BETHEL – The Economic Development Administration announced Friday that $800,000 has been designated for studying strategies to create jobs and improve the economies of the rural regions in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

The Northern Forest Center will conduct the study from offices in Bethel, as well as those in New Hampshire and Vermont.

According to a statement issued by Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, the assessment will identify economic advantages and business clusters in the Northern Forest region, create an investment strategy and develop a plan for regional coordination.

The project is aligned with a similar proposal put forth by Michaud for the creation of a Northeast Regional Development Commission.

In the statement, he said the grant and the proposed regional development commission will provide a means to look at all possible ways to create jobs and improve the economy of the state.

President of the Northern Forest Center, Stephen Blackmer, said in the release, that the grant will help build the Northern Forest’s economic future by concentrating on the forests, landscapes, cultural heritage and communities of the region.