Recently announced by the Future Forest Economy Initiative (FFEI), the organization is investing $250,000 to enhance markets for certified wood and strengthen the supply chain in the Northern Forest region through a grant to the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNEF).
The three-year grant is enabling TCNEF to expand the ranks of certified Master Logger companies in the region, with a focus on New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The Master Logger program improves logger performance, company financial stability and workforce development and retention while increasing the supply of certified wood fiber.
The Master Logger grant is just a small part of The Future Forest initiative — a cooperative effort of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities, and the Northern Forest Center — and grew out of a congressional mandate to support the development of markets for wood products. This is the fourth grant in a three-year program that will invest $2.6 million to expand innovation, create market demand and create conditions that will allow businesses and communities to benefit from these innovations.
To date, the program has certified 120 companies that employ 1,500 people and produce 6 million green tons of wood each year. The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine originated the program, now managed by the TCNEF, in 2000.
The Future Forest Economy Initiative has $1 million remaining to invest in projects that will expand the region’s forest economy by diversifying markets for wood and wood products from the Northern Forest region. The organization has already invested in promoting mass timber products, wood heat marketing and developing wood-fired heating systems for the University of Vermont and other end users.