Endowment Announces Formation of Commission on Check-off

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) today announced the formation of a 21-member Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) that will develop the first-ever “commodity check-off program” for North American forest products.

“As a not-for-profit we are well aware that we cannot achieve our mission of healthy working forests and vibrant forest-reliant rural communities without a healthy and vibrant forest products industry,” said Endowment President & CEO Carlton Owen.  “For more than a year we’ve studied the potential and assessed the willingness of the forest industry in the U.S. and Canada to work together to grow markets for sustainably produced and environmentally-preferable wood products,” he said.

The BRC provides for production-based geographical balance with 14 U.S. and 7 Canadian members – roughly equivalent to the historic sourcing of wood for the U.S. market.  Jack Jordan, Executive Vice President of Jordan Lumber & Supply Company of Mount Gilead, North Carolina will serve as BRC Chairman.  Duncan Davies, Chairman, President and CEO of Canada-based Interfor of Vancouver, will be Vice Chairman.

The BRC will work with forest products producers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the next 18-24 months to craft the details of a program that, if adopted by the vote of potentially-affected industrial producers, would institute an assessment on covered forest products to support a broad-based research and promotion program designed to grow markets for wood products.  Check-off programs, used by agricultural commodity producers for decades, are perhaps best known by the highly successful, “Beef.  It’s What’s for Dinner,” and “Got Milk?,” public promotions.