Forestry Basics

Forestry involves a wide scope of activities related to forest health and management, while logging is more focused on the practical aspect of tree removal and timber processing.

Forestry encompasses a wide range of activities related to the management of forests and woodlands. Foresters are primarily responsible for the conservation and sustainable management of forests. They develop plans to manage and conserve forest resources, often with a broader ecological perspective. Their tasks may include monitoring forest health, designing silvicultural practices, and educating the public about forests. Foresters typically have formal education in forestry, often from a university, and work for state or federal agencies, private companies, or nonprofits. Several states require a license to practice forestry.

Logging specifically refers to the harvesting of timber. Loggers specialize in the physical task of removing trees and processing them into logs. They use various tools and equipment to safely fell trees and prepare them for transport to sawmills or other processing facilities. While some loggers might receive on-the-job training, others attend formal training and certification programs offered by various states and organizations. Loggers typically work for logging companies or sawmills. Several states require a certain amount of training and experience to obtain a license to be a logger.

Working forests are timberland that has been carefully managed to provide a steady, renewable supply of wood for lumber, energy, paper and packaging, or more than 5,000 items that consumers use every day.

Working forests can be either privately or publicly owned.

Private working forests are owned by individuals, families, small and large businesses, and an increasing number of Americans who invest in working forests for retirement. There are about 360 million acres of private working forests in the U.S., accounting for nearly half (47%) of our total forestland.

Public working forests are owned by local, state, and federal governments, conservation organizations, and other public entities. In addition to providing timber resources, these lands are often used for public recreation, wildlife habitat, and environmental protection.

Working forests are an important part of the total forest resources in the U.S. All forests provide value, and differing forest types can maximize the economic and environmental benefits forests provide on a large scale.

TIR implements some of the highest standards of sustainable forest management (SFM) in the world.

Forestry practices in the U.S. are often considered superior to many other areas of the world due to a combination of factors. The U.S. benefits from a diverse range of forest ecosystems, enabling specialized and adaptive management practices. In the U.S., there is also a significant emphasis on sustainable forestry, driven by both market demands and a comprehensive regulatory framework that balances environmental, economic, and social interests.

Many U.S. timberland managers use advanced technological and scientific approaches for forest management. These can include a geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing to monitor, map, and manage forest resources.

The large scale of private ownership, 47% of all forests, along with strong public interest and engagement in forestry issues, further contributes to a robust and progressive forestry sector. Economic productivity is able to be achieved without compromising environmental stewardship.

Because of the modern and sustainable forestry practices employed by our firm and other timberland owners, the U.S. enjoys some of the most abundant, productive, and sustainable forest resources in the world.

Forests in the U.S. are managed for different purposes, including conservation, recreation, and the harvesting of forest products.

Most private forest owners, including TIR, sustainably manage their working forests using scientifically rigorous standards, systems, policies, and procedures that are incorporated into forest management plans that address environmental, social, and economic considerations. Generally, the trees in our forests being harvested today were specifically planted to be harvested years ago and have been managed since then using sustainable forest management (SFM) techniques.

Key elements of a typical forest management plan include:

• Forest management objectives and ecological goals;
• A legal description of the property and boundaries;
• Maps showing management areas, resources, and special considerations;
• Current forest conditions (e.g., the species, age, size, and health of trees);
• Conservation and best management practices for soil conservation, wildlife habitat, water resources, etc.;
• Schedules for thinning, final harvest, reforestation, etc.;
• Modeling of growth and desired future forest conditions;
• Certification commitments, including recordkeeping, ongoing auditing oversight, and stakeholder engagement; and
• Input from foresters, biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, economists, sustainability and certification specialists, and other stakeholders.

Large forest owners often integrate these elements into robust large-scale systems that maintain data and information for implementing sustainable forest management across their landscape. This establishes sustainability as the standard operating procedure across millions of acres of private working forests in the U.S.

A forest is “a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract,” and timberland is “wooded land especially with marketable timber.” The words “forest” and “timberland” are often used interchangeably but as a sector, we typically use “timberland” as a reference to working forests – forests that are used in some form for commercial applications.

Deforestation occurs when forests are converted permanently or semi-permanently to another land use, such as real estate development or agriculture. Deforestation does not happen through sustainable forestry operations. Sustainably harvesting forests for forest products is not deforestation when forests are replanted or regrown.

