Climate Tech

Rethinking Our Carbon Future

Carbon + Climate Change, Forest Management, Forest Products

Climate Change Perceptions in America

Alarmed. Concerned. Cautious. Disengaged. Doubtful. and, Dismissive.

A year ago, we explored the importance of the Yale Climate Change Communications Group and their work to map perceptions of climate change.

The initial report - 'Global Warming's Six Americas,' published in 2008 - assessed public climate change beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions to create six personas:

Alarmed. Concerned. Cautious. Disengaged. Doubtful. and, Dismissive.

This research has since been updated or expanded on at least 15 times, with the latest update to the core body of work coming in 2020 showing how distribution within each of these audiences changed between 2015 and 2020.

Spoiler alert: Over those 5 years, people became increasingly concerned about climate change.

Yale released its latest research on the topic: Climate Change in the American Mind.

For those interested in digging deeper on how perceptions of climate change are evolving and opportunities to better communicate on it, this is a must read. Even a cursory glance of the executive summary shows some surprising statistics:

Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who this it is not happening by 6 to 1 (76% vs 12%)
60% believe global warming is mostly human-caused
70% say they are 'somewhat worried" about global warming.
35% are 'very worried'
69% feel a personal sense of responsibility to help reduce global warming
2/3 believe that it it not too late to do something about it
61% disagree with the statement "the actions of a single individual won't make a difference"

These are among the highest numbers seen since the survey was first conducted nearly 15 year ago and a clear indicator that awareness - as well as concerns over - climate change are growing at an increasingly rapid rate.

Our Takeaway

This is just the tip of the iceberg (climate pun, maybe?). Climate conversations aren't just here to stay, they're going to become increasingly alarming and more prevalent in our day-to-day lives.

But it's not all doom and gloom. The fact that a majority of Americans believe it is not too late and that the actions of a single individual can still make a difference puts a massive spotlight on the importance of forests and forest products.

And we're excited to share that story this year. We believe forests provide powerful climate solutions, forest management is how we deliver those solutions, and markets and products are how we sustain them. We all have a part to play in keeping forests as forests, now and tomorrow.

- The #forestproud team

Reimagining Our Cities

Biomass + Renewable Energy, Carbon + Climate Change, Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products, Urban Forests

FORESTS: Reimagining Our Cities

For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in a city.

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Profiles

Community, Forest Management, Forest Products, Innovation

Lacey Rose, Canadian Forester, hosts Volvo Penta’s “Mighty Jobs” series

machinery improves efficiency + the world around us

Spectacular machines in dramatic working environments, and entertaining and informative demonstrations of power and precision; the ‘Mighty Jobs’ series will take viewers to several fascinating locations where Volvo Penta’s industrial engine and machinery range is making a vast difference to the lives of customers and ultimately to daily life.

With more than a decade working in forestry, Canadian presenter Lacey Rose is ideally equipped to show what the machines are capable of. “I have a passion for natural resources and am really looking forward to shining a light on people not normally in the public eye,” she says. “We want to show how this innovative machinery can improve not only efficiency but the world around us, and also how customers can benefit from an increased focus on sustainability. There’s no better way to do this than to experience it hands-on in real working environments.”

Read the full press release + check out the series on YouTube as Volvo Penta’s machinery is put to the test on applications as diverse as harvesters, haulers, fire trucks and reach stackers.

Reconnecting People and Forests

Careers, Forest Management, Innovation, People, Products

FOREST TO OCEAN | Grain Surfboards

Grain Surfboards has been crafting one-of-a-kind wooden surfboards from sustainably managed Maine forests since 2005. With an emphasis on quality and sincere commitment to sustainable practices, each board is made one at a time, by hand, to create a product that has a soul and tells a story.

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Profiles

Community, Forest Management, Forest Products, Innovation

Changing the Face of Forestry

Positive changes are leveling the playing field in forestry.

The forest sector is a great career choice. I feel very fortunate to have spent 15 years in forestry—every day is different, the people are amazing and I get paid to be outside. What’s not to love?

