Survey: Mainers value forests as timber, hunting resource

LEWISTON – Mainers view forests as more of an economic resource than do other New England residents, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

The survey also says that Maine and Vermont residents put more importance on hunting and trapping than do people from other New England states. However, the survey says, Mainers place less value than other New Englanders on forests as places of wildlife habitat than as a source of timber.

The survey was sponsored by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, a Boston-based organization concerned with forest stewardship, and was designed to gauge attitudes toward the region’s northern forests.

The findings are based on interviews with 1,257 people who live in New England, 902 of them in the northern-tier states of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Of that figure, 300 live in Maine, according to pollsters Belden Russonello & Stewart, and Research Strategy Management.

“Northern New England residents recognize forests are an important economic resource, and just as many believe it is very important to preserve natural habitats and forest areas for recreation,” said Kate Stewart, who coordinated the research on behalf of Research Strategy Management.

The study found that 93 percent of those from northern New England view forests as important to the economy, and 97 percent also view forests as “relaxing, quiet and calming” places.

Respondents also want to keep forests that way.

The survey found that 78 percent of people in northern New England, and 79 percent of those from the southern three states, want to limit residential and commercial development in forests and nearby areas.

Another 83 percent in the north and 80 percent in the south favor “tax credits to encourage private landowners not to sell their land to developers.”

According to the survey, the most popular recreational uses for the northern forests, among those who live near them, are hiking, 64 percent; fishing, 59 percent; canoeing, 54 percent; hunting and trapping, 38 percent; cross-country skiing, 43 percent; and downhill skiing, 33 percent.

“The research indicates New Englanders wish to preserve their forests in a natural state for all generations of people to enjoy, both today and tomorrow,” Stewart said. “Large majorities [seven in 10] place a great deal of personal importance on being able to hike, fish and otherwise use forests without motorized vehicles or logging interfering with their enjoyment.”