Integrated Community-Based Forestry: The Greenleaf Model
Greenleaf is looking for people interested in collaborating to adapt or adopt our model in their own communities.
Please contact us if you are interested! Or join us! len.at.greenleaf@gmail.com
The following is an outline of our model, beginning with forming ideas and goals and progressing to putting those ideas into practice. Please see our pages on Harvesting Small-Diameter Trees, Holistic Values & Criteria, and a Creating Sustainable Forestry & Wood Products Community for an in-depth look at specific aspects of Greenleaf's model. We
hope you see how these ideas could be used in your community.
1. Choosing an integrated approach for forest success means fulfilling many goals at once:
Building local, positive, sustainable relationships
of people and forests
Concentrating on caring for a place over a very long period of time
Continuous stewardship contracting for a system of environmental care
Keeping forests intact and productive
Fostering creative and interesting jobs
Offering a variety of services and products for business depth and adaptability
Perpetual "wonderful woods!" (both forests and products)
Integrated = Combining Services + Products
A. Services: using a service paradigm for selected landowners in contrast to "selling timber"
Nationwide, we now have many landowners who put more value on keeping, not
selling their best trees
Forests contribute one-half of land values in
recreational ownerships
New owners and new motivations are taking control of
forests in high-value landscapes
These owners and motivations pose an important opportunity for successful community-based forestry
Defining holistic, sustainable forestry: The Integrated Model...
Must look at all interacting factors - the "Whole"
Re-define "sustainable" as requiring the following to be accomplished:
Build and maintain long-term relationships
Include the forest structure, inventory, growth and total ecological environment
Include the social environment(ownership, community stakeholders, veto-holders)
And include the economic environment (markets, other businesses, profit)
From all this, determine your values and goals
And imagine what you want to be! (That vision can happen!)
Setting GOALS -- for a model business: The Model also integrates important goals...
To be a business (not a non-profit) that is self-sustaining (i.e. a viable business)
To serve the long-term needs of local forests and the
community
To improve and foster a positive relationship
between the forest and community
To better match forest resource quantity and resource needs to
economic use
And to be a model adaptable to many other
communities
The complete Model must be Community-Centered... the business must:
Involve the local community for support
Help both landowners and forest users
Create and retain many good jobs
Make products supporting the local economy
Protect the local environment
Improve the
forest resource
Nurture a small company
culture: ownership, employee involvement, creative business management, being "up
front and personal" in customer relationships
Plan and act to be a
sustainable business
2. Compare methods of normal commercial timber industry to integrated community based forestry
A. LOW-VALUE COMMERCIAL TIMBER SALES CREATE DRAWBACKS: (Many foresters have experienced them:)
Normal economics dictate cutting only the best, biggest and straightest trees, or other high-quantity harvesting
Use large expensive machines and few workers
Massive quantities of only the best materials are produced at low margins
Forest structure & health, and even worker safety, are compromised
Massive waste is left on the ground, with slow degradation in our cold climate
Conclusion: These conditions are not ideal for landscape, high-value forests.
B. CONTRAST the above TO HIGH-VALUE INTEGRATED COMMUNITY-BASED FORESTRY-- Use our following imagination series ...You can imagine the ideal situation:
Imagine: "Custom Loggers" that really are Landscape Forestry Teams, that are:
Paid to remove what's best for the forest
Practice very selective harvesting is practiced and trees are planted
Promote forest health and worker safety
Do not expect wood products to pay all their way out of the forest
Create "designer forests"!
Imagine: A wood factory that can use anything profitably
Utilizes all material removed from forest treatments by the Landscape Foresters:
Slash to sawlogs (as solid wood products for maximum benefits)
Any species
Any diameter
"Defective"
wood--this may actually be "character" wood of more value.
Imagine: A true community
forest
Which is not left in decline
With planned management, considering the forest, wildlife, and landscape first
With all the owners doing their part, either themselves or by cooperative contracts
Where economic products support forest care
Imagine: What would it take to build such a business?
Understanding the goals and testing all decisions by them
Determination to do it
Plenty of time
Skilled people of like interest
Continuous open-minded learning
Financial and business help
Conclusion: The above criteria are ideal for sustainable, community-based forestry.
3. The Greenleaf Model puts it all together: By combining cycles (A, B, C) below:
Cycle A. Conservation Forestry Management Services --
Forest Health -- management for the future, with forestry crews performing operations in:
Fire hazard mitigation
Disease control
Forest restoration
Nursery operations
And specialized, selective forestry management services:
Commercial timber sales for sustainable harvesting on larger tracts, or first steps on some landscape forestry projects to use wood values
Forest growth and resource use
Forest management plans for long-term and coordinated regional forest health
Nursery Operations
Tree planting
Transplanting - hand and machine
Growing transplant tree plantations
Using regeneration trees for forest improvements and crops
Forest Health - equipment and results
Purchases of tractors, trucks, saws, etc. in sizes and numbers to gradually step into growing variety of work
Keeping to old equipment allows larger internal work capacities, and testing services and client interest at lower investment
But it leads to hiring many mechanics! (This could actually be a good thing for the whole business.)
Cycle B. Sustainable Wood Products
Utilization of small diameter timber, beetle kill, and other traditionally non-commercial forest materials for:
Rough cut lumber, pole & log products
Furniture, furnishings
Cabins, cabin components, and kits
Firewood, sawdust and mulch
Cycle C. Working as A Community-Centered Enterprise
Helping local resource-based non-profits
Local conservation groups
Local land trust organizations (regarding conservation easements)
Grants and internships sponsored by
Regional Resource Conservation and Development Council (R.C.& D.)
Local Advisory Board participation from interested landowners and forest users
Examples include:
Sponsoring forest ecology hikes
Participating in public meetings
Building a community project, like the Westcliffe Park Roundwood Pavilion
Cycle D. Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Employees
The Greenleaf expansive business plan allows room for talent and growth
Employees are cross-trained for diverse expertise and seasonal work
Special employee interests are accommodated and encouraged
Grant assistance: find possible grants to train employees
Integrated Organization = Jobs
Example: Greenleaf at Westcliffe now employs 8- 10 full time workers, with lots of room for
more
Conclusion: The Greenleaf Model "cycles" integrate full forestry.
4. Opening up the process to others: Students, Businesses & Policy Makers
The Model includes: a.STUDENTS: Interns and
apprentices learn on-the-job:
Master's degree projects, summer work experiences, apprenticeships, are designed to:
Research community-based
forestry enterprises and revise business model for expanding to many
communities
Design an educational system
for Greenleaf - internships, apprenticeships, classes, workshops
Design wood product lines,
build prototypes, and prepare marketing materials
Develop a forest stewardship
contract system (co-op or association) for small forest owners and other
stakeholders to share in a locally-based forest care and products business
