The legendary Golden Road, built by Great Northern Paper Co. through 96 miles of

Jeff Clark

Source

Down East

Date

6-1-1996

Pages

38-41, 68-72

Abstract

The legendary Golden Road, built by Great Northern Paper Co. through 96 miles of forest from Millinocket to the Canadian border at St. Zacharie, Quebec, is as long as the Maine Turnpike and nearly as straight. Begun in 1970, the logging road has revolutionized forest management, opened up the wilderness to motorists, and turned the paper company into a reluctant recreation-management service. There are an estimated 25,000 miles of privately owned logging roads in the North Woods, compared to 22,500 miles of public highway in Maine. Driven by a demand for the unseasoned wood that was required for higher quality paper, the road replaced river drives, where there could be a year between the stump and the mill. Public use of the road has grown. and Great Northern officials are wrestling with a future that includes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Fees have been put in place. Greater public awareness of the North Woods helped fuel an anti-clearcutting referendum in November. With details on using the road to sightsee.

Subjects

Great Northern Paper Company, Roads

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