Creating a National Bipartisan Forest Products Workforce Council

The Forest Products Industry is a cornerstone of the US economy, contributing 4.7 percent of the national GDP and ranking among the top 10 manufacturing employers in 44 states. With over 925,000 employees and an US$80 billion payroll, the industry significantly impacts rural and local communities, particularly since more than 75 percent of US pulp and paper mills are located in counties that are more than 80 percent rural.

However, like many sectors of US manufacturing, the forest products industry is facing severe workforce challenges, including:

• Aging workforce demographics, leading to potential skill and knowledge loss.
• Challenges in attracting and retaining younger employees to ensure long-term workforce sustainability.
• Limited breadth of skills and experience within the existing talent pool.
• Rural locations with smaller labor pools and population-related recruitment challenges.
• Overall decline in employment levels affecting labor availability.
• Insufficient education and training infrastructure to meet evolving skill requirements.

The demand is urgent: the industry needs substantially more skilled workers annually (technicians, mechanics, electricians, engineers, etc.), than the number that trade schools and colleges are currently producing.   

The Solution: A National Bipartisan Forest Products Workforce Council

To address these critical challenges, we propose the creation of a National Bipartisan Forest Products Workforce Council, a collaborative and inclusive body of key stakeholders across the public and private sectors.

Proposed Council Composition

The Council should include, but not be limited to:

• CEOs or designees from pulp, paper, and biomass companies representing diverse product mixes and regions.
• A representative from the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA).
• A representative from TAPPI.
• Heads of trade schools and colleges serving the forest products industry.
• State governors’ designees from states with relevant educational institutions.
• Two US senators’ designees from each of those states.
• A full-time Council Lead to coordinate and manage Council activities.

Council Objectives

            The Council (with leadership from the full-time Lead) will focus on:

1. Identifying Industry-Specific Education and Training Needs

• Conducting comprehensive assessments of current workforce requirements by sector.

2. Strengthening Educational and Training Programs

• Evaluate trade school, college, and training programs to identify skill gaps and align curricula with evolving industry needs.
• Integrate emerging technologies, including AI, into training and operations.
• Expand specialized curricula in areas such as energy efficiency, clean energy, and sustainability.
• Enhance apprenticeship, internship, and on-the-job training pathways to accelerate skill development.

3. Attracting and Retaining New Workforce Entrants

     Develop targeted outreach campaigns for:

• Urban and suburban high schools, to build early career awareness.

• Veteran recruitment, leveraging the adaptability and expertise of approximately 200,000 service members transitioning to civilian life each year.

• Broader community engagement to tap into underutilized talent pools.

4. Evaluating Financial and Support Models

• Assessing worker retention strategies and incentives.
• Identifying opportunities for state, federal, and industry funding.

Operational Model

• Quarterly 2-hour virtual meetings to ensure low time commitment from Council members.
• A full-time Lead staff person to drive coordination, reporting, and progress tracking.

Call to Action

We invite industry leaders, educational institutions, policymakers, and workforce development stakeholders to join this critical, national bipartisan initiative. We will be supporting TAPPI's own efforts to address workforce issues.

Our industry is experiencing a period of growth and promise, with new technologies, capabilities, and markets emerging at a rapid pace. Our manufacturing and vendor companies cannot afford to let these opportunities pass us by because we simply don't have the workforce to live up to our full potential.

To express interest or for more information, please contact either Masood Akhtar, Clean Tech Partners, at makhtar@cleantechpartners.inc; or Ray Heuchling, Heuchling Group Inc., at heuchling4@aol.com.

Masood Akhtar is president and founder, Clean Tech Partners. He serves as the Governor of Wisconsin’s business representative on the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment and Commissioner to establish a public-private Green Innovation Fund. Ray Heuchling is president, Heuchling Group Inc. He is former VP of sales at JD Irving and has served as president of PIMA; as chairman, University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation; and as a Board Member for the Paper Industry Hall of Fame. Mike Farrell is executive VP, Mill Division, for Graphic Packaging International LLC, and also serves on the board of directors of Western Michigan Pulp and Paper Institute and TAPPI. Nick Kapsa is VP, human resources, for Ahlstrom, and was recently appointed a business representative to the Governor of Wisconsin's Council on Workforce Investment.

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