Blog
2024: The Year in Review
Earlier this month, the Women’s Forest Congress held our final lunch and learn of the year - a debrief and celebration of where we’ve been, where we are, and where are we going. It’s been [...]
Women in Natural Resources Meetup Showcases Progress and Empowerment
By: WFC Meetup Planning Group More than 120 women, minoritized gender identities, and allies gathered for the Women in Natural Resources Meetup, sponsored by the Women’s Forest Congress (WFC), in what became a standing-room-only event [...]
Celebrating Wilderness Month and 40 Years of the Wilderness Act: A Reflection on Our Natural Legacy and the Women’s Forest Congress
In September, we celebrated Wilderness month in the United States and the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. We took a moment to reflect on the profound impact of these protected lands and their importance [...]
Can We See People from Trees?
By: Jaana Korhonen, Member, Women's Forest Congress Advisory Council and Researcher, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) We recently published an article titled 'Gaps in Diversity Representation and Data Insufficiencies in the U.S. [...]
Empowering Timber Trailblazers and Building Connections with the Women’s Forest Congress
Women in Timber Power Hour at the 2024 International Mass Timber Conference – Empowering Timber Trailblazers and Building Connections with the Women’s Forest Congress By: Whitney Geier, LEVER Architecture and Erin Walker-Anderson, Swinerton One of [...]
Navigating Career Transitions at SAF Convention Meet-Up
By: Nadine Block and Jamie Dahl Almost a year after important groundwork was laid at the in-person 2022 Women’s Forest Congress (WFC) event in Minneapolis, there continues to be intense excitement to “actualize” the 2022 [...]
Thoughts from a new Steering Committee member
By: Megan Mustoe, Member of the WFC Steering Committee and Forestry Counsel, The Conservation Fund Hello everyone! It’s so nice to meet you. I am excited to learn from your experiences, hopes, and dreams of [...]
Resilience, Leadership and Belonging at Women’s Forest Congress
By: Neha Kunte – President & CEO, MNK Infotech My participation at the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress originated from connections. Upon meeting a client’s friend, Katie Fernholz, who is one of the Women’s Forest Congress [...]
Storytelling, Empowerment, and Allyship at Women’s Forest Congress
By: The International Forestry Students Association The International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) was proud to participate in the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress through our seven attendees with two joining [...]
Furthering the Freedom to Be Foresters
by Terry Baker, CEO Society of American Foresters There was a palpable sense of relief and an undercurrent of joy at the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress in Minneapolis in October 2022. As one of four [...]
Visual Mapping as a Powerful Tool for Long-Term Projects
By: Urban Wild Studio Here at Urban Wild Studio, we’ve taken a liking to drawing *a lot* of trees… and that’s thanks to one of our most meaningful partnerships and powerful visual storytelling suites [...]
History in the Making: A Librarian’s Experience at the Inaugural Women’s Forest Congress
By Lauren Bissonette This past October 17, I woke up bright and early to fly to Minnesota. Why was I going there? I’d been before to visit my spouse’s family, but I think the [...]
Shaping The Future, Seizing The Moment
We are shaped by the influences people play in our lives. I have been blessed to be surrounded and inspired by leading women from my mother to my wife to my daughter, who is breaking [...]
Being Part of History: Attending the Inaugural Women’s Forest Congress
by Edie Knight I was excited to attend the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress (WFC) held in October in Minneapolis. Mason, Bruce and Girard Inc. (MB&G) sponsored the event, and I pitched a presentation to describe [...]
An opportunity I do not take for granted!
By: Yetunde Rotimi To start with, have you ever attended a conference or a meeting of any kind that had all your expenses covered? Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of enjoying such an [...]
BRANCHING OUT
2022 Women's Forest Congress Camp Ripley Tour By Candra Burns People who identify as women within the forest community have been creating an in-person congress for two years, culminating in a four-day event in [...]
My reflections on the Inaugural Women’s Forest Congress
By Delie Wilkens I approached the Inaugural Women’s Forest Congress in the same way I approach almost all professional working events: with muted anxiety and an internal mantra of “it’ll be over in a few [...]
Women’s Forest Congress summary
By Amanda Mahaffey I was in a room with 500 women forest stewards. What?! When did that happen, ever? It happened at the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress this October in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Congress was [...]
Meet Me at the Source
by Brandi Colander Senior Advisor, Enviva Co-Founder, #SheWillRise Founding Member (DC), Chief Chair of the Board, DC Green Bank Board Member, VEIC I’ve always had a passion for nature and marveled at the power [...]
A Seat at the Table for Everyone – Especially You
By: MaryKate Bullen Member of the WFC Advisory Council Director of Sustainability and ESG at Forest Investment Associates Early this May, I walked into a brightly lit meeting room in an airport hotel in [...]
Add Your Power & Perspective to the First Women’s Forest Congress
By: Rebecca Turner Chief Strategy Officer American Forests What if people were trees? Foresters and researchers around the world would be looking at the health of our communities and what keeps them strong, as they [...]
Professional diversity is key to conservation success
By: Brenda Lee Sieglitz Senior Manager – Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Assistant Director – Making History Campaign Chesapeake Bay Foundation I start many conversations with “My background is in business.” I never used to [...]
Equitably and Inclusively Engaging Community in the Quest to Preserve Forests
By Lauren Cooper My work as Program Director for the Forest Carbon and Climate Program at Michigan State University (MSU) is about exploring and understanding the dynamics of forests and climate change. Yet, within [...]
Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Will Help Our Climate
By Rita Hite President and CEO, American Forest Foundation Founding Member of the Women’s Forest Congress Steering Committee On January 1, 2022, I put my boots on the ground as the first woman to serve [...]
Resilience in forests, resilience in the forest sector, resilience in us.
By: Jessica Wikle As a researcher at the University of Vermont, I devote a large portion of my time to understanding what contributes to a healthy forest ecosystem. Specifically, I look at how we define [...]
Strength, Diversity & Welcoming Women into the Forest Sector
By: Dawn Simmons This Women's History Month, I invite you to take a look around your organizations, your companies, your communities, and your classrooms. Note the diversity at every level — both when it is [...]
I realized that getting a seat at the table meant bringing my own folding chair
By: Beattra Wilson Assistant Director, Cooperative Forestry When I chose to pursue an undergraduate degree in urban forestry at Southern University and A&M College, a historically black college and university (HBCU) system, I could see [...]
Bringing a Woman Forester’s Perspective to Philmont Scout Ranch
By Nadine Block Senior Vice President, Community and Government Relations Sustainable Forestry Initiative Member of the Women’s Forest Congress Content Development Working Group There are dozens of reasons I am grateful for the Women’s Forest [...]
Women in Forestry Coming Together
By: Rachel Comte, Principal, Arborist, Urban Planner at Urban Canopy Works Original version published on LinkedIn on June 22, 2021 Over the years, it has seemed that every project we work on there are more and [...]
We are in this together
By: Tia Beavert, Tribal Forest Manager, Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry When I was eleven years old, I went on my second gillnet fishing trip on the Columbia River with my dad, Charlie. The year before, my parents [...]
Why do I join the Women’s Forest Congress?
By: Kathy Doyle, Ph.D., Middlebury College and Doyle Ecological Services To what shall I give myself? That is a question I am asking these days, and the Women's Forest Congress feels like an important part [...]
Why does it matter if a forester is a woman?
By:Mindy S. Crandall (she/her/hers) I recently gave a talk at the Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention about some efforts at a university to better retain women enrolled in traditional undergraduate forestry majors (1). [...]
The Free to Grow in Forestry Initiative – From Vision to Action
By: Kelly Cooper Founder and CEO, Centre for Social Intelligence Co-Lead, Free to Grow in Forestry https://www.freetogrowinforestry.ca/ Several years before the Women’s Forest Congress was formed, the Free to Grow in Forestry initiative came together to [...]
I am because women before me believed in ME
By: Dr. Antomia (Mia) Farrell 2020 was a year of uncertainty for us all, but the Women’s Forest Congress was birthed! Through the Women’s Forest Congress, I feel like I have inherited newfound sisters from [...]
Building Relationships, Influencing Outcomes & Networking
By: Lynn Wilson After more than 30 years in the forest sector and having worked in a variety of settings, there are learned insights and personal experiences I would like to share with other women [...]
The Women’s Forest Congress and the Black Family Land Trust Can Help Young Black Women Succeed on the Land
By Ebonie Alexander When it comes to forestry, there is no escaping the fact that it is a male-dominated sector. When it comes to land ownership, there is no denying that white Americans, again predominately [...]
I am part of the generation of women in forestry…that grew up in the United States in the 1950s and 60s.
By: Jo Ellen Force, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Idaho I am part of the generation of women in forestry and other natural resource and environmental professions that grew up in the United States in [...]
Make it count: improve your career, improve your community
By: Tanya Wick I had a difficult time when I first started at Tolko. I was in a new industry and had moved away from my family, friends, and network. The Vice President of Human [...]
Here is a dream blog I might write after having participated in the Inaugural Women’s Forest Congress…
By Mary Stuever "The call for presentations was unlike any I had received in my professional career. I was invited to present any aspect of my work but asked to consider making the topic selection [...]
Because some #WomenInForestry just isn’t enough
By: Jasmine Brown When I first learned about the Women’s Forest Congress, I had flashbacks of all the times I felt out of place in my forestry career. All the times I was the only [...]
Women and minority representation in the forest and wood product sectors
By: Alicia Cramer Women and minority representation in the forest and wood product sectors, and to a lesser extent in the conservation community, has been an ongoing conversation during my 30+ year career. I have [...]
When I first learned of plans for the Women’s Forest Congress …
By: Asia Dowtin When I first learned of plans for the Women’s Forest Congress (WFC), I was excited for all the obvious reasons. From its onset, WFC promised to provide a unique opportunity to convene [...]
Why It’s Time for the Women’s Forest Congress
By: Ara Erickson I graduated from college twenty years ago, from a program split almost evenly by gender. Our professors were mostly men, but it felt like there was a shift taking place. There were [...]
I am part of the Women’s Forest Congress because
By: Katie Fernholz I am part of the Women’s Forest Congress because I believe the time is now to come together and make things the way they need to be. Exciting things are happening in [...]
Why I simply must be a part of the Women’s Forest Congress
By Elizabeth Woodworth The Women's Forest Congress is gaining momentum thanks to a group of incredible, inspiring, caring, accomplished women, with whom I'm honored and so happy to work with. I have always looked for [...]
Statement on Racial Injustice (2020)
In June 2020, the Steering Committee of the Women’s Forest Congress issued the following Statement on Racial Justice. We stand against racism. The Women’s Forest Congress believes that Black Lives Matter. We remain committed to [...]