Effects of forest ownership and change on forest harvest rates, types and trends in northern Maine

Abstract

Forest ownership maps from 1994, 2000 and 2004 were analyzed with land cover maps (early 1990s) and forest change detection maps derived from Landsat imagery (1991, 2000, 2004). Between 1994 and 2000, roughly 80% of the Industrial forest ownership in a northern Maine study area changed hands. Approximately 75% of these forestlands were sold to Timber Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs) and 25% to other Industrial owners. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and Logger/Short-term Investors (LDs) purchased smaller parcels of forestland from the Industrial and TIMO sellers, from 1994 to 2004. Landsat change detection methods indicated a general trend in landowners’ preference to harvest softwood and softwood–hardwood in the 1980s, softwood–hardwood and hardwood–softwood stands in the 1990s, and nearly a balanced proportion of four forest types between 2000 and 2004; however, these trends varied among individual landowners. Industrial ownership type harvested the highest percentage of forest in the 1980s, but not in the 1990s and early 2000s. The TIMOs and LDs harvested a higher percentage of forest in the 1990s and early 2000s, while the NGOs harvested less. The Non-Industrial Private Forest (NIPF) held more stable ownership through time and had more equal and intermediate harvest rates through time. Forest land that experienced no ownership change had significantly lower harvest rates than land that changed ownership between 1994 and 2000. Given the rates of past harvesting and current composition of forestland, the estimated average forest disturbance rotation on the 2004 Industrial ownership would be 51 years, compared to 70 years for NIPF forestlands.