An examination of community-based natural resource use cooperatives and implications for the Southern Utah Forest Products Associatio

The Southern Utah Forest Products Association (SUFPA) is the primary focus of this study. SUFPA originated as an informal association of loggers, sawyers, and woodcraftsmen in 1994 and formally incorporated as a Utah agricultural cooperative in October 1998. The story of the cooperative's organizational development is presented. A comprehensive review of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research and literature on agricultural cooperatives reveals limited specific studies on forestry cooperatives, although there are organizational similarities between emerging forest products industry cooperatives and the more established agricultural organizations. Five guiding principles are identified for successful agricultural cooperatives, including those for forest products: education, strategic planning, membership involvement, leadership and resources. Two case studies of organizations similar to SUFPA explore examples of farsighted frontrunners in the fledgling forestry cooperative movement. The study concludes with requirements for sustaining SUFPA success based on the guiding principles.