This Season’s Hottest Gift
(Not as expensive as you might think–and certainly less expensive than the cost of industry decline.)
The season of gift-giving is upon us. Some of us meet this time of year with excitement – others not so much. (Dread might be the word they use.)
Certainly, the process can be stressful. Conflicting options race through your mind:
● Do I show love by splurging on that costly elaborate toy, knowing it will be set aside in favor of playing with the box?
● Do I add to the collection of “things” already bursting from wardrobes and storage areas, just to be sure the recipient has “something to unwrap”?
● Is minimalism nudging me toward gifts that last – fewer items, but better made with the promise of long-term use?
● Are dedicated decluttering and downsizing pointing me toward gifts that don’t take up space at all–experiences, events, sponsorship donations, and items that can easily be consumed?
Increasingly we pay more attention to where we spend our dollars and how we can make an impact with our money.
Your list probably includes kids, grandkids, employees, and friends. I’d like to add to that list. Consider making a gift to the forests that your kids, grandkids, and employees will inherit.
Helping forests to thrive and protecting them as a sustainable working resource for the health of the planet begins with education and developing curiosity in young minds.
Messages that promised to protect trees by not using wood have filled the minds of more than two generations and made wood substitutes look appealing. It’s time to turn this around and replace myths with science-based truth to create an accurate understanding of sustainable forest management and the benefits it brings.
If you’re in this industry (and more than likely you are, if you’re reading this) you know the pattern and what’s involved in preparing for the future.
Purchasing, planting, and tending trees–including those deliberately planted as a cash crop–is an in-
vestment. But it’s an investment that cannot be hurried. The value builds, but you have to stick with it for the long term to see the full benefit. There are no shortcuts. You can’t change the time it takes for a seedling to become a full grown tree ready for harvest, but your planning and investment today promises a reward in the future.
The wood products industry is one in which cycles and timelines are measured in decades not days. We all know this. So why are we falling behind in making a comparable investment in securing future consumers of wood products and future workers to sustain the industry?
It’s no surprise that tall trees grow from tiny seeds and certainly some forests have the ability to self-seed. But in the forest products industry, that development of the next generation requires intentional action. It takes effort to cultivate a future generation of workers, producers, and customers. They won’t automatically understand the value and benefits of wood; they need to be told. It takes effort to plant seeds of curiosity and understanding in young people.
Sounds expensive, right? Not as expensive as you might think–and certainly less expensive than the cost of industry decline.
We’re among friends, so it’s ok to be honest. Who doesn’t, at least secretly, love a bargain? I think that answer is pretty much everyone. We all want to know that we’re getting value for our money and multiplying its effectiveness.
When you donate $150 to sponsor a single Truth About Trees kit, that one gift has the potential to touch many classrooms of schoolchildren in grades K-5. One kit can serve multiple teachers and be used for more than just one year. Talk about leveraging a single gift to awaken curiosity in thousands of young minds!
The More Kits Donated Expands and Accelerates Reach and Impact
As they solidify their understanding of wood and its uses and benefits, they learn about the economics that help to sustain forests as natural resources that protect the planet.
Think about the dues your company pays for professional memberships or the cost of season tickets to sporting events or country club membership fees. Chances are, any one of those “business necessities” costs more than $150.
Maybe it’s time to reframe educating tomorrow’s workforce and consumers about the truth about wood, wood products, and the wood products industry as the key business necessity that it is. During the holiday season, why not add the donation price of one kit–or more–to your routine fixed expenses as a gift that is an investment in the future of your business and this industry.
Each kit donated plants many seeds, and the task of educating future generations becomes easier when many individuals and companies are involved in supporting the effort through donations of any size.
Interested in learning about the work the North American Forest Foundation is doing to change the hearts and minds of the next generation about wood (keeping all of us off the Endangered Industries List)? Visit our website to learn more and find out how you can help be the difference and keep this industry thriving for generations. Feel free to shoot me an email at adeford@northamericanforestfoundation.org or give me a call 901-860-4131.
