JDSUPRA (American College of Environmental Lawyers) • July 23, 2021
Moosehead Lake is a place of spectacular natural beauty. It is also an area facing serious economic challenges. For most of Maine’s history, the vast forests of the region were owned by the world’s largest paper companies. In 1998, Plum Creek Timber Co. purchased more than 900,000 acres of Maine forest, including 400,000+ acres surrounding Moosehead Lake. There was little doubt that Plum Creek had development plans for its prized new holdings, but the land was zoned for forestry and would have to be rezoned. A decision by Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission locked in conservation benefits and capped potential development, but the extent of actual development was left to the mercy of market forces. Predictions of the region’s transformation have never come to pass. A conservation framework now protects the landscape, but the economic benefits that plan proponents were counting on from the build out of the development zones have never been realized. In the end, the concept plan defied all projections – neither environmental ruination nor economic salvation. ~ Jerry Reid