Report highlights market growth, rural community investment and collaborative solutions for America’s working forests
GREENVILLE, SC, UNITED STATES, April 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting a year of focused investment, partnership and progress across the forest products sector.
In 2025, the Endowment awarded $33.9 million through 112 awards across 31 states. The report showcases the Endowment’s work to strengthen forest product markets, support working forests and help forest-reliant communities navigate economic change and opportunity.
“Our most important responsibility—and the key to revitalizing our industry—is to drive greater demand for wood products,” said Pete Madden, president and CEO of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. “Our 2025 Annual Report reflects the breadth and depth of opportunities within the forest products space and how we’re working to create awareness of and demand for a broad array of wood products and wood fiber.”
The 2025 Annual Report details progress across the Endowment’s three impact areas: markets, forests and communities. Highlights include:
– Expanding investment in forest product markets – The Endowment’s Board approved an additional $25 million for impact investing, bringing the total allocation to $40 million. These mission-aligned investments support emerging companies and market opportunities that can strengthen the forest products sector.
– Supporting wood manufacturers and market development – Through its partnership with the USDA Forest Service, the Endowment administered $5 million in Wood Innovations Grants to accelerate market development, technological advancement, including equipment upgrades at hardwood mills, new domestic and export markets for underutilized wood and residuals.
– Building a national forest carbon data platform – The Endowment advanced development of the Forestry Analytics for Carbon Tracking (FACT) platform, which will be the first centralized forest carbon data system spanning U.S. forest lands, harvested wood products, and end-use life cycle assessments. A beta launch is planned for fall 2026.
– Advancing locally led rural development – The Endowment committed $1.5 million each over three years to regional partnerships in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Alabama’s Black Belt. These investments, matched by private funding, support locally defined priorities in housing, natural resource infrastructure, and leadership development.
• Convening leaders for forest sector investment – In partnership with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Endowment convened 150 leaders from 22 states for the National Leadership Forum on Economic Development Through Working Forests. The forum focused on expanding wood use, modern manufacturing, and new strategies to strengthen rural economies.
• Creating new uses for low-value wood – The report highlights continued work to expand practical markets for low-value wood and wood residuals, including biochar standards, manufacturing innovation and reforestation of legacy mine lands.
Read the full 2025 Annual Report at: https://www.usendowment.org/2025-annual-report/.
About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity collaborating with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at www.usendowment.org.
Kim Banks
Crawford
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
