what we do
Protecting land for nature, land for people and Land for Good™.
IT ALL COMES BACK TO People and the LAND.
How we use our land creates our future. From local food at the farmer’s market, parks and urban forests to affordable housing in vibrant communities, recreation opportunities, and working farms and forests – it all comes back to people and the land.Â
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Community Real Estate and Planning:
Forterra invests in towns and cities across the state. We leverage our land holdings and work in partnership with towns, cities, developers, and communities to improve infrastructure, housing, and cultural institutions.
Land COnservation and Stewardship:
Forterra’s landscape-scale strategy ensures the protection of critical ecological assets, forests, farmlands, parks and trails. We collaborate with landowners, Tribes, state agencies, municipalities and other partners to purchase land and conservation easements. We manage more than 17,000 acres across the state, to sustain ecological value and mitigate the causes and effects of climate change.Â
Policy and Innovation:
Forterra’s comprehensive, leveraged approach to policy and programs ensures that we can meet the moment to help tackle the climate crisis and support equitable, green and prosperous communities. We apply a breadth of technical skills to tackle problems we are uniquely equipped to solve. Â
Strategic Initiatives
We take pride in the strategic initiatives we’ve taken on throughout Forterra’s history.Â
Learn more about our approach below.
The executive summary of Cascade Agenda, released in 2005 it remains Forterra’s guiding document on conserving the region’s ecosystems, communities and economies.
An emerging vision for the Olympic Peninsula to shape a future of great communities and healthy landscapes. A 100-year action plan for Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson and Mason Counties.
In 2008, Forterra evaluated our progress toward sustainability goals since the launch of the Cascade Agenda in 2005, presenting accomplishments as well as future opportunities and challenges.
In 2015, Forterra embarked on the next wave of the Cascade and Olympic Agendas, a sharpening of our strategic focus to overcome the most pressing challenges we face as a region. This report summarizes Forterra’s work and aspirations.
A 2014 report highlighting Forterra’s efforts to sustain a livable and resilient place for future generations, summarizing the organization’s progress toward achieving the goals of the Cascade and Olympic Agendas.
A 2014 report highlighting Forterra’s efforts to sustain a livable and resilient place for future generations, summarizing the organization’s progress toward achieving the goals of the Cascade and Olympic Agendas.
We updated our Strategic Plan in 2022 and doubled down on our commitment to address climate change and the biggest issues facing our region. View our 2022-2024 Strategic Map here.Â
our commitment to the people and land
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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.
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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.
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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.
Partnering with tribes
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 Indigenous, Tribal, and Treaty Rights, while honoring their stewardship and culture today.
Forterra commits to working to help mitigate past societal wrongs and building a new of era of collaboration around social and environmental equity.
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 The 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. - Solutions through Land The return of Tribal lands is intra-generational social and environmental equity.
- Land and Natural Resources Land use decisions can balance natural resource utilization with healthy ecosystems and communities. Land
justice 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 land ownership.
- Ownership Historic methods of property ownership have created land injustice for Tribes.
- Climate Change climate change is a threat to the collective community. Ancestral Land partnerships, projects and land use practices seek to address global warming through regenerative land use that prioritizes biodiversity and carbon uptake.
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.
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.
