Forest co-ops and associations help landowners gain land management or sustainable forestry benefits that often would not be available to them individually. A forest owner cooperative is a local incorporated business that is owned and democratically controlled by the people who use its services. Its primary purpose is to provide services and benefits to its members. Many other groups have also come together as nonprofits, associations and informal working groups. What they all have in common is that they help their members get the information and assistance they need to effectively achieve their sustainable land management goals.

Benefits of Landowner Cooperation

• Educational activities geared toward sustainable forestry practices
• Resource management assistance with preparation of plans, tree planting, forest improvement and harvesting services
• Joint purchasing of equipment and professional services
• Creation of a dependable and sustainable market for loggers, foresters and manufacturers
• Joint wood and non-timber processing and marketing services
• Improved air and water quality as a result of collective forest management practices

Examples of Landowner Collaboration

Forest owner cooperation has grown steadily since the late 1990s. Today’s landowners, foresters, conservation organizations, and development professionals have benefit from the success of pioneering groups that have shown there are several ways to structure landowner organizations. The following are examples of the variety of ways groups have collaborated.

Kickapoo Woods Co-op

Kickapoo Woods Cooperative was formed in 2000 to provide sustainable forestry education, management and marketing service to landowners in the Kickapoo Valley and neighboring watersheds in Southwestern Wisconsin. The co-op currently has over 100 members who own about 12,000 acres of forestland. The co-op works with established foresters, loggers and wood manufacturers to ensure quality forestry services are available to members so they can get a good economic return on their timber and wood products. The co-op complies with Forest Stewardship Council principles for responsible forestry (see resources and links), which include commitments to the well being of the forests, the landowners, and the local community.

Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
www.mississippiassociation.coop

Mississippi Association of Cooperatives mission is “to use cooperative development as a strategy to enhance the quality of life and economic opportunities of rural Mississippi residents.” Its primary work has been to help farmers grow and find markets for produce. However, because many of the farmers that the association works with have forested land, staff and volunteers have been working with landowners about forest conservation and the use of federal and state programs that provide incentives for good forestry practices.

Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks
www.rcpa.org

The Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks (RCPA) was certified to provide Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification by SmartWood (see resources + links for more info about SmartWood certification) in 2002 and now has 15 certified landowners in its pool with over 7,000 acres certified. The RCPA’s goals include working with landowners to develop certified forest management plans for small landowners in the Adirondacks and to attain SmartWood Chain-of-Custody certification to enable the RCPA to work with wood products manufacturers and wood users to make and market products with Adirondack-grown, FSC-certified wood. RCPA also conducts public outreach and education efforts to promote excellent forestry and FSC/SmartWood certification.

Northwest Cooperative Development Center
www.nwcdc.coop

The Northwest Cooperative Development Center is a nonprofit organization based in Olympia, Wash. that assists a variety of new and emerging cooperatives in the Northwest region. In 2004 the center launched a Small Forest Landowner Co-op Workshop Series. Participating landowners learn from co-op development professionals how to analyze project feasibility, understand the cooperative business structure, and create a business plan for a sustainable landowner association.

Wisconsin Family Forests
www.wisconsinfamilyforests.org

Wisconsin Family Forests (WFF) is a nonprofit statewide organization made up of local community forest owner groups called alliances. The alliances are informal associations of neighbors who are interested in working together to improve the management of their forests. Currently WFF works with 13 alliances representing over 200 individual landowners. By participating in meetings or field days organized by their local alliance, neighbors can share work and information without a lot of internal structure. The WFF also conducts informational meetings in townships interested in forming their own alliances.