America’s small and rural communities have suffered business closures and job loss due to the economic downturn.
Community Forestry is an effective tool to help turn the tide of low economic development and small business failures in
these communities. The goal of Community Forestry is for local stakeholders to identify opportunities that can empower
community members and assert more control over the fate of local landscapes and achieve shared visions.
“Community forestry is concerned with who benefits from forest resources, such as timber and non-timber products, jobs and
other opportunities, are distributed. Community forestry seeks to ensure that local people have access to a portion of the
benefits flowing from nearby forests.”
Kilwa Biomass (Kilwa) focuses its resources on planning, redevelopment and economic development of rural communities throughout
America. Local forests and woodlands are resources communities can use to restore their economies while providing energy to
local institutions and businesses. From feasibility studies to final completion of the project, Kilwa Biomass core staff can
provide turn-key services when it comes to the implementation of community revitalization projects. Our multi-disciplinary
background permits the establishment of a fully integrated, team-oriented approach to project implementation. Kilwa Economic
Development Team is uniquely qualified to advise, monitor and supervise or complete the project tasks.
Kilwa has adopted a replicable and innovative Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) strategy that emphasizes the rebuilding
of communities and sustainable forests from the “bottom-up”. The approach has been successfully applied throughout America and
around the world. Residents and stakeholders learn to find and utilize their rich local resources to rejuvenate their economies,
strengthen investments in their communities, and ultimately rebuild or maintain healthy forest.
With the goal of economic growth and job creation, Kilwa Biomass has developed some unique web based tools to stimulate economic
development and jobs we call “Our Community”. Our Community has features to help companies network, market their products and much
more. It was developed for groups such as loggers and farmers interested in participating in the forestry biomass industry.
Our Community is a place where industry professionals and stakeholders can meet, exchange ideas and discuss industry or local issues.
These are some of the features in Our Community:
For Individuals
- Job Listing Service (Local and National)
- Technical Forums
- Kilwa Knowledge Base
- Newsletters
- Twitter Alerts
For Businesses:
- Kilwa Biomass Network (Marketing and Purchasing Local Products)
- Job Postings
- Company Profiles
- Biomass Foru,
- Technical Forum
- Business news based on discussions in the Forum
- Grants and Opportunity Alerts
- Wood Energy News Newsletter
- Twitter Alerts
Kilwa Biomass continuously works to improve rural communities by working with stakeholders, academic institutions and government
agencies engaged in improving the health, safety and wellbeing of residents and their local assets. As such, we keep our members
up-to-date on the latest developments in renewable energy, biomass, and other incentives available for GREEN JOBS creation and
economic development.
What is Biomass?
Biomass is any waste or post-production material in the environment. These materials are typically sent to landfills, left in fields or forest to decay or used in some other process, such as energy production or feedstock for production processes. Biomass materials have many uses, including, bioenergy, industrial and agricultural. The four sources for these materials are forest, agriculture, industrial and municipal. Biomass materials have many uses, including, bioenergy, industrial and agricultural.
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