By TUCK O'BRIEN
Staff Writer
 

The land, which sold for $180 million, or approximately $200 an acre, had been on the block since the summer. The area lies mostly in Somerset County north of Kingfield. The huge swath of land stretches from the Canadian border near Eustis east until the Appalachian Trail and accounts for 5% percent of all Maine forests.

The timber was put up for sale by South African Pulp and Paper (SAPPI) to pay off the large debt accrued by SAPPI in recent years.

Environmental groups were alarmed by this purchase because of Plum Creek's reputation for double liquidation. Double liquidation is the practice of harvesting all of the valuable timber from a parcel of land and then turning around and selling the land for development.

Plum Creek advertises plots of its Montana timber holdings on their web site next to quotes from John Steinbeck about Montana and references to the Plum Creek of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie.

Richard Holley, the President and CEO of Plum Creek denied allegations that Plum Creek was planning on selling parcels of prime water front land on Moosehead Lake and the Kennebec River. However, Holley added, "You never say never."

Much of the land bought by Plum Creek has been heavily logged in the last decade. Plum Creek often uses such land for wood chipping, by grinding up stumps and other tree parts left behind and then replanting.

Considering Plum Creek's reputation for intensive logging and selling land which has higher value when used for other purposes such as development of condominiums and resorts, local residents and the greater conservation community alike expressed concern in June that it not be chopped up and sold to the highest bidder. Many expressed fear that Moosehead would turn into another Winnepsaukee, the New Hampshire lake plagued with overdevelopment and traffic problems.

During a press conference to announce the sale of the land, Governor Angus King revealed that SAPPI had agreed to sell to the state conservation easements equalling about 1900 acres. He also announced that Plum Creek has agreed to negotiate for another 20 miles of shore.

If both easements go through, over 60 miles of shoreline will be protected for public use. The Maine chapter of the Nature Conservancy has offered to purchase the land for the state with the stipulation that the state will repay the money. Of the four states that make up the North Woods, only New York has any mechanisms to allocate funds for the purchase of conservation easements. King disclosed that he will propose a bond issue to cover the costs of the purchase.

Although conservationists were encouraged by the easement plan, most realize the situation is that the easements constitute a relatively small chunk of land. In most cases the easements only cover up to 500 feet from the water's edge. In many cases, it is even less. The land would constitute little more than "beauty strips" between the water's edge and clear cuts.

"Plum Creek appears to be practicing corporate extortion in Montana and Washington-- and now Maine," said Mark Solomon of The Lands Council. "They are threatening our forests' future with chain saws and subdivision development after demonstrating their ability to kill our forests for

corporate profits."

Governor King has received a favorable review of Plum Creek's environmental practices from Montana Governor Marc Raciot. "Plum Creek is recognized in the Northwest for its commitment to innovative, sciencebased environmental practices, which justify the company's claim to being a national leader in forestry management," Raciot told King.

King, however, said he would reserve judgement until he saw the company's forestry and stewardship here.

Matthew Schlobom of the Environmental Coalition at Bates expressed concern that insuring the public use of the land "will become extremely restricted and limited," if Plum Creek decides to sell a parcel of land to development interests. In addition to the threat of development, Plum Creek's sometime criticized forestry practices could be devastating to an area that has already been heavily logged.

Plum Creek is extending the contracts at the two mills that have processed SAPPI's timber harvest, renewing them for another forty years. This move will keep both of the Skowhegan mills in business. In addition, the seventy workers who manage SAPPI's timberlands will also keep their jobs.

Groups such as Maine Audubon, SEAC, the Forest Ecology Network, the Sierra Club of Maine, and the Maine Natural Resources Council have all raised objections to Plum Creek's purchase.

Holley dismisses the environmentalists concern, saying, "We've had to deal with lots of environmental issues over time. I think our environmental record is stellar, as far as probably being the leader in resource management in the entire country."

Information from the Portland Press Herald and The Lewiston Sun Journal was used in this report.