Northwest Certified Forestry is proud to announce a new partnership with Cascade Harvest Coalition and their Puget Sound Grown program.  For over 10 years Cascade Harvest Coalition has been an advocate for local farmers in the Puget Sound Region and has sought to promote locally grown farm products to local consumers.  With support from King County, Cascade Harvest Coalition developed the Puget Sound Grown program as the region’s premier consumer education and product identification program for farm products produced in the 12 counties that adjoin the Puget Sound.

Cascade Harvest Coalition is now interested in promoting locally produced forest products that also originate within the Puget Sound basin. We have recently run an ad on page 25 of the 2010 Puget Sound Farm Guide (caution: 9.5 MB file) introducing forest products as a new addition to the Puget Sound Grown program.  Over the next year, NW Certified Forestry will be working with Cascade Harvest Coalition to integrate a broad range of forest products into their marketing program. As part of our partnership with Cascade Harvest Coalition, we will:

1.    Work directly with small woodland owners to help them identify a wide variety of timber and non-timber forest products available from their forests.
2.    Invite small woodland owners to add their forest products to the Puget Sound Grown on-line Puget Sound Area Farm and Crop Finder. 
3.    Develop marketing materials and begin promoting locally produced forest products to local consumers
4.    Establish several business-to-business relationships to begin marketing locally produced forest products

We are now inviting forest owners to begin listing their forest products in the Puget Sound Fresh on-line Puget Sound Area Farm and Crop Finder. Here are some of the forest products that you can choose to list on the Puget Sound Area Farm and Crop Finder website:
1.    Lumber
2.    Forest edibles (e.g. mushrooms, berries, nuts, etc.)
3.    Firewood
4.    Craft materials (e.g. small diameter wood, moss, etc.)
5.    Forest medicinals (e.g. Oregon grape root, usnea, Devil’s club, etc.)
6.    Native nursery stock
7.    Christmas trees
8.    Wood chips
9.    And much more…

If you are interested in participating in this new marketing program, please complete the 2010 PSF Website Listing form and return to sherylwiser@comcast.net.  Please check all forest products that you have for sale on Page 5 of the form.  As a special incentive, the first seven NCF members to respond will receive a free one-year listing on the Puget Sound Grown website (a $50 value)! For more information on NCF membership or if you are interested in receiving technical assistance with identifying merchantable forest products on your property, please contact Kirk Hanson, 360-316-9317, kirk@nnrg.org.