The Evergreen Foundation is a non-profit forestry research and educational organization (EIN: 94-3112976). We were incorporated in Oregon in 1990 under Internal Revenue Service 501 (c)(3) guidelines which govern the conduct of all non-profits incorporated for religious, scientific, educational and charitable purposes.
Our mission is the help advance public understanding and support for science-based forestry and forest policy. To this end, we operate this website and we publish Evergreen Magazine, a periodic journal designed to keep our members, students, elected officials, grass roots groups and the news media abreast of issues and events that are impacting forestry, forest communities and the forest products industry.
Our Vision:
Evergreen seeks to be an effective national advocate and valuable public education resource to advance the pursuit of healthy, productive and sustainable forests, forest practices, and forest policy.
Our Mission:
Our mission is to advance public understanding and support for science-based forestry and forest policy by providing Americans with clear and concise facts and commentary. We endorse long term, active forest management for healthy forests and productive communities. We advocate for science-based forestry and forest practices by engaging opinion leaders, decision-makers, community leaders and community members in the discussion and support of healthy, productive and sustainable forests.
To these ends we operate this website and publish Evergreen Magazine, a periodic journal with a 28-year history of advocating science-based forest policy.
The Need:
Because of current forest policies and historical decisions, our communities and forests face unstable economic, social and environmental conditions.
Well-managed forests foster a steady state of desirable conditions that create a legacy of opportunity for current and future generations. Active forest management creates jobs, reduces wildfires, and provides value to both rural and urban communities.
Our Values:
- Cooperation
- Information
- Motivation
- Organization
ABOUT JIM PETERSEN
Jim Petersen is the President and co-founder of the non-profit Evergreen Foundation, and publisher of Evergreen Magazine, the Foundation’s periodic journal. Evergreen Foundation was established in Medford, Oregon in 1986 to help advance public understanding and support for science based forestry and forest policy. The organization’s original sponsors were all members of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association.
Jim is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the 2003 Society of American Foresters National Journalism Award, for his work on “The New Pioneers,” a special Evergreen report profiling entrepreneurial solutions to the Southwest’s forest health crisis. Among Jim’s other awards: Best Forestry Public Relations Program in the Nation, American Forest & Paper Association, 1991; Whistle Punk of the Year, Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, 1994; National Public Service Award, Association of Consulting Foresters, 1996; Outstanding Contributions to Forestry Education, Northeastern Loggers Association, 1999; Outstanding Forestry Activist in the Western United States, Forest Resources Association, 2000; Woodpecker of the Year Award, Hoo-Hoo International, 2002 and Communicator of the Year Award, Montana Wood Products Association, 2004, for his leadership in the national forest health debate and, in particular, his role in congressional ratification of the Bush Administration’s Healthy Forests Restoration Act.
Jim grew up in Kellogg, Idaho. His family roots are in logging, sawmilling, cattle ranching and mining. He is a graduate of the University of Idaho, where he majored in journalism and broadcasting. He was a newspaper reporter and editor for several years before founding his own public relations firm. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters, the Forest History Society, the Intermountain Logging Conference and the Pacific Logging Congress [President, 2007]. He and wife Julia live in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.