Growing Forest Products in Your Community

About this Workshop:

This course is designed to assist Virginia communities in increasing forest products industry recruitment. This short course offers an opportunity to gain information on industry resources, meet key industry contacts, and learn economic development strategies for business development. This two day program involves forest industry representative presentations, panel discussions, and resource material sharing. Participants tour nearby sites of both primary and secondary wood products manufacturers.

Topics Covered:

  • The Forest Resource: An overview of the forest resource in Virginia and current issues affecting the resource.
  • Primary Processing: What is primary processing, how it is important to the state, and issues affecting the industry.
  • Value-added Manufacturing: What it is, what’s important to the industry, and how to help it grow.
  • Special Forest Products: What they are, how they relate to Southwest Virginia, and how they can help economic development in rural areas.
  • Industry Perspective: Industry representatives will share their opinions on how economic developers can assist the forest products industry.
  • Industrial Tour: Participants will tour a primary and secondary processing facility in the area.
  • Labor and Training Issues: What’s needed by the industry and what’s available for assistance in Virginia.
  • Financing the Wood Products Industry: Potential assistance for financing future wood products growth.
  • Exporting Wood Products: Issues relating to the growth of the industry through exporting wood products.