NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing forest ecosystem management and forest product innovations (NH, ME, VT)

这个区域创新引擎发展奖的重点是未来先进的森林生态系统管理和森林产品创新解锁新的机会，在循环生物经济的北方新英格兰。通过战略性区域合作伙伴关系，该发展奖将使该团队能够利用精确森林管理、传统木材产品和生物基材料方面的知识，以新兴的森林可持续产品和技术补充过去的成功和基础设施投资。发展奖将把行业、高等教育机构、劳动力发展和公共部门的能力统一到一个区域创新生态系统中，该生态系统与北方森林生态系统的多州规模和多样性相匹配。缅因州、新罕布什尔州和佛蒙特州是美国森林覆盖最多的三个州，经济和社区与其自然资源基础紧密相连。全球化给森林部门带来了根本性的变化。气候变化的影响正在给森林带来压力，并突出了健康的北方森林和来自森林的木制产品在储存和固碳方面发挥的关键作用。这些复杂的挑战带来了一个关键的机会：重新装备和振兴以森林为基础的经济，以提高美国的竞争力，同时建立农村社区公平和加强经济发展。 发展奖将涉及三个具体目标：（1）加快森林资源管理、木材产品制造和新兴森林技术的进步;（2）实施明智利用北方森林资源的最佳做法，以实现经济、生态和气候效益;和（3）提高劳动力技能和参与以森林为基础的职业，包括扩大历史上代表性不足的人口的参与。三个重点领域包括：（1）精准林业促进气候智能型可持续管理和运营（例如，先进的森林清查、碳核算、地理空间评估）;（2）常规森林产品（例如，尺寸和图案的固体锯木、木材复合板、纸浆和纸、生物能源）;和（3）新兴的森林生物产品（例如，纳米纤维素、森林生物化学品、大规模木材、增材制造）。成果将包括一个战略路线图，该路线图将提供：（1）确定现有和所需的研究&开发流程、基础设施和实践，以建立一个蓬勃发展的区域创新引擎;（2）促进合作，以建立一个基于北方森林资产和能力的商业化和创新战略;（3）开发网络、资源和途径，以整合商业化和创新框架的研究、教育和劳动力发展;和（4）准备一个完整的NSF发动机奖。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

This Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on a future where advanced forest ecosystem management and forest product innovation unlock new opportunities in a circular bioeconomy for northern New England. Through a strategic regional partnership, this Development Award will enable the team to leverage knowledge in precision forest management, traditional wood products, and bio-based materials to complement past successes and infrastructure investments with emerging forest-based sustainable products and technologies. The Development Award will unify capacities within the industry, institutions of higher education, workforce development, and the public sector into a regional innovation ecosystem that matches the multi-state scale and diversity of the Northern Forest ecosystem. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are three of the most forested states in the US, with economies and communities tightly linked to their natural resource base. Globalization has wrought fundamental changes in the forest sector. The impacts of climate change are stressing the forest and highlighting the critical role that a healthy Northern Forest and the wood-based products that come from it play in storing and sequestering carbon. From these complex challenges comes a critical opportunity: to re-tool and reinvigorate a forest-based economy to contribute to US competitiveness while building rural community equity and strengthening economic development. Three specific objectives will be addressed during the Development Award: (1) accelerate advances in forest resource management, wood products manufacturing, and emerging forest-based technologies; (2) implement best practices for intelligent utilization of Northern Forest resources for economic, ecological, and climate benefit; and (3) improve workforce skills and participation in forest-based careers, including expanded participation by historically underrepresented populations. Three focus areas include (1) precision forestry for climate-smart sustainable management and operations (e.g., advanced forest inventory, carbon accounting, geospatial assessment); (2) conventional forest products (e.g., dimensional and pattern solid sawn lumber, wood composite panels, pulp and paper, bioenergy); and (3) emerging forest bioproducts (e.g., nanocellulose, forest biochemicals, mass timber, additive manufacturing). Outcomes will include a strategic roadmap that provides: (1) identification of the existing and needed research & development processes, infrastructure, and practices for building a thriving regional innovation engine; (2) facilitated collaboration to create a commercialization and innovation strategy based on Northern Forest assets and capabilities; (3) development of networks, resources, and pathways for integration of commercialization and innovation framing of research, education, and workforce development; and (4) preparation for a full NSF Engine Award.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.