About Us

The Rhode Island Woodland Partnership (RIWP) advances the stewardship and long-term protection of Rhode Island’s woodlands to benefit the local economy, ecological values, and community enjoyment and health. RIWP strives to increase the impact of forest conservation measures through education and information sharing.

Established in 2013, the RIWP is a collaboration among foresters, landowners, conservationists, and professionals who represent public agencies, small businesses, and non-profit organizations.  Partnership members share a common goal of advancing the stewardship and long-term protection of Rhode Island’s woodlands to benefit the local economy, ecological values, and community enjoyment and health. We welcome additional partners.

For more information about the RIWP, you can view our strategic plan by clicking here.

The Value of Rhode Island Forests

Rhode Island’s forests and trees may seem like a green backdrop to our state landscape, but they are in fact hard at work generating a wide range of services and values. We depend on forests for the clean air we breathe and the wood we use. Forests are a place where humans and native wildlife can live and thrive by providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans. They also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change. Forest conservation brings economic benefits to Rhode Island cities and towns. The forest and wood products sector generated nearly 2,500 jobs with $408 million in gross sales in 2016, while forest-based outdoor recreation contributes over $720 million annually to Rhode Island’s economy. Funded by a grant from the US Forest Service, this report outlines the benefits Rhode Island’s forests provide and offers a range of potential strategies to encourage forest conservation. Click here to see the executive summary of the 2019 Value of Rhode Island Forests, or click here to see the full report.

To learn more about the  economic impact of the RI forestry and wood products sector, click here to see a report prepared by URI in 2019.

Position Statements

The RIWP has developed two position papers.  We welcome you to share these position papers, but this does not imply RIWP’s endorsement of other positions or advocacy efforts.

To view our 2015 position statement on the role of RI forests in mitigating and adapting to climate change, click here.
To view our 2017 position statement on the importance of preventing the loss of RI forests, click here.

When posting RIWP documents on another website, please include a link to this website: http://rhodeislandwoods.uri.edu/ri-woodland-partnership.

Current RIWP partners include:

• Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI)
• Burrillville Land Trust
• City of Providence Parks and Recreation Department (Providence Parks)
• Forest Stewards Guild – Northeast Region
• Grow Smart Rhode Island
• Land Management Services
• Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research reserve (NBNERR)
• The Nature Conservancy, Rhode Island Chapter
• Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD)
• Providence Water Supply Board (Providence Water)
• Rhode Island Association of Conservation Districts
• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture & Forest Environment (DEM-DAFE)
• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife (DEM-DFW)
• Rhode Island Department of Health, Climate Change and Health Program
• Rhode Island Forest Conservators Organization (RIFCO)
• Rhode Island Land Trust Council (RILTC)
• Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS)
• Rhode Island Resource Conservation & Development Area Council (RC&D)
• Society of American Foresters, Rhode Island Chapter (SAF)
• Southern Rhode Island Conservation District (SRICD)
• Sweet Birch Consulting, LLC
• University of Rhode Island, Department of Natural Resources Science (URI)
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rhode Island State Office (NRCS)

Potential future partners might include:

• Loggers, wood products businesses, forest-related businesses
• Land trusts, conservation organizations, nonprofits that own property
• Advocacy groups with the environment as part of their mission; wildlife groups
• State agencies
• RI Association of Environmental Educators, watershed organizations, RI Tree Council, RI Wild Plant Society, arboretums (Newport, Roger Williams Park, etc.)
• Public and private educational institutions, including additional departments within URI

The RIWP is a member of the Regional Conservation Partnership Network.