BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 3, 2022
Two decades ago, the Maine woods were in trouble. Are Maine’s forests and forest economy on a more sustainable path today? Forest industry land divestment is largely complete, though the share of foreign-owned land in Maine’s northern counties is the highest in the U.S. Worries of widespread ownership fragmentation into real estate subdivisions have not materialized, but a new forestland conversion issue is expanding wind and solar power generation and transmission corridors. Clearcutting is down. However, over-cutting of hardwoods in northern counties and logging in excess of timber growth on ownerships self-certified by industry continues. Working forest easements give more than 2 million acres some protection, ecological reserves have expanded, the Katahdin Lake lands are now within Baxter State Park, new non-motorized recreation trails are available, and some landowners participate in carbon credit programs. Forest resilience requires further conservation efforts, in view of expanding invasive species, habitat loss with land fragmentation and conversion, preserving the intrinsic value of wildlands, and addressing the rapidly intensifying climate crisis. Ensuring the future health of the Maine woods requires striking a better, more far-sighted balance among competing values. ~ David Vail and Jym St. Pierre