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Lloyd C. Irland

Publication Date

4-1-2021

Document Type

Article

First Page

5

Last Page

25

Abstract

The paper industry has been a mainstay of Maine’s economy for over a century. Paper mills in all corners of Maine employed numerous workers, purchased wood and supplies locally, and contributed significantly to the state’s industrial base. This conferred not only local recognition but political influence in Augusta. All concerned viewed the paper industry, based on Maine’s extensive forests, proximity to large Northeastern paper markets, abundant hydropower, and a trained workforce, to sustain these communities for another century. By 1990, however, a series of slowly shifting forces began to accelerate, threatening the industry’s cost competitiveness. Larger mi ls based on low-cost fiber appeared globally. At a dizzying pace, electronic communications replaced traditional print media, the principal market for most Maine mills. One after another, leading national companies cut back or closed mi ls, sold land, and finally sold surviving mills to investment groups. The quarter century after 1990 became a challenging time that left a number of former mill towns with lost tax bases, high unemployment, and uncertain futures.

The author is a semi-retired forestry consultant living in Wayne, Maine. He attended college at Michigan State and University of Arizona and earned his doctorate at Yale. Following brief stints at the US Forest Service and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, he came to Maine to serve in the Department of Conservation and the State Planning Office. Since 1987, he has been a consultant to wood products and paper companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. He is the author of numerous publications, including The Northeast’s Changing Forests, published by the Harvard University Forest

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