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Understanding the interaction between land ownership, climate conditions, and harvesting strategies is essential for promoting long-term tree species diversity and ensuring sustainable forest ecosystems. This study uses forest inventory, climate, soil and socio-economic data to examine how land ownership types, climate gradients, and soil characteristics influence tree species diversity in Maine, USA. Our results suggest that southern Maine, characterized by milder climate conditions, supports greater tree species diversity compared to colder, boreal-dominated northern regions. Family forest owners, predominantly situated in southern Maine, consistently exhibited the highest diversity, reflecting less intensive management practices. Conversely, industrial and institutional forests concentrated in northern Maine demonstrated lower species diversity, likely driven by uniform, economically driven management practices. Incorporating soil attributes significantly improved the explanatory power of our diversity models. Harvesting activities showed varied impacts on biodiversity. Harvesting effects varied among ownership types: while overall biodiversity changes were minor post-harvest, industrial forests in northern Maine experienced a sustained 7 % decline in species diversity approximately ten years after harvesting, suggesting the need for continued long-term monitoring. Consequently, it is essential to develop management strategies at both the stand- and landscape-levels that effectively balance economic objectives while mitigating long-term biodiversity losses.