U.S. Endowment launches Forest Catalyst Network to speed forest-sector investment

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has launched the Forest Catalyst Network with the Richard King Mellon Foundation to connect capital, companies and ideas across the forest sector. The initiative is designed to help promising forestry innovations move faster from early development to commercial use while expanding markets for wood and fiber products.

Why it matters: - The Forest Catalyst Network is meant to close a common gap in the forest sector: turning promising ideas into projects that can attract capital and reach commercial scale. - The initiative could help expand markets for working forests, strengthen rural economies and improve demand for underused wood and fiber. - The Network is also designed to improve coordination among investors, companies and philanthropic backers, which could speed deployment of new forest products and technologies.

What happened: - The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities launched the Forest Catalyst Network with the Richard King Mellon Foundation. - The initiative is intended to accelerate market development and investment across the forest sector. - The Network will bring together philanthropic organizations, family offices, investors, corporate partners and other stakeholders. - Trevor Cutsinger, vice president of natural capital solutions for the Endowment, said the Network is intended to connect good ideas with the capital needed to scale them.

The details: - In the near term, the Network will identify investment opportunities, connect businesses with appropriate capital sources and build stronger coordination among investors and industry partners. - The Network grew out of priorities identified at an October 2025 convening hosted by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Endowment. - More than 150 leaders from 22 states took part in that convening. - The priorities were captured in the report, Activating Private-sector Leadership for Economic Growth through Working Forests – A Roadmap, which focuses on expanding wood use, diversifying forest product markets and closing funding gaps across the value chain. - The Roadmap and the Forest Catalyst Network align with the recently released Markets Matter Action Plan priority to identify and mobilize capital. - The Network will set deployment priorities and build market data to strengthen markets for residual fiber and small-diameter wood. - Priority areas include advanced wood construction, new markets for underutilized wood, packaging and fiber products, manufacturing infrastructure and rural prosperity. - Participating companies are expected to gain access to capital, prospective customers, suppliers, technical assistance and introductions that can be hard to secure on their own. - Investors and corporate partners will get a curated pipeline of forest-sector opportunities and a forum to compare notes with peers evaluating the same market. - The Endowment contracted with Logan Roise, owner of Natural Confluence Partners, to serve as the Network’s coordinator. - Roise will build the pipeline of opportunities, coordinate technical assistance and support member engagement. - The Endowment and the Richard King Mellon Foundation are organizing an advisory committee to guide the Network. - Planned activities include regular opportunity updates, quarterly meetings, market outlook briefings and an annual gathering. - The Endowment describes itself as a not-for-profit public charity working with public and private partners to support the health and vitality of working forests and forest-reliant communities.

Between the lines: - The launch signals a shift from broad sector discussion to a more structured effort to match forest-sector projects with capital. - By focusing on market data and deployment priorities, the Network is aiming to make forest investments easier to evaluate and easier to finance. - The emphasis on residual fiber and small-diameter wood suggests an effort to unlock value in materials that can be harder to commercialize.

What's next: - The Endowment and the Richard King Mellon Foundation will continue building the advisory committee. - The Network will begin regular opportunity updates, quarterly meetings, market outlook briefings and an annual gathering. - Parties interested in participating are directed to contact Logan Roise for more information or to get involved.