Maine Division Leadership Team

Chair

Chuck Loring
Term: 1/1/26 – 12/31/26

Chuck is a citizen of the Penobscot Nation. In his work duties, he provides oversight to the Nation’s natural resources department. Though his path began through forestry, Chuck feels a deep connection to the forests and animals within. He spends much of his time in the Katahdin region where he feels most connected to those relations. When he and his family are not recreating on the lands he is working on their farm near their Corinth home. Chuck is also guiding the Penobscot Nation with the help of great partners on two significant land return and various restoration projects.

Chair Elect

Sean Horan
Term: 1/1/26 – 12/31/26

Immediate Past Chair

Wil Mercier
Term: 1/1/26 – 12/31/26

Wil lives and works in the greater Bangor area. He is currently the owner and principal of Global Resource Analytics, where he focuses on applying geospatial technologies and data analysis to forestry. Wil holds a BS in Forestry and a MS in Forest Resources from the University of Maine. He is a licensed forester in the state of Maine and an SAF Certified Forester. Over the years Wil has served on both the MESAF and NESAF executive committees, as well as being a part of the planning committee for several NESAF meetings.

Treasurer

Jake Metzler
Term: 1/1/25 – 12/31/26

Jake is currently the Director of Forestland Conservation for the Forest Society of Maine in Bangor. In that role, he gets to work with landowners large and small throughout the state, helping answer land conservation questions by crafting and stewarding projects that help ensure that forests remain sustainable, productive, and vibrant for all their users. Jake has previously served SAF as a member of both the NESAF Executive Committee (2019-2021) and the Maine Division Executive Committee.

Secretary

Kate Locke
Term: 1/1/2025 – 12/31/2026

Member-At-Large

Samantha Anderson
Term: 1/1/26 – 12/31/26

Sam graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2014 with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science. She then attended University of Maine to get her Masters of Forestry degree and graduated in 2020. While she was in graduate school she worked for the CFRU as the Interim Communications and Research Coordinator and was an active member in SAF attending conferences and annual meetings. She is an active forester who has been practicing and managing forest lands for over 2 years. She has 10 years of field experience working in the arctic for research in Sweden to the deserts of California as a wildlife technician. She currently lives in Fort Kent, ME working for Irving Woodlands as a Field Forester.

Member-at-Large

Brandon Learnard
Term: 1/1/25 – 12/31/25

Brandon has been an operations forester for the Seven Islands Land Company for 7 years. He is a Maine native with a B.A. from Sterling College in Vermont and a M.F. from the University of Maine. Brandon participated in internships with CFRU and SFMA while in school. Brandon has been a licensed forester since 2018 and has been an SAF member since 2014. Brandon enjoys the fall colors, practicing silviculture in the northern forest and mountains with viewsheds.

Member-at-Large

Libin Thaikkattil Louis
Term: 1/1/26 – 12/31/26

Dr. Libin T. Louis is an Assistant Professor of Forestry at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, specializing in sustainable forest management and timber harvesting economics. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Maine, Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia, and Bachelor’s degree from Kerala Agricultural University in India.

Dr. Louis’s research focuses on making forest operations more economically viable while protecting the environment. His work helps forest managers understand the true costs of harvesting timber and utilizing wood for energy, particularly when dealing with smaller trees that are often difficult to harvest profitably. His work provides practical solutions for forest landowners, logging companies, and policymakers working to balance economic needs with environmental sustainability in forest management.

Maine Representative to NESAF Executive Committee

Carol Redelsheimer
Term: 1/1/25– 12/31/26

Carol Redelsheimer is a University of Maine alum who spent twenty-seven years in a variety of forest management positions in northern and eastern Maine, including with Great Northern Paper, Champion International, Baxter State Park’s Scientific Management Area, as well as consulting for private clients. From 2010-2021 she worked as Director, Science & Education, for national SAF administering SAF accreditation, coordinating national convention program development, and working with the Forest Science & Technology Board and Working Groups. Redelsheimer has previously served as chair-elect and chair of MESAF, in several capacities organizing NESAF winter meetings, as a member of the Maine Board of Licensure, the Maine Tree Farm Committee, and the SAF Certification Review Board.

Education Chair

Laura Audibert
Term: Appointed

Laura is currently a Consulting Forester living in Fort Kent, Maine. She earned her B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Maine. Her entire career has been in Maine, working in the forestry industry for 17 years and consulting for 19 years. Laura served as Maine’s Division Manager from 2000 until 2020 and has been a SAF member since 1983.

Communications Committee Chair

Jason Desjardin
Term: Appointed

Jason is an Aroostook County native who earned an Associate degree in Forest Technology from the University of Maine at Fort Kent followed by a Bachelors degree in Forest Management from the University of Maine. Jason works for Seven Islands Land Company out of Ashland, Maine. He has been with the Seven Islands family of companies for 15 years, in various capacities, and is currently their Planning Forester. Jason is a State of Maine licensed forester, as well as a SAF Certified Forester. Jason is enthusiastic about promoting the values of sustainable forestry and supporting the profession. Jason resides in Castle Hill with his wife and two children.

Projects & Membership Chair

Katie Manende
Term: 1/1/25 – 12/31/25 (appointed)

Katie lives in Southern Maine and has been a forester with Central Maine Power Company since 2014. Prior to CMP, she was a forester for Sappi for 6 ½ years. Katie is a graduate of the University of Maine (B.S. Forestry and B.S. Wildlife Ecology 2008, Master of Forestry 2014) and has been involved in SAF since her freshman year at UMO. She has spent many years on the MESAF Executive Committee in roles such as chair and member at large, as well as service to the National Board of Directors. Currently, she is an active member of the Maine Tree Foundation Board of Directors and the Sanford Trails Committee. She also owns her own forestry consulting business, which she practices part time outside of her full time job at CMP. In her spare time, she enjoys quality outdoor time, especially with her husband, two children, and two puppies!

Policy Chair

Adam Daigneault
Term: Appointed