Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2014 Annual Report

The Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) had a very productive year during 2013-14. We were thrilled to have CRSF join five other research units on campus to be selected as a new UMaine Signature Research area supporting Sustainable Forests & Forest-Based Economy. This designation will provide a new level of recognition, support, and cooperation for researchers serving the needs of forest landowners and the forest products industry of the state. As always, our success is driven by our people. Dr. Brian Roth along with a number of scientists and over 35 member organizations through the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU) made significant progress on a variety of important issues related to Maine’s commercial forestlands. Dr. Jessica Leahy and her graduate students made excellent progress in advancing our understanding about Maine’s family forests. Drs. Rob Lilieholm and Spencer Meyer did a remarkable job providing decision-making tools related to Maine’s conservation forestlands. We also welcomed The Howland Research Forest as a new research asset into CRSF this year. The Howland Forest is part of the national network of AmeriFlux and FLUXNET sites and has one of the longest records of carbon flux measurements in the world. We look forward to a long collaboration with the USFS Northern Research Station in managing this invaluable research site

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2016 Annual Report

Center programs continued to be successful in a variety of key areas. The Commercial Forests Research Program, headed by Drs. Bob Wagner and Brian Roth, led several stakeholder-driven research projects for 35 member organizations through the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU). A particularly important CFRU project development this past year was the initiation of the Maine\u27s Adaptive Silviculture Experimental Network (MASEN), which will include several operational-scale installations across the state to evaluate alternative mid-rotation management strategies. Dr. Rob Lilieholm retired from the university in May 2016, but continued to promote and support the Maine Futures Community Mapper tool for the Conservation Lands Research Program. In the Family Forests Research Program, Dr. Jessica Leahy continued to work closely with the Small Woodland Owner Association of Maine (SWOAM) to assist family forest owners on a number of key issues. Dr. Sandra De Urioste-Stone led a statewide effort to better understand visitor preferences at key locations (Bar Harbor, Millinocket, and Bethel) and evaluated the role of weather patterns on their spending. Dr. Shawn Fraver and research associates John Lee and Holly Hughes continue making automated greenhouse gas, eddy covariance (flux), and numerous other atmospheric measurements at Howland Forest, which is part of the national Ameriflux Network and one of the longest running sites in the network. Dr. Arun Bose continued to coordinate several research projects associated with the National Science Foundation’s Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS) as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow with particular focus on addressing the influence of American beech on forest structure and composition

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2021 Annual Report

The Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) and Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU) continued to move forward on multiple fronts with a particularly productive and rewarding FY18-19. This included leadership on several key new initiatives such as the Forest Climate Change Initiative (FCCI), Intelligent GeoSolutions (IGS), and a funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Track 2 EPSCoR grant (INSPIRES). This is in addition to ongoing leadership and support for important CRSF programs such as NSF’s Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS), the Northeastern Research Cooperative (NSRC), and FOR/Maine. In short, CRSF is on a bold upward trajectory that highlights its relevance and solid leadership with a rather bright future

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2015 Annual Report

Center programs continued to be successful in a variety of key areas. The Commercial Forests Research Program, headed by Drs. Bob Wagner and Brian Roth, led several stakeholder-driven research projects for 35 member organizations through the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU). A particularly important CFRU project development this past year was the initiation of the Maine\u27s Adaptive Silviculture Experimental Network (MASEN), which will include several operational-scale installations across the state to evaluate alternative mid-rotation management strategies. CRSF led several key initiatives in 2015–16. Following a close, two-year collaboration with both the Maine Forest Products Council and the Maine Forest Service, the Maine Spruce Budworm Task Force report was released and has been well received throughout the region. A website to facilitate outbreak communications was also launched: http://www.sprucebudwormmaine.org/

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2011 Annual Report

2011 marks the end of the first five years of the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF). Our Founding Director, Dr. G. Bruce Wiersma retired this year, having built a solid foundation upon which to grow. Under the leadership of Director Dr. Robert Wagner, the CRSF team engaged in a year-long visioning process, which resulted in a new plan to provide cutting edge research and outreach about Maine’s forest resources. CRSF has now reorganized into three flagship programs: Commercial Forests, Family Forests, and Conservation Lands. In addition to these research initiatives, CRSF hosts the Northeastern States Research Cooperative under the United States Forest Service. With these programs and our myriad other initiatives and partnerships, CRSF now leads sustainable forest research in the State

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2022 Annual Report

The Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) entered its 16th year of existence this year and has been under my leadership since 2016. We are very excited to get back to almost business as usual and resume in-person events, particularly our very successful and popular Forest Climate Change Initiative’s Science & Practice field tour series done in partnership with the Forest Stewardship Guild. These partnerships and events have greatly expanded the recognition and visibility of CRSF endeavors. We are excited to share our accomplishments from the past year in this report and to begin planning for the coming year

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2012 Annual Report

In 2012, the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) completed its second year under an expanded mission to serve the needs of all forest stakeholders in Maine. Building on its rich tradition of working with industrial partners to conduct research related to commercial forestry in the state, the CRSF now strives to solve the challenges of three distinct segments of Maine’s 17 million acres of forest: Commercial Forests, Family Forests, and Conservation Lands. With a renewed focus on relevant, stakeholder-driven research, the CRSF has emerged as a key source of scientific information about all of these forest resources

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2019 Annual Report

The Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) continued its evolution as University of Maine research center in FY21 with several new and ongoing initiatives. Despite the continual challenges created by the global pandemic, dedicated CRSF faculty, staff and students have furthered our collaborations and generated numerous outcomes for our stakeholders. Of particular note this past FY, the Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) awarded 13 new projects across the region, including three involving the University of Maine; the Forest Climate Change Initiative’s Science and Practice monthly webinar series organized with the Forest Stewardship Guild attracted strong participation both internal/external to Maine; and release of th Natural Climate Solutions for Forestry & Agriculture Final Report outlining the potential of alternative management strategies for increasing carbon sequestration. In addition, several external grants were received in FY21 from NASA Carbon Monitoring Systems, a NASA GEDI, several from the USDA, and one from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, which help to continue grow the CRSF research program and build capacity within the center