CWSF is a membership organization comprised of 17 Western U.S. state foresters and six American-affiliated Pacific island foresters that work together to address key issues in the management of Western forests, including forest health, wildland fire, sustainability, climate change and water.
We were pleased to have the opportunity to work with CWSF to enhance its communications infrastructure and strategy to more effectively engage its diverse stakeholders.
Following background research and discovery interviews, we created new messaging platforms for both CWSF and their members to ensure outreach to policymakers, partners and other forestry stakeholders was aligned and consistent. We also created a comprehensive communications plan for CWSF with strategies and tactics to move diverse audiences to action.
SE2 then created a new visual identity for CWSF, which included a new logo and matching “issue icons” — for use across digital and print platforms — to reinforce CWSF’s focus on the most pressing issues facing Western forests.
CWSF logo:
CWSF issue icons:
SE2 also developed a new website for CWSF, which includes a robust portal where CWSF members and key partners can engage with each other and access information and resources that support their forest management efforts within their own states and territories.
Old CWSF website:
New CWSF website [visit the site]:
Every project offers SE2 a unique learning experience, and this one was no exception. Here are a few of the key takeaways from the CWSF project:
- Member engagement: As a membership organization, CWSF exists to serve its members and facilitate their work. In the spirit of member engagement, several key decisions on the project — including choosing between final logo designs — were undertaken collaboratively with CWSF’s executive committee.
- Online portal: Part of how CWSF serves its members and other key stakeholders is by functioning as a hub of information and resources on the sustainable management of Western forests. To accomplish this, the new website was built with a robust online portal – with different levels of permission – to accommodate the information needs of all CWSF stakeholders without compromising the privacy of any one group.
- Audience matrix: CWSF communicates with a diverse range of stakeholders, from members to federal forestry officials to policymakers to conservationists to private land owners. Understanding the values of different CWSF stakeholders and tailoring the messages to each audience was a key part of developing CWSF’s messaging platform.
We are pleased to have played a role in advancing the communications efforts of CWSF. The project provided us with a deeper understanding of the importance of Western forests and the complexity of managing these lands sustainably for multiple uses – today and for generations to come.
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