CARIBOU, Maine — The Northern Forest Products Industry Cluster, which represents manufacturers, logging companies, landowners, financial institutions, economic development, higher education officials and industry experts, has voted to write a letter in opposition of the proposed Katahdin Woods and Water National Park.
The cluster met June 4. The draft will be distributed to members for individual and/or company signatures.
The coalition was formed with the goals of increasing value-added processing, creating jobs and growing the forest economy of Aroostook and Maine.
The group, organized by the Aroostook Partnership for Progress, met for the first time in January to discuss opportunities and challenges. The second meeting in February was to solidify the inputs, set up a timeline and to set and refine the priority focus areas. In April, members moved closer to implementing an action plan by forming subcommittees to develop strategies in workforce development/education, transportation, energy, access to capital/insurance, state bureaucratic barriers and long-term economic plan for Maine.
At the latest meeting, the cluster also agreed to form a research and development subcommittee, as this is an area that will be essential for adding new products and processes to the future of this sector.
“There are many indicators that show the global market for forest products overall is increasing but that market is also changing due to many factors — just as the pulp and paper industry has changed over the last 10 years, new uses and demands for wood fiber are emerging every day,” said APP President Bob Dorsey.
The cluster also heard an update on the potential spruce budworm problem from Maine Forest Service State Entomologist Dave Struble.
Struble said it is too soon to tell how severe the outbreak will be, but an analysis by the University of Maine looking at a moderate outbreak for budworms indicted a 22 percent reduction in harvest and a potential loss of 596 jobs in the forestry sector.
Unlike in the 1970s, Struble said targeted harvesting, not widespread aerial spraying, may be the best option for combating budworm.
“The Forest Products Cluster is an energetic and dedicated group and their effort was just featured in the June 1st edition of MaineBiz,” commented Dorsey. “It is clear from state agencies and emails I get, that folks all over the State are following our efforts and are very supportive of the actions we are undertaking.”
The next full cluster meeting will be in August, when a formal action plan to grow the forest economy will be presented.
