“I learned that commercial forestry is not what I wanna do — I got to live it. It wasn’t just someone telling me about it,” said Alan Chausse, a third-year forestry major. Chausse discussed his summer 2025 internship with Baskahegan Co., after connecting with the company at a previous forestry career fair.
This year, the fair ran for four consecutive Mondays, with the last one including Parks, Recreation and Tourism and Outdoor Leadership for the first time. For an hour, the lobby of Nutting Hall was packed with tables, prospective students milling about and no shortage of conversation.
“It was kind of hard to hear people because of all the talking,” Chausse said with a laugh, remembering the hour of tabling. “People were really excited to talk, especially the Bureau of Parks and Lands. There were probably seven people at that table at all times.” Chausse himself has had very positive experiences with the University School of Forest Resources and talked about how this event was a reflection of its best.
For the next two hours, presentations took place simultaneously in different rooms of Nutting Hall. Certain companies spotlighted their work and tried to provide context for students to help ease into a serious position. Maine Kayak spoke about what a guiding license is and how students would go about attaining one, a necessary credential for their employees.
“These people, they want students to learn and even if they don’t get a job with them, they want these students to get jobs,” Chausse affirmed. Unlike the competitive internship environment some engineering students may be familiar with, the event emphasized collaboration and support. “The speaker from the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation talked generally about how to go about getting a job in this field,” Chausse concluded.
“Sometimes there’s a disconnect between the academics and the professionals,” Chausse commented on the importance of field work in outdoor careers. “They tell you to ‘study how the professionals do their work,’ but this is a great way to actually hear it from the people who do it.” Outside of the specific days when this fair runs, there is an entire program dedicated to guiding students through the internship process.
“Eric McPherson is the contact point for the internship program,” Chausse explained. “His whole job is connecting students with companies to give them jobs. Throughout the year, he sends emails to let students know about pertinent information and deadlines. Most of the companies have internships here at UMaine, so students don’t have to worry about leaving their new home. And as a show of good faith, there is a specific week where all internship decisions are made so students aren’t waiting for a specific company’s response.” Chausse stressed how motivating and calming the constant support of faculty is for students, especially in their first year.
“We have a field camp in the first year to hopefully get students ready for an internship by that summer,” Chausse recalled. “Having that there can really catapult your skills. You get to practice all these things in field camp and then keep them going when you get an internship. I felt very prepared going to work for Baskahegan all because of that.”
The last half hour of the fair had free pizza and snacks in the lobby. Students continued milling about and speaking with some representatives, but the energy had changed. It felt more like a club or an organization — everyone talks and laughs casually and there seems to be little stress hanging over their heads or a desire to maximize this networking opportunity.