When most people think of deforestation, they often picture the clearing of the Amazon rainforest or palm oil plantations. This is drastically different than the reality of forestry in the U.S., where tree harvesting is meticulously planned and monitored, and primarily occurring in areas specifically planted for the purpose of producing sustainable forest products. U.S. private forest owners understand the economic, social, and environmental benefits of ensuring a forest stand is regrown as quickly and healthily as possible to ensure the forest remains intact and functioning.

The U.S. has had a stable amount of forest area since the 1950s because of sustainable forest management (SFM). A core principle of SFM is the continuous cycle of growth, harvest, and regrowth to keep forests intact. The standard practice is to replant within a year of timber harvesting to ensure a healthy and reestablished forest within five years of a harvest. The Forest Service projects that future forest loss in the U.S. will be driven by wildfire, expansion of urban areas, and conversion to agricultural uses.

Harvesting occurs on less than 2% of private working forests each year. Replanting occurs on roughly the same number of acres annually. This continuous cycle provides a mosaic of forest age and size classes across the landscape, which is beneficial for wildlife, water quality, carbon sequestration, and carbon storage. It also ensures a renewable and abundant natural resource for future generations.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the long-term care and stewardship of forests to balance and maintain their environmental, economic, and social benefits today and in the future. TIR views sustainable forest management as a vital part of our culture as stewards of the land, not just something that is good business or a social responsibility.

Many forests in the U.S. are certified under sustainable forestry certifications programs offered by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and America Tree Farm System (ATFS). Forests managed to one of these organization’s certifications have management regimes that ensure sustainability.

Sustainable forest management is widely adopted by the forest sector in the U.S., which is one of the reasons the country has enjoyed stable forest cover for much of the last century. This stands in contrast to many parts of the world, where unsustainable practices are more common.

Sustainable forest management ensures that our forests are managed using scientifically rigorous standards, systems, policies, and procedures incorporated into forest management plans. The core principle of sustainable forest management is the continuous cycle of growth, harvest, and regrowth.

Regrowing forests after sustainably harvesting timber is an entire field of scientific study. Depending on forest ecology, regrowing harvested forests is done by planting seedlings or through natural regeneration, where the forest is managed so it regrows on its own as it would after a natural disturbance.

Each year, forest owners of all types plant more than 1 billion seedlings. TIR alone plants more than 10 million seedlings annually as part of our sustainable forestry practices.

Climate-smart forestry is a dynamic and adaptable approach within sustainable forest management (SFM) that optimizes climate adaptation and mitigation outcomes. These outcomes include:

• Stable or increased carbon sequestration and storage;
• Mitigation of severe wildfire risks;
• Assurance that forests remain intact through continuous cycles of growth, harvest, and regrowth;
• Displacement of carbon-intensive materials through the production of sustainable, renewable, carbon-conscious products;
• Healthy and resilient forests;
• Alignment of climate benefits with the needs of rural communities; and
• Forest adaptation to a changing climate.

Climate-smart forestry is guided by science and can adapt to different regions, forest types, and changing conditions. It recognizes the vital role of different forest types, including TIR’s managed forests, in achieving climate solutions.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) ensures forests remain forests through continuous cycles of growth, harvest, and regrowth. This is critical to mitigating climate change, as forests absorb, sequester, and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Private working forests like those managed by our firm provide nearly 80% of the annual net sequestration and 51% of the carbon stored in all U.S. forests.

In some instances, a forest’s ability to sequester and store carbon is used in carbon-offset programs, typically through afforestation (establishing a forest on land not previously forested) or through improved forest management.

Using wood products in place of more carbon-intensive materials can also improve climate outcomes. Wood is renewable and great at storing carbon, especially if the wood comes from a sustainably managed forest.

If steel and concrete were a country, their combined emissions would be the third largest in the world after the U.S. and China. The more wood we use in place of these and other carbon-intensive materials, the better – as long as we’re maintaining our forests.

Learn more about forests and climate change at www.ForestCarbonDataViz.org.

Climate change is increasing the threats to forests. Heat, drought, wildfires, diseases, and insects are some of the main culprits harming our forests. In some states, there are hundreds of millions of standing dead trees.

While active forest management isn’t the sole solution, it is a vital tool to help mitigate these threats. For example, sustainable forest management (SFM) practices, such as fuel-reduction treatments, fuel breaks, and forest roads, help mitigate the risk of severe wildfires. Investment in resilient seedlings and research-based management practices enhance forest productivity and resistance to climate change impacts.

