Rural Development Initiatives

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Rural Development Initiatives

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A Pacific Northwest-based nonprofit, RDI strengthens rural people, places, and economies. www.rdiinc.org

10/14/2026

When we invest in people, we invest in forests. Healthy forests depend on healthy rural economies and local capacity. Programs that support youth engagement, workforce development, entrepreneurship, Tribal stewardship pathways, and forestry businesses are cultivating the next generation of leaders while strengthening the communities that make long-term forest stewardship possible.

The FireBright program introduces students to wildfire science, forest ecology, community preparedness, and careers in natural resources and wildfire management. Through hands-on learning, students gain a deeper understanding of Oregon's fire-adapted landscapes while exploring pathways into forestry and wildfire-related professions.

The curriculum covers topics including wildfire risk, fire ecology, fire behavior, career pathways in natural resources, and strategies for protecting communities from wildfire. By helping students understand both the challenges and opportunities associated with living in a wildfire-prone environment, the program strengthens local knowledge and builds long-term stewardship capacity. Learn more about the FireBright Program at https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9416-fire-bright-learn-work-lead.

10/13/2026

RDI is hiring a Systems Change a Policy Strategy Manager! This position will work across RDI's programs to strengthen its ability to understand, shape, and act on the policies and systems that influence rural opportunity. It will help shape RDI's rural policy and legislative priorities and build the relationships, knowledge, and organizational capacity needed to advance these priorities.

You should apply for this position if:
1. You are generally interested in public policy and how it shapes opportunity in rural communities.
2. You are comfortable taking initiative, navigating complex work, and leading project from idea to action.
3. You build strong relationships with a variety of people across sectors, value local knowledge and leadership, and enjoy bringing people and ideas together.

RDI offers a 36-hour flexible work week and comprehensive benefits, including health, vision, dental insurance along with 11 paid holidays and up to 12 weeks of paid family/medical leave through state programs and short term disability. Access to work at RDI's Headquarters in Coburg is offered, or working remotely from inside RDI's service area.

The application deadline is October 27 at 8:00 AM PST. Please email your cover letter, resume, and professional writing samples to [email protected] or mail them to RDI Headquarters at 91017 S. Willamette St Coburg OR 97408.

See the full job description at https://rdiinc.org/employment

10/12/2026

Restoration crews, prescribed-fire practitioners, seed collectors, nurseries, mills, biomass facilities, mass timber manufacturers, and local contractors are helping build an emerging stewardship economy. Some of these activities generate revenue and support viable businesses, but that revenue rarely covers the full cost of the work. Additionally, project budgets fail to account for the far greater costs of inaction, including severe wildfire, damaged watersheds, lost infrastructure, and economic disruption.

This raises an important question: How do we finance the forest stewardship our communities need when the benefits extend far beyond what markets can capture?

The opportunity is to build stewardship economies that generate as much value as possible while recognizing that public investment remains essential. If we fail to do so, the costs of inaction will remain largely invisible until they become catastrophic.

What public benefits can we make more visible when it comes to funding forest health? Share your thoughts in the comments.

10/09/2026

Forest restoration increasingly produces small-diameter timber, biomass, and other materials that could support local businesses and create economic opportunity. But many communities lack nearby processing facilities, stable markets, and locally owned infrastructure needed to capture that value.

Expanding markets and strengthening local infrastructure can help rural economies cover more of the costs of restoration while supporting jobs and businesses.

Not every stewardship activity generates a financial return. Public investment must come from multiple sectors to finance the stewardship our forests need because many of the benefits of forest health are public benefits that are difficult to capture through markets alone.

What public investments could boost your forestry economy? Share your thoughts in the comments.

10/07/2026

As forest restoration needs continue to increase, many rural communities face growing workforce shortages. Contractors, equipment operators, foresters, prescribed-fire practitioners, and restoration crews are all in high demand.

These careers are essential and can build local expertise that strengthens rural economies. Yet pathways into these professions often remain uneven and underfunded, limiting communities' ability to meet restoration needs at the scale required.

Investing in workforce development for the forestry sector is not just an economic strategy. It is an investment in the long-term stewardship needed to sustain the public benefits healthy forests provide.

How are forest needs and workforce shortages connected in your community? Share with us in the comments. #

10/05/2026

Forestry month launches today!

Forestry continues to be a big discussion topic for rural economic development. Follow along with our socials this month to learn about how forestry and stewardship economies are shaping rural communities.

Rural communities are on the front lines of reducing wildfire risk, restoring watersheds, managing forests, and producing wood products. Yet decades of mill closures, contractor losses, workforce shortages, and declining public capacity have reduced many communities' ability to benefit from, participate in, and adequately support this work. Investing in local workers, businesses, and leadership is essential to healthy forests.

What do you think? Engage with us in this discussion in the comments.

09/29/2026

Register now for the virtual Oregon Main Street Deep Dive: Makers on Main, Oct. 7-8, to explore how Makers and Main Street thrive together. Learn how communities can support creative entrepreneurship, activate downtown spaces with maker culture, and build stronger local economies by turning craft and creativity into opportunity. From storefront studios and workshops to production spaces and maker collectives, participants will explore how communities can cultivate environments where makers flourish, downtowns grow stronger, and local identity shines.
Learn more and register here: https://ow.ly/MpQu50ZSLP8

09/28/2026

Washington Communities for Children is a network of regional coalitions dedicated to improving outcomes for children, families, and communities. The network includes 10 coalitions across Washington State that engage in advocacy, data-informed decision-making, and community engagement to strengthen the systems that support community wellbeing.

Learn more about their work at www.washingtoncfc.org or watch this video: https://youtu.be/WiwG41lzQwQ?si=SoWJIQr737NpIYLy

09/25/2026

Through the Washington State Department of Commerce's Early Learning Facilities (ELF) Program, more than $55.8 million was awarded to 74 early learning providers, helping create 2,056 new childcare spaces across the state. The investment prioritizes rural communities, low-income neighborhoods, and areas facing childcare shortages, which directly addresses one of the biggest barriers to workforce participation and economic opportunity.

When families have access to reliable childcare, parents can stay in the workforce, employers can fill critical positions, and communities become more resilient. Washington's investment demonstrates how strategic public funding can expand access, strengthen local economies, and support the next generation. The ELF Program has already awarded more than $235 million since 2017, creating nearly 15,000 childcare slots statewide.

Whether through economic development, workforce, education, or community development agencies, targeted investments in childcare can generate lasting returns for families, businesses, and rural communities alike.

Learn more at https://www.commerce.wa.gov/early-learning-providers-received-more-than-55-million-from-elf-program/ .

Address

91017 S Willamette Street
Coburg, OR
97401

Website

http://www.rdiinc.org/

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