Forests in Focus: Engaging Multinational Brands in Data-Driven Conservation Initiatives

The USDA Forest Service has been keeping the pulse of the nation's forests for 90 years, but new efforts at sharing information, data and knowledge through social media has broadened its impact demonstrably. The agency is working with corporate partners and environmental NGOs to create, populate and implement Forests in Focus, a tool supporting sustainability assessments across the United States. This presentation reviews the strategy behind Forests in Focus, design thinking, and outreach efforts. Each of these is developed in a framework populated by communications professionals, resource scientists, policy makers, and sustainability officers at major corporations. This presentation will use the e-Lightning format to demonstrate the resulting tools and methods for assessing their impact.