17.42M
acres of forest land
The USDA Forest Service's 2024 snapshot estimates 17,418,749 acres of forest land in Maine.
Source: USDA Forest Service, 2024 snapshotMaine Land Reference
Maine Forest Statistics
A practical reference for Maine forest land, wildfire activity, and the working-forest economy.
Last updated October 7, 2026
Maine ground, in context
Maine's forests shape how land is accessed, maintained, managed, and prepared for the next use. The figures below bring together the latest available statewide inventory, wildfire, and economic reports in one place.
Each statistic has a stable link for sharing and a named primary source. Dates matter because statewide data is published on different schedules.
88%
of Maine is forested
Forest land covers 88 percent of Maine's sampled land area in the 2024 USDA Forest Service snapshot.
Source: USDA Forest Service, 2024 snapshot75.1%
in two major forest-type groups
Maple, beech, and birch account for 41.0 percent of Maine forest land, while spruce and fir account for 34.1 percent, or 75.1 percent combined.
Source: USDA Forest Service, 2024 snapshot16.75M
acres of timberland
The 2024 snapshot estimates 16,751,352 acres of Maine timberland.
Source: USDA Forest Service, 2024 snapshot22.27B
live trees on forest land
Maine's 2024 forest inventory estimates 22,273,304,908 live trees at least one inch in diameter on forest land.
Source: USDA Forest Service, 2024 snapshot1.59B
metric tons of forest carbon
The USDA Forest Service estimates 1,591,844,524 metric tons of carbon stored in Maine forest land in 2024.
Source: USDA Forest Service, 2024 snapshot681
wildfire events per year
Maine averaged 681 reported wildfire events annually during 2021 through 2025.
Source: Maine Forest Service, 2021-2025 review387
acres burned per year
Reported wildfires burned 1,934 acres in Maine from 2021 through 2025, an average of 387 acres per year.
Source: Maine Forest Service, 2021-2025 review95%
of fires are human-caused
The Maine Forest Service reports that people cause approximately 95 percent of the state's wildfires.
Source: Maine Forest Service, 2021-2025 review92%
of forest land is privately owned
The Maine Forest Service reports that private owners hold about 92 percent of the state's forest land.
Source: Maine Forest Service, 2021-2025 review$8.3B
in total sector output
Maine's forest products sector contributed an estimated $8.3 billion in total output to the state economy in 2024.
Source: 2024 statewide economic report29,000+
full- and part-time jobs
The same 2024 economic analysis attributes more than 29,000 full- and part-time jobs to Maine's forest products sector.
Source: 2024 statewide economic report$2.1B
in labor income
Maine's forest products sector generated an estimated $2.1 billion in labor income in 2024.
Source: 2024 statewide economic report$3.4B
in value added
The 2024 economic analysis estimates the forest products sector added $3.4 billion to Maine's economy.
Source: 2024 statewide economic reportFor Maine Landowners
What these numbers mean on the ground
Forest conditions, access, retained trees, water movement, and the work planned after clearing all influence the right approach for a property. A vegetation-management project can be useful on its own, or it can be the first step toward a road, homesite, utility route, or a larger site plan.
Cross Country works across Northern New England on forestry mulching, land clearing, access, excavation, drainage, and environmental site work. The scope starts with what the property needs to do next.
Explore Maine forestry mulching servicesMethodology & Sources
How this page is maintained
Statistics are taken directly from the named reports. Each figure keeps the source's original reporting period, rather than being presented as a newer estimate. This page is reviewed monthly and refreshed sooner when a key source publishes an update.
- USDA Forest Service, Forests of Maine, 2024: FIA Annual Snapshot
December 2025
Annual statewide inventory snapshot covering forest area, composition, volume, carbon, ownership, disturbance, and management activity. - Maine Forest Service, State of the Forest 2021-2025
April 2026 review draft
Maine Forest Service report to the Legislature covering forest conditions, wildfire activity, programs, and emerging issues. - 2024 Statewide Economic Contribution of Maine's Forest Products Sector
October 2025
Statewide economic analysis of the forest products sector and its multiplier effects.
Cite This Page
Share a Maine land reference
Cross Country Land Services. “Maine Forest Statistics: Land, Wildfire & Economy.” Updated October 7, 2026. https://crosscountrylandservices.com/maine-forest-statistics