In the recent past, contractors were responsible for some of the worst forest
harvesting in Maine. They cut very large amounts of land without meeting minimal
stocking standards and with no concern for conservation or acceptable forestry
practices, leaving many parcels without enough trees to harvest for decades. Unfortunately, their practices were completely rational. By stripping all the harvestable trees from a parcel and selling the land as quickly as possible, contractors maximized profits by avoiding the costs of high quality silviculture and long-term investment in slow-growing trees, as well as the costs of keeping the land. This strategy of liquidation harvesting passes the costs of unsustainable cutting onto future owners and the public.
Since the 1990 Forest Practices Act, contractors’ harvesting practices have improved. They are no longer clear-cutting much land, and some practice reasonably