When I attended the University of New Brunswick’s forestry program in 2006, about 25% of my classmates were women. In my first few summer forestry jobs, I worked with women and my first mentors were women upon graduation. I didn’t realize there was a gender imbalance until I started working for industry, spending more time in the woods and attending meetings and conferences. In fact, as of 2016, just 17% of Canada’s forestry workforce was made up of women, an increase of only 3% since 1996. While I hope that the census data more recently collected will show a dramatic increase of women in forestry, there is still progress to be made. In 2015, I cofounded Women in Wood, a network for women who work in, with and for the woods. Since then, I have learned a lot from women working in Canada’s forests about their experiences. It seems there are challenges at all stages of their careers—but there are also solutions.

First jobs are tough. Difficult to secure because of a likely blank resume, and oftentimes, they can be challenging to survive because you may not have anyone to ask hard questions. This was my experience; I had difficulty getting my first forestry job, and I faced stiff competition against my male peers who came from forestry families and had experience, and more stereotypical “field-work-ready” statures than mine. I am still grateful to the person who took a chance on the underdog and gave me my first job—if hiring is your responsibility, perhaps you can be that person for someone else.

Once I did secure a forestry job—working in remote, isolated conditions—I spent every day being afraid I would be eaten by a bear. Imagine my surprise, 10 years later, to have that same concern raised in the WIW group by a woman in her first job. The number of women commenting with the same experience—with many solutions—was amazing. Personally, what helped was the passage of time and eventual development of confidence and knowledge (plus, a healthy amount of stubbornness that didn’t allow me to quit from fear). I believe a better solution now exists through openness, increased training and education, and support networks like WIW to help build confidence through shared experiences.

Planning for a family can be stressful for women, whether it is planning to take time off or integrating back into the workforce. It can be difficult finding childcare with flexible or extended hours, to do camp work, or balance home and work life. Women looking for employment or working contract positions are hesitant or worried about how pregnancy could impact their ability to be hired. The key here seems to be flexibility by employers, both with hours and strategic onboarding after maternity leave. Also, an increasing number of men taking paternity leave and breaking down gender roles in the household goes a long way toward changing stereotypes associated with “mom in the workforce.”

As women enter the mid-career phase of their forestry careers, many hope to advance into management and leadership roles. However, many women don’t have leadership role models to look to in their workplace. It is difficult to imagine you can be it, if you can’t see it. The fact that we’re only recently seeing “firsts”such as first female chief forester, first female mill manager, is somewhat telling. It’s very encouraging that these occurrences are happening at an accelerated pace in recent years, and hopefully soon, we won’t have to remark on or celebrate “firsts” anymore. The solution to this one is in the hands of women themselves, and employers. Women must identify the skills and experience they need to advance their careers and seek mentors or training to help them get there. Employers must ensure that women are given equal opportunities to become qualified and compete on a level playing field as their male counterparts and mentoring men and women in the same way.

Today, there are many success stories for women in Canada’s forest sector. The number of companies and organizations engaging in diversity and inclusion initiatives is remarkable, and the fact that we’re having this conversation is a definite win. But let’s not take the foot off the gas—it’s in the hands of every person working in the sector to challenge behaviors and create change that will lead to a more welcoming environment for all employees. We’re an industry with an aging workforce primed for a continued post-pandemic boom. Attracting and retaining good employees is the only way to sustain that momentum—let’s make sure we consider 48% of the available labor force in building the future of our sector.

Authors: Lacey Rose
County Forester and Cofounder, Women in Wood
www.womeninwood.ca
@foresterLacey

Original Article: Biomass Magazine

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Lacey Rose | OFIA Profile

A tree-hugger was born.

I love forests. As a child growing up in an isolated, northern mining town, I spent a lot of time in the woods. Berry picking, ski-dooing, fishing, mosquito-swatting: it was home. Ironically, I had no concept of what forest management was, and my initial perceptions were formed entirely by media. Popular media taught me that cutting trees was bad and forests should be protected. A tree-hugger was born.

Luckily, life led me to people who encouraged me to ask questions and to not always believe what you read or hear. I took the time to learn more about forest management, and through my completion of a Bachelor of Science in Forestry at UNB, became intrigued and impressed by the complexity and problem-solving nature of working in the field. And one of the first things I figured out was – trees grow back! Imagine if we could get that message to everyone in Canada. We are legally and professionally required to ensure that managed forests successfully regenerate. Most often, we couldn’t stop them if we tried because forestry doesn’t equal deforestation. Some tree species need a little help to grow, and that’s part of our job as forestry professionals.

In my current position as Forester for the County of Renfrew, I am constantly encouraged by the dedication of the family-run businesses in this area, the operators in the woods, and all others in the tight-knit forestry community in central Ontario. All of these people truly care about the well-being of our forests, and every action they take is with the intention of making sure their children (and children’s children) have the opportunity to make a living from the forest. I feel lucky in my job to be able to talk the public about the great work that is done in our forests, and show it off whenever I get the chance. The best way to change someone’s mind about forestry is to allow them to see it with their own eyes.

"I still believe that forests should be protected, and I am definitely still a tree-hugger. The difference is, I no longer equate “protect” with “don’t touch”."

To me, protecting our forests means we manage them sustainably and encourage a vibrant forest industry so that land does not become more valuable as a solar farm, sub-division or corn field. We can recreate in the woods, provide habitat for all of nature’s wonders, and have a roof over our heads: today, tomorrow and always. This is because of the intensive amount of science, research, planning and care that goes into ensuring that there will always be diverse, healthy forests that can provide for all forest values. Sustainable forest management is a really good example of being able to have your cake and eat it too.

I plan on spending the rest of my career working in the forest, and I feel good about telling kids on the verge of choosing their career path that there’s something in the forest industry for them too. We manage our forests to the highest standards in the world, and I’m proud to be a small part of that. That’s why I stand up for forestry.

- Lacey Rose, RPF

Original post: OFIA Profile

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Climate Tech

Rethinking Our Carbon Future

Carbon + Climate Change, Forest Management, Forest Products

Battle Royale: Orca 🐳 vs. 🌲Tree

Carbon Storage | Climate Tech vs. Natural Climate Solutions

Ah, the age-old debate: Orca vs. Trees.

No, no, no. Not that kind of Orca. (also, we're incredibly disappointed that there is not a better Orca whale emoji) We're talking about Orca - the first of its kind direct carbon capture plant, designed to draw down atmospheric carbon and store it permanently. It went live and has garnered some pretty impressive headlines as a climate solution.

And rightfully so! The Orca plant is a very cool piece of technology. It uses massive fans to suck in air and combines it with chemicals that can selectively remove C02 while releasing nitrogen and oxygen back into the atmosphere (hmmm that sounds familiar 🌲🌳). The carbon rich chemicals are super heated and converted to a pure gas, which is then mixed with water and injected into basaltic rock where over time, the dissolved C02 crystalizes - permanently storing atmospheric carbon deep within the Earth's crust.

While the concept is straightforward enough, there are just a few things keeping it from being a scalable solution and thus a key player in helping the world reach its Net Zero goals today.

Carbon Storage at a High Cost.

Aside from costing somewhere between $10 and $15 million to build, the Orca facility relies on a pretty unique combination of factors as explained expertly by Bloomberg, to make it work.

First and perhaps most importantly, this is an incredibly energy intensive process. The Orca facility is powered entirely by carbon-free geothermal energy which is awesome, but severely limits the opportunities for building other locations. Secondly, for this process to work there must be access to deep basaltic rock which are formed by rapidly cooling magma deposits (🌋), which further limits where this specific type of facility can be placed.

Lastly, there is capacity. While Orca is now officially the largest direct-air capture facility in the world absorbing 4,000 tons of CO2 a year, it just simply isn't large enough. To put 4,000 tons of CO2 into perspective, that is equivalent to the total annual emissions from roughly 250 U.S. citizens.

A Small Dent for a Very Large Carbon Problem.

So how does this compare to trees and forests? Well, there are more than 600 tree species in the U.S. alone, each uniquely suited to their specific growing locations, and supremely adapted to sequester and store carbon, just by doing their thing.

(Check out the full writeup that inspired this graphic from Ohio State University)

On average, a single mature tree can absorb more than 48 pounds of CO2 per year.

Considering a tree can grow for 30, 40, 50+ years - and extrapolated over billions and billions of trees around the world - you begin to see how trees and forests remain the undisputed carbon sequestration champions of the world.

Visualizing the Impact.

To give you an idea of just what that looks like, check out this incredible interactive data visualization tool - ForestCarbonDataViz.org - developed by our friends over at the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO). It uses publicly available data from the U.S. Forest Service and the Environmental Protection Agency to show how the continuous cycle of growing, managing, harvesting, and replanting trees and forests holds enormous carbon benefits.

Getting to Net Zero by 2050 is an ambitious - and we believe necessary - goal. We are incredibly excited by the potential of the Orca project as we know that in order to achieve real success in our fight against climate change, it is going to require bold, innovative, and collaborative ideas - and all of us, collectively, working to rethink our carbon future.

