Publications
Vibrant, Forest-Reliant Communities
Asset Creation
North Star Jefferson Project Overview (January 2014)
Jefferson County, Georgia Assets Index (August 2012) The Jefferson County Assets Index analyzes economic and demographic data within the county in order to identify local assets for future economic and social development.
Community Resilience and Wealth (October 2009) This report explores the “state-of-the-issue” of community resilience of rural, often forest-based communities in the U.S. It draws on the evolving research literature and the experience and interpretations of resilience by practitioners of rural community economic development.
The Status of Community-Based Forestry in the United States (September 2008) Forests owned by municipalities, counties, or community-based nonprofit organizations are being used to drive economic development and forest conservation. This report offers an assessment of community needs, the needs of supporting institutions, and the state of the current infrastructure for purchase of community forests.
Forest Value Streams
State of the Sector
A report by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Forest and Forest Products Research and Development in the U.S. in the 21st Century (BRC) calls for changes in the way forest and forest products research is addressed.
A New Model for Forest Sector Research and Development in the United States (January 2014) In tough times companies and governments look to cut costs. Unfortunately, those cuts may come at the expense of future opportunities, such as new product development. A new report authored by Dr. Robert Kellison, Professor Emeritus, North Carolina State University, finds that the forest products manufacturing industry invests less than one-seventh as much as the average U.S. manufacturing sector, seriously undermining the industry’s capacity to remain viable in the face of intense, global competition.
The State and Future of the U.S. Forest Industry (May 2013) Results from a convening in Washington, D.C. to discuss this changing context and implications for forests and forestry sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The goal of the dialogue was to develop a roadmap for positive change to yield a brighter future for this important sector. The leaders focused on five priority issues that included: 1) forest product markets; 2) forest land tenure and ownership; 3) the health and integrity of the current supply chain in forest products; 4) ecological health of federal forests (including issues of disease and vulnerability to catastrophic wildfire); and 5) tax policy and forest land tenure.This report summarizes trends in the five priority issue areas and presents proposed action items in each.
Biomass (Wood to Energy)
Consortium for Advanced Wood-to-Energy Solutions: Ranking of Issues & Knowledge Gaps (October 2014) The Consortium for Advanced Wood-to-Energy Solutions (CAWES) conducted a survey to rank issues and knowledge gaps that must be addressed to advance markets for torrefied wood. This report provides the top ranked responses across five major areas of interest and need.
Consortium for Advanced Wood-to-Energy Solutions: Kick-Off Workshop Executive Summary (August 2014) The Consortium for Advanced Wood-to-Energy Solutions (CAWES) met to assess challenges and knowledge gaps relevant to the advancement of torrefaction technology. With an initial joint investment of $4 million, CAWES partners are embarking on a 24-month work plan aimed at validating torrefied wood as a promising renewable energy market solution.
Refining Woody Biomass Feedstock Logistics: Balancing Biomass Harvesting and Drying Tactics with Delivered Payment Practice (December 2013) Results of a field research study by North Carolina State University scientists. Explores the benefits of drying woody biomass before hauling along with systems to measure moisture content (a proxy for energy value) and benefits of payment for energy value vs. weight.
Financing Woody Biomass Clusters: Barriers, Opportunities and Potential Models for the Western U.S. (May 2013) To better understand how appropriately scaled biomass energy projects could be more widely adopted in the U.S., this report identifies factors that contribute to success or failure of wood-to-energy projects.
The Wood Pellet Value Chain (March 2013) Presents a hypothetical case study of how wood-to-energy facilities in Virginia and Georgia could increase the sustainability of their biomass supply chains.
The State of Information Databases Tracking Wood-to-Energy Facilities (February 2013) The Woody Biomass Joint Venture (JV) – a partnership between the USDA Forest Service and the Endowment – hosted a roundtable of knowledgeable professionals to explore the content and quality of information tracked by existing woody biomass infrastructure databases. This report provides an overview of current databases and contacts for wood-to-energy facilities and points to the need for a single inclusive database.
Applying Pathways to Sustainability (November 2012) Intended to be a resource for pellet producers, forest management professionals, landowners, and others concerned with the conservation and sustainable management of U.S. forests, this report describes four potential pathways for making sustainability claims. Each represents a different approach to mitigating environmental and other risks in the supply chain.
