About Us

Okanogan Communities Development Council (OCDC) is a nonprofit, community-based organization
created by the citizens of Okanogan County. The organizationís activities include establishing links to
dozens of public and private groups for the purpose of finding the most promising strategies to assist in
creating jobs and business opportunities from wood fiber obtained from local forests.

OCDC is affiliated with several dozen other forest based community development organizations.
Community forestry is a growing concept in many regions of the United States. It involves rethinking the
wood industry in a new way. Harvesting, manufacturing, marketing, forest restoration, watershed restoration,
and supportive habitat management (including human habitat) are seen as integrated parts of a whole
picture.

The idea of community forestry has grown out of the need to restore health and vitality to forests that have
been continuously managed for timber harvest for several decades. Community forestry recognizes that
community economic and social health are intimately tied to forest health and must, therefore, be restored
together.

OCDC is part of a growing number of organizations that realize the need for responsible stewardship of
the forest landscape. To that end, OCDC has evolved from a collaboration between timber industry
workers, business people, conservationists, and community agencies. Collaborations such as this are seen
as a promising way to revitalize an old industry.