CAFS Phase IV Launches with Seven New Projects

ORONO, Maine — The Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS), a national consortium of university and industry partners across the sector, has officially launched Phase IV. Following over seventeen years of growth under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) program, CAFS is evolving into a self-sustaining national entity to meet the technological, innovation, and workforce challenges facing forest management, health and forest-dependent rural economies.

Led by the University of Maine’s Center for Research on Sustainable Forests (CRSF) and Director Aaron Weiskittel, Phase IV (www.cafsresearch.org) marks a significant program shift to a project-based, member-driven funding model designed to accelerate the deployment of high-resolution forest mapping, AI-driven management, and enhanced multi-dimensional analytics guided across North America. In Year 1, CAFS is supporting seven new research projects spanning growth and yield modeling, site productivity mapping, forest inventory, precision silviculture, and forest health. This portfolio leverages big data, AI & machine learning, and advanced physiology to provide industry members with precise, scalable tools for the next generation of forest management.

A National Response to Shifting Forest Needs

As the forest research funding landscape evolves, the CAFS Phase IV expansion fills a critical gap by providing a stable, industry-aligned research pathway. The program will leverage a tiered membership structure, inviting technology companies, investment firms, private foundations, sector service providers, and traditional timber organizations to co-fund high-impact research.

“Phase IV isn’t just about continuing our work; it’s about scaling our impact,” according to Dr. Aaron Weiskittel, CAFS Director and Director of the UMaine CRSF. “By moving to a self-funded, outcome-driven model, we can bridge the gap between regional forest cooperatives and national policy, ensuring that the best science is put directly into the hands of those managing our continent’s most vital natural resource.”

Strategic Priorities for Phase IV Expansion

The Phase IV roadmap focuses on three “Grand Challenges” for 2026 and beyond:

• The Digital Forest Twin: Utilizing 3D NAIP imagery, LiDAR, and machine learning to create real-time, high-resolution maps of forest density, health, and site productivity across the Continental U.S.
• Standardized Forest Modeling: Developing verified, multi-site frameworks to accurately quantify forest ecosystem services—essential for the rapidly maturing carbon and emerging biodiversity credit markets.
• Precision Silviculture and Forest Health: Integrating stable isotope analysis, hyperspectral sensing, and advanced silvicultural tools to optimize tree growth and health in the face of changing climate stressors and pests.

National Collaboration Network

Phase IV continues the center’s legacy of interdisciplinary collaboration, uniting leading forestry programs from institutions and industry such as the University of Maine (Lead Site), Oregon State University, Purdue University, University of Idaho, Green Diamond Resources, PotlatchDeltic, Campbell Global, TTG Forestry Services, and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI).

About CAFS

The Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS) was established in 2007 to address the research needs of the forest sector. CAFS is a national public-private-academic consortium partnership that bridges top academic forestry research programs with broad members across the sector to solve complex, national problems of wide interest. Its mission is to optimize knowledge, capacity, and management to produce high-quality forest-based materials for new and existing products by conducting collaborative research that transcends species, regions, and disciplinary boundaries.

Collectively, CAFS is governed by a tiered membership model and a member-driven Industry Advisory Board (IAB). By combining the expertise of industry scientists with university researchers, CAFS has produced over 800 publications and spearheaded over 115 major collaborative research projects that have defined modern forest management. CAFS is administered by the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests at the University of Maine.

For more information on joining the Phase IV consortium or to learn about current research projects, visit www.cafsresearch.org

Media Contact: Meg Fergusson, CAFS Program Manager, Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, University of Maine, margaret.fergusson@maine.edu, 207.581.3794