Photo / Maureen Milliken
Some 10,000 acres of forest land has been donated to Maine Woodland Owners since 1991, 40% of it in the past three years. Pictured is the Hammond Family Forest, in Rome, which covers 196 acres.
April 1, 2020
Maine Woodland Owners becomes New Gloucester's biggest landowner
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Steve Chandler, second from right in orange cap, discusses the New Gloucester woodlots that have been in his family for generations during a Local Wood Works tour in November 2018. The family donated 2,000 acres in New Gloucester to Maine Woodland Owners, finalized in February.
By Maureen Milliken
Maine Woodland Owners has become New Gloucester's biggest landowner after a deal for more than 2,000 acres of forest that's been in the works for 10 years was finalized in February.
The Chandler family signed over the last three of 17 parcels in February, and the property, combined, comprises the biggest donation the nonprofit has received in its 40 years, said Tom Doak, Maine Woodland Owners executive director. While discussions of the donation began 10 years ago, it was first made public in January 2018.
Doak isn't certain what the market value of the land is — they don't have it appraised, since it's a gift, and they haven't paid taxes on it yet. But, given the development potential of some of the parcels, he'd guess in the millions.
"Money is never the driver," Doak said. The objective is to conserve land, but also manage it.
The organization pays about $40,000 in yearly taxes on its land in the state. The more than 10,000 acres it now has, thanks to the Chandler donation, is "a significant milestone," Doak said.
Aging population drives donation increase
Land donations to the organization have increased rapidly over the last few years as the state's landowners get older and become concerned about what will happen to their forests, some of which have been in families for generations. More than 40% of the 10,000 acres has been donated in the past three years, Doak said. The organization has about 15 donations in the works.
The organization doesn't seek out donations; people come to it.
"One of the first things we always ask is, 'Have you talked to your family?'" he said. "We want to make sure that it's something the property owner wants and is sure about ."
He said that most of the land is donated because the owners want to make sure it's conserved, and not developed. While most of the donations are much smaller than the Chandler one, "it's always pretty special," Doak said.
"A lot of these owners are not wealthy individuals," he said. The land could easily be sold to a developer, yet they're donating it for conservation. While most get a tax break for the donation, it's not close to the profit that could be made from selling it.
There are 17.6 million acres of forest in Maine, covering 90% of the state. Some 5.3 million acres, or 30%, is owned by 86,000 small owners, who have property ranging from 10 to 1,000 acres. Most of that is in the central and southern part of the state — the northern forests are largely owned by timber companies, like Weyerhaeuser and J.D. Irving.
'Long and winding road'
The Chandler property had been in the family for generations. The family started logging the first of it in 1782, Chandler said during a Local Wood Works tour in November 2018.
"This is land we've cared for, and cared about, for a long time," he said.
The family added parcels as the years passed, until they had nearly 5,000 acres. The property is in a fast-developing section of Cumberland County, and is near busy U.S. Route 202 and the Maine Turnpike — the highways even split some of the parcels.
As the family aged, development encroached and time passed. "It's been a long and winding road to keep this property in the family," he said.
In recent years the family began to focus on a permanent owner who would keep the land undeveloped as a working forest
The Chandlers manage the woods, but don't make a lot of profit on their woodlots, which are harvested by one logger. Many of the trees are left alone to grow. The logger lets Chandler know what the market needs, and cuts accordingly. Most of the hardwood that's harvested 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..
Managing individual forests
The New Gloucester land will continue to be managed the way the Chandlers did, Doak said. All the land conserved by the organization is managed the way the owners wanted it to be — every parcel has its own forest management plan that also meets internationally recognized sustainability standards.
Some lots have special uses, for instance two that are being used as seed orchards in the effort to restore the American chestnut. Some other properties have fields and meadows, another type of land that's disappearing in the state, Doak said.
The Chandlers like large white pines, so those lots will be managed to keep producing large white pine.
"We like to know what their intent is, and we mange it to that intent," he said.
Wood is sold to local sawmills, and local loggers are hired to do the work on the lots.
"If someone wants it to stay forever wild, we point them to another nonprofit," Doak said.
Some transactions can be done in 60 to 90 days, as simple as a house sale, others are more complicated and take longer, like the Chandler property.
Maine Woodland Owners, an Augusta-based nonprofit, formed 45 years ago as an educational organization dedicated to providing knowledge and technical support for those who owned small woodlands in the state. Its goal is to increase landowner engagement and long-term woodland stewardship to ensure the health of Maine's forests.
It received its first land donation in 1991 and its 10,000-plus acres now include land in 50 towns in 14 of Maine's 16 counties.
All the land is open to the public, and ATV and snowmobile trails that were on property when it was donated are maintained, but new ones aren't built. Some also have hiking trails, but they aren't maintained to the level of trail systems that many land trusts have, Doak said.
The Chandler land, besides being managed, will serve as a demonstration of how small woodlands can contribute to the local economy, enhance wildlife habitat and conserve special places, Doak said. Maine Woodland Owners is planning to hold public tours on one of the nearly two dozen parcels this summer.
Map of the New Gloucester Chandler property
Courtesy / Maine Woodland Owners
A map shows the parcels making up the Chandlers Brothers Woodlots conservation parcels in New Gloucester, comprising 2,000 acres recently donated to Maine Woodland Owners.
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Anonymous
April 2, 2020
What a wonderful and generous legacy these people are gifting to Maine.
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