A Region in Transition
Recent economic change has hurt the Northern Forest. Consolidation
in the forest products industry has contributed to the loss of
thousands of jobs, as well as decline in community vitality,
local traditions and stable land ownership. New investment has
not been great enough to offset these losses.
Job opportunities, income, education and public health in the
region all lag behind more populated areas. Rural poverty and
a growing gulf between rich and poor add to the stress. Young
people move away at an alarming rate. Poor timber harvesting
practices, air pollution and climate change threaten long-term
forest productivity, and wild areas risk development and overuse.
In its current condition, the Northern Forest cannot sustain
people or nature as it once did, or as it can do again in the
future.
The regional collaboration that began in the early 1990s has
delivered extraordinary results in land conservation, and this
work must continue. Now, however, we must use the same kind
of collaboration to improve the social and economic well-being
of the region’s inhabitants.
Creating a more vital economy—one based on respect for and understanding
of the relationship between the people and the land—is crucial
for the Northern Forest’s long-term prosperity. The conserved
landscape will serve as the foundation for new economic opportunities. |