In early 2025, the Reel Quest team ventured to Maine’s northern border to film an amazing project for The Conservation Fund. TCF recently purchased 44,000 acres on the US-Canadian border a few miles north of Jackman, Maine to conserve access to the forests, streams, and mountains of the property for sustainable timber harvesting, recreation, and maple syrup production, while also preserving important wildlife habitat. Known as the Hilton Family Forest, this parcel provides an important economic and recreational resource for the people in Jackman. We visited in winter and early spring to capture the maple syrup operations on the property, where several producers lease over 300,000 taps. In addition to these trips, Reel Quest founder, Jerry Monkman had visited the property during the peak of foliage season to shoot stills and b-roll. In the finished video, we hear from syrup producers, town officials, and the Conservation Fund while watching footage of the amazing scenery in this part of Maine:

Learn more:

See the photos Jerry shot during peak foliage here: https://ecophotography.com/photo-assignment-conserving-working-forests-in-northern-maine/

Visit the Conservation Fund’s web write up about the Hilton Family Forest.

Here’s another project we worked on that combines the conservation of working forests with recreation and wildlife habitat: https://reelquestfilms.com/project/appalachian-mountain-club-maine-woods-initiative/