SFI COMMUNITY GRANTS
The SFI Community Grants promote collaboration with the SFI Network to support local communities’ understanding of the value and benefits from sustainably managed forests.
SFI Community Grants are awarded for collaborative community-based projects, activities or events that support SFI’s efforts to connect communities to forests. Projects supported have included providing educators with tools to showcase green career pathways with students, incorporating Indigenous knowledge into forest management planning and education curriculum, and building youth engagement in outdoor education and conservation project.
Since the SFI Grants started in 2010, SFI has awarded 96 Community Grants totaling more than $900,000 to foster community-building projects.


GRANTS BY CATEGORY
SFI Community Grants
AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY
Working with Forest Landowners to Reverse Population Declines of
Forest Breeding Birds
American Bird Conservancy Managed Forests for Birds Workshop
Why This Project Matters
This project will deliver a workshop that explains how sustainable forestry can play a critical role in reversing the alarming decline in bird populations. An estimated three billion birds have been lost in the U.S. and Canada since 1970. This is the equivalent of more than a quarter of all birdlife. These findings were reported in the world’s leading scientific journal, Science, by researchers at seven institutions, including the American Bird Conservancy.
How This Project Will Help to Reverse Population Declines of Forest Breeding Birds
This workshop brings together SFI-certified forest management companies, forest harvesting professionals, and family forest landowners for discussions regarding forest management, bird habitat, and the critical role of managed forests in reversing population declines of forest breeding birds. This project will train and educate people who are engaged in actions affecting the future of our forests. It will also offer Continuing Forestry Education credits.
The workshop combines classroom-style presentations and forest-site discussions. This approach has proven to be valuable in several other states in training people in best practices at each stage of forest management to provide positive habitat conditions for birds. The birds range from species that readily respond to certain management practices such as harvest and replanting, thinning and burning, to bird species that require special considerations and advanced planning such as retention of snags, retention of large trees for nesting, or enhanced streamside management zones.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. Bringing together partners from across the SFI network including forest industry, forest managers, wildlife biologists, state government representatives, and the Georgia SFI Implementation Committee will ensure that many perspectives and interests required for effective forest sustainability will be shared. Participants will include influential representatives of forest ownership and management. The diverse project partners will also ensure that they leverage resources and make the right connections for a productive workshop that can be replicated for additional impact.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
This project will elevate and enrich the link between people and forests by engaging both natural resource professionals who live and work in local communities as well as family forest owners. By bringing forest, wildlife, and harvesting professionals together with local landowners, the project will build a sense of community and appreciation of the different perspectives on forest management. With the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) involved in planning and execution, the project will directly engage the key wildlife conservation organization in Georgia.
The participation of Georgia DNR wildlife biologists and ornithologists as instructors will lend credibility and create opportunities for additional workshops in Georgia. The project leaders will also use their connections to Migratory Bird Habitat Joint Ventures to further network and engage bird conservation organizations and federal wildlife agencies with a mutual interest in well managed forests.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, researchers, SFI certified organizations, and family forest owners.
- Project lead: American Bird Conservancy
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Georgia SFI Implementation Committee
- The Westervelt Company (SFI-certified organization)
- Timberland Investment Resources, LLC (SFI-certified organization)
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Related Information
American Bird Conservancy: Bird Friendly Forests – Opportunities for Private Forest Owners in the Southeastern United States
American Bird Conservancy: Bringing Back the Forest Birds, Phase II
ABC Wins SFI President’s Award for Putting SFI’s Scale to Work for Birds
Bird Conservation Reaches Continental Scale through New Partnership with the Boreal Avian Modelling Project
Collaborating for Conservation of Managed Forested Landscapes
SFI supported a Canada warbler workshop for conservationists and resource managers convened by Nature Canada

About American Bird Conservancy
The American Bird Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to conserve native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts across the full spectrum of threats to birds to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, unifying and strengthening the bird conservation movement. Learn more.
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CLEMSON UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND LIFE SCIENCES
The South Carolina Women Owning Woods Network: Using Forestry and Natural Resources to Educate and Empower Women
Enhancing the South Carolina Women Owning Woodlands (SC WOW) program by providing resources for targeted, advanced trainings to women landowners
Why this Project Matters
In the United States, private families and individuals own about 60% of the nation’s forested land, and for about a quarter of private family or individual woodland ownerships, a woman is the primary decision maker. Evidence suggests that women will play a large role in the future of forests, making final end-of-life land use decisions that could lead to conservation or development. Forestry remains a male-dominated field in a professional, personal, and social sense, which means that women may lack experience and knowledge with woodland ownership and management.
Ownership objectives among women who purchase or inherit woodlands vary, ranging from privacy and aesthetic enjoyment to generating income from timber extraction. The Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) Network in South Carolina is recruiting, engaging, and teaching female participants about sustainable forest management. Also, because women tend to inherit property later in life, getting them involved when they are younger and more physically active will potentially lead to them implementing more forest management practices over the course of their ownership. Preparing women to take a more active role in management of family forests will provide the skills needed to manage forests sustainably.
How the Project Is Using Forestry and Natural Resources to Educate and Empower Women
To address the needs of educating women forest owners and supporting women in forest leadership roles, the WOW program was established as a collaborative project of the National Woodland Owners Association and the United States Forest Service. This project will build on the success of a pilot program by offering additional workshops in more advanced topics. The WOW network will facilitate specific skills development for women including chainsaw and pesticide safety. Using other state WOW networks as models, Clemson University, with support from the Forestry Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Forestry Commission, has formed the SC WOW network to provide training and educational opportunities for women who own or have an interest in woodlands management. Clemson will enhance the SC WOW program by offering additional forestry 101 workshops in new regions, developing new educational content, and continuing training a group of WOW network facilitators.
To encourage an interest in forestry among women from a younger age, scholarships will be offered to 10 high school students to attend the South Carolina 4-H Forestry Clinic. This weekend-long event is an excellent opportunity for high-school-aged youth to learn more about forestry and forest practices. During the clinic, participants will gain hands-on experience from Clemson University professionals.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI’s previous collaborations with WOW and the expertise of the SFI network will also be leveraged to support his project.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The project team will communicate with and leverage the SFI network to build mutual understanding in the communities where they operate about the benefits of sustainably managed forests and products. The project will grow meaningful relationships with Indigenous, African American, and underserved communities to advance social, economic, and environmental opportunities. Professional development for educators, loggers, architects, and other influencers will be made available to enable them to make informed decisions and take responsible actions. The project also offers outdoor activities and advice on green career pathways for youth through a collaboration with South Carolina 4H.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, communications professionals, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Clemson University
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Forestry Association of South Carolina
- Steward Terra Communications LLC
Related Information
South Carolina SFI Implementation Committee—Partners with WOW to Prepare Women for Active Role in Managing Woodlands
SFI Collaborating with Women Changing the Face of Forestland Ownership
South Carolina Forest Products Sector: Connecting Teachers and Foresters
Women Owning Woodlands
SFI Is Helping Inspire Future Forest Leaders in South Carolina

About Clemson University Cooperative Extension College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
Clemson University was established to fulfill its founder’s vision of “a high seminary of learning” to develop “the material resources of the state” for the people of South Carolina. Clemson Extension helps improve the quality of life of all South Carolinians by providing unbiased, research-based information through an array of public outreach programs in youth development, agribusiness, agriculture, food, nutrition and health, and natural resources. With offices in all 46 counties of the state, Extension works to help support South Carolina’s $42 billion agriculture and forestry industries; strengthen families and communities; improve stewardship of natural resources and the environment; strengthen connections between people and their food; and expose South Carolina youth to opportunities in agriculture, science, technology, engineering, and math. Learn more.
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FRIENDS OF THE TRINITY COUNTY RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT
The Youth in Sustainable Forestry Project
Inspiring high school students to consider forestry careers and appreciate sustainable forestry and Indigenous land stewardship.
Why this Project Matters
Weaverville, Trinity County, in California’s remote Klamath Mountains, experienced a sharp decline in the timber industry in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite an abundance of natural resources, the local economy has struggled to recover in the decades since the downturn. In the early 2000s, Weaverville residents established the Weaverville Community Forest, which is on the ancestral territory of Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu Nation. Today, the forest supports a thriving sustainable forestry operation that is one of the county’s largest private employers. However, the continued existence of a local sustainable forestry economy depends on engaging the next generation of natural resource professionals to manage the community forest. A lack of resources to engage youth is a major obstacle to encouraging them to consider forest sector careers. Trinity High School, for example, doesn’t have any environmental science teachers on staff.
How the Project Is Engaging Youth in Sustainable Forestry and Building an Appreciation for Indigenous Land Stewardship
The Friends of the Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD ) are supporting TCRCD staff and Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu tribal members to work together to select locally tailored curriculum and produce high school field guide workbooks focused on Indigenous land stewardship, sustainable forestry, and related career paths. These workbooks will be part of a year-long fieldtrip program for Trinity High School students. Through this project, a cohort of young people just beginning to establish their career goals and higher education interests will be engaged and inspired. Project resources will empower teachers to address these subjects in their classes for years to come.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. It will help grow meaningful relationships between the TCRCD, Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu tribal members, Trinity High School Teachers and students, the
Trinity County Office of Education, and Sierra Pacific Industries (an SFI-certified company).
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
This project will enhance the relevancy and accessibility of training, education, and green job opportunities within the forest and conservation sectors. A major community goal for the Weaverville Community Forest and other local organizations is to raise awareness about the importance of collaborative stewardship and sustainable forestry for the region’s economy and ecosystems. This project will achieve this goal by using the community forest and surrounding Sierra Pacific Industries lands as an outdoor classroom to teach high school students about higher education and career options related to sustainably managing local forest ecosystems.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, educators, Indigenous communities, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Friends of the Trinity County Resource Conservation District
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Trinity County Office of Education
- Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu Nation
- Sierra Pacific Industries (SFI‑certified company)
Related Information
New PLT Curriculum Introduces Youth to Green Careers
Northern California Society for American Foresters—Teachers across California gain valuable forest science knowledge
SFI Promotes Indigenous Rights, Respect and Engagement
Gaining greater understanding and building better relationships with tribes in Minnesota: Incorporating Tribal Values in Minnesota Forest Management—Phase I
Northern California Society of American Foresters—Forestry Institute for Teachers field trips

About the Trinity County Resource Conservation District
Friends of the Trinity County Resource Conservation District is the fiscal sponsor for the Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD). TCRCD is a county-wide agency, encompassing 2.1 million acres in rural Northern California, receiving funding from local, state, federal agencies, and non‑governmental organizations. The TCRCD Board of Directors is guided by landowners and the community in their decisions and actions. TCRCD employees carry out day-to-day operations, guided by priorities and policies set by the Board. The TCRCD focuses attention on land, water, and related resource problems, develops programs to solve them, and enlists and coordinates help from all public and private sources that can contribute to accomplishing TCRCD goals.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/friends-of-the-trinity-county/
MAINE TREE FOUNDATION
Educating Maine’s Guidance Counselors about Forests and Green Career Pathways
Encouraging youth to consider forest-based career pathways so they will continue to
live and work in Maine
Why this Project Matters
The sustainability of Maine’s communities and forests depends on an understanding of forest benefits and career pathways among educators and young people. Maine continues to lose a steady stream of residents, as people, especially youth and younger adults, seek employment in other states. The Maine TREE (Timber Research and Environmental Education) Foundation offers programs to learn about sustainable forestry during K-12 schooling. These efforts also encourage youth to consider forest-based career pathways so that they will continue to live and work in Maine.
How the Project is Engaging Educators about Sustainable Forestry and Green Careers
Maine school career counselors will be trained to use Project Learning Tree (PLT) resources about forest-based career training. PLT’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers curriculum will introduce career pathways including training options at a variety of post-secondary levels in Maine. A field component will explore the high-tech nature of forestry and professional logging in Maine. PLT is an initiative of SFI.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting Maine Tree’s conference for guidance counselors, which will also rely on members of the SFI network — professional foresters, professional logging organizations, and industry representatives — as co-planners and speakers. This will help raise awareness among Maine’s educators across the state about the importance of sustainable forests and forestry and the availability of green jobs careers in Maine.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, forestry professionals, and SFI certified organizations.
- Project lead: Maine TREE Foundation
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Maine SFI Implementation Committee
Related Information
Maine SFI Implementation Committee: SFI Is Helping Maine’s Family Forest Owners Keep Forests as Forests
Maine SFI Implementation Committee Wins Award for Community Leadership, Education Outreach and Growth
Maine SFI Implementation Committee

Maine TREE Foundation
The foundation was formed in 1989 by a group of dedicated timberland owners, forest products producers, tree farmers and others interested in the Maine forest. The Maine TREE Foundation educates and advocates for the sustainable use of the forest and the ecological, economic, and social health of Maine’s forest community. Its mission is realized through implementing research and education programs for schools, government, media, and the general public. Partnerships within the forest community and support programs for forest owners, forestry workers, and recreational users assist in the effort. The Maine TREE Foundation has a vision of a public that values and supports Maine’s healthy forest ecosystems, forest professionals, scientific forest management, and sound public policies that sustain Maine’s forest-dependent people and communities. Learn more.
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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Michigan SFI Implementation Committee and Michigan State University Use Urban Forestry to Attract New Students
Recruiting and Retaining the Next Generation of Multicultural Forestry Professionals
Why this Project Matters
This program, led by Michigan State University (MSU), is designed to help address concerns over declining enrollments in forestry and related natural resource degree programs. Underlying this concern is a fear that current enrollment rates are insufficient to offset the anticipated losses of retirees in forestry career fields in the near future. The program is also focused on increasing the capacity of high school teachers to integrate forestry principles into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculums. Integrating forestry into STEM teaching will help enhance the attractiveness of forestry programs for students who are focused on their longer-term career paths.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Community Engagement Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI’s priorities include encouraging diversity in the forest sector, educating youth, and promoting green careers — this project supports all three.
MSU Forestry will collaborate with the Ruth Mott Foundation to identify and partner with community based urban conservation groups in north Flint, Michigan, a collection of city neighborhoods characterized by high minority populations and widespread distribution of blighted property. Program participants will apply their acquired tree planting skills to aid in the instruction and engagement of neighborhood youth and broader groups of community volunteers in the successful planting of trees in targeted sites. These partnerships will help promote local long-term understanding and appreciation of ecological benefits of urban trees.
Implementing Project Learning Tree (PLT) workshops will allow for broadened participation by giving educators and students access to learning tools to engage in forestry science through interactive learning experiences. PLT is an initiative of SFI that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it.
The program aims to expand the pool of potential students by engaging multiple cohorts of diverse high school students. These students are currently underrepresented in forestry programs. The program will also support MSU’s Multicultural Apprenticeship Program, which encourages a diverse range of college students to enter MSU’s Forestry Program.
How the Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
This program, with 13 partners ranging from educators and conservationists to industry and government, will support the MSU Multicultural Apprenticeship Program. It’s a four-week summer experience program designed to give high school students the opportunity to experience college life and to explore the many exciting educational and career opportunities in forestry, agricultural and food sciences, and related fields. MAP is designed for high school students currently in grade 10 and 11 who have strong interest and aptitude in science, math and other academic areas.
Partners
This partnership includes researchers, conservationists, educators, government, and SFI Program Participants.
- Project lead: Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Michigan SFI Implementation Committee
- Project Learning Tree
- Ruth Mott Foundation
- Applewood Estate
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Urban and Community Forestry Program
- Site Specific Inc.
- Arboriculture Society of Michigan
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- North American Forest Partnership — #forestproud
- Weyerhaeuser (SFI Program Participant)
Related Information

