The planning and zoning agency for Maine's North Woods is finalizing a new plan to control development pressure in the region.

Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission says new ownership of the forests and new types of development mean it's time to update the 12- year-old comprehensive plan and find new ways to guide future growth.

"The landscape has changed substantially since 1997 - commercial wind power, commercial water extraction, the character of residential development," said Catherine Carroll, the commission's executive director.

Conservationists are backing the plan, saying the commission has had little control over the scattered construction of vacation homes throughout the commercial forest. While the proposed document lacks specific restrictions, it would give commissioners power to develop controls later through the rule-making process.

The proposed new blueprint for development faces opposition from a major group of timberland owners who argue that there is no need for new restrictions in what is still a sparsely populated area.

"We're not seeing the same problem," said James Cote, communications coordinator for the Forest Products Council of Maine.

The land use commission will hold three public hearings around the state next week on its proposed comprehensive plan. It also will accept written comments until Oct. 21. The southernmost hearing is scheduled Monday in Augusta.

Carroll and planning officials with the agency met Tuesday with members of the editorial board of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

Regulators said the location and pace of development are not pressing problems, but they could be soon.

A new generation of landowners includes investors who, unlike paper companies, are focused less on the long-term timber value of their properties. And the character of development has changed, with modern four-season vacation homes replacing the traditional rustic camps that used to be built there.

Most of the new homes are built on individual lots, which means the land use commission has no control over where they go.