The first panel during the 2026 Forum focused on how different community forest efforts engage with their communities. Featuring perspectives and expertise from:

Mark Swanson, Interim Director with the Oregon State University Research Forest System, on the importance of community perspectives in the Oregon State University’s Research Forest System.

Micaela Petrini, Stewartship Manager with Great Peninsula Conservancy, on their ongoing community engagement with the two Great Peninsula Conservancy community forest properties, the Newberry Woods Community Forest and Great Divide Community Forest.

Claire Johnston, Communications Director with Whatcom Land Trust, sharing the continued engagement process with community partners within the Stewart Mountain Community Forest, with perspectives from Whatcom Land Trust and the Nooksack Indian Nation.

0:15:00 – 02:00:00 to view the full presentation.

The second panel of the 2026 Forum discussed different needs of communities, community forests, and vendors to better help community forest wood products reach the market.

This panel was moderated by Jay McLaughlin with Mt. Adams Resource Stewards, and included presentations from:

Dan Rankin, Mayor with the Town of Darrington, highlighting the impacts of an evolving timber economy on the historic timber community of Darrington, and the Town’s future goals.

Erin McKay with Chelan County Natural Resources, discussing how the County is pursuing new opportunities to bring low-value wood products to market.

Ryan Temple, with Sustainable Northwest Wood, sharing how SNW Wood is seeing demand for wood supplies from community-minded forest properties, and what Community Forests can do to drive that demand.

View the recording from 02:14:00 - 03:44:00 for the full session

The third panel of the 2026 Forum discussed various approaches of Community Forest efforts to develop governance and management structures that effectively represented the communities they serve.

This panel was moderated by Julie Fonseca de Borges, with the National Park Service’s Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance Program and included the presentations from the following:

Susan Charnley, Emeritus Research Scientist, previously with the US Forest Service, now with OSU. Susan presented on her team’s 2024 research on Community Forest Governance Structures across the United States.

Marco Pinchot, Executive Director of the Nisqually Community Forest, spoke on how the Nisqually Community Forest is managed, representing perspectives of the Community, Community Forest, Nisqually Land Trust, and Nisqually Tribe, all while managing the 5,500-acre Nisqually Community Forest.

Erik Kingfisher, Director of Stewardship and Resilience with Jefferson Land Trust, presented on how Jefferson Land Trust established the Chimacum Ridge Community Forest, and what its creation as an independent LLC means for the management and advisory process.

Cherie Kearney, Lisa Olsen, and Sandra Staples Bortner each joined to discuss the Upper Grays River Community Forest, a community forest effort spread across two Southwest Washington Counties, requiring a unique management structure.

You can view this panel, recorded at the link below

The Second Day of the 2026 Forum began with a conversation from mutiple forestland owners in Whatcom County.

Kaylee Galloway, with Council Member with Whatcom County

David Janicki, Assett Manager and Sales Administrator with Janicki Logging, and Chris Hankey, Baker District Manager with Washington DNR.

Each panelist spoke to how they engage with the public around forest management and access priorities.

You can view this panel on the meeting recording from 01:00:00 - 01:32:00.

The session wrapped up with presentations from multiple community forest partners and supporters.

These presentations include updates from:

Trust for Public Land on their work in Community Forestry, including their Community Forest Guide.

The Washington Opportunity Fund, on short-term loan opportunities for land acquisition.

The Watershed Conservation Fund, on the second phase of its pilot effort.

The Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation on its Sustainable Forestry and Communities Initiative.

Each of the participants in this session are significant supporters of the Community Forest Movement in the Northwest. Without their support, financially and through their work on the ground, the 2026 Forum and community forests across the region would lack many of the resources needed to establish and effectively manage these properties.

You can view this session from 01:50:00 on in the meeting recording.

On Wednesday, May 27, the group came together at the Stewart Mountain Community Forest.

Stewart Mountain is a collaborative effort between the Nooksack Indian Tribe, Whatcom Land Trust, Whatcom County, and Evergreen Land Trust, taking place over the past 6 years.

The group was able to tour the current 2,200-acre community forest, hear about the co-planning efforts that have taken place, and learn about future goals of ongoing management, sustainable harvest, access opportunities, and cultural priorities.

On Friday, May 29, Coalition Members got the opportunity to visit the future Wood Innovations Campus, in Darrington, Washington.

Situated on a 94-acre parcel, the future wood innovation campus is nestled between the Town of Darrington, Hampton’s area mill, and at the base of the eastern edge of the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

When developed, this parcel will be able to accomodate a wide array of innovative forest practices, supporting the area’s forestry economy, increasing sustainable forest management practices on federal lands, and supporting small forest landowners by ensuring their timber retains access to a local mill.