When the Appalachian Mountain Club purchased the 37,000-acre Katahdin Iron Works tract in 2003 and set about adding forestry to its roster of activities, club leaders turned to Huber Resources Corporation and the firm’s senior operations forester, Ted Shina, for guidance.
AMC knew it wanted its long-term forest management plan to be based on sustainable harvesting methods, and Shina, 54, has lent his expertise to helping the organization achieve those goals.
As team leader and lead forester for AMC, Shina works closely with AMC Assistant Director of Research and forest ecologist Dave Publicover and AMC Special Projects Manager Gerry Whiting, who is also a forester, to develop and carry out a management plan for the property, which was recently an industrial forest that had seen extensive harvesting.
“We’re trying to look at the whole forest as a system,” Shina said. “Our philosophy toward forestry and land management is a holistic one. You have to consider the wildlife, water quality, soil structure, wildlife habitat...I enjoy that.”
Noted AMC’s Publicover, "AMC's management is designed to be less intensive than typical commercial forest management, promoting the long-term development of a more mature, structurally complex (or multi-layered) forest. An important goal is to eventually have AMC's management certified by the Forest Stewardship Council."
In keeping with AMC’s objectives, Shina has focused in recent years on salvaging diseased beech trees, while leaving larger, “legacy” trees. “Over 18 inches (in diameter), we’re leaving on the stump, because AMC’s objective is to leave large, legacy trees for wildlife habitat,” the professional forester explained.
Another objective, Shina said, is “to buffer natural resources, including vernal pools, small brooks, larger streams and, of course, ponds and lakes. In fact, AMC’s standard for most lakes exceeds the 250-foot LURC (Land Use Regulation Commission) -mandated zone.” Important wildlife corridors and trees being used as nesting sites by birds of prey are being buffered from harvesting activity as well, he said.
Shina has been a forester in Maine for more than 30 years, and has been with Huber for about nine years. Working with AMC and other clients, he is responsible for managing more than 100,000 acres.
He holds a forestry degree and a Bachelor of University Studies Degree with a business management concentration from the University of Maine at Orono.
Shina lives in Old Town, Maine. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors, fishing, hiking, and kayaking, with his wife, Margaret, and two daughters, Rochelle, 20, and Renee, 18.
-- Rob Burbank
