News From Maine’s Forests

RFQ: Transforming Maine’s Future Forest Workforce: Seamless Pathways

Request for Statements of Interest and Qualifications for Consulting ServicesFOR/ME: Transforming Maine’s Future Forest Workforce: Seamless Pathways Issue Date: February 6, 2023Closing Date: March 1, 2023 Part 1. Background & Opportunity 1.1 OverviewThe forest products industry (FPS) has a long and proud heritage in Maine and remains a significant economic driver in the state’s economy. […]

UMaine’s Advances Structures and Composites Center is Positioning Maine to Lead A Mass Timber Revolution

ORONO, Maine 𑁋 The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) qualified two new grades of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) using Maine-sourced lumber. That is, Maine lumber can now be used in CLT building construction, for buildings as high as 10 stories or more.

Woodland Retreat Landowner Outreach and Engagement Professional Development Training

Train-the-Trainer Workshop June 9th & 10th Kennebec County Extension Offices – Augusta, Maine A half-day professional development training is being created to support Maine forestry professionals in their efforts to engage Woodland Retreat type landowners. Woodland Retreat landowners are an important cohort of family woodland owners in Maine that are not being well-served by traditional […]

Woodland Retreat Landowner Outreach and Engagement Professional Development Training – Train-the-Trainer Workshop

A half-day professional development training is being created to support Maine forestry professionals in their efforts to engage Woodland Retreat type landowners. Woodland Retreat landowners are an important cohort of family woodland owners in Maine that are not being well served by traditional forestry engagement and programs as evidenced by a disproportionately low rate of […]

UMaine Process Development Center unveils new capacity for renewable packaging research

Partnership with Kiefel brings state-of-the-art fiber thermoforming machine to Orono The University of Maine Process Development Center (PDC), long recognized for its expertise in processing fiber for pulp and paper applications, is now home to new equipment that will advance renewable packaging research significantly for Maine’s forest products industry. Kiefel — an international leader in […]

Our Katahdin and ORPC, Inc. Partner on Innovative Energy Product Development

Our Katahdin and ORPC, Inc., announced a partnership today to create a testing center at One North, the former Great Northern Paper Mill site, to support the next-generation design and development of ORPC’s river hydrokinetic power system which generates electricity from river and tidal currents without dams or impoundments. “We welcome ORPC to the portfolio of innovative businesses working with Our Katahdin to help transform, grow and improve the […]

Maine mill towns get a new round of money to prepare for new businesses

A new round of grants announced this week will help a handful of Maine mill towns repurpose their former manufacturing sites for new businesses. Millinocket, Lincoln and Ashland will receive $20,000 each, while East Millinocket and Madison will receive $30,000 each to fund projects such as engineering and site planning studies and offset state permit […]

UMaine-led FOR/Maine coalition chosen as a finalist for up to $100 million in EDA’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge

Proposal aims to accelerate the Northern Forest Bioeconomy through innovation, commercialization, workforce and community redevelopment The FOR/Maine Coalition has been named by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) as a finalist in the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The University of Maine was awarded the $500,000 grant to support the coalition to further develop […]

RFP: Client Management for Investment Attraction

NOTICE of REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Client Management for Investment Attraction ORGANIZATION: Forest Opportunity Roadmap/Maine (FOR/Maine), Maine Forest Products Council SUMMARY: The FOR/Maine Market Attraction Committee is looking for a contracted vendor or organization that can support the Client Management System established by the FOR/Maine project. The client management system is managed by a subset of FOR/Maine and includes […]

Governor Mills Announces Launch of Forestry Recovery Grant Program

November 22, 2021 Governor Janet Mills announced today that the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) is now accepting applications for Phase 1 of the Forestry Recovery Initiative, a multi-phase grant program to support Maine’s forest products industry and the people it employs, create and sustain jobs in rural Maine, and strengthen the state’s economy.