New Era, New Opportunity

The Northern Forest Center advocates for the Northern Forest region and helps its communities benefit from forest-based economic and conservation initiatives.

Since it was founded, The Center has rallied people around a vision for the region’s future that is built on three essential ingredients: thriving communities, healthy forests and innovative and resilient local economies that can support both.

The Center plays a unique role as the only organization coordinating regional strategy across multiple interest areas—conservation, economic development and community development—in the four-state region. This enables The Center to amplify the work and voice of our partners, adding value to their work and advancing our shared goals.

The Center’s work, grounded in a set of core beliefs, helps people better understand and capitalize on the interconnected nature of the region’s economy, culture, communities and forested landscape. The Center’s programs are focused on:

  • achieving goals in specific natural resource areas
  • building capacity across the region
  • demonstrating success through integrated, community-based pilot projects

Northern Forest Regional Map

The Northern Forest of northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York is home to more than 2 million people who live in communities that have experienced immense economic change since the 1980s. The region’s 30 million acres of woodlands, lakes, rivers, farms, rolling hills and mountains are the source of the region's culture, quality of life, and economic opportunity. The Northern Forest—the largest, intact forest in the eastern United States—is an important national resource for alternative energy, timber products, recreation and tourism, and ecological diversity. 

The Center has always taken a network-based approach to creating lasting change across the region through ground-breaking initiatives such as:

  • The Sustainable Economy Initiative, which culminated in 2008 with the first, 4-state economic strategy for the region, and
  • The current Northern Forest Investment Zone initiative, a five-year coordinated effort to create a new generation of conservation tools that can provide economic incentives for good, long-term forest stewardship while reinvigorating the economy.

The Center is a nonprofit organization with a dedicated Board of Directors, experienced staff and a track-record of success.

Program Highlights

  • Program promotes use of local wood to replace oil heat - 11/11/11
    The Northern Forest Center and partners are launching the Model Neighborhood Project in Berlin, NH, to help move the Northern Forest region away from dependence on imported oil toward a local energy…Read More
  • Town of Saranac Moving Ahead with Biomass Pre-feasibility Study - 10/24/11
    The Center in collaboration with the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC) and the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) held a second information session for Town of Saranac residents.  Th…Read More
  • Town of Colebrook Receives Funding for Biomass Feasibility Study - 10/08/11
    The Town of Colebrook received $100,000 from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund for a biomass district heating feasibility study.  In addition, The Center is…Read More
  • County Tourism Networks Provide Training to 200 Maine Businesses - 08/10/11
    Since January, 2011, more than 300 people from over 200 Maine Woods businesses have participated in training workshops sponsored by the Maine Woods Tourism Training Initiative (MWTTI).  Trainings…Read More
  • Northern Border Regional Commission Opens 2012 Grant Process- Applications Due Aug 29 - 07/29/11
    The region’s congressional delegation announced July 26 that the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) will begin accepting applications for federal assistance beginning August 1st, with the go…Read More