Boom or dust? How tariffs are helping this Maine sawmill but creating more uncertainty for others

MAINE MONITOR • February 8, 2026

Business is humming at Pleasant River Lumber’s sawmill in Enfield and has been for a while even as other forest products manufacturers, such as paper and pulp mills, have experienced financial upheaval. Pleasant River Lumber has invested more than $100 million to build and upgrade the Enfield mill since 2020. While Maine’s timber harvests have steadily declined in recent decades, sawlog production, particularly of softwood species such as spruce, pine and fir, increased between 2010 and 2020. Demand has since slowed, but the co-owners said the tariffs on Canadian lumber imports that the Trump administration increased last year have given them the confidence to expand business in Maine. Not all members of the Maine lumber industry are as bullish on the tariffs. An industry analyst and two other mill leaders said that inflation and a sputtering housing market make it unclear whether the tariffs will have a positive effect on business in the long run.

Letter: Don’t believe disinformation about climate change

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • February 8, 2026

May we all pay attention to science and realize that wild weather of this kind is actually caused by a warming Arctic, just one more way that our prolific use of heat trapping fossil fuels is coming back to bite us, this time not with heat but with cold. When will all Americans learn that burning coal, oil and propane to heat our homes and businesses is only making matters worse, and that sensible energy policies, based on the use of renewable sources like solar and wind, are an achievable option today. The disinformation being spread by our current president and his administration must not be bought hook, line and sinker. ~ Sam Saltonstall, Brunswick

Discover Maine’s newest trails: Mount Tuck and 2 others

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 8, 2026

Mount Tuck is located just west of the Penobscot River, perhaps a mile or so south of the magnificent Penobscot Narrows Bridge. The wooded 565-foot hill straddles the town line between Prospect to the north and Stockton Springs to the south, which claims most of the mountain. The land is owned by Coastal Mountains Land Trust, which purchased the summit area in 2019 and has since acquired most of Mount Tuck. The view eastward over the Penobscot River is a real beauty, taking in Blue Hill Mountain and Wallamatogus Mountain and extending beyond to the familiar rounded profiles of my home mountains on Mount Desert Island, from Cadillac and Sargent to Norumbega and Bernard.

Deputy commissioner says MDOT still open to options for Machias Dike project

MAINE MONITOR • February 7, 2026

Deputy Commissioner Joyce Taylor of the Maine Department of Transportation said Thursday the agency is still open to other options for repairing the failing Machias Dike rather than simply rebuilding it as it is now. This contrasts with what many members of the Upper Machias Bay Master Plan Leadership Committee understood after a Jan. 27 meeting, where they said MDOT shifted its position from a year earlier and indicated it would support only an “in-kind” replacement that matches the current dike.

Kennebec Water District launching $8.6M project to filter PFAS

CENTRAL MAINE • February 7, 2026

The Kennebec Water District is working on an $8.6 million project to upgrade its treatment plant system with the goal of eliminating PFAS in the water. The improved system is expected to go online in 2028. PFAS, or per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, is a group of man-made chemicals that have been linked to a number of negative health impacts in people. They are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily in the environment or in the body. Yhe Maine Department of Health and Human Services’s CDC Drinking Water Program is working to ensure all of Maine’s public water systems meet stringent new federal and state guidelines for PFAS in drinking water by the April 2029 regulatory deadline.

Windham accepting applications for watershed protection grants

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 6, 2026

The town of Windham has opened the application window for its watershed protection program. Mary Wicklund, environmental and sustainability coordinator for Windham, said the grant program has existed since 2018 and was created using the excise tax from watercraft registration. the projects applying for the grant must “promote community-based efforts to protect and restore diverse natural resources,” and can include environmental education programs, removal and replacements of noxious vegetation, inventories and monitoring of natural areas, as well as infrastructure improvements that fit with stormwater best management practices.

South Portland sets goals for pipeline

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 6, 2026

The South Portland City Council set its goals for 2026, with a focus on environmental issues, land use and infrastructure needs. One of the council’s goals is to work with the Portland Pipe Line Corp. on the redevelopment and reuse of the 200 acres it owns in the city. The land owned by Portland Pipe Line, a subsidiary of the Canadian oil company Suncor that is among the city’s largest landowners, is scattered across several parcels. The company’s assets include a 100-acre tank farm near the high school and four tanks and two piers by Bug Light Park viewed as eyesores and environmental hazards. It has been rumored for months that Portland Pipe Line intends to sell its holdings. The council also set a goal to protect the city’s air quality through monitoring and reporting.

Trump ends Obama-era restrictions on commercial fishing in protected area off New England

ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 6, 2026

President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Friday reopening a huge swath of protected sea in the Atlantic Ocean to commercial fishing. Trump said the move would reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the New England coast, a nearly 5,000-square-mile preserve east of Cape Cod that was created by former President Barack Obama. Trump rolled back protections in the area in 2020 and President Joe Biden later restored them. Trump’s proclamation is his latest move to roll back existing conservation measures.

What can we learn from zooplankton?

MAINE MONITOR • February 6, 2026

Zooplankton, tiny drifting sea creatures, are found across the planet, where they play a key role in marine food webs and carbon sequestration. In the Gulf of Maine, studying zooplankton offers clues on the whereabouts of the endangered North Atlantic right whale, helping to improve conservation efforts and reduce collisions with boat traffic, and informs scientists’ understanding of climate change as the waters warm.