About the Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
In the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, students use science, technology, engineering, mathematics, business and creative design to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems related to food, health and the environment. In 1855, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, now known as MSU, was founded to provide a practical education to all citizens regardless of social class. It was the first institution of higher learning in the United States to teach scientific agriculture and educated students to become farmers, engineers, educators and scientists. MSU has helped grow Michigan’s economy by equipping Michigan residents with the information that they need to do their jobs better, raise healthy and safe families, build their communities and empower their children to dream of a successful future.
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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY
Supporting Curriculum on Urban Forests, Carbon Storage, and a Changing Climate
Improving understanding of key urban forestry issues relating to carbon, climate change, municipal policies, and environmental justice.
Why this Project Matters
The climate, both ecological and political, is shifting. Increasingly, municipal officials, and urban planning professionals are facing a need to be fluent in topics of forest carbon management at the urban and municipal level. This fluency includes a need to understand adaptation and mitigation challenges, the ability to incorporate environmental justice into management strategies, and the skills to develop responses to new climate targets and legislation. This project will expand on previously developed content on forest carbon fundamentals to create case study-based materials for foresters, planners, builders, and decision-makers in cities and municipalities.
How the Project Is Engaging Municipal Officials and Urban Planners on the Fundamentals of Urban Forest Carbon Management
The MSU Department of Forestry will expand existing course content on the fundamentals of forest carbon management through practical, accessible, case study-based e-learning materials on forest management and climate for global cities and municipalities. Framing the larger topic of forest carbon and climate with the lens of urban forestry will provide learners with practical and applicable information that acknowledges a myriad of barriers, limitations, and opportunities to increase social equity through urban forestry and green infrastructure projects.
The project will involve primary research and research synthesis on urban forestry and climate to develop learning content. In addition to forest management practices, the proposed course will
examine the climate benefits linked with sustainable forest products and sustainable construction, including green building and mass timber construction, as well as explore policy and private sector initiatives, using case study examples, to further encourage green building.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. This work will build on two projects previously supported by SFI, both of which were designed to strengthen forestry education for various stakeholder groups including forestry and non-forestry professionals with increasing needs for climate-smart forestry information. The previous projects are: Michigan SFI Implementation Committee and Michigan State University Use Urban Forestry to Attract New Students and E-Learning Unit on Carbon and Climate Benefits in Well-Managed Forests. By building educational content informed by literature, case study examples, and input from urban forestry experts, this project will produce specialized outputs as well as inform the development of the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
MSU Forestry is prioritizing outreach aimed at a broad community of professionals both within the forestry sector and beyond. The course and its associated additional outputs will disseminate information to diverse populations on the importance of sustainable urban forest management. The project will also reach out to municipal and urban forester networks, including those with SFI partners the Arbor Day Foundation and American Forests, to ensure the urban forest community has a direct connection to the information. In addition, the e-learning model is both cost effective and accessible, accommodating those who cannot attend in-person events.
Partners
This partnership includes academics, conservationists, educators, Indigenous groups, and official SFI partner organizations.
- Project lead: Michigan State University Department of Forestry
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Urban and Community Forestry Program (SFI-certified organization)
- American Forests (SFI partner)
- Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- International Society of Arboriculture Michigan (SFI partner)
Related Information
SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard
Leading Standards and Urban Forestry Partners Collaborate to Develop a New SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard
Michigan SFI Implementation Committee and Michigan State University Use Urban Forestry to Attract New Students
Michigan State University’s Forest Carbon and Climate Program—E-Learning Unit on Carbon and Climate Benefits in Well-Managed Forests

About the Michigan State University Department of Forestry
The MSU Department of Forestry has a mission to generate and translate knowledge of trees, forests, and associated natural and human systems to advance sustainable solutions for people and ecosystems. The department is creating the future of sustainable forestry through innovative research, learning, and outreach. MSU Forestry students discover their role in sustaining forests and the ecosystem services they provide, including conservation of biodiversity, wood products, clean water, and climate change mitigation. Students learn to be leaders through multi-disciplinary coursework, field studies, cutting edge technology and mentorship from respected faculty in one of the longest-standing forestry programs in the United States. Learn more.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/msu-department-of-forestry/
MINNESOTA SIC & MINNESOTA FOREST INDUSTRIES
Working with Youth to Provide Healthy Forest Bat Habitat in Minnesota Forests
Boy Scouts and Partners Build and Erect Over 100 Bat Roost Boxes
Why this Project Matters
The maternal bat roosting boxes produced by this project are designed to increase bat populations in Minnesota. The state is home to eight species of bats, one of which, the northern long-eared bat, is protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act. Two others, the little brown bat and the tri-colored bat, are being considered for protection. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also reports a substantial decline in the number of bats in Minnesota. The decline is largely because of white-nose syndrome, a disease that is harmful and usually fatal to hibernating bats. This project will educate Boy Scouts and the public about the role of sustainable forestry in bat health and conservation.
How the Project Helps Boost Bat Populations
Bats roost in caves, built structures, natural crevices in rocks, and in trees. Bat roost boxes are like bird nesting boxes. Providing bat boxes is a widely used intervention for conservation and for research. Bat boxes are easy for landowners to install and provide bats with alternative roost sites in areas where roost sites are limited.
The bat boxes will be made from SFI-certified wood donated by Norbord Inc. and sourced from SFI certified Minnesota state forests. Bat Conservation International is providing the design and educational materials describing white-nose syndrome and its impact on bat populations. These will be made available to the Scouts as they assemble kits and erect boxes. In addition, the Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee Coordinator is a certified wildlife biologist. He will make a presentation to the Scouts on the role that sustainable forest management can play in bat conservation.
How the Project Helps Forest Managers
As primary predators of night-flying insects, bats play an essential role in maintaining forest health. Bats can eat nearly their own body weight in insects each night. These include moths, beetles and other destructive pests. Although long neglected in forest-management planning, bats are essential to the health of forest ecosystems, fulfilling the same roles by night that birds do by day. Helping bats is a wise investment in America’s forests.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. This project engages both local and international partners to address a national conservation challenge. The signage, messaging and external communications will all build a greater understanding of the role of forests and trees in our daily lives. The bat boxes will be built from sustainably sourced and SFI Chain-of-Custody certified tamarack. Each will have an educational sign on the impacts of invasive white-nose syndrome on bats, and how sustainable forest management can provide bat habitat through practices like leaving dead and dying trees for bats to roost in.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, researchers, and SFI certified organizations.
- Project leads: Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee and Minnesota Forest Industries
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Louisiana Pacific (SFI‑certified organization)
- Boy Scouts of America Voyageurs Area Council (SFI‑certified organization)
- Minnesota Power
- Norbord, Inc. (SFI‑certified organization)
- Bat Conservation International
Related Information
Bat Hibernacula Inventory and Protection in the Thompson, Okanagan, Boundary

Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee and Minnesota Forest Industries
The SFI program responds to local needs and issues across North America through 34 SFI Implementation Committees at the state, provincial or regional level. This unique grassroots network involves private landowners, independent loggers, forestry professionals, local governments agencies, academics, scientists, and conservationists. The Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee includes representatives from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, forest companies, the University of Minnesota, family forest owners, the Minnesota Logger Education Program, Minnesota Timber Producers Association, the Ruffed Grouse Society and SFI-certified county land departments. Minnesota Forest Industries is an association representing 12 state forest sector companies.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-minnesota-sic-and-minnesota-forest-industries-forest-bat-habitat/
MISSISSIPPI FORESTRY FOUNDATION
Advancing Mississippi’s Forest and Conservation Sector Workforce Through Partnerships and Strategic Education
Addressing lack of opportunity by advancing Mississippi’s forest and conservation sector workforce through partnerships and strategic education.
Why this Project Matters
The opportunity gap surrounding academic scholarships, continuing education opportunities, and career development is glaring in many Mississippi communities. This project focuses on bringing equity into the Mississippi forest and conservation sector by reaching out to new workers, military veterans, and dislocated workers. The forest sector also faces a wave of retirements that will require an influx of younger workers to maintain the state’s forest sector workforce. The project’s ultimate goal is to increase every Mississippian’s opportunity and ability to join the forest sector’s green job workforce.
How the Project Is Recruiting New Workers, Military Veterans, and Dislocated Workers Into the Forest and Conservation Sector in Mississippi
This project takes a three-pronged approach to achieving its goals. First, the Mississippi Forestry Foundation (MFF) has a designated employee participating in high school, community college, and public job fairs. Participating in job fairs is an opportunity to engage attendees about education options, green jobs, and career technical training for harvesting, forest products manufacturing, and conservation jobs. Second, MFF is collaborating with members, county extension agents, county forestry associations, Mississippi Veterans Affairs, local job centers, chambers of commerce, vocational centers, universities, community colleges and a number of other groups to assemble and share information regarding educational and training opportunities. Third, MFF will use Forest Workforce Training Institute materials and promotional items to increase interest and knowledge surrounding the forest and conservation sector while adapting materials to be Mississippi specific.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. The Mississippi SFI Implementation Committee will also give project members access to the expertise of the SFI network. Partnerships with SFI-certified organizations are also key to this project.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The opportunity gap in many Mississippi communities serves to isolate people. Creating more opportunities for workforce participation and career advancement will help bring people together. Project participants will also serve as positive examples to others in the community who may have become disconnected from the world of work along with all the related community connections that go with being employed.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, employment counselors, forestry professionals, government officials, the business community, and SFI‑certified companies.
- Project lead: Project lead: Mississippi Forestry Foundation
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Mississippi SFI Implementation Committee
- Mississippi Loggers Association
- Mississippi Forestry Association
Related Information
Mississippi Forest Foundation—Mississippi State University Architecture Students Gain Valuable Mass Timber Knowledge
SFI Implementation Committees

About the Mississippi Forestry Foundation
The Mississippi Forestry Foundation is a nonprofit, non-stock corporation established by the Mississippi Forestry Association in 1964 to promote and carry out educational, literary, scientific, and charitable programs to better conserve, develop, and protect the forest and related natural resources of Mississippi for the best interest of current and future generations. MFF supports Project Learning Tree (an initiative of SFI), Teachers Conservation Workshops, and other Youth Forestry Programs. MFF also awards a scholarship to a student in the Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources. In addition, MFF promotes statewide forest fire protection.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE SFI IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tours
Using Project Learning Tree to help teachers learn about sustainable forestry and how to encourage students to pursue forest sector careers
Why this Project Matters
In recent years, environmental educators have raised concerns about youth becoming increasingly detached from the natural world—a trend that leaves young people less prepared to appreciate and conserve our environment. This detachment is also an equity issue, with some communities lacking access to outdoor spaces and the many green careers associated with natural resource sustainability.
Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tours will give teachers ways to help students understand the important role forests, and those who manage them, play in maintaining our shared environment when it comes to benefiting wildlife, conserving clean water, supporting sustainable economies, and maintaining opportunities for recreation. The tours, a component of Project Learning Tree (PLT), an initiative of SFI, do this in a number of ways, including by using local forests as outdoor classrooms. This project will also encourage students to consider green careers in forestry.
How the Project Is Engaging Teachers and Youth to Appreciate the Benefits of Sustainable Forestry and Opening Up Green Careers in the Forest Sector.
Teachers will receive 30 hours of continuing education credits for participating in a four-day workshop. During the workshop, they will learn about the PLT curriculum and how to incorporate it into their own curriculum. Company representatives from the New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee will work with teachers to foster a better understanding of sustainable forest management and forest products manufacturing. Teachers will also be exposed to the different disciplines and career paths that lead to green careers like wildlife management and other natural resource management positions in the forest sector. The workshop will provide teachers with the information they need to provide students with introductory skills and experience that will be recognized by post‑secondary programs.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. PLT’s wealth of expertise and resources available through New Hampshire PLT will underpin the project. The SFI network, managed through the New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee, will help grow meaningful relationships between the state’s forest sector and teachers.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The project will help teachers develop a support network of forestry professionals who they can turn to for help to provide ongoing information for students interested in pursuing a career in the New Hampshire forest sector. Teachers will receive a roster of workshop participants, which also includes a listing of participating SFI companies, forestry professionals, and contact info for New Hampshire Timberland Owners’ Association staff. Teachers will be able to use this information to follow up on specific questions about advising students interested in green careers.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, natural resources professionals, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Florida SFI Implementation Committee
- New Hampshire Project Learning Tree
- USDA Forest Service
- Madison Lumber
- RJ Chipping and Nine Dragons Paper Company (SFI-certified company)
Related Information
New PLT Curriculum Introduces Youth to Green Careers
American Forest Foundation—From Nature’s Perspective
Environmental Education Association of Illinois—Immersive Education Event Helps Teacher Teams Integrate Environmental Science Education
Northern California Society of American Foresters—Teachers Across California Gain Valuable Forest Science Knowledge
Pacific Education Institute—Forestry-Based Stem Professional Development for Teachers In Washington State

