UMaine Home 
All Posts Tagged Tag: ‘forest’
Biofuels development in Maine: using trees to oil the wheels of sustainability
The Bangor Daily News published a shortened version of a Maine Policy Review article by Caroline L. Noblet, Mario F. Teisl, Katherine H. Farrow and Jonathan Rubin that provided a summary of survey results regarding Mainer’s and New Englander’s perceptions and understanding of biofuels and cellulosic ethanol (found at http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/12/opinion/biofuels-development-in-maine-using-trees-to-oil-the-wheels-of-sustainability/). The full Maine Policy Review article can be found at http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/. …
Read MoreMaine Policy Review Vol. 21 No. 1
SPECIAL ISSUE: SUSTAINABILITY Volume 21, Number 1 [Download full issue as PDF] Letter from the Editor [Download PDF] TABLE OF CONTENTS MARGARET CHASE SMITH ESSAY Sustainability: The Challenges and the Promise by Senator George J. Mitchell [Download PDF] ARTICLES INTRODUCTION Interview with Robert Kates, Pathfinder in Sustainability Science Advancing Science and Improving Quality of Place: Linking Knowledge with Action …
Read MoreWatch for Us on MPBN Starting September 27th!
Up Coming Episodes on MPBN SSI is the subject of “Sustainable Maine”, a forthcoming documentary series on Maine Public Television. The first documentary, The Triple Bottom Line features SSI researchers Teresa Johnson and Gayle Zydlewski, who are collaborating on sustainable tidal power in Eastport, and Jessica Leahy, who is working with small family forest owners on sustainable woodlands. The second …
Read MoreMaine Bioproducts Business Pathways: Ethanol Comparison & Transportation Analysis
Ethanol can be produced at Kraft pulp and paper mills using the near-neutral process developed at the University of Maine. In addition to ethanol, there are additional products that may be produced, including natural gas. This report compares some characteristics of ethanol produced with wood via fermentation versus that by corn. We also identify various means of transport available to …
Read MoreMarch 2, 2009: Research Associate Kate Dickerson cited for her report on the potential for forest bioproducts in Maine
A report by Kate Dickerson entitled “Maine Bioproducts Business Pathways” was cited in the March 1, 2009 issue of Maine Sunday Telegram, Forest Fuel for the Future. The 2008 report explores Maine’s potential to develop bioproducts businesses. Download: Maine Bioproducts Business Pathways Link to: Forest Fuel for the Future, Maine Sunday Telegram
Read MoreBioEnergy and the Forest Products Industry in the Atlantica Region
If Maine is to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, it is important to develop both new sources of energy and new technologies to better access existing sources. Based on a recently completed study, Thor Oleson’s article analyzes the prospects for bioenergy development in the Atlantica region (Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia). olesen_V17N2.pdf …
Read MoreJuly 23: Research Associate Kate Dickerson outlines biorefinery potential for Maine pulp mills in new report
July 23, 2008 – The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center releases a new report "Maine Bioproducts Business Pathway" authored by Research Associate Kate Dickerson and Professor Jonathan Rubin, School of Economics. This paper discusses the different processes that can be utilized in a Maine biorefinery to produce ethanol and acetic acid as initial products, with an emphasis on the "near-neutral" …
Read MoreMaine Bioproducts Business Pathways
This paper discusses the different processes that can be utilized in a Maine biorefinery to produce ethanol and acetic acid as initial products, with an emphasis on the “near-neutral” process. We also analyze potential investment and production costs for a biorefinery, based upon studies that have looked specifically at this type of evolution, as well as cellulosic biorefineries that are …
Read MoreAre the Economics of a Sustainable Maine Forest Sustainable?
Mike LeVert, Charles Colgan and Charles Lawton discuss the transformation of the economic environment of Maine’s forests over the past two decades. Paper companies have sold most of their holdings; residential and conservation demand for land has increased; forestland prices have skyrocketed; and new classes of landowners have different strategies, objectives, and time horizons than the old industrial landowners. The …
Read MoreSeeing the Forest for the Trees: The Future of Timber Investing in the North Woods, A Conversation with Clark S. Binkley
In this conversation with Peter Howell, Clark Binkley draws on his long-term experience as a timberland investmentmanager to give his analysis of and forecast for timber markets and timber investing in the Northern Forest. While he is not optimistic about the current prospects for such investments, he does believe that there are some opportunities in conservation easements, residential development, and …
Read More