Dogwood Alliance is celebrating 15 years of protecting forests, and we’re sharing the stories of our successes along the way with a monthly blog post series, “15 for the Forests.” This is post 1 of 15.

One of Dogwood Alliance’s first actions as a fledgling organization was launching a campaign to protect forests from the effects of chip mill operations. Turns out, it was an award winning effort. In 2000, Dogwood Alliance was honored by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Southeast Region with an Environmental Merit Award, “in appreciation and recognition of outstanding environmental stewardship.”

In 1996, Dogwood Alliance created the chip mill campaign to call for a moratorium on permits for new facilities pending a study of their impact on forests. “It was a broad, regional campaign to challenge a growing industry and get government to look at the impacts,” recalls Dogwood Executive Director Danna Smith. “Community leaders played a crucial role. Whenever Dogwood got word of a new chip mill, we began organizing with nearby communities to stop the permits.”

One of Dogwood Alliance’s first actions as a fledgling organization was launching a campaign to protect forests from the effects of chip mill operations. Turns out, it was an award winning effort. In 2000, Dogwood Alliance was honored by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Southeast Region with an Environmental Merit Award, “in appreciation and recognition of outstanding environmental stewardship.” 
In 1996, Dogwood Alliance created the chip mill campaign to call for a moratorium on permits for new facilities pending a study of their impact on forests. “It was a broad, regional campaign to challenge a growing industry and get government to look at the impacts,” recalls Dogwood Executive Director Danna Smith. “Community leaders played a crucial role. Whenever Dogwood got word of a new chip mill, we began organizing with nearby communities to stop the permits.”

As a result of Dogwood’s campaign, the US Forest Service, the EPA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the first-ever Southern Forest Resource Assessment. (The 2011 Southern Forests Futures Report is second generation of that work.)

The chip mill campaign wasn’t just a first for Dogwood, says Smith. “The entire paper industry in the Southeast had pretty much been unchallenged up to that time. When the report was released in 2001, it documented the dramatic expansion of paper and logging and a loss of 9 million acres of forests, plus an increase in the use of fertilizers and pesticides.”

Dogwood used this information to help stop chip mill permits around the region, gain a moratorium on new mills in Missouri and to help gain stricter permit requirements for mills in North Carolina. The organization also garnered national media attention. “This was the next big forest story after the spotted owl,” says Smith.

“We were surprised by the award,” she recalls, “but it was very validating. It showed that issue was worthy of concern and that our campaign was run with integrity and broad support. It was a fitting way to celebrate what was essentially the birth of the Dogwood Alliance we have today.”

The chip mill campaign wasn’t just a first for Dogwood, says Smith. “The entire paper industry in the Southeast had pretty much been unchallenged up to that time. When the report was released in 2001, it documented the dramatic expansion of paper and logging and a loss of 9 million acres of forests, plus an increase in the use of fertilizers and pesticides.”

Dogwood used this information to help stop chip mill permits around the region, gain a moratorium on new mills in Missouri and to help gain stricter permit requirements for mills in North Carolina. The organization also garnered national media attention. “This was the next big forest story after the spotted owl,” says Smith.

“This campaign also helped us realize that we’d need to focus on markets to be truly effective in protecting forests,” Smith adds. “We created our new approach and started with Staples. We used the report to show them the impact of their sourcing decisions, and within two years, they were on board.

“We were surprised by the award,” she recalls, “but it was very validating. It showed that issue was worthy of concern and that our campaign was run with integrity and broad support. It was a fitting way to celebrate what was essentially the birth of the Dogwood Alliance we have today.”