Forestry Certification Training for Agency Field Staff

Forestry Certification Training for Agency Field Staff

Summary

In the first three months of 2013, NNRG completed the two remaining FSC Assessor Trainings. The fifth workshop took place in Forest Grove, OR and the final workshop took place in Vancouver, WA on Clark County’s FSC-certified forest, Camp Bonneville. NNRG engaged with more than 50 foresters, public land managers and private forest owners.

Objectives/Performance Targets

In February 2013, NNRG held the fifth FSC Assessor Training in Forest Grove, Oregon. The workshop speakers included Kirk Hanson, Director of NNRG’s Northwest Certified Forestry program, Diane Moody, Pacific Northwest Project Manager for FSC-US; and Paul Vanderford, FSC Chain of Custody Program Manager for Sustainable Northwest. The training provided an overview of FSC principles, certification assessment processes for forest management and manufactured products, chain-of-custody procedures, current markets for local FSC-certified products and new market development. Participants ranged from private and public foresters, extension staff, private forest owners, wood products producers to public land managers. These participants were primarily interested in understanding FSC criteria and assessment procedures as a cost-benefit analysis to existing markets and market opportunities for FSC-certified products. At the request of potential participants, NNRG tailored this workshop to be a one-day training; 48 people participated.

In March 2013, NNRG hosted the sixth FSC Assessor Training in Vancouver, Washington. The two-day training included one day in the classroom covering FSC principles, assessment criteria, and specifically delved into the assessment procedures for members of NNRG’s group certificate which is audited by Woodmark-Soil Association. Larry Nall, a Woodmark-trained FSC assessor led the workshop. Lindsay Malone, NNRG’s director of member services provided an overview to FSC programs and group certificate procedures. The majority of the second day was dedicated to practicing on the ground harvest assessment procedures in a variety of stands that have recently received treatment (summer/fall 2012). Jim Vandling, Clark County’s forester lead this portion of the workshop, described treatments and discussed the markets where the County sold FSC-certified wood. Also on the second day of the workshop, Paul Vanderford of Sustainable Northwest led the training on FSC chain-of-custody procedures and marketing.

• Announcement for FSC Assessor Training in Clark County, Vancouver, WA

Accomplishments/Milestones

The fifth training in Forest Grove, Oregon was designed to reach out to a number of small forest landowners actively managing their forests in the Willamette Valley and close to the Portland, Oregon market. The 48 participants in this training expressed interest in FSC certification and the markets that FSC can access.

The sixth training in Vancouver, Washington involved private foresters, public land managers, private landowners and NRCS natural resource staff. Based on survey results, these participants came away with a greater understand of the principles and assessment procedures for FSC certification. Some of the participants are now considering FSC certification for the land they manage.

• Survey Results from Sixth Training in Vancouver, WA-Clark County
• Workshop Evaluation Survey for Vancouver Training

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Discussions during the fifth training in Forest Grove, Oregon indicate that many small forest landowners and public land managers are interested in pursuing FSC certification. A deciding factor for these landowners and managers to pursue certification is an increased market demand for certified wood products and pathways to access the existing certified wood market. NNRG and partners now have an improved understanding of the decision factors and barriers to FSC certification. Future research and projects developed by NNRG will address barriers to local wood production and utilization markets in order to benefit forest health, rural communities and regional economies.

The sixth training in Vancouver, Washington on Clark County’s was a culmination of the FSC Assessor workshops that NNRG offered from 2011-2013. Clark County’s forester participated Department of Environmental Services is a particular highlight of this project. County forester, James Vandling, attended the first FSC Assessor Training workshop in March 2011. By December 2011, the County enrolled 1,800 acres of its 3,800-acre forest, Camp Bonneville, into Northwest Certified Forestry’s FSC-certification program. The County completed its first FSC sale in the fall of the 2012 and is now in the process of completing certification requirements for the remaining balance of the forest land. Clark County DES is actively managing Camp Bonneville to demonstrate how ecologically-based silviculture treatments improve forest growth and health, wood production can pay for restoration, and how FSC-certified wood products can garner a market premium. In addition, County forester oversees the County’s designated forest land current use taxation program and provides educational resources to small forest landowners.

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