Research

SmartWood Certification Assessment of Essex Timber Lands. February - June 2001. The Principal of YWA participated as socio-economist with a three-member interdisciplinary team to conduct management assessment of 83,000 acres of private forestland according to criteria established by the Forest Stewardship Council. Contact Mark Lorenzo, National Wildlife Federation, 58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 229-0650.

New York Sustainable Forestry Survey.  May - August 2000. YWA prepared, distributed, developed a database, entered data and Empire State Forest Products Association, 828 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12203, (518) 426-9502.

SmartWood Certification Assessment of New York State May 1998 - January 1999. YWA coordinated the design and implementation of public involvement needed for assessing the management of 700,000 acres of New York State multiple-use forest land for Smartwood certification. Activities included press releases, key informant interviews, design of a series of public meetings, facilitation of a technical advisory committee, and compilation of the final assessment report. Contact Mark Lorenzo, National Wildlife Federation, 58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 229-0650.

Northeast SmartWood Certification Guidelines for Assessing Forest Management. May - December 1998. YWA performed a review of the SmartWood certification guidelines for green certification of logs, lumber and wood products.  Linking consumer consciousness with sustainable forestry practices, the assessment was conducted with special attention given to social and community interaction with forest resources.  This review  was in response to a request by the Northeast Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation. Contact Mark Lorenzo, National Wildlife Federation, 58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 229-0650.

Forest Land Bank Feasibility Study, Center for Compatible Economic Development of The Nature Conservancy. July - November 1998. YWA worked in conjunction with Robert J. Turner Co. to assemble data on timber production, markets, and price trends to evaluate the financial feasibility of a forest land bank in western New York. The work was conducted on behalf of The Nature Conservancy’s Center for Compatible Economic Development.  Contact Robert Turner, R J Turner Company, 656 Vermont Route17, Bristol, VT 05443, (802) 453-2171, or Kent Gilges, Center for Compatible Economic Development, The Nature Conservancy, 339 East Avenue, Suite 300, Rochester, NY 14604, (716) 232-3530.

Fund for Rural America Planning Grant.  September 1997 - February 1998. YWA, in collaboration with the Forest Trust of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the National Network of Forest Practitioners, received a Planning Grant from the Fund for Rural America to develop a national center to create and support citizens' research capacity in rural, forest-dependent communities. The Planning Grant process included site visits to communities in New Mexico, Vermont and Kentucky to determine which services of such a center would benefit communities the most. Contact Henry Carey, Executive Director, Forest Trust, PO Box 519, Santa Fe, NM 87504, (505) 983-8992.

Northeast Stewardship Project Forest Resource Center, Pre-Feasibility Study. June - November 1997. YWA prepared a study for a Forest Resource Center, including a forest heritage program, an incubator for secondary wood processing companies, and a training program for loggers.  The study also researched and compared similar initiatives from around the United States, and includes findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for next steps for the Northeast Stewardship Project.  Contact Jim Wood, Northeast Stewardship Project, PO Box 374, Concord, VT 05824, (802) 695-1006.

Tug Hill Eastern Core Forest.   June - July 1997. YWA used telephone interviews and literature reviews to prepare a case study based on the collaborative efforts of the East Branch of Fish Creek Working Group to conserve and protect the Tug Hill Eastern Core Forest. Contact Jonathan Kusel, Forest Community Research, PO Box 11, Taylorsville, CA 95983, (916) 284-1022 and Bob Quinn, Executive Director, Tug Hill Commission, 317 Washington Street, 10^th Floor, Watertown, NY 13601, (315) 785-2380.

Flexible Manufacturing Network for Wood Products Firms. July 1995 - January 1997. YWA prepared a paper on Flexible Manufacturing Networks for Wood Products Firms for the Maine Rural Development Council and the Maine State Planning Office. The paper includes discussion of the network concept and profiles of U.S.-based wood product networks, and a brief summary of lessons learned from past experience. Contact Jim Connors, Maine State Planning Office, 184 State Street, Augusta, ME 04333, (207) 287-3261.

Forest Stewardship and Economic Development in Rural Communities. June - November 1996. Received a grant from the Vermont Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to prepare a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant proposal. YWA proposed to develop a Participatory Training Program for Forest Stewardship and Economic Development in Rural Communities. Contact Dr. Christopher Allen, University of Vermont and State Agriculture College, Chemistry Department, Cook Building, UVM, Burlington , VT 05405, (802) 656-7969.

