{"id":19176,"date":"2014-05-20T22:03:46","date_gmt":"2014-05-20T22:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=19176"},"modified":"2023-03-22T14:01:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T18:01:29","slug":"sfi-and-us-endowment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/sfi-and-us-endowment\/","title":{"rendered":"SFI and U.S. Endowment to Support Heritage of African American Landowners through Sustainable Forestry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laguna Niguel, CA<\/strong> \u2013 The Sustainable Forestry Initiative\u00ae Inc. (SFI) announced today at Fortune Brainstorm Green<\/a> that the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) is a recipient of a 2014 SFI Conservation and Community Partnership Grant to support African American forestland owners.<\/p>\n

Loss of ownership and asset value by African American forestland owners in the U.S. South has reached a critical level and traditional approaches to engaging them on forestland preservation have fallen short. According to Dr. Shorna R. Broussard, PhD, of Cornell University, unlike their counterparts across the country, land loss rates by African-\u00ad\u2010American landowners is as much as 30% greater. She also notes that \u201cNationally, approximately 144,000 African-\u00ad\u2010Americans own 1.9 million acres of forestland and that ownership is concentrated in the southern United States.\u201di In order to mitigate this loss, the Endowment, USDA Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service have established pilot projects in Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina to assist landowners in working with trusted partners within their own communities. The SFI grant will help extend that work through emphasizing the potential of certification to open additional market opportunities.<\/p>\n

Through the SFI grant, the Endowment will deepen its work with partners including the Center for Heirs Property Preservation, Limited Resource Landowner Education and Assistance Network (LRLEAN), Roanoke Center of Roanoke Electrical Coop and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives\/Land Assistance Fund to provide the right tools and information at the local level to connect landowners with community resources. The Endowment also hopes to capitalize on the opportunity to raise awareness and develop conservation options that benefit these landowners now, and for future generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to see the rich heritage of African American land ownership in the South thrive,\u201d said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. at Fortune Brainstorm Green. \u201cBy collaborating with the Endowment, SFI can leverage the influence of our partners and supporters to provide the necessary guidance and information for landowners to maintain the legacy and benefits of their ownership for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Endowment and SFI aim to emphasize the importance of sustainable forestry and certification in maintaining all of the values that forests can offer such as clean air, water and biodiversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy enhancing collaboration at the local level, we have an opportunity to work together in support of African American landowners,\u201d said Carlton Owen, President and CEO of the Endowment. \u201cWe welcome SFI\u2019s support and participation and look forward to building relationships with existing networks to promote sustainable forestry and ensure ongoing legacies in this region.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program fosters partnerships between organizations interested in improving forest management in the United States and Canada, andresponsible procurement globally. Projects address topics of current importance such as improving wildlife habitat management and conservation of biodiversity, protection of watersheds and critical flyways for migrating birds, and assisting local communities through forest education programs and green building projects for low-\u00ad\u2010income families.<\/p>\n

Since 2010, SFI has awarded more than 50 SFI Conservation and Community Partnership grants totaling more than $1.9 million to foster research and pilot efforts to better inform future decisions about our forests. When leveraged with project partner contributions, that total investment exceeds $7.1 million.<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit https:\/\/forests.org\/communitygrants\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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