The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded a $1.1-million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to the University of Maine to continue to support the FOR/Maine (Forest Opportunity Roadmap) coalition as they implement their ambitious plan to stabilize, diversify and grow Maine’s forest economy by 40% over the next five years.
The grant will be matched with $499,000 in state funds and $278,608 in local funds. State officials hope the program can help implement strategies to diversify products and profit streams that will strengthen employment and innovation opportunities for rural Maine, and extend the close collaboration between the forest industry, the Maine communities in which we are based, the University of Maine and all levels of local, state and federal government.
Building on the nearly $1 billion of recent and announced capital investment in traditional wood products, Phase II of FOR/Maine will focus on sustaining that momentum, commercializing new uses of wood, and establishing Maine as a global center of wood technology innovation. Project activities will include a comprehensive program of marketing, matchmaking, workforce recruitment and development, landowner forest management, and industry/sector communications, among other activities.