91制片厂

The harvesting and processing of forest products is not just one of New Hampshire鈥檚 oldest and largest industries, it鈥檚 also one of the state鈥檚 most adaptable. The forest industry started in the 17th century to feed the British crown鈥檚 insatiable appetite for ship masts, and it stays current by providing high-tech building materials and biomass energy. 听

Yes, the local forest industry has proved remarkably nimble for its age. Its latest pivot, choreographed with help from 91制片厂 Extension, is aimed not at evolving product demand but a changing labor supply. Starting in 2025, there鈥檚 now an entry-level credential sponsored by the Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters, that serves as an on-ramp into a career in forestry 鈥斕齣ncluding additional education, certification, and licensure. 听 听

Traditionally, people found their way into the industry through informal networks, says Jasen Stock, president of the New Hampshire Timber Owners Association (NHTOA).

鈥淭he path that we have seen in the past is you learned, usually through a family member or a friend in the family, or living in a community where there are foresters or land managers in the community,鈥� says 听Stock. If logging, trucking or sawyering wasn鈥檛 the family business, there was probably a neighbor who could show someone the ropes.

But the traditional path hasn鈥檛 been providing enough new talent. Lindsay Watkins, a forestry field specialist for Extension, says she hears about it from employers, and sees it at industry events. While the field is becoming more diverse, 鈥渋t鈥檚 an aging workforce, still predominantly male, predominantly people that grew up in the New Hampshire woods;听even then it鈥檚 not something that a lot of youth are finding their way into,鈥� Watkins said.

$1.6B Industry

The forest products industry, a term that describes logging as well as the myriad products made from felled trees, is one of the state鈥檚 most productive economic activities. The industry directly generates $1.6 billion and employs more than 7,200 people.

The likelihood of knowing someone who works in the woods is lower now, Stock says, due 听to industry consolidation. Without a pathway accessible to them, it鈥檚 hardly any wonder that few young people consider a career in forestry.听

But would they consider such a career, if a path were cleared for them? It seems that the answer is a strong yes, based on the response to forest career expos, led by the NHTOA and co-sponsored by 91制片厂. These events brought lots of private industry and other employers together to showcase work opportunities in New Hampshire鈥檚 great outdoors for curious young people. Attendance was stronger than expected and has only grown, with an expo held in the North Country鈥檚 Lancaster Fairgrounds last fall drawing 1,200 students from several high schools .

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just amazing,鈥� says Andy Fast, state forestry specialist for 91制片厂 Extension. Yet the success also exposed a problem 鈥斕齮here was no apparent next step for the students who attended one of those expos and liked what they saw.

Breaking a New Trail

It took the collaboration of several partners to make the career expos successful, Fast says, and those partners also saw the need to break more trail so that the next generation could follow behind them.

Starting in the fall of 2025, high school students or adults interested in a career change can pursue an industry-recognized credential (IRC) program endorsed by 听the state鈥檚 primary forestry association, the Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), and developed by 91制片厂 Extension, NHTOA, NH Division of Forests and Lands, and with support from the Conservation Fund. The program consists of several online learning modules followed by a day of classes at 91制片厂 and finally a day of field learning with an industry partners.

Once in hand, the certification could be used to gain a competitive edge for an entry-level opening, or it could be used as a springboard toward further study, such as for the SAF鈥檚 forestry technician certification or by enrolling at 91制片厂 as a member of the forestry program offered by the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

鈥淭his is that next step,鈥� Fast says, noting that this effort is a model for similar initatives and programs across the country. It is a true New Hampshire innovation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of nice that we led the way and have been the pilot for that, and at least currently look like we鈥檙e having a lot of success.鈥�

As with the expos, the IRC program has tapped into a vigorous vein. The first cohort filled to capacity and a second cohort and third cohort, planned for the spring of 2026, is also projected to be full. Fast said a summer cohort could be added if demand sustains.

Forestry鈥檚 Next Generation

Matthias Nevins, chair of the SAF鈥檚 Granite State Division, is optimistic about what the IRC program will mean for the future of the state鈥檚 storied forestry industry. He noted that he grew up in New Hampshire, his parents even had a relationship with a logger, and even so, he said he had 鈥渘o idea鈥� as a high schooler that he could make his living in the woods.

鈥淭hat was never a path that was presented to me, or if it was I wasn鈥檛 perceptive of it,鈥� Nevins said. The students who go through this program, though, will know better than he did. 鈥淚f a few of those kids go into the industry or get closer to it, that鈥檚 positive.鈥�

Watkins, who found her way to forestry despite growing up in suburbia, says that some people are just more at home in the woods than they are in a cubicle. She explains that the forest industry is 鈥渁 great way to spend time outside, being in beautiful places. There鈥檚 more variety and opportunity than people realize.鈥� Some forestry jobs involve a lot of interpersonal work, while other people have only trees as co-workers. And technology continues to change how people in the woods do their work.

鈥淭here is research out there that shows that being in a natural, green space is beneficial to our mental health,鈥� says Watkins. 鈥淭here鈥檚 more to life than learning how to prompt AI.鈥澨