In 2006, the Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative (SEI) began with the goal of developing “community and economic development strategies across the region to reinvigorate the rural economies of the Northern Forest.”  Governors of New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Maine created this initiative and appointed representatives to serve on the steering committee for this project. Both Robin Zinchuk, Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce, and Bruce Hazard, Mountain Counties Heritage, serve on the Maine Woods Consortium Coordinating Team also sat on the SEI Steering Committee.

SEI has now released Economic Resurgence in the Northern Forest—the first-ever, 4-state strategy for sustainable economic development in the Northern Forest. “SEI has created the first-ever integrated strategy for the region’s economy,” said Joe Short, SEI program manager for the Northern Forest Center. “The strategy is based on balanced investment in business, community and environment, and it can help build a resilient economy and create good jobs in the four-state region,” which stretches 400 miles, encompasses 30 million acres and provides a home for 2 million people.

The long-term goals identified by the Sustainable Economy Initiative are to:

• Protect and enhance the region’s assets by investing in its people, communities, infrastructure and natural resource base.
• Expand enterprise by encouraging workforce, entrepreneurial and business
  development.
• Coordinate and advocate as a region to adapt to change by understanding and
  advocating for regional interests and priorities.

The SEI strategy calls for sparking the economy through creativity and business growth, regional marketing and encouraging the ‘buy-local’ trend that keeps wealth in our communities. It also recommends strengthening the economic backbone of the region by investing in world-class telecommunications, improving transportation systems and harnessing renewable energy. Preparing to meet future changes, coordinating and advocating as a region, and securing federal investment to support SEI’s strategy round out the recommendations.

SEI’s conveners and participants are now working to advance the recommendations through their organizations and initiatives underway across the four states. The completion of SEI coincides with the recent authorization of the Northern Border Regional Commission to invest $30 million per year in federal resources for economic development and job creation in the Northern Forest region.

Click here to view the full report. For more information, visit the SEI website.