Projects

Goal: Evaluate a market-based certification initiative designed to promote environmentally and socially responsible forest management and improve sustainability practices in the U.S. wood products sector. Growing public concern over forest management and timber harvesting practices led to the development of certification programs that identify wood products sourced from forests managed in environmentally and socially responsible ways. Originally developed in response to unsus

Goal: Evaluate the structure, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability of the Allegheny College Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) as an interdisciplinary hub for experiential learning and community-based environmental and economic development. Founded in 1996 within Allegheny College’s Department of Environmental Science and Studies, the Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) was established to expand experiential learning opportuni

Goal: To evaluate community-based watershed stewardship programs designed to reduce nonpoint source pollution and improve stream health. The Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization (CRCPO) established Stream Stewardship Programs in the Big Creek and Yellow Creek watersheds to support the Cuyahoga Remedial Action Plan. The long-term objective was to create self-sustaining, community-based stewardship programs that could be replicated throughout the watershed. TerrAqua e

Goal: Assess the need for a new Appalachian forest conservation initiative and identify opportunities for collaborative grantmaking across the region. TerrAqua assessed the environmental, ecological, demographic, and institutional landscape of the northern Appalachian region to help guide future conservation investments by The Heinz Endowments. Drawing on existing research, we evaluated forest conditions, ecological health, environmental threats, resource use, and the relatio