Federal team begins tour of Maine forest products industry, media report

The Morning Sentinel, Bangor Daily News, Mainebiz and WVII (Channel 7) reported on the beginning of a federal team’s tour of the state’s forest products industry. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine and representatives from several federal agencies began the three-day Economic Development Assessment Team visit with a meeting with public and private sector representatives from across the state at the University of Maine, Mainebiz reported. The federal team will explore ways for Maine’s forest industry to become more competitive, whether transportation for the industry can be improved and what new forest products might prove lucrative, the BDN reported, citing UMaine’s development of a process for converting wood into jet fuel. The team will then issue a report with recommendations for moving Maine’s forest economy forward, according to Mainebiz. Stakeholders from UMaine participating in the process include Stephen Shaler, director of the School of Forest Resources; and Jake Ward, vice president for innovation and economic development, the Mainebiz article states.