On a crisp spring morning in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a web of tubing threads through a stand of maples. Clear sap drips into collection lines, destined not only for syrup but for research that could reshape medicine, food safety and even the whiskey industry.
And just down the road, another crew member finishes a safety course — one of more than a thousand loggers trained here each year to keep Michigan’s forests productive and its workers safe.
Welcome to Michigan State University’s Forestry Innovation Center, or FIC, a unique outpost where maple trees, paper mills, Christmas trees and global markets are all connected. The center manages projects that span centuries, with immediate impact on industry and communities across Michigan.