$13M will support forest management, conservation in Maine

Photo / Courtesy Jerry Monkman, the Conservation Fund The Conservation Fund recently bought a 44,000-acre swath of mountain and forestland along the Canadian border in northern Maine for $44.4 million.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Maine’s abundance of natural resources includes 17.6 million acres of forestland that covers 89% of the land area, making it largest contiguous forest east of the Mississippi River.

That abundance galvanizes conservation efforts. Just in the past year, that’s included the Conservation Fund acquisition of the 44,000-acre Hilton Family Forest in Somerset and Franklin counties, a timber investment fund’s acquisition of the 3,000-acre Scammon Ridge Headwaters in Piscataquis County and a partnership to buy the 29,000-acre Barnard Forest in Piscataquis County.

Now more than $13 million in federal grants is coming to Maine to support further private forestland management and conservation.

“Maine’s forests are not only vital to our economy but also play a critical role in combating climate change and supporting biodiversity,” said U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District.

The money is expected to help landowners adopt sustainable practices like managing invasive species and enhancing carbon sequestration, Pingree said.

The Maine Department of Agriculture will receive $4 million to create a financial incentives program to promote climate mitigation and forest resilience practices across Maine’s private, non-industrial forestland, with an eye toward invasive species management, stand improvement and regeneration establishment.

Another $5 million will help bolster forest stewardship practices with carbon storage and sequestration benefits that are cost prohibitive for many landowners under current economic and market conditions. Some 400 landowners will participate in the program, with a minimum of 160 who are underserved.

The New England Forestry Foundation is slated to get $4,282,906 in partnership with landowners to defer timber harvesting in late successional and old-growth forest stands for up to 10 years, allowing the stands to continue acting as a carbon storehouse while resources are secured for permanent maintenance and protection.

“By supporting resilient ecosystems, we can ensure that Maine’s forests remain a thriving source of economic and environmental benefits for generations to come,” Pingree said.

The grants for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the New England Forestry Foundation are among awards totaling nearly $335 million for state agencies and nonprofit organizations across the country.