Forest Resources Association Celebrates National Forest Products Week
Please join us October 16-22 as FRA recognizes and shows appreciation for the nation’s forest products industry as we highlight its key economic resources and millions of American jobs. Over the past two and a half years, we have had to learn how to navigate and adapt to an ever-changing environment. It has not been easy, and yet throughout the adversity, we’ve witnessed incredible resiliency in the forest products industry. This year’s National Forest Products week, President Biden recommits to “conserving, restoring, and revitalizing forests at home and abroad to preserve our environment and protect an important pillar of our economy.” (Presidential Proclamation 10.14.2022) We commend the recognition of sustainable forestry as wildfires grow more frequent and their results more devastating. We are encouraged that proper forest management is at the forefront of national initiatives.
The wood fiber supply chain is a logistics network that plays an essential role in providing raw materials that are used to make the forest products we use every day. All parts of the chain, including loggers, timber haulers, landowners, foresters, and the manufacturers who transform the product into paper, lumber, engineered wood products, energy, and many other products, contribute to a dynamic wood supply chain. The forest products industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in America. It represents “approximately four percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures nearly $300 billion in products annually, employs approximately 950,000 people, and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states.” (AF&PA Better Practices, Better Planet 2030: Sustainable Products for a Sustainable Future.) That is surely something to celebrate.
FRA looks forward to taking time this week to promote elements of our industry that contribute to making it the world-class wood supply chain it is today. As one of our initiatives, FRA shares its work to address one of the forest products industry’s most significant challenges – safety.
We focus on industry safety practices through our Safety Alerts and highlight partner organizations such as TEAM Safe Trucking and the Timber Harvesting and Transportation Safety Foundation, who are both working hard to ensure the wood supply chain remains safe.
FRA also supports research to improve the safety and affordability of timber haulers transporting raw forest products from the woods to the mill. This was used to support and create the language for the Safe Routes Act, legislation that would make transportation safer and more efficient, as well as reduce the carbon footprint of hauling raw forest products.
Over this past year, FRA also produced multiple webinars on safety both in the field and in the cyber world.
We share how FRA members practice sustainability in the industry, from the land to the consuming mills. Our industry leaders work daily to create a competitive supply chain and ensure its greatest resource, forests, are well managed and maintained for generations to come. FRA is doing its part to advocate for sustainability in Washington, D.C., by supporting biomass carbon neutrality.
FRA has also developed state-level report cards that show the role of forestland in sequestering and storing carbon. As the climate change discussion continues, the report cards are useful tools to show the importance of managed forestlands to address climate change at the national, regional, and state levels.
FRA additionally works to assure that a workforce is available to re-plant forestlands on public and private ownerships following catastrophic events such as wildfires and hurricanes, or following a timber harvest. H2B Workforce Initiatives
We also detail industry workforce solutions demonstrating how the wood supply chain prepares for the future. FRA is tackling this issue head-on. Through initiatives formed like the Western Region’s Workforce Connections, a dedicated task force with the goal of addressing labor shortages in the region, a committed section of our Job Board to Hiring Veterans, and the Thru The Trees video contest, which works with several partner organizations to engage high school students to learn more about the forest industry. For this contest, students are invited to create and submit a video that provides information about the value of a career in the forest products sector. Please visit thruthetrees.org for more details.
Please join us as we celebrate this 62nd National Forest Products Week – a time to recognize and advocate for the entire forest value chain that delivers the valuable forest products we all rely on in our daily lives. Engage with us by promoting the essential and sustainable nature of forest products using the hashtag #ForestProductsWeek. And don’t forget to follow us on social media:
