LD1529

Enhances protection of high-value natural resources in Maine, including late-successional and old-growth forests and undeveloped high-value lakes.

This bill mandates the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to include details about late-successional and old-growth forests in its annual report. It requires the Maine Land Use Planning Commission to reclassify certain undeveloped, high-value lakes into different management categories. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry must develop a comprehensive strategy to enhance the conservation of these forests and lakes, considering various approaches such as forest stand conservation, voluntary carbon markets, and zoning subdistrict designations.