Woodland owners and enthusiasts visiting the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity on Friday, Sept. 22, will have an opportunity to learn what’s new with Maine forestry. In the low-impact forestry area, Maine Woodland Owners will present a speaker series covering “everything wood,” and designed for new and seasoned woodland owners alike.

The wide range of forestry topics address the many interests and current concerns of woodland owners. A walk in the woods will be part of the program for two forest health presentations, “Invasive Plants on Your Woodlot” and “Forest Insects and Diseases that Threaten Your Woodlands.” One discussion will look at ways that cutting some timber and managing land for wildlife can be compatible. Whole tree versus main stem tree harvesting methods will be compared and contrasted. Two presentations will take a look into the future: new forest products that are transforming the forest products industry, and efforts to restore the American chestnut, a tree that once covered three-quarters of the North American seaboard. Also, an interactive program about ways landowners can avoid the most common mistakes will wrap up the day.

The low-impact forestry area is located just outside the fairgrounds, near the Pine Gate.

Program highlights

• Invasive Plants on Your Woodlot, by Nancy Olmstead, invasive plant biologist, will begin at 9 a.m.

• Managing Your Woodlot for Wildlife, with Chuck Hulsey, MDIFW regional wildlife biologist, is scheduled for 10 a.m.

• Reintroduction of the American Chestnut, by Brian Roth, bard member of the Maine Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation and Associate Director of the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit at the University of Maine, will take place at 11 a.m.

• The Pluses and Minuses of Whole Tree Harvesting, with Tom Doak, executive director, Maine Woodland Owners, and Mitch Lansky, author and a founder of the Maine Low-Impact Forestry Project, is set for noon.

• New Uses for Wood, with Benjamin Herzog, wood technologist in the advanced structures and composites center, the University of Maine, will begin at 1 p.m.

• Forest Insects and Diseases that Threaten Your Woodlands, by Allison Kanoti, forest entomologist, Maine Forest Service, DACF, is set for 2 p.m.

• The Ten Biggest Mistakes Woodland Owners Make, featuring Tom Doak, executive director, Maine Woodland Owners, will begin at 3 p.m.

For the full program and schedule, visit mainewoodlandowners.org.