Without immediate and sustained action, forest mortality will continue, and more forests will likely succumb to severe wildfire.

Sustainably managed forests and the wood products they provide are powerful tools for mitigating climate change. Many consider forests and forest products the most powerful natural climate solution available. As trees grow, they pull carbon from the atmosphere through the natural process of photosynthesis. This carbon is stored in their leaves, branches, and wood, as well as the forest floor, including the soil. There is no better land use for climate mitigation than a forest, and no better technology for capturing carbon than a forest.

In addition to the benefits provided by our forests, the production of new forest products adds roughly 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) each year to the 10 billion metric tons of CO2e already stored in existing harvested wood products. Long-lived wood products used in construction also provide additional carbon benefits as a substitute for traditional, non-renewable building materials that consume significantly more energy to produce.

Learn more about forests and climate change at www.ForestCarbonDataViz.org.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) can improve a forest’s natural ability to sequester (carbon capture) and store carbon. When you include carbon-storing wood products, the story gets even better.

Growing trees convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon and store it in their trunks, roots, branches, and leaves – much of it as wood and fiber that we use to make forest products. This process also releases oxygen, which is good for humans.

Forests do not sequester carbon at a linear rate over their lifetimes. They eventually slow sequestering and become net sources of carbon emissions through processes like respiration, decomposition, or wildfire-induced combustion. Sustainable forest management (SFM) yields a mosaic of forest conditions, including young forests that grow vigorously and pull carbon out of the atmosphere at higher rates than older forests. It also focuses on promoting forest health and producing wood products which continue to store carbon in the built environment through homes, buildings, kitchen tables, hardwood floors, and other long-lived wood products.

As stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fiber, or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit.”

Private working forests make up 47% of the overall forest acreage of the U.S. However, private working forests provide outsized carbon benefits, accounting for approximately 80% of the total net carbon sequestration and 51% of the carbon stored in all forests.

Learn more about forests and climate change at www.ForestCarbonDataViz.org.

Forests are essential to maintaining water quality and supply.

Through their natural structures and lifecycles, forests influence how precipitation flows into watersheds. Their trees function as filters by removing sediment, bacteria, pollution, and other contaminants as the water passes. Root systems anchor soil and other material to the forest floor, preventing erosion. These natural filtering and cleaning benefits are why forests are the best land use for protecting water resources.

Water moves differently through forested landscapes compared to other landscape uses. When it rains or snows on a forest, precipitation hits the forest canopy, which is then slowed and guided to the forest floor. As the water reaches the forest soils, most is absorbed and slowly released to nearby streams or groundwater aquifers.

Communities and ecosystems throughout the U.S. depend on forests for abundant, clean water. While forests comprise about one-third of the total land area in the U.S., they contribute 50% of the total available water supply. According to the U.S. Forest Service, nearly 30% of our nation’s drinking water comes from privately owned forests.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) includes a focus on maintaining and enhancing water quality and quantity, especially since forests shelter important river headwaters and groundwater recharge areas.

Sustainable forest management practices followed by TIR and other forest owners include a comprehensive program of state-approved water quality best management practices (BMPs) for forestry that are designed to protect water quality and habitat for aquatic organisms.

BMPs ensure forest management activities protect forest ecosystems and water resources by controlling soil erosion, managing surface water flows, and providing additional ecological safeguards. A large body of scientific evidence affirms the effectiveness of forestry BMPs to protect water quality.

Private working forest owners also make significant investments in restoring streams and removing or modifying human-made barriers to stream flow and fish passage. For example, forest road construction is highly technical, and forest owners make significant efforts to ensure that waterways are left unobstructed.

Forestry and logging can be beneficial to many types of wildlife. Sustainable forest management creates a mosaic of interconnected, high-quality forest conditions for native plant and animal species, including those that are common, at-risk, threatened, and endangered. Thousands of species rely on working forests for a wide variety of forest conditions, from young stands and open canopy pine stands to mature forest and protected riparian areas. Some songbirds, rabbits, deer and pollinators, for example, need young forests for at least part of their habitat needs.

The continuous cycle of growth, harvest, and regrowth, which is the core principle of sustainable forest management, helps create the varying forest habitats that animals need throughout the stages of their lives.

