Protecting Maine’s North Woods

What’s At Stake

Maine’s North Woods is a vast and beautiful place—the largest undeveloped forest left in the eastern U.S. and a vital ecological resource providing habitat for a diverse array of plants and wildlife and serving as a valuable carbon sink that absorbs climate pollution from the air.  

Traditions, memories, and livelihoods are made here thanks to broad access to land, as well as the outdoor recreation businesses and heritage industries, such as forestry, that it supports.

But pressure on the region is growing—new vacation homes and sprawling development are popping up, air and water pollution are becoming growing threats, and the impacts of climate change are taking a toll. 

Now more than ever, we need to take a step back and think about the future of this iconic landscape before it’s too late.

Ecological Importance of the North Woods

The rich ecological diversity of Maine’s North Woods and the entire Unorganized Territories are globally significant and serve as an important statewide resource.

Older Growth Forests

Maine’s North Woods is home to some of the last remaining stands of older-growth forest in the eastern US. These forests used to comprise roughly 3/4 of the landscape, but now only cover 3%.

A 2024 report published by researchers at Our Climate Common and Tufts University mapped the locations of Late-Successional/Old Growth forest (LSOG) across Maine’s Unorganized Territories.

Wildlife

The North Woods provides a safe home for many species of birds, mammals, fish, and insects that rely on the region’s unfragmented nature for their continued survival. As the world faces catastrophic biodiversity loss, we are called on to protect more places like the North Woods to ensure that a rich diversity of plants and animals can persist for future generations.

Rather than continuing to prioritize road expansion projects that induce demand and incur hefty road maintenance obligations, Maine should invest in climate-aligned projects that meet the access needs of rural communities while reducing car dependency.

Statewide Resource

The North Woods is a statewide resource that provides enormous benefits to people, communities, and businesses across Maine. Traditions, memories, and livelihoods are made here thanks to broad land access and the outdoor recreation businesses and heritage industries it supports.

Increasing the state share of transit operating costs is a critical step toward establishing a statewide transit system that meets demonstrated need. 

A Region Under Threat

Sprawling development, climate change, and a biodiversity crisis are all threatening the North Woods as we know it. The future of this region is at risk unless we act now to reform management of this special place.    

Climate change is disrupting delicate ecosystems and the rich biodiversity that thrives in Maine’s North Woods. Rising temperatures are disrupting growing seasons, while warming temperatures are reducing snowfall that many species have adapted to and depend on for survival. By protecting Maine’s North Woods, we not only protect all the rich biodiversity it supports, but also its ability to act as a buffer against climate change.   

Role of the Land Use Planning Commission

The North Woods are primarily located within Maine’s Unorganized Territories, more than 10.4 million acres that have no local, incorporated municipal government. This region (which covers more than half the state) includes the largest contiguous undeveloped area in the Northeast. 

In place of local government, all land-use planning and zoning decisions in these areas are carried out by Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC). The agency and its hard-working staff play a critical role in determining which resources are protected, how, and where development happens. 

For parts of the North Woods outside the Unorganized Territories, regulations are a mix of state and local regulations within each municipality.