Forestry Certification Training for Agency Field Staff

Forestry Certification Training for Agency Field Staff

Summary

The first three quarters of 2011 have gone according to plan. We are pleased with our progress in workshop planning, have successfully hosted two workshops, and have received positive feedback from workshop attendees.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The objectives for 2011 thus far were to finish developing curriculum material for the workshops and hold three workshops (one per quarter) in different geographic regions in Washington and Oregon.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Mike Sterner (an FSC Assessor with Sterner Resources, LLC) has completed developing curriculum for the workshops and to date, two workshops have been conducted. The first workshop was held in Elma, WA on March 18-19, at the Satsop Development Park, a 1200 acre FSC certfied forest in western WA. Nine people attended the workshop, and we received very positive feedback from all attendees. The second workshop was held on May 20-21 at the Ellsworth Creek Preserve, a 7000 acres forest owned by The Nature Conservancy, near Long Beach, WA. Five people attended this workshop and again, we received very positive feedback from all participants. Fliers for both workshops are attached.

Both workshops were structured such that the first day featured power point presentations on the FSC Forest Management Standard, current markets for FSC wood products, and FSC Chain of Custody requirements. The second day consisted of a mock field audit of the property, led by Mike Sterner.

The third workshop was scheduled for August 5-6 in Eugene, OR but was recently cancelled due to low enrollment. We look forward to rescheduling this workshop in Sept. or Oct.

• Flier for March 18-19 workshop
• Flier for May 20-21 workshop

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

We are pleased with the opportunity these workshops have provided to collaborate with our members and showcase their excellent forest stewardship. As mentioned in the 2010 Annual Report, Satsop Development Park has been seeking ways to utilize their large educational facility for more workshops and trainings. The venue was a perfect location for both the classroom and field training, it served to fulfill both Satsop’s and NNRG’s mutual objectives. The Nature Conservancy was also very pleased to host one of the workshops and expressed interest in hosting other NNRG-sponsored educational events in the future.

We are also pleased to see that a variety of people are showing interest in the workshops, such as private and agency foresters, private landowners (both FSC certified and non-FSC certified), forestry students, interns, and even one forester from the University of Kentucky who was interested in starting an FSC group in the Southeast. NNRG hopes to continue to attract a diverse audience to future workshops.

Collaborators: