Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc

Education:sfi inc. Operates project learning tree (plt), an award-winning initiative that helps educators integrate environmental education into lesson plans and use the outdoors to engage students in a lifetime of learning. Plt advances environmental education, forest literacy and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on to the world. In 2024, we were proud to release explora tu ambiente: gua de actividades k-8, the spanish-language version of plt's best-selling explore your environment: k-8 activity guide. This will provide environmental education and forest literacy resources to the more than 4 million spanish speaking students in u.s. Public schools. Plt is also expanding bilingual training opportunities for educators, with successful pilot programs already implemented in states like illinois. Plt also expanded high school-focused instructional materials with a brand-new digital activity collection: forests, water & people which includes three place-based lessons that invite learners to explore how trees, watersheds, and our communities are connected.sfi, plt and the international corrugated packaging foundation (icpf) announced a multi-year partnership that aimes to increase awareness, access, and education about the rewarding green careers in the corrugated packaging industry through the development of educational resources and experiences for educators and guidance counselors working with middle school and high school youth. This comprehensive approach aims to elevate the profile of the corrugated packaging industry earlier, as students participate in career exploration, planning and development.

Conservation and community investments:sfi is the only standard to require that certified organizations invest in forest research. The total amount invested in research by sfi program participants is $2.1 billion since 1995. Sfi also invests directly in conservation research and collaborative projects to measure outcomes relative to water quality, biodiversity and species at risk, fire resilience and forest health. In 2024, sfi launched a new conservation initiative focused on forest health and fire resilience. The overarching goal of the project is to identify, develop, and implement practices and strategies to make our forests more resilient. With this funding, sfi launched the sfi climate smart forestry initiative. Close to 250,000 resource and harvesting professionals have participated in training since 1995, with support from our sfi implementation committees. We remain committed to working with our partners to increase awareness of the opportunities presented by sustainably managed forests.

Promotion and communication:in 2024, sfi hosted an annual conference in collaboration in atlanta, georgia. Sfi also hosted its largest ever youth delegates cohort at the 2024 annual conference with over 50 participants. Participants of the youth delegates program had opportunities to navigate their early careers, network with professionals, and engage in important discussions. The sfi annual conference brings together people from the conservation, community, education, and economic sectors who care about forests. Attendees included ceos of fortune 500 companies, conservation and community leaders, indigenous representatives, forest managers, university faculty and students, government officials, and many more. More than 450 people joined the 2024 sfi annual conference. Sfi unveiled its sfi 2025-2030 strategic direction at the 2024 sfi annual conference. More than 400 thought leaders contributed to shaping the sfi 2025-2030 strategic direction. It includes a theory of change framework designed to enhance our impact by engaging communities in a collaborative world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests.sfi provides facilities, management and administrative services to project learning tree canada (plt canada), a charitable non-profit in canada. Plt canada works to use the outdoors to engage youth in learning about the world around us and advance environmental education, forest literacy and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on the world. Sfi is the sole member of plt canada and the plt canada board represents a subset of the sfi board. In 2024, plt canada worked with partners to place young adults into nearly 400 green jobs across the country. Since 2018, sfi and plt canada have placed over 8,100 young adults into green jobs in the forest and conservation sector.