So in actually it's less Orca vs. Trees and more Orca AND Trees! After all, it's true that no blue, no green amirite?

Further Reading

The State of America's Forests (U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities)
ForestCarbonDataViz.org (National Alliance of Forest Owners)
U.S. Forest Atlas (U.S. Forest Service)

- The #forestproud team

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Biomass + Renewable Energy, Carbon + Climate Change, Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products, Urban Forests

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Climate Tech

Rethinking Our Carbon Future

Carbon + Climate Change, Forest Management, Forest Products

Carbon Credits | silver bullet or a helpful tool?

A California Case Study

As savvy forest folks, we've followed the rise of Net-Zero climate commitments for a while now, and explored the critical role forests and forest products play in helping people, countries, organizations, and multinational brands alike meet their goals.

In addition to being able to trace potential solutions back to forests and forest products, the current wave of Net-Zero commitments has another thing in common: a lack of specificity on how they are going to get there. Just as there is no 'silver bullet' solution to climate change, there is no single answer to Net-Zero, and by extension, no prescriptive path on how to invest in forests to help us reach those goals.

So to better understand how forest investments fit into these plans, we looked at the University of California. Back in 2013 - way before Net-Zero was cool - they were among the first to make a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2025.

Looking at their latest sustainability report (2019), the University has made substantial investments into solar energy, electric vehicles, carbon neutral buildings, and innovative tools that turn food waste into energy. The result?

A 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2013.

Now, considering the size of the school and the fact that in the last seven years they've added 46,000 students, this is a significant accomplishment. But it is a long way from zero.

According to a report conducted by the University in 2017, the biggest barrier to reaching their goal is the natural-gas-powered plants responsible for heating and cooling its campuses, which together account for 65% of the school's total emissions. Initial estimates to overhaul the plants and convert them to electric were north of $3 billion -- and even if the University had the money, it would not change the fact the California's electric grid still relies heavily on fossil fuels.

Enter carbon credits and offsets.

Carbon Credits & Offsets

In an interview with the Washington Post, Barbara Haya, a climate policy researcher at the University of California, explained why after the 2017 report they started looking at carbon offsets: "The whole concept of offsets is to create a dynamic where organizations and individuals can pay someone else to reduce emissions in order to cover emissions they can't reduce themselves."

The concept is simple, however, the market and dynamics around offsets can be tricky, particularly when it comes to forests - which Haya said accounts for more than half of the offset projects out there.

While the number of mandatory offset markets are growing - government-backed programs that place strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions and allow members to buy credits or offsets from independently verified projects, e.g. forest conservation - the majority of projects still come from voluntary offset programs.

Voluntary carbon offset markets work much the same way, but without the regulatory oversight. In that sense, the market can be kind of like the wild west and there are more than enough examples to point to of organizations failing to do their due diligence before investing. That being said, the principles - as explained, explored, and eventually implemented by the University of California - are still sound.

Driven largely by growing corporate demand to offset emissions (read: increasing number of Net-Zero goals), the vast majority of the credits retired in 2021 - some 20 million credits - were focused on forest protection.

Types of Forest Carbon Credits

I know what you're thinking. Are there other types of forest carbon credits out there besides just protecting forests? YES! According to North Carolina State University, there are three generally accepted project types that produce carbon offsets:

1. Afforestation / Reforestation
2. Avoided Conversion
3. Improved Forest Management (IFM)

The first is pretty self-explanatory and typically includes projects focused on restoring tree-cover to previously non-forested lands. Avoided conversion projects focus on preventing the conversion of forested land to non-forested land, i.e. keeping forests as forests, not as parking lots. The last - Improved Forest Management - is actually the most common credit type in the California carbon credit market. These projects involve land management activities that increase, or at a minimum maintain, the current level of carbon stocking in a forest.

Each one of these has a role to play, and depending on the circumstances, can be a powerful tool when it comes to mitigating emissions and improving our climate.

A Win-Win-Win

When it comes to carbon credits and offsets, it is important to think of them less as a "get out of jail free card" and more as another tool in the toolbox. We know that healthy markets and strong demand for forest products are critical to incentivizing landowners to keep forests as forests.

We also know that as more and more companies and organizations look to reach their Net-Zero goals, they are going to run into "$3 billion natural-gas-powered plant" problems, where carbon credits and offsets are the best viable option.

