Linking sustainable management and products to support rural economies
The University of Maine FOREST, or UMaine FORest Economy, Sustainability and Technology, Initiative is a university-wide multi-disciplinary initiative that brings together university, industry, government, and community collaborators for the advancement of forest-based economy in Maine and beyond.
Maine-FOREST
In 2024, faculty from the University of Maine secured a $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to open a new chapter for the Maine FOREST Initiative.
The project called Maine-FOREST, or Forest-based Opportunities for Resilient Economy, Sustainability and Technology, will expand Maine’s research and educational capacity to connect human- and ecosystem-focused innovations and services.
The project takes an integrated thematic approach to fuel the state’s forest-based economy and the rural communities it supports. Key foci of the project include artificial intelligence and informatics; wood-derived alternatives to plastic, concrete and more called cellulosic nanofiber bioproducts (CNF); rural and Wabanaki resilience; and economically diverse rural development.
