Conservationists are skeptical about Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s budget for the natural resource departments, fearful that it would open the gates for expanded commercial harvesting of state-owned property.

LePage wants to do away with the state’s Bureau of Parks and Lands, which is responsible for the management of more than 600,000 public acres. Instead, management of that property would go to the Maine Forest Service.

Last year, LePage pitched a plan to use the increased revenue from expanded harvesting of forests on state land to fund heating efficiency programs, but the Legislature balked. Critics, including the state’s largest conservation groups, say the budget plan is a thinly veiled second attempt to increase the commercial timber harvest on state property.

Cathy Johnson, representing the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said Wednesday that having the Forest Service take over management of state property such as the Bigelow Preserve and the Bold Coast in Cutler would jeopardize the recreational and conservation goals for those properties.

Public lands are managed for multiple uses, including recreation, wildlife habitat preservation and sustainable forestry. The Forest Service advocates for the state’s forestry industry and serves private landowners with law enforcement, pest control and fire prevention services.

From the Bangor Daily News: https://bangordailynews.com/2015/02/25/politics/lepage-plan-could-make-forestry-top-priority-in-managing-public-lands/