PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 3, 2021
We’ve been hearing a lot about forests, including important steps to combat climate change. Maine’s undeveloped forests are increasingly celebrated for their resiliency to climate change and their tremendous capacity to sequester and store carbon dioxide. However, Maine loses about 10,000 acres of natural and working lands to development each year – a figure that is projected to grow. This development is often a direct source of carbon emissions and hinders the growth of natural climate-change solutions. The recent report “Maine Won’t Wait” by the Maine Climate Change Council notes Maine’s forests can sequester an amount equal to at least 60 percent of the state’s annual carbon emissions. To address the loss of forestland, we need to increase the share of conserved Maine land to 30 percent. Conservation funding is available. Let’s not dally in our effort to hold on to Maine’s North Woods. ~ Karin R. Tilberg, Forest Society of Maine