Organization: UNITED STATES ENDOWMENT FOR FORESTRY
Mission: TO ADVANCE POSITIVE CHANGE FOR THE NATION'S WORKING FORESTS AND FOREST-RELIANT COMMUNITIES
Activities: SEE SCHEDULE O FOR STATEMENT OF PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:THE ENDOWMENT ADVANCES ITS MISSION USING A "THEORY OF CHANGE" THAT FOCUSES ON THREE AREAS: RETAINING AND RESTORING HEALTHY WORKING FORESTS; PROMOTING AND CAPTURING MULTIPLE VALUE STREAMS USING MARKET-BASED TOOLS; AND ENHANCING COMMUNITY CAPACITY, COLLABORATION, AND LEADERSHIP. THE ENDOWMENT DEPLOYS ITS WORK THROUGH FIVE PRIMARY INITIATIVES, EACH OF WHICH SUPPORTS SEVERAL PROGRAMS OR PROJECTS. I. ECOSYSTEM MARKETS: MONETIZING NON-TRADITIONAL FOREST PRODUCTS. THE HEALTHY WATERSHED THROUGH HEALTHY FORESTS PROGRAM CONNECTS DOWNSTREAM WATER CONSUMERS WITH UPSTREAM FOREST OWNERS WITH THE INTENT TO ADVANCE OVERALL WATERSHED HEALTH AND QUALITY BY ENSURING WORKING FOREST RETENTION. MUCH OF THIS WORK IS JOINTLY-FUNDED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE USDA NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS) AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA). WE CONTINUE NATION-WIDE COLLABORATION WITH THE AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION, WHICH REPRESENTS WATER UTILITIES AND THE WATER COMMUNITY.II. FOREST RETENTION AND HEALTH: RETAINING/EXPANDING AND ENSURE HEALTH OF FORESTS. A WIDE-RANGING INITIATIVE THAT INCLUDES SERVING AS CROSS-BORDER CONVENER FOR MORE STRATEGIC COLLABORATION BETWEEN CANADA AND THE U.S. TO DATE WE HOSTED FOUR CANADA/US FOREST HEALTH AND INNOVATION SUMMITS ROUGHLY ON A BIENNIAL BASIS. OTHER WORK INCLUDES TWO MAJOR PROGRAMS IN THE SOUTHERN U.S. -- KEEPING FORESTS & THE PARTNERSHIP FOR SOUTHERN FORESTLAND CONSERVATION ALONG WITH THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION EASEMENT DATABASE; AND SUPPORT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S BASE BUFFERING PROGRAM. EACH IS DESIGNED TO AID IN RETENTION AND RESTORATION OF HEALTHY WORKING FORESTS. PROJECTS CONTINUE TO FOSTER COLLABORATION TO RESTORE FORESTS IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN AND OTHER RIVERS FLOWING INTO THE GULF TO MITIGATE IMPACTS FROM THE BP DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL. III. TRADITIONAL MARKETS: AFTER SUCCESSFUL WORK THAT LED TO THE CREATION OF TWO COMMODITY CHECK-OFFS SOFTWOOD LUMBER BOARD AND PAPER & PAPER-BASED PACKAGING BOARD -- MORE RECENT WORK CENTERS ON STRENGTHENING THE TIMBER HARVEST AND HAUL SEGMENT OF THE FOREST PRODUCTS VALUE CHAIN. IV. FUTURE MARKETS: THE ENDOWMENT IS PARTNERING WITH THE USDA FOREST SERVICE AND EMERGING PRODUCERS TO ADVANCE COMMERCIALIZATION OF 21ST WOODY CELLULOSE PRODUCTS USING NANOTECHNOLOGY. THIS MULTI-YEAR INITIATIVE ENGAGES PARTNERS TO FILL KNOWLEDGE GAPS THAT SHOULD LEAD TO POTENTIAL NEW PRODUCTS ALL WHILE PLACING A PRIMARY INTEREST ON ENSURING HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHY AND SAFETY. WORK ALSO CONTINUES TO ADVANCE MASS TIMBER APPLICATIONS TO SUPPORT TALL WOODEN BUILDINGS. THE GREATEST SUCCESS TO DATE WAS ACHIEVED IN CONCERT WITH THE SOFTWOOD LUMBER BOARD AND AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL AS EFFORTS TO MODERNIZE BUILDING CODES WERE ACHIEVED THAT WILL ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF MASS TIMBER BUILDINGS UP-TO 18 STORIES FROM THE CURRENT 6-STORY LIMIT. ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE WORKING TO DEVELOP MARKETS FOR SMALL DIAMETER, DYING & DEAD TREES TO ENHANCE FOREST HEALTH WHILE ADVANCING FAMILY-SUPPORTING JOBS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH DOMESTIC GREEN ENERGY PRODUCTION. THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE USDA FOREST SERVICE WE ARE CONCENTRATING OUR WORK IN SEEKING TO COMMERCIALIZE TORREFACTION TO PROVIDE A ROBUST NEW MARKET FOR FUELS THAT COULD YIELD GREEN ENERGY. BUILDING ON A TEST BURN OF TORREFIED PELLETS COMPLETED IN A COAL-FIRED FACILITY, CONSTRUCTION IS NEARING COMPLETION ON THE NATION'S FIRST COMMERCIAL-SCALE TORREFACTION FACILITY.V. ASSET CREATION: WE CONTINUE TO TRANSITION OUR HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY AND LAND RETENTION WORK WITH AN OBJECTIVE OF USING FORESTS AND FOREST-BASED ASSETS TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR UNDER-SERVED POPULATIONS, TO THE AUSPICES OF THE AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION. THE MULTI-YEAR PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE USDA FOREST SERVICE AND NRCS ACROSS SEVEN SOUTHERN STATES HAS SUCCESSFULLY SEEN 1500 BLACK FAMILIES MOVE THEIR LANDS INTO THE FOREST MANAGEMENT PIPELINE. ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION IN NEW ENGLAND TO FILL THE VOID CREATED BY CLOSURE OF MUCH OF THE REGIONS PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION.
NTEE category: Animal-Related
Secondary category: Environment