April 1st 2004

California Forest Products Commission Newsletter

April 2004

The following are the first two articles from the CFPC newsletter.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: CA Grown Optimism

Congratulations to the Redwood Region Logging Conference for a great event, and special thanks to Secretary of Food and Agriculture A.G. Kawamura for his keynote address. His comments were encouraging, although sobering given the state's fiscal quandary. A.G. is optimistic that better times are ahead for agriculture, but warns there is a lot of work to do. We will continue working with him to promote CA Grown products and the vital industries in this state that produce our shelter, food and clothing. Kudos to Governor Schwarzenegger for selecting the right man for the job!

The conference capped off a great week kicked off by the roll out of Home Depot's adoption of the CA Grown wood campaign. Look for the point of sale materials in the redwood section of your local store.

Also, Assemblyman Majority Leader Dario Frommer is working on a bill that will give preference to CA Grown wood or wood that is third-party certified on any state contracted projects. The spirit of the legislation follows Governor Schwarzenegger's statement in his "Action Plan for California's Environment."

Speaking of the governor, his staff has confirmed his agreement to appear in a CA Grown TV commercial. We will edit the most recent spot to feature him, and hope to roll out the new ad in May. It's sure to be a real boost for the campaign.

This effort is critical to the future of forestry and all of agriculture. We now have an opportunity to come together with a united voice. I hope you're doing everything you can to make the most of it.

Donn Zea

 HOME DEPOT SUPPORTS CA GROWN

"The California Grown agricultural marketing campaign has a new plank," said the Sacramento Bee in a story covering Home Depot's March 10 announcement of support for the campaign. The world's largest home improvement retailer is now posting information about California-grown wood in its 174 stores in the state. The familiar license plate logo also appears in catalogue advertising for redwood fencing and decking, which is distributed to over 2 million newspaper readers and in stores.

To celebrate the California Grown Grown campaign, the commission gave away free redwood seedlings to Home Depot customets at a store near downtown Sacramento. Three Sacramento television stations and agricultural news reporters covered the event.

Special thanks to Mendocino Redwood Company for encouraging Home Depot to join the California Grown campaign and getting promotional materials on the shelves. This is a nice boost for the campaign and a great way start the spring home improvement season. Contact Michelle at md@calforests.org to find out how CA Grown helps our economy and keeps jobs right here in our state, or for CA Grown materials to use in your own marketing efforts.