Supporting Working Forests
What if we could have healthy forests and healthy communities, and thriving local economies?
Recently, Sustainable Northwest and partners officially launched a new initiative to connect landowners taking actions that improve forest health with green builders who are increasingly demanding this material – and measure progress along the way through a robust data collection and sharing process.
At our launch event in Portland, Oregon in spring 2024, we hosted nearly 200 people from across many industries – architects, construction firms, Tribal and family forest managers, state and federal agencies, timber mills, and wood product manufacturers. These varied parts of the industry came together to hear how we’ve been successfully building large construction projects with wood from forests managed in ways that benefit nature, people, and local economies – and how we’re scaling up that effort alongside partners in the region.
Here’s how our own Paul Vanderford of Sustainable Northwest says it: “We are re-building the relationship between the built environment and the people and forests that produce wood products in North America. This critical investment allows Sustainable Northwest and partners to support the sale of $230 million of local wood products.”
The way we ensure that wood is connected to specific mills and forests is by tracking and tracing the wood along the entire supply chain – from forest to mill to fabricator to delivery, and finally to the building being constructed.
The approach allows us to elevate the great people and stories behind the wood products we use and to create shared value for nature, people, and local economies. Without the hard-working, wood products professionals in our region, plus strong wood markets, none of the forest stewardship work needing to be done would be possible.
Here are just a few of the projects we’ve helped source wood for so far:
This project will enable forest stewardship and restoration actions on at least 65,000 acres in Oregon and Washington, with influence on a total of 2 million forested acres owned and managed by participating producers. Supporting these landowners to implement stewardship practices that restore forest health – such as thinning small-diameter trees and undergrowth while retaining older trees – will benefit their lands and beyond.
The project will deliver $10 million in incentive payments and technical assistance to at least seven northwestern Tribal Nations and 185 family, community, and nonprofit forest owners. Partners estimate that by the end of the five-year project supported the sale of more than 130 million board feet of timber, reduced wildfire risk, and increased clean air, wildlife habitat, and other natural benefits of forests.
