Advanced engineered wood composites - Innovative technologies for maine's forest products industry

摘要

Maine's forest resource and the industries that it supports have historically been the bedrock of the state's economy. Over 94 percent of Maine's 17 million acres are forested. Over 30,000 of the state's 1.2 million inhabitants are employed in the forest products industry, which contributes 2.2 billion dollar annually to the Gross State Product (Field 1999). Maine's foundational forest products industry faces increasing challenges with changes in forest ownership, loss of jobs, and lack of innovation. During the 1990s, an unprecedented amount of Maine forest land changed ownership. In 1993, corporate entities held 46 percent of Maine's forest and strategically managed this land as a productive resource base; in 1999, these companies' ownership hadfallen to 30 percent; many of their former holdings were purchased by investment companies (Maine Forest Service 2001). During the period 1970 to 1999, Maine's workforce increased by 331,417 jobs; during the same period, Maine's [orest industry jobs increased by only 2,217 jobs, decreasing from 7.9 percent of the state's total employment to 4.2 percent (Maine Development Foundation 20013. Productivity of Maine workers is 80 percent of the national average, the result of lack of technological innovationand education (Institute for a Strong Maine Economy 2002).