MAINE PUBLIC • July 11, 2024
Six commercial woodland owners have been selected to pilot climate smart forestry that advocates hope could help store millions more tons of fossil fuel emissions in the north Maine woods. The New England Forestry Foundation on Thursday said it will use some of a $30 million grant from the U.S.D.A. to reimburse landowners for using approved methods. Foundation senior forester Brian Milakovsky said the techniques aren't "rocket science.” On some Maine acreage timber companies already cut down overgrown young woodlots to encourage more valuable trees, called pre-commercial thinning, and use similar climate smart methods. The idea is to grow trees that can store more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, either by staying alive in the forest or as durable building materials and other products.