MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • December 9, 2020
On Wednesday, the Maine Economic Growth Council released its 26th annual Measures of Growth Report. The report lists three environmental indicators:
• Air Quality - After declining in the 1980s and 1990s, air quality in Maine has improved substantially, and is better than other Northeastern states. The number of moderate (23) and low (1) air quality days in 2019 were the lowest on record.
• Water Quality - Since 2006, Maine’s water quality has remained steady, with 95% of rivers and streams, and 91% of lakes, achieving Category 1 or 2 (“good”) in 2016.
• Sustainable Forest Lands - Since 2010, Maine has maintained net forest growth-to-removal ratios slightly in favor of growth over harvest. The growth to harvest ratio fell slightly from 1.38 in 2018 to 1.27 in 2019.