About the New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee
SFI responds to local needs through SFI Implementation Committees at the state, provincial, and regional levels. These committees work with local, forestry, and professional associations, universities, government agencies, landowner groups, conservation groups, and many others to promote SFI standards as a way to broaden the practice of responsible forestry and achieve on-the-ground progress. Since 1995, SFI-certified organizations have contributed nearly $75 million to support local programs through SFI Implementation Committees. This includes logger and forester training to reach the thousands of independent contractors that are the key to the quality of forest harvesting operations. In New Hampshire, the SFI Implementation Committee annually contributes more than $22,000 to local non-profits in support of environmental education and logger and forester training. In addition to its educational support the committee also supports forestry research through grants to the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation.
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PACIFIC EDUCATION INSTITUTE
Training Yakama Nation Tribal Educators in Project Learning Tree Lessons
Using PLT to Engage Tribal Communities in Forest and Natural Resource Education
Why this Project Matters
The Yakama Nation values engaging their youth in outdoor, natural resource management opportunities. The field of forestry and natural resources creates opportunities for their youth to combine their culture with the preservation, protection, and enhancement of the environment. The Pacific Education Institute (PEI) will partner with Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry to provide natural resources staff and educators with Project Learning Tree (PLT) workshops and a forest tour. This will include hands-on experiences and access to educational resources. This project will also offer opportunities for youth to investigate green career pathways that could help them stay in their community. PLT is an initiative of SFI.
How the Project is Linked to Current Education and Workforce Development efforts
The Yakama Nation is taking an active role in engaging, inspiring and mentoring its next generation of sustainable forestry leaders. Yakama forestry professionals are involved with after school programs that take youth into the forest to teach them about ecosystem health. Young leaders are encouraged to become land managers, grow through experiential learning under established professionals, and assume greater responsibilities in service to the Yakama Nation. These efforts will ensure the Yakama Nation leaves a legacy of healthy forests into the next millennia, while supporting the growth and prosperity of the entire nation.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. By supporting Tribal staff with resources, suggested activities, and inspiration, their outreach delivery and messaging will be more intentional and impactful. Additionally, by offering a forest and natural resource professional development opportunity for formal educators, students will benefit from their increased knowledge, experiences, and content-specific resources. Workshops will include awareness of the conservation outcomes that demonstrate the contribution of SFI’s footprint to overall ecosystem health and sustainability.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The Yakama Nation and PEI understand that continued stewardship and management of natural resources will rely on an educated, well-trained and motivated workforce. Investing time, energy and other resources into developing and encouraging tribal youth to pursue natural resources as a career option is recognized as extremely important. Engaging educating youth will also help to develop the next generation of community leaders.
Partners
This partnership includes Tribal leaders and educators, researchers, conservationists, SFI certified organizations, and forestry professionals.
- Project lead: Pacific Education Institute
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry (SFI‑certified organization)
- Washington SFI Implementation Committee
Related Information
SFI Promotes Indigenous Rights, Respect and Engagement
Forestry-based STEM Professional Development for Teachers in Washington State
Educating shishalh Members and Forestry Practitioners through the Identification, Mapping and Protection of Cultural and Medicinal Plants
Creating Boreal Forest Field Experiences for Rural and Indigenous Youth
Incorporating Tribal Values in Minnesota Project Learning Tree Curriculum
Center for Native Peoples and the Environment: Exploring Forest Sustainability with Indigenous Youth
Cree First Nation of Waswanipi: SFI Is Supporting the Transfer of Scientific and Traditional Knowledge to Cree Youth in Waswanipi

About Pacific Education Institute
The Pacific Education Institute (PEI) is committed to advancing science literacy and deepening student engagement by empowering educators to take students outdoors to learn integrated real-world science. PEI was founded in 2003 by a consortium of leaders from the Washington Forest Protection Association, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Association of Washington School Principals, the Washington Association of School Administrators, and the Washington State School Directors Association. Recognizing a lack of real-world, career-connected, locally relevant, outdoor-based education in the state, they established teaching frameworks to guide this kind of education grounded in Washington State’s educational goals, the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Learn more.
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SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES INSTITUTE
Promoting Urban Forestry and Harvesting Waste Wood in Waukesha County, Wisconsin and Beyond
Engaging stakeholders and providing technical assistance to municipalities to incorporate urban wood utilization into municipal planning.
Why this Project Matters
The utilization of urban wood that must be removed due to disease, pests or other circumstances is an important aspect of a community’s sustainability, yet many of the communities in Waukesha county have not planned for the maintenance, care and use of their urban trees. Typically, when municipalities remove urban trees due to death, disease or development, the wood is treated as waste and is disposed of by chipping or even being left to rot in landfills. These processes cost municipalities money and time while bringing little value back to the community. By establishing community forest and urban wood utilization plans, communities can use this local, sustainable, and renewable resource to enhance the local environment and reduce community expenses.
How the Project Is Helping Municipal Officials Incorporate Urban Wood Utilization into Municipal Planning
The Sustainable Resources Institute (SRI) is providing technical assistance to Waukesha County to complete their urban forest management and wood utilization plan that will serve as an example for other municipalities in the county, in Wisconsin and beyond. SRI is developing a story map template and partner PDF from this plan that other communities can use in their urban tree lifecycle planning processes. This tool will include photos and videos that will show as well as tell how to overcome common barriers to adoption and sustainability of full lifecycle management.
The urban forest management plan will broaden urban forest management to include the entire lifecycle of the tree. This will provide opportunities for municipalities to reap environmental benefits and cost-savings that can be reinvested into tree plantings to maintain urban tree canopies. In addition, producing a consistent supply of urban wood has the potential to support local urban wood industries and in turn benefit local economies.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. The Wisconsin SFI Implementation Committee is a key partner that gives project participants access to experts in the SFI network. SFI also values this project for its ability to contribute to the development and dissemination of best management practices or pilot projects that advance sustainability in urban forests. These efforts will assist with the development of a U.S.-Canada collaborative SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The Urban Wood Network will partner with its Wisconsin chapter and local sustainability experts to engage stakeholders and provide technical assistance to municipalities to incorporate urban wood utilization into municipal planning processes. Encouraging the development of a consistent supply of municipal urban wood resources will also potentially stimulate a local, sustainable urban wood industry.
Partners
This partnership includes municipal officials, urban forestry experts, forest sector professionals, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Sustainable Resources Institute
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Wisconsin SFI Implementation Committee
- Waukesha County Green Team
- Wudeward Urban Forest Products
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Related Information
SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard
Leading Standards and Urban Forestry Partners Collaborate to Develop a New SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard
About the Sustainable Resources Institute
The Sustainable Resources Institute provides education on and certification in sustainable natural resource management. SRI increases the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable techniques for multiple-use forest management and the production of forest products. These preferred techniques take into account wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation, aesthetics, and forest health values. SRI directs its efforts toward professional loggers, land managers, and landowners involved with the management and protection of natural resources. Learn more.
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UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
Demonstrating Benefits of SFI-Certified Wood in a Mass Timber Arena
The University of Idaho’s new mass timber sports arena offers opportunity to showcase the benefits of sourcing and building with local SFI-certified wood
Why this Project Matters
Ensuring sustainable consumption of natural resources is more important than ever. Timber has significantly lower CO2 emissions than steel and concrete and is a renewable resource. Sourcing timber through forest certification standards like the Sustainable Forestry Initiative offers a proof point that the products come from well-managed forests. The Inland Northwest is uniquely positioned with vast timber resources and existing primary manufacturing to support emerging wood markets like mass timber. Increased adoption of wood in commercial construction would support local community employment and provide economic incentive to manage forests to reduce the impacts of wildfire, disease, and insect outbreaks in the region.
Relevancy to SFI
The University of Idaho Arena, scheduled for completion in 2021, will use wood products manufactured in Idaho by SFI-certified companies. Idaho Forest Group will harvest the timber from the University of Idaho Experimental Forest and process it for manufacturing by Boise Cascade into glulam beams. PotlatchDeltic will harvest timber from its SFI-certified lands to process architectural finished grade plywood to be used throughout the arena. These companies are donating time, materials and equipment towards the construction of the arena. The arena will showcase their products and provide a living laboratory for architects, builders, and the general public to learn about the environmental and economic benefits of using sustainably sourced fiber in commercial construction.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. The proposed scope of work will demonstrate the benefits derived through the supply chain by using SFI-certified companies and the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard. The goals are to leverage SFI partnerships to increase public awareness and market adoption of engineered wood products and enhance student training and research. This addresses several SFI focal areas, including highlighting established conservation values associated with SFI certification to engage key market influencers, brand owners, conservation stakeholders, and related interests. SFI certified wood is also eligible for credits through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The project will include professional training and workshops designed specifically for architects, engineers, contractors, and building code officials to increase awareness of design standards and opportunities for commercial construction in the region. Training and workshops will be conducted in conjunction with SFI and partners. The Idaho SFI Implementation Committee will assist by promoting training, providing input on university instruction efforts, and collaborating on landscape design features that showcase the forest products industry through interpretive displays, native tree plantings, and commissioned art for the arena.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, researchers, SFI certified organizations, and family forest owners.
- Project lead: University of Idaho
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Idaho SFI Implementation Committee
- WoodWorks – Wood Products Council
- Idaho Forest Group (SFI‑certified organization)
Related Information
The revolutionary promise of mass timber
Mississippi State University Architecture Students Gain Valuable Mass Timber Knowledge
Structurlam is First Canadian Cross-Laminated Timber Manufacturer to Earn SFI Chain-Of-Custody Certification
Build Green with SFI-Certified Wood

University of Idaho
Since 1889, the University of Idaho has provided motivated students with a transformative higher education experience that prepares them to solve real-world problems and achieve success in their lives and careers. Beginning with our beautiful residential campus in Moscow, the university’s reach extends throughout Idaho, serving over 11,000 students with educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls; nine Research and Extension centers; and Extension offices in 42 counties. One of the nation’s land-grant research universities, U of I is a noted national leader in student-centered learning and interdisciplinary research that promotes public service. Its work serves businesses and communities, advancing the pursuit of diversity, citizenship and global outreach. Learn more.
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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Into the Woods: A Carbon Story
Helping architecture students understand the climate-related benefits of choosing building materials from sustainably managed forests.
Why this Project Matters
Many architecture students have a limited understanding of the environmental benefits of using forest-based building materials. This can lead them to choose more carbon-intensive building products for their design projects after graduation. This grant project is designed to foster understanding among architecture students about the climate-related benefits of choosing building materials from sustainably managed forests. The importance of understanding carbon as it relates to generation and sequestration will also be emphasized.
How the Project Is Engaging Architecture Students to Understand the Benefits of Building with Sustainable Forest Products
The basic methodology behind this project is compellingly simple, students will exchange their university classroom for time spent in a sustainably managed working forest. Students will engage in timber harvesting. They will also tour sawmills and cross-laminated timber (CLT) manufacturing facilities to learn firsthand the value of choosing forest products in their design work. Additionally, the students will meet with land and water management professionals in the U.S. Southeast to learn about the importance of sustainable forestry for conserving habitats and other key ecological values like clean water. Students will also gain an understanding of the sustainable nature of forest-based supply chains and discuss the emerging influence of forest products, such as mass timber, on building design.
After attending the immersive design camp in the woods. Students will be able to establish and estimate the carbon sequestration in a working forest. Emphasis will be placed on clearly acknowledging and defining current related terms like carbon sinks, carbon generation, carbon storage, and carbon sequestration. Measurable outcomes will be determined through a series of small exercises where students plan a series of working forest scenarios to understand the influence various activities have on the relationship between carbon and sustainably managed forests.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. Students will also work in SFI-certified forests under the guidance of representatives of SFI-certified companies. SFI-certified products and the certification process will also be explored to help students better understand sustainability in construction and the importance of specifying certified wood building materials in future projects. SmartLam North America, an SFI-certified company, will help develop and produce a student prototype of a mass timber design project featuring CLT.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The networking and relationship building between architecture students, design professionals, foresters, and wood manufacturers is intended to seed future familiarity in designing, specifying, and building with SFI‑certified wood. This relationship building will also serve to strengthen ties between SFI‑certified companies and Florida’s architecture community. The Florida SFI Implementation Committee will also act as a conduit between the Miami School of Architecture and the wider SFI network.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, architects, natural resources professionals, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: University of Miami School of Architecture
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Florida SFI Implementation Committee
- Florida Forestry Association
- Atelier May
Related Information
Michigan State University’s Forest Carbon and Climate Program—E-Learning Unit on Carbon and Climate Benefits in Well-Managed Forests
University of Idaho—Demonstrating Benefits of SFI-Certified Wood in a Mass Timber Arena
Mississippi Forest Foundation—Mississippi State University Architecture Students Gain Valuable Mass Timber Knowledge
SFI and green buildings

About the University of Miami School of Architecture
The intrinsic philosophy of the University of Miami School of Architecture is to build a better world. This is expressed in a design program that is ideal and pragmatic, academic and practical, theoretical and actual. The school trains visionary practitioners who pursue architecture as a combination of civic art and building science. The school currently has more than 504 students, including 374 undergraduate students and 130 graduate students. There are about 60 full- and part-time faculty, plus a professional staff of 20, educating and supporting students. More than 50% of the School’s students participate in study-abroad programs based in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
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WASHINGTON SFI IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
Promoting Safe and Environmentally Responsible Tethered Logging
Improving harvesting practices on steep slopes in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West
Why this Project Matters
Harvesting timber on steep slopes poses safety and environmental challenges. Tethered harvesting, also known as cable-assist harvesting, uses cable-winch systems on machines like harvesters, feller bunchers, forwarders, loaders, and skidders to stabilize and assist equipment operations on steep slopes. The cable system allows the equipment to operate on slopes that would normally be considered unsafe for operators and equipment or damaging to soils. Research is needed to investigate the operational feasibility, worker safety considerations, environmental impact, and economic efficiency of tethered logging, which will improve harvesting practices in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West.
How the Project Contributes to Sustainability Objectives
One of the key objectives of this study is to measure impacts of tethered logging on soil health. Good soil health is critical to prompt reforestation which in turn provides habitat for wildlife, slows the incursion of invasive plant species, and reduces the rate of surface water flowing to streams below. This study will help forest managers and regulators better understand the potential effects of tethered logging systems on ecosystem services including soil productivity, clean water, and riparian and terrestrial biodiversity. Sharing this knowledge will enable land managers and regulators to make informed, evidence-based decisions that will improve the sustainability of forest management operations.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. The study will generate empirical data about the impacts of tethered logging systems on soil disturbance, sediment delivery to streams, operational costs, and worker safety. This data will be made widely available. This will help grow professional development for land managers, regulators, contractors, operators, and loggers by delivering information to help them make informed, site-specific decisions to ensure tethered logging represents a responsible, sustainable option that meets SFI standards.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
A critical step in this project will be communicating the results of this study, along with findings from similar research locations across the region, to timber companies, land managers, representatives from the forestry industry, small landowners, regulators, educators, environmentalist organizations, and natural resource professionals including foresters, biologists, geologists, and silviculturists. The Washington State SFI Implementation Committee, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and Oregon State University will share findings through conferences, online newsletters, and training materials, which will be shared with SFI Implementation Committees in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alberta, and British Columbia.
Partners
This partnership includes researchers, SFI certified organizations, and government officials.
- Project lead: Washington State SFI Implementation Committee
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Oregon State University College of Forestry
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Related Information
Washington DNR And Partners Receive Conservation Award For A Forest Management Project To Avoid Catastrophic Fire
Washington Kids Gain Valuable Wildfire Knowledge

