Colorado State Forest Service’s New Forest Products Database Connects Consumers with Colorado Businesses

The Colorado State Forest Service has launched a new online database that will help consumers find local forest products businesses and contribute to the health of Colorado’s forests. The database lists businesses that use wood material derived from Colorado’s forests; many specialize in utilizing beetle-killed wood, which provides a market to help address forest health in areas impacted by bark beetles.

Located on the CSFS website, the interactive Colorado Forest Products database allows consumers to search for businesses by name, location or goods produced. It also includes a company profile of each business.

More than 130 companies currently are listed in the database, ranging from log home builders to custom furniture makers to flooring and paneling producers.

“Buying local Colorado wood products has many positive impacts on our forests, and helps reduce management and restoration treatment costs by increasing demand for the wood coming out of our forests,” said Tim Reader, CSFS wood utilization and marketing forester.

The Colorado Forest Products Program is a trademarked, business membership-based program that provides consumer education and enhances the production, marketing and sales of wood products harvested from forest management activities on Colorado’s public and private forestlands.

Eligible forest products business owners who want their information posted in the database can submit their membership information online. To be eligible for inclusion in the database, owners must certify that 50 percent or more of all wood material used in the processing and manufacturing of their products is derived from forests in Colorado as a result of forest management activities.

“Colorado’s local economies also are impacted by consumer purchasing decisions,” Reader said. “By purchasing local products, we keep consumer dollars in our economy and support local jobs and communities.”

The database is located at http://csfs.colostate.edu/cowood/cfp-database.aspx. For more information about the Colorado Forest Products Program, contact Amanda Bucknam at (970) 491-0801.

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