By Zach Maskin

For the past eight years, NNRG has partnered with Sustainable Northwest, a Portland-based non-profit whose mission is to “bring people, ideas, and innovation together so that nature, local economies, and rural communities can thrive.” NNRG and Sustainable Northwest have been working to connect FSC-certified small woodland owners with local wood product manufacturers and other business opportunities.  A key component in this collaboration has been working alongside Chad Davis, Sustainable Northwest’s Forest Stewardship Director. Chad has worked tirelessly to connect members to market opportunities, foster rural development, and promote natural resource conservation. His enthusiasm, dedication and collaborative vision has made Chad an ideal candidate for NRRG’s Board of Directors. Please join us in welcoming him to the team!

Forest stewardship and conservation start with people and that is why Chad has joined the NNRG board. “I believe in the people and staff. They are passionate, dedicated and great people. Any contribution I can have to help the organization succeed is very important to me and the businesses we support. We need to have models and opportunities for landowners to engage with good people.”

As an active board member Chad envisions growth opportunities for both NNRG and Sustainable Northwest. His presence should provide a structural strategic link between the two organizations, “where we can learn from each organization’s successes.” The opportunity to plan and grow together should allow NNRG and Sustainable Northwest to advance FSC certification simultaneously for landowners and small businesses.

Although Chad envisions substantial organizational growth as a goal for his involvement with the board, this growth will be community focused. NNRG hopes to expand into a regional organization and Sustainable Northwest’s network should provide an opportunity to “work with a wide array of communities and landowners and reach the scale of meaningful ecological impact.”

Marco Lowenstein, NNRG’s Board President, is excited about the latest addition to the Board, commenting that “The commitment, experience, and connections that Chad and Sustainable Northwest bring will be extremely valuable over the next five years as NNRG becomes a regional force in forest conservation.”

Chad is confident that local communities and small woodland owners will play a prominent role in the ‘green’ future of the Pacific Northwest. “Communities have to have a seat at the table,” and small woodland owners “are the linkage between social fabric of the Northwest and ecological function of forests. . . Maintaining our landscape is a key to our future.”