Scarce snowpack hindered snowmobile recreation in Maine last winter, squeezing businesses that count on the sport to draw tourists. The University of Maine released an updated report on the economic contribution of snowmobiling in Maine, revealing a significant decline in impact for the 2023-24 season. According to the study, snowmobiling generated an estimated $582 million […]
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Ask anyone who frequents the forests of New England and they will likely speak of unwelcome companions — ticks. Blacklegged ticks are expanding their range and rising in numbers, infecting people with pathogens that cause conditions like Lyme disease and babesiosis. Climate change is frequently blamed, but researchers have noticed another man-made problem may be […]
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The American woodcock is a well known shorebird found across eastern North America. Each year, they migrate from overwintering locations in the southeastern U.S. to breeding locations across the northeastern and midwestern U.S. and southeastern Canada. To gather data on the woodcock’s migration, a team led by faculty at the University of Maine has collaborated […]
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If you’ve felt the familiar itch of browntail moth rash, seen the grayish-green needles of an infested hemlock or watched as woodpeckers bore into ash trees for a meal hidden beneath the surface, you’ve experienced the devastating effects of non-native pests. Browntail moth, hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer are only three of the […]
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The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES) has restarted it’s publication funding program after a two-year pause. We are proud to announce that with the first cycle of 2024 funding, MAFES has supported seven peer-reviewed publications. These publications reflect the diverse research programs supported by the Experiment Station (see below). A second 2024 funding […]
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May 24, 2024 Noah Charney, an assistant professor of conservation biology at the University of Maine, was featured in a profile by the New York Times for his work on understanding and interacting with landscapes. Charney practices reading the land around him — its past, present, potential for the future by picking up on patterns […]
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Warm weather means many farms across Maine will be hosting public access hours and events (check Real Maine or local farm websites for hours and details). MAFES’ Aroostook, Blueberry Hill, Highmoor, and Rogers farms will all be hosting field days and other opportunities for public access throughout the summer (see our events page for details). […]
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The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station has published MR449: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Visitor Survey 2019. Authors John J. Daigle, University of Maine Ashley Cooper, University of Maine Description Quality in outdoor recreation can be defined as the degree to which recreation opportunities provide the experiences for which they are designed and managed. Key to […]
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Human dimensions of natural resources have become a recognized component of management that is just as necessary as ecological study. As the state of Maine faces emerging issues such as increased development, growing motorized recreation use, and changes in supply and demand for forest resources, this research fills a critical need. The coupled human-forest interactions […]
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Without transportation systems sufficient to support a growing user population, many recreation areas are experiencing not only diminished resources, but declining visitor satisfaction. Included in the missions of all four federal land management agencies is the directive to manage resources so as to provide enjoyment, while meeting the needs of future generations of Americans. This […]
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