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February, 2008
 Catskill WoodNet – a regional collaboration of woodworkers, artisans, and sawmills in the New York City Watershed - is pleased to announce thelaunch of the Pure Catskills brand for local woodproducts. This week, the logo debuts on the membership’s website – www.catskillwoodnet.org.The new trademark for forest products is a spin-off from the successful Pure Catskills: Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign which promotes over 150 area farms. These marketing efforts are spearheaded by the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC). The WAC supports economic initiatives aimed at sustaining agriculture and forestry as preferred land uses for water quality protection and land conservation in the New York City Watershed.
“Forestland covers 75 percent of the Catskills region, with almost 85 percent of that area being privately owned,” states Collin Miller, Forestry Specialist with WAC. “Sustainable management is critical to keeping forests intact. A strong local market for wood products allows landowners to offset taxes through periodic and well planned timber harvests. This profitable land use lessens the potential for subdivision and parcelization of our woodlands, while providing the area’s wood-manufacturing sector with jobs. By affiliating WoodNet with the Pure Catskills Buy Local campaign, we hope more consumers - including tradespersons involved with green building projects – can learn how purchasing wood products from the Catskills can have a positive impact on watershed health and economic vitality in the region.”
Beginning this month, WoodNet members will begin displaying the Pure Catskills logo. Branded items will include lumber, flooring, home furnishings, garden/landscape items, and specialty items such as cutting boards and one-of-a-kind wood carvings. The Catskill WoodNet website features a searchable database of member businesses by location and product. Over 40 local wood-related businesses are currently enrolled in WoodNet; its membership includes family-based, cottage industries to more sizeable manufacturers dealing strictly with the trade.
Catskill WoodNet members often source their raw materials from companies that work with forest landowners, certified loggers, and watershed qualified foresters. Landowners voluntarily participate in sustainable forestry that keeps streams and reservoirs clean while creating critical habitat for wildlife and encouraging land stewardship. Over 20 percent of private forest landowners in the New York City Watershed are following a long-term plan for their woods with the guidance of a professional forester. According to researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, this regional participation is nearly five times the national average for stewardship planning occurring in other regions of similar size.
Catskill WoodNet promotes a variety of wood businesses that use forest products grown, harvested and/or manufactured in the Catskills region. Wood-products businesses in Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties are eligible for membership. In special cases, membership is extended to neighboring businesses located outside the six counties who demonstrate a connection to the region’s wood economy. Whether its forestry services, firewood, and lumber or finished goods like furniture, cabinetry, or flooring, Catskill WoodNet members are joining forces to meet a growing demand for wood products from well managed forests.
The group’s website and Pure Catskills trademark are designed to 1) generate sales leads and internet visibility for Catskill WoodNet member businesses; 2) provide an online resource that creates networking opportunities for the region’s wood products firms; and 3) educate consumers about sustainable forestry and the importance of a working landscape to sustain watershed protection efforts in the New York City Watershed. For more information on joining the group or sourcing Pure Catskills wood products from Catskill WoodNet, visit the group’s website at www.catskillwoodnet.org or email info@catskillwoodnet.org.
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