Background

Phase One: Illuminating the Overall Situation

Core Question:

• What overarching dynamics in forest management and the wood products industries inform the improvements needed to establish sustainable forests, vital local communities, and viable wood products companies and industries?

Dialogue Questions:

1. What are the current conditions of our forests?
2. What are the challenges to sustainable forest management?
3. What approaches can stakeholders agree on for sustainable forest management?
4. What issues and challenges do the wood products industries face?
5. Who are the stakeholders in forestry and wood products?
   1. Landowners
   2. Watershed associations
   3. Local and/or Indigenous Peoples
   4. Individual citizens
   5. Economic development planners
   6. Landscape conservation collaboratives
   7. Environmental entities
   8. Elected leaders
   9. Subject matter experts
   10. Foundations
   11. Investors/lenders
   12. Scientific and research organizations
   13. Loggers, mill management, and other forest workers
   14. Trucking and transportation companies
   15. Equipment manufacturers and distributors
   16. New technology developers
   17. Related associations
6. Who are the stakeholders in forest harvesting and processing?
   1. Forestry Industry
      1. Loggers
      2. Mills/processors
      3. Other forest workers
   2. Trucking and transportation companies
   3. Local and state economic development agencies
   4. Equipment manufacturers and distributors
   5. Elected leaders
7. How many acres of forest are there, and where?
   1. Private lands
   2. State lands
   3. Federal lands
8. What mills are in operation?
   1. What is the location of each existing mill?
   2. What value streams does each mill handle?
      1. What wood material does each mill handle?
      2. What wood products does each mill produce?
   3. Which mills are short on supply to satisfy their current capacity?
   4. Which mill management wants to expand capacity for value streams they already handle?
   5. Which mill management wants to expand to handle other value streams?
9. Which mills have closed in the last ten years?
   1. Who is the current owner of each closed mill?
   2. What is the physical condition of each closed mill and its potential for repurposing?
10. What is each state/province's Forest Action Plan?
    1. What does it say about the acreage?
    2. What does it say about the challenges?
    3. What solutions does it recommend?
    4. What logistics solutions does the plan lay out?
    5. What harvesting solutions does the plan specify?
    6. Is there an action plan for the Forest Action Plan?
    7. How is the plan commercially informed and commercially relevant?
    8. What emerging market opportunities does it present?
    9. What progress has been made since the last Action Plan was completed?
11. Who wants to participate in these efforts to revive our forested landscapes and wood products companies?
12. What community factors should be identified and weighed in decision-making?
    1. What demographic and economic dynamics of nearby communities should inform the project, e.g., population demographics, primary industries, unemployment, and economic conditions?
    2. What other related industries in the region should be considered in tandem with the RE-FOREST initiative, e.g., mines, mills, oil, gas, renewables, agriculture, and manufacturing?
    3. What are the economic development goals of the local communities?
    4. Which communities and residents should be included in evaluating and siting new facilities and infrastructure?
13. What are the economic impacts of the forest products industry?
    1. What are the employment implications?
       1. How many people are directly employed?
       2. How many people are indirectly employed?
       3. How many people are unemployed?
          1. What is that unemployment cost burden on the state?
       4. How much do employees earn in each forest product-related industry?
       5. Where in the county or state are these people employed?
       6. How do the state and county average wage levels vary by county?
       7. Which areas have the talent/skills for expansion, and which areas need to import new sources of labor?
       8. If employment talent is lacking, how will it affect the cost of this labor pool?
       9. How much impact would it have on state average wage levels?
       10. What is the seasonal impact of these jobs?
    2. What is the current economic impact of the industry?
       1. What is the gross revenue of each forestry and wood products activity types?
       2. What are the tax revenues?
       3. How much of manufacturing GDP does it comprise?
       4. How has the industry performed over the last year, five years, and ten years?
       5. Which subsectors have grown, and which ones have declined?
       6. How do the questions above vary by state and county?
    3. What are the marketplace dynamics to be considered?
       1. How can downstream industries like furniture manufacturing, wood pellets, paper, cardboard, and general milling help keep jobs in the US?
       2. How will this spur the trucking, rail, and shipping industries?
       3. How would growth in these industries improve our national balance of payments?
       4. What are the environmental concerns and sustainability trends that will impact the industry?
       5. How are tree planting subsidies impacting the expansion of forestry?
       6. How do technological changes impact the expansion and price of wood?
       7. How could the diversification of products in subsectors, such as paper mills, offset declines in traditional markets?
       8. How are national trade and tariff laws impacting the market for wood products?
       9. How are national trade and tariff lasws impacting the market for forestry, processing, and transportation equipment procurement and sales?
       10. How will the housing construction sector impact the lumber industry?
       11. How are the interest and mortgage rates going to impact lumber demand?
       12. How much is the industry forecast to change?
14. What are the non-timber industry benefits of improved thinning and holistic forest management?
    1. Reduces future fire risk and improves ecological function
    2. Accommodates human access and enables ecological and watershed restoration
    3. Improves balance between tree species for healthier ecosystems
    4. Stabilizes the soil and restores the landscape
    5. Increased downstream stream flow from forest thinning and fire recovery treatment mitigates drought and climate change and improves water access for agricultural producers
    6. Improves wildlife habitat and diversity
    7. Facilitates grazing and other traditional lifeways
    8. Advances livelihoods consistent with local and Indigenous values
15. What are the economic implications of the non-harvesting forest activities?
    1. Tourism
       1. Camping and hiking
       2. Skiing
    2. Hunting
    3. Agriculture
16. What do forest fires mean to the time-related concerns of forestry?
    1. How long do we have before burned wood has to be removed and used as timber?
    2. How long do we have before burned wood has to be removed and used as biomass?
    3. How does the urgency of ecological restoration demand our focused attention on optimizing existing service providers rather than bringing in resources from across the nation?
    4. What does the surge in harvesting mean for future supply and, therefore, commercial concerns now?
    5. How can work on the urgent priority areas be done to serve the next set of priorities?
    6. Is there a basis for installing “mobile” facilities, including new technology-focused ones, that can be moved to other forest regions?
    7. What are the “Consequences of Delay”?
       1. See Journal of Forestry, April/May 2004, by Dr. John Sessions et al.
    8. What is the best treatment of ground cover in the aftermath of fires for the long-term vitality of forests, and how is this integrated into forestry operations?
    9. How do we address high oak densities post-fire to accelerate recovery to later serial stages?
    10. What changes in genetic or ecological composition are needed to anticipate climate change?
    11. What are the best approaches to stump treatment?
    12. Given shifting climates, what are the desired future conditions for our landscapes, watersheds, and communities?
    13. What is the most appropriate balance between post-fire recovery and future fire mitigation?