Governor s Forest Carbon Task Force
Forests cover 89 percent of Maine and are the foundation for Maine’s forest products industry and the state’s overall natural resource-based economy. Each year, Maine s forests sequester an amount of carbon equal to at least 60 percent of the state s annual carbon emissions, a figure that rises to 75 percent when durable forest products are included. The Forest Carbon Task Force work seeks to build upon this effort.
Created by Executive Order of Governor Janet Mills, the Forest Carbon Task Force was recommended by the state’s new four-year climate action plan,
Maine Won’t Wait, and aims to develop a voluntary program for small-to-medium size woodland owners in Maine who want to utilize their land for long-term storage of carbon emissions, a process known as carbon sequestration.
February 3, 2021
For more information contact: Jim Britt at:
jim.britt@maine.gov
Task force will consider forest carbon storage incentives for small-to-medium size woodland owners to help protect their property while fighting climate change
AUGUSTA, Maine - As part of Maine s ambitious effort to fight climate change by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, Governor Janet Mills has signed an Executive Order to create the Maine Forest Carbon Task Force.
The Task Force is a recommendation from the state s new four-year climate action plan,
Maine Won t Wait, and aims to develop a voluntary program for small-to-medium size woodland owners in Maine of who want to utilize their land for long-term storage of carbon emissions, a process known as carbon sequestration. Forest carbon programs provide financial incentives to preserve forests, thereby storing carbon emissions. However, today, most existing programs are not accessible or economically feasible for smaller woodland owne
Skiing powder on the popular Sherburne Trail on Mount Washington.Cait Bourgault
A revival is underway in the mountains of the Northeast as skiers flock to the backcountry in unprecedented numbers. Trailhead parking lots fill early and ski shops are doing swift business: Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, Vt., has seen its sales of backcountry ski equipment triple since last season.
âItâs the perfect storm,â says Tyler Ray, founder of New Hampshireâs Granite Backcountry Alliance, which is drawing hundreds of skiers to cut new glade zones each fall, and thousands to ski them. âYou have a confluence of high resort lift-ticket prices being a barrier to entry for skiing, you have the technical advancement in equipment making backcountry gear better, faster, and lighter, and you have a desire to return to nature.â Add to this the COVID-19 pandemic, which has driven skiers to shun crowded lifts and strike out for wild snow.
PHIL DI VECE News Contributor Mon, 01/11/2021 - 7:45am
Linda and David Pope on the back porch of their Federal Street home. PHIL DI VECE/Wiscasset Newspaper
One of the two trail entrances into Sortwell Memorial Forest off Willow Lane. PHIL DI VECE/Wiscasset Newspaper
David Pope said rediscovering the solitude of the outdoors is one of the best things about hiking a network of trails behind Wiscasset Community Center and Morris Farm. Visitors to the vast land preserve minutes from Route 1 can see majestic white pines, flourishing hemlock groves, cascading streams, unusual glacial erratics, tranquil ponds and more. There are just a few problems. Parts of the trail system have become overgrown, trail markers are missing and a map needs updating.
BETHEL, Maine â The Mahoosuc Land Trust will soon start its first harvest on the recently acquired McCoy-Chapman Forest, a 500-acre tract about 5 miles west of Bethel that runs from the banks of the Androscoggin River to the flanks of the Mahoosuc Range.
The scenic acquisition, which offers year-round recreation, comprises generous land donations from a family that practiced sustainable harvesting on their land for more than two centuries.
âGinny and Sam McCoyâs careful forest management over decades made the McCoy-Chapman Forest an appropriate place to apply best practices and emerging science on the types of harvesting practices that have true ecological benefits,â said Kirk Siegel, Mahoosuc Land Trustâs executive director.