Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

The harmful health impacts of a group of chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a pressing issue facing Mainers, as it increasingly found in our soil, water and bodies. The science behind PFAS is complex and new, and despite the urgency of the situation, the facts can be hard to communicate […]

If you were to visit the University of Maine’s Witter Farm in the quiet hours before sunrise, you would see bleary-eyed students shuffle through their morning chores. At 4:30 a.m., students bring the farm’s dairy cows into a tie-stall barn for the first of their twice-per-day milking. The next will take place at 4:30 p.m., […]

Caribou Russets were the most popular potato seed variety in Maine in 2023. The variety was developer by Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES) researcher, Dr. Greg Porter (retired, 2023), through the University of Maine. The study originally reported by Spudman magazine has taken the state by storm appearing in many local publications including […]

June 3, 2024 Anyone who has been to a Maine lake can feel their value — its beauty, the rich wildlife, the memories created there — but communicating that value to policy makers when they are deciding where to allocate funds for conservation can be challenging. Thanks to a University of Maine study supported by […]

Diane Rowland, dean of the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences and director of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, was a guest on a recent segment of the Maine Science Podcast. Rowland discussed her career trajectory, pioneering research as a crop physiologist and her efforts to foster team science and advance equity […]

University of Maine President and University of Maine System Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Joan Ferrini-Mundy made remarks at a listening session of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture in Freeport hosted by committee chairman Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) on July 31. The listening session was held to […]

July 11, 2023 University of Maine ecology professor Brian McGill was awarded the Humboldt Research Award, one of the most prestigious scientific honors in Germany. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards the prize annually to internationally-renowned scientists who reside outside of Germany. In addition to the cash award of 60,000 euros, or about $71,000, Humboldt […]

May 11, 2023 Abigayl Novak, who earned her Master of Science in Forest Resources from the University of Maine this May, spoke to the University of Maine Alumni Association about gender-diverse representation in the bioenergy and forestry sectors. “I’m really looking forward to seeing more women in forestry and us supporting each other in this […]

The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District named faculty in the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources Outstanding Conservation Educators of the Year. Nicole Rogers, assistant professor of silviculture; Jay Wason, assistant professor of forest ecosystem physiology; Shawn Fraver, associate professor of forest ecology; Jessica Leahy, Henry W. Saunders Distinguished Professor in Forestry; […]

Bruce Hall has been named the Maine delegate to the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET). Hall will represent the University of Maine’s Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station and the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture.  CARET is a nationwide collaboration that advocates for understanding and support of the food and […]