TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND • March 4, 2024
A new 446-acre Community Forest within five minutes of downtown Rumford has been permanently protected by Trust for Public Land, the Town of Rumford, Inland Woods + Trails, and the Northern Forest Center, with funding from the State of Maine’s Land for Maine’s Future and the U.S. Forest Service Community Forest and Open Space Program. The Rumford Community Forest includes 437 acres of hardwood and mixed-wood forest and 22 acres of wetlands and streams. This supports a broad array of wildlife, maintains the water quality of nearby public wells, and absorbs floodwater to help minimize local flooding. The land was formerly permitted for 257 residential and condominium lots, which would have significantly impacted the adjoining Black Mountain viewshed, local water supplies, wildlife habitat, and would have intensified future flood events in Rumford and Mexico.