It may be counterintuitive, but forestry and logging can be beneficial to many types of wildlife under sustainable forest management (SFM).

Sustainable forest management creates a mosaic of interconnected forest conditions for native plant and animal species, including those that are common, at-risk, threatened, and endangered. Thousands of species rely on working forests for a wide variety of forest conditions, from young stands and open canopy pine stands to mature forest and protected riparian areas. Some songbirds, rabbits, deer and pollinators, for example, need young forests for at least part of their habitat needs.

The continuous cycle of growth, harvest, and regrowth, which is the core principle of sustainable forest management, helps create the varying forest habitats that animals need throughout the stages of their lives.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) creates and maintains corridors of forests for animals to naturally move through their entire range during each stage of their lifecycle. This helps prevent forest fragmentation, where loss of forest and small-block forests can negatively impact critical biodiversity enablers like temperature, wind speed, light and humidity.

By keeping forests as forests, sustainable forest management keeps common species common and helps support threatened, endangered, and at-risk species. Many forest owners also provide access to private land that would otherwise be off-limits to conservation and wildlife researchers.

TIR is a proud partner of Wildlife Conservation Initiative (WCI), which is just one aspect of our wildlife conservation efforts. The initiative brings together other members of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), and other stakeholders in a collaborative approach to species conservation.

In 2023, the Biden Administration highlighted the WCI as a new partnership to accelerate the conservation of at-risk species as part of their 2023 Conservation in Action Summit.

Forestry is a critical part of the U.S. economy and American-grown forest products support rural prosperity. Private working forests alone support nearly 2.5 million jobs, $108 billion in payroll and $288 billion in sales and manufacturing.

Private working forests are especially vital to rural prosperity through job creation and economic opportunities for local communities. Through sustainable forest management (SFM), forestry ensures a steady supply of timber that supports a stable market and generates income, tax revenue, and investments in rural infrastructure and services.

Unlike many industries, private working forests are part of a sector where economic and environmental benefits are not in competition. It is a mutually reinforcing and supporting symbiotic relationship.

See what forestry contributes to your state’s economy through this online tool.

People invest in what they value. When demand for forest products is strong, this increases the value of private working forests. People are then incentivized to invest in those forests and not convert them into high-value land uses like real estate development or agriculture.

This is especially important for small forest landowners deciding how to get the best return on investment possible from their land to support their families. If we can support these landowners with healthy markets for forest products, they will have an economic incentive to keep their land as forests.

A 2017 study by Forest2Market on the relationship between demand and forest productivity in the U.S. South concluded that “Increased demand for wood did not deplete forests in the U.S. South; instead, it encouraged landowners to invest in productivity improvements that dramatically increased the amount of wood fiber, and therefore the amount of carbon, contained in the South’s forests.”

Traditional products include wood, paper and packaging, post poles, and pilings. They are green, sustainable, renewable, biodegradable, recyclable, and essential for everyday life. In the U.S., about 90% of these products come from private working forests, with the remaining from publicly owned working forests.

In addition to these traditional forest products, new innovative products with economic and environmental benefits are being introduced. Examples include:

• Mass timber: This term covers several types of products for floor and wall framing, such as cross-laminated timber, nail-laminated timber, glued-laminated timber, and structural composite lumber. These abundant and renewable products allow us to build stronger, safer, and taller wood buildings. They also help architects, builders, and communities reduce their environmental footprints and support job growth, rural economies, and the sustainability of our nation’s forests.
• Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF): Made from non-petroleum and renewable feedstocks like forest wastes and wood, SAF is an alternative fuel that reduces emissions from air transportation. The first commercial flight powered entirely by SAF crossed the Atlantic Ocean in November 2023.
• Biobased plastics: These plastic materials are produced from renewable biomass sources that include wood chips and sawdust. Advances in wood-based plastics are on the horizon, with some commercially viable products potentially available in the near future.

Forests in the U.S. are managed for different purposes, including conservation, recreation, and the harvesting of forest products.

Most private forest owners sustainably manage their working forests using scientifically rigorous standards, systems, policies, and procedures that are incorporated into forest management plans that address environmental, social, and economic considerations. Generally, the trees in our forests being harvested today were specifically planted to be harvested decades ago and have been managed since then using sustainable forest management (SFM).

