In remote central Maine, a roughly 20,000-acre complex of protected lands is being assembled by various conservation groups including the Northeast Wilderness Trust. These protected lands border Alder Stream and the Piscataquis River, and contain mature American chestnut trees, expansive wetlands, and Atlantic salmon habitat. The Trust is working actively with local partners to expand and connect this network of protected lands. This includes land conserved by other organizations for sustainable forestry and organic farming. Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve, owned by Northeast Wilderness Trust as forever-wild, covers 7,092 acres in Atkinson, Maine.