By Pattie Cormier, special to the Portland Press Herald Working woodlands are critical to Maine’s identity. Maine is the most forested state in the nation, percentage-wise, with 17.5 million acres of forest covering 89% of the landscape. Mainers have worked and played in the woods and manufactured and used wood products harvested from the state’s …
PPH Commentary: Abandoning timber harvesting is not the answer Read More »
Today Sappi announced plans to invest $418 million at the Somerset Mill in Skowhegan to convert Paper Machine #2 to produce solid bleached sulfate board and expand production from 240,000 tons to 470,000 tons annually. This announcement comes on the heels of a $400 million expansion announcement at LP Building Solutions Houlton facility just over …
Today it was announced that Maine Forest Products Council member LP Building Solutions will invest $400 million to expand the Houlton Facility. Below is a quote by Pat Strauch, Executive Director of the Maine Forest Products Council. LP Building Solutions held a grand re-opening of the facility as the first SmartSide manufacturer on the east coast on …
The following is a statement by Pat Strauch, Executive Director of the Maine Forest Products Council, in response today’s announcement (included below). “The forest products industry in Maine is constantly evolving and changing with the times. This innovation takes tremendous resources, so the Maine Forest Products Council thanks Senator Susan Collins and Senator Angus King …
Maine Public/Piscataquis Observer, August 15, 2022 Thirty years ago, as a paper company undertook a massive, 15,000-acre clear-cut near Moosehead Lake, a team of bird researchers had an idea. They wanted to document how songbirds are affected by commercial forest practices across a large landscape. The results surprised them. They found that birds and logging …
Researchers look to Maine’s logged North Woods for lessons on protecting birds Read More »
On July 29, Maine DEP drafted a denial without prejudice for Brookfield’s Water Qualification Certification request for the Shawmut dam and issued the following press release: On July 15th, 2022, the National Marine Fisheries Service requested a 90-day extension from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider additional information related to fish passage in the …
Keeping a hydroelectric dam on the Kennebec River would be good for the environment and the economy. Maine has adopted a bold climate change strategy which has been embraced by the governor, the Legislature and the people. At its core is to convert Maine’s energy consumption away from fossil-based fuels to renewable energy. This change …
Sen. Lawrence: Let’s save both the Atlantic salmon and the Shawmut Dam Read More »
With inflation at a 40-year high, the soaring cost of virtually everything, from groceries to gasoline, is a growing crisis. The skyrocketing price of energy in particular is causing hardships by straining family budgets and increasing costs at every step of the supply chain. Mainers are also concerned about the rapidly rising cost of home …
The measure would allow Maine tribes to benefit from new federal laws and programs, but the governor says the nature of Maine’s 1980 land claims settlement means any changes should be negotiated with the state. Gov. Janet Mills has asked a congressional committee to delay action on a bill sponsored by Rep. Jared Golden of …
Mills asks Congress to delay action on Golden’s tribal equality bill Read More »
MFS and the forestry community have increased their emphasis on BMP training for land managers and woods workers AUGUSTA — Today, the results of a study on the use and effectiveness of forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) at timber harvests across the state from 2020-2021 were released by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s …
Maine’s forestry community protects water quality during timber harvesting Read More »
