North Woods

Maine’s 10.5 million acres of North Woods are the heart and soul of the Northern Appalachian/Acadian Forest–the largest intact temperate forest in North America. The forest contains ecosystems across a climate gradient as diverse as all of Europe. This landscape and plant diversity creates a mosaic of habitats for many species of wildlife, including the largest moose population in the lower 48 states, the nation’s largest population of Canada Lynx, and a Common Loon population second only to Minnesota. The North Woods is a veritable baby bird factory, making it the largest globally significant Important Bird Area in the continental United States.

Maine Audubon supports the goals of Keeping Maine’s Forests–a collaboration of public and private forest landowners, managers, and conservation organizations–to “keep Maine’s forests as forests” through a combination of working forests, ecological reserves, and improved habitat stewardship; closely follows the work of the Land Use Planning Commission, the planning and zoning authority for the majority of this area; and advocates for policies that support its diverse habitats and conserves this unparalleled natural resource.


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