December 2020 - U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities, Inc.

RESTORATION FUELS, LLC RECEIVES FSC® CHAIN OF CUSTODY CERTIFICATION

GREENVILLE, SC (DECEMBER 21, 2020) Restoration Fuels, LLC, has earned Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification by SCS Global Services for the first commercial-scale torrefaction facility in North America, located in John Day, Oregon. Restoration Fuel’s FSC trademark license code is FSC-C162426. Restoration Fuels is a subsidiary of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment). It is the largest investment in the history of the Endowment.

Torrefaction is the roasting of wood in a low-oxygen environment – like roasting coffee beans. The technology produces a renewable biomass fuel that is a direct replacement for coal at existing power plants.

“The work that our team has put into developing a sustainable procurement system is at the core of our mission and what we are trying to accomplish. This FSC certification will demonstrate that commitment to our customers and stakeholders,” said Matt Krumenauer, CEO, Restoration Fuels, and Vice President, Special Projects at the Endowment. “This community, the Blue Mountain Forest Partners, and the USDA Forest Service have been successful at working together to implement well-designed ecological restoration treatments, and we are excited to be another tool they can rely on.”

Using low-value wood helps mitigate wildfire and climate change

Restoration Fuels uses tree thinnings and otherwise low-value wood materials primarily from national forests and private lands and existing wood manufacturing processes to produce environmentally friendly fuel for energy. By creating demand for these woody materials, Restoration Fuels helps to mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfire, disease, pest infestation, and the effects of climate change. Developing this new market will help increase the pace and scale of these mitigation measures while strengthening the sustainability of the local harvesting and contracting infrastructure.

A first-of-its-kind facility

This first-of-its-kind facility is co-located with Malheur Lumber Company in John Day, Oregon. The Malheur National Forest surrounds Restoration Fuels’ facility, which has successfully implemented collaborative restoration projects for close to a decade.

Construction of the facility was completed in late 2020, with production coming online after commissioning is completed in January 2021. The plant is being designed for a production capacity of 100,000 tons of torrefied fuel annually. The first few years will be a ramp-up period. Full production capacity is anticipated in 2022.

Jump-starting the torrefied biomass industry

The Endowment and the USDA Forest Service have made significant investments in jump-starting the torrefied biomass industry. They formed the Consortium for Advanced Wood-to-Energy Solutions (CAWES) to address knowledge gaps and advance commercialization. This work is vital to the industry’s success. CAWES has engaged with most of the industry participants in an early stage, non-competitive manner to share learnings and avoid duplicating mistakes. Specific areas of investigation included optimizing densification, de-ashing techniques to extend raw material sources to lower-cost biomass, utility-scale testing, safety evaluation, life cycle, and techno-economic analysis.

About Restoration Fuels, LLC

Restoration Fuels is an Oregon benefit corporation formed in January 2018 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities Inc., a 501(c)3 public charity formed to help keep forests as forests and benefit forest-rich rural communities. Restoration Fuels’ mission is to advance forest health and rural forest-rich community vitality by creating a viable market for low-value biomass from forest health restoration treatments and, in doing so, create jobs and economic value in the surrounding communities that depend on these forest resources. Learn more at restorationfuels.com.

About the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)

FSC is the most rigorous international standard for responsible forestry. FSC-certified forests conserve biological diversity, water resources, and crucial ecosystems. The FSC standard also upholds worker rights and supports economic prosperity in surrounding communities. The FSC Chain of Custody certification ensures that certified wood products are tracked from forest to final product (and, if applicable, that qualified recycled materials are used), adding legitimacy to the FSC claim throughout the supply chain. Learn more at https://us.fsc.org/en-us.

About SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services is a leader in environmental and sustainability certification. A founding member and one of the first certification bodies accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council in 1996, SCS is one of the world’s leading FSC certifiers with more than 35 million acres of responsibly managed forests and 4000 companies in the FSC supply chain worldwide. SCS programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in green building, manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, and more. SCS is a Certified B Corporation™, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Learn more at scsglobalservices.com.

About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at usendowment.org.

For more information, contact

Matt Krumenauer, CEO Restoration Fuels, LLC, (503) 757-9322, matt@restorationfuels.com

End of the Year Message from Endowment President and CEO, Pete Madden.

