Together We Rise: A Message From the SAF President
July 30, 2021
Join in with SAF as we launch our latest membership recruitment campaign called “Together We Rise” as current members share their testimonials on what SAF means to them. The campaign highlights how our members rise and grow together, network within the forestry and natural resources profession, and how each learn from one another along their professional paths.
The below kick-off message by SAF President Gene Kodama sets the tone of the campaign by connecting it to our vision, our members, the profession, and the future of SAF.
A message from SAF President Gene Kodama:
Good day! We are excited to kick off our 2021 SAF membership drive! Our Society is focused on its vision of being “the trusted voice and leader empowering the forestry profession in advancing sustainable forest management…” as envisioned by Gifford Pinchot and other Society founders.
SAF is financially stable, well connected with partners, and strategically aligned with its vision. However, membership has been dropping for many years. Some likely reasons include an aging membership, low recruitment, fewer integrated forest product companies, and less emphasis on professional associations by new generations.
Promotional materials developed for our drive will clearly show the value of SAF. I believe that anyone who is making or has made a living in forestry should be members to protect and grow the profession for today’s forestry professionals and those to come. This is similar to our efforts to enhance forests and other natural resources for the present and the future.
Please join me in SAF’s membership efforts by continuing to be an active member, providing testimonials and videos, and recruiting additional members. Recently, our membership has been stabilizing, and we have the opportunity to reverse the decline this year. As our bylaws say, we welcome professional foresters, associate members from related fields, forest technicians, students, and international members.
Thank you for your support of SAF! Feel free to contact me, any member of our leadership team, or our national staff if you have any questions. For a look at what SAF means to our members, use the link below to view some of our member testimonials and watch a video from Pat Layton, Director of Clemson University's Wood Utilization and Development Institute.
Best regards,
Gene
Gene Kodama, CF, SAF President
Do you have an SAF story to share? Contact us at [email protected] to share your testimonial and become a face of SAF!
Watch the first installment of SAF's "Together We Rise" series! In this series, SAF President Gene Kodama asks members of their experiences with SAF throughout their careers in the forestry and natural resources profession. In this video, Pat Layton, Director of Clemson University's Wood Utilization and Development Institute, shares her favorite SAF moments as both a member and mentor to students.