Endowment Secures Funding to Support Final Phase of Check-off Work

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) today announced it has garnered external funding to support the third and final phase of work leading to the development of a softwood lumber products check-off.   Check-off programs have been used for more than fifty years by U.S. agricultural commodity producers to generate funds to educate consumers and promote domestic and foreign market demand.  In early 2008 the Endowment undertook a study to determine the potential for check-offs to grow markets for sustainably produced wood products.  That work resulted in the report, “Commodity Check-offs:  The Potential for North American Softwood Lumber.”  Phase II of the work included sharing results with the broader forest products industry and determining interest in creating a check-off program.

The external grant will fully-fund what the Endowment terms Phase III of the project — a 21-member Blue Ribbon Commission (the BRC) comprised of forest industry leaders from across Canada and the U.S.  Over the next two years the BRC will develop the program that, if adopted by the industry, will establish the first multi-national check-off to grow markets for forest products.  “We are especially pleased that we can continue this important work to create a new vehicle to grow markets for environmentally-preferable wood products,” said Endowment President Carlton Owen.  “Without a strong forest products industry it will be impossible for the Endowment to meet its vision of ‘forests that are sustainably managed ….while ensuring healthy and vibrant forest-reliant communities.”   The BRC is slated to be named in coming weeks.   Staff support to the BRC will be provided by Phoenix Strategic Solutions, the team that lead the check-off research for the Endowment.