Reed Forest

Saving Maine's Forests

In a precedent-setting initiative to protect U.S. working forests, Apple is working to protect—and create—as much sustainable working forest as is needed to produce the paper in its product packaging.⁴ Apple is partnering with The Conservation Fund to permanently protect more than 36,000 acres of working forest in the eastern United States, including the Reed Forest in Maine. This initiative prevents forest fragmentation, addresses climate change, filters water for communities downstream and provides a steady supply of sustainably harvested timber to paper and pulp mills.

In Maine, we’re protecting more than 32,400 acres of forest, which includes wetlands and upland forest that are important for numerous wildlife species in Maine’s iconic North Woods. This project adds to more than a million acres of conserved lands and interconnected forest habitat that stretch into Canada. The Conservation Fund is working with the Forest Society of Maine to better understand the natural resource attributes of this forestland. Some of the special features identified on the property include habitat for two species of mussel, wood turtle, and the elusive Canada lynx along with the important riparian areas associated with the Mattawamkeag River.

In November 2016, with support from Apple, The Conservation Fund donated a conservation easement at Reed to Forest Society of Maine. Through an endowment made possible by Apple, we can help ensure that the forest and its many contributions to Maine’s environment and economy remain intact.

Why This Project Matters

Changes in the forestry industry have left millions of acres of forestland across the country up for sale with an uncertain fate. But by forging innovative partnerships and finding creative solutions, we’re turning this into an unprecedented opportunity for landscape-level conservation. We’re not just conserving forests, we’re preserving a way of life for communities that depend on the forest-based economy for their livelihoods.