2025 was a year of solidifying the foundation at FSC US — putting the right people, structures, and partnerships in place so we’re prepared for what comes next. It was a year of listening, building, and aligning.
We welcomed three exceptional new staff members whose roles are foundational to our future: Alex Thoman, Pacific Northwest Regional Manager; Kaylyn Glenn, Southeast Regional Manager; and Abby Jamison, Chain of Custody Manager. At the same time, we deepened our engagement with partners, certificate holders, and members through regional meetings in Minneapolis, Hartford, and Augusta, and through our national U.S. meeting in St. Louis. Across these gatherings — and through virtual events throughout the year — we strengthened relationships across the full value chain, from forest managers and landowners to primary processors, printers, millwork, pulp and paper producers, and the built environment.
Two of the most important cornerstones of our work were completed in 2025: the National Forest Stewardship Standard and FSC US’s next three-year Strategic Plan. Both were shaped by extensive input from stakeholders and certificate holders across the country, reflecting the strength and diversity of voices within the FSC system.
We also moved from planning to action. We launched targeted initiatives to increase forest management acreage and primary processor certification in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest — efforts that have already attracted significant external funding. We continued to explore partnerships in e-commerce and supply-chain technology, recognizing that scaling FSC’s impact requires meeting markets where they are and anticipating where they’re headed.
I am deeply proud of the FSC US team and what we accomplished together in 2025.
And yet, 2025 was the warm-up. In 2026, we are ready to accelerate.
Our Strategic Plan is anchored in four pillars:
- Delivering greater value to certificate holders
- Strengthening and supporting our network
- Communicating FSC’s value — with clarity and precision
- Diversifying and growing our revenue to sustain and scale this work
These pillars are united by a cross-cutting priority: strengthening collaboration with FSC International, ensuring U.S. perspectives are heard, shared goals are advanced, and the entire FSC system is positioned to thrive.
Looking ahead, our goals for 2026 are ambitious and tangible. We aim to increase FSC-certified forest area in the U.S. by approximately two million acres; expand consumer engagement and awareness; tell meaningful, place-based stories about FSC-certified forests and organizations; and deliver real value to certificate holders by advancing a risk-based auditing framework that reduces unnecessary burden while maintaining credibility. And throughout it all, we will continue to defend the principle that every voice in the FSC system matters.
Everyone reading this is part of that work. Supporting rural communities. Advancing responsible forest management. Strengthening markets for FSC-certified products. Protecting the environmental and social values that forests provide.
We look forward to creating positive impact together in 2026 — for forests, for people, and for the future we’re building.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.