The maine agricultural and forest experiment station has been conducting research for maine and its people for over 140 years

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Maine System $1.893 million under the Cooperative Forestry Research (McIntire-Stennis) program on October 1, 2025, to support forest research and program administration at the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station in Orono, Maine, through September 30, 2027.

University of Maine faculty lead 25 research projects funded through McIntire-Stennis. The award supports fundamental and applied research in forest resources spanning silviculture and forest management, wood science and forest product development and marketing, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and land use policy. Administrative funds support research program administration, financial recordkeeping, and federal compliance activities required under McIntire-Stennis regulations.

The McIntire-Stennis program aims to increase forestry research in production, utilization, and protection of forestland and to train future forestry scientists. Funds distributed to state-certified institutions must be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation, though current policy permits 50 percent carryover into the following year, with full expenditure required by September 30 of the carryover year.

Annual appropriations under the mcintire-stennis act of 1962, in combination with state appropriated funding, allow faculty to conduct fundamental and applied research to address issues and develop opportunities for the people of maine and the nation. The research capacity provided by base funding leverages additional funding from competitive grants and contracts and industry support. University of maine faculty lead 25 research projects in the mcintire-stennis program. Mcintire-stennis funds are used at the maine agricultural and forest experiment station to support research in forest resources spanning a range of current issues in silviculture and forest management, wood science and forest product development and marketing, to wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and land use policy. The maine agricultural and forest experiment station will use administrative mcintire-stennis funds to support the research program administration and financial recordkeeping and reporting activities required by the federal regulations that govern the expenditure of mcintire-stennis funds. Typically, each mcintire-stennis project will have several associated project activities supported by competitive grants or other sources.