Weekly live sessions
One-hour evening video conferences almost every week. Group discussion of assigned readings, audiobooks, and podcasts. Sessions are recorded for those who occasionally need to miss one.
Est. in the Forest
The ForestBusiness School
Professional development for mid-career working landscape professionals — a six-month Essentials program and a growing set of short courses. Rigorous, applied, and built for people with real work to do.
- Flagship
- Six-month Essentials program
- Also offered
- Short courses
- Format
- Live evening video sessions
- Credits
- CFE credits through SAF
About FBS
Serious learning for people doing serious work
The Forest Business School serves mid-career professionals in forestry, logging, wood products, land management, and related fields — providing the instruction, peer environment, and structured accountability that help working people translate knowledge into measurable results.
The six-month Essentials program is the flagship. FBS also offers short courses on focused subjects.
There are no tests, no credits to chase, no papers to write. There is rigorous reading, honest group discussion, and the expectation that you will apply what you learn in your real work.
We are actively recruiting for the next Essentials sessions and for upcoming short courses. Additional offerings are in development — check the update document below.
Current Information
Program news & updates
Updated regularly with current program details, scheduling, and other timely information.
The Core Offering
The six-month Essentials program
Our flagship — approximately six months of nearly weekly live video sessions, built for working people and free to accepted participants through partner funding.
01 / Format
02 / Workload
No grades. No papers. No busywork.
This is about learning, not credentialing. You will think — a great deal — and you will be expected to show up, engage, and apply what you discuss in your real work.
03 / Material
Proven frameworks
Business and professional development concepts from respected books and podcasts, applied directly to work in the forest products industry and related professions.
04 / Method
Socratic discussion
No lectures. Ideas emerge through conversation among peers grappling with real problems in real businesses and agencies across the region.
05 / Credit
Certificate of completion
Completers receive a certificate. CFE credits available through SAF; documentation provided for other organizations that award CE credits.
06 / Cost
Free to accepted participants
Partner funding covers the program. Participants obtain their own reading or listening materials — usually through Audible or a library. All assigned podcasts are free.
FBS Offerings
Short courses
The Essentials program is the flagship, but not the only offering. FBS also offers short courses on focused subjects.
Short course
Project Flow in Forestry
Project management thinking applied to forestry and resource work — how to move things forward, reduce friction, and get more done with the same people and time.
Short course
Technology & Automation
Practical frameworks for understanding and improving the systems you work within — and putting the right technology to work without distraction.
Short course
Entrepreneurship
For working landscape professionals building, growing, or re-imagining a business. The mindset, habits, and strategy that separate sustainable enterprises from the rest.
Short course · New
High Agency Intensive
A concentrated program for people ready to stop waiting and take full ownership of their outcomes. High expectations. High return.
Short course availability is updated in the document above. Contact FBS@northeastforests.com to express interest in any offering.
Who Participates
A remarkably wide community
FBS has attracted an extraordinarily diverse group of working landscape professionals. Every one of these has sat in a session. If you work in, around, or in support of the forest and land economy, you belong here.
Consulting ForestersWTH LoggersCTL LoggersTree-Length LoggersProcurement ForestersWatershed ForestersCertified ForestersState ForestersWildlife ForestersExtension SpecialistsSawmillersWood Products SpecialistsSugar MakersSugarbush SuppliersChristmas Tree FarmersDairy FarmersBeef & Sheep FarmersHelicopter LoggersHand FellersLow-Impact Loggers
Not a marketing list. Every occupation above belongs to someone who has taken part.
Get Involved
Partners & participants sought
FBS runs on two kinds of commitment — the organizations that make it possible, and the self-motivated individuals willing to do the work. Both matter enormously.
For partner organizations & funders
FBS is not a conference, a certificate mill, or a checkbox. It is a sustained, high-engagement learning experience that produces measurable change in the small businesses, agencies, and professional practices that sustain the rural forest economy.
