Welcome to the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests
The Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) was founded in 2006 to build on a rich history of leading forest research and to enhance our understanding of Maine’s forest resources in an increasingly complex world. Forest research and its application are rapidly evolving due to unprecedented availability of data provided by emerging technologies such as high-resolution digital imagery and GPS. As the CRSF looks to the future, we hope to lead the development, integration, and application of these emerging technologies to address current and future issues in natural resources.
Our mission is to conduct and promote leading interdisciplinary research on issues affecting the management and sustainability of northern forest ecosystems and Maine’s forest-based economy.
Multi-Institutional Research
Smart Data for Resilient Forests
Compiling data to better assess, understand and forecast complex forest landscape changes is the goal of a four-year, multidisciplinary regional project led by Aaron Weiskittel, director of the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests at the University of Maine. More…
Forest-based Opportunities for Resilient Economy, Sustainability, and Technology
Maine-FOREST
Future Opportunities for Decarbonization
The proposal: Grow the state’s forest-based economy and the rural communities it supports through scientific advancements in key strategic areas and related workforce development activities.
The Challenge: Lead a comprehensively integrated research, education, and outreach program that fosters diversified and robust forest-based economies and rural livelihoods.
In January 2023, UMaine and the Maine EPSCoR Office were awarded a planning grant (OIA-2241675) to complete strategic activities necessary to develop an inclusive capacity-building research and workforce development proposal well aligned with the state’s current S&T Plan. The Planning Grant Report is available for download here.
Promoting Economic Resilience and Sustainability of the Eastern U.S. Forests
Scientifically sound information, outreach, and educational opportunities that will lay the foundation for a long-term paradigm shift in forestry toward data-driven, AI-supported forest management systems that increase both the provision of ecosystem services and operational efficiency.