NEWS RELEASES

619 Ponce, an innovative mass timber project in the heart of Atlanta led by Jamestown, was recognized as a 2024 Wood Design and Building Award recipient for excellence in wood architecture and construction by the Canadian Wood Council. 619 Ponce exemplifies the growing trend of “forest-to-frame” construction and parallels the “farm-to-table” movement. Similar to how a farm-to-table approach to sourcing redefined food supply chains, architects and building professionals are transforming construction with a forest-to-frame approach using materials from regional forests certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) 2022 Forest Management Standard.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) welcomes a major investment of $4.7M from Environment Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund to advance Climate Smart Forestry in forest management across Canada. The overarching goal of the project is to identify, develop, and implement climate smart practices and strategies to make our forests more resilient.

WASHINGTON, D.C. and OTTAWA, ON—The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is pleased to welcome new members to the SFI Board of Directors: Heather Slayton, State Forester and Assistant Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture; Phil Rigdon, Superintendent of Yakama Nation’s Department of Natural Resources; Caitlyn Pollihan, CEO and Executive Director of the International Society of Arboriculture; and Sam Cook, Executive Director of Forest Assets for North Carolina State University.

Lauren Cooper, SFI Chief Conservation Officer, and Dr. Healy Hamilton, SFI Chief Scientist, are representing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking place from October 21 through November 1, 2024, in Cali, Colombia.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to announce the launch of its Urban Forest Improvement Grant Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. Designed to support programs to improve long-term tree care and foster sustainable urban forest management across the United States, grants will range from $15,000 to $29,500, in support of municipalities, universities, Indigenous communities, and nonprofit organizations working to improve the sustainability of their forestry practices.

SFI is pleased to share that Chief Scientist Dr. Healy Hamilton is the lead author on a new study examining cross-border species conservation priorities for states in the U.S. Together with colleagues from US Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Wildlife Federation, and NatureServe, Dr. Hamilton and coauthors conduct the first-ever national analysis of state Species of Greatest Conservation Need, published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice. The authors identify successes and make recommendations to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of species conservation at landscape scales.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and award-winning educational initiative Project Learning Tree (PLT) are proud to announce the release of Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8, the Spanish-language version of PLT's best-selling Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to have participated in the 26th International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress, the global gathering of forest stakeholders, from June 23 to 29, 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. SFI was represented by Lauren Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI and Dr. Healy Hamilton, Chief Scientist at SFI, both of whom had an opportunity to present and address attendees.

The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) is excited to announce a new partnership with Project Learning Tree (PLT), an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) to increase youth awareness of corrugated packaging industry careers.

Atlanta, GA—The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to announce […]

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is delighted to announce Mercer International as the recipient of the 2024 SFI President’s Award. Mercer is spearheading the advancement of wood technology to redefine the North American construction landscape and is being recognized for its leadership and commitment to educating customers on the value of sustainably managed forests and promoting SFI certification in the supply chain.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is pleased to announce the winner of the SFI Implementation Committee Achievement Award at the 2024 SFI Annual Conference. Lasting solutions to pressing conservation and sustainability challenges, such as species extinctions and climate change, require local collaborations that draw on our collective expertise. The Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee (SIC) has been selected as this year’s award winner for effectively leveraging technical knowledge and outreach platforms to increase the uptake of sustainable forest management practices. Their leadership in providing expert technical guidance has profoundly influenced sustainable forestry practices across the state and throughout the SFI network.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) unveiled its SFI 2025-2030 Strategic Direction at the 2024 SFI Annual Conference, deepening its commitment and setting a vision for a world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests.

Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) is thrilled to release a new environmental education resource today for families and teachers to connect young children ages 1–6 to nature, with a focus on trees.

As 2023 comes to a close, hopeful describes how SFI embraces 2024. The importance of forests for people and the planet is clear, and SFI has established itself as a leader working to advance sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. People and organizations are seeking solutions that don’t just reduce negative impacts, but also ensure positive contributions to the long-term health of people and the planet.