Key elements of a typical forest management plan include:

• Forest management objectives and ecological goals;
• A legal description of the property and boundaries;
• Maps showing management areas, resources, and special considerations;
• Current forest conditions (e.g., the species, age, size, and health of trees);
• Conservation and best management practices (soil conservation, wildlife habitat, water resources, etc.);
• Schedules for thinning, final harvest, reforestation, etc.;
• Modeling of growth and desired future forest conditions;
• Certification commitments, including recordkeeping, ongoing auditing oversight, and stakeholder engagement; and
• Input from foresters, biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, economists, sustainability and certification specialists, and other stakeholders.

Large forest owners often integrate these elements into robust large-scale systems that maintain data and information for implementing sustainable forest management across their landscape. This establishes sustainability as the standard operating procedure across millions of acres of private working forests in the U.S.

Sustainable forest management practices followed by TIR and other forest owners include a comprehensive program of state-approved water quality best management practices (BMPs) for forestry that are designed to protect water quality and habitat for aquatic organisms.

One such BMP is to establish streamside management zones (SMZs) around streams, rivers, and waterways, where harvests are limited, and special care is taken to protect ground cover around the body of water.

Serving as a buffer, an SMZ filters sediment and reduces runoff after rain or snow. These zones keep water clean and cool, maintaining habitat for fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and other species. They also provide habitat and travel corridors for a variety of other wildlife.

Clearcutting is a harvesting practice that removes most of the standing trees in a selected area at the same time. Under sustainable forest management, which TIR follows, only smaller areas within forests called stands are harvested. Trees harvested today are typically trees that were specifically planted decades ago to be harvested. In modern forestry, an entire forest is never clearcut.

Clearcuts are meticulously planned as part of sustainable forest management plans. Such planning takes into account the surrounding area around a planned harvest site.

While it might look more disruptive in the short term, clearcutting is the safest and fastest way to help our forests grow back quickly. It’s not a shortcut but instead an essential step in making sure forests keep thriving on a continuous cycle of growth, harvest, and regrowth.

Clearcutting mimics naturally occurring events like fires and windstorms, creating openings in the forest and space for new trees to take root, mature, and thrive. Open clearings in forests are good for wildlife species that need different stages of forest growth. These areas receive more sunlight and create ideal growing conditions for sun-loving shrubs and grasses that serve as habitat and food sources for a wide variety of wildlife. Standing dead trees, logs, and scattered live trees are also left after harvest for additional habitat, and buffers of trees along streams and other bodies of water are protected.

Clearcut areas are quickly regenerated either through planting or planned natural regeneration.

Deforestation occurs when forests are converted permanently or semi-permanently to another land use, such as real estate development or agriculture. Sustainable forestry operations, as practiced in the U.S., are not deforestation.

When most people think of deforestation, they often picture the Amazon rainforest or palm oil plantations. In many parts of the world, most notably in the tropics, deforestation is still an ongoing issue. This is drastically different from forestry in the U.S., where some of the highest standards of sustainable forest management in the world are practiced, making U.S. forests a responsible choice for material sourcing. Forestry practices in the U.S. are often considered superior due to a combination of factors. The U.S. benefits from a diverse range of forest ecosystems, enabling specialized and adaptive management practices. Sustainable forestry results from a mature and stable market for forest products, a comprehensive regulatory framework that balances environmental, economic, and social interests, and third-party forest management and wood fiber sourcing certification programs. These factors place U.S. forestry at the forefront of combining economic productivity and environmental stewardship.

The U.S. has had stable forest area since the 1950s because of sustainable forest management. A core principle of sustainable forest management is the continuous cycle of growth, harvest, and regrowth to keep forests intact. The standard practice is to replant within a year to ensure a healthy and reestablished forest emerges within five years of a harvest. Trees harvested today are largely trees that were specifically planted to be harvested many years ago.

Harvesting occurs on less than 2% of private working forests each year. Replanting and regeneration occur on roughly the same number of acres annually. This cycle provides a mosaic of forest age and size classes across the landscape, which is beneficial for wildlife, water quality, carbon sequestration, and carbon storage. It also ensures a renewable and abundant natural resource for future generations.

No. U.S. private working forest owners do not harvest old growth or other sensitive sites as part of their standard operations. Most of our nation’s old growth forests were harvested for settlement and industrialization long before any of us were alive. Old growth forests still exist, but nearly all are publicly owned. Private working forests provide 90% of forest products produced in the U.S. These forests are managed for successive cycles of growth, harvests, and regrowth to yield products. As a result, they include trees of a variety of ages and sizes, from seedlings to mature trees.

