United States Endowment Forforestry And Communities Inc

Programs: 990 program description 2015the endowment seeks to advance its mission using a "theory of change" that focuses on work in three areas: retaining and restoring healthy working forests; promoting and capturing multiple value streams; and enhancing community capacity, collaboration, and leadership. The endowment deploys its work through seven primary initiatives each of which supports a number of projects or activities. Please see schedule o for a continuation of program service accomplishments. I. Non-traditional markets -- healthy watershed through healthy forests: connecting downstream water consumers with upstream forest owners with the intent to advance overall watershed health and quality by ensuring conservation of working forests. Much of this work is jointly-funded in partnership with the usda natural resources conservation service (nrcs). We continue work in the savannah river basin and have a nation-wide effort with the american water works association. Ii. Wood-to-energy is a joint-venture approach to developing sustainable markets for small diameter, dead & dying wood to enhance forest health while advancing family-supporting jobs in rural communities through domestic green energy production. Partnering with the usda forest service we are concentrating our work in seeking to commercialize torrefaction to provide a robust new market for fuels that could yield green energy. Iii. Forest health : via a partnership with the usda forest service and duke energy, the primary funding partners, the endowment is plumbing the potential of modern forest biotechnology to aid in addressing the burgeoning forest health problem caused by endemic as well as exotic pests and diseases. Work under fhi is progressing along three braided prongs -- 1. Science (with major research underway at a forest service lab in mississippi as well as the university of georgia; state university of new york at syracuse; and others); 2. Regulatory (where work and discussions are underway with key federal agencies with oversight of biotechnology); and 3. Social and environmental concerns. The multi-year initiative is slated to continue thru at least 2016. A second effort in this space has seen the endowment serve as cross-border convener for more strategic collaboration between canada and the u. S. In 2015 we hosted the third canada/us forest health summit. Iv. Traditional markets: the endowment is working with and across two sectors of the forest products industry to determine the potential of usda research and promotion programs (commodity check-offs) to grow markets for hardwood lumber & hardwood plywood and wood-to-energy. These programs build on successful work that led to creational of a softwood lumber check-off (approved in 2011); and paper check-off (approved in late 2013). V. Innovation: the endowment is partnering with the forest service to advance commercialization of 21st woody cellulose products using nanotechnology. The three-year initiative has engaged partners to fill knowledge gaps that should lead to potential new products all while placing a primary interest on ensuring human and environmental health and safety. New work is just beginning to advance mass timber applications that could support taller wooden buildings. Vi. Working forests: this initiative includes a number of projects including the partnership for southern forestland conservation; national conservation easement database; and support for the department of defense's base buffering program. Each is designed to aid in retention and restoration of healthy working forests. A new project is fostering collaboration to restore forests in the mississippi river basin and other rivers flowing in the gulf to mitigate impacts from the bp deepwater horizon oil spill. Vii. Asset creation: this initiative was formally launched in 2013 with an objective of using forests and forest-based assets to create economic opportunity for people of color. Primary collaborators in the usda forest service and nrcs are working with the endowment in pilot projects in al, nc, and sc to promote and provide sustainable forestry services. African-american family forest owners are being engaged in active management of their forests to benefit their families including ensuring proper legal title to foster transfer to future generations.