Growing Diversity in Forestry
Grow. Sustain. Belong.
Inclusion Council fosters inclusive workplaces, empowers sustainable practices, and drives an equitable future in the forest and wood products sector.
Our Vision
The future of the U.S. forest and wood products sector requires a diverse and inclusive workforce.
We are committed to creating inclusive workplaces, ensuring everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to contribute to sustainable forestry practices.
Our Mission
Our mission is to develop and complete a National Action Plan for accomplishing our vision within the US forest and wood products sector.
Our Story
In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities created the US Forests and Wood Products Sector Inclusion Council (Inclusion Council) to carry out a National Action Plan to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the forest sector.
So far, we have made significant strides towards inviting the forestry sector into a broader conversation related to:
Attracting new talent
Closing workforce gaps
Engaging the opportunities of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) head-on
“The Inclusion Council’s emerging work is vital to our collective community’s efforts to foster the long-term resilience of the forests and wood products sector, both private and public. The future viability of this sector depends on efforts such as these to sustain healthy and resilient forests. The U.S. Forest Service is excited to be an active participant in this endeavor.”
– Angela Coleman, Associate Chief of USDA Forest Service
The National Action Plan
Our initial objectives include:
Research and Survey: Initiating a comprehensive research and survey process to comprehend the workforce challenges and diversity barriers within the sector.
Learning Labs: Launching a series of Learning Labs to share diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices from forestry industry leaders.
Building a Community of Practice: Convening DEI practitioners, advocates, and champions from within the sector to build a community of practice around strengthening the sector workforce.
Members of the Inclusion Council
We’re not all DEI experts.
We are sector leaders who care about the future of our workforce and industry.
Our strength lies in the diversity and collaboration of our broad cross-section of industry leaders, including private, government, academic, and forestry and wood products initiative professionals.