Washington State SFI Implementation Committee
SFI responds to local needs and issues across the United States and Canada through 34 SFI Implementation Committees at the state, provincial, and regional level. This unique grassroots network involves private landowners, independent loggers, forestry professionals, Indigenous people, local government agencies, academics, scientists, and conservationists. SFI Implementation Committees promote the SFI Forest Management Standard as a means to broaden the practice of responsible forestry and achieve progress on the ground. They offer a forum to provide information or answer questions about local forestry operations, and most have a process to respond to questions or concerns about forestry practices on SFI-certified lands. Learn more.
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SFI Community Grants
ASSOCIATION FORESTIÈRE DE L’ABITIBI-TÉMISCAMINGUE
Forest Literacy and Education on Forest Certification Standards: A Case Study with SFI
Enhancing wetland conservation and engaging communities by providing sustainable forest management training packages.
Why this Project Matters
SFI-certified forests and products are powerful tools to achieve shared goals such as mitigating climate, reducing waste, conserving biodiversity, educating future generations, and sustainable economic development. But all too often, members of the public have a limited understanding of the benefits offered by the sustainable forest management requirements mandated by SFI and other forest certification standards. Enhancing forest literacy and encouraging a better understanding of forest certification will help spread practical, scalable solutions for markets and communities working to pursue a growing commitment to a sustainable planet.
How the Project Is Enhancing Forest Literacy and an Understanding of Forest Certification Standards
The project is creating and facilitating talks promoting sustainable forest management and why forest certification offers assurance of good practices. Five workshops are also planned and a certified forests component with interactive activities will be available for high school programs.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI will also provide technical assistance to ensure certification standards are interpreted and presented correctly.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
High schools and community groups will be directly engaged by this project. The public will be reached through the region’s network of more than 90 libraries.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, government officials, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Association forestière de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Quebec SFI Implementation Committee
- Norbord La Sarre (SFI-certified company)
- Resolute Forest Products (SFI-certified company)
- Eacom Val-d’Or (SFI-certified company)
- Emploi Québec
Related Information
Table Forêt Laurentides—Growing Forest Education in Québec by Building a Forest Ambassador Network
Association Forestiére Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean—Helping Youth Rediscover Quebec’s Forestry Culture
Maine Tree Foundation—Educating Maine’s Guidance Counselors about Forests and Green Career Pathways
About Association forestière de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue (AFAT)
AFAT is a non-profit organization with about 600 members, comprising 200 companies and organizations, as well as 400 individuals. AFAT represents the many faces of the forest sector. The association is governed by a 15-person board of directors. AFAT has a team of five full-time staff. Each year, six to eight school leaders are hired to deliver the AFAT school educational program and to welcome the general public during their visits to Parc-Aventure Joannès. Learn more (French only).
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BIRDS CANADA
Newfoundland Breeding Bird Atlas—Citizen Scientists Map the Birds of Newfoundland’s Sustainably Managed Forests
Engaging citizen scientists to deliver the province’s first breeding bird atlas to map the distribution and abundance of all breeding bird species in Newfoundland
Why this Project Matters
Having solid baseline data about the distribution, abundance, and health of bird populations is essential for sound conservation and management decisions. Newfoundland is home to an abundance of waterfowl, waterbirds, land birds, and shorebirds, but much of the island is remote and difficult to access, and consequently information on Newfoundland’s bird populations is largely lacking.
To address this gap, Birds Canada is working to deliver the first Newfoundland Breeding Bird Atlas—a multi‑year project to map the distribution and abundance of all bird species breeding on the island. The Atlas has two main objectives: to establish standardized baselines for the status, distribution, and abundance of breeding bird species; and to increase public engagement and awareness of birds, their habitats, and citizen science. Producing the Atlas allows for the accomplishment of both goals, because much of the data collection is carried out by citizen scientists.
How the Project Is Producing a Breeding Bird Atlas and Carrying Out Targeted Bird Surveys
Surveys will be conducted through a combination of partnerships with government, NGOs, and industry, paid field technicians, and volunteer citizen scientists. The project relies on a three-pronged approach. First, it focuses on encouraging trained citizen scientists to survey forested areas that are relatively easy to access. Second, dedicated field technicians are hired to survey remote areas. Finally, Bird Studies Canada is collaborating with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, an SFI‑certified company, to train their field technicians to collect Atlas data—either in person, or through the deployment of automated recording units. These units can be programmed to make acoustic recordings at specific times over days or weeks; this acoustic data can be used as a proxy for Atlas surveys in locations that are difficult to access.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI will also help to widely disseminate the Atlas so it can be used by government, industry, and conservation organizations to evaluate the success of current management strategies and inform decisions about land management, conservation, and development.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
Project funding will be used to enhance outreach to Newfoundland’s francophone communities, by completing translation of the Atlas website, and offering a bird identification workshop and Atlas training session in French. These sessions will be recorded and posted online where volunteers can easily access them. The Atlas also provides job and training opportunities in the conservation sector for young women who have been hired, and will continue to be hired, into coordinator and field technician positions. In addition to offering these sessions to staff at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, the project will also focus on hosting sessions specifically aimed at under-represented communities, such as new immigrants to Newfoundland and Indigenous groups, by collaborating with organizations such as the Association for New Canadians and the Miawpukek First Nation.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, government officials, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Birds Canada
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited (SFI‑certified company)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service
Related Information
Working Forests at Work For Birds
The Boreal Avian Modelling Project—SFI Supports Research to Help Billions of Birds in the Boreal Forest
Boreal Avian Modelling Project—Bird Conservation Reaches Continental Scale through New Partnership with the Boreal Avian Modelling Project
Bird Lovers Unite with Biologists to Keep Migratory Bird Habitats Safe Across Canada

About Birds Canada
Together with its members, Birds Canada is Canada’s voice for birds. Its mission is to conserve wild birds through sound science, on-the-ground action, innovative partnerships, public engagement, and science-based advocacy. Birds Canada is a non-profit, charitable organization built on the enthusiastic contributions of thousands of caring members and volunteer citizen scientists. Data and observations collected by citizen scientists, alongside targeted research projects, are used to identify significant bird population changes and help direct conservation planning. Birds Canada’s national headquarters, in Port Rowan, Ontario, is connected to the historic Long Point Bird Observatory, with regional offices from coast to coast.
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DUCKS UNLIMITED CANADA
Community Training to Enhance Wetland Conservation Through Sustainable Forest Management—Training Packages for Communities
Enhancing wetland conservation and engaging communities by providing sustainable forest management training packages.
Why this Project Matters
Wetlands are one of the most important ecosystems on the planet, but up to 70% of wetlands have been lost in settled areas of Canada. More are lost every day. As part of larger efforts to engage communities to counter this loss of wetlands, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has published sustainable forest management guidebooks that are for sale. Training resources published by DUC are important tools that equip practitioners with skills to enhance wetland conservation through sustainable forest management. However, cost is a barrier to some user groups, limiting the reach and impact of these resources. Over 5,000 people registered for the course when it was offered for free from April to June 2020. The free offering increased awareness and understanding about wetlands in Canada.
How the Project Is Enhancing Wetland Conservation and Engaging Communities by Providing Sustainable Forest Management Training Packages
This project is also focused on increasing awareness within communities that received training packages about green job opportunities within the forest and conservation sector. The training packages will enhance the accessibility of training and education opportunities for First Nations and Métis communities in Alberta. To increase awareness of green job opportunities, DUC will include A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada Voices of Indigenous Professionals, published by Project Learning Tree Canada, an initiative of SFI. The training package will also include information about the SFI Small‑Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities. Recipients will have the opportunity to follow up with project partners with questions about the guides.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI is also providing free copies of A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada Voices of Indigenous Professionals as well as information about the SFI Small‑Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities. The Western Canada SFI Implementation Committee will also give the project team access to the SFI network. SFI’s existing relationships with Indigenous communities will also be leveraged.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
Deciding which groups and individuals will receive the training packages will be an exercise in community engagement. Outreach to teachers and students and Indigenous and other community groups is key to this project. After the training packages are delivered, recipients will be engaged over the phone and online. These discussions will focus on soliciting feedback, answering questions, and gauging interest in further engagement and discussions. This project will also enhance the relevancy of training, education, and green job opportunities to DUC’s efforts to preserve wetlands. It also has the potential to inform forestry students and Indigenous youth about green career options related to sustainably managing wetlands.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, educators, forestry students, and Indigenous and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Ducks Unlimited Canada
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Western Canada SFI Implementation Committee
- Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. (SFI‑certified company)
- Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd. (SFI‑certified company)
- West Fraser (SFI‑certified company)
Related Information
A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada Voices of Indigenous Professionals
SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities
Ducks Unlimited Canada—Development of best practices for forestry road design and construction around wetlands
Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Employs Youth in the Conservation of Nature and Forests
Wetlands and Carbon—Filling The Knowledge Gap

About Duscks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited Canada has a mission to conserve, restore, and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations, and landowners to get its work done so DUC can connect people to nature and make a healthier world for future generations. DUC has worked hard for more than 80 years to save Canada’s wetlands. These sloughs, ponds, marshes, and bogs play a critical role in maintaining the health of our environment, our economy and our lifestyles. Wetlands are one of the most important ecosystems on the planet, but up to 70% of wetlands have been lost in settled areas of Canada. More are lost every day. But DUC is making a difference. In 2020 alone, the DUC community helped conserve almost 40,000 hectares/99,000 acres of land that benefits the habitats of more than 600 wildlife species. Learn more.
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LESSER SLAVE FOREST EDUCATION SOCIETY
Boreal Forest Field Experiences for Rural and Indigenous Youth
Lesser Slave Forest Education Society Field experiences with Indigenous Elders, forestry professionals, and educators to expand student knowledge of sustainable forest management
Why this Project Matters
This project will deliver high-quality, hands-on forestry education field experiences to over 2,000 students, parents and teachers in the Lesser Slave Lake region in Northern Alberta. Students will also learn about forestry career options, which have the potential to encourage youth to remain in their communities. Programs include curriculum-based tours, hikes and camps. Educators, professionals and Indigenous Elders will provide teachings that expand participants’ knowledge of sustainable forest management in the boreal forest.
The project will foster environmental literacy by demonstrating how forest companies sustainably manage the forest landscape. It will encourage students to examine multiple perspectives including local Indigenous knowledge. This project will demonstrate how to bring together traditional ecological knowledge and forestry skills to ensure that all values are included in sustainable forest management.
How the Project Promotes Environmental Education and Respect for Traditional Knowledge
This project provides students with hands-on learning opportunities in the forest. During National Forest Week tours, educators will work with students to take measurements in the forest, using diameter tapes, clinometers, measuring tapes, tree identification guides, volume tables and increment borers to calculate the age and volume of wood in specifically marked trees. These activities provide real world uses for math and help develop numeracy and scientific literacy. Teachings from Indigenous Elders will also provide students with invaluable information about traditional land use and help them to better understand how Indigenous knowledge and values can be respected within sustainable forest management.
SFI’s Contribution
SFI Community Grants are supporting this project. The educational tours and teachings will be free for students to ensure equal access for all. SFI-certified forest management companies and forestry professionals will teach students about sustainable forest management and link these lessons to forestry careers.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
This project will use forest-based education to engage with and teach future forest leaders from local communities.. In 2018, the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society began to develop relationships with local Indigenous groups, specifically with Swan River First Nations and Sawridge First Nations. The education society’s goal is to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and teachings into its National Forest Week tours, ecology hikes and summer day camp programming in 2020. The High Prairie school division has offered to support these efforts by sharing their extensive contacts with all local First Nations. They have also offered to provide honorariums to Elders for any educational programming that High Prairie School Division students take part in to ensure that Indigenous perspectives, values and traditional knowledge are taught alongside other important educational concepts.
Partners
This partnership includes conservationists, educators, Indigenous Elders, and SFI certified organizations.
- Project lead: Lesser Slave Forest Education Society
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- West Fraser (SFI-certified organization)
- Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory
- Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd. (SFI-certified organization)
- Tolko Industries (SFI-certified organization)
- Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
Related Information
SFI Promotes Indigenous Rights, Respect and Engagement
Training Yakima Nation Tribal Educators in Project Learning Tree Lessons
Incorporating Tribal Values in Minnesota Project Learning Tree Lessons
Educating shishalh Members and Forestry Practitioners through the Identification, Mapping, and Protection of Cultural and Medicinal Plants
Center for Native Peoples and the Environment: Exploring Forest Sustainability with Indigenous Youth
Cree First Nation of Waswanipi: SFI Is Supporting the Transfer of Scientific and Traditional Knowledge to Cree Youth in Waswanipi

Lesser Slave Forest Education Society
The Society is committed to supporting and funding forest-focused environmental education and is led by a dedicated group of volunteer representatives from industry, schools and government who share a common goal of environmental stewardship. The Lesser Slave Forest Education Society coordinates forestry related educational and career initiatives while aiming at youth involvement. It creates a greater public awareness of the importance and of the many dimensions of our forests in the Lesser Slave Lake Region. Providing bias-balanced information to the public and youth on forestry related matters is another key activity. Learn more.
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MEDWAY COMMUNITY FOREST COOPERATIVE
Creating Youth Advocates for Community Greening and Climate Action
Engaging younger generations as environmental advocates who take local action on global issues.
Why this Project Matters
It is critical that we engage youth to work together to ensure the sustainability of our planet. However, the scale of the challenges we face can sometimes seem overwhelming. This project is designed to inspire and engage youth to become environmental advocates who will bring energy and dedication to achieving shared goals such as climate action, waste reduction, and biodiversity conservation.
How the Project Is Engaging Younger Generations to Help them Become Environmental Advocates
This project is organizing and supporting school classes to plant tree saplings and conduct tree health assessments over two years. Three-day facilitated programing explores various topics related to climate adaptivity and forestry in ways that engage younger generations as environmental advocates who take local action on global issues. In addition to planting climate-adaptive tree species, students will take part in an educational program covering the impacts of climate change, climate resilience and adaption, mitigation, tree health assessments, and the benefits of an urban canopy. The project includes three days of facilitated programing to explore various topics related to climate adaptivity and forests. The programming will show younger generations how they can be environmental advocates and take local action while addressing global issues.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. The Atlantic SFI Implementation Committee will also give project members access to the expertise of the SFI network.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The projects’ timeline and engagement tactics will help make community connections. Each class will have a small team of volunteer ambassadors responsible for reporting assessment and maintenance activities to the Medway Community Forest Cooperative. Success will be measured by student engagement, community participation, partnerships, and in-kind contributions. The project is expected to track 70 site-specific, climate-adaptive tree saplings and their survival rate over 24 months. Partners will also host numerous community events engaging the wider public beyond the school and class ambassadors.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, natural resources professionals, government officials, and SFI‑certified companies.
- Project lead: Medway Community Forest Cooperative
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Atlantic Canada SFI Implementation Committee
- Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute
- North Queens Community School
- North Queens Board of Trade
- Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry
Related Information
Inside Education Society of Alberta—Alberta School Children See Forest Management In Action
Forest Ontario—SFI Is Helping Students and Teachers Get Firsthand Experience in the Boreal Forest
Forests Ontario—Ontario High Schoolers Experience the Forest
Lesser Slave Forest Education Society—Boreal Forest Field Experiences for Rural and Indigenous Youth

