Membership

Join the national research network driving innovation across America's working forests.

Why Join CAFS

The forest sector's research capacity is declining. CAFS is the solution.

Federal funding for forest research has fallen from $1.1 billion in 1962 to less than $700 million today. Federal forest researchers have declined 49% since 1985. Industry forest scientists have declined 50% since 2002.

CAFS fills this growing gap by pooling resources across universities and industry partners, delivering collaborative research that no single organization could achieve alone.

95% of surveyed IAB members support CAFS continuation into Phase IV. Members collectively represent over 25 million acres of managed forestland.

Forest R&D funding and researcher decline from CONFIR report

Source: CONFIR report. Federal forest R&D investment and researcher workforce decline since the 1960s.

Return on Investment

What does your membership actually buy?

CAFS membership is a fraction of what it would cost to fund equivalent research independently. Here is how the numbers compare.

Doing it Alone

$150K–$500K+
  • × One full-time forest researcher: ~$120K/yr salary + benefits
  • × Consulting engagement (2 week project): $15K–$40K
  • × Single graduate research assistantship: ~$35K/yr
  • × Proprietary GIS/remote sensing license: $10K–$25K/yr
  • × Limited to one institution, one region, one perspective

CAFS Membership

$5K–$10K
  • ✓ Access to 7+ active research projects across 4 universities
  • ✓ 800+ peer reviewed publications and growing
  • ✓ Decision support tools: digital soil maps, growth models, FVS API
  • ✓ Annual IAB meetings with field tours and networking
  • ✓ Cross-regional science spanning 25M+ managed acres
  • ✓ Direct pipeline to trained graduate students

For less than the cost of a single consultant engagement, your organization gains access to a multi-university research network, operational tools, and the professional connections that come from 17 years of collaborative forestry science.

Workforce Development

Your next hire is already working on your data

The forest sector faces a growing workforce crisis. Retirements are outpacing new entries, and organizations are competing for a shrinking pool of qualified professionals with quantitative skills in remote sensing, data science, and growth modeling.

CAFS directly addresses this by training the next generation of forest scientists on industry relevant problems. Graduate students working on CAFS projects gain hands-on experience with real management data, build relationships with member organizations, and graduate with skills that translate immediately to operational roles.

60+ Graduate students supported since 2008
4 University sites actively training students
100% Of Phase IV projects involve graduate students

Members get early access to this talent pipeline through IAB meetings, project collaborations, and networking events. Several CAFS alumni now hold leadership positions at member organizations.

CAFS students and researchers at annual meeting
Beyond Traditional Research

From science to practice: translational forestry

Too much forestry research ends up in journals that practitioners never read. CAFS is built differently.

Operational Tools, Not Just Papers

Phase IV projects deliver deployable products: a cloud based FVS API, 20m digital soil maps, automated site index mapping, and stand-level inventory uncertainty estimates. These are tools your foresters can use next season, not theories for the next decade.

Cross-regional Transfer

Unlike regional cooperatives that serve one geography, CAFS builds tools that transfer across regions. Growth models calibrated in the Southeast work in the Pacific Northwest. Soil maps from Maine extend to Idaho. Your investment supports science that scales nationally.

Member-Driven Priorities

Members vote on which projects get funded. Research proposals are evaluated against real management needs, not academic incentives. The IAB meeting format ensures that every funded project has a clear path from the lab bench to the landing.

Open Data Integration

CAFS research increasingly leverages freely available national datasets: 3DEP lidar, NAIP imagery, SSURGO soils, and PRISM climate data. This means the tools we build are not locked behind proprietary data walls. Your organization benefits without expensive data acquisition.

Member Stories

What our members are saying

“The CAFS digital soil mapping project gave our foresters a 20-meter resolution tool for planting decisions that would have cost us six figures to develop independently.”
— Industry Member Organization
“We hired two CAFS graduate students last year. They came in already understanding our data and our challenges because they had been working on them for two years.”
— Industry Member Organization
“The cross-regional perspective is what sets CAFS apart. We get science that works across our entire ownership, not just the state where our headquarters happens to be.”
— Industry Member Organization

Member testimonials are representative of feedback received. Named attributions coming soon.

Membership Tiers

Choose the level that fits your organization

Every tier includes access to CAFS research, meetings, and the professional network. Higher tiers add governance participation and research funding eligibility.

