History

 

IPA has hired forestry consultants in the past. One consultant, produced a report in 1997, "Forest Stewardship and Management Plan," that became the blueprint for a successful forestry project ending in 2001. The most recent project, initiated around 15 years ago, met with significant controversy and was terminated before completion, in part because a comprehensive plan based on improving forest health and diversity was not developed.

A number of IPA members and the Maine Forest Service have expressed concerns that the forests are in places overcrowded, lacking in diversity, showing signs of stress, and/or pose a fire hazard. The primary objective of this committee is to collect fact-based information indicating whether these concerns are justified.

The information collection efforts of this committee, which was first announced at the annual meeting of August 7, 2021, are intended to be the first steps towards the longer-term objective of developing a comprehensive plan for IPA forest stewardship, to be implemented only after IPA membership approval.

 

Reports