by Christine McGowan
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
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Dear Network Friends,
It’s been a minute since we sent out a Rough Cut, but we wanted to get back into your inbox because there are some exciting efforts underway we want to be sure you know about.
Many Rough Cut subscribers are likely aware of an exciting project being led by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation called the Vermont Forest Future Strategic Roadmap. This year-long process is bringing together industry experts and other forest stakeholders to develop a 10-year roadmap for how to strengthen, modernize, promote, and protect Vermont’s forest products sector and the broader forest economy. Please check the website here to learn more and participate in the Roadmap process.
Speaking of FPR, congratulations are in order for Danny Fitzko, who was recently appointed Commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. She takes over for Mike Snyder who stepped down in December.
The Forest Economy Career Guide is now available for download. This comprehensive guide aimed at students and their parents, teachers or other career influencers, outlines the wide array of jobs available in the forest economy, from the woods to the woodshop. Click here to view the guide and view three short videos featuring a forester, a sawyer and two woodworkers, who share what motivated them to pursue their careers. Please share the Career Guide or email Christine if you would like to help get the guide into the hands of students or others wanting to learn more.
Save the Date!
The 2023 Vermont Forest Industry Summit is happening on Thursday, September 14 at Bolton Valley Resort, in conjunction with the Vermont Forest Future Strategic Roadmap process. Given this year’s focus on the Roadmap, we have decided to do a half-day Vermont Forest Industry Summit, which will include a continental breakfast, expert speakers and sessions throughout the morning and a buffet lunch. After lunch, we will turn things over to FPR to host an afternoon session focused on refining the Roadmap. We hope you will join for the entire day. Registration will open in July but mark your calendars now!
September is looking to be a fun-filled month, complete with a one-of-a-kind table-making experience on the Vermont State House lawn on Sept. 24. Keep reading to learn more about The Naked Table Project efforts to educate people about how a tree becomes a table and also support affordable housing projects with Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity.
I hope you are enjoying the woods this spring,
-Christine
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Naked Table at the State House
You read that right! On Sunday September 24th, the Naked Table Project, in partnership with Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity, will be hosting the 25th Naked Table making event on the Vermont State House lawn.
The table is the symbolic heart of the home, and the Naked Table highlights the sustainable use of wood as a building material, and the craftsmanship that goes into turning a tree into a table. Participating teams will make a special and symbolic table and then join the group of makers and friends for a family-style locavore meal around the conjoined tables under a tent on the State House lawn in Montpelier.
The wood used to make these one-of-a-kind tables comes from trees sustainably harvested earlier this year from a nearby woodlot owned by Senator Patrick Leahy, who will be the guest speaker at the dinner.
The sponsorship fee to make a table is $2500, which includes two places at the celebratory locavore dinner. Extra dinner tickets are $65 each. Table sponsors may bring up to 6 people to help make their table.
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Dispatch from the Forest
Industry News Worth Knowing
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Phil Scott appoints Danielle Fitzko to lead Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (VT Digger)
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The Overstory
Our industry has a story to tell, so settle in and enjoy some good news!
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Fairbanks Museum Home to Vermont's First Mass Timber Demonstration Building
"It was the perfect fit for a number of reasons," said Adam Kane, executive director of the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. "First and foremost, part of our mission is responsibility to the natural world, so using low-embodied carbon materials sourced locally aligns well with that."
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Forest Industry Resources
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Upcoming Events
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June 8: Women’s Forest Congress Online Meet Up – Info here
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Sept. 24: Naked Table at the Statehouse – Info here
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About the Vermont Forest Products Program at VSJF
Vermont’s forest economy contributes more than $2 billion in direct economic output and provides more than 13,000 jobs in forestry, logging, processing, specialty woodworking, construction, wood heating, maple production, and forest-based recreation. The Forest Products Program at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) creates space for strong relationships and collaboration throughout the industry and promotes the development of new and existing markets for Vermont wood products.
Committed to nurturing the sustainable development of Vermont’s economy, VSJF provides business assistance, network development, strategic planning, and value chain facilitation in agriculture and food system, forest products, waste management, renewable energy, and environmental technology sectors. Learn more at www.vsjf.org.
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