Northern New York Maple Cooperative. June - November 1990. YWA worked with the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency to prepare a business plan with recommendations for organizational development of the Northern New York Maple Producers Cooperative, Inc. of Lewis County, New York.  Results identified organizational weaknesses, prepared market analysis, and evaluated three alternative production and marketing scenarios for maple syrup.  The plan was used to secure funding to hire a marketing specialist for the cooperative. Contact Ned Cole, Lewis County Industrial Development Agency, 7642 State Street, PO Box 106, Lowville, NY 13367, (315) 376-3014.

Facilitation

Maine Low Impact Forestry Project.  May 1999 - February 2000. YWA facilitated a series of focus groups on starting a value-adding forest landowners cooperative to be coordinated bby the Maine Low Impact Forestry Project of the Hancock County Planning Commission. Participants included approximately 30 landowners with varying levels of experience in forest management. Contact Ron Poitras, Hancock County Planning Commission, 395 State Street, Ellsworth, ME 04605, (207) 667-7131.

NNFP - Under One Roof. April - June 1999. YWA facilitated three workshops entitled “Under One Roof: Exploring New Ways of Working Together in the Northern Forest,” sponsored by the National Network of Forest Practitioners. These workshops brought together small groups of people from northern New England with varying interests in forestry and forest products. Participants were invited to share personal perspectives from their work and visions for the future of the Northern Forest and the forest products industry. They identified mutual interests and common needs for additional information to facilitate better decision-making. Contact Thomas Brendler, National Network of Forest Practitioners, Northeast Regional Office, 305 South Main Street , Providence, RI 02903, (401) 273-6507.

Northeast Stewardship Project Forest Resource Center, Feasibility Study. December 1998 - September 1999. YWA evaluated the feasibility of establishing a facility and demonstration forest to support and coordinate progressive logger training for the region encompassing northern Vermont and New Hampshire. This project was based upon our pre-feasibility work  documenting lessons learned from forest heritage programs, incubators for secondary wood processing companies, and logger training programs from around the U.S.  

SmartWood Certification (assessment) of New York State Forest Lands.  May 1998 - January 1999. YWA coordinated the design and implementation of public involvement needed in assessing the management of 700,000 acres of New York State multiple-use forest land for SmartWood certification. Activities included press releases, key informant interviews, design of a series of public meetings, facilitation of a technical advisory committee, and compilation of the final assessment report. Contact Eric Palola, 58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 229-0650.

Training

See The Forest® – Phase II.  September 2000 – March 2004. The Southern New England Forest Consortium sponsored development of materials and implementation of See the Forest for communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Participants learned about forest health, forest economics, and institutional arrangements governing forests in each of their communities. They developed goals, indicators, measures, and actions regarding their local forested resources. For example,  in Burrillville, Rhode Island, community members conducted a survey of residents to determine how forests are used for recreation and made plans for a trail map in order to encourage residents to utilize the full range of forest resources in the community.   Contact: Chris Modisette, Southern New England Forest Consortium, P.O. Box 760, Chepachet, RI 02814, (401) 568-1610.

See The Forest – Phase I. May 1998 - October 1999. Worked with conservation commissions in Starksboro and Huntington, Vermont to develop an interactive workbook and training program designed to help communities integrate forests into their thinking and planning for stewardship and economic development. The program, which includes five training modules, was developed as a pilot and funded by U.S.D.A.’s Small Business Innovations in Research program. The program was successfully test marketed in New York and West Virginia . Contact Charles Cleland, Director, SBIR Program, USDA/SBIR STOP 2243, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250, (202) 401-6852; Robert Turner, R J Turner Co., 656 Vermont Route 17, Bristol, VT 05443, (802) 453-2171; Michaela Stickney, 1520 Moody Road, Huntington, VT 05462, (802) 229-2938.

Strategic Planning

Wood Products Development Strategy for Northern New York.  June 1990 - April 1991.  On behalf of the Adirondack North Country Association, YWA prepared a detailed primary and secondary wood product development strategy for six counties in northern New York.  Work included extensive field and phone interviews with wood products manufacturers within and outside the region, focused literature review, industry analysis and bench marking to uncover the key characteristics of successful wood products firms in specific markets. Contact Terry Martino, Adirondack North Country Association, 28 St. Bernard Street, Saranac Lake, NY 12983, (518) 891-6200.  

