Exploring the Formation of the National Alliance of Forest Owners; A Discussion With New President and CEO, Dave Tenny

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Room 333 in the Hall of the States
444 North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Security is rather tight, so please allow additional time.

Lunch will not be provided for this lecture, so please feel free to bring your own lunch. NASF has kindly offered to host the NCSAF Luncheon. They are covering the cost of meeting room space, so the charge will be only $5 to help support the luncheon series and other NCSAF sponsored activities.

In mid-2007, a group of private forest owners began discussing the specific and growing needs of the forest owner industry related to awareness and advocacy on Capitol Hill. The group formed a steering committee to assess the potential of a national association focused on forest owners, and by late 2007, had formed the structure and leadership of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO). NAFO officially incorporated in March 2008 and is currently working on a defined policy agenda to promote legislative and market policies that will enhance the economic and environmental value of the forests. NAFO members own more than 28 million acres of private forests in 29 states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Please join us to hear Dave Tenny discuss the formation and future direction of this new organization.

David P. Tenny is the President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO). Tenny came to NAFO from the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), where he served as vice president for forestry and wood products from March 2007 to May 2008. Prior to his service at AF&PA, Tenny served for six years as deputy undersecretary for natural resources at the United States Department of Agriculture. Tenny came to USDA from the Committee on Agriculture in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Counsel and Policy Advisor on natural resources and related issues from January 1997 to January 2001. He served as Counsel for U.S. Representative Wally Herger of California from January 1995 to January 1997. A native of Boise, Idaho, Tenny earned a bachelor's degree in American studies from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and a law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is married with three children.