NEWS RELEASES

Washington DC and Ottawa ON—The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) announced 10 SFI Community Grants today featuring collaboration between 40 partner organizations. This commitment to local communities helps SFI achieve its mission of advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations that:

• provide educators with tools to showcase green career pathways with students
• incorporate Indigenous knowledge into forest management planning and education curriculum
• build youth engagement in outdoor education and conservation projects
• create better building solutions using sustainably sourced mass timber
• provide tools to family landowners about bird conservation
• showcase research on new and safer logging techniques

“These projects focus on strengthening communities where SFI‑certified organizations operate. SFI is proud to have such a committed and engaged network in communities across Canada and the U.S.,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “We believe that collaboration is the key to success in building sustainable communities, and we are excited to see a strong integration of these projects with our SFI Implementation Committees and community partners.”

Creating Boreal Forest Field Experiences for Rural and Indigenous Youth — Lesser Slave Lake Forest Education Society—delivering high-quality, hands-on forestry education field experiences to over 2,000 students, parents and teachers in Northern Alberta.(SFI-certified partners: West Fraser, Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd., and Tolko Industries)

Growing Forest Education in Québec by Building a Forest Ambassador Network — Table Forêt Laurentides—promoting awareness of the forest sector, forest products, sustainable forest management, and green jobs. (Québec SFI Implementation Committee and SFI-certified partners: Kenauk Canada ULC, Resolute Forest Products, and Louisiana Pacific)

Educating shíshálh Nation Members and Forestry Practitioners through the Identification, Mapping and Protection of Cultural and Medicinal Plants — shíshálh Nation—increasing the knowledge of foresters and shíshálh Nation educators on the importance of cultural and medicinal plants through educational materials and field training. (SFI-certified partners: Capacity Forest Management, British Columbia Timber Sales, Tsain-ko Forestry Limited Partnership, A&A Trading Ltd., and Interfor Corporation)

Educating Maine’s Guidance Counselors about Forests and Green Career Pathways — MaineTREE Foundation—encouraging youth to consider forest-based career pathways so that they will continue to live and work in Maine. (Maine SFI Implementation Committee)

Training Yakama Nation Tribal Educators in Project Learning Tree Lessons — Pacific Education Institute—creating opportunities for youth to combine their culture with the preservation, protection, and enhancement of the environment. (Washington SFI Implementation Committee and SFI-certified partner: Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry)

Incorporating Tribal Values in Minnesota Project Learning Tree Curriculum — Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee—increasing students’ awareness of the unique cultural perspectives of Native American communities with respect to forests and forest management. (SFI‑certified partner: Norbord, Inc.)

Working with Forest Landowners to Reverse Population Declines of Forest Breeding Birds — American Bird Conservancy—delivering a workshop that explains how sustainable forestry can play a critical role in reversing the alarming decline in bird populations. (SFI‑certified partners: The Westervelt Company and Timberland Investment Resources, LLC)

Promoting Safe and Environmentally Responsible Tethered Logging — Washington State SFI Implementation Committee—measuring the impacts of tethered logging on soil health and the implications for prompt reforestation.

Demonstrating Benefits of SFI-Certified Wood in Mass Timber Arena — University of Idaho—showcasing the climate change and economic benefits of mass timber. (SFI‑certified partner: Idaho Forest Group)

Working with Youth to Provide Healthy Forest Bat Habitat in Minnesota — Minnesota SFI Implementation Committee—building bat roosting boxes to increase bat populations. (SFI‑certified partners: Louisiana Pacific, Boy Scouts of America, and Norbord, Inc.)

SFI Community Grants are awarded for collaborative community-based projects, activities or events that support SFI’s work to connect communities to forests. The projects must include an SFI‑certified organization or an SFI Implementation Committee among its partners. These grants increase mutual understanding of the values and benefits provided by sustainably managed forests.

About the SFI Community Grants Program

SFI Community Grants are awarded for collaborative community-based projects, activities or events that support SFI’s core mission to connect communities to forests. Projects supported have included traditional Indigenous knowledge transfer from elders to youth, workshops to discuss forest management, educational field trips for underserved populations, and programming focused on the value of mass timber. Since the first SFI grants were awarded in 2010, SFI has funded 64 community grants totaling more than $650,000 to foster community-building projects. When leveraged with project partner contributions, that total investment is close to $5 million.