Economic and Community Contribution Analysis of the Forest Product Industry in Colorado
Mountain Region
Statewide
(Statewide)
- Natural Resources
- Equal time spent on-campus and in the field
Primary Topic:
Natural Resources
Other Topics:
Community & Economic Development, Agriculture, Health & Wellbeing, Emergency Management
Internship Overview:
Regardless of where they live, Coloradoans, like all Americans, rely on forest products every day. Broadly defined, a forest product is made from materials derived from the practice of forestry – the management of treed ecosystems.
These products can be obvious, such as paper, pencils, and dimensional lumber. However, there are thousands of overlooked items made from forest products that may be used without even noticing where they come from. Some examples are chocolate, coffee, rubber, cork, and the cellulose that makes its way into countless consumer products. The Colorado climate does not support coffee trees, yet the active management of Colorado forests provides significant economic and ecological benefits. The value of these benefits may not be obvious – much like the individual products forests provide.
Actively managing Colorado forests can:
• create local jobs and support the local economy
• reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfires
• protect water resources and water quality
• foster carbon neutral (or even carbon negative) energy independence
• create diverse wildlife habitat
• increase forest resilience to severe insect or disease events
• raise revenue for public education through timber sales on Trust Lands
No matter how “natural” a forest in Colorado may look, it has been impacted by human activities and policies. For example, any form of wildfire, whether naturally occurring or human-caused, was suppressed for most of the 20th century due to the fear created by past uncontrollable fires. These fires caused significant losses to human life and property, and to perceived timber supplies. Yet, we eventually came to understand that fire was a natural part of these forests and that our reasonable fear of fire led to unreasonable problems in the forests we intended to protect. Forest management and laws changed as knowledge and perceptions changed; however, trees live longer than policymakers. The result has been millions of acres of abnormally dense forests with lower biodiversity, less protection from insects and disease, and ironically higher risk of catastrophic fires. Multi-use forest management can help address these issues in socially and ecologically responsible ways.
The intern will work with identified forest product companies in Colorado that have received public funding through state or federal programs. They will compile both qualitative and quantitative information on the economic and ecological contributions these companies provide to the communities in which they operate. This approach will yield the most complete analysis because these companies must meet documentation and reporting requirements to receive funding. This approach also allows an assessment of the impact public investment has on the forest product industry in the state.
The internship will take place statewide. However, activities will be concentrated in the counties of the state with both forest resources and private entities that manage them and create salable forest products. The project will focus specifically on products harvested from Colorado forests, not products imported from other states or internationally. The goal of this internship is to collect, analyze, and communicate the impact forest product manufacturing and distribution have on Colorado communities.
These products can be obvious, such as paper, pencils, and dimensional lumber. However, there are thousands of overlooked items made from forest products that may be used without even noticing where they come from. Some examples are chocolate, coffee, rubber, cork, and the cellulose that makes its way into countless consumer products. The Colorado climate does not support coffee trees, yet the active management of Colorado forests provides significant economic and ecological benefits. The value of these benefits may not be obvious – much like the individual products forests provide.
Actively managing Colorado forests can:
• create local jobs and support the local economy
• reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfires
• protect water resources and water quality
• foster carbon neutral (or even carbon negative) energy independence
• create diverse wildlife habitat
• increase forest resilience to severe insect or disease events
• raise revenue for public education through timber sales on Trust Lands
No matter how “natural” a forest in Colorado may look, it has been impacted by human activities and policies. For example, any form of wildfire, whether naturally occurring or human-caused, was suppressed for most of the 20th century due to the fear created by past uncontrollable fires. These fires caused significant losses to human life and property, and to perceived timber supplies. Yet, we eventually came to understand that fire was a natural part of these forests and that our reasonable fear of fire led to unreasonable problems in the forests we intended to protect. Forest management and laws changed as knowledge and perceptions changed; however, trees live longer than policymakers. The result has been millions of acres of abnormally dense forests with lower biodiversity, less protection from insects and disease, and ironically higher risk of catastrophic fires. Multi-use forest management can help address these issues in socially and ecologically responsible ways.
The intern will work with identified forest product companies in Colorado that have received public funding through state or federal programs. They will compile both qualitative and quantitative information on the economic and ecological contributions these companies provide to the communities in which they operate. This approach will yield the most complete analysis because these companies must meet documentation and reporting requirements to receive funding. This approach also allows an assessment of the impact public investment has on the forest product industry in the state.
The internship will take place statewide. However, activities will be concentrated in the counties of the state with both forest resources and private entities that manage them and create salable forest products. The project will focus specifically on products harvested from Colorado forests, not products imported from other states or internationally. The goal of this internship is to collect, analyze, and communicate the impact forest product manufacturing and distribution have on Colorado communities.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
The first internship objective is to establish/reestablish points of contact between researchers at CSU, technical and financial service providers at CSFS, and the organizations actively managing forest resources. The intern will engage nonprofit and for-profit forest product entities operating in Colorado to inform them of the internship and nature of the information being requested. Partners at the Colorado State Forest Service and USDA Forest Service have provided lists of entities that have received financial assistance or incentives in the past five years. Some of the information being collected may be considered propriety or requested to be provided anonymously. Internship mentors will contact these entities to establish credibility and facilitate communication between their representatives and the intern. The intern will contact each of these representatives to complete a survey and request information on organization financials. The information to be requested in the survey and follow-up correspondence will be determined by the mentorship committee and their affiliated departments.
The second objective is to compile and analyze the information provided under the first objective. The Regional Economic Development Institute (REDI)at CSU will assist with the analysis of the data. This assessment will likely require significant consultation with CSU faculty on both forest and economic principles.
The third goal of the internship is to produce a preliminary report on the financial, social, and ecological contributions of the forest product industry in Colorado. The metrics included in the report are dependent on the quality of information collected from participating forest product industry organizations.
The second objective is to compile and analyze the information provided under the first objective. The Regional Economic Development Institute (REDI)at CSU will assist with the analysis of the data. This assessment will likely require significant consultation with CSU faculty on both forest and economic principles.
The third goal of the internship is to produce a preliminary report on the financial, social, and ecological contributions of the forest product industry in Colorado. The metrics included in the report are dependent on the quality of information collected from participating forest product industry organizations.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The intern will work with both private and public partners for the primary research. The project will require the intern to work with forestry and logging professionals, CSFS staff, CSU faculty, and other partners as identified to engage in this research.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
This project would provide the greatest value to a student with academic and/or professional interests in wildfire or emergency management, forest management, forestry business, forest products, economic assessments, or community engagement and development. The intern will gain experience working with a diverse range of public and private stakeholders and creating appropriate informational materials for target audiences.
The intern will gain familiarity with common logging and forest management terms and metrics. They will also be required to develop skills regarding sectoral economic assessments and related data collection techniques. The creation and editing of the report will foster the development of technical writing skills, and potentially provide opportunities for publication.
The intern will gain familiarity with common logging and forest management terms and metrics. They will also be required to develop skills regarding sectoral economic assessments and related data collection techniques. The creation and editing of the report will foster the development of technical writing skills, and potentially provide opportunities for publication.
