Forest Economy

Beyond facilitating access to our suite of research forests and facilities, the University of Maine provides a range of services to forest-focused businesses and communities. Our staff and cooperative partners provide support the economic and development growth of our clients-both in communitities reliant on sustainable forests and throughout the forest supply chain.

Examples of our business and community services include:

• Connecting clients with our extensive network of professional business and development collaborators to increase opportunities for growth
• Assistance in sourcing and developing grants and funding opportunities
• Business coaching, intern placement and development for established businesses
• Start-up services to new and aspiring businesses, including incubation, entrepreneur mentoring, innovation training and business plan development
• Evaluation of supply chains, infrastructure, economic policy, sector markets and socio-economic indicators to assist in developing business strategies and define new opportunities
• Defining, developing and expanding forest-focused opportunities including nature-based tourism, outdoor recreation and non-timber forest products
• Workforce analysis and training to meet the needs of employers and communities
• Economic development and community diversification to increase resilience to changing markets and demands