Inclusion Council National Action Plan Is Underway

Greenville, SC- June 20, 2023- In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (The Endowment) announced the formation of the U.S. Forest and Wood Products Inclusion Council (Inclusion Council), a group whose vision is to create equitable workplaces where people feel valued, safe, and that they belong, so that all people can sustain and benefit from forests.

The council has made significant strides towards inviting the sector into a broader conversation related to attracting new talent, closing workforce gaps, and engaging the opportunities of diversity, equity, and inclusion head-on.

The first goals of the National Action Plan outlined by the Council members include:

Initiating a research and survey process to understand the workforce and diversity challenges facing the sector,
Launching a series of Learning Labs this fall (2023) to share diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices from forestry industry leaders, and
Convening Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practitioners, advocates, and champions from within the sector to build a community of practice around strengthening the sector workforce.

With ongoing financial support from the Endowment, plus a sizable investment from the USDA Forest Service, the Inclusion Council has announced two requests for proposals for partners to contribute to achieving these goals.

“The Inclusion Council’s emerging work is vital to our collective community’s efforts to foster the long-term resilience of the forests and wood products sector, both private and public,” said Angela Coleman, Associate Chief of the USDA Forest Service and member of the Inclusion Council. “The future viability of this sector depends on efforts such as these to sustain healthy and resilient forests. The U.S. Forest Service is excited to be an active participant in this endeavor.”

For more details about the two proposals, please visit https://www.usendowment.org/funding-opportunities/.

Members of the Inclusion Council include:

Al Davis | Texas A&M Forest Service
Alejandro Barbero | Rayonier
Alicia Cramer | U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Council Co-Chair)
Angela Coleman | U.S. Forest Service
Asia Dowtin | Michigan State University
Bettina Ring | The Nature Conservancy
Brandi Colander | Enviva
Brian Boland | Billerud
Cody Desautel | Intertribal Timber Council
Colin Moseley | Green Diamond Resource Company
Deb Hawkinson | Forest Resources Association
De’Etra Young | Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
Jennie Stephens | Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation
Kate Gatto | National Alliance of Forest Owners
Rita Hite | American Forest Foundation
Sam Cook | North Carolina State University
Shannon McCabe | Association of Consulting Foresters of America
Terry Baker | Society of American Foresters (Council Co-Chair)
Tiffanie Starr | Timberland Investment Resources

Media Contact
Aleta Rogers, aleta@usendowment.org, 864-233-7646

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 www.usendowment.org.