Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report

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What this is

The Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report was established in 2025 by the Maine Legislature under "An Act to Require Landowners to Report Their Participation in a Forest Carbon Program or Project" (H.P.3 – L.D. 39).  This statute requires forest landowners in Maine to file a Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report with the Main Forest Service IF they have voluntarily enrolled their land in a forest carbon project or program.

Forest carbon programs and markets are programs in which landowners can voluntarily enroll their woodlands, if they qualify. The State of Maine does not operate such programs or regulate such markets. More information about such programs can be requested by emailing forestinfo@maine.gov.

To submit a Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment report, the information required is basic and the process is simple.

FAQs for Maine landowners reporting their enrollment in a Forest Carbon Program

Request a Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report Form

Why we are doing this

Forest carbon markets are influencing the management decisions of forest landowners who are aiming to increase carbon dioxide uptake or reduce their emissions by forests for a specified period. These changes in management may involve trade-offs.  They may influence timber harvesting decisions by landowners, which in turn may affect markets for forest products.

By statute, the Maine Forest Service’s Forest Resource Assessment Program collects a variety of confidential information about forest management activities in Maine. The summary information from these reports help landowners, the forest industry, investors, and other decision makers understand trends in forest conditions, practices, and wood markets. Tracking participation in carbon programs can help everyone understand how these new markets may be affecting Maine’s forests and forest economy.

The purpose of this is:

  • To enable the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (ME DACF) to report on the status and trends of this new market and improve the accuracy of state-wide carbon accounting, as required by statute.  
  • To help the public, policy makers, and others better understand how Maine forestland owners are participating in the carbon markets.
  • To help forest products industry evaluate how the enrollment of carbon credit projects might affect markets.

This transparency can help the forestry sector continue to thrive in Maine. 

FAQs

Who needs to file a report about their enrollment in a forest carbon credit program or project?

The requirement to file a report applies to landowners who have signed a legal contract to enroll their forest land in Maine in a forest carbon program or project¹ which requires that:

  1. Forest management activities on the enrolled property are planned to provide transferable forest carbon credits; and that
  2. The forest carbon credits to be generated conform to the requirements of an existing voluntary or regulatory carbon protocol or registry.

A landowner with forest land that meets these criteria and signed a legal contract with a forest carbon program must file an electronic Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment report (Enrollment Report).  A landowner may elect to have their project developer or a designated agent file an Enrollment Report on their behalf.

When should a landowner file?

Landowners who enrolled in a forest carbon credit program or project and signed a Forest Carbon Agreement:

  • Before 2025 must file an Enrollment Report of their previous participation by July 1, 2026.
  • During 2025 or thereafter must file an Enrollment Report by January 31st of the year after they signed a legally binding contract for carbon credits. 

For example, if a landowner signs a legally binding forest carbon contract for carbon credits on April 1st, 2026, they must file an electronic Enrollment Report by January 31st, 2027.

This is a one-time filing – once you have filed you do not have to refile in subsequent years unless you enroll additional acres.

How does a landowner file an Enrollment Report Form?

A landowner or their designated agent can request an Enrollment Report Form from the Maine Forest Service (see Request a Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report Form below). Once your request has been accepted, the Maine Forest Service will send you an email with an electronic Enrollment Report Form to complete.  This file will include FAQs about the program and instructions for completing the form.  You will need to complete the form and return it to the Maine Forest Service using the email address provided. You will then receive an email receipt indicating the submission of your Enrollment Report Form.

What information does a landowner need to complete the Enrollment Report Form?

Statute requires landowners to report basic information about their enrollment in a forest carbon credit program or project.  This information includes:

  1. The name of the forest carbon program or project.
  2. The legal name of the landowner or landowners as of the date of enrollment in the forest carbon program or project.
  3. The name of the designated agent of the landowner is only required if the designated agent and not the landowner is completing the Enrollment Report Form.
  4. The landowner contact information of the landowner or landowners at the date of enrollment in the forest carbon program or project.
  5. The legal name of the forest carbon developer.
  6. The name of the voluntary or regulatory forest carbon protocol or registry (if known).
  7. The forest carbon program or project identification number in the registry (if known).
  8. The first day of enrollment in the forest carbon program or project of the affected forest land.
  9. The last year of enrollment in the forest carbon program or project of the affected forest land.
  10. The total forest acreage enrolled in the forest carbon program or project by town, city, township, or plantation.

Is landowner information kept private?

All information filed using an Enrollment Report Form with the Maine Forest Service is confidential per M.R.S. Title 12, §8885 (4). Your information about participation in carbon programs or activities on your land will not be disclosed to the public.  Your information may be combined with information from other enrolled landowners to produce summary reports, which are designed to prevent your information from being disclosed.

Request a Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report Form

To request a Maine Forest Carbon Program Enrollment Report Form from the Maine Forest Service, you can use the request form below.  It requires you to attest that you are a Maine landowner or their designated agent to submit a request.  You must also provide the name of the landowner or your name if you are a designated agent of the landowner, your email address, the county with the greatest forest area enrolled in a forest carbon program or project, and the name of the forest carbon program or project, if known.

If you are unsure if you are required to file, please contact the Maine Forest Service at forestinfo@maine.gov or call (207) 287-2791

¹ H.P. 3 - L.D. 39 (An Act to Require Landowners to Report Their Participation in a Forest Carbon Program or Project).