By Claudia Lowd
I am from Maine — what Senator Angus King once called…
“The Saudi Arabia of trees.”
–Senator King
Our state has the highest percentage of forest cover and the largest stretch of nearly unfragmented forest in the eastern United States. Maine’s forests are mostly private, working forests, supporting both a flourishing ecosystem and countless woodland jobs. They’re also home to thriving wildlife and biodiversity.
For years, I didn’t like how foresters managed the woods. I never saw them planting trees, and I assumed they weren’t taking care of the land. What I later learned changed everything: Maine’s forests are so vast and uninterrupted that replanting isn’t necessary. The ecosystem regenerates naturally — stronger and more diverse than any monoculture plantation humans might create. Forests aren’t just about trees; they’re entire ecosystems, and it’s the ecosystem as a whole that captures the most carbon.
That may well be one of our greatest natural tools in the fight against climate change. Trees already know what to do. By day, they photosynthesize, absorbing CO₂ and releasing oxygen. Forests provide habitat for keystone species, protect biodiversity, and offer humans places to restore our own well-being — what the Japanese call forest bathing.
In Maine, the forests continue to grow back after every harvest. That resilience comes from the size of the Northern Maine Woods, the absence of sprawling development, and the respect Mainers have traditionally held for the land. And here’s the surprising truth: when humans can make a living from forests, we protect them. Without economic value, forests are too often clear-cut, paved over, or replaced with strip malls. My “aha” moment was realizing that using trees protects trees.
Finland encourages replanting by giving tax breaks for every tree cut and replanted. But even those efforts often create plantations, not ecosystems. Maine’s naturally regenerating forests remain the envy of the world.
When I came to the University of Maine in 1976 to study forestry, I spent the following summer digging soil pits and studying flora and fauna north of Millinocket. We could go days without seeing a paved road. Back then, I thought the foresters were only focused on how many trees they could remove, and I was convinced they were wrong.
But decades later, I see it differently. Maine still has a strong pulp and paper industry, our forests continue to thrive, and unlike many other states, we don’t suffer massive wildfires — largely because we harvest and use our trees.
It turns out the foresters knew exactly what they were doing. It just took me time to understand. However, my intuition of protecting over all biodiversity was spot on. We need the whole ecosystem regrown, no matter what is extracted.
So don’t feel guilty about buying paper products or goods made from trees. When sustainably managed, working forests are part of the climate solution. By using products from trees, you’re helping to keep forests alive, resilient, and ready to protect our planet for generations to come.