Climate Change, Corporate “Development,” and the Maine North Woods
Many people are not aware that a respectably sized chunk of wild forest
ecosystem struggles for survival in northern Maine. The Maine North Woods
comprise part of the southeastern edge of the Great North Woods, which
stretch in an arc across the North American continent (mostly in Canada)
from the Atlantic Seaboard to the Great Plains. The Maine North Woods
encompass most of the northern half of the state and provide a home for
rare species—including wolves and Canada lynx. It is the largest wild,
undeveloped area east of the Mississippi River.
Seattle-based Plum Creek Real Estate Investment Corporation—the nation’s
largest private landowner—has proposed a massive development for the heart
of the Moosehead Lake region. It is the largest subdivision ever proposed
in Maine. An initial proposal submitted in April 2005 to Maine’s Land Use
Regulation Commission (LURC) was withdrawn after significant public
outcry. A revised proposal was submitted in April 2006 and withdrawn again
after further significant public outcry. The latest proposal was submitted
in April 2007 and amended in August and October 2007. Plum Creek Timber
Co. is one of the nation’s (indeed, the continent’s) largest private
landowners. Many people in the forest defense movement are depressingly
familiar with Plum Creek’s dismal forest management practices (such as in
Wisconsin, Montana, and Washington states), as well as its propensity
toward “developing†forested wildlands into extravagant, exclusive
playgrounds for those humans rich, white, and callous (or clueless) enough
to afford them. Now Plum Creek has set its sights on northern Maine’s
Moosehead Lake Region for another such resort complex. Fortunately for
this priceless ecosystem, Mainers are far from stupid and have been
tracking these plans very carefully for quite some time now.
“erase carbon footprints†by offsetting carbon emissions. Their promotional materials say, “Global Warming: Solved!†–offering a quick fix to the largest challenge of our times. While they are primarily concerned with “restoring†plankton in the oceans, they have a subsidiary that plants trees in the European Union. The carbon dioxide taken up by the plankton is sold as carbon credits to consumers, businesses and governments. Ocean fertilization is a quickly emerging threat to the oceans and better ways of dealing with climate change; the estimated future value of the market for ocean fertilization is $100 billion. Planktos is likely to make huge profits from the Kyoto Protocol, the market for carbon offsets, the huge carbon footprints of Western consumers, and industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the world’s oceans and climate are paying the price, with widespread scientific uncertainty as to how they will be affected by iron fertilization.