It’s just past 7 am when folks start filing into a charter bus on a cool February morning in Montgomery, Alabama. They’ve come from all over the country – from Portland, Oregon, to Cleveland, Ohio, to Lincoln, Nebraska, to St. Petersburg, Florida – all with one goal: equipping family landowners to improve the health and productivity of their forests.  

Excitement builds as the bus turns from highway to sparse country road, and when it’s only dirt beneath the tires, they know they’re close. Clouds blanket the sky as they emerge. It might rain any second, but no one is bothered; this moment has been years in the making. And not just for these partners committed to conservation, but more importantly, for the landowners whose properties they are setting foot on for the day.  

The first stop in Alabama brings leaders from the American Forest Foundation, partner organizations, and several state and federal government agencies onto the property of Dr. Portia Fulford – a stem cell researcher and descendant of sharecroppers – to celebrate the planting of the one millionth tree through AFF’s Fields & Forests project. 

Fields & Forests works with American family landowners to transition their underused or open land into forests, creating sustainable income opportunities while growing trees that help our planet. As representatives of several of the organizations huddle together to plant the millionth tree, nursery spade in one hand, seedling in the other, the image makes abundantly clear how this moment would not have been possible without a diverse group of passionate partners coming together to advance their shared values. 

When it comes to planting the trees themselves, AFF relies on several partners and collaborators. Many of the seedlings are sourced and grown locally by IFCO PRT nurseries with funding by the Arbor Day Foundation. We rely on F&W Forestry and Nutrien to help plant the seedlings. Additionally, AFF often uses seedlings grown in soil enhanced with a blend of native funga and microbes developed by Funga, enabling these seedlings to more quickly grow into mature and healthy trees. 

Back on the bus, everyone heads to the 900-acre forest of John Goff for a barbecue (complete with the famous Alabama white sauce), a panel discussion with John and other landowners, and a tour of his property. John’s land is enrolled in the Family Forest Carbon Program’s improved forest management practice, a cutting-edge model of conservation that pays landowners to implement a tailored forest management plan to strengthen the health and productivity of their existing woods.  

As the group ride on hayride-style trailers throughout the property, they hear from partners who made participation in FFCP possible for landowners like John. AFF partners with local organizations like the Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama Forestry Foundation, and Help for Landowners to bring in prospective landowners to learn more about how programs like FFCP could potentially benefit their land and advance their personal goals.  

For this Alabama trip, these local partners invited several local landowners to a lunch panel so they could hear firsthand from enrolled landowners about how their woods have improved as a result of their participation in FFCP. In addition to cooking a delicious lunch, the Commission champions AFF’s work in Alabama and promotes our programs, alongside traditional forest products, among landowners.  

This work is made possible through AFF’s public-private partnership model. Critical federal funding through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Landowner Support program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Advancing Market for Producers grant has not only allowed AFF to enroll landowners and operate our programs, but also kickstart and derisk private investment from companies like Netflix and REI, which purchase the carbon credits that helps us scale the impact of family forest owners like Dr. Fulford, John Goff, and thousands of others across the country. 

Partnerships, like the ones represented during our recent Alabama trip, are essential to AFF’s success, and we look forward to continuing to work with and celebrate our partners in government, philanthropy, business, and conservation to create healthier forests for local communities and rural America. 

Everyone has their own reason for participating in FFCP. For John, it’s to ensure his family’s land remains healthy for future generations; for Eddie, another landowner who spoke on the lunch panel, it’s to preserve Alabama’s natural beauty so that he and his wife can have a clear view of the stars every night; for Dr. Fulford, it’s to carry on the legacy of land ownership from her ancestors to her daughter’s generation and generations to come. Forests are deeply personal to the families that steward them, but often their values align across geographies, ages, and demographics.  

The success FFCP has seen throughout the past few years – enrolling thousands of landowners, capturing thousands of tonnes of carbon, and supporting rural communities – is a true collaboration between the landowners doing the work on the ground and our many partners who know the families who manage these forests are the key to unlocking meaningful conservation action. So long as we continue to combine forces, the future of American family forests is bright.