" Patrick let's get oriented about exactly where we are Bob this is the foothills of the white mountains in southwestern Maine and the Hancock lumber mill down in the valley below. Which is supplied by the continually renewing forest all around in the landscape here continually renewing we're looking at a at a forest an ecosystem that's providing that number not only lumber for construction of houses but. Other important aspects of of our life here there's a tremendous diversity of wildlife throughout these hills. The insects the frogs the birds deer. All living in these forests as they are continuously managed for timber as well and what about water resources well this is -- a big story half of Maine's water is coming from the lake just over here and all this land drains into the lake and it's all beautiful pure water that's being filtered. Through the branches and root systems of these trees as it makes it lately -- a century ago this did not look. As we see it today well up until the civil war this land was continuously being cleared for agriculture. And it would have been a checkerboard of some forest but mostly farms. At that time but since the civil war especially during the last hundred years. This land has either just re forested naturally because farms were abandoned or has been planted back to timber -- what was it about the civil war that. Made this tipping point well early settlers who came here this being the first stopping off point after getting off the boat. Cleared the land for farms but when they went to war they found -- more fertile lands to the west particularly in the midwest. And many of them abandoned their farmlands here this is very rocky soil it difficult to farm whereas the rich soils of the midwest were much better and so. A lot of these farms were abandoned and just came back to trees again. The forest today is about the same area as it was a hundred years ago. And there's 25% more trees in the forests of the US today than there was just forty years ago the forests are growing and abundant. In both the United States and Canada. And even though we're the highest users of wood in the world on a per capita basis our forests are healthy and abundant which tells you that. Contrary to the popular belief that by using wood we cause the forest to be lost. In fact when we -- we're sending a signal for people to plant more trees. The more wood we use -- more forests are grown to supply that wood which is why there is so much forested land remaining in the US."

" It it's hard to believe it you've got kind of a harvesting operation going on. And yet we're walking through what looks like the forest primeval here it's not. It's not planted in a row or anything there's big trees mixed with little trees Bob this is a classic case of selective logging -- Independent board which is mixed hardwood. And conifer mainly the white -- The best way to manage it most efficiently and ecologically is to just take some of the trees. So every 25 years or so you've come in and remove some of all the different types trees except in the special. And ecologically sensitive spots for you don't touch it at all. But by and large this forest is managed on a total selection harvest. -- there -- always a forest here there's never a time when it's not covered entry what you're saying a hundred years ago this was pasture land or farmland right trade when settlers abandoned this land which they cleared. With the sweat of their -- it just naturally grew back up into trees -- gain in the eyes and look collectors must. It'll look a lot like this in old in the old times except for white pines were probably a lot bigger it would have been quite majestic yeah out in nature. And actually they're managing it now to bring back that characteristic to bring back some. Some bigger white pines and leave some of the trees. In the landscape to grow through generations blew -- marks on the trees means you're gonna harvest those that's right but then this one here's gonna be left and so's that one up there. And -- get a chance to grow another 25 years at least in the next time they came -- they might leave one of them again and it even."