Forest BioProducts Research Initiative

Fossil Fuel Replacement Grounded in Sustainable Forest Management


Using National Science Foundation funding to create a Forest Bioproducts Research Initative (FBRI), the University of Maine is marshaling a broad array of scientists and state partnerships to create fossil fuel reduction solutions grounded in sustainable forest management. The most well-known bioproducts are fuels like ethanol but in fact almost everything that is now made from petroleum can also be made from wood: fuels, plastics, chemicals, composites, coatings, and wood. Unlike fossil fuels, wood can also be used in food, medicines, and cosmetics.

The FBRI Vision: To advance understanding about the scientific underpinnings, system behavior, and policy implications for the production of forest-based bioproducts that meet societal needs for materials, chemicals and fuels in an economically and ecologically sustainable manner.