CENTER SQUARE • December 13, 2022
Maine is pumping more federal funds into the state’s lumber and forestry products industry to help it recover from the lingering impacts of the pandemic. The state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has awarded grants totaling $14 million to 19 Maine forestry companies in the latest disbursement from the Forest Recovery Initiative, which is funded with federal pandemic relief money. The state has already distributed $6 million in grants from the relief program. Gov. Janet Mills said the funding will help the industry recover income lost due to the pandemic, develop new products and upgrade infrastructure to ease supply chain issues.