The Forest Service International Foundation was established as an American non-profit organization to support the objectives of the International Programs and Trade Office of the United States Forest Service (USFS IPT) which include:
Protecting the U.S. Forestry Industry from the impact of illegal logging, invasive species, and other threats
Supporting American wood products and ensuring legitimate trade practices abroad
Promoting global stability through resource management, disaster preparedness, and community and ecological resilience
Together, the Foundation and USFS IPT are delivering on our commitment to American prosperity and global stability.
The Forest Service International Foundation enhances USFS IPT's mission by:
Serving as a catalyst and enabler of collaboration between USFS IPT and external partners and funders who also support USFS IPT’s objectives
Providing streamlined operational and grants management services
Advocating for USFS IPT’s critical work domestically and globally
The Foundation is functionally integrated with USFS IPT, requiring us to work in close collaboration and in direct furtherance of USFS IPT objectives.
The Foundation/USFS IPT partnership leverages the Foundation's private-sector agility and the Forest Service’s unparalleled technical expertise. Through the Foundation, funders gain a vehicle to support organizations and activities that further USFS IPT’s mission. USFS IPT gains access to new avenues for partnership, including contributions from NGOs, corporations, and individuals.
We harness the power of both public and private sector funding together with the longstanding expertise and innovative partnerships of the Forest Service.
Photo: Kiley Friedrich
The United States is the largest supplier of forest products in the world, and America’s timber industry provides 2.5 million jobs through the supply chain. Illegal logging costs the United States forest products industry an estimated $500 million annually due to lost export opportunities and depressed wood prices. Trade in illegal wood also undermines the rights and livelihoods of people, reduces state tax revenue.
To combat illegal logging practices, the Forest Service International Foundation is partnering with USFS IPT to coordinate the identification and collection of key wood species involved in international timber trade. The Foundation is working to find rare samples of exotic trees that will contribute to a global wood collection database. The effort will include the creation of a central database that law enforcement agencies will use to better detect illegal timber imports.
Photo: Kiley Friedrich
When wildlife species become listed on the Endangered Species Act, private landowners are burdened with regulations and restrictions on the management of their own lands. For example, if a bird species that nests in a pine forest becomes listed as “endangered,” the property owner of the pine forest may not be able to harvest timber according to normal operations. This type of listing can result in significant economic losses for agriculture and forestry industries.
For these reasons, USFS IPT invests in the protection of domestic and international habitat of migratory wildlife species, to prevent their populations from declining to the threshold for listing. USFS IPT is partnering with the Foundation to support habitats in 6 regions throughout the United States and in Latin America, to keep the butterfly’s population viable and to ensure that American landowner are free to manage their property without restrictions.
The United States exports nearly $10 billion in wood products annually. This international trade is critical for the 2.5 million jobs in the U.S. forestry sector and the economic viability of healthy American forests.
To help the domestic wood products industry reach overseas buyers, USFS IPT regularly works with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and the wood export associations. IPT connects the export associations to its global staff who provide expertise on the political and economic contexts in emerging markets. IPT also works with industry partners to incorporate their priorities in international policy dialogues, including global trade, climate, and conservation agreements.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that an average of 21.5 million people were forcibly displaced each year by sudden onset weather-related hazards between 2008 and 2016, and thousands more from slow onset hazards linked to shifting weather patterns.
In Bangladesh, Honduras, Lebanon, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Colombia, USFS IPT and partners deliver job training and Youth Conservation Corps programs that aim to cultivate leadership at the local level, encouraging youth to remain in their communities and become stewards of economic development and resilience.
Forest Service International Foundation was recognized in 2023 by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a Section 509(a)(3) Supporting Organization and incorporated in 2022 as a nonprofit organization in the District of Columbia.
