By Nora Edge.
Jefferson Co, WA In my work with the Northwest Cooperative Development Center, I often encounter groups looking to solve specific problems. But every once in a while, I meet a group that isn’t just solving a problem—they are helping to reimagine an entire industry. Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Scott Freeman, a founding member of the Jefferson Timber Cooperative (JTC), to discuss how they are supporting efforts to breathe life back into the rural communities of the Olympic Peninsula.
For decades, the Peninsula’s story has been one of extraction: raw logs shipped abroad while the local people, wealth, and talent were left behind. Inspired by the success of the local food movement, JTC is leading a “local wood movement” to reverse this trend. As Scott noted during our interview, the founders “wanted to make local wood sort of similar to local food, in terms of impact on employment and local identity”.
This “business co-op of micro-entrepreneurs” includes everyone from those growing and falling trees to those milling, drying, and manufacturing finished goods like flooring and window trim. By uniting, these small businesses can access services that would be impossible to manage alone, such as specialized branding, marketing, and sales for sustainably managed local wood.
This “forest-to-finished-product” model is currently powered by five distinct member businesses:
- Trillium Timber Co.
- Kilnworks LLC
- Wayland Constructive
- Wild Harvest Woods LLC
- Leopold-Freeman Forests LLC
These businesses are categorized into two classes: producers, who focus on growing and managing trees, and processors, who manufacture products like flooring and window trim. By uniting, these micro-entrepreneurs can achieve a “Triple Bottom Line”—maximizing social, ecological, and economic impact. Their website proudly states: “JTC is the only cooperative in North America with member businesses that represent every link in a circular wood economy, from growing and harvesting trees to crafting beautiful products”.
One of the most significant hurdles for local woodworkers is land security, which often prevents the capital investment needed for growth. By coming together as a cooperative, JTC was able to secure a 30-year lease on an industrially zoned site from the Port of Port Townsend, which they now sublease to their members. Scott perfectly summarized the power of this collective action; “Because we’re a co-op,, many small things can make something big”.
The cooperative also focuses on a “zero-waste” goal. Individually, small mills often struggle to process or market byproducts like sawdust and offcuts. Together, they can afford the capital-intensive equipment needed to upcycle these materials into biofuels and mulches, effectively closing the resource-use loop.
Beyond the equipment and the timber, the real heart of JTC is its commitment to solidarity and trust. Scott Freeman described the cooperative’s foundation as being built on a “very flat organizational structure” where every member is part of a team. He shared that the motivation for these entrepreneurs to join forces was a desire for community impact; “Everyone said…we’re running successful businesses, but we want to be part of something bigger”.
Scott recalled seeing veteran business partners who had completed millions of dollars in projects based on nothing but a handshake. That is the level of integrity JTC strives for. As Scott put it: “I know you’re good at what you do, I trust you, and we’re going to be fair to each other… It’s called a cooperative for a reason”.
The Jefferson Timber Cooperative is proving that we don’t have to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy. By processing wood locally, they are protecting wildlife habitat, increasing carbon sequestration, and creating prosperity-wage jobs that keep families on the Peninsula.
At the NWCDC, we are honored to have supported JTC through the USDA Rural Cooperatives Development Grant and the technical expertise of our staff. Their journey from monthly meetings at a local cidery to a pioneering circular wood economy is a testament to what is possible when we decide to grow together.
