Family Forest Blog
January 3, 2025
A Forest Full of Surprises
A hidden wildflower field, butterflies dancing among the ironweed, and beavers hard at work building their new home. Pennsylvania landowner Kathy McClure’s property is full of small surprises that come together to create a magical place for her family.
December 23, 2024
Statement: AFF Applauds Passage of Comprehensive Disaster Relief Package
The American Forest Foundation applauds the Congress for passing and the Biden administration for signing a comprehensive disaster relief package that will keep the government open until March, extend the Farm Bill for a year, and provide monumental funding that supports family forest owners. These funds will play a critical role in restoring landscapes, rebuilding livelihoods, and strengthening rural communities devastated by natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
December 20, 2024
Townsend Family Wins 2024 National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year Award
After securing the West Region Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year Award, Townsend Family Wins National title for their work at Coburg Tree Farm in Washington.
December 18, 2024
The Business Case for Carbon Credits
Today, the American Forest Foundation is launching a series designed to provide companies a comprehensive and easily understandable answer to the question, “What is the business case for purchasing and retiring carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market?”
December 18, 2024
What This Year's Election Means for Landowners in FFCP
We have found that even in a political environment where people are extremely divided, an overwhelming majority of American voters from both parties support taking care of our country's forests.
December 17, 2024
The AFF Auction: A Simplified Buying Timeline
We created a simplified buying timeline to guide participants through the next steps in the American Forest Foundation Carbon Auction process. Here is what you can expect from now until contracts are signed.
December 13, 2024
Reaching the Next 100,000 Acres!
The Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) recently achieved the incredible milestone of 100,000 acres enrolled in our program and we are already looking forward to the next 100k, and what it will take to get there.
December 11, 2024
AFF Awarded $5 Million to Support Family Forest Owners
The American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service has awarded the organization $5 million of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds through its Forest Landowner Support (FLS) program.
November 19, 2024
Family Forest Carbon Program Receives BBBe Rating from Carbon Ratings Agency
This week, the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a nonprofit organization that empowers family forest owners to create meaningful conservation impact, announced its receival of a ‘BBBe’ rating of its improved forest management (IFM) practices by carbon ratings agency BeZero – the highest of the agency’s public ratings of this project type in the United States.
November 12, 2024
New White Paper Sets Bar for Quality in Forest Carbon Projects
This week, the American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization that empowers family forest owners to create meaningful conservation impact, released its latest white paper, “Catalyzing Forest Carbon Project Quality: Addressing Issues of Integrity in Improved Forest Management Carbon Projects." The paper discusses the common challenges that IFM projects face in the voluntary carbon market and details four key elements the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) focuses on to ensure high quality: additionality, permanence, leakage, and social integrity.
November 4, 2024
Private Philanthropy: Be the Game Changer for Family Forests and the Planet
One of the most critical issues preventing family forest owners from doing more to both improve the health of their forests and benefit the climate is money. If we are going make a sustained impact that helps reach the planet’s climate goals, we need philanthropic support of the VCM to act as a springboard for maximizing investment in nature.
November 1, 2024
The A.J. and Nona Trigg Hodges Foundation Wins 2024 Southern Region Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year Award
The A.J. and Nona Trigg Hodges Foundation, recognized as the 2024 Southern Region Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for their work on their Louisiana Tree Farm.
November 1, 2024
Ann and Marc Davis Win 2024 Northeast Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year Award
Ann and Marc Davis Win 2024 Northeast Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year Award for their work on Woods Without Gile (WWG) Tree Farm in Springfield and Wilmot, New Hampshire.
November 1, 2024
Mike and Patsy Schmuki Win North Central Region Tree Farmers of the Year Award
Mike and Patsi Schmuki win the North Central Region Tree Farmers of the Year Award for their work on Post Boy Tree Farm in southern Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
October 29, 2024
Branching Across the Aisle: How Building a Voluntary Carbon Market Benefits Rural Communities & The Planet
With the presidential election right around the corner, our television screens and social media feeds are filled with divisive messages and rhetoric. However, in a time where finding common ground seems nearly impossible, there is at least one thing that Americans on both sides of the aisle support: our forests.