To the editor:
As a resident of northern Maine, I am alarmed by the clear-cutting carried out by the Irving company off Routes 161 and 162 in Cross Lake Township and Sinclair. What’s being lost isn’t just trees — it’s the character and function of our traditional mixed-age forests and the clean waters they protect.
Large clearcuts replace complex, multi-species stands with simplified plantations. That shift reduces wildlife habitat, undermines biodiversity, and erases the uneven-aged structure that has long defined our working woods. Clearcut landscapes also increase soil disturbance and erosion, which can push sediment and nutrients into nearby lakes — risking degradation to the water clarity and fish habitat that the Fish River chain is famous for.
Equally troubling is the reliance on herbicides after cutting to suppress native regrowth and favor softwood crops. Glyphosate-based products and their breakdown products can reach surface waters through drift, runoff or misapplication. While industry often calls these applications “safe,” a growing body of research flags risks to aquatic plants, invertebrates and fish, with oxidative stress and sub-lethal effects documented in lab and field studies. Maine has studied aerial forestry sprays precisely because of these concerns. On our lake-rich landscape, even small, repeated exposures add up.
Northern Maine’s identity — and economy — depend on healthy forests and pristine waters. We need forestry that works with natural regeneration, maintains buffers and patch sizes that truly protect water quality, and eliminates aerial herbicide use near lakes and streams. Irving and other large landowners should be held to standards that safeguard public resources, not just short-rotation fiber.
I urge policymakers, agencies and neighbors to take a hard look at what’s happening along 161 and 162 and to insist on practices that protect our lakes, wildlife and heritage.
AJ Diaigle
Sinclair
