Forestry Cooperatives

Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land represents approximately 48 percent of the forest land cover in the United States, and conscientious stewardship of these forests is a perennial issue facing natural resource professionals. In an attempt to draw on the strengths of NIPF ownership, some entrepreneurial forest landowners are developing forest landowner cooperatives. In this proceedings of a satellite conference, we present information designed to help natural resource professionals and cooperative development specialists to: (1) gain a better understanding of cooperatives and a deeper insight into some of the successes and challenges of cooperatives; (2) evaluate whether the forestry cooperative model is right for your area and, if so, how to further the discussion locally; (3) see how cooperatives can complement other landowner assistance programs such as Tree Farm, Forest Stewardship, and woodland owner associations; and (4) hear first hand about the experiences of forestry cooperative initiatives in Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Washington.

The Forest Products Marketing Laboratory of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service's Northeastern Forest Experiment Station has been studying the history of the forestry cooperative, and has analyzed the experiences of the cooperatives that have failed as well as those that have succeeded. In addition, the New Services Division of the U.S.D.A. Farmer Cooperative Service has a continuous program of research to assist members and managers of cooperatives. Out of these studies we can offer some practical guidelines to any group that is thinking about starting a forestry cooperative.

S2This bibliography is a comprehensive listing of domestic articles and research papers, as well as foreign research papers, about forest cooperatives. The compilation was made in conjunction with and as a byproduct of a formal socio-economic analysis of forestry associations. The articles concern, directly or indirectly, the activities of cooperative associations formed by forest landowners to market timber and timber products.S3.

Monograph on the organisation of forestry cooperatives - covers forest policy, cooperation in the field of forest conservation, etc., and includes a survey of forests by countries. Illustrations and statistical tables.