Thumbs up to the Sanford Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust for stepping up and looking to plant a tree species that has all but vanished from the American landscape. They’ll be planting new, blight-resistant American chestnut seedlings on the Town Farm land on Hanson’s Ridge Road come spring. The trees used to pepper the landscape from Maine to Florida, but succumbed to a blight that was discovered in 1904, and by 1938, most American chestnuts had disappeared.

The reintroduction of the American chestnut to Sanford is a perfect project for the land trust, said its president, Gordon “Bud” Johnston, who pointed out that one of the goals of the trust is to reintroduce vanished or uncommon tree species to the forests. We agree.

Thumbs up to the towns of Lyman and Dayton and the Goodwin’s Mills Fire Rescue corporation for completing years of work to transfer the fire station from a corporation to a joint-municipal entity. The process was long and difficult, set back by disagreements and legal details that ranged from accommodating the department’s federal grant for expansion to figuring out how staff would be managed. The town selectmen and those who participated in the fire commission should give themselves a pat on the back for sticking it out and carrying out the will of the voters. As a municipal fire station, the department should be eligible for more grant funding, and the towns will have more say in its operation. We wish the new chief, Roger “Rod” Hooper, the best in moving the department forward.

Thumbs up to the Animal Welfare Society of Kennebunk for agreeing to participate in the Paws In Stripes program at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. The shelter stepped up to fill a need for the program at the prison after the previous shelter was no longer able to support it, and we’re glad they did. Having the dogs to foster allows inmates to take on an important responsibility and know that they are making a positive impact on the community, even as they serve out sentences for their crimes. The animals offer them comfort and companionship, which can be therapeutic in helping them to redirect their lives, and in the process the puppies learn valuable skills and are socialized, making them more likely to be adopted by loving families. This program even helps jail staff connect with inmates, since they can use the dogs as an icebreaker for conversation, and brightens an otherwise negative environment. It’s a win all around, and we hope many people will consider donating to support this initiative and the other work of AWS.

Thumbs down to the Regional School Unit 23 decision against hosting an informational session to get input from parents about school choice. Before making a decision on whether to allow families to choose a school, the board should take time out to hear from the public. Many say that Saco Middle School is overcrowded, while Old Orchard Beach’s Loranger Middle School is about 100 students below capacity. Now that the towns are all part of one district, it makes sense to even out the population a bit so all students can make the most of district resources. A resource equalization committee formed by the district decided that allowing voluntary school choice would be the best approach, and we agree it’s better than the other two options: Delineating districts so some students are forced to attend one school or the other; or leaving one school under-used and the other maxed-out.

Thumbs up to local schools for their decision to use Valentine’s Day in a positive way, promoting health and happiness. Massabesic Middle School hosted a wellness fair, while Biddeford High School enjoyed a healthy lunch and displays about proper portion sizes and hidden sugars. Heart disease is a major killer in this country, but we have most of the control over it, through our diet and exercise habits. Through these programs at the schools, local youth learn a lot and can take those messages with them through life and think twice about how they’re treating their bodies. Also in relation to the “heart” holiday, a thumbs up is in order for those who organized flower donations for the elderly on Valentine’s Day. The blooms and accompanying smiles no doubt brightened the day for those who received them, many of whom would not otherwise be recognized on that day of celebrating love.

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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.