Colorado Forest Projects is a program we conceived in 2001, pitched to the Colorado State Forest Service and branded with a panel of state foresters. Sage proprietor Jeff Thomas was solely responsible for the program from 2003 too 2010, including all website and database functions, media outreach, SEO operations and running the annual outreach program. In addition, Mr. Thomas wrote funding grants for the program and brought in the only private grant funding.

At its heart, the program is a statewide consumer awareness project, designed to help make the connection between wood purchases and forest restoration projects. After a few year it became the No. 1 marketing program for many participating wood producers, a program they literally took to the bank when securing business loans.

Along the way, we managed to build a site that received more than 100,000 annual visits and literally could not be touched in terms of search engine optimization. We managed to accomplish this with shrewd choices in content management systems for the time, along with an aggressive policy of writing for outside publications and press relations. The program has been featured in national network news, several statewide television projects, numerous newspaper articles, as well as having an annual native Christmas tree contest with the Denver Post.

“From Your Forest, For Your Forest” was a brand recognized across the state well before the mountain pine beetle infestation made us all aware of our forest management problems.