Affiliate
$5,000 / year
For universities, conservation organizations, and technology companies seeking to connect with the CAFS network and research community.
  • Participate in all CAFS research activities and meetings
  • Access to CAFS research outputs and data
  • Networking with 500+ forest professionals
  • Collaborate on individual research projects
  • Participate in CAFS working groups
Become an Affiliate
Industry Organization
$10,000 / year
For forest products companies, landowners, and service providers who want a voice in shaping the research agenda and access to priority tools.
  • All Affiliate benefits, plus:
  • Voting rights on project selection and governance
  • Seat on the Industry Advisory Board
  • Priority access to CAFS tools and technologies
  • Customized annual research briefing
  • Propose and sponsor targeted research projects
Become a Member
University Cooperative
$15,000 / year
For universities and existing forestry cooperatives (e.g., FPC, CFRU, CIPS) that want to participate in and receive funding for CAFS research.
  • All Affiliate benefits, plus:
  • Eligibility to receive CAFS research funding
  • Participate in all CAFS research activities
  • Co-branding opportunities for research outputs
  • Graduate student funding and mentorship network
  • Multi-institutional collaboration opportunities
Join as a University

Compare Membership Benefits

Benefit Affiliate ($5K) Industry ($10K) University ($15K)
Research activities and meeting access ✓ ✓ ✓
Research outputs and data access ✓ ✓ ✓
Professional network (500+ members) ✓ ✓ ✓
Working group participation ✓ ✓ ✓
Voting rights (projects & governance) — ✓ —
Industry Advisory Board seat — ✓ —
Priority tool and technology access — ✓ ✓
Customized research briefing — ✓ —
Propose & sponsor targeted projects — ✓ —
Eligible for CAFS research funding — — ✓
Co-branding on research outputs — — ✓
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Research priorities are driven by CAFS members through a structured process. Every five years, the membership develops a comprehensive prospectus that identifies key research needs across the forest sector. Within that framework, Industry Organization members vote on which specific projects receive funding at each semi-annual IAB meeting. This ensures research stays directly relevant to the operational challenges members face. The most recent priority survey ranked forest growth and yield modeling, remote sensing, and forest health assessment as the top three focus areas.
CAFS holds two major meetings per year: an in-person IAB meeting in June (typically 2 days, often including a field tour) and a virtual meeting in December (half day) focused on project proposals and funding decisions. Beyond meetings, engagement is flexible. Members can participate in working groups, collaborate on individual projects, and access research outputs and data tools at any time. Most members find the meetings alone deliver substantial value through networking and research updates.
All members receive access to the CAFS Members Portal, which includes meeting materials, project reports, and links to active research tools. Key tools include the CAFS Interactive Mapping Platform (IMP) for accessing spatial research data and decision-support products, the CAFS Data Portal for downloading datasets and model outputs, and direct connections to tools like SPOT digital soil maps and species distribution models. The portal is password-protected and updated regularly as new research products become available.
Yes. Industry Organization members have the ability to propose and sponsor targeted research projects aligned with the CAFS prospectus. Project proposals are reviewed at IAB meetings, and funding decisions are made through member voting. University Cooperative members can also lead projects and are eligible to receive CAFS research funding. Affiliate members can collaborate on individual projects but do not have voting rights on project selection. This member-driven process ensures that CAFS research addresses the most pressing needs of the forest sector.
CAFS memberships run on an annual basis aligned with the fiscal year. New members can join at any time, with dues prorated for the remaining portion of the year. While there is no binding multi-year contract, the five-year phase structure means that members who commit early get the greatest influence over the research agenda and the fullest return on their investment. Most members renew annually because the research outputs, networking, and workforce development benefits compound over time.
Regional cooperatives like FPC, CFRU, and CIPS focus on local management questions within a specific geography. CAFS operates at the national scale, tackling cross-regional challenges that no single cooperative can address alone, such as building growth models that work across ownership boundaries, mapping soils for understudied regions, or developing tools like the FVS Web API that serve the entire sector. In fact, several regional cooperatives are CAFS University Cooperative members because the two levels of research complement each other.
CAFS follows the standard model for university cooperative research. Research outputs, publications, and tools developed through CAFS funding are made available to all members. The underlying intellectual property is held by the university where the research is conducted, in accordance with each institution's policies. Members receive access to all research products, data, and tools as part of their membership benefits. The goal is to maximize the practical impact of the research across the broadest possible audience within the membership.

Ready to join the network?

Contact us to discuss which membership tier is right for your organization and how CAFS research can support your goals.

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CAFS

Ready to shape the future of forestry?

CAFS membership connects you to collaborative research, decision support tools, and the next generation of forest professionals.

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