Ford Center and Forest

The Ford Center and Forest began in 1936 as a Henry Ford sawmill community. Unique among Ford’s vast Northern Michigan Operations the entire village of Alberta was purpose built to showcase a work/life balance revolving around the sawmill. Plans for its expansion never materialized beyond the 12 homes, 2 school houses, and the mill when a world war changed how automobiles were made.

In 1954 the Ford Motor Company donated the entire village and acreage to Michigan Technological Institute. It has expanded and run as a learning and research facility ever since. Today the dormitory can house up to 60 students taking one of the semester long onsite course loads. Several of the houses are available to researches and outside user groups as well. Its 3700 acres serve as the classroom and living laboratory for both education and research.

• Logo:
• UN Geographic Region: North America
• Street: 21235 Alberta Ave
• City: L'Anse
• Zip Code: 49946
• Country: United States
• State/Province: Michigan
• Latitude: 46
• Longitude: 88
• FSML E-mail Address: Fordcenter@mtu.edu
• FSML Web Address: https://www.mtu.edu/forest/fordcenter/
• FSML Year Founded: 1954
• Year Join OBFS: 2017
• University affiliation(s)?: Yes
• Names of Universities affiliated / Parent Organization: Michigan Technological Institute
• Address Line 1: 1400 Townsend Dr
• City: Houghton
• Zip Code: 49931
• Country: United States
• State: Michigan
• Contact Name: Jim Tolan
• Contact Email: jetolan@mtu.edu
• Contact Position: Manager of Operations
• Contact Address: 21235 Alberta Ave
• Contact Phone Number: +19064874384
• Station Director Name: Mark Rudnicki
• Station Director Email: mrudnick@mtu.edu
• Billing Contact Name: Jim Tolan
• Billing Contact Email: jetolan@mtu.edu
• Voting Delegate Email: fordcenter@mtu.edu
• Operating Budget: $50,001 - $200,000
• Size of Field Station: 1001-2500
• Federal, state, or local governmental partners?: No
• Open to the Public?: Yes
• Onsite staff?: Yes
• Year Round Staff: 1-2
• Seasonal Staff: 11-20
• Overnight housing facilities: 50+
• Conference space: 51-100
• Food service or catering available?: Yes
• ADA accessibility: Yes
• Electricity: On Grid
• Distance to emergency services?: 0-20 minutes
• Internet Access?: Yes
• Classes: Undergraduate
• Hiking trails?: Yes
• Internships?: Yes
• Biome Type: Terrestrial
• Terrestrial Biomes: Boreal Forest
• Minimum Elevation: 301-750 meters
• Maximum Elevation: 301-750 meters
• Köppen climate classification: D (continental)
• Freshwater habitats: Yes
• Urban/Rural: Rural
• Dry lab space?: Yes
• Wet Lab space?: Yes
• GIS capacity on site?: Yes
• Long term data sets?: Yes
• Outdoor manipulative experiments: Yes
• Research and/or graduate student training: 30
• Formal education: 55
• Outreach: 15