The proposed Plum Creek Timber Co. multi-faceted plan on 465,000 acres of land in and around Moosehead Lake looks like a good one to me. It combines a modest amount of development with conservation easements that allow for continued management and harvesting of the vast timberlands, while providing for additional recreational opportunities for us outdoorsy types. Of particular note are the plans for 43 miles of new hiking trails (and some 75 miles of snowmobile trails for you motorized enthusiasts) in the region. I like that idea a lot. Some of the land will be sold to the state for permanent preservation of a number of precious bogs and ponds in the area.

It's a balanced approach to conservation and I applaud it. I like it a whole lot more than Restore: The North Woods' idea of locking up our forestlands and making a National Park out of them. Sounds romantic, but I prefer the multi-use approach to our forests: A healthy mix of forest products industry jobs; a well-managed, productive forest; a broad range of recreational opportunities; preservation of important historical, cultural, and ecological areas; and continued public access (a longtime Maine tradition).

Note to Restore: The vast majority of Maine's millions of acres of forestland are not wilderness. That sounds nice and gets people (especially out-of-staters) excited to sign petitions to force a federal land grab of of our private woodlands. But the truth is that most of Maine's northern forestland is a "working forest" (read: commercial forest) and has been for hundreds of years. I'm a little rusty on my forestry, but I believe we're in our 5th or 6th cutting rotation by now. It's wooded and remote and beautiful, but it's not wilderness. Some of it, yes, but not the majority.

We get the best of all worlds by this private-public approach to conservation, in my view. Baxter State Park, the Allagash, the Appalachian Trail corridor, a host of Maine Bureau of Public Lands parcels. And with more deals like the Plum Creek plan, and recent Nature Conservancy purchases, more recreational lands continue to available to us. Further, we get commerical timber and the jobs that go with it, and the ripple effect that follows, so that people can actually afford to continue living in these beautiful places. And we get incredible access to lakes, mountains, rivers and streams; and practically unlimited opportunities for camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, you-name-it. All good. Try getting all that with a National Park. Ain't no way! We're pretty lucky.