Usal, Redwood Foundation wins award,

FORT BRAGG » The Forest Stewardship Council has awarded one of its annual Leadership Awards to the Fort Bragg-based Redwood Forest Foundation and the Usal Redwood Forest Company. The award recognizes the Foundation and the Company for “restoring 50,000 acres of degraded timberland, adding woody debris to 12 miles of salmon habitat and decommissioning 26 miles of streamside roads, while serving as vocal advocates for FSC certification.”

RFFI and URFC were nominated for the award by the environmental certification and auditing firm, SCS Global Services.

The Forest Stewardship Council is a global nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally-sound, socially-beneficial and economically-prosperous management of forests. FSC sets the standards by which forests are certified, offering assurance to consumers and businesses that the wood products they buy originate from well-managed forests. 4,500 companies and nearly 160 million acres of forestland are currently certified under FSC in the United States and Canada.

The Council announced its 10th annual FSC Leadership Awards on Nov. 12, recognizing uncommon excellence that advances responsible forest management and forest conservation.

“The Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. is very proud to receive this important Forest Stewardship Council award,” said Redwood Forest Foudnation President and CEO, Mark Welther. “It acknowledges RFFI’s enormous progress in the Usal Forest toward the type of bold, innovative forest management needed to restore California’s most depleted working forests and the communities that depend upon them.”

URFC’s Chief Forester Linwood Gill said it was an honor for the entire team.

“We are strong supporters of the principles of the Forest Stewardship Council and have valued our partnership, not only for the recognition of our work but to help us become better land stewards,” Gill said in a press release. “I am a strong believer of continuing to learn from the forest and what it has to teach us.”

The Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. is a private 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 1997, dedicated to the triple bottom line principles of ecology, economy and equity. The Foudnation tries to actively engage residents living in the redwood region to the acquisition, restoration and sustainable management of their forest resources.

The Usal Redwood Forest Company is a subsidiary of RFFI that owns the Usal Redwood Forest, a 50,000acre redwood forest located in northern Mendocino county.

The Council is celebrating the award winners virtually this year because of restrictions associated with COVID-19. In addition to receiving an FSC- certified wood plaque and a digital award, winners will be recognized during a Dec. 2 gathering.

For more information about the award or the Redwood Forest Foundation, visit www.rffi.org