Maine gets another $2M to strengthen forest economy

File Photo / Courtesy of The Conservation Fund Maine will receive $2 million in funding to strengthen its forest economy from a federal-state partnership known as the Northern Border Regional Commission.

Write a Comment

By Staff

Maine has been awarded another $2 million in federal funding to shore up its forest economy.

U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Friday that grants for East Millinocket Industrials, the Maine Development Foundation and the Northern Forest Center are the latest in a series of investments by the Northern Border Regional Commission.

The commission is a federal-state partnership for economic and community development in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

“Maine’s forests play a vital role in powering our state’s economy, and investments like these can help create new opportunities for those who have relied on this industry for generations,” King and Collins said in a joint statement.

They added: “We welcome this funding from NBRC, a critical source of investment for northern and central Maine, to bolster our forest products industry and create jobs in Maine’s most rural areas.”

The funding announced Friday comes after awards announced in June and July, including $1.25 million to support forest-industry development projects at the University of Maine and in East Millinocket.

Funding allocation

Following is a breakdown of the funding amounts and purposes in the latest round:

East Millinocket Industrials, $450,00 to redevelop the paper mill site in the town into a multi-industrial complex;
Maine Development Foundation, $646,396 to develop a partnership model building on stakeholder-driven work to focus on the revitalizing community projects in communities most impacted by mill closures; and
Northern Forest Center, $908,277 to launch an initiative in Maine and other states to attract visitors and improve the quality of life for residents.

Forest Opportunity Roadmap

King and Collins were also instrumental in establishing the Forest Opportunity Roadmap (FOR/Maine) Initiative, an industry-led initiative that is helping to diversify the state’s wood products businesses, attract investments, and develop greater economic prosperity for rural communities impacted by mill closures.

That initiative was funded in part by the Economic Development Assessment Team requested by the senators in 2016 to help create strategies for job growth and economic development in Maine’s rural communities.