Dear Valued Partners and Grantees,

As a challenging year draws to a close, we remain focused on our long-term mission and our relationships with all our partners and grantees. We are looking to the future with hope and optimism, confident that the partnerships we enjoy with all of you will accelerate our shared mission to advance sustainable forestry and its myriad benefits. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with each and every one of you.

A talented team and dedicated leadership

Our ability to meet the tests we have faced this year makes me more grateful than ever for such a talented team at the Endowment. They remain dedicated to working with you on innovative and transformative partnerships and projects that will pay dividends for years.

This team reflects the talents and dedication exemplified by our departing CEO Carlton Owen, who has led the Endowment since its founding in 2006. Central to Carlton’s rich legacy is positioning the organization to be a “go-to” partner to work on ways to advance support for the forest sector.

I also deeply appreciate the wise counsel and dedication of our volunteer board members who help guide our work and who always challenge us to be even better than before.

Meeting challenges and seizing opportunities

Among the challenges and opportunities we will face in 2021 is understanding that companies and organizations are not waiting to invest in forests using an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) lens. ESG approaches must inform a broad cross-section of our work for they promote improved performance on issues such as equity, climate change, sustainable water impacts, corporate governance and highlight the role forests play in improving quality of life for all.

For more than a decade, the Endowment has been a trusted and valued partner with a broad range of organizations, including public agencies, private industry, and conservation organizations committed to working forests and the communities that rely on them. I’m confident this will remain true for decades to come.

A proven track record

As the nation’s largest charity dedicated to working forests, the Endowment has a consistent and proven track record of successful partnership ventures that link to at least one of five strategic areas: traditional markets, future markets, ecosystem markets, asset creation, and forest retention and health.

Thank you for your continued support for the Endowment and for the forests we all love and rely on.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.

Pete Madden

President and CEO

2021 ENVIVA FOREST CONSERVATION FUND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Deadline for Proposals is January 29, 2021

GREENVILLE, SC AND BETHESDA, MD (DECEMBER 15, 2020) The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) today released a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (the Fund). $500,000 is the targeted funding amount for 2021 grants to protect bottomland hardwood and other wetland forests in eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia.

This is the sixth cycle of a $5 million, 10-year program, which was launched by Enviva Holdings, LP (Enviva), and the Endowment in 2015. Not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and tribes are eligible to apply for grants. The deadline for proposals is January 29, 2021. The RFP and additional materials are available on the Endowment’s website.

“The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund was established to preserve sensitive forests that might otherwise be threatened by land conversion, altered hydrology, invasive species, and the impact of climate change. These forests are critical to biodiversity, community resiliency, outdoor recreation, and clean water within Virginia and North Carolina,” said Alicia Cramer, Senior Vice President at the Endowment. “Efforts, like those of the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, in partnership with on-the-ground conservation organizations, will help preserve these special forests for years to come.”

“As we embark on our sixth year of this incredible work, we are proud to be on target to help conserve more than 35,000 acres of critical bottomland hardwood forests by 2025,” said Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva. “Southern bottomland hardwoods and wetland forests not only protect wildlife and water quality, but they are also a critical component to the fight against climate change, and with the help of conservation organizations, we are helping to preserve these important ecosystems.”

Since its inception in 2015, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund has supported 19 projects with approximately $2.2 million invested. Once completed, these projects will protect approximately 27,000 acres across North Carolina and Virginia. These protected forests help provide a clean drinking water source, act as a buffer to infrastructure during storms, and provide critical habitats for many species of wildlife while at the same time providing jobs and economic opportunity for rural families and private landowners.

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About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund

The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva Holdings, LP in December 2015 to protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects in North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at http://envivaforestfund.org.

About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:

For more information, contact:

Alicia Cramer, Senior Vice President, (205) 792-8650, alicia@usendowment.org

Endowment Announces $2M in Grant Funding to Accelerate Cellulosic Nanomaterials Commercialization

Seeks proposals from diverse organizations to take revolutionary technology to next level

GREENVILLE, SC (DECEMBER 4, 2020) The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment), in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, today announced the initiation of a new round of $2,000,000 in funding and related request for proposals (RFP) for their public-private partnership known as P3Nano. The proposal submission deadline is January 15, 2021.

The RFP supports efforts aimed at rapidly commercializing cellulosic nanomaterials. Accepted proposals will show great potential for commercialization, have compelling business analysis, a credible research and development approach, and make a strong case for how P3Nano funding will address key development challenges.

