Portland, Maine 04101 United States
1:00 pm-2:00 pm
On Zoom. Free and open to the public. Registration required.
The logging industry in Maine goes back more than 400 years. Rivers made transporting logs from the forests to the mills relatively easy, but the environmental impact of this practice is still felt today. The biggest log drives occurred in the 1800s and early 1900s, with river channels being modified to ease log movement. Recent flooding and erosion damage along Maine’s rivers is partly due to the continuing legacy of log drives in the state. Habitat for the now-endangered Atlantic salmon continues to be compromised despite the end of the log drives in the 1970s. However, the real impact of log drives is revealed by analyzing topographic maps, aerial photographs, and historical remnants visible on rivers today. Nearly every river and stream in Maine was straightened as part of the log drives.
About the presenter: Dr. John Field is a fluvial geomorphologist (i.e., river geologist) who has worked on rivers throughout New England for 25 years. Time and again, the flooding and erosion problems Dr. Field addresses as a consultant are linked to the log drives of a bygone era. Previously as a university professor, he won two Excellence in Teaching awards and is skilled in explaining difficult concepts in an engaging manner that draws great interest during public presentations.