In the U.S., assurances are in place to verify that our forests are sustainably managed and climate smart through a mosaic of overlapping and mutually reinforcing local, state, and federal environmental laws and regulations, state-approved forestry best management practices (BMPs), and third-party forest management and wood fiber sourcing certification programs.

Harvesting and other forest management activities in or near old growth are typically done for wildfire mitigation and forest health to protect the oldest trees. If a harvest occurs in or near old growth, it is likely in response to a wildfire emergency or some other natural disturbance. Nearly all old growth is protected and harvesting exceptionally large trees (like old growth) is economically and physically impractical. Most modern harvesting equipment, transportation, and mills are only able to process smaller diameter logs.

Regrowing forests after harvest – whether by planting or natural regeneration – is a core tenet of sustainable forest management (SFM). National planting estimates on all U.S. forestlands range between 1 billion and 1.7 billion seedlings each year.

Many tree seedlings are sourced through cooperatives that bring together universities, forest sector companies, and government agencies to select and grow the best trees. Selective breeding – and not genetic modification – has resulted in diverse stocks of native species that are fast growing and serve as a safeguard against disease, insects, climate change, and other threats to species survival.

As a result of these collaborative efforts to produce superior seedlings, the productivity of forests in parts of the U.S. has increased by as much as four-fold since the 1950s and roughly doubled since the 1980s.

In some forests, natural regeneration rather than planting is the most effective and ecologically sound method. Natural regeneration techniques are usually selected before harvest and tailored to specific conditions within a forest landscape.

Whether planted or naturally regenerated, the key is that the forest is reestablished after harvesting.

In the U.S., assurances are in place to ensure our forests are sustainably managed and climate smart through a mosaic of overlapping and mutually reinforcing local, state, and federal environmental laws and regulations, state-approved forestry best management practices (BMPs), and third-party forest management and wood fiber sourcing certification programs. All are built on a foundation of complying with laws, regulations, and treaties, meeting standards for forest ecology and integrity, and preserving the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities.

There are three prominent forest management certification programs in the U.S:

• The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which was established in 1995, promotes sustainable forest management (SFM) in North America and responsible forest product sourcing throughout the world. SFI certifies more than 300 million acres of forests, including 63 million acres in the U.S.
• The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has been promoting sustainable forest management throughout the world’s forest since its founding in 1993. About 450 million acres of land are FSC-certified worldwide, including 35 million acres in the U.S.
• American Tree Farm Systems (ATFS) promotes sustainable forest management among family-owned and other small-scale, nonindustrial woodlands. Established in 1941, ATFS is the oldest sustainable woodlands management system in the U.S., with 74,000 family forest owners sustainably managing 20 million acres of certified forestland.

TIR is certified by SFI.

For suppliers and manufacturers, wood fiber sourcing certification, chain of custody, and other due-diligence and risk-assurance systems control against sourcing from higher-risk suppliers and locations and promote more responsible forestry. Examples include the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard and the FSC Controlled Wood Standard.

Increased stressors, like a lack of active management (e.g., thinning), have left many forests – especially in the U.S. West – at risk of experiencing severe wildfire. Unnaturally high tree densities as well as tree mortality from these increased threats has resulted in many forests having too much flammable biomass on each acre.

Sustainable forest management (SFM), including logging, is a proven tool for mitigating the risk of severe wildfires before they even start. Practices to mitigate wildfire risk include:

• Proactively reduce fuel loads and risk by clearing excess fuels (dry vegetation) from the forest floor, conducting controlled burns, and creating firebreaks;
• Periodically reduce the number of trees present by thinning out smaller trees;
• Maintain forest access;
• Actively suppress a fire when it starts;
• Encourage collaboration between landowners and other key stakeholders; and
• Quickly replant forests burned by wildfire.

TIR is committed to collaboration, open communication, and resource sharing to fight every fire threatening our land.

In 2023, the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), of which TIR is a member, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service to enhance coordination and collaboration for initial attack on wildfires in areas of adjacent ownership. In 2024, NAFO and the Forest Service announced a new partnership to enhance cross-boundary fuel breaks.

As fire seasons become longer and more severe, sustainable forest management and innovative public/private partnerships are more important than ever before.