AUGUSTA – Plum Creek Timberlands, which promotes itself as “leaders in environmental forestry,” has admitted to illegally clearcutting a 157-acre parcel in Somerset County.

Plum Creek will pay a $9,000 negotiated civil penalty, according to the state Department of Conservation, for the Forest Practices Act violation.

Moreover, Plum Creek agreed to an administrative settlement with the state that requires a review of other harvesting operations undertaken by the company between Oct. 1, 1999, and Aug. 1, 2002. Penalties for other violations linked to Plum Creek could under terms of the settlement run to another $57,000.

Plum Creek would also be required to take corrective actions, including having to change its future harvest plans to offset violations.

Measurements and other documentation would have to meet the approval of an independent forester and be in compliance with state forestry rules. Any sites found not to be in compliance by Dec. 31, 2004, could lead to separate enforcement actions by the Maine Forest Service.

Plum Creek says it’s the nation’s second largest private timberland owner, controlling more than 8 million acres.

“We create value through thoughtful management of our natural resources and by optimizing our land portfolio through strategic acquisitions and divestitures,” the company states on its Web site.

It also says it adheres to sustainable forestry practices developed by the American Forest & Paper Association.

Rick Holley, Plum Creek’s president and chief executive officer, states on the Web site that “Our forestry standards are among the highest in North America.”

In settling with Maine, Plum Creek agreed to institute “a number of significant quality control measurers to ensure the company’s future compliance with the Forest Practice Act,” noted Tim Post, an enforcement coordinator for the state.

“This violation resulted from a re-entry into a previously harvested stand and inadequate harvest planning and monitoring,” he added. Plum Creek’s action resulted in “a clear-cut where the landowner intended to create an overstory removal,” Post said.

Forest Service Director Tom Doak said that “when violations do occur, we remain firm in our commitment to enforce the Forest Practices Act.

The clear-cut is in T1R3, North of the Bingham-Kennebec Purchase.

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