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Community-Based Forestry in the United States. a report from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities. Community-Based Forestry in the United States. Capturing Value: Business Development, Markets, & Raw Material. Capturing Value: CBF Business Development. CBF Business Development.
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Community-Based Forestryin theUnited States a report from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities
Community-Based Forestryin theUnited States Capturing Value: Business Development, Markets, & Raw Material
CBF Business Development • Creating new businesses based on sustainable forestry non-wood forest products, recreation & tourism • Leveraging primary and value-adding processing infrastructure • The result: diverse, resilient, and wealthy local communities
Business Development:Issues & Challenges • Ensure sustainability & optimize value streams by managing forests at the appropriate scale, and sizing enterprises and infrastructure to that scale • Local ownership/management of forests, & locally-owned businesses help keep benefits closer to home
Smallwood & Integrated Facilities Elk City Small Business Incubator • For locally-owned businesses • Sort yard reduces costs & maximizes value • State-of-the-art manufacturing facility • Future: dry kiln & power cogeneration
Biomass Community Energy Solutions • Working with tribes, rural communities & energy companies • Brokering long-term contracts for managing & utilizing biomass • Yielding lower-cost energy • Building local capacity & infrastructure
Access to Capital • Essential to acquire land and start businesses • Sources include grants, tax credits & private capital • Need to experiment with venture capital, revolving loan funds & micro-finance
Community Smallwood Solutions • Aggregated public & private financing with a local investor group to build new smallwood products company. • Built track record—company purchased by socially responsible investor in just 4 years.
Market Development:Successful Strategies • Labeling • Product differentiation • Value-added products • Producer organizing • Web marketing
Market Development:Questions & Issues • How do businesses find reliable markets? • How do they differentiate themselves? • Linking landowners through cooperatives, associations & networks can help “aggregate power”
Market Development:Successes & Opportunities • Transforming and accessing local& regional lumber markets • “Green” certification • Tapping emerging markets for ecological services
Market Development:Successes & Opportunities Sustainable Forest Futures • Regional forest products consortium (New England & NY) • Innovation (technology, new business models) • Marketing& networking (eg regional branding)
Market Development:Successes & Opportunities White Mountain Apache Tribe • National Football League purchased carbon credits to offset Super Bowl footprint. • Income helped pay for raising seedlings to be used in restoration projects
Market Development:Challenges • Access to information and markets • Education, technical assistance, & support for communities & landowners • Potential market niches for ecological services from low-wealth communities & landowners • Supportive policies
Timber Supply Biggest factors: • Mixed ownerships • Global markets
Timber Supply CBFs work to stabilize supply via: • Landowner education • Business & product development • Marketing