i am in the process of setting aside 5 acres or so to a family member......when i write/record the deed, do i also need to ammend my original deed to reflect the removal of the 5 acres????

Not sure how they are doing it in Maine. In my area the new deed is cross indexed to the one from which the parcel was split. When the starting parcel is sold the cross index shows the parcel that was split off so the new deed starts reading a lot like the first one but then continues on to exclude the portion that had been split off. It can get a bit messy when there have been multiple subdivisions and/or the combining of multiple parcels. Ideally it is cleaner if the property is surveyed and takes into account the various transactions of record and then provides a description for the new deed.

Having a new Parcel ID is typically required which will also require a survey. You can probably get reasonably accurate information from your local County Property Appraisers office, but to be safe you should contact a real estate attorney in your area. It would save everyone a lot of trouble later.