About the Medway Community Forest Cooperative
The Medway Community Forest Cooperative is a member-based community forest operating on 15,000 hectares/37,000 acres of Crown Land in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. The cooperative aims to support local communities through sustainable and ecologically based forest management. The forest land-base is managed to maximize multiple economic, social, and environmental values. The forest is also managed in full consideration of the larger landscape, including protected areas and areas with high conservation values.
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shíshálh Nation (SECHELT INDIAN BAND)
Recognizing and Respecting Indigenous Traditional Knowledge of Cultural and Medicinal Plants (Phase 4)
Supporting ongoing traditional educational opportunities for shíshálh Nation members as cultural and medicinal plants are identified, conserved, and mapped.
Why this Project Matters
The fourth phase of this project is continuing the identification, conservation, and mapping of cultural and medicinal plants in partnership with SFI forestry partners and the shíshálh Nation. This project is continuing to increase the knowledge base of foresters and shíshálh Nation educators relating to the importance of cultural and medicinal plants. Revitalizing cultural practices like harvesting traditional medicinal plants is a priority for the shíshálh Nation. The shíshálh people have a distinct language and a unique world view. The swiya (traditional territory) of the shíshálh people is on the south coast of British Columbia.
How the Project is Supporting Traditional Indigenous Practices and Values
The project is increasing economic opportunities for shíshálh members who make part or most of their livelihood from producing traditional medicines and foods. The project is increasing shíshálh members’ chances of locating, harvesting, and maintaining a sustainable supply of cultural and medicinal plants. During the project’s first three phases, priority cultural and medicinal plant identification cards were developed by the shíshálh Nation Cultural Plants Team. This project is continuing to support sharing these cards with other forestry companies operating within the shíshálh swiya. (The first phase of the project began in 2018 and SFI supported phase three in 2020.) The culturally important plant cards are a tangible, community-created training resource that will enable field-based forestry personnel to more fully recognize and respect the First Nation’s traditional knowledge and relationships with the land. This project has the potential to become an example and best practice in other regions throughout the SFI‑certified land base.
The project supports using cultural and medicinal plants through outreach and fieldtrips. Desktop mapping and field verification of potential cultural and medicinal plants is also being employed. This includes sending a lead ecologist into the field with trained assistants and shíshálh community members. These educators and community influencers are central to encouraging shíshálh members, especially youth, to preserve and use cultural and medicinal plants. The project is supporting and promoting shíshálh Indigenous values and it’s also improving the understanding of these values by forest professionals and community groups in the area.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. It will help to continue to grow meaningful relationships between the shíshálh Nation and other SFI-certified forest sector partners.
How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
SFI respects the rights and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and believes our shared quality of life improves when forests are sustainably managed for current and future generations. These shared values allow for a strong and multifaceted link between SFI and Indigenous communities across the U.S. and Canada. There will be opportunities for SFI certified organizations to participate in community events and field trips. There is also a potential opportunity to bring experts from the shíshálh Nation together with other Indigenous communities who are certified to the SFI forest management standard.
Partners
This partnership includes members of the shíshálh Nation, conservationists, researchers, and SFI certified organizations.
- Project lead: shíshálh Nation
- Sustainable forestry Initiative
- Capacity Forest Management (SFI‑certified organization)
- British Columbia Timber Sales (SFI‑certified organization)
- Tsain-ko Forestry Limited Partnership
- A&A Trading Ltd. (SFI‑certified organization)
Related Information
Shíshálh Nation Cultural and Medicinal Plants Project Phase 3
SFI Promotes Indigenous Rights, Respect and Engagement
Gaining greater understanding and building better relationships with tribes in Minnesota: Incorporating Tribal Values in Minnesota Forest Management — Phase I
Center for Native Peoples and the Environment: Exploring Forest Sustainability with Indigenous Youth
Cree First Nation of Waswanipi: SFI Is Supporting the Transfer of Scientific and Traditional Knowledge to Cree Youth in Waswanipi

shíshálh Nation (Sechelt Indian Band)
The swiya of the shíshálh people lies between Queens Reach in Jervis Inlet and Howe Sound on the south coast of British Columbia. Historically there were four main settlements at kalpilin (Pender Harbour), ts’unay (Deserted Bay), xenichen (Jervis Inlet) and tewankw near Porpoise Bay.
shíshálh Nation is committed to innovation in program and service delivery designed to assist its members and community to achieve greater independence, wellness and self-sufficiency. Foundational to the Nation’sr shared work is the protection, promotion and practice of shíshálh culture, language and laws within their swiya. Learn more about the shíshálh Nation tems swiya museum, culture, language, and Elders.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-shishalh-nation-sechelt-indian-band-phase-4/
QUEBEC SFI IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
Climate Change Adaptation Training Qualifications for Wood Producers
Producing an interactive module for wood producers on climate change and the role certified forests play in mitigation.
Why this Project Matters
Climate change is one of our most pressing global challenges, and sustainably managed forests are among our most important tools for addressing it. Over 150 million hectares/370 million acres of forestland are certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard. In Quebec alone, there are over 31 million hectares/77.5 million acres of SFI-certified forestland. Sustainably managed forests at this scale absorb carbon at impressive rates, making them essential to reducing the impacts of climate change. This project will train Quebec wood producers to enhance the climate mitigation potential of the forests they manage.
How the Project Is Engaging Wood Producers on Climate Change Mitigation
This project will produce an interactive, user-friendly training module on climate change mitigation for wood producers. Video- and web-based learning will be key to engagement efforts. The module will incorporate the best-available information on sustainable forest management and climate change and identify how the activities of forest workers can play a role in reducing its impacts. The project also involves a review of current training offered through the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee according to the themes of forest roads, forest operations, and sustainable forest management. Current training modules will be reviewed and updated to ensure that they are in line with the requirements of the SFI 2022 Standards and Rules.
SFI’s Contribution
The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI is also providing leadership on climate‑smart forestry that will serve to guide this project. Requirements for a new SFI Climate Smart Forestry Objective in the SFI 2022 Standards and Rules are one of the highlights of the new standards. Forests play a central role in the carbon cycle and with proper management, can be one of the most effective nature-based solutions to the climate crisis. SFI-certified organizations will now be required to ensure forest management activities address climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. This project will help Quebec wood producers understand what they need to do to support this new climate‑smart forestry approach.
Training and awareness events will help engage the community of Quebec wood producers. The project also includes an evaluation component to monitor the impact of the training. The Quebec SFI Implementation Committee will also enlist the SFI network and a range of partners and collaborators in engaging wood producers. Collaboration with forestry associations and the Federation of Quebec Forest Producers will make it possible to disseminate this training to forest producers across the province. Project supporters also include universities, provincial and federal government departments, and ENGOs.
Partners
This partnership includes researchers, wood producers, forest sector association members, government officials, and SFI‑certified organizations.
- Project lead: Québec SFI Implementation Committee
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Fédération des producteurs forestiers du Québec
- The Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue—L’Université du Québec à Montréal Chair in Sustainable Forest Management
- The full network of Québec forestry associations
- Centre de recherche en foresterie, Université du Québec en Outaouais
Related Information
SFI Announces New Standards Focused on Solving Some of the World’s Biggest Sustainability Challenges
Fédération des Producteurs Forestiers du Québec (FPFQ)—Update of the “Sound Forestry Practices for Private Woodlots” Field Guide

About the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee
SFI responds to local needs through SFI Implementation Committees at the provincial, state, and regional levels. These committees work with local, forestry, and professional associations, universities, government agencies, landowner groups, conservation groups, and many others to promote SFI standards as a way to broaden the practice of responsible forestry and achieve on-the-ground progress. Since 1995, SFI-certified organizations have contributed nearly $75 million to support local programs through SFI Implementation Committees. This includes logger and forester training to reach the thousands of independent contractors who are the key to the quality of forest harvesting operations. The Quebec SFI Implementation Committee was founded in 2002.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/quebec-sic-climate-change/
ALABAMA FORESTRY FOUNDATION
Wonder of Woodlands
Project Overview
The Alabama Forestry Foundation will develop learning materials and indoor/outdoor training sessions to educate stakeholders about some of the unique communities within Alabama’s landscape.
A $10,000 grant from SFI Inc. will help this project broaden the knowledge and expertise of foresters and loggers, and help tell the story of why it is critical to conserve Alabama’s diverse communities of animal and plant species. It will also help link how responsible forest management contributes to conserving this special ecosystem. Information on how to recognize, appreciate, and conserve these areas during active forest management will also be included.
Project Partners
In addition to the Alabama Forestry Foundation, partners include the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama SFI Implementation Committee, Alabama Tree Farm, Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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AMERICAN FOREST FOUNDATION
From Nature’s Perspective
Project Overview
Fostering an appreciation and understanding of the natural world is critical to healthy development in kids; yet in North America studies consistently find that kids are spending more time indoors and losing this essential environmental connection. To address this issue the American Forest Foundation’s Project Learning Tree (PLT) program received $5,000 to partner with Michigan Project Learning Tree and the Grand Traverse Conservation District to sponsor a conference for PLT Coordinators and educators in order to provide meaningful arts and environmental education to Michigan students while creating a model that can be implemented nationwide by other PLT state program networks.
The grant offers an ideal opportunity for AFF, PLT, the Conservation District and local schools to partner in providing a lasting impact. The Conference attendees gained professional development experience allowing them to widely implement Project Learning Tree. Additionally, students from local schools were given the opportunity to share their Project Learning Tree journals and artwork with the larger conference audience.
Supporting the SFI Standard
The project supported SFI 2010-2014 Standard Objective 17: Community Involvement in the Practice of Sustainable Forestry, including Performance Measure 17.2 requiring program participants support and promote public outreach, education and involvement related to sustainable forest management.
PROJECT RESOURCES
Project Overview PDF

About Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12. PLT is a program of the American Forest Foundation.

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ARKANSAS SFI IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
Partners with Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation for PLT Workshops
Teacher Conservation Tour Workshop Series
Why this Project Matters
This extensive educator workshop, led by the Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation, focuses on the environmental, ecological, and economic benefits of Arkansas’s forestlands and timber industries. These benefits are often not fully appreciated by people outside the forest sector. Engaging teachers, who in turn will educate students, is an effective way to build understanding of and support for Arkansas’s sustainably managed forestlands.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Community Engagement Grant Program is supporting this project.This project’s strong youth education component supports a core SFI priority. SFI offers teacher training and engages students in environmental education through Project Learning Tree (PLT) activities. PLT is an initiative of SFI that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. PLT activities will be incorporated in the project.
These workshops provide extensive background information and knowledge to help educators incorporate PLT lessons into their course material and better teach on topics of forestry and natural resources management. Educators who have attended these workshops in the past have used the information with their students in career preparedness classes and job skill enhancement.
How the Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The workshops offer opportunities for the Arkansas SFI Implementation Committee to collaborate with Arkansas PLT and the Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation to offer quality hands‑on education promoting sustainable forestry practices and wise use of wood resources. The Teacher Conservation Tour is one of the premier professional development workshops in Arkansas.
This extensive educator workshop focuses on the environmental, ecological, and economic benefits of Arkansas’s forestlands and timber industries. The sessions and onsite tours provide educators with a lot of time in the woods, learning about the interaction between forests, the environment, and the economy. Participants tour forest product manufacturing facilities, view forest ecosystems, and harvesting and replanting operations all while learning valuable information about our forest communities. Participants also meet and learn from natural resource professionals and members of the forest products industry who are in the field conducting this work on a regular basis.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, government, and SFI Program Participants.
Related Information
About the Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation
The Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation sponsors a landowner education and assistance program for landowners seeking forest management information. As part of this program, the foundation holds a number of landowner education workshops throughout the state and publishes a variety of educational guides to provide landowners the information they need to make sound forest management decisions. It also serves as an information and education source to Arkansas’s teachers and students. The foundation offers teacher training as part of the Project Learning Tree curriculum as well as summer teacher training workshops and other activities. The Arkansas Forestry Association is the only private, nonprofit organization that speaks for the entire forestry community in Arkansas.
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ASSOCIATION FORESTIÉRE SAGUENAY-LAC-ST-JEAN
Helping Youth Rediscover Quebec’s Forestry Culture
Forests and Forest Products, a Culture to be Rediscovered
Why this project matters
The Forests and Forest Products, A Culture to be Rediscovered Program, from the Association forestière Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, has a track record of delivering tangible and measurable results when it comes to connecting youth to forests through education. Making these connections is good for youth because it can inspire a lifelong interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and open up rewarding career paths. Forests benefit too as youth enhance their understanding of the central role forests play when it comes to environmental, recreational and economic values.
The association tours elementary schools from September until June offering a half-day program that takes place in classrooms and in woodlots near schools for fourth-, fifth- and sixth‑grade students. The program reaches about 12,000 students every year. School-based forest education aims to educate youth about the social, economic, ecological and cultural importance of the forest environment and sustainable forest management. The association also wants to promote forestry and wood as an element of sustainable development and to interest young people in careers in forestry.
Why is SFI involved?
Connecting youth to forests is a key focus at SFI. Fostering an appreciation and understanding of the natural world is critical to healthy mental and physical development in youth. But today’s American and Canadian kids spend more time indoors than previous generations. That’s why a key component of SFI’s community engagement is educating youth and getting them outdoors, to ensure they can be effective future leaders and have a strong understanding of the value of responsibly managed forests.
Forests and Forest Products, A Culture to be Rediscovered gets kids outdoors and potentially opens up STEM-based career options. Workshops organized with college- and university‑level STEM and architecture technology students are designed to generate interest in forestry and forest products and related technical careers and professions.
The Quebec SFI Implementation Committee (SIC) will work to help ensure connections to forest products certified to SFI and Project Learning Tree materials. Project Learning Tree, an SFI program, is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12. Forests and Forest Products, A Culture to be Rediscovered offers an opportunity to expand PLT Canada, an initiative of SFI, in Quebec.
How the Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
This is a great program to engage a variety of youth, from primary grades to technical schools that also include architectural students. The primary partner is the Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks but multiple schools, regional municipalities and Employment Quebec are also included. The support of the Quebec SIC will also build connections between SFI Program Participants, youth, educators, and government officials at the municipal and provincial levels.
Partners
This partnership includes SFI Program Participants, youth, educators, and government officials.
- Project lead: Association forestière Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Quebec SFI Implementation Committee
- Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks
- Employment Quebec
- Five regional municipalities
- Four CEGEPs
- Four school districts (Rives du Saguenay, Lac St. Jean, Pays de Bluets, de la Jonquiere)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) PromoScience Program
Related information
- Project Learning Tree, an SFI program, is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12.
- The Marten Monitoring and Youth Knowledge Transfer Program, led by the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi in Quebec, is evaluating the impact of wildlife management guidelines on marten populations and transferring knowledge to Cree youth.
- Funding from SFI helps the Earth Rangers School Assembly Program offer a curriculum-linked assembly presentation, for grades 1 to 6, that uses science-based information to educate students about the importance of conserving biodiversity across Canada.

