PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 4, 2026
The Department of Environmental Protection has approved plans as mitigation for the NECEC transmission corridor. The DEP requires NECEC to protect 50,000 acres to be managed for mature-forest wildlife species. A typical even-aged stand will qualify as “mature forest habitat,” which is only about 50 years old. These stands will lack large trees for wildlife denning and nesting sites, multiple vegetation layers mature-forest birds use for nesting and feeding, and large decaying trees and downed logs that provide habitat for insects, fungi and mammals. After the mature forest goal is reached, clearcutting could occur on thousands of acres every 10 years. First, the definition should include clear requirements for the minimum number of large-diameter trees. Second, limits should be placed on the size and distribution of clearcut or “shelterwood” patches. Third, no cutting should be allowed in the few stands that meet the DEP-approved definition until the 50+% mature-forest goal is reached. ~ Robert Bryan and Paul Larrivee, licensed foresters