Pathways to Sustainability: An Evaluation of Forestry Programs to Meet European Biomass Supply Chain Requirements (July 2012) Examines the wood pellet value chain in order to develop a thorough understanding of this emerging segment of the broader forest industry.
European Power from U.S. Forests: How Evolving EU Policy is Shaping the Transatlantic Trade in Wood Biomass (July 2012) Assesses the relevant policy drivers in the European Union, which may drive pellet production in the U.S., with particular emphasis on existing and emerging sustainability requirements.
Importance of Biomass Energy Markets to Forestry: New England’s Two Decades of Biomass Energy Experience (Info only: Not Endowment funded) (June 2012) Explores the two decade history and use of woody biomass for producing energy in New England.
Wood-to-Energy Across the Northern Tier and Beyond: Barriers and Solutions (January 2012) Report from a convening sponsored by the Endowment and the USDA Forest Service, State, & Private Forestry, where a group of professionals gathered in Manchester, New Hampshire to discuss barriers and opportunities regarding the expansion of woody biomass thermal use.
Developing a Business Case for Sustainable Biomass Generation: A Regional Model for Western Montana (June 2010) Explores the feasibility of developing sustainable, woody biomass-fueled combined heat and power plants at sawmills in western Montana to supply a portion of Northwestern Energy’s renewable energy portfolio.
Woody Biomass: Report from a Session to Consider Near-term Investment Opportunities II (June 2010) The USDA Forest Service State & Private Forestry and the Endowment held a small, roundtable to drill-down on additional opportunities in wood-to-energy. The session follows an earlier convening in February 2010 (See Woody Biomass: Report from a Session to Consider Near-term Investment Opportunities).
Wood2Energy: A State of the Science & Technology Report (May 2010) Overview on the state-of-the-science of woody biomass to energy conversion processes in North America, including a literature review and a database of industrial facilities utilizing wood as a fuel source – www.wood2energy.org
Case Studies: Best-in-Class Wood-to-Energy Systems (May 2010) The Endowment and USDA Forest Service State & Private Forestry worked with, the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC) to develop a series of case studies illustrating the development and operational experiences of various community-scale facilities that employ biomass systems. The work includes a review of “best-in-class” applications in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Scandinavia.
Woody Biomass: Report from a Session to Consider Near-term Investment Opportunities (February 2010) The USDA Forest Service, State & Private Forestry, and the Endowment convened a small, non-traditional group of interests to gather fresh perspectives about wood-to-energy options grounded in business applications. The report is intended to be a high-level overview rather than a consensus draft to which all organizations and/or individuals ascribed.
Issues in the Forest Briefs
The Endowment and the National Association of State Foresters share an interest in advancing sustainable forestry in the U.S. The organizations collaborated on creating “Issues in the Forest” briefs intended to inform public dialogue on sustainable markets and forests.
Issues in the Forest–Wood Pellets: Becoming a Primary Product (August 2011)
Issues in the Forest–Torrefaction: A Woody Biomass Companion to Coal (April 2011)
Issues in the Forest–Biochar: Turning Wood to Gold (March 2012)
Issues in the Forests–Fuels for Schools (September 2012)
Commodity Check-off
The Status of and Opportunities for Business Clustering Within the Forest Products Sector in the U.S. (August 2009) This report is an overview of the status of and opportunities for business clustering within U.S. forest products and closely related natural resource-based sectors. It reviews business cluster models adopted in the forest sector, explores partnerships among cluster entities, and examines policies, strategies and support mechanisms that could facilitate successful business clustering.
Commodity Check-off: Full Report (July 2008) A comprehensive feasibility study and implementation options that examine the potential for unified or coordinated “check-off” programs for softwood lumber in the U.S. and Canada. Check-offs – known as “research and promotion programs” operated under USDA authority– allow commodity producers to jointly fund efforts to grow their respective markets.
Commodity Check-off: Overview (July 2008) A summary version of the previous document regarding the potential of commodity check-offs to be used for North American softwood lumber.
Healthy, Working Forests
Conservation Easements
Considerations for Creating a National Conservation Easement Database (November 2008) The Endowment convened a number of public and private conservation players as a follow-up to “Forest Conservation Easements: Who’s Keeping Track?” (February 2008) in order to move forward with developing a conservation easement tracking system. The report summarizes key needs to advance a common system.
Forest Conservation Easements: Who’s Keeping Track? (February 2008) Outcomes from the first Endowment convening designed to assess the state of conservation easement data systems in the U.S.