In that sense, carbon credits and offset markets can be a win-win-win for companies, landowners, and the climate. Companies can offset their most challenging emissions, landowners can be further incentivized to keep forests as forests, and we can collectively begin to move the needle in the right direction for the climate.

Now, obviously, carbon credit projects and offset markets are far more complex than how they've been explained here - the devil is always in the details. But what the University of California Net-Zero efforts show us is that forests are a flexible solution to carbon and climate challenges. They provide solutions for everything from renewable energy (bioenergy) and green building (mass timber), to sustainable packaging (forest products) and carbon offsets (forest management).

TL;DR Forests are shaping up as heavy favorites to be the all-stars of Net-Zero commitments.

- The #forestproud team

Climate Tech

Rethinking Our Carbon Future

Carbon + Climate Change, Forest Management, Forest Products

Welcome to the Age of Decarbonization

Like all trends, climate terms come in and out of fashion. One term whose star seems to be rising is: Decarbonizing / Decarbonization

Forest Champion Spotlight | Tyrone Williams

Fourtee Acres Farms

Tyrone Williams opens up about the importance of keeping forests as forests and passing on his responsibility to future generations. As a 3rd generation North Carolina landowner and a nationally recognized tree farmer within the American Forest Foundation's American Tree Farm System, Tyrone's story connects the dots between forests, sustainable management, and the harmonious economic and environmental benefits that come with being a responsible steward of the land.

The Williams' family story starts in 1916 when his grandfather purchased 38 acres of land for $864. As Tyrone describes, "This was a great feat for any man at the time, but particularly so for an African American."

Initially, the focus was on clearing the land for agriculture - as the old saying goes, "Money doesn't grow on trees".

Organizations like the Sustainable Forestry & African American Land Retention Project (SFLR) are working with small landowners - like Tyrone, his wife Edna, and their three sons - to introduce them to sustainable forestry as a tool to increase family income and land value, with a broader goal of providing future generations with a better quality of life through forestland ownership and retention.

Not originally from a forestry background, Tyrone credits foresters and others in the SFLR community for their ability to help them fully understand the scope and worth of his land. Tyrone says, “When people trust other people, they tend to move quicker towards a common goal.”

Hear more about Tyrone and Edna’s forest journey and legacy in this podcast episode from Leadership Nature, digging deeper into Tyrone's work with SFLR and how he builds trust in his community. Talking Forests podcast host Candra Burns chats with Tyrone and Edna about building community, and growing a legacy through forest and family.

LEADERSHIP NATURE PODCAST | Learn how the Williams' family leads by example and builds trust in their community

TALKING FORESTS PODCAST | ft. forestry, farming, natural gardening, and growing community.

Zooming out, Katie Fernholz - the CEO of Dovetail Partners, an environmental non-profit - puts Tyrone's story in the larger context of the role sustainable forests play in helping to address the challenges that come with a changing climate.

Katie explores how the vast majority of forestland in the United States is privately owned and how, as a result of this dynamic, the majority of timber harvests come from privately owned forests like those owned by the Williams family.

Katie takes us one step further, and outlines how strong markets and demand for forest products are powerful incentives for landowners to replant trees and regrow forests, and a critical component of keeping forests as forests for the long-term.

Community

FourTee Acres

As a 2nd generation North Carolina landowner, Tyrone Williams opens up about the importance of keeping forests as forests and passing on his responsibility to future generations.

Netflix + Net-Zero

Climate solution or no? It's complicated

In March 2021, Netflix became the latest - and perhaps one of the most visible - global brands to announce their Net Zero carbon and climate goals.

The plan - dubbed 'Net Zero + Nature' - outlines how the streaming behemoth plans to eliminate its 1.3 million metric ton carbon footprint by 2022. It includes both physical production of Netflix films and series (about 50% of the overall footprint) as well as corporate operations (e.g. office space), purchased goods (marketing), and the delivery of goods via internet cloud providers.

Credit: Wired Magazine / Getty Images

The plan, much like others before it, focuses on three items:

1. Reducing emissions.
2. Investing in projects that prevent carbon from entering the atmosphere.
3. Investing in projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

So, what's that special about the Netflix announcement?

Well, Netflix did release data that suggests one hour of streaming on the platform is the carbon equivalent of driving a standard car a quarter of a mile, which is a pretty cool stat.