Letter: Maine moves to kill the economic engine of the North Woods

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 6, 2026

Moose are the center of our world in the North Woods. They are elegant, awkward, majestic creatures and they are the No. 1 reason tourists go out of their way to explore the Moosehead Lake region. And, they are at risk. Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is the organization that is charged with caring for and protecting our moose herd and they are the very people who are prioritizing killing versus caring for them. Why? Predictably, it’s money. Now, MDIF&W has proposed to add an additional week of moose hunting, and move up the current week, in the three zones surrounding Moosehead Lake during peak fall tourism. The fall foliage season, the second most popular reason tourists come to Moosehead Lake, only lasts for three weeks. This move would be devastating to small businesses in the area, resulting in lost revenue and lost jobs in a region of the state that can’t afford it. ~Jennifer Whitlow, Greenville

Maryland man who died at Acadia was a ‘source of laughter’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 5, 2026

Christian Leveron, 24, died last week after being trapped by the incoming tide on Bar Island, an island close to shore in Bar Harbor that is part of Acadia National Park. Leveron's body was found in the water off the island on the morning of Jan. 29.

Maine fisherman lost at sea remembered for his love of country and Aroostook County

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 5, 2026

Freeman Short was a fourth-generation fisherman. Short, 31, was one of seven people aboard the Lily Jean when it sank off the coast of Massachusetts on Jan. 30. The U.S. Coast Guard launched a search but suspended it the following day, having covered about 1,000 square miles using aircraft, cutters and small boats over a 24-hour period. The 72-foot vessel was returning to port early to repair fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters. There wasn’t a mayday call from Lily Jean as it navigated its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Coast Guard was notified by the boat’s beacon, which sends out an alert when it hits the water.

Unity Environmental University launches school of business

MAINEBIZ • February 5, 2026

Unity Environmental University, a private liberal arts institution in Maine, has launched the Couri Graduate School of Business. The new graduate school will offer a business education focused on sustainability and climate risk. The launch is supported by a $750,000 endowment, $500,000 of which came from philanthropist Elaine and John Couri, along with contributions from their family and friends. The endowment will fund students from around the country who will travel to Maine to attend a week-long, in-person immersion session at Unity’s 150-acre Moose River campus in Somerset County. Enrollment will begin in March, offering an MBA in climate-ready business and a master’s in sustainable finance.

King Bill Improving National Park Safety Passes out of Committee

US SEN. ANGUS KING • February 5,2026

U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Barrasso (R-WY) today announced that their bill to improve national park safety has passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously. Their Making National Parks Safer Act would equip National Park Service (NPS) 911 call centers with Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology, strengthening emergency response capabilities, supporting dispatch center operations, and enabling responders to receive text messages, images, and videos in addition to phone calls. The bill now heads to the Senate Floor for further consideration and potential passage.

Opinion: Climate superfund bill is an impractical choice for Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 5, 2026

A so-called “climate superfund,” LD 1870, proposed in 2025 by Rep. Grayson Lookner and Sen. Stacy Brenner would require American energy companies to pay for a state superfund for mitigation and adaptation projects for extreme weather due to decades of greenhouse gas emissions statewide. The legal murkiness of such proposals has prompted challenges in other states. Climate superfunds are neither the legal nor practical approach that Maine policymakers must abandon in favor of viable and effective solutions to lower carbon emissions. Legal challenges to superfunds would hamper our state’s effort to lower carbon emissions and put us back at square one. Also, the regulatory back and forth our state would face makes implementing a climate superfund difficult. ~ Drew Ketterer, Maine attorney general, 1995 to 2001; his legal practice formerly or currently represents major petroleum companies

Where to spot snowy owls before winter ends

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 5, 2026

Snowy owls are winter visitors in Maine, drifting down from the Arctic when food conditions push them south. Knowing this, it became my personal mission to find one. And, surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard. As birder and outdoor contributor Bob Duchesne advises, follow three simple rules when observing them: don’t get too close, watch their behavior and use optics to view from a distance.

Aroostook town unveils 4-season blueprint to boost tourism

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 5, 2026

Southern Aroostook economic development planners believe Island Falls’ four-season outdoor recreation blueprint will draw overnight visitors to the region. The longterm, multi-phase project includes a grant-funded downtown riverfront park with a pedestrian bridge and amphitheater and nearly 70 miles of an Outdoor Sport Institute-guided trail system. From a canoe and kayak launch, paddlers can travel all the way to Mattawamkeag Lake and historic Bible Point — the same route once traveled by Theodore Roosevelt. The trail funding is part of a multiyear $1.25 million project, funded by federal and state grants, that will deliver more than 18 miles of natural surface trails in Island Falls, Patten and Millinocket. The Outdoor Sport Institute, a nonprofit based in Millinocket, was recently awarded the grants to expand non-motorized trail systems throughout Maine’s Katahdin Region as a way to support the region’s growing outdoor economy.

Study shows particle pollution from wildfire smoke was tied to 24,100 deaths per year in the US

ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 4, 2026

Chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States, according to a new study. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that from 2006 to 2020, long-term exposure to tiny particulates from wildfire smoke contributed to an average of 24,100 deaths a year in the lower 48 states. Along with decades of forest mismanagement, growing development in fire-prone areas has expanded the “urban wildland interface,” increasing wildfire risk with real consequences for human health, said Michael Jerrett, professor of environmental health science. The Trump administration’s rollbacks in climate change policy, even as the more destructive wildfires become more frequent in large part due to global warming, poses critical risks, the study’s authors said.

Gorham development poised to grow to 565 units

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 4, 2026

A large housing development in Gorham Village is one Planning Board step away from a green light following its action on Feb. 2 granting preliminary approval. Developer KV Enterprises is seeking to build 565 housing units on 131 acres behind Village Elementary School. The project calls for 91 single-family lots and 474 multifamily units in eight buildings, each four or five stories tall.