Family Forest Blog
January 27, 2020
AFF Senior Fellow Appointed to CARB
This week, the California Air and Resources Board (CARB) announced David Ford, AFF Senior Fellow and family forest expert will serve on the newly established CARB Compliance Offset Task Force, a group created to provide guidance on the state’s offset protocols and projects.
January 22, 2020
President & CEO of Conservation Think Tank to Serve as New American Forest Foundation Board Chair
Today, the American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced Kathryn Fernholz, President & CEO of Dovetail Partners, Inc., will serve as the Chair of the AFF Board of Trustees in 2020 and 2021. Fernholz is the first woman to serve in the Chair position on AFF’s Board.
January 8, 2020
Statement from AFF President & CEO Tom Martin Regarding Rural Prosperity Report
Today, American Forest Foundation (AFF) President and CEO Tom Martin released the following statement in regards to the release of the Rural Prosperity report at the American Farm Bureau Convention in Nashville.
January 2, 2020
American Tree Farm System Launches 60-day Public Comment Period on Standards of Sustainability
The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS), a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), today launched 60-day public comment period on AFF’s current Standards of Sustainability for Forest Certification (Standards) and announces the 13 members of a new Independent Standards Review Panel (ISRP).
December 5, 2019
Family in Washington State Awarded National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year
Today, the American Tree Farm System awarded the New family of Bellingham, Washington the National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year honor from among more than 70,000 certified Tree Farmers nationwide, thanks to their efforts to restore a portion of a critical watershed to help a threatened species in their state.
December 3, 2019
Advocating for Forest Policy in 2019
2019 was a strong year for forest policy. With your help, we are making it possible for increased active forest management for over 21 million family forest owners across the nation.
December 3, 2019
Outstanding Efforts to Restore Critical Habitat
The New family, David and Dar New, and their daughter’s family, Jennifer and Jeff Parker and their sons, are owners of the Nourse Family Tree Farm in Bellingham, Washington. The 165-acre property has been in Dar’s family for three generations.
November 20, 2019
Giving Back for the Forests of Tomorrow
Vermont Tree Farmers Peter and Julie Parker went from Tree Farm newcomers to advocates of how sustainably managing forests provides many benefits to the ecosystem, including wildlife habitat.
November 8, 2019
AFF Welcomes Vulcan Materials Company as Family Forest Carbon Program Partner
The American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced today that Vulcan Materials Company (VMC), the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates, has joined AFF and its partner, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), in supporting the newly-created Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) to enhance carbon sequestration in family-owned forest land across the U.S.
October 10, 2019
Two Solutions to Help More Landowners Find Support for Stewardship
Landowners in the West want to do their part to reduce wildfire risk, but they often face barriers that keep them from acting - notably finding technical assistance (from a forester) is a challenge, particularly for those who do not know whom to contact, or what programs or resources might be available to them. Secondly, when a landowner does reach out to get assistance, they are often met with another barrier – forester capacity as forester numbers are low, and of those existing foresters, time is tight. Learn more about one project in Oregon about two new strategies AFF has helped implement to reach and engage more landowners in fire reduction.
September 16, 2019
Bearing the Cost of Forest Ownership
Susan Benedict's 2,087 acre tract of forestland in Pennsylvania has been in her family for 3 generations. She is devoted to making it 5. But it hasn’t always been easy. The cost of owning – and sustainably caring for land each year has been a significant barrier.
September 3, 2019
How Different Landowners are Benefiting from the Landscape Management Plan
While family forest owners own land for a variety of reasons and have different stories to tell about their ownerships, they all care about their land and want to do the right thing. However, many also face challenges that keep them from stewardship. They struggle with knowledge and expertise on forest management, cost, and general awareness of the resources available to them. One of the most significant barriers to stewardship is not having a forest management plan.
August 22, 2019
American Forest Foundation Announces Intent to Revise ATFS Standards of Sustainability
Today, the American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced it itends to initiate the revision process for its Standards of Sustainability (Standards) for Forest Certification for the American Tree Farm System(ATFS) program. ATFS, a program of AFF, is internationally endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), which connects the extensive network of small family-owned forests to markets around the world.
August 19, 2019
New Tool Helps Alabama Landowners Do More on Their Land
Brinley and Martha Hocutt of Alabama can trace the ownership of the land back to the Civil War. They wanted to make sure that they were doing everything possible to ensure the health of their woodlands. With the help of AFF's Landscape Management Plan tool, they have become members of the Tree Farm program and are doing more to reach their management goals.
July 24, 2019
Forest Owners in Alabama, Maryland, Missouri and Washington Named Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers
Today, the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) announced four Tree Farmer families from among more than 70,000 certified Tree Farmers as this year’s Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. They are Stan and Suzanne Wood of Bremen, Alabama; Bill and Tina Buckel of Bittinger, Maryland; Mike Trial of Columbia, Missouri; and David and Dar New of Bellingham, Washington.