PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2025
This summer, lawmakers in Augusta sent a resounding message: Mainers care about late-successional and old-growth (LSOG) forests, where most trees are older than 150 years. That message came in the form of LD 1529, which, among other things, directs state agencies to develop a comprehensive report by November 2026 on strategies to conserve LSOG forests. The bill, which received broad bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Mills in late June, recognizes the importance of LSOG for Maine’s biodiversity, climate and communities. At the time of European settlement, 70 to 80% of Maine was LSOG. Today it’s less than 4%, and declining rapidly. LD 1529 makes clear that LSOG is no longer a niche concern for forest ecologists and conservation practitioners. ~ Jon Leibowitz, CEO of Northeast Wilderness Trust, and John M. Hagan, forest ecologist, Our Climate Common