Building the New Forest Future is a webinar series that amplifies stories, practices, and lessons from community development, sustainable tourism, and rural economy in the Northern Forest.

Center webinar explores the current wins and losses for the Northern Forest in recent policy packages.

As our understanding of forest ecosystems has deepened – and the pressures and demands on them have increased – foresters have recognized the need to go further. Today, foresters incorporate carbon uptake and storage, climate resilience, a greater focus on biodiversity, and other critical concerns in forest management.

Leaders from three place-based investment funds share how their models are making an impact in the Northern Forest region.

Let’s not fall prey to calls for blanket “hands off” management that cherry-pick science and ignore the much broader consensus that forest management can in fact support the underlying ecological conditions and complexity that ensures public and private forests are healthier and stronger for future generations.

USDA agencies are crucial partners in active and locally relevant stewardship of public and private forests to maintain the many benefits nature provides, and in supporting thriving rural economies and resilient lands. Maintaining these essential benefits depends on a well-resourced, experienced, and locally rooted USDA. Any reorganization should strengthen – not weaken – these capacities.

Regional Forest Innovation proposal advances to semifinal round in NSF Regional Innovation Engines competition. Northern New England Precision Forest Management and Advanced Forest Bioproducts Engine (NNE-PROMISE) aims to advance forest technologies and grow the regional economy.

Legislative sessions have adjourned, marking the end of the road for many bills – some have been carried over to the next legislative session while others must be reintroduced during the next legislative session. Bills that have passed both the House and Senate must now be signed into law by each state's Governor.

All USFS programs focused on state, private, and tribal forestry; forest research; and wildfire management are slated for deep reductions or complete elimination in the president’s FY26 budget proposal. These cuts will severely impact the state forest agencies that assist private forest landowners responsible for managing millions of acres of forest.

The Northern Border Regional Commission, a highly effective entity, is slated for elimination in the President’s budget. Over the past 15 years, the Commission has delivered $335 million into 720 critical local economic development projects.