More than 450 people joined us at the 2024 SFI Annual Conference. Together, we learned from leading voices in the forest and conservation sector, we engaged the next generation of forest leaders, and we charted a sustainable path forward by exploring innovative solutions to conserve, sustainably manage, and restore “Forests for the Future.”
2024 SFI ANNUAL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
A delegation of 50 students and young professionals were sponsored to participate in the conference — our biggest youth delegation yet. Participants had opportunities to focus on early career development, network with professionals, and engage in important discussions.
STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
SFI launched its new SFI 2025-2030 Strategic Direction. It is guided by an approach that articulates the change we want to be part of, welcomes others to join us, and provides a basis for measurement and learning as we move forward.
SFI is excited to drive meaningful change at scale through collaboration with our diverse networks by:
- promoting responsible forestry and sourcing
- providing nature-based solutions on the SFI footprint
- fostering a lifetime of learning
- creating positive change with a diversity of communities
SUPPLY CHAINS AND SOLUTIONS TO AVOID DEFORESTATION
Kathy Abusow, President & CEO of SFI, and Michael P. Doss, President and CEO of Graphic Packaging International Inc. and Chair, SFI Board of Directors
We heard from sector leaders about the critical role of certified forests and products in a world that increasingly demands supply chain transparency and assurances that forest products are not contributing to deforestation and forest degradation. We learned from one of the world’s largest producers of fiber-based consumer packaging how it uses SFI to provide assurance to customers that its packaging is from sustainable sources. The sessions gave attendees insight into how SFI and PEFC provide tools and solutions to comply with the EUDR and show progress on key sustainability issues in global supply chains. We also learned more about certification’s many benefits, including collecting various types of data for reporting.
CLIMATE AND FIRE RESILIENCY, CONSERVING SPECIES AT RISK
Dr. Jen Beverly, Associate Professor, University of Alberta, and Carol Denhof, President, The Longleaf Alliance
Ross, a live artist from The Sketch Effect, drew the big ideas and learnings from the Fire Resiliency Strategies and Opportunities session
Dr. JJ Apodaca, Executive Director, Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, Dr. Healy Hamilton, Chief Scientist, SFI, John Tirpak, Chief, Division of Conservation and Classification – Ecological Services, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Jimmy Bullock, SVP, Forest Sustainability Resource Management Service, LLC, and Dr. Catherine Phillips, Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Southeast Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Lauren Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer, SFI, Alice Ewen, Assistant Director Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Brandon Lewis, Senior Director, Sustainability Manulife Investment Management, and Chad Papa, Research Assistant, Michigan State University
Attendees learned how SFI certification provides incentives that drive innovative policy solutions and public-private collaborations to promote the conservation of species at risk on private lands. Session speakers also reinforced how the SFI standards are advancing climate and fire resiliency through sustainable forest management and collaboration with scientists and certified organizations. With the proliferation of ESG standards and regulations over the past few years, particularly the advent of the EUDR, forest certification continues to prove its relevance as an established solutions provider.
SUPPLY CHAINS AND SOLUTIONS TO AVOID DEFORESTATION
Bryan Van Stippen, Program Director, National Indian Carbon Coalition, Tia Beavert, Tribal Forest Manager, Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry, Adrian Leighton, Natural Resources Division Head, Salish Kootenai College; and Research Co-Chair, Intertribal Timber Council, Paul Robitaille, Sr. Advisor, Indigenous Relations, SFI, and Mekko Chebon Kernell Mvskoke Traditional Practitioner and Executive Director Native American Comprehensive Plan of the United Methodist Church
Paul Johnson, VP, Urban and Community Forestry and Career Pathways, SFI, Caitlyn Pollihan, CEO and Executive Director, ISA, Pat Layton, Director, Wood Utilization + Design Institute, Clemson University and SFI Board of Director, and Andrew Sileo, Town Arborist, Town of Davidson, NC
Nausheen Iqbal, Assistant Director, Urban and Community Forestry, USDA Forest Service
Kathy Abusow with Michael Berger, PEFC Secretary General/CEO, and Scott Robertson, Senior Associate and Aboriginal Rights Lawyer, Nahwegahbow Corbiere LLP, PEFC Board member and Member of the Six Nations of the Grand River
We heard from inspiring leaders who are working to support greater participation from a diversity of communities so these communities can benefit from sustainably managed forests, including urban and community forests. From inclusive and collaborative approaches to engaging in respectful relationships, we explored ways to strengthen connections between healthy forests and healthy communities.
MASS TIMBER AND 619 PONCE
Troy Harris, Managing Director of Timberland and Innovative Wood Products, Jamestown, leading the tour of Ponce City Market, Georgia’s first mass timber building
Ross, a live artist from The Sketch Effect, drew the big ideas and learnings from the How Mass Timber Buildings Improve Our Climate and Our Communities session
BUILDING A DIVERSE AND RESILIENT WORKFORCE
A panel discussion explored the exciting opportunity for mass timber to improve our climate and communities. Attendees learned about 619 Ponce, Georgia’s first locally grown and sourced mass timber building. They had the opportunity to tour the site as part of a rooftop dinner party overlooking Atlanta’s skyline.
Chad Washington, Director of Forest Protection, Oregon Forest Industries Council, and Nicole Stiffarm, Program Manager, Salish Kootenai College Center for Tribal Research & Education in Ecosystem Sciences; and Education Chair, Intertribal Timber Council
Michelle Cole, Academic Administrator III Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment, and Sharon Jean-Philippe, Professor of Urban Forestry, University of Tennessee
This year’s workforce panel delivered authentic stories from diverse perspectives in the sector, helping to shed light on the barriers many have to overcome and the opportunities for all of us to contribute to a diverse and resilient workforce.
RECIPIENTS OF 2024 SFI AWARDS
SFI PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Mercer International received the 2024 SFI President’s Award for spearheading the advancement of wood technology to redefine the North American construction landscape, for its leadership and commitment to educating customers on the value of sustainably managed forests, and for promoting SFI certification in the supply chain. Lee Rueb, Forest Certification Coordinator, and Nick Milestone, VP of Projects and Construction accepted the award on behalf of Mercer. Read the full press release.
SFI LEADERSHIP IN CONSERVATION AWARD
SFI IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
THE SFI TEAM THANKS YOU FOR JOINING US
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 SPONSORS
