Getting Involved

The Roundtable on Sustainable Forests is a venue for communication, discussion, and dialogue about sustainable forest management (SFM). The Roundtable also serves as an effective vehicle for information exchange about policies concerning SFM in the United States as well as a feedback mechanism for forest managers. Since two thirds of the nation's 737 million acres of forests are not federally owned or managed, advancing SFM requires a diverse cross section of participants including private individuals, conservation organizations, Native American tribes, state and local governments, and corporate and private landowners.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Forests is an open and inclusive process. Participation is not limited to particular groups or individuals, and the Roundtable does not have formal membership. Currently, the Roundtable is comprised of approximately 40 regular participants who come together to exchange views about new developments and issues in the field of forest sustainability. The Roundtable always welcomes new insights and perspectives. Click here for a list of organizations that have participated in Roundtable activities.

One of the best ways to get involved in the Roundtable is by participating in a work group. Because of their smaller size, work groups are able to utilize the strengths and resources brought by individuals to work more efficiently towards the goals of the Roundtable. To learn more about Roundtable work groups, read the following section on how the Roundtable works. 

If you would like to participate in the Roundtable, one of its work groups, or in any other capacity, please use the Contact Us page to let us know how you would like to be involved.

How the Roundtable Works

The Roundtable is loosely organized around three Co-Chairs and a Core Group. The current Co-Chairs are: Dick Brinker, Dean and Professor, Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences; Jim Finley, Professor of Forest Resources, The Pennsylvania State University School of Forest Resources; and, Joel Holtrop, Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, USDA Forest Service. The Co-Chairs provide overall leadership by identifying strategic issues and providing guidance to the Roundtable facilitation team. In doing so, the Co-Chairs rely on the input of the Roundtable's Core Group (CG). The CG provides feedback and input for the planning and direction of specific Roundtable activities and acts as a sounding board for the Co-Chairs on the overall direction of the Roundtable process. CG participants are generally senior-level professionals from a diverse array of stakeholder groups.

The Roundtable and Roundtable participants work to achieve the goals and objectives of the Work Plan by participating in the Roundtable and Roundtable activities, through individual and organizational efforts, and by participating in work groups.  Work groups are formed by the Roundtable as needed to address short- and longer-term tasks identified in the Work Plan. 

In February 2007, the Roundtable formed the Communications and Outreach Work Group (COWG) to:

1. Identify and further define the audience(s) of the National Report on Sustainable Forests (National Report), and assess related issues of report format and information access;
2. Assess the need for, define, and help to implement additional engagement activities regarding preparation for the 2010 National Report and other related short- and longer-term Roundtable activities;
3. Develop strategies to enhance the use of the 2010 National Report and begin a long-term process to foster institutionalization;
4. Create and take advantage of opportunities to link activities associated with the 2010 National Report to other aspects of the Roundtable’s Work Plan; and
5. Provide input to the redesign of the Roundtable website.

Click here to learn more about the COWG Work Plan.