UMFK Forestry and Wildlife

08/20/2026

We are looking for a Scientific Research Specialist to conduct tick drag survey in Northern Maine this Fall!

The University of Maine at Fort Kent is seeking to hire a detail-oriented and motivated Scientific Research Specialist to conduct field inventory and sampling for winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) across designated study sites in Northern Maine. This temporary 5-week, full-time position involves...

08/12/2026

Congratulations to our Faculty!

FORT KENT, Maine — The University of Maine at Fort Kent has received the largest research grant in the institution’s history, securing a five-year, $649,836

06/18/2026

🎉 Big congratulations to Isaac Wheeler, a senior student in our Associate of Science in Applied Forest Management program, on earning the 2026 Forestry Scholarship Awards from Acadian Timber!

Congratulations to the recipients of our 2026 Forestry Scholarship Awards!

06/09/2026

UMFK Represented at the North American Moose Conference!

We are incredibly proud to share that Dr. Stéphanie Landry, program leader of our wildlife management program, traveled to Lake Placid this past May to attend the prestigious North American Moose Conference!

It was an unparalleled opportunity to sit in a room filled with leading wildlife experts, biologists, and researchers from all over the globe. From ground-breaking management strategies to the latest in population monitoring, we learned an immense amount and made incredible connections with peers in the field.

There is so much exciting work on the horizon for wildlife and moose research, and UMFK is thrilled to be part of the conversation. 🌲📈

05/21/2026

The UMFK campus is looking great this spring!

05/15/2026

Putting the green in the greenhouse just in time for spring planting! We are growing for the Cooperative Extension One Tomato giveaway (May 29 and 30, 9-12AM at the greenhouse on Armory Road), and will be giving away leftovers (donations gratefully accepted but not required). We have an abundance of cherry tomatoes, a few full size tomatoes, some hot peppers, swamp milkweed plugs, sprouted acorns for direct planting, and swamp and common milkweed seeds for larger conservation plantings.

05/08/2026

Would you like this to be your yard? We have stratified seed from both common and swamp milkweed available to good homes in Aroostook County. Drop us a line here and we can figure out how to get them to you, and advise on how to get them started. This video is from the front of the Armory building (home to the Forestry and Wildlife programs) in 2023, a fantastic year for monarchs if a little rough on our newly established milkweed patch.

04/24/2026

As we get into the growing season for apples, keep an eye out for the signs of round headed appletree borer, which can kill trees if left unchecked.

Look for small holes with reddish brown frass (excrement) near the ground; painting with interior white latex paint mixed 50/50 with water can make them stand out.

These videos are from Prof. Thompson's home orchard, illustrating an extraction method mentioned in the Cooperative Extension bulletin linked below.

https://tinyurl.com/AppleTreeBorer

https://extension.umaine.edu/piscataquis/programs/home-gardening/basicgarden/roundheaded/

54 likes. "Cutting an apple borer larva out of grafted tree"

04/20/2026

Tree swallows have returned to Fort Kent! We have maintained nest boxes on campus and the Fournier Biopark for seven years now, including eight new ones last year!

Nest sites are known to be a limiting factor for tree swallows, especially in places where we can't keep dead trees for safety reasons (like a college campus). Because of these boxes, we have dozens flying around every spring!

Please watch from a respectful distance and do not open the boxes to look. You may see a student employee or faculty opening the boxes to collect data, but we want to minimize disturbance during the breeding season.

Check out our build video for the nest boxes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtFaYp_ff8U

https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/tree-swallow/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tree_Swallow/lifehistory

04/18/2026

American kestrel migration has reached Fort Kent! Our smallest raptors eat small rodents and grasshoppers. You'll see them hunting mostly in open areas. Nest boxes that we have built and maintained over the years have been used to raise dozens of chicks, with 12 additions last year and more going up now, we have a strong network that will support student research!