This is the time of year when we sit back and reflect on the things in our lives for which we are thankful.

At Plum Creek, we were fortunate and honored to host the University of Maine's Cooperative Forestry Research Unit's annual fall field tour on our land in Somerset County. The October event brought together some of the brightest forestry professionals in the state. We were also the lucky benefactor of a volunteer forest clean-up effort put on by the Maine Forest Service and local organizations. And, as we celebrate this special time of year, we also strive to make sure those who are in need have a happy holiday season as well through our annual food bank effort, which is detailed below.

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Happy Holidays,
Mark Doty, Community Affairs Manager

You see it often. Discarded tires, old shoes, even mattresses and couches littered across the roads and forests. But who cleans it up?

This fall, as part of the Maine Forest Service's (MFS) Landowner Appreciation Day, volunteers from local ATV clubs, snowmobile clubs and other concerned recreationists and citizens worked together to clean up more than 100 illegal dump sites on private land around Maine, including Plum Creek land near Moscow and Canaan.

"This is one way we can help give back to the landowners across the state who open up their land to the public year-round for recreation," said Darrell Rich, MFS forest ranger.

MFS forest rangers worked with the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine to organize the clean-up event, recruit volunteers and field calls from landowners to identify the sites. According to the MFS, the refuse gathered from the dump sites varies from a single overturned couch and a few discarded tires to several pickup truck loads of shingles and mattresses.

"It's important to us to keep our land accessible to the public as well as an enjoyable place to visit," said Scott Henker, senior resource manager for Plum Creek. "We are grateful to the Maine Forest Service and all of the volunteers who helped with the clean up."

The holiday season is supposed to be a time for family and friends, giving thanks and of course, a home-cooked meal. But for our neighbors who are in need, food can be scarce.

That's why the Plum Creek Foundation has donated $16,000 to the following local food banks in central and northern Maine.

• Bingham Area Food Pantry
• Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry
• Jackman Food Bank
• Skowhegan Community Food Cupboard
• Solon Food Closet
• Living Word Community Food Cupboard
• Guilford Economic Partnership
• Stratton/Eustis Food Pantry
• Greater Waterville Area Food Bank
• Dexter Community Food Closet
• Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention Program
• Oakland Sidney Food Pantry

"There is such a need in rural communities, especially around the holiday season," said Louise Carl, coordinator at the Bingham Area Food Pantry. "Government assistance for organizations like ours was recently cut, so donations like these are crucial to help people celebrate the season in good spirits, and with a little more food on the table."

The Plum Creek Foundation works to provide philanthropic contributions that support and improve the general welfare of life in the communities that Plum Creek serves. Overall, the Plum Creek Foundation has donated an additional $86,000 to local organizations in Maine throughout this year.

In late October, nearly 90 forestry professionals, representing 8.5 million acres of Maine's managed working forests, participated in a field tour on Plum Creek land in Somerset County. The tour was hosted by the University of Maine's Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU) and provided opportunities for the group to discuss important forest management issues, including wood supply, economics, pests, harvesting and wildlife habitat.

One key focus of the tour was a visit to the Austin Pond study site established by CFRU in 1977 to study methods for regenerating the forests in northern Maine that were wiped out following a spruce budworm outbreak. Budworm outbreaks, like the one in the '70s and '80s, develop when there is a large proportion of mature and over-mature balsam fir in the forest. However, damage can be minimized by keeping the forest healthy.

In fact, participants on the tour viewed first-hand how responsible forest management, including practices such as herbicide application and pre-commercial thinning, can have long-term positive effects and prevent future spruce budworm outbreaks. Due to the abundant natural regeneration and sustainable timber management practices following the last outbreak, spruce and fir stands in Maine have been restored and will be able to provide additional harvest opportunities over the next 20 years.

Tricia Quinn - Senior Resource Forester

Tricia Quinn isn't a fan of cold, wet feet, which can make winters in Maine pretty long. But for Tricia, being able to work outside year-round doing what she loves, makes up for the icy Maine temperatures. In fact, one of her favorite memories of working outdoors was seeing a newborn moose calf stand up on wobbly legs and nurse from its mother, a sight few are lucky enough to witness.

Tricia has been working in the forest products industry since graduating from University of Maine in 1990, holding positions at Boise Cascade, Mead, Wagner Forest Management and more. She joined Plum Creek in 2004, and was responsible for managing all Plum Creek lands in the state of New Hampshire. Tricia recently transferred back to Maine and currently works in Plum Creek's Bingham office as a Senior Resource Forester, where she is responsible for timber management activities on the company's nearby land.

But forestry is only a part of what makes Tricia such an interesting person. She also has an extensive military career. She has been in the Army Reserve and Maine Army National Guard for more than 20 years, and currently serves as a Master Sergeant with the 120th Regional Support Group in Augusta. Prior to college, she was on active duty in the U.S. Marines as a mechanic, serving in Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Okinawa, Japan.

Tricia also currently serves as Commander of the American Legion Post 120 in Rangeley, is an avid telemark skier and a devoted Patriots and Red Sox fan. We're happy she's on our team!