SFI BLOG

These three SFI staff members may work full-time, but that didn’t stop them from furthering their professional education.

Over the past year, I have been participating in various professional development webinars offered by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Project Learning Tree (PLT), and PLT Canada, including sessions on Making a Good First Impression, Resume Building 101, and a Workforce Panel.

SFI, with help from forest sector volunteers, joined the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) 2023 National Jamboree in Summit Bechtel Reserve (an SFI-certified property) near Beckley, West Virginia, from July 19th to the 28th.

Although Ana Leirner was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil—with a population of about 12.4 million people, it’s the world’s fourth largest city—her parents and teachers instilled in her a love of nature. She vividly remembers them taking her to Brazil’s national parks and other natural areas.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s Board of Directors has approved a first-of-its kind Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard (UCFSS) for organizations that own, manage, or are responsible for urban and/or community forests. The UCFSS promotes sustainable urban and community forests based on 16 objectives, such as Community, People, and Indigenous Participation; Human Health and Well-Being; and Protection and Conservation of Biodiversity.

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. In the spirit of celebrating the cultures, traditional knowledge, and achievements of Indigenous Peoples across Canada, I’d like to highlight my Indigenous colleagues that I’ve been working with here at SFI’s Indigenous Relations (IR) team.

In Spring 2022, Dr. Cathy Keeler was beginning to wrap up her Ph.D. in Integrative Public Policy and Development at Tuskegee University and looking for job opportunities. While browsing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) website, she found Project Learning Tree (an initiative of SFI) and the Green Mentor program.

I had the pleasure of attending the 2023 SFI Annual Conference in collaboration with PEFC Week in Vancouver, British Columbia, from May 14-18, as a sponsored member of a delegation of 41 students and young professionals from all around the world. The theme of this year’s conference was “Forest + People + Nature positive,” which was reflected in the diverse array of session topics, from climate-smart forestry to supply-chain leadership. The most exciting topic for me was Indigenous rights and reconciliation through adaptive co-management of forest resources.

Over 500 people joined us for the SFI/PEFC Forest + People + Nature positive conference. This year's theme highlighted the positive ways in which sustainable forest management can be positive for people, forests, and nature while evolving to address expectations of the workforce, community, government, customer, and conservation priorities.

As a first-generation college student, Jah’Niya Myers continually faces a number of firsts. But when she was matched with her Project Learning Tree (PLT) green mentor, Lydia Kidane, PLT’s Education Programs Coordinator, she found someone who could relate.

“Invest in Our Planet” is the theme of Earth Day 2023. Earthday.org, which coordinates the day’s events around the world, is “focused on engaging the more than 1 billion people, governments, institutions, and businesses who participate in Earth Day to recognize our collective responsibility and to help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all.”

SFI is teaming up with PEFC International to host the 2023 SFI Annual Conference in collaboration with PEFC Week in Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 14-18, 2023.

For International Women’s Day 2023, SFI, Project Learning Tree (PLT), and PLT Canada (PLTC) are highlighting how we #EmbraceEquity.

Most news articles involving the Endangered Species Act (ESA) describe proposals to list species as threatened or endangered, or the decline of those already listed.