Got Wood?

Driving around this part of Maine, it doesn't take long to figure out that forestry is big business in this state. How big? How about 8 billion dollars big. Forestry represents about 7% of the the state's gross domestic product, employs 5% of all workers in the state, and has a total payroll of about 2 billion dollars.

There are nearly 18 million acres of forestry land in Maine which comprises 89% of the state's total acreage, making Maine the most heavily forested state in the country. And, with more than 9 million acres of forestland having become certified as sustainably managed, it also has the largest percentage of certified forestry land in the country.

Certified foresting means that landowners must conform to sustainable forestry practices which are measured by an outside auditor who works to ensure they are meeting 20 control standards promoting the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, air and water quality.

So, not only does Maine do forestry big, it does it right. Or at least as right as anyone else in the US.