10–50×ROI on program cost
FreeTo participants
30+Years experience
Partner funding — from state and federal agencies, forestry foundations, industry associations, and extension programs — removes the financial barrier to participation and opens the program to the most motivated, qualified candidates regardless of resources.
Your investment is leveraged directly into improved business performance and stronger rural communities. FBS can also develop customized resources — training, strategic plans, evaluations, and tools — tailored to your organization's specific needs.
- Bolsters forest economy & rural small business
- Documented outcomes in participant businesses
- Customizable to regional or sector priorities
- Minimal administrative overhead
- Co-branding and participant recognition available
For prospective participants
FBS is not for everyone — and that is by design. It is built for people who are already capable and working hard, but who know there is more. More revenue. More clarity. More impact. More control over how a career or business unfolds.
What this program requires is straightforward: you have to actually want to improve, and you have to commit — to the weekly sessions, to the reading, and above all to applying what you learn in your actual work. If you are self-motivated and honest with yourself about where you are and where you want to go, this environment will accelerate you.
- Self-motivated individuals ready to do the work
- Mid-career professionals with something at stake
- Committed to showing up and engaging honestly
- Open to new frameworks, even uncomfortable ones
- Willing to apply ideas — not just collect them
Application and acceptance process applies to the Essentials program.
Apply to the Essentials Program →Common Questions
Frequently asked
How do I apply to the Essentials program?
Fill out the interest form. It takes a few minutes and asks a bit about you and your work. Steve Bick will follow up and arrange a phone call to see whether it's a good fit. Apply to the Essentials Program → If you'd rather write, email FBS@northeastforests.com.
Who should enroll?
Mid-career professionals and small business owners who know there is more out there but need direction, support, and motivation. If you are good at what you do and sense you could do more — earn more, lead better, grow your organization — this program is for you.
What does it cost?
The Essentials program is free to accepted applicants, pending outside funding. Participants obtain their own reading or listening materials, typically through Audible or a local library. All assigned podcasts are free.
How long is the program?
Approximately six months, with a one-hour live video session nearly every week. There are occasional bye weeks around holidays.
What if I have to miss a session?
Every session is recorded so participants who miss one can view or listen later. Those who miss an occasional session are encouraged to connect with the director or fellow participants to stay engaged with the material.
Are there tests or grades?
No. You evaluate yourself by applying what you discuss in your actual work. Periodic surveys shape the program. Successful completers receive a certificate.
Are there reports or written assignments?
You will never be asked to write a paper, fill out a worksheet, or produce a report. There are regular reading and audio assignments that inform group discussion, and the expectation that you will think — quite a bit of thinking.
How is this different from other CE programs?
FBS is about professional growth and financial improvement in your business — not credits or proof of attendance. This is learning that changes how you work.
Do I need to be a business owner?
No. FBS has always included key employees, aspiring business owners, and public agency professionals alongside business owners.
Are continuing education credits available?
Yes. CFE credits are available through SAF, and a certificate with details is provided if you need to apply for credits with other organizations.
Who should not enroll?
If you are early in your career or approaching retirement, there are better-suited programs elsewhere. If you tend to find most ideas interesting but assume they don't quite apply to you, this isn't the right fit.
I hated school. Will this feel like that?
No.
The School
About the director
Dr. Steven Bick, CF
Director & Instructor
The Forest Business School is directed and taught by Dr. Steven Bick, CF, principal of Northeast Forests LLC in Moretown, VT. He has more than thirty years of experience providing continuous education and professional development resources for working landscape professionals.
He is a small business owner, land steward, writer, and researcher with deep ties to the forestry and forest products community across the Northeast and beyond. His applied work includes web-based tools and safety resources for the logging industry.
To learn more, discuss enrollment, or inquire about customized resources — training, applications, evaluations, or strategic plans — contact Dr. Bick at Steve@northeastforests.com.