AFF Applauds New Legislation That Will Help Open Markets for Wood
Statement from AFF President and CEO Tom Martin
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 3, 2018) – The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a leading conservation organization that helps America’s family forest owners care for their land, today applauded Senators Shaheen (D-NH) and Collins (R-ME) for introducing legislation designed to spur markets for low value wood, thus helping landowners afford the good stewardship practices needed to care for their forests.
“One of the biggest obstacles preventing family landowners from caring for their land and providing the many benefits all Americans enjoy such as clean air and water and wildlife habitat, is the cost of forest management,” said Tom Martin, President and CEO of AFF.
“This challenge is not unique to any particular region but felt from the western fire prone landscapes, to our eastern hardwoods, to the southern pines. The loss of markets, particularly for low value material, has heavily affected the cost of management, making it difficult to afford to manage these lands and conduct good stewardship. Today, Senators Shaheen and Collins took an important step to rectify this challenge by introducing the Community Wood Energy Innovation Act.”
More than 21 million families and individuals own and care for the largest portion of U.S. forests, a total of 270 million acres.
The Community Wood Energy Innovation Act (S.2790) supports capital investment in energy and other wood using facilities, to help standup new and improved markets for small diameter and low value wood.
About the American Forest Foundation The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a forest conservation organization, works on the ground with families, partners and elected officials to promote stewardship and protect our nation’s forest heritage. A commitment to the next generation unites our nationwide network of forest owners working to keep our forests healthy and producing the clean water, wildlife habitat and sustainable wood supplies that all Americans count on from forests.
Related Articles
May 6, 2026
Family Forest Carbon Program Enrolls 200,000 Acres
Today, the American Forest Foundation’s (AFF) Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) reached 200,000 total acres enrolled, a major milestone in its efforts to support family landowners, bolster rural economies, and deliver meaningful conservation impact.
April 30, 2026
From Fund to Trust: the Evolution of AFF’s Approach to Managing Non-Permanence Risk
This issue of managing non-permanence risk affects buyers, standards, project developers, and all other market participants, making it a significant impediment to scaling both nature- and tech-based solutions and thus slowing climate progress. We recently launched a study to test the feasibility of our Permanence Trust concept. But our work to address concerns of durability and permanence long predates the Trust.
April 20, 2026
New Tool Visualizes the Conservation Benefits of American Family Forests
The American Forest Foundation (AFF) launched a new data visualization map that highlights the many conservation benefits of America’s family-owned forests.