An expert panel says the Nova Scotia government should buy a massive swath of forested land that once fed the now-defunct Bowater-Mersey paper mill near Liverpool.

The panel, in a final report released today, says the 220,000 hectares owned by Montreal-based Resolute Forest Products should become part of a broader plan to revive the region’s forest products industry.

There is no indication in the report as to what it would cost to buy the land, considered one of the largest plots of privately held land in the province.

The report goes on to say that local businesses and government representatives should develop a detailed business plan.

More than 300 people were affected when Resolute closed the mill in June, saying it couldn’t survive because paper prices had plunged and its markets had dried up.

In December 2011, the province extended a $50-million lifeline to the mill, which included a $25-million forgivable loan – most of which was not spent – and $23 million to buy about 10,000 hectares of woodland.