Maine Land Conservation Assistance Network

Most people are acquainted with honeybees and bumblebees and their importance in nature. There are 4,000 bee species in this country that pollinate 80 percent of all flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables. In fact, every year they pollinate $15 billion worth of U.S. crops, the very food we eat.?? Despite their critical role in nature and the economy, bee populations continue to decline in range and abundance.? One of the major causes of pollinator decline is habitat loss. That is why Forest Service scientists at the Northern Research Station created the Pollinator Habitat in Log Landings Project. The project is a three-year study on developing pollinator habitat on log landings (places where loggers stack, sort, and load timber into trucks) following timber harvests. “What we're doing on national forests is really to benefit a diverse range of flora and fauna,” said Lauren Pile Knapp, research ecologist. “And this project is just one piece of that.”  Read the full Article here »