We invite you to explore our work. Recent projects and presentations are listed below. You can explore additional work using the various tags in the right hand column.
Shanna Ratner, principal of Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. was a founding member of the National Network of Forest Practitioners, serving on the organization’s Executive Committee, and as Chair of the Research Subcommittee.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce to identify seven key sectors – Industry, Tourism, Real Estate, Cultural Affairs, Retail, Financial and Professional Services, and International Border Businesses…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. surveyed members of the Learning Cluster to determine the variety of approaches being used to build rural community capacity, resulting in a report entitled Community Capacity Building, What Is It? for the Aspen Institute.…
Served a three-year term on the Administrative Council of the Northeast Region’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. analyzed the EZ/EC Communities’ Annual Benchmark Progress Reports and prepared a summary document for the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee. The report discussed areas of accomplishment, common…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with John Gaventa at the University of Tennessee and Vicki Creed to prepare a workbook, training manual, and four-day workshop on participatory evaluation of rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities. Recipients…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a paper on flexible manufacturing networks for wood products firms for the Maine Rural Development Council and the Maine State Planning Office. The paper includes a discussion of the network concept and profiles…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a paper on the concept of learning communities for the Appalachian Regional Commission. The paper focused on how to identify traits common to learning communities and how to foster the development of these community…
Yellow Wood received a grant from the Vermont Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to prepare a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant proposal. Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. proposed to develop a Participatory Training Program…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Cornelia Butler Flora of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development to develop and test a training program for measuring progress toward community…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Planning/Environmental Research Consultants of Ithaca, New York to profile and assess the actual and potential contributions of agriculture and forestry to the economy of Chenango County. Research focused on…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. was invited by the Aspen Institute to participate in a review of the East Tennessee Foundation’s rural communities initiative. Offered feedback and advice on delivering technical assistance to community groups.
Presented results of the training in participatory evaluation developed in conjunction with the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development as well as information on indicators of…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Aspen Institute to survey eleven states supporting rural community development. The purpose of the work was to identify the role of state government in supporting communities after they have completed some…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Essex County Farmland Protection Board to develop a plan for farmland protection based on a strategic analysis of opportunities to strengthen agriculture in Essex County. Work included a survey of farmers…
Presented workshops on "Making Indicators (That) Matter: Using Citizen Learning Teams to Keep Community Development Ongoing and On Track" and "Creating and Sustaining a Learning Community of Rural Development Practitioners" at the Cultivating Community…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Maine State Rural Development Council to evaluate a program providing integrated service to secondary wood processors in five areas of the state. The work involved a literature review, on-site interviews,…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. delivered a two-day training program in collaboration with Vicki Creed of Learning Partners on community capacity building for the Massachusetts Rural Development Council (MRDC) and the Agency of Community Development.…
One of a series of Rural Community Assistance regional trainings that Yellow Wood co-faciliated with staff of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, as part of their work with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, for the…
One of a series of Rural Community Assistance regional trainings that Yellow Wood co-faciliated with staff of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, as part of their work with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, for the…
One of a series of Rural Community Assistance regional trainings that Yellow Wood co-faciliated with staff of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, as part of their work with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, for the…
One of a series of Rural Community Assistance regional trainings that Yellow Wood co-faciliated with staff of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, as part of their work with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, for the…
Invited by the World Bank to participate in an international workshop on “Indicators and Methods to Measure Participation, Demand Orientation, and Local Organizational Capacity in Community Driven Projects.” Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. represented…
