BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 8, 2021
Reduced demand for wood products in recent years has devastated the industry. More than 32,000 paper makers and loggers worked in Maine at the industry’s peak in 1967, and today fewer than 7,000 remain. Unfortunately, we know all too well the heartbreak of losing the local paper mill, as well as the jobs and sense of community that go with it. We must reconcile protecting our planet with revitalizing and rebuilding our logging communities. Fortunately, recent innovations in wood products and sustainable forest management practices offer a pathway to do both. I’m proud to join Forest Opportunity Roadmap/Maine (FOR/Maine) for its Biodiversity Summit on Friday. I see a brighter future ahead for the forest products industry. ~ Rep. Chellie Pingree