SFI BLOG
2022 Scorecards Illustrate SFI’s Commitment to Sustainability
As we look forward to the holidays and the New Year, it is my pleasure to share with you some of SFI’s many successes over the past 12 months as we continued to advance sustainability and nature-positive outcomes in collaboration with our impressive network.
Join the 2022 SFI/PLT Annual Conference – Collaborating for Communities and Forests
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Project Learning Tree (PLT) will host their first ever joint annual conference from June 14-16, in Madison, Wisconsin. With a theme of Collaborating for Communities and Forests, the event will be a week filled with learning and opportunities to discuss the most-pressing issues and challenges facing the people and the planet, including how sustainable forest management and environmental education provide effective solutions.
Get To Know SFI’s Newest Team Members
SFI is growing! Get to know our newest employees and what drives them to support our work in Standards, Education, Community, and Conservation.
Planting the Seed of Conservation With Children’s Books
In the classroom and at home, teaching children about nature can help them develop an appreciation for the environment, as well as the ability to make informed decisions in the face of real-world issues. Explore how an SFI Community Grant helped bring a forest-themed book into the hands of young readers.
Forest Literacy Framework Outlines Forest-related Programming for Natural Resource Professionals, Educators, and Others
Forests are part of a renewable supply chain for products we use every day, reducing our reliance on non-renewable and less sustainable materials like plastic.
SFI Celebrates International Women’s Day
For International Women’s Day 2022, SFI, Project Learning Tree (PLT), and PLT Canada, want to help #BreakTheBias. The women who are part of our staff, network of partners, SFI Board and Educational Operating Committee, SFI-certified organizations, and many other facets of our work show the value of SFI’s commitment to gender equality and a diverse and resilient workforce. Building a diverse and resilient workforce is one of the ways SFI celebrates the principles behind International Women’s Day every day.
Celebrating the Contributions of Black Americans in Conservation
Celebrate this Black History Month and the months to follow by deepening your learning and elevating the many important contributions of historic and current Black Americans working in forestry and natural resources conservation.
Women and Girls in Science Advocate for Community Greening and Climate Action
I’ve always loved being in the woods, but I didn’t realize that forestry was a viable career path for me until my early twenties. When I was growing up, I had limited opportunities to explore environmental jobs and lacked female mentors in the sector.
Happy New Year From SFI
Happy New Year! I hope you and your loved ones had a peaceful holiday break. I am excited to start 2022 building on the positive change the SFI community makes every day in addressing local, national and global sustainability challenges.
Conserving Birds on a Continental Scale with Sustainable Forest Management
Birds don’t recognize borders, which is one reason why an SFI Conservation Grant is supporting a project called “Managed Forests for Birds in the Boreal Transition Region of the U.S. and Canada.” It’s a partnership between SFI, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), and the Boreal Avian Modeling Project (BAM) an international scientific collaboration based at the University of Alberta.
Engaging Youth on Sustainable Forestry at Philmont Scout Ranch
Working with more than 600 Scouts over the course of one week this past summer left me feeling energized and enthusiastic about our forests and the next generation who will be responsible for them. I’ve worked at SFI since 2010, and I’m currently the Senior Vice President for Community and Government Relations. SFI advances sustainability through forest-focused collaboration, so while I get to work on forestry every day, it’s always a particular treat to get back in the woods for a week and really get my hands dirty and engage with youth who are so important to the future of our sector.
SFI Supports Boy Scouts Building Forest Bat Boxes
As part of a recent SFI Community Grant project, the Voyageur’s Council of Boy Scouts of America built and installed 70 new bat boxes near Duluth, Minnesota. The boxes provide alternative housing for forest bats to raise their young in areas where bat population numbers have plummeted.
Why Forest Lovers Should Celebrate Bat Week
SFI-certified forests provide healthy habitat for millions of bats, and with White Nose Syndrome decimating populations across North America, it’s more important than ever to appreciate the critical role bats play as insect eaters, seed spreaders, and pollinators. Learn about the relationship between bats and forests, and join us in celebrating Bat Week, October 24-31!
The Artist Behind the 2021 Virtual SFI Annual Conference Speaker Gifts
Fourteen-year-old Mahatta Price loves spending time in the forest. In the spring, she likes seeing trilliums flower and berries appear, and ferns and other plants sprout new growth. She bark harvests then, when the sap is running in the red and yellow cedar trees. In the fall, she likes to go hunting, fishing and looks for wild mushrooms.
Celebrate Free Comic Day with SFI
After being canceled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Free Comic Book Day will make an exciting nationwide return this Saturday, August 14.
SFI Annual Conference Features Leading Voices on Critical Global Issues
More than 600 people joined the 2021 Virtual SFI Annual Conference, May 12-14, to learn from a diverse and dynamic group of speakers about critical global issues facing our sector.