Future Forest Economy Initiative
Over a five year period of strategic investment in 13 projects, the imitative helped launch 10 new forest products, improved wages and benefits for 1,500 workers, and leveraged 14.8 million in private investment to further the forest economy of the region.
Our Partnership
In 2018, Congress allocated $3 million to the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) to increase production, commercialization, and use of wood products in the Northern Forest region of Vermont, New Hampshire, northern Maine, and northern New York. To implement this directive, the EDA developed a cooperative agreement with the Northern Forest Center and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities; the resulting partnership was called the Future Forest Economy Initiative (FFEI).
Along with providing additional funding, the Endowment also served as fiscal manager for the project in order to advance payments to grantees and reduce the time between project expenditures and reimbursement. The Northern Forest Center managed the project and provided strategic support to grantees, expanding their networks and developing connections to help the projects succeed. Learn more about the initiative by reading our program fact sheet and press release.
Future Forest Economy Initiative
The Center’s Future Forest Economy Initiative supported development of new markets for wood from the Northern Forest from 2019-2023 — expanding the development and production of new and emerging wood products that will support the region’s economy and help keep forests as forests.
