March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Georgia-Pacific Corp. institutes forest-management assistance

Owning and managing forestland can be a challenge for many private landowners. State and federal environmental regulations, tax codes, wildlife issues, and a general understanding of wood markets all figure into the equation for property owners who plan to use either some or all of their land to grow commercially-valuable timber.

Because timberland ownership requires knowledge of all these areas, the Georgia-Pacific Corp. provides to private landowners assistance in managing their property for wood-fiber production, wildlife diversity, and aesthetics. Called the Forest Management Assistance Program, or Forest MAP, this free service provides technical and professional aid from Georgia-Pacific foresters to private landowners who are enrolled in the program.

Forest MAP professionals can:

Help landowners develop a forest management plan for their land that suits their particular goals;

Inform landowners about government cost-sharing programs for various management activities;

Advise landowners about state and federal environmental laws and how to follow those when performing forest-management activities, such as site preparation, timber-stand improvement, or harvesting.

The Georgia-Pacific Corp. has enrolled nearly 12,000 privately owned acres in Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, since the 2-year-old program began, according to Robert Barr, manager of Forest MAP for Georgia-Pacific’s Forest Resources office in Woodland. G-P has two foresters serving Maine landowners, and a third MAP forester works with private individuals in New Brunswick.

“One of the biggest challenges in this part of the country is that there are so many species of trees with commercial value,” Barr said. “There are also a lot of different soil types, so you have a greater number of options in land management than in other regions. It can be confusing without some assistance.”

Different types of trees require different conditions in which to grow best, and for landowners interested in growing trees to sell to forest-products companies, various forest-management techniques can improve productivity, Barr said. “That is why landowners are wise to have professional forest-management help, unless they understand these sciences themselves.”

To enroll in Forest MAP, landowners must agree to follow the state’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) and all other environmental and forestry regulations. BMPs are guidelines for protecting water and soil quality during forest-management activities. Ideally, Georgia-Pacific may purchase the timber when it matures, but MAP landowners are not required to sell only to G-P, Barr added.

Individuals who own property and are interested in actively managing their forestland for timber production may contact a Georgia-Pacific Forest MAP professional in Woodland at (207) 427-3311 or in Canada at (506) 784-2866.


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