SUN JOURNAL • January 29, 2022
Ecological reserves are public lands designated to protect and monitor Maine’s natural habitats. The system was created in 2000 to maintain an effective portfolio of all habitat types found in Maine. Even though these state-owned ecological reserves cover less than half of 1% of the state, they protect some of the most spectacular and recognizable places in Maine. They also protect some of the biggest, oldest trees in Maine, along with imperiled species. Ecological reserves are research sites for scientists to study how the changing climate and management practices impact the environment. Ecological reserves are large carbon sinks and can help fight climate change. But glaring gaps remain in this network. The Ecological Reserve System needs to be expanded. In the original 2000 legislation, an arbitrary cap was placed on total acreage. It’s time to remove that limit. LD 736 would do just that. ~ Andrew Barton, forest ecologist and professor of biology at UMaine at Farmington