New Economic Development Report Offers Roadmap for Strengthening Community-Led Opportunities in Sustainable Forest Products and Outdoor Recreation in Forest Communities

The Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce released a report outlining recommendations to enhance community-led economic development by creating jobs in the sustainable forest product sector and outdoor recreation while supporting healthy, resilient forests. This report was developed in response to climate change impacts, workforce and housing shortages, and barriers to intergovernmental coordination in rural forest-dependent communities and builds on President Biden’s Executive Order on Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies (E.O. 14072), which he signed on Earth Day 2022.

The report’s release comes during Climate Week, as the Biden-Harris administration continues demonstrating its commitment to addressing the climate crisis.

America’s forests provide millions of jobs and underpin local economies, particularly in rural communities. The Biden-Harris administration is mobilizing historic resources to help these forests and communities thrive. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and Great American Outdoors Act—in addition to annual appropriations—the Administration is providing historic funding for wildfire risk reduction, innovative forest products that create jobs, restoration and forest management to help our forests better withstand extreme weather events, outdoor recreation investments such as campgrounds, and research and development programs. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management’s 21^st Century Blueprint for Outdoor Recreation, USDA Forest Service’s Reimagine Recreation initiative and Department of Commerce’s U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program are also advancing public lands management and the outdoor recreation and tourism industries, for the benefit of current and future rural communities.

Today’s report provides recommendations to further these efforts by encouraging greater collaboration among federal agencies to deliver the resources and services that rural, forest-dependent communities need and to foster economic resilience.

“Across the country, outdoor recreation and wood products innovations are helping to support thriving local communities,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “To continue these opportunities and enhance their impact, we have to find ways to improve how we deliver the countless benefits that forests provide. This report will help guide us in better serving the rural communities that depend on healthy, resilient forests.”

“Not only do America’s public lands provide tremendous beauty and enjoyment, they are also essential economic drivers across our nation. In rural communities in particular, investments in these lands can provide transformational and enduring opportunities for businesses and workers,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “This report outlines how we can build resilient, healthy forests in the face of the climate crisis, while also creating jobs and advancing rural economic development in forest-dependent communities.”

“America’s forests are hubs for travel and tourism and drivers of local economies across the country, particularly in rural communities,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This report outlines how rural communities can sustainably grow our forests to make them more resilient and make our country more climate-ready – all while creating good jobs and keeping our green spaces and public lands safe for families to enjoy.”

The report proposes fostering community resilience by better connecting communities with the many existing tools to navigate climate-based risks in a way that also builds sustainable economic development and healthy forest practices. In addition, coordination across the federal government and with partners can help communities tap into existing resources to pursue their economic development plans and address bottlenecks or barriers to delivering support.

The report also emphasizes how forests benefit underserved communities, including Tribes, which are disproportionately affected by climate impacts. For example, the Interior Department and Forest Service (PDF, 1.3 MB)’s Equity Action Plans seeks to enhance Tribal co-stewardship and promote equitable access to cultural and recreational opportunities for all communities.

The report also recommends that agencies:

• Connect the communities they serve to economic development support by leveraging existing community networks.
• Work with partners and communities to find innovative ways to adapt public recreation facilities and sustain local recreation economies facing climate change impacts.
• Make smart investments in wildfire risk reduction and reforestation to benefit local ecosystems, economies and communities.
• Utilize co-stewardship, Good Neighbor Agreements, and other relevant authorities to enhance Tribal capacity to drive and complement a sustainable forest products sector.
• Improve the forest products workforce pipeline by increasing training opportunities for truck drivers, equipment operators, and nursery developers.
• Explore housing initiatives to include construction with sustainable materials, with the aim of building and maintaining the workforce in these rural communities.

Through the Rural Partners Network, the Administration is also advancing all-of-government programs that helps rural communities find resources and funding to create jobs, build infrastructure and support long-term economic stability on their own terms.

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