Community Forests
Community Forests: Needs & Resources for Creating & Managing
Watersheds
Exploring the Use of Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Programs for Land Conservation Projects in Four Western States: California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. (January 2016) This project sought to explore the potential to use Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CSWRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF) to finance source water protection through land conservation in California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.1 Phase II specifically focused on understanding the current use of and priorities for the SRF programs; developing strategies to motivate demand for loans; and exploring ways to overcome barriers to using SRF loans for conservation (such as loan repayment options).
Using Forest Carbon Offsets for State Revolving Fund Loan Repayment. (January 2016) This report assesses the potential for using forest carbon offsets (also known as forest carbon credits) to repay loans from Clean Water State Revolving Funds (Clean Water SRFs) and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (Drinking Water SRFs). The report is part of a larger research effort examining how to expand opportunities to use SRF funding to pay for largescale land conservation.
Sustainable Finance Strategies for Watershed Protection: Greenville, South Carolina (May 2013) This report analyzes the feasibility of and proposes a framework for a watershed protection management program to meet the future water supply needs for Greenville, SC.
Retaining Working Forests: Eastern North Carolina (May 2012) This is the results of a study of the 33-county coastal North Carolina region—one of 11 priority areas inhttp://www.osiny.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Research_TIMO_North_Carolina the Southeast where there are innovative opportunities for landscape-scale working forest conservation.
Innovations in Market-based Watershed Conservation in the United States (June 2011) This document summarizes the results of a survey of new or emerging Payment for Watershed Service (PWS) project models to understand their scale, characteristics, and potential.
Forest Health
One Continent; One Forest; One Threat: Early Achievements and Impacts of Advanced Collaboration (2013/14) Canada and the United States share many ecological, socio-economic and other commonalities, and have similar needs with regard to forest science and forest products research.
Un Continent, Une Forêt, Une Menace : Premières Réalisations et Incidence d’une Collaboration Accrue (2013/14) Le Canada et les États-Unis ont en commun bon nombre de caractéristiques écologiques, socioéconomiques et autres et, par conséquent, ont des besoins similaires en matière de science forestière et de recherche sur les produits forestiers.
Canada/U.S. Forest Health Summit III (June 2015) This report documents the actions at the Third Canada-U.S. Forest Health Summit. At the summit, the co-chairs emphasized that science, technology, and innovation in the forest sector are integral to the economic and social prosperity of both countries and that collaboration can strengthen environmental sustainability and industry competitiveness. Report also available in French.
Canada/ U.S. Forest Health Summit II (March 2013) This document provides the results of an Endowment convening sponsored by the USDA Forest Service (USFS) and the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) of Natural Resources Canada to address specific opportunities to enhance cross-border collaboration in research and development to advance forest health to the first-ever Canada/U.S. Forest Health Summit held in June 2012.
Canada/ U.S. Forest Health Summit I (June 2012) This is the report of the first-ever meeting between the USDA Forest Service (USFS) and the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) of Natural Resources Canada to plan ways to collaborate on forest health issues; it was sponsored by the Endowment. The first-ever such meeting.
Misc.
A Hauling Logistics Pilot Plan to Enhance the Strength and Vitality of the Nation’s Timber Harvesting/Hauling Network (January 2017) The project team was tasked with identifying a wood basket for an “open platform” Timber Hauling Pilot with suitable willing participants in the form of logger/suppliers and mills owned by the project’s Sponsors. The key concept underlying the “open platform” Pilot was to expand the network of a timber truck’s activity beyond a single logging crew and, thereby, increase truck utilization by making spare haulage capacity available to crews that are short of trucks.
Timber Harvesting & Transportation: The State of the Industry (January 2008) This document provides the results of an Endowment convening co-sponsored with the Forest Resources Association to identify opportunities to strengthen the timber harvesting and transportation link of the forest products value chain.
Mapping a Course of Action: Results of a Workshop (November 2007) This publication is the result of a national workshop designed to gather views from a broad range of individuals on where they believed the Endowment should be targeting its efforts.
The Endowment’s Approach to Issues
The Rural Compact (May 2008) This report explores the “state-of-the-issue” of community resilience of rural, often forest-based communities in the U.S. and offers a framework for which those interested in collaboration can rally around.
View on Certification (November 2007) This is a statement of the Endowment’s views on Forest Certification.
