Southern Group of State Foresters’ Forest Management Committee Issues Public Relations RFP

The Southern Group of State Foresters’ Forest Management Committee is seeking an agency to develop a public relations and marketing campaign to educate unengaged southern family forest owners through strategic messaging to increase awareness of the importance of, and motivation to engage in sustainable management of the region’s trees and forests resources to maintain healthy landscapes. Campaign messages and strategies should be based on findings of recent landowner research, be thoroughly tested prior to campaign implementation and should complement existing landowner outreach programs.

About the Southern Group of State Foresters The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) is a non-profit organization consisting of State Foresters from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

What We Do:

• Promote sound forest management practices that utilize the South’s vast and diverse forest resources while conserving their unique environmental functions and values.
• Provide the southern perspective on national issues, policy development, and legislation that affect private forests.
• Coordinate and facilitate regional consistency on critical activities such as wildfire suppression, water resource protection, insect and disease prevention and suppression, and reforestation.
• Coordinate state delivery of federally funded forest landowner assistance programs.
• Advocate adequate funding to support the implementation of state and federally funded forestry programs.
• Support research that enhances the sustainable management of private forestland.
• Promote prescribed burning and fire prevention assistance, fire related law enforcement, timber theft investigations, and assistance to volunteer fire departments.
• Promote programs that improve forest health including prevention, detection and suppression of wildfire, diseases and insect infestations.
• Provide response and recovery assistance for disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms.
• Encourage the development and maintenance of diverse and dynamic markets for forest products.
• Promote programs and initiatives that encourage the retention and expansion of forestland for public as well as private sector benefits.
• Interact and collaborate with other agencies and organizations engaged in sustainable forest management.
• Coordinate and facilitate the collection, analysis, and distribution of information about the status and condition of forestland in the South.

STATEMENT OF WORK:

• Reviewing recent research on landowner attitudes, activities and trends and providing synopsis of main findings on which campaign messaging and strategies will be based;
• Reviewing existing landowner outreach programs and providing synopsis of how this campaign will complement existing programs;
• Provide guidance on how and when to incorporate partnerships for campaign;
• Develop key landowner messages based on literature review;
• Thoroughly test messages to aid in successful implementation and make any necessary changes based on test outcomes;
• Develop “brand” for campaign which incorporates the Southern Group of State Foresters’ brand;
• Develop regional campaign strategies and tactics designed to meet overall campaign goals;
• Develop “tool kit” of strategic materials which each state can easily customize and use as they deem appropriate;
• Develop recommended timeline, tool kit usage tactics and metrics to determine campaign effectiveness;
• Provide consultation to two pilot states to assist with state‐specific strategies to ensure successful campaign implementation.

Proposal due by April 28th to:

Texas A&M Forest Service Purchasing Department
200 Technology Way Suite 1151
College Station, TX 77845-3424

Allison Partners & Edelman PR have offices in Texas.