ISF grew out of the holistic forestry of Jan and Peggy Iris. Jan was doing fire hazard reduction and overall stand improvement in Briceland, taking out excess tan oak and madrone, when he realized that the trees had more potential value than just firewood. He and Peggy developed a system for drying and milling the previously "worthless" hardwoods, and marketed their product through Wild Iris Forestry. Eventually, hoping to spread the word about sustainable forestry and bring it to other watersheds as an alternative to unhealthy forestry practices, they set up the Institute, and we've been working to realize this vision ever since.
We have been busy! In January 1991, with the first Institute Brainstorming Weekend in Briceland, ISF was born. The past year has seen a series of workshops in the woods, including, "Sustainable Forestry Management Options for Small Landowners," and an, "All-Aged, All-Species Forest Inventory Workshop" led by HSU's Dr. Rudi Becking. The sight of our first Pilot Project has been found and funded, to create a living model of the implementation of our, "Ten Elements of Sustainability," holistic guidelines that take into account the forest ecology, soils, hydrology, wildlife, and the local community. And we're looking forward to beginning two more pilot projects, as well as workshop series on restoration forestry and hardwoods utilization. Our first issue of Forestree News, the ISF newsletter, is hot off the press and packed with details about our recent endeavors.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the ISF, and the culmination of all of our efforts, is the creation of a certification process and criteria to distinguish ecologically harvested products in the marketplace. This program, Pacific Certified Ecological Forest Products (PCEFP), is like the "organic" label of the forest products world, ensuring that the stamped product was obtained in a way that is beneficial to the forest. The certification process starts long before the first tree is cut, and continues until the product is introduced into the retail market.
Redirecting the focus of today's forestry from short-term profits to sustainable management and stewardship is a monumental job. There's always more that needs to be done, and any extra volunteer effort is gratefully appreciated, especially in our Briceland office. To get involved with ISF, drop us a line or give us a call! We'd love to hear from you, and spread the word! We want to let people know we're out here, and providing an option to industrial logging that will nourish instead of destroy our forests.
The Institute for Sustainable Forestry,
POB 1580, Redway, CA 95560,
707-923-4719
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2004
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited