Forestry and the Environment

A photo of the exterior of Hotel Ursa's Holmes Hall

New on-campus hotel rooted in UMaine history

Walking into the renovated Holmes and Coburn halls will give some visitors a sense of déjà vu. The historic buildings, built at the University of Maine in 1887–88 now serve as part of Hotel Ursa, a new independent hotel opening March 5, where they proudly display some original features and other artifacts of the university’s […]

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Bangor Daily News cites tick research by UMaine graduate students

The Bangor Daily News cited research UMaine graduate students are conducting in a piece about young moose and their likelihood for survival this winter. The research helped estimate winter ticks in the moose population, which is at one of the lowest levels researchers have seen in 11 years, giving young moose better odds for survival […]

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Boston Globe highlights work done by UMaine Climate Change Institute

The Boston Globe showcased work done by UMaine’s Climate Change Institute on the pattern of record sea-surface temperatures. These patterns have been fueled by both El Niño and human-caused climate change. The planet’s average sea surface temperature reached an all-time record of 70.2 degrees Fahrenheit (21.2 Celsius) on Feb. 9. 

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Central Maine promotes UMaine’s soil testing service 

Central Maine promoted UMaine’s soil testing service and shared a recommendation to chaos garden. This form of gardening involves using up any old seeds you’ve got lying around. The UMaine soil testing service notes that excessive rain last year washed nitrogen out of the soil, so a soil test would be a good idea for […]

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Bangor Daily News interviews UMaine climatologist Sean Birkel on frost quakes

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Sean Birkel, a Maine state climatologist at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, about frost quakes. “Maine winters are warming and as part of a changing climate, we are seeing a tendency for more extreme weather events. In winter this can mean patterns that bring extreme cold followed by […]

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A photo of the Maine woods

From pests to pine health, $1.4M allows new forest research to take root 

The Northern Forest Region — 26 million acres of woodlands spanning Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and northern New York — is changing due to climate change, invasive insects and other threats. Protecting these ecologically, economically and culturally vital forests will require novel tools and knowledge, prompting new University of Maine research launching this spring.    UMaine […]

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FOX 22 highlights federal funding for UMaine bioproducts research

WFVX TV (FOX 22 Bangor) promoted $745,000 in federal funding for a University of Maine research project to accelerate the transition from plastic to a more sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable forest-based packaging for consumer products. This will be achieved through rapid prototyping and the development of a pilot scale production of high-value molded pulp products.

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Maine Monitor cites UMaine research on road salt

In a story titled “How pesticides, road salt threaten Maine’s water supply,” The Maine Monitor cited a 2022 University of Maine study which found that Maine used 493,000 tons of road salt in 2019-20, equal to roughly 787 pounds of salt for every resident. The evidence of many different pollutants found in road salt can […]

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AMC working with UMaine and others to examine mercury in dragonfly larvae

Appalachian Mountain Club scientists collaborated with partners from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Park Service, Dartmouth College, and the University of Maine to examine how mercury bio-accumulates in dragonfly larvae sentinels. This research shows how much mercury is in a given ecosystem, based on differences in habitat across the country.

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UMaine joins study on pastures in Northeast

The Multistate Research Fund Impacts Program reported that the University of Maine’s School of Food and Agriculture is participating in a study on pastures in the Northeastern U.S. Scientists have made discoveries about the health benefits of pasture-produced milk, which could increase demand and prices and help dairies stay in business. The project includes Cornell […]

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