Outcome Based Forestry

“During the recent Forest Practices Act rulemaking process, it became clear to both the Maine Forest Service and a number of stakeholders that we have reached the limits of what a command and control regulatory framework has to offer. Command and control regulation has many limitations and may result in unintended consequences, such as forest fragmentation and premature harvesting to recover equity in a forest investment. The Maine Forest Service believes that the state should begin to focus more on outcome-based forestry regulation, on the premise that this approach will do more to promote, stimulate and reward excellent forest management yet still provide a baseline of regulatory protection for critical public resources.” (Maine Forest Service, 1999 State of the Forest Report).

For more information about Outcome Based Forestry:

Outcome Based Forestry statutes

Maine sustainability standards (PDF | 32 KB)

Outcome based forestry technical panel

Irving Woodlands

Katahdin Forest Management

Seven Islands Land Company

Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL)