University of Maine Joins National Science Foundation-Backed Coalition for Forestry Research and Product Development in Northern New England

On Thursday (5-11-23), the University of Maine announced in its UMaine News that it was using $1 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to partner with research institutions and community organizations across Northern New England to devise new forest products and management strategies.

According to the UMaine News, the Coalition of Northern Forest Innovation and Research (CONFIR)—led by the Northern Forest Center in Concord, New Hampshire—is among the first recipients of the new NSF Engines Development Award, created to bolster research and development among robotic partnerships that will accelerate technological, economic, and workforce development at the regional level.

With the funding, CONFIR will spend the next 24 months creating various research proposals to earn the title of NSF Engine and the opportunity to receive up to $160 million. That funding would allow the group to conduct research and design products that will open up new markets for rural economies and preserve the Northern Forest for years to come.