Wayne to observe an in-progress 25-acre sustainable timber harvest and sawmill demonstration. The family will build a small year-round cabin with eastern hemlock, northern white cedar, and white pine milled from the woodlot and using income from the timber harvest. The cabin could be used to house a future farmer/caretaker on this 70-acre family land. The landowners are also working with a Maine land trust to develop a conservation easement on the property that will protect the property’s prime farmland soil, forestland, and important wildlife habitat. The woodlot is a short walk from the home of the landowners who are longtime MOFGA supporters.

The landowners (Jim Perkins and Theresa Kerchner), their forester (Harold Burnett, Two Trees Forestry), logger (Ron Dostie), and carpenters Ryan Bear Stone and Dave Paradis will be represented by Ryan. Helen Watts, structural engineer at Helen Watts Engineering PLLC and author of The Pretty Good House will speak on lumber drying and grading. Olivia Nicolarsen from Maine Woodland Owners will talk about NRCS cost-share programs and other resources available for small woodland owners and Mark Gordon of East Dixfield will be operating a portable sawmill.
You can also join us for an afternoon tour at Dimension Lumber in Livermore Falls to learn about and see how medium-scale lumber mills purchase, process, and sell Maine wood.
Please note by your registration if you plan to join us for the first part of the event only or for the full day. The itinerary is:

9 a.m.: Gather and check in
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Explore the woodlot and sawmill and learn more about this small-scale forestry project
12:00 p.m.: Lunch on your own (you are welcome to bring lunch and eat at the landowner’s home)
1:30 (optional): Visit to Dimension Lumber

Dress for a day outside in the woods, and wear closed toed shoes. A bathroom is available at the landowner’s home.
Pre-Registration Required through MOFGA Events Calendar (mofga.org/trainings/event-calendar/). Contact forestry@mofga.org or jennifer@localwoodworks.org with any questions.