animals to haul logs , scalers to measure the timber ’ s worth , and river drivers to float logs to the mills where sawyers converted logs into marketable products . The sheer volume of lumber moved between mills and ports created demand for Maine ’ s first railroad .
Logging became progressively mechanized , particularly in the 20th century . Certain species were over harvested , competition emerged from the northwest and Canada , and the demand increasingly shifted away from cut lumber toward pulp for papermaking . One of the last major paper mills of Downeast Maine , in Bucksport on the Penobscot River , shut down in 2015 . A tissue paper manufacturing facility continues to operate in Woodland , supporting many families in Downeast Maine .
In addition to raw and processed timber , Downeast Maine is one of the world ’ s largest producers of balsam products . Balsam fir is used world-wide for holiday trees , wreaths , and other decorations . The industry provides an important seasonal income for many individuals and families and employs a population of migrant workers .
The uses of the forest have changed and grown – from timber for masts and shipbuilding , to sawn lumber for building , to raw material for papermaking , to a recreational resource that boosts the tourism economy . Through all the changes , Downeast Maine ’ s forests continue to support a viable and diverse forest-based economy due to the scale of the resource and its importance to the economy .
Granite
Brown and McAllister Granite Quarry , Long Island , Blue Hill - Cutting granite blocks for building stones became an important industry in the 1800 ’ s . Granite was split from ledges in large sheets and extracted from deep pits , called quarries . Granite was transported down the coast in special ships called stone sloops to build many of America ’ s landmark buildings . Photo courtesy of Jonathan Fisher Memorial .
As the earth was forming , crystallized magma cooled deep in the earth under what is now DownEast Maine and developed into granite shelves up to five miles deep . In some areas the granite is believed to be more than 420 million years old . The Laurentide Ice Sheet scraped away the soil as it receded , revealing the seemingly endless supply of granite .
Cutting granite blocks for building stones became an important industry in the 1800 ’ s . Granite was split from ledges in large sheets and extracted from deep pits , called quarries .
84