2006 Mid-Cycle Report on Inventory and Growth of Maine's Forests

Executive Summary

This mid-cycle report is based on a select series of 2,003 matched plots. The combined 3 years of data is strong enough to provide the following estimates:

Maine remains 90% forested, and 97% of the forestland is productive timberland (Appendix A. Table 1). Nonetheless, this report estimates a net lost in timberland of 96,000 acres; 30,000 acres changed to forestland, and 66,000 acres became new non-forested land uses. The major losses occurred in the Eastern Megaregion (29,000 acres) and in the Southern Megaregion (26,000 acres).
There has been significant increases in timberland acreage for the Corporate Investor owner class in three of the four megaregions (Appendix A. Tables 2A, 2B, and 2D) and Statewide (Table 2), with an overall increase of 2.4 million timberland acres.
There have also been significant decreases in timberland acreage for the Forest Industry owner class in three of the four megaregions (Appendix A. Tables 2A, 2B, and 2D) and Statewide (Table 2), with an overall decrease of 2.7 million timberland acres.
In 2006, Maine’s forests had an estimated inventory of 285 million cords of merchantable wood (pulpwood quality or better); an increase of 11 million cords since the 2001 inventory estimate (Appendix C. Figure 3).
Current pulpwood quality or better volume is estimated at an average of 16.5 cords per acre. This is a 0.8 cord per acre increase from 2001 (Appendix C. Figure 1).
Since 2001, there have been no significant changes in growing stock net volume or sawtimber board foot volume in any species group, in any of the four megaregions, or statewide (Appendix A. Tables 19A, 19B, 19C, 19D, and 19. And Tables 27A, 27B, 27C, 27D, and 27).
79% of the timberland area is in desirable stocking classes (moderately stocked and fully stocked), a minor decrease of 2% from the 2001 estimate. (Appendix A. Table 10).
The 2006 growth to harvest ratio for growing stock quality trees is 1.15, a substantial increase from the 2003 estimate of 0.97 (Appendix B. Table 29). Growth to harvest ratios, by megaregion, ranged from 1.0 for the eastern and northern, to 2.31 in southern, and 1.35 in the western.
Tracking net change in individual species groups sees a comparable range. Balsam fir for the first time since 1971 has a positive net change, while the net change of spruces is still heavily influenced by harvest and is -0.02 cords/acre/year. Red maple continues its positive trend with a net change of 0.01 cord/acre/year, while the combination group of sugar maple/beech/yellow birch is impacted by mortality, quality degradation, and harvest; resulting in a -0.01 cords/acre/year net change (Appendix C. Figures 4 and 5).