The Dwight B. Demeritt Forest is a protected area of

Penobscot County, Maine Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of ...

owned by the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

. It is located in the adjacent municipalities of

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

and

Orono, Maine Orono () is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot ...

. Totaling , the Forest is used for education, demonstrations, research, and recreation, including hiking and cross-country skiing. According to the New England Mountain Biking Association, 35,000 to 50,000 people visit the space each year. It contains over 15 miles of trails. In 1939, forested land adjacent to the campus was leased by the University which was purchased by university outright in 1955. In 1971, the parcel was named for Dwight B. Demeritt, who, as head of the University's Forest Department, had helped procure the land.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demerittt Forest, Dwight B Protected areas affiliated with the University of Maine 1939 establishments in Maine Protected areas established in 1939 Old Town, Maine Orono, Maine Protected areas of Penobscot County, Maine