MAINE PUBLIC • September 14, 2022
The U.S Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday funding for what's being called a potentially transformational pilot program to help forest landowners in Maine and the rest of New England mitigate climate change. The goal of the program is to remove more carbon from the atmosphere by growing more and better quality wood, verifying the results and building markets for climate-friendly wood products. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said if means not cutting down too many trees but also managing for ecological values such as clean water, wildlife, diversity of species and healthy soil to sequester and store carbon and reduce other greenhouse gas emissions. Several large commercial landowners in Maine, including Seven Islands, Weyerhaeuser, Wagner Woodlands and Baskahegan Land Company have signed on.