About the Association forestière Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean
Founded in 1942, the Association forestière Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean (French only) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, informing and educating the regional population about the importance of forests, the environment and sustainable development. The association uses interactive educational workshops in schools and forests, and its annual conference, for training and knowledge transfer. The Forest Products, A Culture to be Rediscovered Program works to help the residents of the Lac Saint-Jean area understand the challenges facing forests as well as their economic, social, environmental and cultural importance from a sustainable development perspective.
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AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Lion’s Park Boy Scout Hut Build
Project Description
Through the SFI Community Partnerships grant program, Auburn University’s Rural Studio completed a student design-build project. The Lion’s Park Boy Scout Hut provides the Boy Scouts of Greensboro, AL a much needed headquarters.
Supporting the SFI Standard
The project will support SFI 2010-2014 Standard Objective 7: Efficient Use of Forest Resources and Objective 17: Community Involvement in the Practice of Sustainable Forestry, including Performance Measure 17.2 requiring that program participants support and promote public outreach, education and involvement related to sustainable forestry management.
Project Partners
In addition to the Auburn University’s Rural Studio, partners include Boy Scouts of Greensboro, Al; Probate Judge of Hale County and the Greensboro, AL Lions Club.

About Auburn University’s Rural Studio
Rural Studio is an off-campus design-build program of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at Auburn University. It gives architecture students a more hands-on educational experience. The students work within the community to define solutions, fundraise, design and, ultimately, build remarkable projects.
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BLACK FAMILY LAND TRUST
SFI Is Helping Keep Forestlands in the Hands of African American Families
Black Family Land Trust — A Tree, Is A Tree, Is A Tree 101
Why this project matters
Although African Americans had amassed 15 million acres/6 million hectares of land in the U.S. South between 1865 and 1919, today 97% of those lands have been lost, according to the Land Trust Alliance. The Black Family Land Trust is using forestry as a key tool to keep land in the hands of African American families.
Forestry offers many older farmers, landowners not living on their land, and multiple generations of heirs who want to keep their land together, an opportunity to protect their land assets while generating income from their land. Managed forestry can help landowners prosper in retirement and through multiple generations. It can also be a powerful tool to help resolve heirs’ property issues and ownership questions, and offers a means to help preserve the important social and cultural heritage of African American land ownership.
A Tree, Is A Tree, Is A Tree 101, supported in part by funding from SFI Inc., is the Black Family Land Trust’s three-part training on forest management, intended to introduce Southside Virginia landowners to managed forestry as an asset-protection strategy.
- Session I is an overview of forestry as a conservation and family economic development tool that highlights successful landowners with forest management plans who share their success stories.
- Session II introduces the concepts and terms of forest management and forest management planning.
- Session III is a basic overview of the economies of trees and forestry, and how to turn family forests into performing assets for today, tomorrow and for generations to come.
Why is SFI involved?
SFI is committed to identifying ways to support engaging African American forest owners in the U.S. South, including land retention. SFI, as an organization that stands for future forests, believes we can collaborate to help keep forests as forests and ensure that they are responsibly managed to provide conservation values as well as financial benefits to the African Americans who own these forestlands.
The Black Family Land Trust’s program aligns tightly with SFI’s support of underserved communities through forestry. Southside Virginia has one of the highest concentrations of forested and farm land held by African Americans in the state. We know from the Black Family Land Trust’s own work that the Southside region is ground zero for focusing on the potential loss of significant acres of forested land held in fragmented family ownership.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
This grant supports SFI’s community engagement efforts in two primary ways. It supports heritage values and it supports underserved communities through forestry programs. Through partnership and support of others operating effectively on these issues, and by using the natural connections of SFI Implementation Committees and our network of Program Participants, SFI can become a vital piece of the solution to the important issue of African-American land retention and sustainable management.
SFI’s community engagement efforts include the work of SFI Implementation Committees, SFI Community Grants Partners and SFI Inc. initiatives. These efforts have helped elevate and enrich the connections between people and forests. Our support for community-building organizations like the Black Family Land Trust enhances the vital links that exist between healthy forests, responsible purchasing and sustainable communities.
Partners
This partnership includes community leaders, government and the not-for-profit sector:
- Project lead: Black Family Land Trust
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Virginia Department of Forestry
- U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities
Related information
- The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities received a 2014 SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant to support African American forestland owners.
- The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities supports related work in multiple landscapes, including Southside Virginia.
- Black Family Land Trust

About Black Family Land Trust
The Black Family Land Trust, Inc. (BFLT), based in North Carolina, is one of the nation’s only conservation land trust dedicated to the preservation and protection of African-American and other historically underserved landowners assets. The BFLT utilizes the core principles of land conservation and land-based community economic development to achieve our goals. We measurably improve the quality of life for landowners, by providing families with the tools necessary to make informed, proactive decisions regarding their land and its use. The BFLT works primarily in the Southeastern United States, our programs are intergenerational in their design. We honor the legacy of those stewards of the land that came before us and have faith in those stewards of the land that will come after us.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantblackfamilylandtrust/
BRUSHWOOD CENTER AT RYERSON WOODS
Chicago Area Youth Learn How to Care for Urban Forests
Forest of Health / Bosque de Salud
Why This Project Matters
The project is important because 50% of those involved will be Latino and come from communities with a 60% greater rate of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, poor mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. Research shows that visiting a forest has real, quantifiable physical and mental health benefits. Some studies show that even five minutes around trees may improve health by boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, improving mood, and increasing the ability to focus — even in children with ADHD.
The Forest of Health/Bosque de Salud program, led by Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods engages and educates youth to encourage understanding, appreciation, and hands-on interaction with the natural world. By reaching youth, their parents, and their community of care, this program is a creative approach to exposing urban youth to trees and woodlands and encouraging their future care.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project. SFI is focused on fostering an appreciation and understanding of the natural world in today’s youth because it’s critical to their healthy mental and physical development. But today’s American and Canadian kids spend more time indoors than previous generations.
That’s why a key component of SFI’s community engagement is educating youth, through projects like Forest of Health / Bosque de Salud, to ensure they can be effective future leaders and have a strong understanding of the value of responsibly managed forests. The project will also use Project Learning Tree (PLT)materials to empower community partners to help teach youth about the value of forests. PLT is an award-winning educational initiative of SFI.
How the Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
The program supports underserved communities who live near urban forests. Its primary goal is to equip each community with the knowledge, skills, and tools to appreciate and care for trees in their own neighborhoods. This will be achieved by empowering the community partners through PLT training, engaging parents in the learning program, and by conducting follow-up activities with each community.
Each of the communities Brushwood Center will work with will learn how to assess the health benefits of trees and how they, in return, can help trees. This program includes a field trip to the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods. The Brushwood Center has a strong history of partnership with Latino and Hispanic communities and the center is committed to culturally competent programs that respect the authentic wisdom of each community.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, conservationists and industry.
- Project lead: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Round Lake Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee
- Openlands
- Nuestro Center
- North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
- Nature Start Alliance
- Foss Park District
- Roberti Community House
- Cool Learning Experience
Related Information

About the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
Located among pristine woodlands in the Ryerson historic home in Riverwoods, Il., Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woodspromotes the importance of nature for nurturing personal and community wellbeing, cultivating creativity, and inspiring learning. The center celebrates the legacy of those who came before us on this land and champions a region where people will care about and for nature.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-brushwood/
CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF FORESTRY
INSTITUT FORESTIER DU CANADA (CIF-IFC)
Forestry Professionals Across Canada Receive World‑Class Professional Development
National Knowledge Exchange Program
Why this Project Matters
This project provides an effective way to support ongoing training of forest professionals who in many cases work in remote areas with limited access to professional development. Forest practitioners who are involved in on-the-ground resource decision making or who do not have direct access to professional development opportunities, will greatly benefit from the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s (CIF) National Knowledge Exchange Program. The program also has a strong focus on engaging and educating youth, because many of the targeted forestry professionals are in the early stages of their careers.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project.It will meet the SFI priority area of training and educating current and future forestry professionals who are engaged in actions affecting the future of our forests. Additionally, an effort will be made to host field tours and workshops in rural forest-dependent communities, where professional development and continuing education opportunities are limited.
Another critical focus of the project will be to increase the awareness of forest practitioners relating to protecting Indigenous values within actively managed forests. This will continue to enhance sustainable forestry practices across Canada, while also encouraging the involvement of Indigenous communities in forest management planning. This goal will be achieved through e-lectures in addition to being a theme or component of field courses.
How the Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
CIF will use its robust grassroots connections through its 19 regional sections located across Canada and internationally. CIF acts as a conduit for over 2,000 forestry professionals and forestry or natural resources focused organizations to collaborate, network and promote sustainable forestry practices across Canada and internationally. CIF Sections are well-positioned to understand and identify the needs of working forestry professionals within their areas. This knowledge will be crucial to determine specific themes or topics for field-based workshops. Additionally, CIF Sections will identify topics within their areas that have been underserved with regards to professional development opportunities.
CIF will consult with SFI, partner organizations and sustaining corporate members, including SFI Program Participants, to promote the outcomes and overall goals of the project. They will use this network to identify specific topics or themes to be addressed through virtual learning and field tours and identify potential subject matter experts within the focal areas. CIF’s network includes both federal and provincial government agencies, academic institutions, professional forestry associations, research and development organizations, Indigenous groups, and the forest industry.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, foresters and conservationists.
- Project lead: Canadian Institute of Forestry – Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC)
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- CIF-IFC Cariboo Section, Northern British Columbia
- CIF-IFC Newfoundland and Labrador
- CIF-IFC Rocky Mountain Section
- CIF- IFC Vancouver Island Section
- Strategic Natural Resource Consultants
- FPInnovations
Related Information

About the Canadian Institute of Forestry — Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC)
Established in 1908, the CIF-IFC is the oldest forest society in Canada. It’s a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about our forests and who make a real impact locally and abroad. The Institute serves as the voice of forest practitioners representing foresters, forest technologists and technicians, ecologists, biologists, educators and many others with a professional interest in forestry. The Institute provides national leadership in forestry, promoting competency among forestry professionals, and fostering public awareness of forestry issues. It includes 2,200 members from government, industry, and academia united as the voice of forest practitioners across 19 national sections, and one international section providing local and regional presence.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-cif-ifc/
CENTRAL ROCKIES SFI COMMITTEE
Supports At-Risk Youth with Valuable Environmental Education Opportunity
The Next Seven Generations: Supporting Indigenous Values and Improving Well-Being Through Forest Education
Why this project matters
This program promotes environmental literacy, well-being and traditional Lakota values to engage underserved youth from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It is based on an Indigenous approach to land management that says decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future.
This program will foster a love of learning, leadership and coping skills, provide a place to grow, and support Lakota heritage, to inspire the future stewards of their lands. This part of Southwest Dakota includes counties with some of the lowest median household incomes in the U.S. This program adds to the quality of life in underserved communities because it gives youth a voice, fosters leadership skills, self-confidence, and self-actualization — inspiring them to know that they can make a difference in their lives, and their communities.
Led by South Dakota Project Learning Tree, and supported by the Central Rockies SFI Implementation Committee, the program will give over 150 children and youth, aged five to 17, a chance to attend seasonal camps, with learning activities correlating to that specific season. Activities include hands-on environmental science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and outdoor recreation activities based on Traditional Lakota Values. Environmental science activities from Project Learning Tree are used to facilitate hands-on learning about our natural world. Tribal elders and Indigenous resource professionals volunteer their time to assist in these programs to give youth a solid background in their traditional Lakota values and way of life — an area under threat of being lost because of economic disadvantages.
Why is SFI involved?
The SFI Community Engagement Grant Program is supporting this project. Educating youth is a key priority at SFI. SFI offers teacher training and engages students in environmental education through Project Learning Tree (PLT) activities. PLT is an initiative of SFI that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. PLT activities will be incorporated into the program by South Dakota Project Learning Tree.
SFI actively outreaches and builds partnerships with Indigenous communities. SFI also promotes Indigenous rights, respect and engagement through its standards and partnerships with Indigenous communities. The SFI Forest Management Standard is aligned with Indigenous values, including rights, knowledge, and environmental considerations. Indigenous communities began certifying to SFI in 2010. Today, 39 Indigenous groups across the U.S. and Canada work on over 10-million acres/4-million hectares of land certified to SFI.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
This program is supported by nine partners, including Tribal leaders, educators, conservationists, and an SFI Program Participant. Together, they will engage Tribal elders and resource professionals and expose youth to the Lakota way of life. Tribal elders will volunteer their time to lead and support camp activities. They will also attend community gatherings, set up throughout the year, to get youth interested in signing up for the camps.
Partners
This partnership includes Tribal leaders, educators, conservationists, and SFI Program Participants.
- Project lead: South Dakota Project Learning Tree
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Central Rockies SFI Implementation Committee
- Tatanka Mani Camp
- Hochoka Healing Center
- Journey On!
- Oglala Sioux Tribe
- South Dakota Family Forests Association
- Canyon Calm Cultural Learning and Event Center
- Neiman Enterprises (SFI Program Participant)
Related information

About South Dakota Project Learning Tree
PLT is an award-winning non-profit, multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students from preschool through grade 12. PLT is one of the most widely used environmental education programs in the United States and abroad and continues to set the standard for environmental education excellence. South Dakota Project Learning Tree promotes balanced natural resource education in all areas of the state. South Dakota PLT’s programs are implemented by a part-time state coordinator and a team of professionally trained PLT volunteer facilitators. It distributes premier environmental curriculum and training through workshops and training sessions, enriching the classroom learning opportunities throughout the state. South Dakota PLT partners with other environmental programs and agencies that have a similar vision.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantcrsfi/
CENTRAL WESTCOAST FOREST SOCIETY
Indigenous Youth on Vancouver Island Gain Forestry Skills Experience
Ucluelet and Tofino Field School — Education, Restoration and Monitoring Program
Why this project matters
This project, led by the Central Westcoast Forest Society, is focused on educating and engaging children and youth within the Tofino-Ucluelet region on Vancouver Island through a field school. It is reaching the surrounding First Nation communities of Toquaht, Hitacu, Esowista, Ty-histanis, Ahousaht, and Hesquiaht. These small communities, with 50 to 1,700 members, are located on the far west coast of Vancouver Island. This project is helping to encourage stewardship and a sense of belonging in these underserved communities. Local school children are learning about forest and stream ecology while gaining hands-on field skills and experiences.
Why is SFI involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project. A key component of SFI’s community engagement is educating youth, to ensure they can be effective future leaders and have a strong understanding of the value of responsibly managed forests. SFI also promotes Indigenous rights, respect and engagement through its standards and partnerships with Indigenous communities. The SFI Forest Management Standard is aligned with Indigenous values, including respect for rights, knowledge, and environmental considerations. Today, 39 Indigenous groups across Canada and the U.S. work on over 4-million hectares/10-million acres of land certified to SFI.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
The field component of this program is helping to train and educate future forest practitioners on the importance of sustainable and ethical forestry practices. Children and youth take part in guided forest walks where they learn about forests as well as riparian forest structures and the important role riparian areas play in ecosystem health. This program is being hosted on Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation territory and will support and promote Indigenous heritage and land values by inviting a Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation member that can speak to the roles forests play in their historical and current way of life.
The Raincoast Education Society, a project partner, offers other field components to their Ucluelet and Tofino Field Schools, many of which include First Nation language and cultural educational opportunities. This project is part of a larger goal to bring a better understanding of the local ecosystems and First Nation values to the children of these communities. BC Timber Sales, an SFI Program Participant and project partner, is providing access to their tender lands.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, conservationists, and an SFI Program Participant.
- Project lead: Central Westcoast Forest Society
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Raincoast Education Society
- BC Timber Sales (SFI Program Participant)
Related information
- Addressing Indigenous Interests and Building Partnerships (fact sheet)
- SFI’s Kathy Abusow speaks on CBC Radio about the SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities pilot (listen)
- SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families and Communities