Evaluation

Aspen Institute.  May – October 2002.  The Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group, which is administering the Ford Foundation’s Community-based Forestry Initiative in the United States, invited Shanna Ratner of Yellow Wood Associates to review and analyze the monitoring plans of nine program participants.  Participants include:  The Watershed Center (CA), National Wildlife Federation (VT), Healthy Communities, Healthy Forests (WA), Rural Action (OH), Uncompaghgre (CO), Penn Center (SC), New England Forest Foundation (MA), Alliance of Workers and Harvesters (Pacific Northwest), and Jobs and Biodiversity (NM).  The analysis highlighted themes that were important to participants in the areas of economy, forests, community, and organizational development, and formed the basis of discussion at a national retreat for program participants.  Contact Susan LeVan, USDA Forest Service, Forests Products Laboratory, One Gifford, Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53705-2398, (608) 231-9518.

Integrated Service Delivery for Secondary Wood Processors.   July 1995 - May 1996. YWA worked with the Maine State Rural Development Council to evaluate a program providing integrated service to secondary wood processors in five areas of the state.  The work involved literature review, on-site interviews, focus groups, analysis, and recommendations for improvement. Contact Bob Ho, Maine Rural Development Council, 104 Libby Hall, Orono, ME 04669, (207) 581-3192.

Service

National Network of Forest Practitioners.  Shanna Ratner, principal of YWA is a founding member of the National Network of Forest Practitioners,  serving on the organization’s Executive Committee, and as Chair of the Research Subcommittee.  Ms. Ratner  worked with the Forest Trust staff and subcommittee members to develop a research process bringing trained researchers, forest practitioners, and community members together to solve issues identified by communities and practitioners related to forest-based community development. Contact Henry Carey, Forest Trust, PO Box 519, Santa Fe, NM 87504, (617) 338-7821.

New York State Governor's Council on Forest Resources. October 1994 - January 1995. Shanna Ratner, Principal of YWA, served on statewide council to improve industry - government communications, and strengthen the forest products industry of New York State.  Ms. Ratner served as the Chair of the Public Awareness Subcommittee.  She participated in a fact-finding mission to the states of Washington and Oregon to learn about forest industry support programs. Contact Bernadette Kulas, NYS Department of Economic Development, 1 Commerce Plaza, Albany, NY 12245, (518) 473-4886.  

National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region

March 2000 – 2004. $780,000. Citizens and communities of the Northern Forest region have demonstrated the power of local knowledge and participatory research thanks to a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of four years, the National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region trained local community researchers, fostered new relationships between communities and the traditional research establishment, and created new ways for rural people to access information and participate effectively in natural resource decision-making.

The Northern Forest Regional Center of the National Community Forestry Center was created and administered by Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. of St. Albans, Vermont, and served Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and central and eastern New York. The Center helped rural people conduct and use research to inform decision-making about forest resources. To fulfill this purpose, the Center created a citizens’ Advisory Council with members from four states and many walks of life and focused on adding value to the work of communities, organizations, and institutions in the region who share a vision of healthy communities and healthy forests.

The Center’s activities have included developing a network of partnerships with like-minded organizations; assisting rural communities in defining research agendas and engaging scientists in participatory research; conducting targeted research to address region-wide issues and opportunities; responding to requests for information and technical assistance related to community forestry; establishing communication channels to facilitate information sharing and networking across the region; creating and sustaining the activities of an advisory council and technical advisors, and working intensively with six communities. The Center’s work has included qualitative and quantitative research as well as facilitation and training. To receive further information about the National Community Forestry Center, Northern Forest Region contact Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., 228 N. Main Street, St. Albans, VT  05478, (802) 524-6141, yellowwood@yellowwood.org. Browse information on www.ncfcnfr.net for more information about the Center and access to Center resources including publications and searchable databases.

The National Community Forestry Center was a project of the National Network of Forest Practitioners. Network members share an interest in rural community development based upon sustainable forestry. The grant, which provided funding over four years, was the result of a highly competitive national process through the Fund for Rural America. The National Community Forestry Center was the only project of six centers funded that was not located at a land grant university and tested an alternative model of research, education, and extension to meet the needs of rural Americans.  Contact Henry Carey, Executive Director, The Forest Trust, PO Box 519, Santa Fe, NM 87504, (505) 983-8992.  

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