The 274 acre community forest in Falmouth will be expanding by another 96 acres, thanks to a $231,800 Community Forest Program grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) in announcing the grant Friday, said the money would "help preserve valuable forest in Falmouth and ensure recreational opportunities for generations of Mainers to come."
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the town of Falmouth will purchase the extra acres to tie in to the existing North Falmouth Community Forest for recreational use. The town also intends to harvest some of the smaller trees to produce biomass energy for local schools.
The grant is part of a 2.3 million dollar federal funding package acquired for community forests in eight states. Other states sharing in the grant money include New York, California, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Vermont, Montana, and Massachusetts.
