Second Spherical of Forestry Restoration Initiative Builds upon $6 Million Already Awarded

Governor Janet Mills introduced in the present day that 19 Maine forestry firms have been awarded grants totaling $14 million from the ultimate spherical of the Forest Restoration Initiative of her Maine Jobs & Restoration Plan.

The $20 million Forest Restoration Initiative, introduced by Governor Mills in November 2021, goals to assist Maine’s forest merchandise business and the individuals it employs, create and maintain jobs in rural Maine, and strengthen the state’s financial system. In March, the primary spherical of awards supplied monetary reduction to 219 forest merchandise business companies that skilled detrimental impacts from the pandemic to assist them maintain the viability of their enterprise.

Awards made by means of the second and remaining spherical of this system will assist forward-looking business tasks that tackle new market calls for, present new sustainable merchandise, or in any other case advance the long-term stability of the forestry business.

“Maine’s forest merchandise business is just not solely a key a part of our state’s heritage, but in addition a cornerstone of our financial future. These grant awards will assist Maine forestry firms on the leading edge compete on the world stage,”stated Governor Mills. “My administration will proceed to work to make sure that our forest merchandise sector stays robust for the years to come back.”

“The Forest Restoration Initiative has already helped a whole lot of Maine forestry companies navigate the lasting impacts of the pandemic. By means of Section Two of this system, the Mills Administration is investing immediately in the way forward for the sector and new makes use of for Maine wooden fiber,” stated Commissioner Amanda Beal of the Division of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and Commissioner Heather Johnson of the Division of Financial and Neighborhood Improvement.

“Governor Mills’ announcement in the present day demonstrates her administration’s continued assist for the complete breadth and statewide depth of Maine’s excellent forest merchandise business,” stated Steve Schley, Chair of Forest Alternative Roadmap/Maine (FOR/Maine). “The 19 awards are aimed on the pulp & paper and stable wooden bedrocks of the business, and the exceptional alternatives we now have growing forest primarily based bioproducts; renewable packaging, biochar, biofuels, and an ever-expanding array of value-added stable wooden merchandise.”

“The Maine Forest Merchandise Council thanks Governor Mills for her imaginative and prescient for and assist of the business. By means of non-public and public investments, our business will proceed to adapt, thrive and create alternatives all through rural Maine,” stated Pat Strauch, Government Director of the Maine Forest Merchandise Council.

This system is certainly one of three initiatives of the Governor’s Jobs Plan to assist the restoration of Maine’s heritage industries –forestry, fishing and farming – from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this point, the Governor’s Jobs Plan has awarded roughly $41 million in restoration funds to 392 companies in these heritage sectors throughout all 16 counties in Maine.

The Forest Restoration Initiative is run by the Maine Expertise Institute, which accepted purposes for this system in September and October 2022. 62 purposes have been obtained previous to the deadline looking for $77 million in funding. After reviewing and scoring the proposals in a aggressive course of, 19 tasks have been awarded funding. The awards span tasks throughout 10 Maine counties from York to Aroostook and the $14 million {dollars} in funding will leverage greater than $625 million in non-public sector matching funds, a 44:1 ratio of personal to public funding.

View a full listing of grant recipients (PDF).

The Maine Jobs & Restoration Plan is the Governor’s plan, accepted by the Legislature, to take a position practically $1 billion in Federal American Rescue Plan funds to enhance the lives of Maine individuals and households, assist companies, create good-paying jobs, and construct an financial system poised for future prosperity.

Because the Jobs Plan took impact in October 2021, the Mills Administration has delivered direct financial reduction to almost 1,000 Maine small companies, supported greater than 100 infrastructure tasks to create jobs and revitalize communities, and invested in workforce packages to supply apprenticeship, profession and training development, and job coaching alternatives to 22,000 Maine individuals.

Because the onset of the pandemic, the Mills Administration has allotted greater than $288 million in help to assist Maine small companies.

For extra about Maine Jobs & Restoration Plan, go to maine.gov/jobsplan.