• Northern Forest Lands Council
  Northern Forest Lands Council
  

Since its creation in 1990, the Northern Forest Lands Council has been seeking ways for Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont to maintain the “traditional patterns of land ownership and use” of the Northern Forest. The Council has conducted in-depth research, assessed data, consulted with experts, held public meetings, and listened to thousands of people who care deeply about what happens in and to the region. The Council has weighed options for action to fulfill its mission in an atmosphere of open public participation. This report, a follow-up to our draft recommendations report, Finding Common Ground, released in March 1994, represents the work of many individuals, thousands of pages of studies, and hundreds of hours of forums and public meetings. It comes out of the intense, often difficult dialogue among the Council members themselves. This report is divided into the following sections:

• A brief overview of the Northern Forest and the history of why the Council came into being
• A review of what we learned from the public in their comments on our draft recommendations, and how their comments helped us to develop these recommendations. (For a comprehensive summary and analysis of the public comments, consult the <mi%-1>Summary of Public Comment on the Draft Recommendations, available from the Council through the end of September 1994 and individual state offices thereafter.)</mi%-1>
• <mi%-1>A vision of the region’s future derived from what has been learned, and the obstacles that must be overcome to realize that future</mi%-1>
• <mi%-1>Fundamental principles upon which the Council has based its work · Concepts that are the foundation for the Council’s recommendations</mi%-1>
• <mi%-1>The recommendations themselves, with background information and justification for each. (For a complete copy of all Council research, consult its Technical Appendix, published in February 1994 and available at state and selected university libraries around the country.)</mi%-1>
• <mi%-1>Appendices</mi%-1>