Forestry and the Environment

A photo of Melissa Genoter

Melissa Genoter: Finding a career in a love for Maine’s outdoors

Melissa Genoter’s experience at the University of Maine turned her love of the outdoors into an impactful research project — and a post-graduate career. Thanks to internships through the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and the connections she made with fellow students through outdoors clubs, Genoter has established herself in Maine’s environmental […]

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A photo of two people kayaking on a lake in front of Mount Katahdin

Maine lakes are worth $14 billion, according to UMaine study

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 the Senator George […]

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Media boost small mammal pilfering study from UMaine researchers

A study on the behavior of small mammals in the wild from a team of researchers at the University of Maine was the topic of recent articles from IFLScience and Trim Feed. UMaine graduate student Brigit Humphreys, lead author who worked to collect data in a forest for two years, said the aim of her […]

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PFAS-free coating research featured in Maine media

The Bangor Daily New, Maine Public and WFVX (Fox 22/ABC 7) reported on an effort by University of Maine students and faculty to develop coatings free of a group of chemicals known as PFAS for food wrappers and other paper products by using seaweed and tree pulp. The Keene Sentinel shared the report from the […]

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A photo of a mouse on a mossy log

Furry thieves are running loose in a forest north of Bangor, UMaine research shows

Scattered across the Penobscot Experimental Forest are veritable treasure troves for its denizens, each containing riches beyond comprehension. These caches do not contain gold or jewels – they’re filled with eastern white pine seeds and were placed by a team of researchers at the University of Maine for one purpose: to catch furry thieves red-handed.  […]

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Provide input on Maine Outdoor Recreation Economy Roadmap April 23

Hikers, hunters, educators, business owners and any other types of outdoor enthusiasts are invited to contribute their perspectives to the Maine Outdoor Recreation Economy Roadmap. The University of Maine, Maine Outdoor Brands and the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation are hosting a workshop at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 23 in Rangeley Hall at Eastern […]

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Maine Public highlights UMaine-funded research on birds in North Woods

A research project partially funded in part by the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit, a part of the University of Maine Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, is highlighted in an article from Maine Public. In 2021, research crews began monitoring 300 sites in forest habitats across nearly 600,000 acres in Maine’s North Woods. The goal […]

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Media interview Birkel, Fernandez on impending effects of climate change in Maine

In several different news stories, members of the media interviewed University of Maine professor Emeritus and climate research scientist Ivan Fernandez and research assistant professor Sean Birkel on climate change in Maine. Fernandez said in an interview with the Sun Journal that the warming trend is largely due to natural weather fluctuations, the re-emergence of […]

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BDN interviews Fanning on pollinators

Bangor Daily News interviewed Phillip Fanning, assistant professor of agriculture entomology at the University of Maine, on the pollination process of bees. In Maine, there are 90 native pollinators that visit wild and cultivated flowering plants. All of them are far more efficient at pollination than domestic honey bees. “Our best pollinators are bumble bees. […]

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