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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 N OV E M B E R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 Talking about what a well-managed woodlot looks like is the beginning, eresa Kerchner, executive director of the Kennebec Land Trust, tells the group. "It's a way to start that conversation with your clients," she says. Kennebec Land Trust is one of eight organizations that form Local Wood Works, a collaboration looking to revive old and find new innovative ways to help forests support local economies. "Local" refers to the geographic region that includes New England, New York and the Canadian Maritimes, but much of the focus is on Maine. In Maine, there are 86,000 owners of woodlots between 10 and 1,000 acres, and they own a collective 5 million acres. ere was a time every commu- nity had a sawmill, and local loggers abounded. "People got their wood from the community," Kerchner says in an interview a few days after the tour. "Local wood has so much tradition in Maine. It's part of Maine's heritage, people are proud of it." Local Wood Works believes people want to come back to it, and that it's doable. "We're lucky to have the resources," she says. She compares it to the local food movement. "We've done it for lobsters, we've done it for blueberries." While heritage and tradition are a large part of the message, "e long- term vision is innovation." Long and winding road is year's tour, held on Nov. 8, embraced both the traditional and the innovative — a snapshot of where the wood comes from and how it can be used. It began in Steve Chandler's woodlot, one of about 5,000 acres the family owns in New Gloucester, some of which has been logged back to 1782, he told the group. "It's been a long and winding road to keep this property in the family," he says. Earlier this year he and the other three owners, his wife, his cousin and his cousin's wife, donated 2,500 acres to the Maine Woodland Owners Land Trust to keep it from being developed. Chandler tells the group his family doesn't make a profit on its woodlots, which are harvested by one logger, with many of the trees left alone to grow. "I like 'em big," Chandler says. e logger lets him know what the market needs, and cuts accordingly. Most of the hardwood that's har- vested is used as firewood and white pine goes out as saw logs. Chandler says there are a lot of local markets for the wood. "Our logger spends a lot of time on the phone," he said. A storyline that works A few miles away, at Maschino & Sons Lumber in New Gloucester, Wendy Patterson, whose grandfather started the business in 1970, makes it clear a smaller player can thrive in Maine. "How do you compete in the mar- ket?" she's asked. "We deal with a lot of smaller builders," she replies — people build- ing houses, or even sheds. Someone mentions bigger local lum- ber companies like Hammond Lumber and Hancock Lumber. "ey all buy stuff from us," Patterson says. She says some of the the woodlot owners who bring their logs in have been doing it since the mill opened. "[We've] worked with loggers who've been coming in here for years and years," Patterson says. "at's a storyline that works for the public," Kerchner says to the architects and builders in the group. Creating a narrative, she says, helps make the local wood movement more relevant. Working with a smaller local busi- ness also has practical advantages. Someone mentions markings on lumber that can mar a design. "If we dress some pine beams for someone," Patterson says with a laugh, "e last thing I'm going to do is write on them." One of the architects asks if Maschino & Sons has a list of what size lumber is available. "Imagine this," says Patterson. "Any size you want. Email us and ask. Email is great. We love email." Have to have the resource e tour also visited Hancock Lumber's sawmill in Casco and a woodlot in Yarmouth, where the group saw how wood can be harvested with low- impact equipment. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » HealthOptions.org | (207) 402-3353 | Your partner for health. HEALTH OPTIONS Community When you enroll with Heath Options, you have a local business support team that provides you with the peace of mind that matters most to you and your employees. Our dedicated team has a real understanding of the unique business health insurance needs right here in Maine. For over 50,000 individuals and businesses, we have been a partner for health, providing quality health benefits across the state. So you can focus on your business and not worry about your health coverage. Contact your insurance broker or call us at (207) 402-3353 for a quote. Northern New England's leading Dental Carrier is partnering with Health Options to combine dental coverage to large group plans in 2019. Ask your broker for details. We understand business. And what it means to live and work in Maine. We live where you live. We play where you play. We cherish what you cherish. Local wood has so much tradition in Maine. It's part of Maine's heritage, people are proud of it. — Theresa Kerchner Kennebec Land Trust

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