"One hour of streaming on Netflix is the carbon equivalent
of driving a standard car a quarter of a mile."

But, aside from that less than stellar news for us binge watchers, as a one-off climate announcement, there is very little that is special about the plan. What is interesting is looking at the trends that start to emerge as we consider this announcement in the larger context of Net Zero commitments made over the last 18 months, and how all of these organizations are planning to reduce, mitigate, and offset their carbon footprints.

Not a Flash in the Pan

In January, we highlighted an article from the United Nations that reported a 300% increase in Net Zero commitments in 2020. A report released by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in February (2021), shows that just 8% of the worlds largest companies - as represented by the Global Fortune 500 Index - have pledged to become Net Zero.

If you're a glass half-empty kind of person, you might look at this and say these commitments are just a trend. If you're a glass half-full kind of person, you'd look at the list of heavy hitters making these commitments (Amazon, Facebook, Mercedes, Nestle, General Mills, Microsoft, Exxon, Netflix, etc.) and say "Only 8%? Yeah, we're going to see a lot more of these commitments coming down the pike."

At #forestproud, we're glass half-full kind of people. So, if you ask us, this is surely just the beginning.

It's About Forests 🌲🌲

Whether mentioned directly or indirectly, forests and natural climate solutions are a thread that is consistently pulled through each of these Net Zero commitments. When companies talk about "investing in projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere" or "projects that prevent carbon from entering our atmosphere", what they're talking about (explicitly or not) is forest and forest products. Carbon offsets, tree planting, material substitutions, packaging alternatives - these natural, renewable, and sustainable solutions start with healthy forests.

Tree planting and reforestation campaigns have come to solidify themselves as the tip of the spear for Net Zero campaigns. No doubt driven in part by its simplicity and positive public perception by those least familiar with the nuances of the forest sector, there is a tremendous opportunity to build on this momentum and use it to dive deeper into the intricacies of forest management and other topics that really explain not only who the sector is and what we do, but why we're critical in the fight against climate change.

It is why one of our goals this year is to increase the overall share of voice of the forests in carbon and climate change conversations. The goal is to support and further drive conversations around forest solutions by being a credible, authentic, and dynamic voice that connects the dots between forests - and all the products and benefits they provide - and the role they play as the most powerful solution we have fighting climate change.

- The #forestproud team

Reimagining Our Cities

Biomass + Renewable Energy, Carbon + Climate Change, Careers, Cities, Forest Management, Innovation, Mass Timber, People, Products, Urban Forests

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For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in a city.

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North Country Calling

Meet the young professionals who call the Northern Forest home

The Northern Forest Center and Northern Woodlands magazine collaborated to produce North Country Calling, a video series profiling young professionals who have chosen the Northern Forest as their home.

"The future of our region hinges on young people like these — individuals who have sought and found a satisfying blend of work, community, fun and friends in rural communities. We’re energized to see the rewarding lives that Sierra, John, Rachel and Helon have created for themselves and hope their stories will inspire other young people to make their homes in the Northern Forest." - Center President Rob Riley.

Here’s a glimpse of the people you’ll meet:

Sierra Giraud, a forester in Lancaster, NH, feels a strong connection to the woods through her work and her exploration of the natural world on the weekends.
John Moses traded high-priced, West Coast city living for a rewarding job in a sawmill and a home of his own near the mountains of northern New Hampshire.
Rachel Freierman has put down roots in the White Mountains, where she works as an outdoor educator and runs a small farm in Bartlett, NH.
Helon Hoffer hikes to his work as a trail manager for the US Forest Service. He is passionate about skiing, biking and taking his young children outside to explore.
Jesse Wright appreciates the sense of community that has formed around farming and forest stewardship in northern New Hampshire. She has worked at the intersection of land conservation and agriculture, supporting local growers in the Mount Washington Valley.
Eli Smith divides his year between creative arts and backcountry skiing. He draws inspiration from nature and expresses it in the pottery he creates at his wheel.

The filmmaker, Asher Brown of Lyme, NH, is a recent graduate of Middlebury College. He spent a day with each of these subjects and has captured their enthusiasm for challenging careers related to the region’s working landscape.

The Northern Forest Center believes in the potential of the region’s communities, people and landscape to support a New Forest Future. Take a look at these short films to see the New Forest Future in action.

Original article posted on 06/11/2020

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