of employment for the population. Accurate data on the extent of harvesting 

 operations are unavailable, partly due to the diversity of ownership. The 

 only major forest-product processing plant in the coastal zone is located in 

 Bucksport, and employs more than 1100 people. Plants in Westbrook, Topsham, 

 and Baileyville, which are located outside the coastal zone, employ residents 

 of the coastal zone. In addition, environmental impacts of processing plants 

 affect areas downstream and downwind in the coastal zone. 



Forest products in the coastal zone are also used in lumber mills, lobster 

 trap mills, Christmas trees and wreaths, and related products. No data are 

 available on the extent of these uses. Chapter 19, "Commercial Forest Types," 

 contains further information on forestry; chapter 9, "The Forest System," and 

 chapter 3, "Human Impacts on the Ecosystem," include discussions of the 

 effects of existing forestry activities on the environment. 



Agriculture industry . Agriculture is a relatively small industry in 

 coastal Maine. Less than 10% of the land in the coastal zone is used for 

 farming. The percentage of land used for farming varies from 1.5% in Hancock 

 County to 13 . 7% of the coastal townships in regions 3 and 4. The market value 

 of farm products has been increasing in recent years. The size of the 3100 

 farms in coastal Maine in 1974 averaged 183 acres (74 ha). The gross farm 

 income was $241 million in 1974. The percentage of land used for farming has 

 decreased sharply during the past 30 years. In Washington County the number 

 of farms decreased from 591 with 160,898 acres (64,359 ha) in 1964 to 277 

 farms with 88,000 acres (35,200 ha) in 1974. The number of active farms 

 (cropland) in the county in 1979 was only 37, occupying 414 acres (166 ha; 

 personal communication from Richard Howard, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, 

 Machias, ME; March, 1979). 



Agriculture in the coastal zone includes harvested crops (grain, vegetables, 

 potatoes, blueberries, orchard fruit, and hay) and livestock pasture. The 

 market value for farm production in the coastal counties of Maine in 1974 was 

 approximately $71 million. Blueberry agriculture in Hancock and Washington 

 Counties is important both in terms of crop yield and processing value. The 

 blueberry industry operates only during summer but is a significant part of 

 the coastal economy in regions 5 and 6. Based on the 1977 season, the value 

 of the blueberry crop in the coastal towns of Washington and Hancock Counties 

 was estimated to be $2.9 million. Chapter 10, "Agricultural and Developed 

 Land" presents further information on agricultural land, including acreages of 

 agricultural land and acreages of land occupied by individual crops. 



Mineral industry . Mineral production on the coast, primarily in the form 

 of sand and gravel for building construction and roads, was valued at about 

 $37 million in 1975 and $42 million in 1977 (U.S. Department of the Interior 

 1978). In 1975, 9,875,000 short tons of gravel and sand were removed for 

 construction purposes. The islands and coastal areas were once famous for 

 quarrying of building stone, but most of these quarries have been abandoned, 

 with the exception of open pit mines of limestone in Thomaston (region 4) and 

 Portland (region 1). The most recent active copper mining operation (Blue 

 Hill, region 5) was closed in 1977 as prices for copper and zinc dropped. 

 Peat has been mined in coastal Maine, primarily in regions 5 and 6. In 1975, 

 4000 short tons of peat were removed at a value of $207,000. Peat harvesting 

 is expected to increase in the future. Reports are available describing the 

 size of the potential peat reserves in Hancock and Washington Counties 



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