Versant Power partners with Brewer High School to train aspiring arborists

Versant Power has a team of professionally licensed foresters and arborists and is responsible for trimming trees along 1,500 miles of power line each year. That team jumped in to help when Brewer High School wanted to start a new summer forestry immersion program.

Several years ago, Mark Savage at Brewer High expanded the school’s outdoor education program to include a forestry curriculum. He developed a six-week summer course that is exposing students to Maine’s forest heritage and helping some prepare for forest-based careers. The course is held at a remote camp in the Brownville area where students learn about heavy equipment operation, tree identification, forest management, sawmills, natural resource science, and more.

“The Versant team has gone out their way for a second year to help organize and bring in foresters and arborists for this immersion program,” said Savage, “The students get to experience things they’d never get to be exposed to and see a range of careers in the forestry industry.”

Along with presentations from the Versant team, students saw demonstrations and equipment from local arborists with Northern Tree Service and Zuhlke Tree Service.

“While students are learning basic skills and knowledge of forestry in this program, they are also developing critical life and career skills that will help them be successful in any field may choose,” said Steve Sloan, who oversees Versant's Vegetation Management team. “They learn expectations of leadership, teamwork, and communication, and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Above: Brewer High students watch Versant Vegetation Management team demonstrations.


The program has been supported by the Maine Tree Foundation, Brewer High School and Versant Power and has grown from nine students last year to seventeen students this summer.

Versant works with several local and national tree contractors that employ over 100 arborists. With the help of Brewer High School’s forestry program and local partners, future foresters and arborists will be better prepared for careers in northern and eastern Maine.

Above: James Zuhlke, owner of Zuhlke Tree Service, shows students his bucket truck 

To learn more about Versant’s Vegetation Management program, visit: https://www.versantpower.com/business/programs-and-services/vegetation-management/