NEWS RELEASES

WASHINGTON – The Sustainable Forestry Initiative®  (SFI® ) has awarded a total of $35,200 in grants to nine community-based projects to support forestry education activities and green building for low-income families.

The projects are an extension of the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, which has committed more than $1 million to date to help build knowledge, support landowner outreach, strengthen global supply chains, and deliver countless benefits in forests and communities across the United States and Canada. Partner contributions will leverage additional resources, raising the total value of the projects to $4.2 million.

In recognition of International Year of Forests 2011, SFI Inc. announced earlier this year it would award grants for smaller, community-based projects. Through the involvement of partners, the total value of the nine projects announced today will be close to $100,000.

Dick Brinker, Dean Emeritus at Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and a member of the SFI Board of Directors, said the education projects are important for the future of North America’s forests. “We need to actively reconnect our youth to the forest and outdoors if we want to conserve forests now and in the future,” he said. “By supporting these projects, SFI and its partners are creating the responsible citizens and future resource professionals we will need to keep our forests strong and healthy.”

The SFI-funded community projects announced today include:

• The Chattahoochee Chapter Society of American Foresters  will invite Boy and Girl Scouts in the Metropolitan Atlanta area to its Walk in the Forest Field Day where they can learn about the forestry profession and benefits of sustainable forestry.
• The Evans Lake Forest Education Society will host a Forest Education Symposium for educators at its center in Squamish, British Columbia.
• The Forest Foundation will arrange field trips for high school students and teachers in California to help them learn about sustainable forest management.
• The Hardwood Forestry Fund will plant 23,000 hardwood seedlings on idle agricultural land in Wisconsin to maintain ecological and economic success of the forest.
• Lauderale County Habitat for Humanity will sponsor a Habitat home using SFI-certified products and certified to the ANSI National Green Building Standard.
• The Mississippi SFI Implementation Committee  will sponsor incentives for team competition in National FFA Association and 4-H forestry contests to promote awareness of sustainable forestry among students and their leaders, educators and advisors.
• The National 4-H Forestry Invitational will show youth how forests grow, the role forests play in their own lives, and how forests are managed to provide multiple benefits.
• National Housing Endowment will receive funding to cover certification fees for 25 Habitat for Humanity homes to be green certified to the ANSI National Green Building Standard.
• The Northwest Natural Resources Institute will show teachers how forest professionals manage lands as part of its annual Natural Resources Teacher Workshop in Washington State.

SFI Inc. created the Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant program in 2010 to build upon the more than $1.2 billion SFI program participants have contributed since 1995 for research activities, including forestry research, science and technology. The SFI 2010-2014 Standard is based on 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value, and encourages community involvement.

SFI Community Outreach and Forest Education Grant Projects

The Chattahoochee Chapter Society of American Foresters will invite Boy and Girl Scouts in the Metropolitan Atlanta area to its Walk in the Forest Field Day at Stone Mountain Park on Oct. 22, 2011 where they can earn a Forestry Merit badge and learn about the forestry profession and benefits of sustainable fores try. Partners include Forest Investment Associates; Georgia Forestry Association; Georgia-Pacific; CellFor; Plum Creek; International Forest Company; Regions Morgan Keegan & Company; Timberland Investment Resources; Well Real Estate Funds; Georgia Forestry Commission; Georgia Urban Forest Council; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia; Georgia SFI Implementation Committee.
SFI Grant Amount: $2500
Project contact:  Tom Trembath, Chattahoochee Chapter Society of American Foresters ttrembath@forestinvest.com  404 261-9575

Evans Lake Forest Education Society, in partnership with the Western Canada SFI Implementation Committee, will host a Forest Education Symposium for educators this October at its forest education center in Squamish, British Columbia, which has been providing forest education materials for school and community groups for 50 years. They will leave with ideas so they are better able to create or enrich their own forest education programs.
SFI Grant Amount: $4000
Project contact:  Conor Lorimer, Program Director, Evans Lake Forest Education Society
conor@evanslake.com  or 778 836-8387

The Forest Foundation will expand its Map It, Manage It, Sustain It program, which cultivates tomorrow’s forest management professionals, and informs the community on important topics related to modern methods of managing and sustaining California’s forests. Partners include Sierra Pacific Industries and Soper-Wheeler Company, and partners making in-kind contributions include UC Berkeley Forestry Camp, University of California Cooperative Extension, and area high schools and colleges.
SFI Grant Amount: $4000
Project contact:  Shaney Emerson, Edcucation Director, The Forest Foundation
se@calforestfoundation.org or 1-866-241-TREE

Hardwood Forestry Fund, a non-profit educational organization, will plant 23,000 hardwood seedlings on idle agricultural land in Devil’s Lake State Park in Sauk County, WI, to maintain ecological and economic success of the forest and to respond to forest fragmentation. The project will create opportunities for local residents, especially children and youth, to have hands-on forest management experience, and learn about the benefits of sustainable forestry. Partners include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Division of Forestry; WDNR Bureau of Parks and Recreation; WDNR State Nurseries Program; Sauk County Land Conservation Department; and Youth Environmental Projects of Sauk County.
SFI Grant Amount: $4000
Project contact: Barbara McClendon, Administrator, Hardwood Forestry Fund
Barbara@hardwoodforestryfund.org or 877 433-8733

Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity will sponsor a Habitat for Humanity home using SFI-certified products and certified to the ANSI National Green Building Standard in partnership with The Campbell Group and the Mississippi SFI Implementation Committee.
SFI Grant Amount: $350
0Project contact: Fonda Rush, Executive Director, Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity
fonda@netdoor.com or 601 479-0515

The Mississippi SFI Implementation Committee will sponsor incentives for team competition in FFA and 4-H forestry contests to promote awareness of sustainable forestry among students and their leaders, educators and advisors. Members of the SFI Implementation Committee include forest companies, private landowners, independent loggers, forestry professionals, local government agencies, academics, scientists and conservationists.
SFI Grant Amount: $3000
Project contact: Tom Monaghan, Program Coordinator, Mississippi Forestry Association
tomm@msforestry.net or 662 325-1785

The National 4-H Forestry Invitational is held each summer near Weston, WV. Nearly 100,000 people are part of the 4-H Forestry Program nationwide, where youth learn about the forest and forest systems by experiencing them and not just learning about them in a classroom. Partners include National 4-H Forestry Invitational Management Committee; Southern Regional Extension Forestry; The Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension; and West Virginia Division of Forestry.
SFI Grant Amount: $5000
Project contact: Robert Hansen, 4-H Forestry Invitational Management Committee
rsh7@psu.edu or 570 724-9120

National Housing Endowment will receive funding to cover
certification fees for 25 Habitat for Humanity homes to be green certified to the National Green Building Standard. Partners include Habitat for Humanity and NAHB Research Center.
SFI Grant Amount: $5000
Project contact: Bruce Silver, President/CEO, National Housing Endowment
bsilver@nahb.org or 800 368-5242 Ex 8069

Northwest Natural Resources Institute  will dedicate part of its an annual four-day Natural Resources Teacher Workshop in Spokane, WA, this July to show teachers how forest professionals manage lands, including an opportunity to learn forestry skills in the field and tour manufacturing facilities. Partners include Forest Capital Partners LLC and Boise Cascade LLC
SFI Grant Amount: $4200
Project contact: Diahne Gill, Executive Director, Northwest Natural Resources Institute
dgill@greaterspokane.org or 509321-3615