PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2026
The tremendous volume of data that has been collected at the U.S. Forest Service’s Penobscot Experimental Forest, a 3,900-acre forest in Bradley and Eddington, has formed a baseline of ecological knowledge that is unmatched. The Penobscot contains one of the longest-running studies in North America examining how forest management influences forest dynamics in northern conifer forests. Its long-term data have made it internationally recognized across forest science. Similarly, the Massabesic Experimental Forest located in Lyman has conducted long-term research on oak-pine forests, a prevalent forest type across southern New England. With the recent announcement of the U.S. Forest Service’s reorganization, many experimental forests are left in a state of uncertainty. The investments in long-term research that have been made at Maine’s experimental forests would deteriorate if facilities were closed. ~ Matt Russell, forest data scientist, Arbor Analytics, St. Albans