Maine's exports rose 4.4 percent to $2.74 billion last year and is on track to match the increase this year, the head of the Maine International Trade Center said Thursday.

Janine Bisaillon-Cary said exports to Korea – mostly wood pulp – were up 60 percent in the first three months of the year.

It's hard to measure how much of the export growth is due to the falling value of the dollar – which makes U.S. goods less expensive overseas - but "it can't hurt," she said.

Bisaillon-Cary was the kickoff speaker at Thursday's International Trade Day at the Holiday Inn in Portland. David Swardlick, the keynote speaker, discussed how companies can use Maine's image as a "green" state that respects the environment and uses sustainable practices in marketing products in the U.S. and overseas.