Alan Hutchinson

The man who took FSM from a file box on his kitchen table to a million acres conserved.

It’s hard to imagine the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) without Alan Hutchinson. In truth, FSM really wasn’t an active land trust before he arrived. In 1984 FSM existed on paper, so that a conservation organization in neighboring New Hampshire could hold easements in Maine, but there was no staff, no office, and no new activity in Maine for more than a decade.

It wasn’t until 1997 when large tracts of Maine forestland were changing hands, that a group of landowners, conservation professionals, and scientists realized that Maine’s North Woods needed a dedicated land trust. They decided to bring FSM to life and hired Alan as the first employee and executive director. Before coming to FSM, Alan served with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) doing impressive work in various roles, but after 24 years he took a leap of faith and left IF&W to guide a fledgling organization. For the first several months he worked from his kitchen table, boxes of files stacked around him.

Soon after FSM upgraded to office space in downtown Bangor, Jim and Jenness Robbins of Robbins Lumber Company walked through the door. They wanted to discuss conservation options for 23,000 acres they’d purchased around Nicatous Lake. At the time it was a project of monumental proportions and a big test for a new executive director and a young organization. Working with numerous partners, (a practice that Alan made standard operating procedure for FSM), the Nicatous project became the first of many conservation successes.

If I was to use one word to describe Alan it would be ‘credibility.’ He exemplified it.” Maine forestland owner, Jim Robbins

Although completing projects was an important part of what Alan did, he did so much more to help make FSM a leader in conserving Maine forestlands. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was building an organization with a clear mission and vision for the future. It was slow work that required patience and tenacity, and depended in large part on his ability to bring people with diverse views together around the same table.

One of Alan’s amazing talents was to create an environment where there was deep, mutual respect for each other, and an openness to discuss some controversial topics in the most professional manner.” Former FSM board president Bob Burr

Alan was fond of saying, “We have a big tent,” meaning that people from all of the pillars of FSM’s mission–the economic, recreational, ecological, and cultural–could meet and find common ground. He recognized that helping Maine forestland owners and forest products businesses succeed is crucial to forestland conservation. He was also a good listener who could talk to anyone, because he knew that everyone had something to contribute.

Alan was the epitome of great leadership. He had a gracious way of making everyone feel a part of the project—and what incredible projects happened under his leadership. He was a real inspiration.” FSM friend Tarun Johns

Today, FSM has a staff of eight and a monitoring program for large forest easements that is highly regarded nationally. There is an active board of directors and advisory council, who are experts in forest resources, outdoor recreation, natural sciences, Maine history, land trust development, and more. Alan was very proud that FSM was among the first land trusts in Maine and the nation to become accredited through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. He was deeply aware of FSM’s ‘forever’ commitment to Maine lands, and worked hard to make FSM a strong and resilient organization.

I think the most difficult thing to be in the current state of our world is moderate. It takes day-in and day-out personal courage because you are constantly being criticized and questioned from all sides; yet, moderation is often the key to making progress. Alan had that personal courage; the unfailing ability to be calm, to be rational, to listen to all sides; and then to take firm, courageous, but moderate positions.” FSM partner Dick Spencer

One morning last year Alan told a young member of FSM’s staff that his generation had done a lot, both good and bad. “Now,” he said, “it’s up to your generation. It’s up to you.” His statement was a fair challenge, but it is only partially true: regardless of your generation, it is up to all of us to keep going, to keep making the changes we want to see in the world a reality, and to practice the tenacity, patience, and willingness to listen that Alan set as an example for us. Let’s honor Alan and further his legacy by continuing to come together around our shared goal of keeping Maine’s forests as forests for many generations to come.

Article originally published in Forest View, Fall 2017.

Top photo of Alan Hutchinson by Bruce Kidman.

**Excerpt from Forest View, FSM’s biannual newsletter, Spring 2015 edition**

How remarkable that the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is celebrating not one, but two milestones: our 30 year anniversary and having helped conserve a million acres! From day one, FSM’s focus has been on the woods and waters of Maine’s North Woods, the largest remaining block of forestland east of the Rocky Mountains. But FSM is also about people —people who care about the future of this incredible expanse of forest.

FSM arose in 1984 from a need, a vision, and a bold idea. The need was that of the Coburn family who after a century as landowners faced the sale of their forestlands. They wanted the mountains, forests, hiking and canoe trails, and ecological gems around Attean Pond to be maintained into the future. The vision was that productively managed forests and conservation could go hand-in-hand, sustaining ecological, economic, recreational, scenic, and cultural values. The bold idea was creating an organization with the unique mission of conserving those many values. With the help of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire’s Forests, FSM was established to hold 20,000 acres of forests, mountains, rivers, and lakes. The Attean project included what was then the largest conservation easement ever undertaken and one of the first to conserve forests for habitat, timber, scenic vistas, and public recreation.

By 1994 a century of relative stability in ownership and management of Maine’s North Woods began to change. Leaders at Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine Tree Foundation, and Trust for Public Land came together to evaluate the need for a new program specifically focused on conserving the economic and environmental values of Maine’s forestlands. They spoke with landowners, land conservation professionals, ecologists, foresters, mill owners, hikers, hunters, anglers, guides, scientists, and community leaders. They also conducted a review of forestland conservation programs across the United States to find a relevant model for Maine. Their findings laid the groundwork for the restructuring of FSM into a staffed, Maine-based, fully independent, and self-sustaining organization dedicated to filling the role of the land trust for Maine’s North Woods. Alan Hutchinson, FSM’s founding executive director, was hired in 1997 and a steady stream of important projects emerged beginning with the 20,000-acre Nicatous Lake project and followed shortly thereafter by the 329,000-acre West Branch project.

While we’ve spent much of the last year reflecting on our progress, we have also been looking ahead to the next 30 years. We have met with hundreds of FSM supporters and friends across the state. We learned there is continued need for FSM, our inclusive conservation approach, and our focus on large working forest landscapes. As a result Forest Society of Maine remains committed to its mission ensuring that the integrity and productivity of Maine’s North Woods will endure.

Remembering Alan Hutchinson

The man who took FSM from a file box on his kitchen table to a million acres conserved.

30 Years, A Million Acres

**Excerpt from Forest View, FSM’s biannual newsletter, Spring 2015 edition**

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