2021
Annual
Report

Letter from Our Board Chair and CEO

The Pacific Northwest is stunning. From the Cascades to the Sound, the Skykomish River to the Yakima River, the Chehalis Basin to the Kitsap Peninsula, we are surrounded by a diversity of interconnected landscapes that are unique to our corner of the world.

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Letter from Our Board Chair and CEO

The Pacific Northwest is stunning. From the Cascades to the Sound, the Skykomish River to the Yakima River, the Chehalis Basin to the Kitsap Peninsula, we are surrounded by a diversity of interconnected landscapes that are unique to our corner of the world. Working forests and farms nourish us, forested parks and regional trails connect us to nature close to home, while rivers, lakes and estuaries are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem. Community spaces where folks from all walks of life can live well, while small businesses thrive, and folks know your name keep us grounded and remind us we are home. The Pacific Northwest is a place where people and nature can thrive together. It is a place where everyone can belong.

Despite all of that, we are facing big challenges in the PNW. Like the rest of the world, our region is feeling the impacts of the climate crisis, and we know those impacts will only grow more severe if we don’t act now. Because of the access to nature and recreation, jobs in a growing economy Puget Sound and the Central Cascades attract new people every day. We need to manage this growth sustainably — too many people who call the Pacific Northwest home already struggle to afford housing. If we are not smart about how we grow, we will only push people further and further out, straining our resources and compounding the impacts of climate change and the affordable housing crisis.

It is understandable to wonder if we can rise to these challenges right now. We shouldn’t wonder — we know we can. We can address these issues because the people in the Pacific Northwest are resilient. We will act because that is what Forterra has done for nearly 35 years. We have risen to challenges by innovating and taking risks to achieve better outcomes for people and nature. That is what we will continue to do.

2021 was no different. Over the course of the year, we conserved more than 15,000 acres of land across the region, permanently protecting forests that are natural carbon sinks, shoreline habitats that could have been lost to development and greenspaces that people will be able to enjoy for generations. Through our Evergreen Carbon Capture program, organizations and individuals were able to offset 28,000 tons of carbon by planting more than 5,600 native trees in local parks. And we’re so proud of our Green City Partnerships with 15 cities in the region, which engaged more than 1,200 volunteers to plant nearly 10,000 native plants in parks from Tacoma to Snohomish.

At Forterra we believe in Land for Good. For us that means doing what we’ve done since 1989 — conserving land to protect habitat and support communities, deepening relationships with people across the region and getting creative to gain resilience as we address the impacts the climate that is changing so rapidly around us. Land for Good is challenges us to think about our work differently — looking across rural and urban landscapes to find the connections between people and the land. Respecting that land means so much in so many ways to the people of our region. It encourages us to innovate to achieve better outcomes, and to strive for environmental and social equity.

As we look back on 2021 and forward to the next 30 years, we know one thing – we can’t do this alone. Partnerships with local and state government, communities throughout the region, organizations and individuals have powered Forterra’s programs and initiatives for nearly 35 years and helped us conserve Land for Good. As we recommit ourselves to tackling the climate crisis and continue to innovate for the people and places we love, we can only succeed together. Thank you for joining us.

Beth Birnbaum

Beth Birnbaum

Chair

Michelle Connor

Michelle Connor

President & CEO

Land for Good

Forterra is an unconventional land trust that works across Washington’s communities and landscapes, from the ranches and shrub-steppe of the Yakima basin, to the estuaries, farms and forests of Washington’s coast, reaching more than 100 counties, cities, towns and rural communities.

We envision people and nature thriving together in a place where everyone belongs. To achieve this, we innovate to find solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. Forterra invests in local people and places to improve our region’s resiliency in the face of accelerating climate change. Our community-driven programs protect natural resources, help us grow within our existing footprint and supports self-determination for overburdened communities.

Working cooperatively with people and nature, Forterra drives land stewardship, management and planning; innovative programs and policies; farming and forestry approaches; community ownership opportunities; and development solutions.

Bags full of twigs

If you are like me, and you enjoy getting your hands dirty (literally), sign up for a local restoration work party through the Forterra’s Green City Partnerships! That said, the ecological challenges we are facing are huge and require all of us to contribute to solutions. There are so many needs and so many ways to contribute. Given the challenges, my advice is: Find something you are passionate about, find a way to contribute, and stick with it!

 

— Andrea Ostrovsky – Forterra Vice-Chair

Impactful, Innovative Land-Based Solutions

Since 1989, Forterra has conserved more than 275,000 acres of land for habitat, recreation, and community. These critical lands support community well-being, sequester carbon pollution, provide vital habitat, act as natural barriers along coasts and riverbeds, and absorb rainfall from intense storms.

Along with community partners and volunteers, we have planted more than1.5 million plants and trees, restoring and stewarding parks and urban forests throughout the region. In 2021, Forterra worked with more than 1,250 volunteers to plant more than 9,600 native plants and trees in 58 parks throughout the region through our 15 Green City Partnerships. Through the support of partners like the Port of Seattle, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and Highline Public Schools, our Green Burien Partnership launched an innovative student-led program to reforest a school campus with students at WELS, an experiential learning program in the Highline School District.

