Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP)

Welcome to November newsletter! In this issue, we cover: · A year of biobased construction innovations in Africa · A multi-media exploration of forests and forest products · A report exploring the promise of a forest-based bioeconomy in Africa #ClimateSmartForestEconomyProgram #CSFEP #Africa #biobasedconstruction #sustainableforestry BOXA Possibilities Growing Timber Connections Easy Housing Evolving Forests Built by Nature Forestry Commission The Scottish Forestry Trust EGGER Group FAO Dalberg Catalyst

We wanted to share this useful upcoming webinar on the Optoppen model!

A new piece at the World Economic Forum argues in support of regional mass timber markets. Centering on the Great Lakes Open Source Timber Innovation Collaborative, the piece argues that a localized mass timber industry can: 🌿 Promote the importance of healthy, well-managed forests and sustainable timber harvesting, to ensure a continuous wood supply. 🌿 Make forests more valuable in their natural state than when converted to agriculture or development--thus, discouraging land conversion. 🌿 Encourage more research and innovation in sustainable forestry to meet rising demand for sustainably forested wood. The piece also touches on the work of the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP), Bauhaus Earth, Arup, and the #Bhutan government to create a regional forest economy in Bhutan. Link to the full article is in the comments.

This conversation with Tom DeLuca, dean of Oregon State University's College of Forestry covers a broad range of topics across #forests, #buildings, and the #valuechain, with a number of valuable insights, among them: 🌲  Over recent decades, forest policy changes in the #PacificNorthwest have reduced timber production, in order to protect wildlife and address past over-harvesting. However, this move has led to deteriorating forest conditions and increased risks of wildfire and disease. According to DeLuca, using #masstimber can restore forest #resilience by utilizing wood from thinning and restoration harvests, which would otherwise go to waste. This sustainable approach helps protect forests and provides renewable building materials, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to concrete and steel, and supporting the housing needs of a growing population. 🌲DeLuca pointed out that current #sustainability metrics for building materials often fail to capture the full environmental benefits of wood. Unlike concrete or steel, wood contributes valuable #ecosystem services while it grows, such as providing habitat, producing oxygen, and filtering water. Buildings made with wood aren't credited for these ecological contributions--but perhaps they should be. 🌲 The forestry industry is increasingly leveraging technology to boost efficiency and sustainability. Advanced tools like LiDAR provide highly detailed 3D images of forests, capturing tree height, diameter, and defects with remarkable precision. Robotics improve harvesting by scanning and updating inventory in real-time, enabling millers to access exact tree characteristics and optimize lumber processing. This digitization allows builders to track and choose lumber with specific features, fostering a connection between builders and foresters. As DeLuca explains:“Now a builder can say, ‘I know my forester,’ similarly to how we always say, ‘I know my farmer.’” To read more of the interview, click on the link in the post below.

At the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP), we know carbon credits can be an attractive potential income stream for the NGOs on the ground we work with. That said, it can be difficult for many NGOs to understand if carbon credits make sense for their model--and therefore, whether they are worth exploring. The current global controversy over the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), coupled with sometimes difficult-to-predict government involvement, add additional complexity. That's why we love these honest reflections from Rangelands Regeneration CEO Steve Pocock, explaining how his NGO explored carbon credits over many years, and why the model didn't work out for them. Although Rangeland Regeneration focuses on soil carbon (rather than forest products market), its focus on ensuring benefits accrue to communities--and the challenges the organisation has experienced in doing so--resonates with us, as it mirrors the challenges we see, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Does this article resonate with your experience? Let us know in the comments.

Check out this new multimedia platform about the changing nature of forestry--and forest products industry--from Evolving Forests, with support from Built by Nature, Forestry Commission, The Scottish Forestry Trust, and EGGER Group. The platform discusses many new concepts that the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) is seeing in our work, as well. A few quotes from the trailer and other resources on the platform that resonated with us: 🏤 "Rather than architects saying, 'I need this, this, and this in these dimensions,' we're saying, this forest, if it's going to be healthy, will be able to provide this, this, and this at these timescales." 🌳 "We found forestry practices are changing fast in response to changes in climate, the prevalence of disease and the need for more timber. In many places silviculture becomes more complex: more species in a greater range of sizes to create healthy ecologies. Professionals in construction will have to think about their responsibility to the forest and how they adapt what they demand to what is best for the forest." 🌍 "As climate change unpredictably affects forests, flexibility in supply chains will become critical. The question remains: will centralised systems adapt better to these changes, or is the flexibility of bioregionalism the solution?" See the link in the original post below to view the multimedia platform.

In case you missed our October newsletter, we're re-sharing the lead article, which discusses some big changes at CSFEP--changes that have evolved from our learning over the last three years. In 2021, the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) selected and launched 15 on-the-ground breakthrough initiatives--projects that demonstrated innovative, climate-smart approaches to building a sustainable forest economy. However, in the end, our results showed mixed outcomes. When we look back at those 15 initiatives, while there are some clear standout successes, less than half of the initiatives are still active today. So why did our approach sometimes work, and other times fall flat? To find out why (and how we've used our insights to drive critical changes in how we work) click on the article linked in the comments. #climatesmartforesteconomy #regenerativeforesteconomy #forests #biobasedconstruction #csfep

Welcome to October newsletter! In this issue, we cover: ·  A Global Movement, Locally Driven  ·  Upcoming Events for Actors in Climate Smart Forest Economies  ·  COP16 Discussions on World’s Biggest Commitment to Conservation, the 30x30 Pledge #ClimateSmartForestEconomyProgram #CSFEP #sustainability #biobasedconstruction #globalmovement #learnings #local #COP16 #COP29 Built by Nature #30x30

"Africa is richly endowed with both tropical and non-tropical forests, but its forest resources are under continuous threat, impacting biodiversity, climate change, livelihoods, and economies.  These forests play a significant role in the sustenance of the continent’s population through the provision of food, energy, medicine, building materials, and income from harvested forest products. However, despite the region’s efforts in biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management, its forest areas face the world’s highest deforestation rate, with a net forest loss of 3.9 million ha/year." So begins a just-released report from FAO and Dalberg Catalyst, the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP)'s fiscal sponsor. "Forest-based bioeconomies could present a pathway to shift this trend," the report continues,"by ensuring the protection and sustainable use of natural resources while simultaneously supporting communities and livelihoods." See Sven Walter's post below for a link to the report.

The Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) was honoured to present on a panel organised by Bauhaus Earth at the African Urbanisms conference at Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab in #Johannesburg, #South Africa this week, alongside colleagues from MASS Design Group, @Indalo World, and Bauhaus Earth. CSFEP spoke about its work to build a 🏘 #biobasedconstruction value chain alliance in #Kenya, #Tanzania, and #Uganda. The value chain alliance approach is a collaborative approach to building a #climatesmartforesteconomy that focuses on building the system holistically--developing local solutions for the 🏢 built environment,🌳natural landscapes, and 🌇local communities. We are always thrilled for the opportunity to share our work and learn from others! (And thanks, as always, to Nexial for helping us build this systems map for climate smart forest economies!)