When shares of Diamond International Corporation's parent holding company were traded on the Paris stock exchange in 1988, one million acres of forests in the four state region went up for sale. In Maine, 790,000 acres were sold principally to conservation and timber management interests. In New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, two developers bought nearly 200,000 acres with the intent to subdivide and market the lands as recreational and development properties. Conservation organizations and the three state governments eventually bought about 100,000 acres of this land while the remainder went to a variety of uses including development and timber liquidation.
The bulk of the Northern Forest lands remain in private ownership as timberland. A massive recession at the time of the sale probably influenced this outcome. But the risk of change to the character of these lands and the public values associated with them captured the attention of two prominent US Senators from the region, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and (then) Senator Warren Rudman of New Hampshire.
Through
actions in Congress, the two initiated the Northern Forest Lands Study
(see link), which was undertaken by the USDA Forest Service in 1989 and
1990. The objective of the study was to develop public policy alternatives
to development of the Northern Forest—to maintain traditional uses and
quality of life dependent upon the forest. A partner advisory group appointed
by the governors of the four states worked closely with the study team.
This group recommended a more intense and public process be initiated by
Congress and the governors to develop specific recommendations for pubic
policy changes. This effort was undertaken by the seventeen-member Northern
Forest Lands Council that worked from 1990 to 1994. After much study, research,
analysis, public involvement, and debate the Council released 37 public
policy recommendations. The report of the Northern Forest Lands Council
can be found in The Northern Forest Lands Publications
catalog.