WHO WE ARE
Our mission remains constant — even as the challenges and opportunities evolve.
Land Acknowledgement
We gather and live on the plains, plateaus, mountains, and coastal lands that have been home to Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial. We respect their Treaty Rights while honoring their Tribal stewardship and culture today.
OUR MISSION
Forterra innovates and scales land-based solutions to address the climate crisis, conserve and care for wild and working lands, and support equitable, green and prosperous communities.
our vision
Forterra envisions people and nature thriving together in places where everyone belongs.
OUR APPROACH
and we didn’t stop there Collaborating with more than 3,500 people across the region, Forterra delivered a pair of ambitious plans—The Cascade and Olympic Agendas – drawing attention to the key relationship between people and nature. Work that continues today.
Our Values
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.
our commitment to the people and land
Forterra recognizes how we do our work internally and externally is as important as what we seek to achieve. We are committed to maximizing social and environmental equity in the communities and landscapes we serve.
We stand ready to explore land access, stewardship or transfer to Tribes and community organizations based on the legal constraints, funding sources and purposes for which we hold ownership of property interests.
We are open to revising our thinking and welcome productive dialogue to better ensure that people and nature can thrive together in a place where everyone belongs.
Land Trust Accreditation
Forterra is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. This accreditation is given to organizations that meet the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence.
TRIBAL COLLABORATION
We gather and live on the plains, plateaus, mountains, and coastal lands that have been home to Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial. We respect their Treaty Rights while honoring their Tribal stewardship and culture today.
Indigenous Peoples have a sacred and inalienable connection to their ancestral lands that have been disrespected and dismissed by generations of land managers. Forterra strives to achieve Tribal aspirations by practicing these understandings:
- Tribal Leadership: Tribes are leaders in the State of Washington, working to achieve a balance of natural resource conservation and utilization with other communities and leaders across the state.
- Earth, Air and Water: Multigenerational Expertise and Experience: Indigenous land management practices provide unique value and expertise to all Washingtonians because Tribal Nations strive to use the most cutting-edge science within the context of millennia of cultural teachings, land management experience, and long-term observation.
- Land and Natural Resources: Land use decisions can balance natural resource utilization with healthy ecosystems and communities. Land can empower marginalized communities through greater access to land and can be a precursor to halting ecosystem collapse.
- Tribal Restoration: Healing the land requires lifetimes of stewardship and conservation. The Tribes’ cultural knowledge of the land values ecology, climate preservation and traditional practices.
- Hunting, Gathering and Fishing: Traditional Indigenous use supports conservation and is integrally connected to Tribal stewardship and practices.
- Climate Change: Ancestral Land partnerships, projects and land use practices seek to address global warming through regenerative land use that prioritizes biodiversity and carbon uptake.
- Tulalip Tribes Acknowledgements and Actions
commitment to community
- We work with overburdened and BIPOC communities by providing access and opportunities for self-determination.
- We pursue common ground, engage all sides and act with understanding of the land, its history and its
stewards. - We imagine and transform audacious ideas into achievable solutions, based on a clear understanding
of capacity, interests, project goals and challenges. - We identify key outcomes, focus resources and expertise to achieve our mission and optimize impact.
- We are candid about our interests while remaining committed to supporting each other.
- Statement of Solidarity