About the Cental Westcoast Forest Society
The Central Westcoast Forest Societywas founded in 1995 by loggers, First Nations, biologists and forestry professionals who recognized the need to address the loss of habitat in order to preserve wild fish stocks. The Society works closely with the five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations in the region. These partnerships ensure members from each First Nation are provided opportunities to work within their own territory to help rebuild wild salmon habitat.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-cwfs/
CENTRE FOR FOREST INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG
SFI Is Helping Foster Innovation in Forestry
The Forest-Community Innovation Network
Why this project matters
Canada’s forest industry and the communities that depend on it must address economic transition, social pressures and environmental change to remain viable. In response, different forest groups are engaging in public debate, grassroots organizing, technological and product innovation, and policy reform processes. These efforts are focused on rethinking relationships among communities, governments, Indigenous peoples, industries and Canada’s forests. Although implementing creative and new collaborative approaches is proving to be a complex task, new arrangements involving Indigenous and community groups, companies and governments already offer a growing body of experience to draw upon.
Led by the Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Winnipeg, the Forest-Community Innovation Network is an active collaborative knowledge forum to support ongoing networking and practical research work critical to engaging diverse forest groups in processes of innovation. The Innovation Network is dedicated to implementing a vision for an integrated knowledge network dedicated to community resilience, cross-cultural collaboration, adaptation to environmental change, and innovation.
Why is SFI involved?
One of SFI’s priorities is to bring diverse partners together to advance responsible forestry through training and education. SFI and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business have had a long-standing partnership focused on enhancing collaborative business relationships and progressive aboriginal relations.
The Forest-Community Innovation Network will help SFI further engage with existing partners, such as the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and build new partnerships, and will assist SFI in leveraging its cross-Canada scale at the community level. In addition, the Forest-Community Innovation Network recognizes that conventional forestry training is evolving and the network of partners needed to address complex forest issues is expanding and becoming more diverse.
More importantly perhaps, is the co-learning now taking place as a result of the collaborative engagements involving Indigenous groups, communities, companies and government, for example. Ultimately, the Forest-Community Innovation Network will create further opportunities to collaboratively investigate and develop training and education modules specifically targeted to sustainable forest management issues. Training resource professionals is a key focus for SFI. In 2015, more than 10,000 resource and harvesting professionals participated in training run by SFI Implementation Committees.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
The Forest-Community Innovation Network will give SFI Program Participants an avenue to support and promote Indigenous values through close partnerships with Indigenous organizations and representatives. The partnership will benefit from the guidance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners who are committed to working together and who have experience in cross-cultural collaborative forestry settings. This initiative will also enable Indigenous partners and other communities to enhance community and forest sustainability.
The Forest-Community Innovation Network is also designed to serve underserved communities by linking forest users of many stripes to knowledge and resources for improving sustainable management of forests. Target users are typically Indigenous and non-Indigenous community groups that do not have ready access to forest management extension services and expertise. The network will include opportunities to promote awareness of the SFI Program and forest management certification.
Partners
This partnership includes representatives from Indigenous groups and academia. These partners include:
- Project lead: Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, University of Winnipeg
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Related information
- In 2013, SFI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) to assist in growing our relationship, engagement and outreach with the indigenous community by encouraging SFI Program Participants to seek certification under their Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program and support a dual-logo process.
- Read the SFI fact sheet: Addressing Indigenous Interests and Building Partnerships.
- SFI supports training for certified harvesting professionals and the use of trained loggers.
- Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, University of Winnipeg
About Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, University of Winnipeg
The Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR) at The University of Winnipeg is dedicated to interdisciplinary research, education, and training in forest science, policy and management. Established in 1998, C-FIR focuses on understanding the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural conditions that shape forests and the natural resources provided by forest systems in Manitoba and around the world. C-FIR researchers carry out leading edge natural and social science research to advance understanding of past, present and future changes and impacts, as well as the links between forest ecosystems and society, in order to promote more sustainable use of forest environments.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantcfiruofwinnipeg/
CENTER FOR NATIVE PEOPLES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Exploring Forest Sustainability with Indigenous Youth
Project Overview
Centre for Native Peoples and the Environment: State University of New York – College of Environmental Science and Forestry will develop and implement an educational program that focuses on the sustainability of ecologically and culturally significant tree species that we will incorporate into the Native Earth Environmental Youth Camp (NEEYC). NEEYC is a camp devoted to sustainable science and traditional ecological knowledge that they run in partnership with the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force.
Project Partners
Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force

About Center for Native Peoples and the Environment
Our region is the home of two great intellectual traditions regarding stewardship of the earth: traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous people and scientific ecological knowledge. The mission of the SUNY-ESF Center for Native Peoples and the Environment is to create programs that draw on the wisdom of both indigenous and scientific knowledge in support of our shared goals of environmental sustainability.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantcnp/
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Homecoming Build 2016
Project Overview
Every year, more than 500 Clemson University students come together to build a Habitat house for a local family on the campus’ Bowman Field, during the 10 days leading up to the homecoming football game. Clemson University’s Habitat chapter will receive a $10,000 grant to build the 24th Annual Homecoming House.
After the 10-day build, the walls and roof are up, the drywall and siding have been hung, and the windows, doors, and basic electricity and plumbing have been installed. The house is opened for public viewing on Saturday, and then moved to a local neighborhood. Wood products certified to the SFI Standard will be used in the build.
Project Partners
In addition to the Clemson University Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, partners include the South Carolina SFI Implementation Committee and the Lutheran Campus Ministry at Clemson.

About Clemson University Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity
The Clemson University Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity was established in 1994 following its participation in the building of a home on Bowman Field during the 1993 homecoming celebration. Since then, the chapter has organized several outstanding projects, including the 2001 “Blitz Build” during which five houses were completed. In 2003, Clemson Habitat spurred the building of the first ever Youth United home in partnership with D.W. Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantclemsonh4h/
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Building STEM Engagement Focused on Homes for Nesting Birds
Project Overview
Cornell University will engage local youth in the construction of nest box trails for the benefit of native birds and the environment. Wood products certified to the SFI Standard will be used to build the nest boxes. The university will also develop a free online curriculum, to expand the project’s reach, and deliver 18 workshops with their partners to test curriculum and engage students.
Through this series of workshops focused on youth, family and community, the curriculum will include lessons in science (biology, ecology, habitat) and technology (mapping, data exploration) surrounding the NestWatch citizen-science project for afterschool and 4-H audiences. Cornell University will receive $8,733 in 2016, 2017 and 2018 to complete this project.
Project Partners
In addition to the Cornell University, partners include the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell Co-Op Extension Jefferson County and Columbia/Greene Counties, and New York State 4-H.

About the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Its hallmarks are scientific excellence and technological innovation to advance the understanding of nature and to engage people of all ages in learning about birds and protecting the planet.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantcornelluniversity/
CREE FIRST NATION OF WASWANIPI
SFI Is Supporting the Transfer of Scientific and Traditional Knowledge to Cree Youth in Waswanipi
Marten Monitoring and Youth Knowledge Transfer
Why this project matters
Indigenous youth are Canada’s fastest-growing demographic group. At the same time, many of these Indigenous youth feel unsure of the opportunities they will be able to enjoy as adults. The Marten Monitoring and Youth Knowledge Transfer project will help youth see how the Cree way of life still connects very strongly to the land. It will pass on the values that teach the Cree to take only what they need from the land and ensure the continued existence of forests, rivers and wildlife. The program will also introduce Cree youth to scientific concepts and encourage them to consider careers as wildlife and resource professionals.
The monitoring program, based in the Cree community of Waswanipi, 700 kilometres/435 miles north of Montreal, will evaluate the impact of wildlife management guidelines on marten populations. The monitoring program combines western science and traditional knowledge aimed to transfer knowledge to Cree youth in the community. The monitoring program will also support the implementation of Cree standards and wildlife management for Cree wildlife sites of interest on Waswanipi lands.
The project will bring Cree youth to the trap line to monitor wildlife in an educational way, using scientific and traditional knowledge. They will participate in all the steps of the monitoring, from the elaboration of measuring instruments to the analysis of data, and will learn from the proven tracking methods of their forefathers. Learning will take place with peers in a natural setting as much as possible. The monitoring program will also include formal training with wildlife-monitoring techniques, which could potentially lead to career opportunities in resource and wildlife management.
Why is SFI involved?
SFI values this project because it will help transfer knowledge to youth and combine traditional and scientific approaches. The project’s potential to lead to career opportunities in resource and wildlife management is another key reason for SFI’s support.
One of SFI’s priorities is to connect youth to forests through education. We look for ways to instill a lifelong appreciation for the value forests represent for biodiversity, the broader environment, sustainable communities, responsibly sourced forest products and for our shared quality of life. The educational focus of this project also supports SFI’s focus on encouraging the next generation of future forest leaders.
Our work with Girl Guides of Canada, Scouts Canada, Boy Scouts of America, and other youth organizations and school programs like Earth Rangers and Project Learning Tree helps build healthy kids. It also engages youth in conservation activities and outdoor education.
Our kids’ contact with nature keeps shrinking. Today’s emphasis on screen time and indoor play is also linked to psychological and physical effects like obesity, loneliness, depression and attention problems. Getting kids into forests and helping them learn about sustainability is good for forests and good for kids.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
This project stands out from standard scientific monitoring programs because it advocates the integration of traditional knowledge from trappers and elders of the community in the development of protocols and the establishment of the monitoring.
The project also gives Resolute Canada and other SFI Program Participants in the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee an opportunity to engage directly with the community of Waswanipi. It will ultimately lead to a new rigorous resource management tool developed by and for the community, which could include prescribed guidelines for companies who work in the territory and who are likely to have an impact on the natural environment or on the practice of Cree traditional activities.
Partners
This partnership includes representatives from non-profit groups and SFI Program Participants. These partners include:
- Project lead: Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- The Gull Family
- Willie J. Happyjack Memorial School
- Waska Resources
- Cree Trappers Association
- Resolute Canada (SFI Program Participant)
- Quebec SFI Implementation Committee (consisting of SFI Program Participants)
Related information
- Read the SFI fact sheet: Addressing Indigenous Interests and Building Partnerships.
- Heiltsuk First Nation: Heiltsuk Culturally Modified Tree Database and Management System
- Montreal Lake Cree Nation Certified to SFI Standard to Enhance Forestry Operations and Community Sustainability
- SFI helped support the Native Earth Environmental Youth Camp, which is devoted to sustainable science and traditional ecological knowledge and run by the State University of New York in partnership with the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force.
- Cree First Nation of Waswanipi

About Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
The modern community of Waswanipi is located on Highway 113 along Waswanipi River and is accessible by road. Waswanipi means “Light on the Water”, it describes our past when we used the torch light fuelled by pine tar, to spear and catch sturgeon that had gathered to spawn at the mouth of Waswanipi River.
While the development of the region has had an impact on our lands and community, we are committed to the sustainable management of our resources. Our hard work and dedication with the model forest networks is an example to what can be achieved through proper consultation and research on development with our respective traditional territory. We have locally owned businesses to provide you with meals, groceries, supplies and equipment. We have hiking and cross-country ski trails, rustic camping spots, and a number of beautiful lakes and several challenging rivers for canoeing and kayaking.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantcreefirstnationofwaswanipi/
CREE FIRST NATION OF WASWANIPI
Partners for Sustainable Management of American Marten
Sustainable management of American marten trapping activities: training, development, monitoring, and enhancement of economic benefits
Why This Project Matters
Indigenous youth are Canada’s fastest-growing demographic group. At the same time, many of these Indigenous youth feel unsure of the opportunities they will be able to enjoy as adults. This project will help youth see how the Cree way of life still connects very strongly to the land. It will pass on the values that teach the Cree to take only what they need from the land and ensure the continued existence of forests, rivers, and wildlife. The program will also introduce Cree youth to scientific concepts and encourage them to consider careers as wildlife and resource professionals.
This project aims to find alternative solutions to help preserve American marten populations and to support traditional activities practiced by Cree tallymen, in the context of harmonization of traditional activities with forestry operations. A Cree tallyman is a Cree person recognized by a Cree community as being responsible for supervising harvesting activities on a Cree trapline.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project. This project supports education and outreach around American marten populations, and it will propose solutions to harmonize traditional activities with sustainable forest management. SFI also values this project because it will help transfer knowledge to youth and combine traditional and scientific approaches. The project’s potential to lead to career opportunities in resource and wildlife management is another key reason for SFI’s support.
One of SFI’s priorities is to connect youth to forests through education. We look for ways to instill a lifelong appreciation for the value forests represent for biodiversity, the broader environment, sustainable communities, responsibly sourced forest products and for our shared quality of life. The educational focus of this project also supports SFI’s focus on encouraging the next generation of future forest leaders. This project builds on the success of a related 2017 project: Marten Monitoring and Youth Knowledge Transfer.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
Young people and Cree tallymen will work together at each stage of this project. This approach, combined with communication and promotional tools, will generate interest across the entire Waswanipi community and other Indigenous communities. Public information sessions with visual support materials such as field equipment, a leaflet in three languages and multimedia presentations are planned. In addition, a trapping logbook and newsletters will be produced and distributed to the community and to Cree Trappers’ Association offices. Free marten nesting boxes will also be distributed in the community.
This project also stands out from standard scientific monitoring programs because it advocates the integration of traditional knowledge from trappers and elders of the community in the development of protocols and the establishment of the monitoring. The project also gives SFI Program Participants in the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee an opportunity to engage directly and learn from the community of Waswanipi.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, conservationists, government, and industry.
- Project lead: Cree Trappers Association and Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- WashWa Nu
- Societé du Plan Nord
- Quebec SFI Implementation Committee
Related information
- Addressing Indigenous Interests and Building Partnerships (fact sheet)
- SFI’s Kathy Abusow speaks on CBC Radio about the SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities pilot (listen)
- SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families and Communities

