The Outlook
February 2006

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I n  T h i s  I s s u e:

Helping the Wood Industry Profit from the Next 10 Years - Workshop Registration Now Available
Dovetail Commentary: Grieve; Get Over It, and Get Going

Conservation Easements to Protect Working Forests

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W o r k s h o p

Helping the Wood Industry Profit from the Next 10 Years

Workshop Registration Now Available

http://www.dovetailinc.org/wercworkshop.html

Workshop to Feature Expert on World-Class Manufacturing Strategies

CEO of the Manufacturing Performance Institute to address best practices

The US Forest Service, Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) and Dovetail Partners are offering an April workshop to help the industry constructively respond to the challenges of Global Competition. The workshop, Helping the Wood Products Industry Profit From the Next 10 Years includes John Brandt as a keynote speaker.

John Brandt is an award-winning columnist for IndustryWeek magazine and founder and CEO of The Manufacturing Performance Institute.

"Manufacturing is struggling in many sectors. Offshore competition is causing increased consolidation in the industry. Plus, customers are growing more demanding. They want more new things," says Brandt.

Dovetail has also been able to bring the top leaders of some of the most successful wood products companies in the country to the program.   “These companies are thriving because they have been able to identify and implement major changes within their organizations.   It's a great and unusual opportunity to learn from what they've accomplished!”, reports Jeff Howe of Dovetail Partners.

The workshop will be held at the Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) facilities in Princeton, West Virginia on April 11th and 12th. Workshop participants will be headquartered at the nearby Pipestem Resort State Park "the crown jewel of West Virginia State Parks".  Pipestem includes an 18-hole golf course and offers a golf package for visitors.

The Workshop Website includes the Agenda, Speaker information and

Registration:

The work upon which this program is based was funded through a grant awarded by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, USDA Forest Service. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. For more information, contact: Dovetail Partners at 651-762-4007 or info@dovetailinc.org .

Dr. Jeff Howe

Today, the forest products industry is facing change at an unprecedented rate. And recent closure announcements at Ford demonstrate that we’re not alone. Global competition is changing everything, for everyone. Yet this should not be a surprise. Our clothing industry moved overseas nearly 50 years ago, shoes shortly thereafter, and the list of industries shifting to other countries goes on and on. The challenge facing the wood products industry today is simply a continuation of a trend that has been going on for decades. Yet this makes it no less devastating to those organizations or regions most affected. But at the same time, it must not freeze management into positions from which they cannot recover.

To read more, click here.

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D o v e t a i l   R e p o r t s

Conservation Easements to Protect Working Forests
Kathryn Fernholz

Development pressures and rising taxes and land values are among the growing challenges facing forestland owners. Increasingly, it is financially difficult to keep large parcels of land intact.

According to the National Resources Inventory, the rate of development between 1997 and 2001 averaged 2.2 million acres per year. During that time period, 46% of the developed acres came from forestland and the rate of forest land conversion continued on an upward trend.

Under this development pressure, forested properties are being divided into smaller parcels, with some sold for development.   Parcelization can lead to major change in how the land is managed and can limit forestry activities as smaller properties become inefficient to manage economically.   Additionally, this parcelization often leads to the fragmentation of forest cover and the resulting loss of wildlife habitats.  

In recent years, one tool – the conservation easement – has come to the forefront of the race to protect land from development. This report provides an introduction to easements, their potential benefits, and some of the debate around their use as a conservation tool for working forests.

To read the introduction or download the report, click here.

“The Outlook” is the monthly e-newsletter of Dovetail Partners Inc, a 501c3 non profit corporation.

Dovetail Partners is a highly skilled team that collaborates to develop unique concepts, systems, programs and models to foster sustainable forestry and catalyze responsible trade and consumption.