There is no specific dollar limit for each proposal, but the Endowment hopes to fund four to eight proposals with anticipated budgets of $250,000 to $500,000 each. This round of funding will entertain proposals from a broad range of market segments and researchers from universities, private companies, and other entities with the potential to rapidly commercialize this revolutionary technology.

Cellulosic nanomaterials are a new class of cellulose particles with properties and functionalities distinct from molecular cellulose and wood pulp. As a result, they are being developed for applications that were once thought impossible for cellulosic materials.

“Cellulosic nanomaterials have the strength of steel with just one-fifth of the weight,” said Michael Goergen, Vice-President, Innovation and Director, P3Nano. “This technology offers a range of solutions and applications that support our forests by developing new markets. Collaborations with P3Nano have produced significant results including numerous patents, technology breakthroughs, and commercial-scale applications.”

The available funds will support costs associated with pioneering products that utilize cellulosic materials and open the door for more widespread adoption of these innovative materials. The intent is to develop new technology that solves industrial challenges, provides climate solutions, and creates markets for forest products.

Award announcements will be made around March 1, 2021. Visit the Endowment RFP page for more details and the RFP application.

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For more information, contact
Michael Goergen, Vice-President, Innovation and Director, P3Nano. (240) 475-5741. Michael@usendowment.org

About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities

Virginia Outdoors Foundation and Enviva Forest Conservation Fund Continue to Protect Virginia Open Spaces

More than 700 Acres Permanently Preserved through Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (December 2, 2020)

Greenville, SC – The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) announced its purchase of a permanent conservation easement on 710 acres of bottomland hardwood forests in Southampton County, Virginia, made possible in part by a grant from the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (the Fund). The easement restricts all future residential, commercial, and industrial development for any purpose. Additionally, it will promote sound, upland forest management via the implementation of a formal forest management plan and establish riparian protection zones.

Brett Christina Glymph, Executive Director of VOF, explained, “The state of Virginia has designated this area with a high ‘Forest Conservation Value’ encouraging its protection. However, without intervention, bottomland harvesting would be inevitable, given the quality and volume of bald cypress and hardwood saw-timber present. Helping to mitigate conversion risk, combined with our strong desire to build on other ongoing conservation efforts, made this purchase essential. Enviva understands this imperative and once again provided vital support for our success. We are grateful for their partnership.”

The tract’s 10,000 feet of perennial streams help comprise the Three Creek Swamp of the Nottoway River, a tributary of the Chowan River, which drains to the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary. The Nottoway is designated as a Virginia Scenic River by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. It’s home to 32 species of “greatest conservation need” and also functions as an important bird nesting and rookery area along the Three Creek bottomlands.

The site has 200 acres of old-growth bald cypress-tupelo swamp forest. The remaining 510 acres are predominantly in working pine plantations. Of the approximately 603 square miles in Southampton County, 345 square miles, or 57.3% of the land area, are devoted to forests. The newly acquired easement is roughly 1.5 miles upstream of a previously conserved site partially funded through the use of the Fund in 2019.

“Two hundred years ago, these glorious bottomland forests covered approximately thirty million acres across the Southeastern United States,” explained Alicia Cramer, Sr. Vice President of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. “Today, only about forty percent of that area still supports the productive and unique ecosystems provided by these forests. The determination of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and its many partners to help stem the loss of lands is most appreciated by the conservation community.”

The Fund’s goal is to be a catalyst for forest and habitat conservation in the southeastern Virginia region and North Carolina’s coastal plain. More than five years into the planned 10-year partnership, 19 projects have been funded with a total commitment approaching $2.2 million, including the grant announced today. When these projects are completed, the Fund will have helped protect an estimated 27,000 acres of sensitive wetland forest and other habitats.

About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund

About Virginia Outdoor Foundation

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation is Virginia’s leader in land conservation, protecting nearly 850,000 acres in 109 counties and cities. The Virginia General Assembly created VOF in 1966. Today, we receive both public and private support for our work. VOF protects a wide variety of open spaces, from farms and forests to parks and historic landscapes. We work with federal, state, local, and private conservation organizations to achieve our mission. Learn more: www.virginiaoutdoorsfoundation.org

About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities

For more information, contact:

Alicia Cramer, Senior Vice President, (205) 792-8650, alicia@usendowment.org