Forest of dreams

The 1,865-acre Dwight B. Demeritt Forest features mixed forest stands, fields and waterways. Its mission, as it is with all the University Forests: research, demonstration and education.

Transcript

Keith Kanoti:
The University Forest, if you add it all up, it’s about 14,000 acres owned by the University of Maine System and the University of Maine Foundation. A lot of it’s concentrated right here in the Old Town, Orono area, Bradley as well. Then we have land scattered all over the state as well.

The mission in the University Forest is research, demonstration and education, so supporting the research of the forest resource, supporting the education of forestry and wildlife students primarily, who will go out and manage the resource of the state and nation, and then demonstration of forest practices.

This is a working forest. We have timber harvesting going on all the time and having a place available for the general public to see forestry in action, forestry happening. That’s the most challenging aspect is just juggling all the different uses on the forest. That’s what makes it fun, too.