Northern Forest Center Inc

Catalyzing innovation in the forest economy: The Center helps create and improve jobs and build local wealth through opportunities that advance a regional land ethic and sustainable use of the forest. The Center's program work focuses in the following three areas:-Wood Heat: The Feel Good Heat marketing and consumer education campaign served 26 million targeted videos and ads to consumers, driving 223,000 website clicks to Feelgoodheat.org. Since inception, Feel Good Heat has reduced greenhouse gas impact by 12,224 tons by substituting wood pellets for more than 2 million gallons of fossil fuels, generating $11.8 million in positive economic impact for the region.-Wood Products Business Assistance: The Center supported 800 jobs by providing custom business and marketing assistance to 53 wood products businesses; providing 7 wood products CEOs from ME and VT with business coaching throughout the year through the Northern Forest Board Forum; and coaching 10 wood product businesses to incorporate their wood-origin stories into their business philosophy and marketing through "Telling Your Forest Story," an online workshop series. Additionally, we engaged more than 400 participants in educational webinars on key forest topics.-Forest Stewardship: In FY24, the Center advocated for a holistic approach to forest management that includes the forest, the economy, societal benefits, and the communities that rely on the forest. We completed 13-months of technical assistance to help establish the 446-acre Community Forest in Rumford, ME; launched a learning network of 8 Community Forests in the Androscoggin Valley to strengthen climate resilience; and engaged more than 400 people through webinars on forest stewardship to broaden understanding of the roles and benefits of forests.-Outdoor Recreation Development: The Center assisted communities in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Coos County, NH, and Oxford County, ME to manage for sustainable tourism and quality of life for residents through initiatives spawned by the Rural Tourism Academy, including continued development of a new wayfinding system for Newport, VT.Details are available at www.northernforest.org.