About the Cree Trappers Association and the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi
The Cree Trappers Associationis dedicated to preserving Cree culture by practicing traditional activities. Association members believe by maintaining Cree principles and values they can pass on Cree culture to the younger generation. Waswanipi means “Light on the Water,” it describes the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi’s past when they used torch light fuelled by pine tar, to spear and catch sturgeon that had gathered to spawn at the mouth of Waswanipi River. The modern community of Waswanipi, Quebec is about 600 km/375 miles directly north of Ottawa. While the development of the region has had an impact on Cree lands and communities, they are committed to the sustainable management of their resources. The Cree First Nation of Waswanipi’s support for the model forest networks is an example of what can be achieved through proper consultation and research on development within traditional Cree territory.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-cree-first-nation-marten-trapping/
EARTH RANGERS
Brings Project Learning Tree School Site Investigations to Canada
Earth Rangers School Clubs Program and Clubs Missions
Why This Project Matters
Eco Clubs are popular in schools across Canada. However, they sometimes lack a clear mandate or direction and they often tend to focus on sustainable behaviours within the school rather than conservation beyond the school grounds. Teachers are also usually left with the full burden of creating and planning all club activities, which can be overwhelming and lead to a less active club. This project will leverage Earth Rangers’ extensive reach into schools through a new school clubs program that teachers and students can engage with year-round.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project. Project materials will focus on sustainable forestry and the role Indigenous Peoples play in conservation, both of which are key areas of work for SFI.
The project will also spread the word about Project Learning Tree (PLT) Canadato teachers across Canada. PLT Canada is an initiative of SFI that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. There is also a natural fit with PLT GreenSchoolsand Earth Rangers through GreenSchools Investigations — a set of five investigations to engage K-12 students in greening their school around energy, water, waste and recycling, school site, and environmental quality. This project will repurpose the school site investigation, with the intent of establishing a turnkey way of integrating Earth Rangers programming and promoting the existence of PLT to teachers in Canada.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
Earth Rangers will reach out to SFI Implementation Committees in order to leverage the members’ local connections to schools, increasing the reach of the clubs program in those communities. To encourage increased education and engagement in the natural world among students in schools, Earth Rangers will provide teachers with an easy-to-use and customizable platform. It will encourage learning and action on a variety of environmental and conservation issues, including those related to sustainable forest management and Indigenous values.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, conservationists, and industry.
- Project lead: Earth Rangers
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Forest Products Association of Canada
- The Schad Foundation
Related Information

About Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers is the kids’ conservation organization dedicated to educating children about biodiversity and conservation and empowering them to protect animals and their habitats. The Earth Rangers’ School Assembly Program is offered completely free of charge to elementary schools across Canada. It introduces students to four of the Earth Rangers Animal Ambassadors, including animals like Kateri the Peregrine Falcon, Gizmo the Eurasian Eagle Owl, and Quillow the Prehensile-tailed Porcupine. The 45‑minute assembly takes place in the school’s gym and features:
- An immersive HD multimedia experience
- Live Animal Ambassadors demonstrating their amazing natural behaviours
- A fun and interactive game that gets students and teachers involved
- Educational, curriculum-linked information appropriate for grades 1-6
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-earth-rangers-plt/
EARTH RANGERS
School Assembly Program Development
Project Overview
The Earth Rangers School Assembly Program offers a dynamic, fun and interactive presentation for grades 1-6. The program consists of a high quality, curriculum-linked assembly presentation that uses positive, science-based information to educate students about the importance of protecting biodiversity while highlighting conservation initiatives across Canada. Earth Rangers will receive $10,000 in 2016 and 2017 to help fund this program.
The funding will help complete development of a section of Earth Rangers’ 2016-17 School Assembly Program dedicated to educating students about forest ecosystems and sustainable forestry in Canada. Through the power of live animal demonstrations and exciting audience interaction, the School Assembly Program inspires students and motivates them to become actively involved in protecting the environment.

About Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers is the kids’ conservation organization, dedicated to educating children about biodiversity and conservation and empowering them to protect animals and their habitats.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantearthrangersschool/
EARTH RANGERS
Canadian Kids Get a Close Up Look at Forest Birds and Learn Why Forests Are a Way of Life
Earth Rangers School Assembly Program Delivery
Why this project matters
Earth Rangers’ School Assembly Program is an extremely successful program, reaching nearly 250,000 students in grades 1-6, in a single school year. The program delivers a dynamic, fun and interactive presentation, consisting of a high-quality, curriculum-linked assembly using positive, science-based information to educate children about the importance of protecting biodiversity while highlighting diverse conservation initiatives across Canada.
The Earth Rangers School Assembly is not a one-off experience, but an inspirational introduction to a program that encourages lasting engagement. The biggest differentiator between it and other environmental education programs is the follow-up component of becoming a member, completely free of charge. The Earth Rangers Membership Program provides students with an engaging online experience and tangible activities that make an impact on real-life conservation projects and environmental initiatives. To participate in the membership program, students visit EarthRangers.com and register to become an Earth Ranger. Teachers can also continue to engage their classes in environmental education by accessing our classroom activities and curriculum resources.
Why is SFI involved?
Through youth education, Earth Rangers is effectively reaching kids across Canada with important messages about forest protection. The SFI segment in our 2017-18 assembly teaches students about the vital work SFI-supported scientists are undertaking in the boreal forest.
The segment also gives students the proper context for why balanced forest management is necessary, explaining how forests are both important wildlife habitat but are also necessary for building things like homes and schools and for making products like paper and pencils. Presenters then provide interesting details about the SFI-supported Boreal Avian Modeling Project, giving insight into the varied and unexpected habitat types that different bird species prefer.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
SFI will ensure Canadian SFI Implementation Committees are aware of Earth Rangers’ work and build connections for future collaboration opportunities. As with any environmental education program, SFI will also work closely with Earth Rangers to determine opportunities for future Project Learning Tree collaboration in Canada. SFI will also work with Earth Rangers to develop online materials related to the grant project, SFI, well-managed forests, and biodiversity.
Partners
This partnership includes educators and forestry professionals.
- Project lead: Earth Rangers
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Related information
- Earth Rangers Canada’s work, including their Bring Back the Wild program, was featured in The Hamilton Spectator.
- Project Learning Tree, an SFI program, is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12.
- SFI connects youth to forests through education (project highlights).
- Nature Conservancy of Canada, Earth Rangers and SFI Want to Make Life Less Scary for Amphibians at Halloween and All Year Round (media release).
- The Boreal Avian Modelling Project

About Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers is the kids’ conservation organization, dedicated to educating children about biodiversity and conservation and empowering them to protect animals and their habitats. The Earth Rangers’ School Assembly Program is offered completely free of charge to elementary schools across Canada. It introduces students to four of the Earth Rangers Animal Ambassadors, including animals like Kateri the Peregrine Falcon, Gizmo the Eurasian Eagle Owl, and Quillow the Prehensile-tailed Porcupine. The 45‑minute assembly takes place in the school’s gym and features:
An immersive HD multimedia experience
Live Animal Ambassadors demonstrating their amazing natural behaviours
A fun and interactive game that gets students and teachers involved
Educational, curriculum-linked information appropriate for grades 1-6
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grantearthrangers/
EARTH RANGERS
Brings Project Learning Tree School Site Investigations to Canada
Earth Rangers School Clubs Program and Clubs Missions
Why This Project Matters
Eco Clubs are popular in schools across Canada. However, they sometimes lack a clear mandate or direction and they often tend to focus on sustainable behaviours within the school rather than conservation beyond the school grounds. Teachers are also usually left with the full burden of creating and planning all club activities, which can be overwhelming and lead to a less active club. This project will leverage Earth Rangers’ extensive reach into schools through a new school clubs program that teachers and students can engage with year-round.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting this project. Project materials will focus on sustainable forestry and the role Indigenous Peoples play in conservation, both of which are key areas of work for SFI.
The project will also spread the word about Project Learning Tree (PLT) Canadato teachers across Canada. PLT Canada is an initiative of SFI that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. There is also a natural fit with PLT GreenSchoolsand Earth Rangers through GreenSchools Investigations — a set of five investigations to engage K-12 students in greening their school around energy, water, waste and recycling, school site, and environmental quality. This project will repurpose the school site investigation, with the intent of establishing a turnkey way of integrating Earth Rangers programming and promoting the existence of PLT to teachers in Canada.
How the project builds SFI community engagement
Earth Rangers will reach out to SFI Implementation Committees in order to leverage the members’ local connections to schools, increasing the reach of the clubs program in those communities. To encourage increased education and engagement in the natural world among students in schools, Earth Rangers will provide teachers with an easy-to-use and customizable platform. It will encourage learning and action on a variety of environmental and conservation issues, including those related to sustainable forest management and Indigenous values.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, conservationists, and industry.
- Project lead: Earth Rangers
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Forest Products Association of Canada
- The Schad Foundation
Related Information

About Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers is the kids’ conservation organization dedicated to educating children about biodiversity and conservation and empowering them to protect animals and their habitats. The Earth Rangers’ School Assembly Program is offered completely free of charge to elementary schools across Canada. It introduces students to four of the Earth Rangers Animal Ambassadors, including animals like Kateri the Peregrine Falcon, Gizmo the Eurasian Eagle Owl, and Quillow the Prehensile-tailed Porcupine. The 45‑minute assembly takes place in the school’s gym and features:
- An immersive HD multimedia experience
- Live Animal Ambassadors demonstrating their amazing natural behaviours
- A fun and interactive game that gets students and teachers involved
- Educational, curriculum-linked information appropriate for grades 1-6
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/grant-earth-rangers-plt/
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS
Immersive Education Event Helps Teacher Teams Integrate Environmental Science Education
EdVentures for Educators
Why This Project Matters
Supporting teachers to help them develop understanding and expertise in environmental science education can pay enormous dividends. Teachers are in an excellent position to encourage students to become environmental stewards. However, integrating environmental science education into school curriculums can be a complex and time-consuming task.
To tackle this challenge, EdVentures for Educators is planning an immersive two-day professional development education event for October 2019, hosted by Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI). Thirty-five teachers will work in teams to integrate environmental science education into curriculums. The training will be three-pronged and include academic instruction, field experience, and leadership development.
Why is SFI Involved?
The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program is supporting the EdVentures for Educators project led by the Environmental Education Association of Illinois.The association along with the U.S. Forest Service and Southern Illinois University will train teachers to engage students in environmental education through Project Learning Tree (PLT) activities. PLT is an initiative of SFI that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it.
EdVentures for Educators will also include field experiences in Shawnee National Forest and an immersive education experience at Southern Illinois University’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center. Participants will complete the training with an implementation plan for environmental education activities aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Educators will participate in ongoing learning and community activities to strengthen the quality and implementation of environmental education, outdoor learning, and community resource connections.
How the Project Builds SFI Community Engagement
EEAI is the state affiliate organization for the North American Association for Environmental Education, which provides an online network of thousands of educators who will be exposed to EdVentures for Educators. EEAI also serves as the state sponsor for the PLT program in Illinois. The project plan and outcomes will be shared with other educators and states that might be interested in replicating this project. The project will also include follow-up webinars, collaborative teaching calls, online discussion forums, surveys to determine program effectiveness, and best practices for implementing new curriculum. Teaching teams who work with diverse audiences of underserved student populations will be given priority.
Partners
This partnership includes educators, researchers, conservationists, and government.
- Project lead: Environmental Education Association of Illinois
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Champaign County Forest Preserve District
- U.S. Forest Service — Shawnee National Forest
- Southern Illinois University — Touch of Nature Environmental Center
- Madison County Regional Office of Education
Related Information

About the Environmental Education Association of Illinois
The Environmental Education Association of Illinois is a group of concerned citizens who are interested in educating people of all ages about the importance of understanding and protecting the environment.
Since its inception in 1972, the association has provided leadership at the local, state and national level within the environmental education community by providing and supporting professional development services to the formal and non-formal educator. As host to national, state-based and independent professional development events and curriculums such as Project Learning Tree, Growing Up WILD, and the Midwest Environmental Education Consortium, the association has set a professional standard that educators have learned to depend on.
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COPY LINK: https://forests.org/granteeai/
EVANS LAKE FOREST EDUCATION SOCIETY
2011 Forest Education Symposium
Project Overview
In 2011, the Evans Lake Forest Education Society received $4,000 to host its Forest Education Symposium for educators at its center north of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Symposium, which occurred on October 21, 2011, brought together educators who want to teach balanced lessons about the economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainable forest management; and knowledgeable professionals, including Evans Lake Forest Education Centre staff and SFI representatives.
The symposium gave teachers and administrators tools to enrich forest education programs at their schools. They received a program package of up-to-date educational resources including suggested activities and locations, a chart linking activities to Prescribed Learning Outcomes, and other related resources. Each package included an electronic version so teachers can easily tailor the information to meet specific class needs. In addition to workshops and demonstration activities, participants were given and introduction to SFI certification hosted by the Western Canada SFI Implementation Committee.
Supporting the SFI Standard
This activity supports the SFI 2010-2014 Standard Objective 17: Community Involvement in the Practice of Sustainable Forestry, including Performance Measure 17.2 requiring that program participants support and promote public outreach, education and involvement related to sustainable forestry management.
Project Partners
The Evans Lake Forest Education Society worked in partnership with the Western Canada SFI Implementation Committee.
News
SFI Funds Community-based Education and Green Building Projects
Press Release – June 20, 2011
Project Resources
Project Overview PDF

About Evans Lake Forest Education Society
The Evans Lake Forest Education Society is a non-profit, charitable organization with a mandate to offer forest education programs at Evans Lake Forest Education Centre in Squamish, British Columbia. Surrounded by forest, it offers a feeling of wilderness seclusion but features all basic amenities. Each year, the Evans Lake Forest Education Centre offers a full summer camp program with sessions for campers aged 8-12 years, 13-16 years as well as Leadership Training Camps and wilderness based Outdoor Adventure Kamps (OAK).
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FÉDÉRATION DES PRODUCTEURS FORESTIERS DU QUÉBEC (FPFQ)
Update of the “Sound Forestry Practices for Private Woodlots” Field Guide
Project Overview
The “Fédération des producteurs forestiers du Québec” (FPFQ) has released the fourth edition of the “Sound Forestry Practices for Private Woodlots Field Guide,” which is used by small woodlot owners and forest managers to promote responsible forest management. The updated guide was supported in part by a $10,000 SFI Community Partnerships Grant.
Download a copy of the guide (French only).
This newest edition includes enhanced content covering key themes such as identifying watercourse crossing features and wetlands, conservation of wildlife habitat, timber measurement and stacking for transport, sugarbush development and tree-felling safety regulations. The online version of the guide also features videos.
Within the province of Quebec, the guide is becoming an essential tool for implementing the requirements of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard, which requires manufacturers to reach out to landowners and to also ensure training of timber producers. The FPFQ Guide is commonly used by SFI Program Participants to help them address the standard’s requirements. On an annual basis, SFI Program Participants provide training to more than 300 woodlot owners and close to 550 forestry contractors and producers in Quebec.
Objective 2 of the 2015-2019 SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard seeks to broaden the practice of sustainable forestry through the use of best management practices to protect water quality. The FPFQ guide’s information on crossing streams and other water courses is an example of how it supports SFI’s approach to protecting water quality.
Objective 7 of the Standard aims to promote sustainable forestry through public outreach, education, and involvement and to support the efforts of SFI Implementation Committees. The guide embodies this educational approach.
Project Partners
In addition to the Fédération des producteurs forestiers du Québec, partners include 13 forest-related marketing boards in Quebec, the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee, Canadian forest service and the Fondation de la Faune du Québec (FFQ).
Completed Projects Short Videos
Stream Crossing
Wetland Identification
How to Become a Forest Producer