In 2021 Forterra managed more than 15,000 acres and had 34 active conservation projects to protect forestland, farmland, shoreline riparian corridors, community connectors, and ancestral lands. Throughout the year, Forterra worked with community partners, Tribes and landowners to acquire properties throughout the region for conservation, community development and habitat restoration.

Smiling people holding a plant
Woman reaching into bucket

In 2021, Forterra worked with more than

0
volunteers

to plant more than

0
native plants and trees

in

0
parks throughout the region

through our

0
Green Cities Partnerships

Forterra is a national innovator and state policy leader

In 2021 our Evergreen Carbon Capture program offset 28,000 tons of carbon.

28% ECC Increase 2021
Offset 8,000 tons of carbon in 2022

25 organizations, from Sounders FC to BECU to Nordstrom, as well as dozens of individuals offset their carbon footprint by supporting the planting of 5,696 trees at 14 sites across the region. This set a new program record for trees planted and tons of carbon offset.

Planting 1 tree offsets 5 tons of carbon

Since 1989, Forterra has conserved more than 275,000 acres of land for habitat, recreation and community. These critical lands support community well-being, sequester carbon pollution, provide vital habitat, act as natural barriers along coasts and riverbeds and absorb rainfall from intense storms. Along with community partners and volunteers, we have planted more than 1.5 million plants and trees, restoring and stewarding parks and urban forests throughout the region.

Through the support of partners like the Port of Seattle, Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Highline Public Schools, our Green Burien Partnership launched an innovative student-led program to reforest a school campus with students at WELS, an experiential learning program in the Highline School District. In 2021, Forterra managed more than 15,000 acres and had 34 active conservation projects to protect forestland, farmland, shoreline riparian corridors, community connectors and ancestral lands. Throughout the year, Forterra worked with community partners, Tribes and landowners to acquire properties throughout the region for conservation, community development and habitat restoration.

Forest to Home: Striving to integrate the housing supply chain, creating jobs and economic growth

Forterra crafts equitable solutions that enable collaboration and self-determination. Working alongside communities, Forterra’s work scales innovative opportunities for policy design, attainable home ownership, community-led stewardship, generational transfer and partnering with Tribes to reclaim ancestral lands. Forterra looks across both urban and rural areas for the interconnections between land and people. Our comprehensive approach challenges us to create sustainable economic opportunities while improving landscape health and resilience to the changing climate.

In 2021 Forterra completed the first prototype of an all-CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) modular unit.

Forterra is testing the viability of units like this to be used in community-led developments in Roslyn, Hamilton, Tacoma and Tukwila. Working with the local communities, we are moving forward on the development of attainable housing and commercial and community space in each of those cities and towns. Working with the Town of Darrington and a host of private partners, we have taken key steps to enable the Darrington Wood Innovation Center (DWIC) to be home for some of the world’s leading engineered timber and modular housing manufacturing companies, with a goal of creating living wage and a model for sustainable rural development.

“ The single most important thing we can do to bring our historic neighbors back into the Hilltop is provide accessible opportunities for home and business ownership.”

— Kiara Daniels, Tacoma City Council Member

Financial Information

Our Strategic Vision

Forterra is guided by a three-year rolling strategic plan, which is evaluated and updated annually. The plan functions to guide our annual work plan, program and business development, and our strategic aspirational goals. In 2021 Forterra conducted a significant update on its Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Plan to directly address the compelling opportunities and challenges of our times.

Trees

Forterra envisions people and nature thriving together in a place where everyone belongs.

Trees

Forterra innovates and scales land-based solutions to address the climate crisis and support equitable, green and prosperous communities.

Trees
  • We show respect for people, place, culture and each other.
  • We seek inclusive solutions that make a difference on the ground.
  • We innovate and take risks to attain better outcomes.
  • We are results oriented, taking pride in the quality and outcomes of our work.
  • We are honest and keep our promises.
  • We take the courage to disagree and commit.
Trees

Forterra is guided by a three-year rolling strategic plan, which is evaluated and updated annually. The plan functions to guide our annual work plan, program and business development, and our strategic aspirational goals. In 2021 Forterra conducted a significant update on its Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Plan to directly address the compelling opportunities and challenges of our times.

Trees

Forterra envisions people and nature thriving together in a place where everyone belongs.

Trees
  • We show respect for people, place, culture and each other.
  • We seek inclusive solutions that make a difference on the ground.
  • We innovate and take risks to attain better outcomes.
  • We are results oriented, taking pride in the quality and outcomes of our work.
  • We are honest and keep our promises.
  • We take the courage to disagree and commit.
Trees

Forterra innovates and scales land-based solutions to address the climate crisis and support equitable, green and prosperous communities.

Trees
Goal icon

Forterra's Strategic Goals

  • Maximize social and environmental equity and community self-determination.
  • Prioritize work with integrated climate and large-scale, landscape impact.
  • Invest in the well-being of employees and the systems that support them.
Pillar icon

Forterra's Strategic Pillars

  • Land Conservation and Stewardship
  • Policy and Community Programming
  • Community-Driven Development

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