Meet the Forester of the Year from Huber Resources Corp

Working as a Senior Operations Forester for Huber Resources Corp in Old Town, Maine, Ted Shina manages about 100,000 acres (40,469 hectares) of forestland. In his role, Shina must delicately balance the needs of landowners, the environment and wildlife, and the public. For his stewardship of the landscape, Shina was named Forester of the Year by the Maine Forest Products Council (MFPC) in 2011.

A leader in sustainable forestry, HRC manages more than 700,000 acres (283,279 hectares) of timberlands for third-party landowners, as well as Huber-owned land. The Maine Forest Products Council, a trade association representing landowners, mills, loggers and other stakeholders in the forest products industry, is involved in educational, communication and legislative activities. MFPC honored Shina for environmental education outreach, forest management for a wide variety of clients, work on behalf of trade organizations and participation in logger training and safety.

Shina is an expert in all areas of sustainable forest management, which includes trees, soil, water and wildlife. He practices silviculture, the art and science of growing the healthiest and most valuable trees to meet the objectives of landowners while ensuring that the forests remain a resource for generations to come. He begins with a management plan, recommending what actions will produce the highest yield and looking for the best areas to harvest in the most responsible way.

Shina considers himself a “sunlight manager.” Based on his 30 years of experience, Shina goes into a forest and opens it up to support the trees he wants to regenerate—letting in just enough sunlight to promote growth of the most valuable trees.

Although he uses the latest technological advances in managing the forests, including GIS (Geographic Information Systems), GPS (Global Positioning Systems), computer modeling and digital aerial photography, Shina believes there’s no substitute for shoe leather—getting out in the forest to make sure he’s harvesting the right trees and leaving the right ones to grow.