FARMINGTON -- The Maine Forest Service has reached a settlement with a logger from the Strong area who violated the state's forest-practices rules on land he owns and harvested on Horn Hill Road.

In the settlement agreement, Tracy Gordon agreed to pay a $4,000 civil penalty, according to a Forest Service press release. The Forest Service is part of the Maine Department of Conservation.

Harvest operations resulted in a 44-acre parcel clear-cut that did not have an adequate separation zone -- an area that immediately surrounds a clear-cut and separates it from any other clear-cut -- or a harvest plan prepared by a licensed forester prior to the harvest. A plan is required by the state's forest-practices rules governing the size, arrangement and management of clear-cuts.

Regional Enforcement Coordinator Paul Larrivee on Tuesday said Gordon is required to hire a licensed forester and file an after-the-fact harvesting plan on the 44 acres, which is a portion of a much larger property that Gordon owns on Horn Hill Road, off of Bailey Hill Road. The agreement also restricts Gordon from selling the land until 2010.

"To make them effective as deterrents, penalties for forest-practices rule violations are intended to remove the financial benefit obtained through such violations," said Forest Service Director Alec Giffen.

Larrivee said Gordon told the Forest Service he did not intend to create a clear-cut.

"Mr. Gordon was very cooperative and took full responsibility for the violation," Larrivee said. "He has taken steps to reduce the likelihood of a repeat violation."

Larrivee also commended Gordon for his prompt response and willingness to work with the department.

"It doesn't always happen that way," Larrivee said.

"These types of violations often result from inadequate harvest planning and supervision," he said. "Landowners should seek professional assistance from a licensed forester and employ a timber sale contract to insure that harvests meet the landowner's objectives."

"Our goal is to improve the management of Maine's forests," Giffen said. "Our agency focuses on educating and informing landowners to reduce the possibility of such violations. When violations do occur, however, we have a responsibility to uphold the law. We take this and our other responsibilities very seriously."