Penobscot Experimental Forest
Encyclopedia
The Penobscot Experimental Forest (PEF) is an Experimental Forest
managed by the US Forest Service (USFS) in the towns of Bradley
and Eddington
, in the state of Maine
, USA. The mission of the PEF is to afford a setting for long-term research conducted cooperatively by USDA Forest Service scientists, university researchers, and professional forest managers in Maine; to enhance forestry education of students and the public; and to demonstrate how the timber needs of society are met from a working forest.
The forests that encompasses the PEF today were originally purchased by nine pulp, paper, and land-holding companies in 1950 and was leased to the USFS Northeastern Forest Experiment Station as a site for long-term forest management and research. In 1994, the PEF was donated to the University of Maine
. Since then the PEF has been jointly managed by the University of Maine and the USFS.
The primary research experiment at the PEF has been a long-term silviculture
experiment, which contains a replicated treatments from a range of even-age and uneven-age silvicultural prescriptions, including clearcut, shelterwood, selection, diameter-limit, and unmanaged silvicultural treatments.
Experimental Forest
An experimental forest as defined by the US Forest Service is "an area administered by the US Forest Service, sometimes with cooperators, 'to provide for the research necessary for the management of the land.'",...
managed by the US Forest Service (USFS) in the towns of Bradley
Bradley, Maine
Bradley is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It is located at . It is part of the Bangor, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,242 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and Eddington
Eddington, Maine
Eddington is a town located on the eastern side of the Penobscot River in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,052.- History :...
, in the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, USA. The mission of the PEF is to afford a setting for long-term research conducted cooperatively by USDA Forest Service scientists, university researchers, and professional forest managers in Maine; to enhance forestry education of students and the public; and to demonstrate how the timber needs of society are met from a working forest.
The forests that encompasses the PEF today were originally purchased by nine pulp, paper, and land-holding companies in 1950 and was leased to the USFS Northeastern Forest Experiment Station as a site for long-term forest management and research. In 1994, the PEF was donated to the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
. Since then the PEF has been jointly managed by the University of Maine and the USFS.
The primary research experiment at the PEF has been a long-term silviculture
Silviculture
Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The name comes from the Latin silvi- + culture...
experiment, which contains a replicated treatments from a range of even-age and uneven-age silvicultural prescriptions, including clearcut, shelterwood, selection, diameter-limit, and unmanaged silvicultural treatments.