On Monday, December 2, the Houlton community celebrated Region Two School of Applied Technology’s acquisition of a new $480,000 John Deere forwarder, purchased through a Maine Department of Education (DOE) grant, made possible by Governor Janet Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan.

“Governor Mills’ commitment to equipping our technical schools with industry-standard tools gives students hands-on experience that launches careers and builds Maine’s future workforce,” Maine DOE Commissioner Pender Makin said. “Our forestry sector remains a cornerstone of Maine’s economy, and these investments ensure our students are ready to lead this critical industry forward.”

The school’s new John Deere forwarder is a logging industry standard that future foresters must learn to master. This purchase replaces equipment at the school that was 25 years old. The new forwarder uses a rotating cabin and grapple arm to collect and transport logs from cutting sites to roadside landing areas.

Additionally, Region Two School of Applied Technology also received two forestry simulators alongside this forwarder, providing students with comprehensive training opportunities. It allows them to develop expertise with essential equipment in a controlled learning environment before operating the actual machinery.

This upgrade comes as part of a larger by the Maine DOE, designated specifically for upgrading infrastructure and equipment across Maine’s 27 Career and Technical Education schools. The goal is to modernize technical education facilities statewide.

“It was a great day for Career and Technical Education in the state, as it celebrated the commitment that Governor Mills has continuously shown toward growing these opportunities for the students of Maine,” Maine DOE Career and Technical Education Director Dwight Littlefield said. “Many logging companies have the exact same piece of equipment, which will definitely give the students of Region Two a leg up, if they choose to continue down this path.”

The impact of this investment is already evident in Region Two School of Applied Technology’s enrollment numbers, with the forestry program seeing student participation double from 14 students in 2020 to 28 students in the current academic year. This growth contributes to record-breaking statewide CTE enrollment this school year, with 10,405 students total.

This CTE expansion grant was a part of You can learn more about the Maine DOE’s efforts to bolster the state’s workforce and how the department allocated pandemic-era federal funding to do so here.