Endowment Seeks to Aid Hardwood Industry in Plan for Growth

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) today announced that it is partnering with an ad-hoc group of U.S. hardwood industry leaders operating as the “Blue Ribbon Committee on Hardwood Check-off” (BRC) to seek formal approval of a commodity marketing program for a range of hardwood and plywood products. “Simply stated, the Endowment is about sustaining America’s working forests and advancing family-supporting jobs in forest-reliant rural communities,” says Endowment President Carlton Owen. “We can think of no better way to advance our mission than to ensure that America’s forest landowners — both public and private — have robust markets for their trees and that we retain and grow a healthy forest products industry that can provide those jobs. Check-off programs are tools that can advance both.”
“The American hardwood industry is comprised of literally thousands of small- to medium-sized operations scattered across all forested regions of the U.S.,” said Ted Rossi of Rossi Lumber Group and Co-Chair of the BRC. “Our diverse industry produces some of the most beautiful and desirable wood products available, but we’ve never mounted a sustained research, education, and promotion program to ensure that consumers are armed with sound information about the many performance, environmental, and economic benefits they provide. A hardwood check-off program will be a game-changer for our future.”