Just getting those in the forest product industry, the conservation realm and outdoor recreation business to talk to one another is an accomplishment. Getting them to agree to a vision for Maine’s woods will be another matter.

So, while it might not sound like much on paper, Gov. John Baldacci’s recently announced plan to bring all those involved in economic development and resource conservation together as part of the Maine Forest Legacy provides a new approach to the decades-long debate over the future of the state’s woods. With the forest product industry in distress – paper mills continue to shed jobs and forest land continues to trade hands at a rapid pace – it is clear that a different approach is needed. Tying forestry to conservation and recreation is a natural.

Although the groups representing these interests have often been at loggerheads – whether it be over forestry rules, land sales or certification standards – they in fact have a lot in common. Jobs in the woods, whether they be cutting trees, guiding hunters or housing snowmobilers, are important to the communities on the edge of the state’s vast forests. Because of mill closures and layoffs, these communities now face uncertain futures. As Gov. Baldacci said last week, “We must replace that uncertainty with confidence.”

His initiatives have a long way to go to reach confidence, but putting people on the right path is a good start.

A key component of the Woods Legacy is to strengthen the ties between economic vitality and conservation. Too often, land preservation has been seen as anathema to economic prosperity. This isn’t necessarily the case. Groups such as the Friends of Moosehead and the Down East Lakes Land Trust have already demonstrated that conserving the state’s natural heritage and promoting economic health can go together. The Friends, for example, have backed conservation purchases to maintain access to Moosehead Lake and surrounding water bodies, understanding that these waters bring people, and their money, to the region.

Another component appreciated by the timber business is the creation of a Task Force on Sustainability of the Forest Product Industry. One issue this group will address is wood supply to the state’s mills. A day after Gov. Baldacci’s announcement in Dover-Foxcroft, Louisiana-Pacific Corp. announced that it would lay off 99 employees at its Baileyville mill until April because it could not get an adequate supply of logs to make oriented strandboard. One reason might be that too few people are now working as loggers. To address this, the task force should look at logger pay, the high cost of equipment and contractual relationships.

This initiative provides a way for Maine to better control its future. Expanding “green certification” of wood grown in Maine, preserving large undeveloped tracts of land, celebrating the cultural heritage of towns along the forest edge and supporting the state’s forest product industry, offers much potential for progress.