Regenerative Forest Markets Workshop - Recap
How can Keeping Forests support system-level change in support of forest products markets to the benefit of our forests and our society? This is the question our partners sought to answer as they convened at Ponce City Market earlier this month.
At Keeping Forests, we understand that when forest product markets are strong, it catalyzes investment and sustainable management by private landowners, which brings so many benefits to our communities - above and beyond jobs and economic output. The process of growing and managing trees, planned harvesting and replanting is naturally regenerative - enhancing soil content, improving biodiversity, lowering carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and reducing emissions and pollution by substituting carbon intensive products like steel and plastics.
This workshop brought together experts across the land management and forest products manufacturing space to discuss how "systems-level" changes - economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological - can be made to enhance markets, incentivize new investment and spur innovation. The result of this workshop is a System Map, that Keeping Forests partners will use to hone our strategy for our Regenerative Forest Product Markets Workstream and identify key projects to support that will inspire meaningful change.
Participants of the Regenerative Forest Markets Workshop also attended a tour of 619 Ponce, Georgia’s first locally-sourced mass timber building, which is being constructed in Midtown Atlanta.
“The system map we have created this week will drive the direction of where the workstream wants to go.” said Scott Spann, founder of Innate Strategies. “This will tie back to the partnership-wide goal of creating the enabling conditions to keep forests as forests.”
Keeping Forests underwent a similar process with Spann in 2019. This “system map” is a 360-degree view of Keeping Forests’ world and has helped partners to identify our three strategic focal points: growing markets for forest products, creating emerging markets for ecosystem services, and building champions in leaders across the conservation and forestry communities – and beyond.
Scott Spann (pictured) walking the group through an initial phase of the system mapping process.
Knowledge was built, communication was strengthened, and relationships were renewed. As Keeping Forests continues to lay the groundwork for forest product markets, our leadership will continue to support partners. “To have such a high-level of engagement from a diverse group of partners and see the initial results of the system mapping process is really encouraging,” said Laura Calandrella, Executive Director of Keeping Forests. “I’m excited to see what comes next.”
To learn more about what’s next with Regenerative Forests Product Markets – reach out to Laura Calandrella at laura@keepingforests.org
Zach Clifton
Keeping Forests Communications Specialist
Zach supports Keeping Forests via its partnership with the Georgia Forestry Association. Zach and the other communications staff at GFA lend support to the partnership both strategically & tactically.
