Federal grant aims to expand market for wood products

The U.S. Commerce Department is spending $3 million to explore expanding the market for wood products in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York.

The grant will bring together the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Northern Forest Center and the Northern Border Regional Commission to assess the supply and demand for wood products, create a strategy for expanding markets and pay for projects that support the industry's growth.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says the project will boost jobs and expand a critical industry across the Northeast.