BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 28, 2021
On June 12, I learned, to my astonishment and dismay, that the Maine Legislature had passed L.D. 125; a flagrantly anti-environmental and discriminatory proposal to ban aerial herbicide spraying when used for silvicultural purposes. How could silviculture — the science and practices underpinning the sustainability of Maine’s forests, which I taught for over 30 years and practice widely on nearly 500 acres of my own lands, including Maine’s 2020 Outstanding Tree Farm — be under attack? Without silviculture, the sustainability of our managed forests would be imperiled, especially when it comes to their renewal. I urge legislators who acted to pass L.D. 125 to reconsider their votes in light of the links between silviculture and climate, and that if called upon to act again, they will sustain Gov. Janet Mills veto. ~ Bob Seymour, professor emeritus of silviculture, University of Maine