Appalachian Woodlands Alliance Strengthening Sustainability and Deepening Engagement with Small Landowners in Southeast United States

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1 Appalachian Woodlands Alliance Strengthening Sustainability and Deepening Engagement with Small Landowners in Southeast United States Forest Stewards Guild Annual Meeting 2016, Duluth, MN Dave Bubser, Senior Manager-North America

2 Partnership between Rainforest Alliance and forest products companies Avery Dennison, Columbia Forest Products, Domtar, Kimberly-Clark, Staples, and the US Forest Service. Uniting companies that source from the southern and central Appalachians with small private landowners, the AWA works to increase sustainable forest management and enhance domestic market for sustainable timber products. 2

3 Are we there yet? (no) Forest management certifications like FSC and the ATFS have become important tools for sustainable forest management and signals of responsible practices for the marketplace, large brands, and consumers. However, the AWA recognizes that certification often proves challenging for woodland owners with relatively small parcel sizes. With ever-growing interest in sustainability from corporations around the world, landowners can benefit from showcasing their good stewardship when bringing their wood to market. The AWA is committed to understanding the obstacles private landowners face, and working to make processes more efficient and valuable to landowners while delivering sustainable forest management outcomes on the ground. 3

4 WHY THE SOUTHEAST? Largest wood producing region in the US Most biologically diverse forests in the US 59% of bird species, 49% of mammals present in US Rapid population growth, urban expansion, pressure on forests Family forests = 60% of land base Underserved and under-engaged 4

5 Five Work Streams; One Landscape Landowner Outreach & Education Streamlined Sourcing & Assurance Healthy Forest Ecosystems Market Transformation Communication 5

6 COLLABORATION, INNOVATION, SYNTHESIS, TRANSPARENCY 6

7 Southern and Central Appalachians 7

8 Landowner Outreach Leaning on experts with experience: on the ground and engaged with woodlot owners project partners, extension, consulting foresters, etc. Ambassadors: recognized and respected leaders Targeting 15 communities of interest = focused outreach & listening efforts Combine traditional methods with recent science and techniques Meetings, targeted marketing, social media TELE (project of SFFI) 8

9 Streamlined Sourcing & Assurance 1) Define & develop a common platform for SFM on private woodlands in the project area Develop proof points to measure effect Elevate common practice among woodland owners 2) Develop streamlined assurance options Tools & guidance for landowners and managers Methodologies and techniques for auditing/verification 7/26/2016 9

10 VALUE PROPOSITION FOR SFM WOODLAND OWNERS WHAT MATTERS MOST HEALTY ECOSYSTEMS MOST IMPORTANT VALUES CRITICAL PROOF POINTS COMMON PLATFORM FOR SFM GAP ANALYSIS EXISTING STANDARDS 10

11 STREAMLINING CERTIFICATION & ASSURANCE EXISTING TOOLS LANDOWNER INPUT ADVISORY PANEL LANDOWNER TOOLS, TEMPLATES, GUIDANCE ASSURANCE METHODOLOGY & TACTICS FIELD TESTING PROMOTION 11

12 Advisory Group Advisory Group led by Gary Dodge, former FSC-US, and Dave Bubser, Rainforest Alliance Sarah Crow, Senior Director of Certification, American Tree Farm System Amy Clark Eagle, Director of Science & Certification, FSC US Rene Taylor, Forest Certification Manager, Columbia Forest Products Luke Dillinger, Forest Certification Manager. Domtar Inc. Christopher Reeves, Center for Wood Certification, Department of Forestry, UK John Culp, Consulting Forester, Owner, Blue Ridge Forestry, NC 12

13 Healthy Forest Ecosystems Collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach Convene panel of local and regional experts Identify most critical conservation values in project area Conservation values reflected in common platform for SFM 13

14 BEST PRACTICES DEVELOPED Targeted Landscapes Conservation Values Best Practices How To Guides Develop (or adopt existing) best practices Distribute to landowners Best practices support performance measures Measure & communicate progress 14

15 Healthy Forest Ecosystems Advisory Group Advisory Group Led by Andy Tait, Executive Director, Ecoforesters, and Stuart Hale, Rainforest Alliance Jeff Stringer, Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Forestry, Univ. of KY Greg Meade, Manager of the Conservation Forestry Program, The Nature Conservancy, Abingdon, VA Alex Finkral, Chief Forester, Forestland Group, Chapel Hill, NC Pete Bates, Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Western Carolina Univ., Cullowhee, NC, Monte Seehorn, retired U.S. Forest Service biologist, Gainesville GA Josh Kelly, Public Lands Field Biologist, Mountain True, Asheville, NC, Paul Trianosky, Chief Conservation Officer, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc., Chattanooga TN, Susan E. Moore, Extension Associate Professor, Director, Forestry & Environmental Outreach Program, NCSU, Raleigh, NC Pending USFS approval/mou: Tara Keyser, Research Forester, USFS, Asheville NC, 15

16 Market Transformation 1) Promote AWA value proposition with consumer-facing brands and retailers Increased corporate investment/action (e.g. sign-on) Brands & retailers communicate good sourcing stories (B2B & B2C) Brands & retailers involved in thought leadership 2) Strengthen market connections Forest products value chain mapping w/i project area Connect producers & landowners w markets Increase demand from inside and outside project area 3) Elevate AWA value proposition with partner company key accounts Support partners w materials, programming, meetings, etc. Key accounts knowledgeable about AWA, some involved in creating more demand 16

17 Communication Engage local media and thus landowners Tell relevant, compelling stories Work in a coordinated way with project partners on joint communication efforts Social media Website: Video production 17

18 Collaboration leads to greater innovation 18

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