Local Wood Works for Maine

Congratulations to Local Wood Works for winning a Source Award from the Maine Sunday Telegram for championing Maine’s wood economy.

As Theresa Kerchner noted, “From the beginning, as we articulated our mission it was to both support long-term conservation and advance forest-based wood economies.” Theresa is the leader of the Kennebec Land Trust, the organization I am donating my woodlot to, and the person who initiated the Local Wood Works project by reaching out to the Maine Forest Service.

In 2013 KLT and the Maine Forest Service partnered with Coastal Enterprises, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and GrowSmart Maine, to launch Local Wood Works, which now has participating organizations all over the state, from The Nature Conservancy to Two Trees Forestry.

Recently the group launched a new project that connects consumers with local wood suppliers, from locally made beds to hemlock for a deck. They also provide information about the sources of wood at lumber mills and stores, so you can choose wood from Maine rather than wood from Australia.

You can learn more about this great project, and access all the valuable information they are providing us, at their new website, www.localwoodworks.org.

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.